The lonely town of Esperance along Western Australia’s desolate southern coastline, over 400 miles southeast of Perth, holds the country’s best beaches. The talc-white sands of Twilight Beach (pictured) and Lucky Bay form sweeping white landscapes—with the addition of friendly kangaroo footprints. Hellfire Bay is home to a thriving colony of seals and sea lions. A bonus prize goes to pink-tinged Lake Hillier.

Melbourne’s hotel scene has emerged from the pandemic completely revitalized, with easily a half dozen high-profile openings. The kaleidoscopic W (shown) and the plush new Ritz-Carlton Melbourne, with its lavish lobby on the 80th floor overlooking the city, are in the Central Business District. Farther out, hip Australian hotelier Ovolo swung open its doors in posh South Yarra right on trendy Toorak Road.

To explore Arnhem Land, a vast and sacred realm for the indigenous peoples of northern Australia, base yourself at Venture North’s zero-waste Cobourg Coastal Camp. Glamping tents dot along a cliff’s edge and offer unobstructed views of the tranquil marine park down below. Attain a permit through responsible tour operators like Venture North or Lords Safaris to explore sites like Mount Borradaile—with its intricate anthropomorphic rock art carvings (pictured)—and Garig Gunak Barlu National Park.

Sydneysiders escaped the Big Smoke when the work week became more amorphous by buying up beach shacks in booming New South Wales’ towns like Kiama, Jervis Bay, and Shoalhaven. Rent out Dovecote (pictured), a luxury coastal farm stay with stark geometric details and a field full of cows. Try a variety of foraged indigenous flavors at Paperbank Camp’s Gunyah Restaurant. Bioluminescent plankton tinge the area's waves a shade of Yves Klein blue at night.

Like a thousand little Ulurus, all huddled together in the heart of the Outback, the Bungle Bungles tell a unique story of primeval gullies carved by ancient rivers and wind. A scenic helicopter flight from Helispirit is the best way to explore. Have them drop you at El Questro or Berkeley River Lodge, two sumptuous adventure lodges that will help you explore more of the vast Kimberley.

Australia’s most scenic road trip isn’t on the continental island at all—instead, it links together some of Tasmania’s otherworldly seascapes. Allow four days to make your way from Freycinet National Park, a winding peninsula of crescent beaches which whips out into the sea like a dragon’s tail, all the way up to the boulder-ridden shores of Binalong Bay. An essential stop, past the village of Bicheno, is the Bay of Fires (pictured) with its orange, lichen-covered shore.

An emerging wine scene is helping put Mudgee—an 1850s Wild West-style gold mining town—on the map, but it’s the 100% aboriginal-owned Warrakirri Dining Experience that’s made the township an essential foodie stop. The five-course, four-hour meal highlights not only endemic ingredients like crocodile, gum leaf, and foraged rainforest fruits, but weaves in live music and storytelling as well. The result is elevated “bush tucker,” with dishes like saltbush dukkah-crusted kangaroo.

The Great Barrier Reef gets all the attention, but a bit farther south on the Sunshine Coast in Mooloolaba, near Brisbane, there’s a new way to see the seas—even for those who aren’t PADI-certified. Down Under Submarines offers family-friendly trips on submersible craft that can descend 30 meters (98 feet) below sea level. Up to 27 passengers at a time can voyage, coming face to porthole with some 175 species of reef fish, vibrant corals, turtles, stingrays, and sharks.

Clare Valley, just under two hours from capital-city Adelaide, is where South Australia’s wine lovers scoop up dry, mineral-forward Reislings and fruity ciders before they can find their way onto the cargo freighters. Grosset offers intimate, crowd-free pours of biodynamic beauties in an old stone building that was once a buttery. Spend the night nearby at Bungaree Station, a mid 19th-century sheep ranch that’s been lovingly converted into a family-run inn.

Perth’s newest and sleekest museum continues city’s attempt to re-designate land to its original custodians—the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. Boola Bardip roughly means “many stories” in the local language, and its galleries highlight the incredible diversity of culture found across Western Australia. One permanent exhibition explores Aboriginal creation beliefs, while others revolve around contributions to greater Australian society and showcase both ancient and modern day artifacts.