6 Must-See Places for a First Visit to Australia

We spent 11 days in Australia in February and March 2019, driving and flying between Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, Uluru in the Outback, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Brisbane. Here are the 6 places we recommend for a first visit, along with our itinerary, transport tricks and budget for a family of four.

Australia had always fascinated us because of its position at the opposite end of the planet. Before we planned to go around the world, this country was a faraway dream, if not unreachable in the near future. When the time came to plan our great journey, we absolutely needed to go there. And so we did.

Highlights of an 11-Day Australia Itinerary

Melbourne

As soon as we arrived in Melbourne, we had the pleasure of meeting our friends Shailja, Bikram and their two happy children who warmly welcomed us, honored us with their accommodation and guided us on a visit to the surroundings.

After a brief visit to the country’s sporting and cultural capital, we drove down the Great Ocean Road, which runs along the coast, up to the limestone rock formations of the Twelve Apostles. On the road, we were treated to spectacular panoramas and amazing wildlife. We saw many koalas perched in eucalyptus trees that scattered along the roadsides in Kennett River and Cape Otway. Also, we saw parrots of all colors, and even a colony of several thousand white parrots known as corellas!

Alice Springs

We had a wonderful time on our crazy road trip in the center of the Australian Outback. When we arrived in Alice Springs, we jumped on board our rental campervan to Uluru (Ayers Rock), the largest monolith in the world and one of Australia’s icons. Uluru, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also a sacred site for the Anangu, the region’s indigenous group. A few kilometers away, Kata Tjuta is another rock formation no less impressive than its cousin Uluru.

2026 update: Climbing Uluru has been permanently banned since October 26, 2019, out of respect for the Anangu traditional owners. Visits now center on the base walk and guided cultural tours around the rock (Parks Australia).

Before we ventured there, we were afraid of the extreme heat of the Australian desert. But as it is a dry heat, we have not been as affected as by… flies! As soon as we got out of our vehicle, they would swirl around our heads by the hundreds, following us wherever we went. One of our best investments to date has been the mosquito nets we wore on our heads that prevented flies from clinging to our nostrils, mouths and ears in search of a little moisture in this excessive drought.

Back to Alice Springs, we also had the opportunity to visit Alice Springs Desert Park, to see kangaroos and other marsupials, emus and other birds and reptiles of the country including the surprising Moloch, or “Thorny Devil”.

Sydney

The main reason we had to visit Sydney was to join the Christian community of Hillsong Church. This church was founded right here in Sydney and is internationally recognized for its songs of worship, sung by Christian churches across the world. At the time of our visit, Senior Pastor Brian Houston and the Hillsong team led a lively house of worship, and the Hillsong community had more than 100 churches planted around the world, including the one in London, which we joined the previous June when we were in England.

2026 update: Brian Houston resigned as Hillsong’s global senior pastor in March 2022 after a misconduct investigation, and the organization has since restructured (Religion News Service).

Sydney is a city with an incredible appeal! Bondi Beach, with its stretch of white sand, skate park, joggers and bodybuilders, looks like the Californian Venice Beach, with fewer palm trees. The city center is beautiful and walking around is pleasant. We had the opportunity to visit the superb botanical garden, with a special interest in the exhibition of carnivorous plants that made the boys very curious! The Sydney Opera House, part of UNESCO’s heritage, is majestic. We took a ferry ride through Sydney Harbour to look at it from all angles, along with the city’s other landmark, the Harbour Bridge.

Gold Coast

We loved exploring Gold Coast and looking at its sublime skyline located by the beach. This city, which is focused on entertainment, is known for its amusement parks and its 53km of coastline, with its pristine beaches and surfers.

Byron Bay

Located 1 hour from Gold Coast, Byron Bay is a coastal village, also world famous for being a surfing destination. We enjoyed Cape Byron with its lighthouse, which happens to be the most easterly point of Australia.

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and the 3rd largest city in Australia. We enjoyed discovering the city centre, as well as the South Bank where the city’s cultural centre is located, with a beautiful large park and free museums!

How to Plan an 11-Day Trip to Australia

Itinerary

We made a short and rather intense 11-day visit to Australia, and here is the program:

• Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road: 2 days;
• Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock): 3 days;
• Sydney : 3 days;
• Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Brisbane: 3 days.

1. Shrine of Remembrance - Melbourne
2. The Twelve Apostles
3. Loch Ard Gorge
4. Gibson Steps
5. Mount Conner Lookout
6. Kata Tjuta
7. Uluru
8. Alice Springs Desert Park
9. Hillsong Hills Church
10. Bondi Beach
11. Sydney Tower Eye
12. Sydney Opera House
13. Port of Sydney
14. Harbour Bridge
15. Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast
16. Tumgun Lookout Burleigh Head
17. Cape Byron
18. Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast
19. Brisbane
20. Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

Transportation

Given the long distances between cities and our short time, we preferred to fly, and used tricks to do it economically via travel hacking with credit card points. At the time, a one-way flight from Sydney or Melbourne to Alice Springs sold for no less than 177 USD with Virgin Australia, while a Qantas one-way flight started at 231 USD in cash, or 10,000 Avios points plus about 21 USD. For our family of 4, our flights Melbourne-Alice Springs and Alice Springs-Sydney cost us 80,000 Avios points + 172 USD instead of 1,850 USD with Qantas, a saving of 1,678 USD, earned simply through the signup bonus of one American Express Platinum credit card.

2026 update: British Airways has devalued Avios partner-award pricing several times since 2023, so a similar redemption now costs more than the 80,000 Avios we paid in 2019 (AwardWallet).

Another travel-hacking trick to get a little luxury for free: Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast airports were among those where we could eat for free “on departure” and “on arrival” with our Priority Pass memberships. The rule at the time was that each person was entitled to 36 AUD (or 25 USD) of food, or 144 AUD for the 4 of us, and we didn’t deprive ourselves, eating and stocking up on groceries before leaving the airports.

At all locations, we rented a car, except in Alice Springs where we had a campervan. It was essential to cover the 2500 km we covered in 11 days.

Accommodation

In Sydney, we stayed 3 nights at Mercure Sydney Parramatta, where we only spent USD 18 per night, since we got certificates from Hotels.com, which we obtained from prior nights.

In Gold Coast, we stayed 3 nights at Mercure Gold Coast Resort, another 4-star hotel with a golf course, at an exceptional price-quality ratio.

How Much Does an 11-Day Trip to Australia Cost?

Thanks to our travel-hacking techniques, we were able to reduce the cost of our flights, hotels, car rental and even food. Our stay in the land of the kangaroos ended up costing us less than we expected, given everything we did there.

The cost of our stay for our family of 4 was:

• 3,758.00 AUD (2,682.50 USD);
• 342.00 AUD (244.12 USD) per day;
• 85.50 AUD (61.03 USD) per person and per day.

Amounts were paid in Australian dollars. US-dollar equivalents use the average exchange rate during our trip (February 18 – March 1, 2019): 1 USD = 1.40 AUD.

In detail:

Expense Category	Amount Spent
Flight	1,288.00 AUD / 919.39 USD
Accomodation	404.00 AUD / 288.38 USD
Transport (including gas)	1,556.00 AUD / 1,110.69 USD
Eating out	88.00 AUD / 62.82 USD
Groceries	270.00 AUD / 192.73 USD
Activities	152.00 AUD / 108.50 USD
Total	3,758.00 AUD / 2,682.50 USD

Conclusion

We were pleasantly surprised by the high quality of life in Australia. Very often, we even had the impression that we were in our own country, Canada. This country is a clear favorite for our family, and we will certainly return in the future to visit it further.

And now, let’s make way for New Zealand!