Airlie Beach·QLD
Airlie Beach Lagoon
A free, stinger-free public swimming lagoon in the middle of town, patrolled and good with kids.
12 ideas
On the water
Cruises, kayaks, ferries and charters. The best way to see most of this coast.
Strongest for this
Where to go
Every one of them
Kangaroo Valley·NSW
Bendeela Recreation Area
A free riverside picnic and camping ground run by WaterNSW, and the most reliable place in Kangaroo Valley to see a wombat.
Hervey Bay·QLD
Hervey Bay whale watching
Humpbacks stop and rest in the sheltered bay rather than passing through, roughly July to October.
Huskisson·NSW
Dolphin and whale cruise from Huskisson
Resident bottlenose dolphins year round, and humpbacks on migration between May and November.
Kangaroo Valley·NSW
Kayak the Kangaroo River
Flat water, sandstone walls and wombats on the bank at dusk. Hire is available in the village.
Kiama·NSW
Kiama Blowhole
A sea cave that fires a plume of water over the walkway when the south-easterly swell is running.
Huskisson·NSW
Moona Moona Creek
A shallow tidal creek mouth at the southern end of Huskisson Beach. The calmest water in town for small children.
Port Stephens·NSW
Swim with wild dolphins, Port Stephens
Around 100 bottlenose dolphins live in the bay year round, and some operators let you get in with them.
Sydney·NSW
Ride a Sydney Harbour ferry
The cheapest harbour cruise in the city, because it is public transport. Manly is the long one.
Sydney·NSW
Sydney whale watching
Humpbacks pass the heads between May and November, close enough to see from a boat out of the harbour.
Airlie Beach·QLD
Whitehaven Beach
Seven kilometres of pure silica sand on Whitsunday Island, reached by boat or seaplane.
Airlie Beach·QLD
Sail the Whitsundays
Bareboat or skippered charter through 74 islands. Two nights is the minimum that makes sense.