Travel
12 of the most Insta-friendly Aussie spots to visit this October
For much of Australia, the clocks are about to change and the sun is about to kick it up a notch. Here’s where to make the most of those imminent, much-awaited golden moments this October.
It’s finally happening folks: that long awaited mercurial shift, the will to live large again. Another turn of the wheel and we’re in Octoberland: your cue to indulge in ever-greater regional jaunting.
As ever, we – your trusted guide on all things outside – are here with the crème of the new season’s action. Do yourself a series of favours and go check out some of these October gems.
Armidale, New South Wales
Sydneysiders, it’s New England High Country time – when was the last time you checked out the many glories of Armidale’s Northern Tablelands? A region of spectacular experiences, full of all the things that make life sweet: waterfalls, gorges, world-class national parkland, decadent vineyards, and enough outdoor activities to keep your adrenals juiced through to next winter.
Travel time from Sydney CBD: under 6 hours
Address: Armidale, NSW, 2350
Brindabella National Park (Mt Coree), New South Wales
Whether you’re making a break out of Sydney or Canberra, Brindabella is a superb and enduring choice, particularly in the springtime. For one, it’s huge: a lazy 18,000 hectares or so of uncompromising national parkland, spread out over illustrious gorges, valleys, wildflowers, and a general mother lode of outdoorsy eye-candy. Hiking, bushwalking, 4WD-ing, fishing: you have all that and more at Brindabella. Of particular note: the sight of low-hanging cloud at the top of Mt Coree (it’s pretty darn special).
Travel time from Sydney CBD: approx. 4 hours
Address: Brindabella National Park, Brindabella Range, Brindabella, NSW, 2620
Bonnie Doon, Victoria
“We’re goin’ to …” You know the chant. You know you want to. Everyone needs to. For what it lacks in, shall we say ‘world-class aesthetic’, Bonnie Doon makes up for in latter day Australian spiritual allure. Be like the Kerrigans this month and finally (if you haven’t already) do the pilgrimage to this charming rural nook at the doorstep to Victoria’s High Country. Try to tell us the song isn’t riffing in your head already. Prime that two-stroke engine and get set to cop a chunky dose of serenity.
Travel time from Melbourne CBD: approx. 2.5 hours
Address: Bonnie Doon, Victoria, 3720
Warburton, Victoria
As a country town, valley, and a region in one, Warburton is a sweet spot, and, if you’re a native Victorian like me, you know it well as a staple childhood fave. There’s a bunch of stuff to check out and experience in and around this nook, but Warburton’s enduring quality is its natural wonder: the abundant rainforesty goodness, and sense of having stepped well and truly out of the big smoke. Add ‘hero’ attractions like Blue Lotus Water Garden, the Mont Delancey Homestead, and the Redwood Forest by Cement Creek, and you’ve got a recipe for a stunning weekend escape.
Travel time from Melbourne CBD: approx. 1.5 hours
Address: Warburton, Vic, 3799
Dalby, Queensland
At the junction of a trio of highways among Queensland’s Darling Downs, regional Dalby is one of those reliable ‘taste of life as it used to be’ kinda towns: quaint, old school, and mellow. Situated at the doorway to the Bunya Mountains, it’s also a sweet springboard for other adventures, including the Lake Broadwater Conservation Park (good for swimming, water skiing, romantic bush picnicking by the river red gums, etc.), though there’s a bunch of great stuff in town too, like its landmark-laden Heritage Trail, and Pioneer Park Museum: home to a load of rare ancient fossils and minerals, and even a handwritten letter from big gun Ned Kelly himself.
Travel time from Brisbane CBD: approx. 2.5 hours
Address: Dalby, QLD, 4405
Dthinna Dthinnawan National Park, Queensland
Though perhaps bit of a mouthful to pronounce, let’s not let semantics get in the way of a good time. Dthinna Dthinnawan is a rare, important spot, full of Aboriginal history and artefacts. Enjoy the rare remoteness of this wide-open billabong-scatttered woodland by renting out the on-site Inverary Homestead for the ultimate unique bush weekender. There’s camping on offer nearby too, perfect for checking out the local kangaroos and emus darting across roads and flats after dusk.
Travel time from Brisbane CBD: 4.5 hours
Address: Dthinna Dthinnawan National Park, Yetman, NSW, 2410
Southern Beekeeper’s Nature Reserve, Western Australia
This nature reserve in WA’s wheat belt is a friendly neighbour to a few of our star performers on this list (Jurien Bay, and nearby Cervantes to name drop a couple. Generally speaking, with a name as evocative as this, you can’t go too wrong for visual delights – as far as ‘picturesque’ goes, this reserve is the bee(keeper)’s knees. Wildflower lovers will get their rocks off around these parts, with incredible local fauna in bloom this time of year especially. Nearby Grigson Lookout (a 20-minute drive north) gives a pretty incredible vista of the whole deal, so factor that in too.
Travel time from Perth CBD: approx. 2.5 hours
Address: Southern Beekeepers Nature Reserve, Jurien Bay, WA, 6516
Lane Poole Reserve, Western Australia
If 50,000 hectares of unbridled forested parkland is your idea of bliss – with hiking and biking trails out the wazoo and a set of stellar campgrounds and river for boating and fishing – then Lane Poole Reserve has your deal covered. Replete with green-cloistered valleys and meandering waterways, there’s enchantment to be had at Lane Poole, the perfect spot for a good old-fashioned rural getaway. Stock the vehicle with requisite goods, and get into it.
Travel time from Perth CBD: approx. 2 hours
Address: Banksiadale Rd, Dwellingup, WA, 6213
Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park, South Australia
You asked for rugged. You wanted spectacular. We prescribe: the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges. Located next to the stark, isolated wilderness of Lake Frome, this National Park is an area of crucial cultural significance to the Adnyamathanha people, the traditional custodians of the land. Go check out some of the most liberatingly capital-A awesome landscapes on the planet, rife with incredible gorges, dramatic hiking routes, and some turbo-charged-Instagram-worthy moments.
Travel time from Adelaide CBD: approx. 11 hours (and well worth it!)
Address: Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges National Park, Gammon Ranges, SA, 5732
Flinders Chase, South Australia
Given its prominence, Kangaroo Island is no stranger to this list, however we’re going a little more specific this time, to the island’s stunning western Flinders Chase locality. Flinders Chase National Park and the Ravine Des Casoars Protected Area are some of the most rugged parts of this wildly gorgeous island – also the most remote, and arguably rewarding. If you dig hidden secrets, lighthouses, and dramatic sculptured granite boulders, this spot’s worth the chase. No Insta-filter needed.
Travel time from Adelaide CBD: under 5 hours
Address: Flinders Chase, SA, 5223
Katherine Gorge, Northern Territory
Let us rejoice and pop corks with a look at one of the NT’s finest: Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk National Park’s showpiece. Here, you can immerse yourself in the fascinating culture of traditional owners, the Jawoyn and Dagomen people, as you traverse an escarpment of ancient sandstone glory. River swims, waterfalls, monsoonal rainforest wanderings, stone country and Aboriginal rock art are all on the cards. See you in the NT.
Travel time from Darwin: approx. 4 hours
Address: Nitmiluk, NT, 0852
Pellew Islands, Northern Territory
Of all Australia’s states and territories, it’s the Northern one that keeps giving when it comes to sheer spectacular-X-factor. Case in point: Sir Edward Pellew Islands, chilling out there on the South Western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria, a remote coastal dreamscape par excellence. Only problem is: it’s pretty damn tough to get if you don’t have a boat (and by boat, we mean helicopter). If you do happen to make it happen, let us know how you did it. And, uh, send pics. Cheers.
Travel time from Darwin: ?
Address: Pellew Islands, NT, 0852
