Skip to main content

Bucket List Travel: 4 Once-in-a-lifetime Adventure Trips in Australia

For most adventure travelers, Australia rivals Africa as the mother lode of exciting, once-in-a-lifetime outdoor opportunities. It’s vast, rugged, and impossibly beautiful. But, if you can only pick four of the continent’s most bucket list-worthy adventures, we suggest these.

Visit the Underground City of Coober Pedy (South Australia)

Australia gets hot. In the Outback, we’re talking average daily highs north of 110°F in the shade. Which is why the South Australian mining town of Coober Pedy was built largely underground–to escape the heat. Half of its population of fewer than 1,700 lives underground and surfaces mainly to work the massive opal mines (it’s the world’s largest source of the gem). The town’s otherworldly landscape is impossibly desolate. Trees are scarce and grass is like gold — visitors to the town’s all-dirt golf course are provided “loaner” patches of grass to tee-off. It’s no surprise the surrounding area was a primary shooting location for the original Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and has since become something of a popular tourist curiosity.

Desert-Cave-Hotel
Underground City of Coober Pedy/The Desert Cave Hotel Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good to know: Overnight visitors should head to The Desert Cave Hotel which offers authentic, underground, “dug-out style living,” plus great tours of the Outback.

Recommended Videos

Discover the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road (Victoria)

On paper, 12 Apostles are little more than “limestone stacks.” But, to glimpse them in person is a truly awe-inspiring experience. The drive along the Great Ocean Road — one of Australia’s most stunning road trips — is a worthy bucket list “destination” unto itself. But, the 12 Apostles are no doubt the highlight and provide a spectacular photo op for tourists. For the slower-paced, the Great Ocean Walk is the most intimate way to experience the surrounding area. The 8-day, 100-kilometer hike begins in Apollo Bay and ends at the Apostles. It’s worth noting that only eight of the formations remain, as the ninth collapsed in 2005.

Stock-12-Apostles-on-the-Great-Ocean-Road
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good to know: An aerial tour provides a stunning alternate view of the Apostles. The aptly named 12 Apostles Helicopters is the go-to provider as their tours also promise views of Shipwreck Coast and Port Campbell National Park.

Swim With Whale Sharks (Exmouth, North West Cape)

If you’re looking to get wet in Australia, you don’t need us to tell you the Great Barrier Reef should be at the top of your bucket list. But, for something altogether different, head to the other side of the continent. Exmouth — a tiny resort town on a peninsula in Western Australia’s North West Cape — is home to one of the world’s largest and most consistent schools of whale sharks. These massive, school-bus-sized fish are not whales at all, but filter-feeding fish with mouths more than a meter wide. The coastal waters of Exmouth are also home to migrating whales, dolphins, turtles, and manta rays.

Ningaloo-Whalesharks-Swimming-with-Sharks
Swimming with Sharks/Ningaloo Whalesharks Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good to know: Ningaloo Whalesharks offers a money-back guarantee and promises no snorkeling or diving experience is necessary for their tours.

Climb and Camp Mount Kosciuszko (New South Wales)

Climbers and peak-baggers are familiar with Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko. The 7,310-foot peak may not seem like much compared to its brand-name brethren like Everest or Kilimanjaro, but, it’s actually the tallest mountain on mainland Australia, securing it a spot on the coveted Seven Summits list. It’s also the easiest of the seven peaks to “bag.” The Summit Walk can be completed in just one day. Facilities in the surrounding Kosciuszko National Park are excellent and we highly recommend camping overnight to soak in the scenery.

Stock-Mount-Kosciuszko
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Good to know: The park is also home to a long list of other year-round activities. Summer is ideal for hiking, biking, cave exploring, and fishing; while winter brings skiing, snowboarding, and cold weather hiking.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Topics
Hawaii’s Diamond Head hike is quicker, easier, and more beautiful than expected
What to know before hiking this famous crater
Diamond Head Hawaii

Lē‘ahi (Diamond Head) is one of Hawaii's most recognized landmarks, formed nearly 300,000 years ago during a single, explosive eruption. After the eruption, a saucer-shaped crater was formed as particles in the air settled and cemented together into tuff. Today, the Diamond Head Crater Summer Trail is one of Hawaii's most visited hiking trails.

Before I visited Lē‘ahi, I wondered just how challenging this hike would be and how long it would take to hike up and back down. To my surprise, the hike was much easier and shorter than expected. You only need a short window of time in your day to enjoy the incredible views from this volcano.

Read more
Toyota and Howler Brothers just dropped the ultimate outdoor style collection
Land Cruiser teams up with Howler Bros for limited edition apparel collection
Howler Bros x Toyota collaboration

Howler Brothers, an Austin, TX-based outdoor apparel brand, just teamed up with the Land Cruiser team at Toyota to create a limited-edition collection featuring the beloved vehicle. Known for their unconventional designs, this seems like a perfect partnership, and I'm not the only one who thinks so.

"This collaboration with Toyota Land Cruiser is a natural fit," said Chase Heard, CEO of Howler Brothers. "Both of our brands are rooted in shared love for exploration and craftsmanship. We've combined Howler's signature style with Land Cruiser's legendary legacy to create a collection built for the jungle roads ahead."

Read more
Cold for 8 days, light to carry, and modular: Dometic’s new cooler changes the game
This modular cooling system might just be your solution for a hot summer
Dometic Recon Cooler

Cold, refreshing drinks are perfect during those hot summer adventures, but it can be challenging to find a great cooler system to bring with you, especially on a multi-day journey. Dometic, an outdoor tech company, has just introduced Recon, a stackable, modular cooling system designed to stay cold for up to eight days.

One of the most exciting aspects of Recon is its compact design. “We’ve all wrestled with coolers that don’t stack or fit. Recon fixes that,” says Josh Militello, President of Segment Mobile Cooling Solutions at Dometic. “It’s cold storage that packs tighter, stacks cleaner, and moves easier. No wasted space. No extras. Just a system built for how people actually roll.”

Read more