Pick your Australia.
Ten cities. Eight states and territories. One curated collection of guides written by Australians.
Australia is enormous. Each of these cities feels like a different country — different climates, different food cultures, different landscapes. Sydney and Melbourne dominate the international tourist routes; Brisbane and Adelaide are the rising-star alternatives; Perth and Hobart reward longer trips with genuinely distinct experiences; Cairns is the gateway to the Reef and rainforest; Darwin opens up Australia's Top End; Canberra is the planned-capital surprise; and the Gold Coast remains Australia's most enduring beach playground.
This directory pulls together the city guides we've written. The three "Editor's Picks" below are the most comprehensive — the ones we'd hand to a friend visiting for the first time. The rest are organised by character: capitals, coastal escapes, and cities sorted by travel style. Every guide is updated quarterly. None of them try to cover everything — they cover what we think actually matters.
Our most comprehensive guides
Three cities we've written deeply about — each a standalone trip, each with a distinct character. Start here if you're new to Australia.
Sydney
Australia's biggest, most iconic city — a harbour wrapped by 100+ beaches, a world-class food scene, UNESCO-listed wilderness an hour away, and the Opera House and Harbour Bridge that put the country on postcards.
Read the Sydney guideBrisbane
Australia's fastest-growing capital, wrapped around a slow brown river and blessed with year-round warmth. South Bank's lagoon, the Story Bridge Climb, Howard Smith Wharves, and the perfect base for Queensland day trips.
Read the Brisbane guideCairns
The only place where two UNESCO World Heritage sites meet — the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Cairns is Australia's tropical north in one compact city, plus the launchpad for some of the country's most extraordinary trips.
Read the Cairns guideCapital Cities
Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns are featured above. Here are the rest — each capital with a distinct personality, a different climate, and its own claim on the country.
Coastal & Tropical
Where Australians actually go on holiday. Two destinations that round out the city collection — Queensland's theme-park belt and the gateway to the world's largest reef system.
Choose by Travel Style
Not sure where to start? Here are the cities sorted by the kind of trip you want.
Planning Australia
The questions we answer most often for travellers planning their first Australia trip.
Which Australian city should I visit first?
How many Australian cities can you visit in two weeks?
Are these AMP pages or full website pages?
Can I book city tours directly through Cooee?
What's the best time of year to visit Australia?
How expensive is Australia?
Let us plan your Australia
Read the guides, pick the cities that spark something, and let us do the rest. We've planned Australia trips for 12,000+ travellers — we'll build yours the way we'd plan it for a friend.