Brush strokes by the Bay (Vic) Melbourne's Coastal Arts Trail on Port Phillip Bay, extending 17 kilometres from Brighton around to Mentone, celebrates the pioneer Australian artists who painted these coastal landscapes in years past. At different times of day, you can see the same range of hues, colours and moods which inspired Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and other founding fathers of Australian art.

Coober Pedy, River of Illusions (SA) The deserts of northern South Australia produce most of the world’s precious opal, gouged out of the ground by ruggedly-independent miners. Perhaps half the dwellings are excavated into the stony hillsides: man-made caverns offer an enticing retreat when a searing dust storm is raising hell outdoors.

Crocodile Dundee Country (NT): Most visitors shun Australia’s "Top End" - Crocodile Dundee Country - in that hot, still time of year before the monsoon rains break. Yet there is no better time to visit, as the wetlands at this time become a Noah's ark of grazing, browsing waterfowl, crocodiles half submerged like floating logs and birds of prey.

Cry of the Thylacine: Tasmania's Last Frontier (Tas) Was that a distant howl, or simply the wind in the early morning darkness? The thylacine, the Tasmanian tiger, has been declared extinct: but many believe it survives, and where else but deep in the Tarkine wilderness forests... Earlier, I had gaped at a growing pile of food parcels on the lonely road, to be shared out amongst those about to venture into the Tarkine.

Darling River Run (NSW) From its source just over the Queensland border, the Darling River meanders southwest across the wide open country of western New South Wales to its junction with the Murray at Wentworth.   Towns along the riverbank preserve the evidence of the days before paddlesteamers yielded to the iron horse.

Darwin - Frontline Australia (NT): Australia's most unusual city, Darwin has always been first landfall for visitors from the north - hostile or otherwise.

East Gippsland (Vic) East of Melbourne lies a region of almost endless forests and ocean beaches, extending all the way to the NSW border. Buzzy Hewitt draws upon his Aboriginal heritage as he leads walkers along the ocean beaches of Croajingalong National Park; share the old Point Hicks Lightstation with the sea eagles, skinks and snakes.

Echuca - Historic Riverport on the Murray (Vic) At Echuca, where the Campaspe and the Goulburn run into the mighty Murray, floods - and drought - have always been a way of life. The pioneers who built Echuca's massive red gum wharf knew they had to allow for a river which even in a normal year rises and falls 7.5 metres with the seasons. During the summer months paddle steamers were tied up in rows, awaiting word of the first rise in the river for skippers and crews to abandon the town's 79 pubs, getting up steam to be off to compete for far-away cargoes. The Port of Echuca was then Australia's largest inland river port, working a hundred vessels a week. It still does a roaring trade: six surviving paddle steamers still chug around bends in the river, whistles screeching, steam spurting, as they have done for over a century now.

Eureka! (Vic) At dawn on December 3, 1854, thirty or more men died when colonial police and troops attacked the makeshift stockade constructed by miners on the gold fields west of Melbourne. The Eureka Stockade, Australia's only organised insurrection, paved the way for true democracy and the rebels' blue-and-white Southern Cross flag remains a potent symbol of protest.

Fowling the Nest (Vic) Self-taught ornithologist 'Whimpey' Reichelt has devoted his life to the endangered Malleefowl, a large bird which constructs and tends large mounds for the incubation of its eggs. Bird-lovers can meet Reichelt at his homely lodge and camp in the semi-desert Mallee country northwest of Melbourne

Fraser Island, The World’s Largest Sand Bar (Qld) From aloft, Fraser Island is a brocade of emerald and gold, fringed by lacy white surf. Ribbons of beach bulge into massive tongues which lap into the rainforests, damming creeks to form pea-green pools like Lake Wabby, bordered by forest on one side, an advancing wall of sand on the other. One ranger calls the island, "a sculpture of the south-east wind" and the map will show you why. This huge sand cigar, clothed in scrublands, luxuriant stands of forest and dotted with freshwater lakes, is inhabited only by a fortunate few, sharing their idyll with the dingoes, the ospreys and the oyster-catchers.

Fresh air fun: Brisbane (Qld) here are five (or more) fresh-air things to do in and around Brisbane, capital of Australia's self-styled Sunshine State. Most do revolve around sunshine and sparkling waters: quad biking on the sand dunes of Moreton Island, climbing the cantilevers of the Story Bridge, kayaking on the Brisbane River, taking in a rugby league game.

Ride 'The Ghan' to Alice Springs... and now on to Darwin (NT) Named for the Afghan cameleers who worked the route, the first steam train in 1929 took two days to reach Alice Springs from the south. For decades it remained a vital if erratic lifeline, a far cry from today’s eminently civilised journey. In 2008 Great Southern Rail, operators of The Ghan, introduces two innovations: Platinum Service cabin accommodation, which will greatly enhance the choice of top-end accommodation aboard The Ghan; and Southern Spirit, combining elements of The Ghan with other epic rail journeys to create a range of 'luxury Australian rail cruises' spanning the continent.

Grampian Grandeur (Vic): Victoria's Grampian Ranges offer an unexpected richness of forest walks, waterfalls and wildlife - refreshment for body and soul, within easy reach of Melbourne. Escarpments and canyons reward the walker, while fearless kangaroos converge to cadge tidbits from sightseers.

Great Alpine Road (Vic) connects the coastal waterways of the Gippsland Lakes with the lush valleys of Victoria's north-east. The 308-kilometre rollercoaster winds up over the Australian Alps to Mount Hotham ski village at 1,740 metres then descends through the Ovens Valley, a cornucopia of grapes and ripe cheeses, of temperate fruit, nuts and berries.

Great Ocean Road (Vic) Experience one of Australia's most dramatic landscapes: a cliff-hanging scenic drive that begins within a couple of hours of Melbourne. The Great Ocean Road twists and turns for 260 kilometres around Victoria's south-western coastline past vistas like the honey limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles.

Harley Heaven Pull on your leathers to explore 'Melbourne's backyard'? At first glance the hell-raising Harley-Davidson ethos doesn't quite fit with the family holiday ambience of the Mornington Peninsula. This, after all, is the sort of place where families set up shop at their favourite beach each summer, year after year. Along the inland roads, boutique wineries flourish like the grapes on the vines themselves. But those winding, scenic roads are ideal for wind-in-your-hair motorcycle touring, letting a local worry about take care of the driving and the navigating - especially with so many wines to be tasted along the way. You'll need those saddlebags to carry home a few more bottles...

Kakadu Dreaming (NT): The rock art of the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park reflects the passing of thousands of generations - so many that climatic changes have left their traces across these ancient works. No site has more dramatic impact than Nourlangie Rock, a fortress towering above the parched plains, standing alone from the escarpment.

Kelly Country (Vic) Merciless thug or tragic hero? Outlaw Ned Kelly still holds the imagination of Australians hostage. The movie Ned Kelly, starring Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts, continued that tradition. Ned's helmeted figure hovers over the forest hills and fertile valleys outside Melbourne. Ironically, the country where the Kelly clan struggled for survival is today renowned for gourmet produce.

Let's Go to the Prom (Vic): The first sight of Wilsons Promontory - the southernmost protrusion of the Australian continent - takes your breath away. The dairy paddocks end abruptly at Corner Inlet, where granite ranges tower across the horizon.

Marvellous Melbourne Loathe to be overshadowed by Sydney, Australia's second city plays host to major-league World Cup Rugby, Australian Open tennis, Formula One motor racing, Test cricket and international golf; not to mention the horse race which brings the nation to a halt… and that high-flying, home-grown football code called Australian Rules.

Mooloolaba 'The transformation of Mooloolaba into one of the world's finest beachfront holiday destinations is under way... the sleepy port has changed forever' Okay, that's estate agent hype, but something has definitely happened at the Cinderella end of the Sunshine Coast, an hour's drive north of Brisbane.

Mootwingee (Mutawintji) National Park (NSW) Aboriginal rangers interpret the significance of waterholes and gorges situated at a crossroads of several aboriginal 'dreaming trails' in the Bynguano Ranges, outside Broken Hill in Outback New South Wales.

No place like Alice (NT) Hush. The first notes of the flute waft through the warm air. Two hundred pairs of hands wave gracefully - keeping time with the flies, rampant after recent rains. Prepare your Oxford tub and rowing eights, practise your sand shovelling for an afternoon of slapstick at the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, staged each October in a dry riverbed.

Noosa: Snowbird Country (Qld) Within minutes of cafés, boutiques and galleries, the waters of the Coral Sea, framed by the coloured sands of Cooloola, glint like diamonds. Australia’s most-visited national park is an enclave of forest, heathland and surf-lapped coves rubbing shoulders with the chi-chi cappuccino strip of Hastings Street.

Opal-Hearted Country (SA, NSW, Qld) The multi-faceted gemstone which inspired these words by poet Dorothea Mackellar is uniquely associated with Australia’s Red Centre.   Meet the miners, rugged individualists all, who often make their homes in underground caverns in sun-scorched settlements like Coober Pedy, Lightening Ridge or White Cliffs. 

Outback Style: Seductive South Australia (SA) Adelaide and its hinterland, including the Clare Valley and Flinders Ranges, hold some rare outposts of civilisation: a restored fire station in North Adelaide, the seductive comforts of Thorn Park Country House or North Bundaleer Estate; fine 'feral' dining at the Parachilna Hotel.

Passage to Paradise: The Whitsunday Passage (Qld) runs through a chain of Coral Sea islands. Wade ashore on a postcard-perfect beach, crunchy coral sand between your toes. Your sailing ketch bobs at anchor. Hawksbill turtles break the surface, bobbing up for air. Brightly-striped fish dart about the shallows, nipping in and out of corals, clams and gently waving anemones.

Peanuts to Pinot (Qld) Australia’s newest gourmet food and wine region is demanding to be noticed. Much more than the peanuts by which most Australians know it, the region centred on Kingaroy – within easy range of Brisbane and the Sunshine >Coast – is shaping up as a gourmet haven. Deep red soil also nourishes sub-tropical fruit, cheeses and beef, and the produce of a dozen or so up-and-coming wineries.

Salamanca Style (Tas) Hmong tribal people selling vegetables in the market place... This is not hill-country Thailand but Tasmania, where an eclectic open-air market combines authentic local crafts with cauliflower and cappuccino against a backdrop of colonial sandstone.

The Seaside Towns of South Australia’s South-East (SA) invite you to dally, perhaps throw a line into those turquoise waters. These old stone towns cling to a sun-scorched coast, a shadeless landscape of low limestone crags, dunes and lagoons. Trees scarcely dare raise their heads. Only the waters seem fertile and inviting; these are fishing towns. In the movie Sweet Talker the character played by Bryan Brown blew in to Beachport, intending to take the locals for a ride, then skip town; but the town took hold on him and wouldn’t let go.