Australian history is full of fascinating stories and contrasts spanning thousands of years of indigenous culture and our more recent colonial heritage. From gold rush to war, history buffs can build a vivid picture of Australia’s compelling and diverse past with holidays exploring world heritage listed sites, towns, buildings and national parks. Here are our top picks for must-visit historic locations to add to your next holiday itinerary.
Mungo National Park, NSW
Just 1.5 hours from Mildura you’ll find one of Australia’s most scientifically and culturally important historic sites – Mungo National Park. Located at the junction of three First Nations countries, Mungo National Park is home to the oldest evidence of indigenous existence in the country, with discoveries of the famous Mungo Man and Mungo Lady being dated to more than 40,000 years old. With incredible otherworldly outback scenery, ancient lakes and towering mud pinnacles, Mungo National Park is world heritage listed and can be explored via loop track which helps preserve the fragile and historic ecosystem.
Nearest G’day Parks:
All Seasons Holiday Park Mildura
Discovery Parks – Mildura
Rivergardens Holiday Park Mildura
Port Arthur Historic Site, Port Arthur TAS
The best-preserved convict site in Australia, Port Arthur is an open-air museum on the scenic Tasman Peninsula, offering significant insights into an important part of our colonial history. With plenty of tours, activities and interactive exhibits on offer, explore the stories and history of this former penal colony and the lives of the convicts who arrived from Britain and Ireland between 1788 and 1868. Now part of the eleven UNESCO World Heritage Listed Australian Convict Sites, Port Arthur is a must-visit on your next trip to Tasmania.
Nearest G’day Park:
Discovery Parks - Hobart
Eureka Stockade Memorial Park, Eureka VIC
Much more than a chapter in your school history class, the short but bloody rebellion of miners against the British colonial authorities at Eureka, called the Eureka Stockade, is considered a seminal moment for Australian labour rights. An hour and a half from Melbourne and just outside of Ballarat, you can visit the site of the famous Stockade at Eureka Stockade Memorial Park, which also hosts the Eureka Centre. Here you can see the original Eureka flag and explore the meaningful history of the 1850s Victorian gold rush and its enduring legacy for democracy.
Nearest G’day Park:
Eureka Stockade Holiday Parks
Cooktown, QLD
Named, of course, for Captain James Cook’s arrival in 1770, Cooktown is the site of the first recorded contact with Aboriginal people after the HMS Endeavour was beached on the coast, stranding the crew for 48 days. Each June the arrival and interaction is re-enacted as part of the Cooktown Discovery Festival, a huge three-day event on the annual Cooktown calendar. Today the town celebrates its shared cultural stories and offers a range of tours of the region with local indigenous guides, historical monuments and a multicultural museum.
Nearest G'day Park:
Cooktown Holiday Park
National ANZAC Centre and King George Sound, Albany WA
Albany, 4.5 hours’ drive from Perth along Western Australia’s rugged south coast, played a significant part in the ANZAC story. In 1914 King George Sound was the departure point for troopships heading to the battlefields of World War 1, carrying over 40,000 soldiers. Opened in 2014, commemorating 100 years since the departure of the first convoy, the National ANZAC Centre is an interpretive museum featuring interactive stories and multimedia to pay tribute to the stories of the first ANZACs. Set within 250 hectares of parkland with panoramic views over the Sound, it’s a powerful and poignant way to explore our military past.
Nearest G'day Parks:
Albany Gardens Tourist Park
Acclaim Rose Gardens Beachside Holiday Park
Ikara-Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges SA
The crowning jewel of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, Wilpena Pound (Ikara) rises from the incredible outback landscape, a natural amphitheatre spanning a huge 17km long and 8km wide. Translating to ‘meeting place’ in the language of the Adnyamathanha people, Ikara has been a place of cultural and geological significance for thousands of years. The Flinders Ranges is Australia’s largest mountain range and the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park has incredible scenery, lookouts, gorges, historic homesteads, walking trails, guided tours and much more.
Nearest G'day Park:
Rawnsley Park Station
Darwin Military Museum, Darwin NT
Darwin was at the forefront of Australia’s mainland defences during World War 2. The city was bombed in 1942 with another 62 attacks before 1944, making Darwin the epicentre for military action and defence against air attacks of the northern coast. The history of the city’s role in the War is significant and commemorated by the Darwin Military Museum. With interactive and multimedia exhibits, tours of actual bunkers used by forces personnel and plenty more, it’s well worth a visit for a window into this important piece of our military past.
Nearest G'day Park:
Discovery Parks - Darwin
