Stunning Australian islands for a idyllic holiday

[jw5]

Island nation©Guillem Lopez Borras/Alamy Stock Photo

Australia is an island nation, featuring 8,222 isles scattered from the tip of Cape York to sub-Antarctic latitudes and flung deep into the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They range from gorgeous coral atolls to wild, windswept islands sculpted by the waves of the mighty Southern Ocean.

 

[jw5]

K'gari, Queensland©Ingo Oeland/Alamy Stock Photo

UNESCO Heritage-listed K’gari (Fraser Island) is 75 miles (120km) long and 15 miles (25km) wide, making it the world’s largest island made entirely of sand. It supports a surprisingly diverse ecosystem from lush rainforest and enormous sand hills to iridescent lakes and wildflower heaths, as well as abundant birdlife and small packs of dingoes. 75 Mile Beach runs along the east side of the island and is officially a national highway. Watch out for the eerie wreck of the SS Maheno about halfway along.

 

[jw5]

King Island, Tasmania©Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Anchored in the middle of the Bass Strait off Tasmania’s northwest coast, King Island is a place of wild seas, empty beaches and famously good produce. The island’s shipwreck trail recalls its early history of maritime explorers, sealers and shipwrecked castaways. The pioneer farmers who came here after the Second World War are celebrated in the world-class beef, seafood and cheese you can sample metres from the source. Life moves at a slower pace here. There is one set of traffic lights – but they only operate on Wednesdays.

 

[jw5]

Norfolk Island©Rawdon Sthradher/Shutterstock

It’s hard to imagine, but this paradise island 877 miles (1,412km) off the east coast of New South Wales was once a brutal penal colony where only the very worst offenders were sent. Two hundred and fifty years later the place dubbed ‘Hell in the Pacific’ in convict times is a beguiling mix of rolling farmland, dramatic seascapes and towering pine trees. Incongruously grand convict buildings in Kingston are the only reminder of the island’s dark past.

 

[syed putra]

And get eaten by sharks or salt water crocodile?

 

[jw5]

Bigge Island, Western Australia©Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo

Bigge Island sits 3.7 miles (6km) off the Kimberley Coast in northwest Western Australia. It is the biggest island in the Bonaparte Archipelago, cut off from the mainland during the last Ice Age. Today it is a haven for rare flora and fauna, including monjon, a type of rock wallaby that bounds among the striking red rocks here. Set in a cobalt blue sea, it is an island of caves, many of which are decorated with Wandjina (spirit) art, depicting ancestral beings that travelled through this region during the very beginning of time, known by Aboriginal peoples as the Dreamtime.

 

[jw5]

Magnetic Island, Queensland©Guillem Lopez Borras/Alamy Stock Photo

Serene Magnetic Island is a true natural paradise just a 20-minute ferry ride from Townsville in northern Queensland. It is littered with granite boulders, hoop pines, sandy beaches and fringing coral reefs. Explore the island’s stunning 23 bays and beaches (that’s Radical Bay pictured). Or take to one of the bushland trails that criss-cross the island. Keep an eye out for koalas too – introduced in the 1930s and now the largest colony in northern Australia, you might spot them sleepily munching eucalyptus leaves in the trees.

 

[jw5]

Cockatoo Island, New South Wales©katacarix/Alamy Stock Photo

The largest island in Sydney Harbour is a former convict jail and naval shipyard. Visitors come to Cockatoo Island by ferry to wander among the heritage buildings built by convicts, soak up the breathtaking views back towards the city and enjoy a rustic pizza at the island’s cafe. There is also the opportunity to camp overnight. Lonely Planet described it as “one of the world's most spectacularly located campsites”.

 

[cocobobo]

Nice, but Australia and beach means salties, great whites, king brown, taipan, and other spiders and insects.

 

[jw5]

Cocos (Keeling) Islands©Umomos/Shutterstock

Billed as 'Australia’s last unspoilt paradise', the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are but a mere drop in the Indian Ocean. Consisting of two atolls of 27 islands, of which only two are inhabited, the Cocos officially became an Australian territory in 1955. With just 144 visitors allowed at any given time, this tranquil place is like the Maldives before tourism. The Cocos are a tropical oasis of coconut palms, endless white-sand beaches and azure waters with a unique Coco-Malay culture.

 

[jw5]

Kangaroo Island, South Australia©Ingo Oeland/Alamy Stock Photo

Often described as ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, Kangaroo Island in South Australia is a place of otherworldly landscapes, gorgeous empty beaches and wildlife at every turn. There are kangaroos, of course – they outnumber human residents by 12 to one and can be spotted bouncing along the beaches here. But you’ll also find colonies of fur seals and sea lions, 260 species of bird and a colony of koalas, brought to the island in the 1920s and unaffected by the diseases that plague their cousins on the mainland.

 

[jw5]

Phillip Island, Victoria©Gunnerchu/Shutterstock

Just a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, Phillip Island has always been a holiday hotspot for stressed-out Melbournians and visitors alike. The island is packed with idyllic beaches, secret fishing spots, scenic hikes and delicious local food and wine, while the villages here still exude a distinctly relaxed vibe. The main attraction, however, is the nightly Penguin Parade and the chance to see the world’s largest colony of Little Penguins return from the sea to their burrows in the sand dunes.

 

[jw5]

Moreton Island, Queensland©Nick.Christy/Stockimo/Alamy Stock Photo

With its sand dunes, shipwrecks and sparkly beaches, Moreton Island is Brisbane’s playground. Jump on the ferry at Brisbane’s Holt Street Wharf, and 75 minutes later you’ll be swimming among rainbow-coloured fish, whizzing down a sand dune, bathing in a blue lagoon and hand-feeding wild dolphins. Highlights include the Champagne Pools, where ocean waves crash over the volcanic rock to create a sparkling effect; Dolphin Lake, named because it’s the shape of a dolphin; and the breakwater at Tangalooma, formed of several shipwrecks and an excellent snorkelling spot.

 

[jw5]

Rottnest Island, Western Australia©Hideaki Edo/Alamy Stock Photo

Rottnest Island got its name in 1696 when Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh mistook the island’s famous quokkas for giant rats. Now people flock from all over the world to take photos of these adorable marsupials, their grinning faces earning them the title of 'The Happiest Animals on Earth'. The pristine beaches and aquamarine bays are a delightful bonus, as is the sight of humpback whales breaching as they migrate past the island from September to November. Only a 30-minute ferry ride from Fremantle, Rottnest Island is easily accessible too.

 

[jw5]

Lord Howe Island, New South Wales©robertharding/Alamy Stock Photo

Lord Howe Island is a crescent-shaped island in the Pacific Ocean, covered in lush greenery and surrounded by aquamarine waters that are home to a pristine coral reef teeming with marine life. Sitting between Australia and New Zealand, it is technically part of New South Wales but only 400 people are allowed to visit at any one time. There’s a sandy, sheltered coral reef on the west coast, Mount Gower in the south and untouched forest that's home to plants and animals found nowhere else in the world covering much of the rest of the island.

 

[jw5]

Bruny Island, Tasmania©Genevieve Vallee/Alamy Stock Photo

Bruny Island sits off the southeast coast of Tasmania and is made up of two land masses, each connected by a narrow isthmus known locally as 'The Neck'. The island is a mix of grazing land, pristine national park and dry eucalypt forest. It's famous for its stunning beaches, infinite wilderness and a booming farm-to-table scene. William Bligh (of HMS Bounty fame) planted Tasmania’s first apple trees here, a fruit that would later become synonymous with the state.

 

[jw5]

Elcho Island, Northern Territory©Penny Tweedie/Alamy Stock Photo

Known as Galiwin’ku by its traditional owners, Elcho Island sits at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group off Arnhem Land in Australia’s Northern Territory. It is home to one of the most remote Aboriginal communities in Australia and is famous for its untouched native flora and fauna, beaches backed by deep-red cliffs and a strong culture where artistic traditions flourish. The Elcho Island Arts centre features the work of over 200 artists including Banumbirr (Morning Star Poles), bark paintings, fibre art, yidaki (didgeridoos) and jewellery.

 

[jw5]

Whitsunday Island, Queensland©Ingo Oeland/Alamy Stock Photo

Whitsunday Island is the largest in the Whitsundays, a group of islands just off the coast of Central Queensland. It is home to Whitehaven Beach, a blindingly white strip of sand lapped by deep turquoise water that is regularly voted as the most beautiful beach in the world. The beach is so white because the sand is 98% pure silica. Unlike regular sand, it doesn’t retain heat, so you can wander barefoot along it even on the hottest of days.

 

[jw5]

Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, Western Australia©Ian Beattie/Alamy Stock Photo

The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park sits less than an hour's drive south of Perth and is easily accessible by ferry from Rockingham. This gorgeous collection of pristine Islands, reefs and shipwrecks are perfect for diving, snorkelling and wildlife watching. In its shallow lagoons and on its rocky shores you’ll find dolphins, sea lions and penguins, plus many species of seabird. It’s easy to know where to find them: Penguin Island for Little Penguins and Seal Island for a colony of rare Australian sea lions (pictured).

 

[jw5]

Dangar Island, New South Wales©graham jepson/Alamy Stock Photo

Life moves slowly on Dangar Island and that’s entirely its charm. This tiny island in the middle of the Hawkesbury River, just north of Sydney, can only be reached by ferry. The 313 residents either walk or cycle to wherever they are going and there’s a line of wheelbarrows at the dock to cart supplies that come in on the ferry. Take a dip at Bradley Beach. Brunch at Dangar Island Depot (pictured). Or play barefoot bowls at the ramshackle bowling club.