Stunning Australian islands for a idyllic holiday

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Lizard Island, Queensland©Image Professionals GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo

Taking its name from the wild goannas that roam its 2,500-acre national park, Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef is also home to Australia's northernmost island resort. It sits secluded among palms, with its own private beach where guests are treated to spectacular sunsets. Elsewhere on the island there are 24 white sand beaches to explore and a hidden lagoon to find. There are also tropical birds aplenty and waters full of spectacular marine life.

 

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Granite Island, South Australia©Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Located just off the rugged coastline of the Fleurieu Peninsula, Granite Island is reached by crossing a wooden causeway on a horse-drawn tram (pictured). Known as Nulcoowarra by the local Indigenous Ramindjeri people, the island takes its European name from the orange-tinged granite boulders that are scattered along its coast. A popular day trip from Adelaide, visitors can enjoy such activities as fishing off the jetty, wandering along the Kaiki Walk to learn about the Indigenous history of the island or spotting southern right whales just off shore during whale-watching season (June to October).

 

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Flinders Island, Tasmania©Alexander Cimbal/Alamy Stock Photo

Perched off Tasmania’s northeast tip, Flinders Island rises from the Bass Strait in a spectacular line of beaches and mountains. At the southern end, the Strzelecki Peaks rise directly from the sea. The rugged west coast boasts white sandy beaches crowned by granite headlands. In the east you’ll find a landscape of lagoons and wetlands. It is wild and untamed, with only 800 residents. But this is Tasmania, so expect a thriving foodie scene too, based around ingredients that are as fresh as can be.

 

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Thursday Island, Queensland©Ozimages/Alamy Stock Photo

Thursday Island, or TI to the locals, is one of the 274 islands scattered between the tip of Cape York in Queensland north to Papua New Guinea. It’s the administrative capital of the region but remains suitably sleepy. The cannons at Green Hill Fort once guarded the island’s main approaches, first from the Russians in 1890 and then the Japanese in the Second World War. The Gab Titui Cultural Centre celebrates the vibrant local Indigenous art scene. And there are reminders everywhere of the island’s strong connection with the pearl trade.

 

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Montague Island, New South Wales©Nicole McLachlan/Shutterstock

Just off Narooma on New South Wales’ beautiful south coast, Montague Island was first spotted by Captain Cook in 1770, who thought it was attached to the mainland and called it Cape Dromedary. The local Aboriginal people call it Barunguba and the island is dotted with sites important to them. The island’s famous lighthouse was built in 1881 and guests can stay overnight in the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage. Most people visit for the incredible birdlife, including NSW’s largest colony of Little Penguins, and to swim with the fur seals as they frolic just off shore (pictured).

 

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Christmas Island©David Kleyn/Alamy Stock Photo

Stunning Christmas Island sits in the Indian Ocean about 224 miles (360km) south of Java and 870 miles (1,400km) northwest of Western Australia and is administered as an external territory of Australia. It is perhaps best known for the annual red crab migration where up to 50 million of these scarlet crustaceans swarm across the island. The rest of the year you’ll find a sleepy paradise, rich in culture and blessed with azure waters teeming with technicolour sea life and picture-perfect tropical vistas like those at Dolly Beach (pictured).

 

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Hindmarsh Island, South Australia©Mundoo Creative/Alamy Stock Photo

Hindmarsh Island in South Australia is where the mighty Murray River meets the sea. It faces fresh water on one side and salt water on the other, making it an ideal destination for fishing and bird-watching. The island makes the perfect base to kayak into the Coorong National Park, regarded as one of South Australia’s top eco-tourism experiences and one of the best places to go bird-watching in the whole of Australia, with migratory birds travelling from as far afield as Siberia and Alaska.

 

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Maria Island, Tasmania©Shane Pedersen/Alamy Stock Photo

Beautiful Maria Island is a mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea just off the east coast of Tasmania. Thanks to Instagram, its most famous residents are its cute and garrulous wombats, some of whom get a little too friendly. But you’ll also find painted cliffs, a vast empty beach at Riedel Bay and reminders of both the Indigenous and European history of the island. There are no shops or hotels or anywhere to charge your phone, but that is all part of this gorgeous island’s appeal.

 

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Dunk Island, Queensland©DC Stock/Shutterstock

Gorgeous Dunk Island lies just off the coast of Mission Beach on the Cassowary Coast in Far North Queensland. Most of the island is a national park full of lush tracts of rainforests, pristine beaches and abundant species of wildlife. There are plenty of walking trails on the island, including a path to the top of Mount Kootaloo offering spectacular views of the mainland. Most visitors, however, find it hard to drag themselves away from the island’s famous stunning spit (pictured).

 

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Lady Musgrave Island, Queensland©Minden Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo

This beautiful island reserve, with a protected lagoon as its heart, sits at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef and makes for the ultimate day trip for birdwatchers and divers. You’ll find 70% of the reef’s birdlife here, and the lagoon is teeming with giant clams, tropical fish and sea turtles. Stay longer and enjoy a three-day cultural experience learning about the island’s Aboriginal history and culture with a Taribelang Bunda guide.

 

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Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia©Auscape International Pty Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo

Dirk Hartog Island sits just off the Gascoyne coast of Western Australia and is reachable from the town of Denham. It was one of the first places in Australia visited by Europeans when Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog famously erected a post and nailed a pewter plate to it to mark his two-day visit to the island in October 1616. Today it is part of the Shark Bay Marine Park and a perfect place to snorkel and swim or explore the island’s famous sand dunes (pictured).

 

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Heard Island©Australian Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo

Heard Island is Australia’s most remote territory and home to the country’s only active volcano, Mawson Peak, and its highest mountain, Big Ben. It is located in the Southern Ocean about 2,485 miles (4,000km) southwest of mainland Australia and managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. In 2002, the federal government created the huge, 6.5 million hectare Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Park, the largest fully protected marine area in the world, to keep these remote sub-Antarctic islands as biologically pristine as possible.

 

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Orpheus Island, Queensland©JamesVodicka/Orpheus Island Resort

Finally, to one of Australia’s most exclusive islands. The resort on gorgeous Orpheus Island only accommodates 28 people at a time, each staying in beachfront villas overlooking the Coral Sea. Guests are taken to secluded bays by boat where they can picnic on empty sugar-white beaches or snorkel among colourful tropical fish just offshore. Much of the island is a national park, but there are three camping spots for us mere mortals. The views are still five-star at least.