Australia and Pacific: Cities, Regions, and Countries

Sydney Think San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro mixed in with a heaping dose of small-town Aussie flavor. Sydney's distinctly individual appeal lies in its fantastic oceanside setting, laid-back attitude, stellar beaches, beautiful people, and eternally sunny subtropical climate. See our Sydney Travel Guide

Auckland New Zealand's biggest and most cosmopolitan city, Auckland is blessed by beautiful geography – two magnificent harbors, an island-studded gulf, and the intriguing remnants of fifty volcanoes. See our Auckland Travel Guide

Melbourne Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne has long lived in the shadow of glitzy Sydney. But scratch the surface and you’ll discover a delightfully decadent city that exudes soul and sophistication. From the finest galleries and museums, innovative theatre, and wonderful Victorian architecture to top sports venues, leafy parks, and accessible beaches, Victoria’s capital city is a smorgasbord for the senses. See our Melbourne Travel Guide

Australia’s Gold Coast Australia’s answer to Miami, the Gold Coast is a flashy strip of holiday apartments, luxury hotels, shopping malls, theme parks, and nightclubs fringed by 25 miles of golden sandy beaches. Away from the glitz and glam of the seaside, this legendary Queensland destination reveals its softer side with quiet hinterland hideaways, stunning national parks, and magical rainforest walks. See our Gold Coast Travel Guide

Great Barrier Reef One of the seven wonders of the natural world, The Great Barrier Reef, located off the northeastern coast of Australia, is a 1,200-mile-long undersea wonderland of breathtakingly beautiful coral reefs and colorful marine life. Palm-fringed tropical islands dot the surface of these turquoise waters. See our Great Barrier Reef Travel Guide

South Australian Wine Country South Australia produces more than half of the country’s wine, including many of its most famous bottles. We recommend renting a car in Adelaide and spending a couple of days visiting wineries and enjoying the drive through the idyllic countryside. See our South Australian Wine Country Travel Guide

The Australian Outback Star-studded skies, endless red plains, quiet lakes, desert sand dunes, and monolithic rocks – the Australian Outback is so vast and wide that the silence can be deafening. But it’s not just this theatrical landscape that awes travelers – the immense region is also a stage for adventure, where you’ll encounter true-blue Aussie locals, experience ancient Aboriginal cultures, and see unique wildlife and World Heritage wonders. See our Outback Travel Guide

Tahiti Tahiti, with its breathtaking blue-green water, sparkling white-sand beaches, and charming overwater bungalows, is one of French Polynesia's intoxicating 118 islands and atolls that are spread out over an area the size of Western Europe. See our Tahiti Travel Guide

Tasmania Roamed by the feral Tasmanian Devil and the spotted-tailed quoll, Tasmania is, at least in part, an untouched wilderness spanning rainforest, beaches, high mountain plains, and lakes sailed by black swans. A softer side – historic towns, fertile farmlands, and pleasant cities – also adds to its charm, belying a darker side of the island’s history, when the land doubled as a detention center for convicts. See our Tasmania Travel Guide

Bora Bora Although small at just 6 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, Bora Bora is a lush, tropical paradise with a mountainous center and reef-protected lagoon. One of the 13 Society Islands in French Polynesia, it was first made famous by author James Michener who called the land “the most beautiful place on earth” in his book Tales of the South Pacific and later by Oscar Hammerstein II, who expanded that book into the film South Pacific, declaring “Here am I, your special island!” Come to me, come to me: lovers of beauty and romance should heed the call. See our Bora Bora Travel Guide

New Zealand For a small island nation, New Zealand sure packs a lot of punch – particularly in the scenery department. Blessed with unique and varied geography, it compensates for its relatively short human history with outdoorsy, adrenaline-pumping thrills. See our New Zealand Travel Guide

Melanesia The following islands loosely comprise Melanesia: New Guinea, the Bismarcks, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caladonia (an overseas department of France), and Fiji. Of these islands, only Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caladonia are really structured for tourism. New Guinea, the Bismarks, and the Solomon Islands, though beautiful, historically intriguing, and known for their indigenous communities, are ill-equipped for international travelers with spotty transportation systems and, in some places, rampant crime.

Micronesia Hundreds of islands including Guam, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Nauru make up this region in the North Pacific Ocean. The landscape varies from island to island, ranging from mountainous to coastal, but in spite of its tropical setting and lush scenery, a lack of adequate facilities have kept all but the most intrepid visitors at bay.

Polynesia Polynesia encompasses some of the most well-known (and high-end) destinations of the Australia/Pacific region, including Tahiti, Bora Bora, the Society Islands, and the Marquesas.