Pinch me! It feels like we were only just ringing in the New Year – yet somehow, 12 months have flown by and we’re gearing up to do it all again. The summer break is a wonderful time to relax, reset and start plotting your goals for 2026 – and naturally, your next getaway. If you’re looking for some inspo, Time Out has you covered with our fresh list of the 26 best things to do in the world in 2026 – and the fourth-best experience is right here in Australia.
From sleeping in an open-air museum to e-biking through ancient landscapes and partying through a solar eclipse, 2026 is stacked with seriously off-the-beaten-track experiences. Closer to home, all eyes are on the Gold Coast Hinterland – 1.5 hours from Brisbane – which is set to score the world’s first cliff park, complete with Australia’s highest zipline.
Queensland’s 20,000-hectare Lamington National Park, with its lush subtropical forests, majestic waterfalls and ancient trees, is perhaps best explored on foot via its 40-odd hiking trails. Or is it? Well, thanks to the opening of the world-first Happitat Adventure Park, which sits on a cliff edge in the UNESCO World Heritage site, you can see for yourself.
Officially welcoming visitors from January 10, Happitat is billed as the world’s first all-encompassing cliff park, combining ziplines, suspension bridges, via ferrata climbs, rainforest walks and swimming holes.
“In a single day, visitors can experience climbs and activities that would normally require travelling to different destinations,” says Michael Neururer, Happitat founder, conservationist, alpine adventurer and ex-professional snowboarder.
For the brave-hearted, your adventure begins with the Arete Via Ferrata Climb, featuring thrilling tightropes, timber log crossings and an 80-metre suspension bridge. From there, you can soar 200 metres above Lamington National Park on Total Exposure, the park’s longest and highest zipline. Next up is the Overhang Zipline Course, where you’ll fly like Tarzan past waterfalls and rugged cliff faces, before winding down with the Edge Park Explorer. This final leg invites you to slow down, wander shaded bush trails, cool off in natural pools and take in sweeping views from a 12-metre platform suspended 400 metres above the valley floor.
The only other Australian experience on Time Out’s list of the 26 best things to do around the world in 2026 is a fully interactive ‘art park’ at Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales. Welcoming visitors for free until October 2026, The Key’s Under The Mat is one hell of a wacky experience, featuring a steam room, waterfalls, a recording studio, monkey bars, a barbecue and vintage washing machines you can actually use. Discover more of the coolest things to do around the world in 2026 here.