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2027 is really creeping up on us! If you're already mapping out next year’s leave balance, we’ve got the lowdown on where to book (before the rest of the world beats you to it).
Our mates at Lonely Planet have just released their Best in Travel 2027 guide, featuring 25 standout spots and 25 must-do experiences their team of global experts can’t stop thinking about. Now in its 17th edition, this year’s hotlist features two Aussie destinations – and they couldn’t be more different.
Pitched as Byron Bay without the crowds, Northern NSW’s Tweed region was named one of the world’s 25 Top Destinations for 2027. It was the only Australian spot included on the list and one of just three across Oceania, along with Dunedin and the Waitaki in New Zealand, and New Caledonia.
Spanning 37 kilometres of pristine coast and hinterland, this laid-back shire links coastal hubs like Kingscliff and Cabarita Beach with quiet riverside towns and scenic mountain villages. Most holidaygoers head here to relax on its long blonde beaches or dine at award-winning coastal restaurants – including Pipit in Pottsville and Bistro Livi in Murwillumbah – but there’s far more to the Tweed than sand and seafood.
Adventure seekers can hike through lush green hills formed by an ancient shield volcano, cycle sections of the 132-kilometre Northern Rivers Rail Trail and tackle the newly opened four-day Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk. For a dose of culture, you can explore the Margaret Olley Art Centre, admire Murwillumbah’s Art Deco buildings or taste native ingredients on an Indigenous-led river cruise with Tweed Escapes.
The only other Aussie entry to make Lonely Planet’s 2027 Best in Travel guide was the Northern Territory’s Red Centre. It was singled out as one of the world’s 25 Top Experiences for its immersive First Nations art.
Encompassing the vast country from Alice Springs to Uluṟu, the Red Centre’s relative isolation has birthed art forms seen nowhere else on Earth. Aboriginal dot paintings and rock art depict ancestral stories, which you can admire at more than 100 community art galleries and museums. But for the ultimate bucket-list experience, head to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, where world-famous light and drone shows, like Field of Light and Wintjiri Wiṟu, illuminate these ancient stories in a whole new way.
Feeling inspired to work your way through Lonely Planet's 2027 bucket list? You can view it in full here.