Alli Forde

More hotels mean more excuses to pack a bag, right? With fancy five-star stays and design-led boutique properties cropping up all over town, you’d be remiss not to test-drive a few. After all, who doesn’t want to be the first to swan-dive into a crisp king bed or wrap themselves in a robe so fresh it hasn’t yet seen a room-service tray? This year, our Travel & News Editor Melissa Woodley has checked into two of the country's most exciting new arrivals: Hamilton Island’s first new stay in nearly 17 years, The Sundays, and Sydney’s most anticipated inner-city stay, The Eve Hotel – both earning glowing five-star reviews. Next, we have our eyes on the African-inspired Monarto Safari Resort in South Australia and the coastal-luxe Mondrian Gold Coast. Scroll on for the full roll call of Australia’s newest hotels – and the ones still teasing us from behind construction fences. 🌴 Australia’s best resorts and lodges⛺️ The best free campgrounds in Australia

There’s nothing more Australian than sleeping under a sky so full of stars it looks fake – and paying absolutely nothing for the privilege. Across our country, you’ll find gum-tree hideaways, surf-side sanctuaries and red-dust outback pull-overs perfect for rolling out the swag, free of charge. Our resident travel expert Melissa Woodley and her team have hunted down some of the best campsites in the country – from coastlines to bushlands – and have included everything you need to know to pick your next destination. The sites differ in amenities, booking rules and suitability (tent, caravan, campervan), so always read the fine print and do your homework. And wherever you end up, leave it better than you found it. Editor’s favourite campsites in Australia: 🏖️ Best for beaches: Shoreline Drive Campgrounds, Ninety Mile Beach, VIC 🍃 Best for nature: Burra Creek Gorge (World’s End Reserve), SA 🚐 Best for convenience: Curtin Springs Station, NT NSW | QLD | VIC | SA | TAS | WA | NT 😁 The best free things to do in Australia🚙 The most epic Australian road trips

The older your kids get, the harder it is to convince them that quality time with the fam outranks quality time with the iPad. But here’s the good news: Australia’s vast, weirdly wonderful landscape makes it nearly impossible not to have a good time. Whether your family’s idea of a holiday means hitting the slopes or endless beaches to lose entire afternoons on, there’s a trip for every age, stage and attention span. Our travel writers have taken a trip down memory lane to reflect on some of the best places they visited as kids in Australia. These destinations strike the impossible balance: wholesome and genuinely fun. The kind of trips that leave everyone – adults included – asking, “Can we pleaaase stay one more night?” Here are the best family holidays in Australia. Editors' favourite family holidays in Australia: 🐨 Best for animal encounters: Kangaroo Island, SA  🏖️ Best for beach days: Margaret River, WA  🎢 Best for theme parks: Gold Coast, QLD  WA | QLD | NSW | TAS | SA | VIC | NT | ACT 🏝️ Our favourite family holiday destinations in Oz🦘 Australia's top zoos and wildlife reserves

So, you’ve joined the southern migration north – chasing light, warmth and a lifestyle that doesn’t involve layering. You’ve heard all the clichés: the friendly locals, the good weather and the laid-back attitude. But, more recently, Queensland has shed its caricature. This isn’t the state of sunburnt tourists and souvenir towels anymore; it’s where Australia’s most interesting transformation is playing out – from Brisbane’s restaurant boom to the hinterland’s design-led lodges and reef islands doubling down on barefoot luxury. Here, the distances are big, the light is blinding and the personality is as sprawling as the map itself. UNESCO World Heritage rainforests share postcodes with world-class surf breaks, road trips can easily stretch into epics and the hospitality is disarmingly genuine. To steer you in the right direction, our Travel and News Editor Melissa Woodley has handpicked the best places to visit in Queensland right now. We’ll save you a seat in the sun.  🌳 All the best things to do in Brisbane🚘 The best day trip from Brisbane

For a place you can drive across in a day, Tasmania packs in more wow-per-square-kilometre than just about anywhere else on earth. It’s Australia’s brooding little island offshoot – rugged, romantic and somehow still flying under the radar (just how the locals like it). Our Travel and News Editor Melissa Woodley can confirm: once you’ve been, you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to convince people to visit.  Hobart is its beating heart, where you’ll find award-winning waterfront restaurants and the mind-bending Museum of Old and New Art. But the real magic happens once you hit the open road. Within a few hours, you can go from swirling pinot in the Coal River Valley to hiking alpine trails in Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair or beach-hopping along the Bay of Fires. And, because Tasmania doesn’t really do 'mainstream', we’ve also rounded up a few of our off-the-map favourites too. To help you out, we've organised the best places to visit in Tasmania from the East Coast to Hobart and surrounds, then southwest and finally up north. 🛶 The best things to do in Tasmania🚙 The best day trips from Hobart🏖️ The best places to visit in Australia

Australia really does like to show off. Few places on Earth can pull off such variety – where else in the world can you snorkel with rainbow fish, ski down snowy mountains, buggy across sand dunes and bounce across the high ropes of a rainforest canopy, all within the geographical bounds of one country? It’s a continent that was practically designed for the outdoors – and when it comes to cooling off from all of that fun, we simply don’t do average. From the ocean-carved rock spas of the southwest to the waterfall-fed gorges of the Kimberley and the emerald plunge pools tucked deep in Kakadu, Australia's natural swimming holes are as spectacular as the landscapes that cradle them. Our editors have rounded up the best natural swimming spots in Australia, so all that's left for you is to take the plunge!  Remember that there are always risks involved with swimming, especially at unpatrolled places. Always take care to check things such as depth and currents before swimming or jumping into water, and confirm that others you’re swimming with are confident in the water before entering any swimming spot. If you're not a confident, experienced swimmer, avoid unpatrolled swimming spots altogether. Editors’ favourite natural pools in Australia  💧 Best for waterfall swims: Maguk, NT 🌿 Best for rainforest immersion: Josephine Falls, QLD 🧘🏻‍♀️ Best for photogenic serenity: Figure Eight Pools, NSW 🌊 The best beaches in Australia🔥 Australia's dreamiest hot springs🏄 The top surf

As much as we love the bright lights and late nights of the city, sometimes you just need to slam the laptop shut, toss a weekender bag in the boot and disappear somewhere that feels off-the-grid and untouched. Australia does 'the middle of nowhere' better than almost anywhere – except our version often comes with farm-to-table wineries, designer boutique stays and blissfully empty beaches.  Time Out's editors have crisscrossed the country (and then some), chasing sunsets in Broome, surf breaks in Yamba and long lunches in Margaret River. Between us, we’ve eaten, sipped and road-tripped our way through more small towns than we can count – so when we say these are the best regional towns in Australia, we really mean it. Each of Australia's most charming towns is proof that slowing down doesn’t have to mean missing out.  Editors' favourite regional towns in Australia:   ⭐️ Best for relaxation: Daylesford, VIC 🍷 Best for food and wine: Margaret River, WA 🌊 Best for coast and nature: Robe, SA 🌊 The beach towns to visit in Australia🚘 The best day trips in Australia😎 The best places to visit in Australia

If you need proof that Brisbane’s subtropical humidity is a blessing, not a curse, start with a rooftop spritz. This city was practically built for golden-hour drinking – all pastel skies, warm air off the river, and the occasional cockatoo cutting through your skyline shot. From poolside lounges with infinity pools to Riviera-style terraces and jungle-topped breweries, the best rooftop bars in Brisbane make a solid case for living life above sea level. And as Time Out writers who spend a frankly concerning amount of time researching where to eat and drink next (purely for journalism, of course), we’ve narrowed it down to the ones that actually live up to the view. Editor’s favourite rooftop bars in Brisbane 🏙️ Best views: Joey's 🍸 Best cocktails: Above Rooftop and Bar  💎 Best hidden gem: Ooh La La Bar 🍹 More of our favourite bars in Brisbane🌮 The best places to eat in Brisbane🌳 All the best things to do in Brisbane

Long gone are the days when caravan parking was reserved for the Aussiest of ockers. What was once the domain of tinnies, thongs and tinned spaghetti has quietly become one of the country’s best ways to holiday. Across the country, the humble holiday park has seen a new wave of revival – from luxe glamping tents and beachfront tiny homes to full-blown waterparks that make the kids lose their tiny minds.  And who better to steer you than Time Out’s roving contributors, a crew of expert wanderers who’ve clocked more kilometres (and mozzie bites) than most. From coast to desert and everywhere in between, they’ve rounded up the best caravan parks in Australia worth unhooking the van for.  Editor’s favourite caravan parks in Australia 👪 Best for families: Big4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, QLD 🐶 Best pet-friendly: Aspen Holidays Darwin FreeSpirit, NT 💲 Best budget: Alivio Tourist Park, ACT 🌞 The best family-friendly resorts in Australia🚘 The best day trips in Australia ⛺️ The best camping spots in Australia

Nothing cures what ails you quite like a burger. And lucky for us, Brisbane’s burger scene is absolutely stacked. Local contributor and resident glutton, Alli Forde, has done the hard yards (and the hard carbs) to confirm the city's obsession is real. From the laneway joints sizzling with smash patties to the fine-dining spots serving up Wagyu on linen tablecloths, Brisbane doesn’t mess around when it comes to buns and beef. If you’re after a greasy hangover hero, an artisanal take on Americana or the classic beef-cheese-bun trifecta, we've got the goods. Here’s our rundown on the best burgers in Brisbane worth the cholesterol points, including some tried and true favourites and a few under-the-radar spots worth checking out, too. Loosen that belt, grab a napkin (or five), and let’s dig in. Editor’s favourite burgers in Brisbane 🍔 Best gourmet burger: Bar Miette 💸 Best budget burger: Ben’s Burgers 🥬 Best veggie burger: Dicki’s New Farm 🍕 Brisbane's best pizza slices🥩 The best steaks in Brisbane🥘 The best Indian food in Brisbane

Brisbane is blessed with an enviable roster of green spaces – from riverside lawns and hidden arboretums to botanical wonders and tucked-away outlooks. After years of exploring cities, parks and trails near and far (and occasionally doing the legwork of walking each and every path), Time Out’s editors, including local legend Alli Forde, know a good patch of grass when they see one. Atmosphere, accessibility, amenities – and those little surprises you only discover once you wander off the beaten path. If you’re looking to picnic, jog, chase the kids or simply exist under the shade of a massive fig tree, this is your refreshed guide to Brisbane’s best parks – with a few hidden gems worth seeking out.  Editor’s favourite parks in Brisbane 🧒🏼 Best for kids: 7th Brigade Park 🧺 Best for picnics: Roma Street Parklands 🌱 Best for walks: Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha  ☀️ Brisbane's best playgrounds for kids🌳 The best free things to do in Brisbane🥾 The best hikes near Brisbane

Brisbane is the town where the trees are as elaborate and weird as any play equipment ever dreamed up by an industrial designer. The strangler figs are weird, wonderful, and in some playgrounds, part of the actual play equipment. Water play, lengthy tube slides and flying foxes are other playground highlights that will have parents cursing the fact they aren't seven anymore. Just try and resist getting in on the fun with your little charges at some of these brilliant parks. And who's to say your local playground won't end up immortalised in an episode of Bluey, which is made in Brisbane and takes inspiration from its real-life locations?   Many Brisbane playgrounds are set to get shade sails, but this is still Queensland, so the holy trinity still applies: hats, sunscreen and a bottle of water. Toss in some hand sanitiser, and for the love of good sense, keep your eyes on the kiddos, not your phone. This list has been road-tested by Time Out’s contributors (and seasoned local parents) who’ve logged more playground hours than they’d ever publicly confess. From the riverside parks with cafés serving up coffees while tiny people exhaust themselves into sweet, muddy oblivion, to mega-slides engineered to wring out every last squeal, we’ve done the hard yards so you don’t have to. These, dear reader, are the best playgrounds in Brisbane worth schlepping across town for. Editor’s favourites in Brisbane  👧🏻 Best for kids: Hercules Street Park 🧺 Best for picnics: Roma Street Park

I’m standing on Brisbane’s Northshore at 9am with a toddler dangling from each arm, about to spend the next hour chasing a fictional rabbit through a 4,000-square-metre pavilion. Such is the gravitational pull of Bluey – the animated juggernaut that’s secretly a parenting manual disguised as a cartoon. If you live with kids under five, chances are the Heelers are probably part of the family. The theme song plays on loop in your head. “Wackadoo!” might slip uninvited into conversation. And every now and again, a seven-minute episode about growing up too fast will obliterate you while you’re just trying to fold the laundry. All of it is set against the backdrop of Brisbane, and every episode is peppered with familiar local details: purple jacarandas, CityCats gliding down the river and old Queenslanders with wraparound verandas. And now, the Heelers’ world exists IRL.  Photograph: Supplied | Bluey's World Brisbane At Northshore Pavilion, fans can step into Bluey’s World Brisbane – a world-first attraction dedicated to the beloved blue heeler, complete with life-size rooms, games from the show and more. We checked it out so you know what to expect from your first visit. Mission: find Floppy Our adventure at Bluey’s World Brisbane begins, appropriately, with a quest. We’re greeted by Rhonda, the garden gnome, who announces the day’s challenge: Bingo’s beloved stuffed bunny, Floppy, has gone missing (classic Floppy). Our job is to bring her home. Under Rhonda’s chaotic leaders