7 Of The Most Captivating Small Towns In Australia
Australia, the Land Down Under, the country and continent where the unusual Emu War was fought and where you can spend this year vacationing in some of the most captivating small towns in Australia. From destinations like Beechworth and Daylesford in Victoria, one of the many Australian states and territories, travelers can appreciate the Aboriginal peoples and Australian cultures that shaped these towns’ economies as well as the ecosystems these places continue to protect. From Port Douglas, you can be within swimming distance of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the great wonders of the natural world. Most importantly, in towns like Dorrigo and Huskisson, you can better see why the Australian Outback or Bush is so famous for its wild creatures and startling contrasts in landscapes. This year, you ought to allow yourself to be enchanted by the most alluring small towns in Australia.
Beechworth, Victoria
The small town of Beechworth is worth visiting for the rural outback next to the Australian Outback. Only about an hour and a half east of the city of Shepparton, Beechworth is one of the many Indigo Villages in the Indigo Shire, which were formerly prosperous gold-mining areas at the foothills of the Victorian Alps. Back when it was a humble little settlement called Mayday Hills in 1839, there was nothing much interesting of note in Beechworth. However, in the mid-19th century, Beechworth exploded with progress when it became the center of the Ovens Valley goldfields as well as the site for the earliest hospital, jail, and mental health care facilities in Victoria.
The Chinese Burning Towers at the Beechworth Cemetery commemorate the many immigrant miners from China who were predominant in this period of Beechworth’s Gold Rush. Similarly, the Burke Museum also features a number of Chinese artifacts for you to peruse while also narrating the career and life of Robert O’Hara Burke, a famous Australian explorer who had lived in Beechworth. Some of you might fancy a historic tour through the Old Beechworth Gaol, a former prison in Beechworth. Additionally, you can experience the Asylum Ghost Tours in Beechworth to brave the supposedly haunted asylums and hospitals that are still standing in town.
If you would rather go venturing into the outdoors than feel a sense of foreboding indoors, then you can absolutely go adventuring in areas like the Beechworth Historic Park and Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park, where kangaroos, koalas, and scenic waterfalls can be seen. At the end of the day, travelers can sleep safely and soundly in one of Beechworth’s worthwhile lodgings, such as the Beechworth House, John and Jane's Beechworth, or Twelve on Albert.
Hahndorf, South Australia
Less than 30 minutes away from the city of Adelaide, the stunning small town of Hahndorf is an enchanting mirror of Germany on the other side of the globe. Much of its architecture and its artisanal food are based on German styles and themes, and locations such as the Hahndorf Academy shelter the German Migration Museum, which traces Hahndorf’s remarkable history. This particular history started when German Lutherans, under the guidance of Pastor Kavel and George Fife Angas, former director of a South Australian company, fled from the King of Prussia’s persecution against them and stole away to South Australia to make a new living.
Over the years, Hahndorf has accommodated many German immigrants, foreigners, Aboriginal Australians, and even other historical figures like Sir Hans Heysen, a famous landscape painter whose studio and artworks can be admired in a place called The Cedars. The town has also entreated individuals with a fascination for farming, as the Hahndorf Lavender Estate Farm blooms with bright purple lavenders while the Beerenberg Farm sells a range of jams, sauces, relishes, and condiments from November to April. There is also the Hahndorf Farm Barn, both a children’s farmyard and wildlife preserve and park in the Adelaide Hills. There are many more German-themed wonders in store in Hahndorf, so consider spending your dreamful nights in one of the town’s quaint abodes like The Manna Hotel or the Hahndorf Old Mill Hotel.
Daylesford, Victoria
At the foothills of the Great Dividing Range of Victoria, also known as the Macedon Ranges, the bewitching small town of Daylesford is a town of romance and relaxation. From the Dja Dja Wurrung people who have inhabited this part of Australia for thousands of years to the immigrants from Switzerland and Italy who excavated for gold in the mountains, Daylesford has been famous mainly because of its natural mineral springs, which you can admire at Lake Daylesford, the Hepburn Springs, and in the Lake Daylesford Gardens. Travelers will be enamored by the leafy Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens, a site built atop an extinct volcano and where one can tour a 19th-century mansion known as the Convent Gallery.
A great way to traverse the many farmlands and forests surrounding Daylesford is through the Daylesford Spa Country Railway. On the other hand, you can just walk on foot through scenic areas like the Wombat Plantation forests and the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. You might be interested in drinking fresh and refreshing homebrewed cider at the Daylesford Cider Company. In contrast, you can take photographs of the unique rock formations and historic attractions of the Rock Formation Kooroocheang. For those of you who wish to spend a longer vacation in this romantic and relaxing small town in the Macedon Ranges, the Daylesford Spa Accommodation, Central Springs Inn, and Lake Orchard Villas are just some of the many optionable lodgings you can choose from in Daylesford.
Dorrigo, New South Wales
On the Waterfall Way, a scenic route in the Northern Tablelands of Australia, you will come across the delightful and dashing small town of Dorrigo. It is the gateway to some of the most verdant and vibrant Gondwana Rainforests in Australia, among them the Dorrigo National Park and the Bellinger River National Park. In the Dorrigo National Park, travelers can take amazing photographs of spectacular landmarks such as Sherrard Falls, Red Cedar Falls, and Crystal Shower Falls in the Dorrigo Mountains. Further north of Dorrigo lies the Nymboi-Binderay National Park and Cascade National Park, both of which are filled with primordial woodlands and teeming with some of Australia's most unique and surprising wildlife.
Within the nearby Junuy Juluum National Park, you can admire the Historic Railway Bridge from a failed project to build a railway through the dominating landscapes of the Northern Tablelands. Dorrigo often hosts annual festivities for everyone to enjoy: in April, you can admire showgrounds with animal exhibits, food stalls, and rides during the Dorrigo Show, while in October, you can participate in the three-day-long Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival. Only about an hour’s drive inland from Coffs Harbour, visitors can keep on exploring after taking lovely rests and sleeping in fine establishments like The Frontier Motel or The Dorrigo Town House B&B.
Port Douglas, Queensland
Port Douglas is where the rainforest meets the reef, specifically the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Great Barrier Reef shelters its own underwater wonders accessible through Port Douglas’ harbors. With such a massive expanse of nautical miles to go through, some of you might find so little time and too much area to cover to better appreciate the biggest coral biome in the world. Fortunately, there are a number of programs and guides to aid you through the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef Sprinter, for example, offers you the quickest Great Barrier Reef trip in Port Douglas. Wavelength, on the other hand, ensures you have a good experience in snorkeling and scuba diving in at least three notable sites of the Great Barrier Reef. Finally, the Nautilus Aviation helicopter takes you through the skies above the Great Barrier Reef to see the massive marine expanse from a bird’s eye view. These are just some of the many programs and means by which you can better experience the natural beauty of the Great Barrier Reef.
Meanwhile, deep in the forested mainland area surrounding Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest has been around for 135 million years, making it one of the oldest rainforests on Earth. It is a primordial and almost unchanged landscape where crocodiles and other strange reptiles that have barely evolved since prehistoric times wade through the rivers and where humungous king ferns drape the sky. There are also cassowaries, Bennett’s tree kangaroos, buff-breasted paradise kingfishers, and Australia’s largest native carnivores, the spotted-tailed quolls, in the Daintree Rainforest among dozens of other unique organisms only native to Australia.
This year, you can be one of the lucky people to attend the annual Port Douglas Carnivale on May 23-25, where spectacular showcases of food, music, culture, and fun explode all over Port Douglas’ shoreline. Of course, if ever you need a place to stay in Port Douglas to unwind and prepare for more opportunities for either rainforest or reef, you can retire in one of the dozens of Port Douglas’ riveting accommodations, such as the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, The White House, or the Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa.
Margaret River, Western Australia
Approximately three hours south of Perth, the small town of Margaret River is beside the synonymous Margaret River. This river has been a major source of sustenance and living for the Wadandi (Saltwater) people for sixty thousand years, and today, the river continues to be a major source of irrigation and nutrition for the many “world-class” wineries and craft breweries surrounding the town of Margaret River. Among these wineries are the Cape Mentelle, Voyager Estate, and Leeuwin Estate, each with its own products and amenities for you to savor.
From June to November, the western waters abreast of Margaret River are filled with migratory humpback whales, which you can view either from the Margaret River Mouth Viewpoint or from boats. Then, from August to November, the Wadandi Track blooms with a mesmerizing array of wildflowers deep in the Australian bush. The Cape to Cape Track, which extends from two lighthouses both north and south of Margaret River, can lead travelers to the limestone caves and sea cliffs of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. In the hinterlands surrounding Margaret River, one can traverse the swampy regions of the Wooditjup National Park or enter the sinuous hedge maze of the A Maze'n Margaret River. Some of the more adventurous of you can brave the humungous and mysterious regions of the Blackwood State Forest and Wiltshire Butler National Park. Ultimately, you will definitely enjoy a merry and memorable vacation in Margaret River once you have booked a room in one of the town’s amicable establishments like the Margaret River Holiday Cottages, Margaret River Bed and Breakfast, or Margaret River Resort.
Huskisson, New South Wales
Huskisson, lounging on the shores of Jervis Bay, is an award-winning paradise that has won bronze place in the Tiny Tourism Town category of the National Top Tourism Town Awards and gold at NSW’s Top Tourism Town Awards last 2023. Among the many reasons for these awards are the breathtaking vistas from atop the ruins of Cape Saint George Lighthouse, not only a historic landmark with perfect views of Jervis Bay but also a good spot for one to go whale-watching during the migration season (June to July and September to November).
South of Huskisson, the Booderee National Park (or in the local Dhurga language, Walawaani Njindiwan Njin Booderee) is a fantastic natural playground brimming with biodiversity, amazing caves and beaches, and more activities to keep things captivating in Huskisson. To the north, the Jervis Bay National Park encourages even more panoramic explorations of the exquisite bushes in Australia’s outdoors. Lastly, to the west, you can find all manner of marsupials and other remarkable creatures and plant life in both the Jerrawangala National Park and the Parma Creek Nature Reserve. These are just some of the best national parks around Huskisson and in New South Wales in general.
For tourists curious to learn more about the marine ecosystems and organisms thriving in Jervis Bay and all over Huskisson, you can enhance your knowledge and appreciation of life at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery. For those of you excited for festivities, you can attend the Huskisson Carnival from Boxing Day until the end of January each year, when the town’s atmosphere brightens with merriment and wonder for all to experience. Finally, for all who wish to stay a long while in Huskisson, you should first book a room at either the Huskisson Beach Motel, the Sea Mist Jervis Bay, or the Huskisson Beach Escape.
Embrace the Allure of Australia's Diverse Small Towns
Though Australia started out as a penal colony and prison for the British Empire’s colonial convicts, the country and the continent ended up being one of the best vacation destinations on Earth for its natural features, one-of-a-kind species and organisms, and some of the most bewitching small towns worth visiting in Australia. Travelers can seek out the pouch-bellied creatures of the Outback in outdoor destinations like Huskisson and Margaret River. Visitors will be amazed by the Great Barrier Reef from the harbors of Port Douglas and the stunning national parks around destinations like Dorrigo. Most importantly, you will not regret nor forget your bush adventures in the most captivating small towns to visit in Australia in 2025.
