Australia
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia and New Zealand · AUS
Editorial Snapshot
Why Go To Australia
Australia suits travelers who want a polished long-haul trip with strong infrastructure, outdoor variety, and easy city-to-nature combinations. The country's scale lets you build around reefs, road trips, wine regions, wildlife, or urban stops, but it rewards focused itineraries over trying to do everything.
Popular For
Things To See
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Great Barrier Reef
- Uluru
- Great Ocean Road
- Tasmania
Best Months
Know Before You Go
- Australia is large enough that picking one region often works better than trying to cover the whole country.
- Seasonality flips across hemispheres, so weather varies sharply by month and region.
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Flights
Hotels & Accommodations
Compare stays across major booking options
Open hotel and accommodation options for Australia.
Guidebooks
Tours & Activities
Country Data
Stats At A Glance
Practical travel, safety, climate, and quality-of-life stats for Australia.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Canberra
- Population
- 27,536,874
- Area
- 7,692,024 km²
- Region
- Australia and New Zealand
Languages
- English
Currency
Australian dollar ($)
AUD
1 USD = 1.38 AUD
Cost of Living (World Bank)
89.6
Price level index (US = 100)
- Groceries
- 76.5
- Restaurants
- 65.6
- Rent
- 33.7
Safety & Peace
higher score = safer everyday environment · derived from World Bank homicide data
lower score = more peaceful · 1.0–3.5 scale
Monthly Climate Averages
These weather averages are based on data for Canberra (35.27°S, 149.13°E).
LGBTQ+ Friendly
83/100
Traveler LGBTQ score
- Legal protections
- 90/100
- Lived safety
- 71/100
This traveler-facing score is lower than the legal protections score because lived-safety context is weaker, based on broader traveler safety and development conditions.
This score blends legal protections with lived-safety context so strong laws alone do not automatically push a country to the top of the ranking.
- Homosexuality legal✅
- Relationship recognitionMarriage
- Adoption recognition✅
- Anti-discrimination laws✅
- Employment protections✅
- Legal gender recognition✅
- Conversion therapy ban❌
Human Development Index (UNDP)
0.958
Very high human development
- 5-year change
- +0.013
- 10-year change
- +0.023
- Trend
- improving
- Data year
- 2023
- Gender Dev. Index (GDI)
- 0.977
- Gender Inequality Index (GII)
- 0.056
- Planetary-adjusted HDI (PHDI)
- 0.700
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (21)
- 🏛️
Murujuga Cultural Landscape
Inscribed 2025
- 🏛️
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
Inscribed 2019
- 🌿
Ningaloo Coast
Inscribed 2011
- 🏛️
Australian Convict Sites
Inscribed 2010
- 🏛️
Sydney Opera House
Inscribed 2007
- 🏛️
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
Inscribed 2004
- 🌿
Purnululu National Park
Inscribed 2003
- 🌿
Greater Blue Mountains Area
Inscribed 2000
- 🌿
Macquarie Island
Inscribed 1997
- 🌿
Heard and McDonald Islands
Inscribed 1997
- 🌿
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)
Inscribed 1994
- 🌿
K’gari
Inscribed 1992
- 🌿
Shark Bay, Western Australia
Inscribed 1991
- 🌿
Wet Tropics of Queensland
Inscribed 1988
- 🌍
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Inscribed 1987
- 🌿
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Inscribed 1986
- 🌿
Lord Howe Island Group
Inscribed 1982
- 🌍
Tasmanian Wilderness
Inscribed 1982
- 🌍
Kakadu National Park
Inscribed 1981
- 🌿
Great Barrier Reef
Inscribed 1981
- 🌍
Willandra Lakes Region
Inscribed 1981
Natural Beauty (World Bank)
- Protected land area
- 22.0%
- Forest cover
- 17.4%
Source: World Bank.
Wildlife & Birdwatching
- Threatened mammal species (IUCN)
- 69
- Threatened bird species (IUCN)
- 66
Source: World Bank / IUCN Red List. Higher counts indicate richer biodiversity, typically in tropical rainforest, island, and savannah ecosystems.
Food & Cuisine
52/100
Food and dining score
Built from two layers: dining-scene breadth and open prestige signals. We combine restaurant density, cuisine diversity, distinguished restaurants, and gastronomy-city recognitions from open data sources.
Winter Sports
40/100
Ski infrastructure & alpine pedigree
Combines ski resort depth, ski resort density, and Winter Olympic skiing results. Separate from climate comfort.
Luxury Infrastructure
95/100
Luxury & premium accommodation score
Based on OpenStreetMap luxury hotel density and World Bank international tourism receipts.
US Travel Advisory
Reissued after periodic review with minor edits. Exercise normal precautions in Australia. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Australia. If you decide to travel to Australia: Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Review the Country Security Report for Australia. Prepare a plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist. Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel and return to the United States. We highly recommend that you buy insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancellation coverage.
Read full advisory →Data current as of May 2026 and subject to change. Travel advisory information is sourced from the U.S. State Department and reflects conditions at the time of data collection, not real-time conditions. Do not rely solely on this information for travel decisions. Always check current government advisories for your nationality. Terms of Use · About our data