The Best World Heritage Sites in Australia

There’s another World Heritage listed marvel at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef: Fraser Island, the largest sand island on the face of the Earth. What makes the island even more remarkable is that it’s home to ancient rainforests, several serene freshwater pools and a remarkably pure strain of dingo. Again, make sure you pick a tour operator with serious eco credentials like the locally run Drop Bear Adventures.

In 1880, Joseph Reed designed what would become one of Melbourne’s most impressive architectural landmarks. Located in Carlton Gardens, the Royal Exhibition Building was built as a Great Hall for the 1880 and 1888 international exhibitions in Melbourne. One of the most prolific Victorian-era architects in Melbourne, Reed combined elements from the Romanesque, Lombardi, Italian Renaissance and Byzantine styles.

UNESCO says no other World Heritage Site contains as much biodiversity as Australia’s beloved Great Barrier Reef. Inscripted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem. Think 2,500 individual reefs that are home to 400 coral varieties and 1,500 fish species in every size and colour of the rainbow, as well as 900 palm-fringed tropical islands. Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef contributes over $5 billion to the Australian economy, and more than 1.6 million people visit it annually. Make sure you’re one of them.

On Sydney’s doorstep just west of the city lies a region that’s a bushwalker’s wildest fantasy. The Blue Mountains are criss-crossed with hiking trails that link must-see sights such as Echo Point and the Three Sisters with scenic lookouts like Wentworth Falls and Govetts Leap, passing through dense forests of gum trees along the way. The greater Blue Mountains area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000 for the ecological diversity of its eucalypt bushland.

Known as the home of whale sharks, Western Australia’s Ningaloo Coast is the newest addition to Australia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s home to the country’s largest fringing reef, an extensive karst system and an underground cave network. Ningaloo Reef supports an array of marine species, including sea turtles, humpback whales and dugongs. Visitors flock to Ningaloo Reef every March to August for the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks – the world’s biggest fish and gentlest giant.

Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007, the Sydney Opera House is a late modern architectural masterpiece by Danish architect, Jørn Utzon. Opening in 1973, UNESCO says it “brings together multiple strands of creativity and innovation in both architectural form and structural design.” Located on a peninsula in Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s busiest performing art venues, visited by over four million people annually.