Islands around Australia

Sky in the Backyard: Top 10 Australia Islands

There is nothing more telling about a vacation than to swing in a Hamburg Hammock on a sand isle. There are 8222 smaller islands around Australia, the largest of them. That' a bunch of islands to pick from. There are some of Australia's best shores and some of the most beautiful flora and fauna, such as the small kangaroo-like pouch creature known as the Qokka.

It is a car-free area, and the best way to reach the isle is by bicycle. There are also a number of monumental monuments, the Rottnest Museum and the Light House to discover more about the island's roles during the First and Second World Wars. Located about two flight hrs from Brisbane and Sydney, the isle is a World Heritage Site.

Part of a protected area, one of Australia's 11 best sandy spots, Neds Strand, was named Australia's clearest in 2004. All you have to do to get to 100 species of catfish is go into the sea and watch them swim around your knuckles. Cockatoo Iceland, the biggest Sydney harbour is a great place to escape from Sydney.

In 2010, the island's jail facilities were included on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Register along with ten other prisoners from Australia. Big garages, slips, quays and mansions preserve the structure of the islands historical industry. The unspoilt and secluded Bruny Islands is amazingly accessible - just 60 min by road and boat from Hobart.

There are many bush walks from Bruny to the wild on the islands. Alternatively, you can take a boat trip to discover the islands dramatically rugged coast. Situated in northern Tasmania, this small Australian cheese producing small islands produce some of Australia's best varieties of cheese. It is an islet with long, empty shores and clear, open sea, off-shore cliffs, cliffy coastlines, light houses and more than 70 wreckages.

Tiwi Islands - 80km northern of Darwin - are an ideal place for a outing. The islands of smiles, you can see how the tivis ("we humans") are living and how they are creating their living pictures. It is breathtaking scenery with unspoilt sandbeach, clear cliffs and thick rainforests.

On the islands, tourist activities are limited and for most visitors the only way to get to one of the day trips is from Darwin. AI is 45 min by boat from Cape Jervis in SA and is home to a rich fauna, indigenous bush land and unspoilt sands. With almost 4,500 sq km, it is Australia's third biggest Australian archipelago and provides the best of the continent on a smaller, more private plain.

It is not only known for its Grand Prix circuit, but also for the Penguins Park - one of Australia's most beloved wild animal rides. This small pinguin is the smallest type of pinguin in the worid and the only pinguin that is found in Australia all the time. Situated in the Great Barrier Reef, about 72 km off the coast of Queensland, this small bay is home to sugar-white sandy shores and a few turtles and aviaries.

From Gladstone you can reach the islands by skipper or chopper to Heron Iceland, then a 40-minute-trip. Just 40 minutes by shuttle off the Queensland coastline, this thin, elongated area is famous for its fauna and long sandy areas.