INDIAN PACIFIC HIGHLIGHTS

1 Rottnest Island Reachable by regular ferries from Perth and Fremantle, handsome Rottnest has a dark convict past but has been reinvented as a laid-back leisure spot. Bike hire is widely available.

2 Perth Dullsville? Not any more. Western Australia’s capital now has some great galleries, restaurants and bars, and no trip is complete without factoring in its trendy neighbour, Fremantle.

3 Kalgoorlie A week after gold was discovered here in 1893, more than 1,400 prospectors had descended. Its ‘Super Pit’ is in action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and makes for an amazing sight.

4 Cook Sitting in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain, tiny Cook once supported a population of more than 200. Its school, swimming pool and most of its buildings now lie empty, surrounded by wilderness.

5 Adelaide South Australia’s park-lined capital has a Mediterranean climate, a packed arts calendar and a town centre laid out in the mid-1800s.

6 Broken Hill The New South Wales outback mining town is far from being a backwater, playing home to heritage pubs, sculpture parks and an enormous solar farm.

7 Sydney The famous harbour city always provides rich travel memories, whether you’re taking in the big-name sights, hitting the beach or exploring its hip outer neighbourhoods.