The Best of Australia

The best towns in Australia, ranked by state

Looking for the best places to visit in Australia? We rank every Australian town using Google reviews of its pubs, cafes, attractions, campsites and more — so the scores reflect what real visitors say. Here are the top 10 towns in each state and territory, scored out of 10.

1,456
Towns ranked
8
States & territories
Top 10
In each state

Best towns in Victoria

  1. 1
    Melbourne
    City of Melbourne · 2,559,961 weighted reviews
    8.86
  2. 2
    Lakes Entrance
    East Gippsland Shire · 28,319 weighted reviews
    8.84
  3. 3
    Bendigo
    City of Greater Bendigo · 29,876 weighted reviews
    8.66
  4. 4
    Kallista
    Yarra Ranges Shire · 50,084 weighted reviews
    8.64
  5. 5
    Wandin North
    Yarra Ranges Shire · 16,341 weighted reviews
    8.63
  6. 6
    Jan Juc
    Surf Coast Shire · 34,584 weighted reviews
    8.61
  7. 7
    Yarra Junction
    Yarra Ranges Shire · 11,144 weighted reviews
    8.60
  8. 8
    Yarra Glen
    Yarra Ranges Shire · 29,877 weighted reviews
    8.60
  9. 9
    Point Lonsdale
    Borough of Queenscliffe · 9,411 weighted reviews
    8.53
  10. 10
    Mount Beauty
    Alpine Shire · 6,817 weighted reviews
    8.49

Best towns in New South Wales

  1. 1
    Sydney
    City of Sydney · 520,826 weighted reviews
    8.82
  2. 2
    Blacktown
    City of Blacktown · 112,667 weighted reviews
    8.61
  3. 3
    Chatswood
    Willoughby City · 64,250 weighted reviews
    8.47
  4. 4
    Newcastle
    City of Newcastle · 51,276 weighted reviews
    8.32
  5. 5
    Parramatta
    City of Parramatta · 121,584 weighted reviews
    8.25
  6. 6
    Bathurst
    Bathurst Regional · 24,294 weighted reviews
    8.25
  7. 7
    Dubbo
    Dubbo Regional · 32,935 weighted reviews
    8.25
  8. 8
    Lake Macquarie
    Lake Macquarie City · 16,790 weighted reviews
    8.21
  9. 9
    Port Macquarie
    Port Macquarie-Hastings · 37,880 weighted reviews
    8.13
  10. 10
    Gosford
    Central Coast Council · 46,006 weighted reviews
    8.07

Best towns in Queensland

  1. 1
    Palm Beach
    Gold Coast City · 73,596 weighted reviews
    8.84
  2. 2
    Burleigh Heads
    Gold Coast City · 61,716 weighted reviews
    8.81
  3. 3
    Landsborough
    Sunshine Coast · 32,958 weighted reviews
    8.80
  4. 4
    Beerwah
    Sunshine Coast · 34,166 weighted reviews
    8.75
  5. 5
    Brisbane
    City of Brisbane · 174,219 weighted reviews
    8.74
  6. 6
    Cairns
    Cairns Region · 91,911 weighted reviews
    8.74
  7. 7
    Gold Coast
    Gold Coast City · 175,312 weighted reviews
    8.71
  8. 8
    Robina
    Gold Coast City · 68,536 weighted reviews
    8.70
  9. 9
    Surfers Paradise
    Gold Coast City · 182,934 weighted reviews
    8.66
  10. 10
    Maleny
    Sunshine Coast · 18,539 weighted reviews
    8.63

Best towns in South Australia

  1. 1
    Adelaide
    City of Adelaide · 137,357 weighted reviews
    8.74
  2. 2
    McLaren Vale
    City of Onkaparinga · 17,246 weighted reviews
    8.66
  3. 3
    Stirling
    Adelaide Hills · 33,788 weighted reviews
    8.64
  4. 4
    Norwood
    City of Norwood Payneham · 126,158 weighted reviews
    8.60
  5. 5
    Unley
    City of Unley · 127,706 weighted reviews
    8.59
  6. 6
    Aldgate
    Adelaide Hills · 21,860 weighted reviews
    8.57
  7. 7
    Lobethal
    Adelaide Hills · 5,908 weighted reviews
    8.51
  8. 8
    Aldinga Beach
    City of Onkaparinga · 15,967 weighted reviews
    8.48
  9. 9
    Tanunda
    Barossa Council · 18,852 weighted reviews
    8.48
  10. 10
    Mount Gambier
    City of Mount Gambier · 31,801 weighted reviews
    8.45

Best towns in Western Australia

  1. 1
    Nedlands
    City of Nedlands · 110,035 weighted reviews
    8.90
  2. 2
    Subiaco
    City of Subiaco · 142,724 weighted reviews
    8.81
  3. 3
    Perth
    City of Perth · 178,267 weighted reviews
    8.67
  4. 4
    Victoria Park
    Town of Victoria Park · 145,655 weighted reviews
    8.64
  5. 5
    Busselton
    City of Busselton · 38,912 weighted reviews
    8.60
  6. 6
    Bunbury
    City of Bunbury · 34,272 weighted reviews
    8.52
  7. 7
    Bayswater
    City of Bayswater · 96,344 weighted reviews
    8.51
  8. 8
    Dunsborough
    City of Busselton · 19,220 weighted reviews
    8.51
  9. 9
    Margaret River
    Shire of Augusta-Margaret River · 27,402 weighted reviews
    8.49
  10. 10
    Fremantle
    City of Fremantle · 88,489 weighted reviews
    8.45

Best towns in Tasmania

  1. 1
    Hobart
    City of Hobart · 83,908 weighted reviews
    8.69
  2. 2
    Launceston
    City of Launceston · 53,496 weighted reviews
    8.58
  3. 3
    Bellerive
    Clarence City · 138,232 weighted reviews
    7.74
  4. 4
    Huonville
    Huon Valley · 10,169 weighted reviews
    7.73
  5. 5
    Penguin
    Central Coast · 5,150 weighted reviews
    7.60
  6. 6
    St Helens
    Break O'Day · 15,576 weighted reviews
    7.58
  7. 7
    Longford
    Northern Midlands · 6,658 weighted reviews
    7.54
  8. 8
    Ulverstone
    Central Coast · 15,141 weighted reviews
    7.52
  9. 9
    Latrobe
    Latrobe Council · 8,822 weighted reviews
    7.50
  10. 10
    Deloraine
    Meander Valley · 8,977 weighted reviews
    7.46

Best towns in Australian Capital Territory

  1. 1
    Belconnen
    ACT · 115,248 weighted reviews
    8.96
  2. 2
    Hackett
    ACT · 58,317 weighted reviews
    8.73
  3. 3
    Braddon
    ACT · 106,820 weighted reviews
    8.70
  4. 4
    Yarralumla
    ACT · 77,896 weighted reviews
    8.70
  5. 5
    Turner
    ACT · 97,736 weighted reviews
    8.67
  6. 6
    Canberra
    Australian Capital Territory · 117,149 weighted reviews
    8.66
  7. 7
    Ainslie
    ACT · 78,281 weighted reviews
    8.61
  8. 8
    Deakin
    ACT · 81,777 weighted reviews
    8.60
  9. 9
    Dickson
    ACT · 69,046 weighted reviews
    8.59
  10. 10
    O'Connor
    ACT · 82,637 weighted reviews
    8.58

Best towns in Northern Territory

  1. 1
    Darwin
    City of Darwin · 51,120 weighted reviews
    8.49
  2. 2
    Alice Springs
    Alice Springs Town · 24,131 weighted reviews
    8.20
  3. 3
    Nightcliff
    City of Darwin · 21,351 weighted reviews
    7.97
  4. 4
    Katherine
    Katherine Town · 11,099 weighted reviews
    7.90
  5. 5
    Palmerston
    City of Palmerston · 12,747 weighted reviews
    7.72
  6. 6
    Berry Springs
    Litchfield · 5,282 weighted reviews
    7.68
  7. 7
    Karama
    City of Darwin · 8,055 weighted reviews
    7.65
  8. 8
    Groote Eylandt
    East Arnhem · 8,400 weighted reviews
    7.50
  9. 9
    Parap
    City of Darwin · 41,342 weighted reviews
    7.44
  10. 10
    Howard Springs
    Litchfield · 6,086 weighted reviews
    7.40

How the towns are ranked

Each town's score combines Google review ratings for its local businesses and attractions, weighted by how many reviews they have, with a small nudge from ratings by our members.

Explore all towns on the interactive map →

These rankings are opinion based and may not be fully accurate yet — we rely on the public's help to improve them.