Classic: Dal fascino della Great Ocean Road al mistero di Uluru

Adelaide spreads in orderly fashion between the Mount Lofty Ranges and the waters of Gulf St Vincent, capital of South Australia laid out on a grid and ringed by a belt of parklands. Its elegant heart is North Terrace, a boulevard of museums lined by the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the Botanic Garden; just beyond, the Central Market brims with cheeses, spices and produce from the surrounding countryside. Nicknamed the “city of churches”, Adelaide pairs an easygoing rhythm with a lively dining scene, from cafés along Rundle Street to acclaimed restaurants. All around lie some of the nation’s most famous wine regions — the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills — while a short ferry leads to Kangaroo Island, a wildlife sanctuary. Sophisticated yet human in scale, Adelaide is best savoured slowly, over a glass of Shiraz and a sunset by the sea.

Kangaroo Island stretches off the southern coast of Australia, the continent's third-largest island and a genuine wildlife sanctuary, reached by ferry from Cape Jervis. Sea lions, koalas, echidnas and kangaroos roam freely across landscapes of dunes, eucalyptus forests, lagoons and wind-battered cliffs. Along the coast, the granite Remarkable Rocks, sculpted by time into surreal ochre shapes, and the natural span of Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park rank among the island's most iconic sights. At Seal Bay you walk the beach among colonies of Australian sea lions, while the crystalline waters of Vivonne Bay and Stokes Bay invite swimming and snorkelling. Inland, fine local produce — Ligurian honey, cheeses, oysters and boutique wineries — makes Kangaroo Island as much a culinary destination as a natural one. An island where nature still sets the pace.

Built on the slopes of an ancient dormant volcano, Mount Gambier is the main city of south-eastern South Australia, midway between Adelaide and Melbourne. Its emblem is the Blue Lake, a crater that turns an intense cobalt blue each summer before fading to grey in winter, one of the country's most striking natural phenomena. All around lies a landscape of volcanic lakes, sinkholes and underground caves such as the Umpherston Sinkhole, a sunken garden set within a collapsed cavern. The surrounding region blends forests, farmland and ocean-facing coast. Mount Gambier is an ideal stop on the journey between the two cities, for lovers of geology, nature and discoveries beyond the well-worn routes.

Apollo Bay stretches along a crescent-shaped bay on the Great Ocean Road, where the green hills of the Otway Ranges meet the waters of the Southern Ocean. Once a whaling village, today it is a laid-back seaside town beloved for its broad beaches, working fishing harbour and cuisine built around fresh fish and shellfish. Behind it opens the Great Otway National Park, a realm of temperate rainforest, hidden waterfalls and ancient tree ferns, threaded with trails such as the one leading to Triplet Falls. The surrounding coast is ideal for spotting wild koalas among the eucalypts and, in the winter months, migrating whales. Apollo Bay is a serene stop where nature and sea blend together.

Capital of the State of Victoria and Australia's cultural heart, Melbourne is an elegant, creative city repeatedly ranked among the world's most liveable. Spread along the banks of the Yarra River and overlooking Port Phillip Bay, it mixes skyscrapers and Victorian architecture, tree-lined boulevards and a network of historic trams that set its daily rhythm. Melbourne's charm is best discovered on foot, getting lost in its laneways: hidden alleys such as Hosier Lane, covered in street art, or AC/DC Lane, home to independent cafés, secret bars and design boutiques. The city boasts one of the world's most sophisticated coffee cultures, and every corner of the Central Business District reveals a new roastery or a stylish brunch spot. Along the Yarra, the Federation Square complex gathers museums and galleries, while the National Gallery of Victoria holds the country's most important art collection and the Royal Botanic Gardens offer a green breath in the centre. Melbourne is also Australia's capital of sport and major events: it hosts the Australian Open tennis, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the legendary Melbourne Cup, while the Melbourne Cricket Ground is a temple revered by fans. Its multicultural soul comes alive in the markets — above all the Queen Victoria Market — and in its ethnic neighbourhoods, from the Italian cuisine of Lygon Street to the Vietnamese fare of Victoria Street, and the fashionable venues of Fitzroy and St Kilda, with its beach and historic amusement park. Nearby, Melbourne is the gateway to some of Australia's most scenic landscapes: the spectacular Great Ocean Road with the sea stacks of the Twelve Apostles, the hills and vineyards of the Yarra Valley, and an encounter with the penguins of Phillip Island. Sophisticated and rebellious, refined and sporty, Melbourne reveals itself one coffee and one laneway at a time.

Uluru rises in solitude at the red heart of Australia, a sandstone monolith more than three hundred metres high emerging from the desert plains of the Northern Territory. Sacred to the Anangu people and a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with nearby Kata Tjuṯa (the Olgas), it shifts colour with the changing light, blazing red and orange at dawn and dusk. Trails wind around its base, revealing rock art, waterholes and shaded gorges, while the stories of the Tjukurpa, the Aboriginal creation time, give voice to every fold of the stone. The nights offer star-filled skies of rare clarity and dinners under the desert sky. Uluru is not merely visited: it is listened to, in silence, in the ancient breath of the outback.

Sydney spreads around one of the world's most spectacular natural harbours, where the white sails of the Sydney Opera House and the steel arch of the Harbour Bridge form one of the planet's most recognisable skylines. Capital of New South Wales and Australia's largest city, Sydney blends the energy of a cosmopolitan metropolis with the relaxed rhythm of coastal living, in a mild climate that invites outdoor life all year round. The historic heart beats around The Rocks, the city's oldest colonial quarter, with its cobbled lanes, vintage pubs and weekend markets, just steps from Circular Quay, where ferries set off across Sydney Harbour. The Sydney Opera House, Jørn Utzon's UNESCO-listed masterpiece, crowns Bennelong Point and hosts concerts, opera and performances; for thrill-seekers, the guided BridgeClimb up the Harbour Bridge offers 360-degree views over the bay. Nearby, the Royal Botanic Garden provides a green oasis overlooking the water, while Darling Harbour gathers an aquarium, museums and waterfront restaurants. Yet Sydney is above all a city of beaches: famous Bondi Beach, a surfers' paradise, is linked to Coogee by a coastal walk past cliffs and coves, while Manly, reachable by ferry, mixes golden sand with a seaside-village feel. The dining scene reflects the city's multicultural soul, from the fish stalls of the Sydney Fish Market to the Asian kitchens of Chinatown and the café brunches of Surry Hills and Newtown. Nearby, the Blue Mountains — a UNESCO reserve an hour from the centre — offer eucalyptus forests, waterfalls and the iconic Three Sisters, while to the north the Hunter Valley wine region invites tastings among the vines. Between sea, culture and nature, Sydney is a city to savour slowly, with your feet in the sand and your eyes on the ocean.