The Top 10 Best Adventure Activities in Australia

From skydiving over the beach to swimming with great white sharks, these are the top 10 adventure activities in Australia!

Australia is a huge country packed with adventures – from skydiving out of planes to scuba diving some of the most incredible reefs in the world – any everything else in between – it’s every adrenaline junkie’s dream!

Adventure Activities In Australia

If I’m honest it’s been hard to narrow down this list to just 10 (and if 10 isn’t enough I’ve got 100+ More Awesome Things to do in Australia which will definitely give you a few more things to add to your bucket list!).

As difficult as it was to keep the numbers low, these are some of the absolute best adventure activities in Australia.

Scuba Diving The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s top attractions and a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re a scuba diver, this 2300km long eco-system has to be on your list of dive sites to experience once in your life.

The coral life may be receding but the marine life there is still varied and incredible with over 1625 species of fish, 6 species of Marine turtle, 133 species of sharks and rays and up to 30 species of whales and dolphins! It’s an underwater paradise!

Skydive At Mission Beach

What better place to throw yourself out of a plane than above a beautiful beach on the East Coast of Australia?

A tandem skydive in Mission Beach is easily one of the most iconic adventure activities in Australia – I mean, who doesn’t want the iconic shot taken from the GoPro on the wrist of the skydive instructor you’re strapped to as you face is contorted into a funny shape by the air rushing past your body at high speeds?!

It’s the perfect selfie, right?! 

Cage Diving With Great Whites In SA

Consistently tipped as one of the top adrenaline pumping activities in the world, hopping into a steel cage to be plunged into shark infested waters in only for the brave amongst you.

But despite coming face to face with one of the ocean’s greatest predators – this activity is totally safe. And it is truly an incredible experience to simply be in the water with such powerful creatures.

Climbing The Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge (and nearby Opera House) are some of the most iconic Aussie exports – and possibly one of the first things you think about when somebody mentions Australia. But did you know you could climb them?

Well, one of them at least – from where you’ll get a cracking view of the other!

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb offers unrivalled 360 degree views of Sydney Harbor and Opera House with the CBD providing the perfect backdrop. On a clear day you can even see as far as the Blue Mountains!

If you’ve got your heart set on conquering the 440 ft climb there are a variety of time slots to choose from. You can climb at sunrise or sunset, and a few spots in between, with the option of an express climb for those short on time or for a half-climb for those who are scared of heights.

What are you waiting for? Go climb that bridge!

Check out our article on how to spend one day in Sydney like a boss.

Kayak The Katherine Gorge

I have no doubt that at the top of your Outback bucket list is Uluru – and whilst it certainly should hold pride of place, I can’t quite describe watching the Sunrise or Sunset as an adventure activity – and could only possibly stretch to counting walking around it’s base as a noteable activity!

That being said, there are plenty of other Outback adventures to be had, and top of that list would be kayaking through the Northern Territory’s Katherine Gorge.

Running through the middle of Nitmiluk National Park, a kayak or canoe trip gives you a unique perspective of the Gorge from it’s base.

You can hire canoes/kayaks for a few hours, a full day or there is even an option to take a 2 day tour – which gives you the chance to sleep under the stars within the National Park!

Dune Bashing on a 4×4 on Fraser Island

Driving a 4×4 on the beach? Yes please! World Heritage Listed Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world at over 120km long – but there is more to the island than just sand.

You can drive down Seventy-Five Mile Beach to see the technicolor sand cliffs of the Pinnacles and SS Maheno shipwreck; go swimming in the crystal clear Lake McKenzie, or float peacefully down Eli Creek before hiking up to take in the incredible views from Indian Head lookout. And these are a few highlights!

Bungy Through The Jungle in Cairns

AJ Hackett is famous all over the world for it’s bungee jumps from various different heights and off various different structures. Cairn’s offering is a jump from 50m high in the Rainforest canopy to practically the floor below!

Jump on your own, or jump with a friend – you can go forwards, backwards or even from sitting on a chair! There is a menu of 16 different ways to jump so if you’ve done a bungy or two before and fancy something a little different.

A jump from the menu could be exactly what the doctor ordered – and will definitely be an adventure activity to get your heart pumping!

And even if you’re not a thrill seeker, this Bungy centre has the first custom built viewing area in the world with bars, music, sun chairs and free transport from Cairns.

Drive The Great Ocean Road 

One of Australia’s (and possibly the worlds!) best driving roads is the Great Ocean Road and driving it makes for one heck of an adventure.

Along the way you’ll find Port Campbell National Park, home to the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and what was London Bridge (now London Arch) plus Bells Beach (made famous by many an International Surf Comp) and cute coastal towns such as Lorne and Wye River.

Not forgetting the impressive cliffs that border the drive, and the Gibson Steps that allow you to get all the way down to the beach are stare up at the incredible rock formations carved from years of tidal erosion.

Snorkel With Whale Sharks At Ningaloo Reef

If cage diving with great white sharks is not quite you’re thing, why not try swimming and snorkelling with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia?

These gentle giants are the biggest fish in the ocean and live entirely on a diet of plankton – so there is no scary sharp teeth, and you turn down ‘Jaws’ theme music that is probably playing in your head!

You are able to see these incredible creatures between March/April and August when they are migrating along the coast – and between June and November you may also spot some Manta Rays too!

Get In The Cage Of Death With A Saltwater Crocodile

So we’ve had sharks and whales already on the list, but there is also a large water dwelling reptile that the Aussies have devised a way to get up close and personal with that we haven’t mentioned yet – the Saltwater Crocodile.

Head to Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin where you can see some of the largest saltwater crocs in the country. – and if you are brave enough, you can hop into a reinforced Perspex ‘Cage of Death’ and look the oversized critter straight in the eye!

[box] Have you ever been down under? Let us know what your favourite adventure activities in Australia are in the comments![/box]