Only two Australian entries made Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2027 cut, and they could not be more different: a green, slow-paced corner of northern New South Wales and the art-rich desert heart of the Northern Territory.
The Tweed is Australia's sole representative on the Top 25 Destinations list, sitting alongside picks like Okinawa, Oman, Quebec and Fulidhoo in the Maldives. It's a region many Australians still skim past on the way up the M1 — hugging the Queensland border just south of the Gold Coast, framed by the caldera of the ancient Wollumbin volcano, and mixing hinterland villages, rainforest, farmland and surf beaches. Lonely Planet frames its inclusion around a theme that runs through the whole 2027 list: slowing down, dodging crowds and going beyond the obvious. In practice, that means it's being pitched as the alternative for people who love Byron Bay but not its traffic.
The second nod goes to the Red Centre's arts scene, which features among the Top 25 Experiences. This is about Aboriginal art centres, galleries and cultural encounters around Alice Springs and the surrounding desert, with specific draws including the Field of Light installation, the Parrtjima light festival, the Wintjiri Wiru drone-and-storytelling show and Art Tours of Australia. It shares the experiences list with heavyweights like a Galápagos expedition cruise, riding the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and a polar plunge in Antarctica.
The broader list is a useful shortlist for anyone planning next year's big trip. Close to home, Dunedin and the Waitaki region in New Zealand and New Caledonia made the destinations cut, while ocean adventures in French Polynesia and experiencing Fa'a Samoa — the Samoan Way — are among the standout experiences. Further afield, the picks include Danang in Vietnam, Chengdu in China, Gujarat in India, Italy's Veneto and California's coastal redwoods.
For travellers, the appeal of both Australian picks is practical. The Tweed works as a drive trip from either Gold Coast or Ballina airports, so it's an easy long weekend or a week split between beach, river towns and hinterland lookouts without flights or fuss. The Red Centre rewards a longer stay — fly into Alice Springs or Yulara and build a few days around galleries, guided cultural experiences and the light installations that look their best after dark.
Both picks also signal where the mood of travel is heading in 2027: less ticking off landmarks, more time in places that reward lingering. If your next trip budget only stretches to one domestic escape, a caldera-framed stretch of the NSW north coast or a desert art trail through the Territory are now two of the most credibly endorsed options going.
