- Australia was just named Travel + Leisure's Destination of the Year for 2020.
- As someone who recently returned from visiting the country for the first time, I'm not even remotely surprised by its latest accolade.
- I only spent a fortnight in the country — in Sydney and Melbourne, which are two very different cities — but it was enough to make it abundantly clear to me why everyone should visit Australia.
- From the beaches to the brunch, here are 14 reasons everyone should plan a trip to Australia in 2020.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Australia is hardly an under-the-radar destination.
Popular with all sorts of tourists, from backpackers to pensioners from across the world, the country offers something for everyone.
In November 2019, Australia was announced as Travel + Leisure's Destination of the Year for 2020.
That same month, I visited the country for the first time, and despite only visiting Australia's two main cities, Sydney and Melbourne, it was immediately clear to me why it won its latest accolade.
Here are 14 reasons you should visit Australia.
1. The coastline.
The Bondi-Coogee coastal walk in Sydney is a tourist essential for a reason: it's stunning. You walk along rugged cliffs looking down at clear blue sea and crashing waves.
2. The beaches. Whether you prefer something quiet and secluded ...
... or big and busy, there are plenty of beaches to suit you in Australia.
3. The saltwater pools, which are far superior to indoor swimming pools. Icebergs pool in Bondi (below) may be Sydney's most famous ...
... but I actually preferred the one at Bronte Beach (below).
4. The brunches. You may think Australian cuisine is just avocado on toast and BBQ, but if you ask me, the country's real culinary strength lies in brunch. There were so many inventive dishes such as the below: herb and chilli scrambled eggs on zataar bread with halloumi, sujuk sausage and parmesan, and lots of acai bowls. Go there, eat everything, return home heavier and happier.
5. The Asian food. As a country that has a lot of immigrants from all across Asia, Australia has no shortage of fantastic Asian restaurants.
6. The coffee. Not only is the coffee in Australia exceptionally good (seriously, I didn't have one bad coffee), it's also far cheaper than what I'm used to in London.
7. The friendliness. The Australian accent makes anyone sound friendly, but people genuinely are. When I ordered a coffee in Manly, Sydney, I said my name was Rachel. What did the barista write? "Rach," like we were already friends. It was nice.
8. The hummus. Look, I know hummus isn't traditionally Australian, but I was amazed at how much and how many different types there were on offer. It was really quite excellent.
9. The public transport ferries. Forget the subway or buses — cities like Sydney and Brisbane have public transport ferries to take you around. You could seriously upgrade your commute ...
... and going home at the end of a night out has never been more fun.
10. The wine. Sure, you can get Australian wine across the world, but it is essential to sample regional specialties and support local businesses while traveling, after all.
11. The architecture. I barely scratched the surface of Australia, but it struck me that there was a particularly huge range of architectural styles, which made Melbourne and Sydney especially interesting to explore on foot.
12. The weather. How much sunshine you get really depends on where in Australia you are — the weather in Sydney is a lot better than in Melbourne, for example — but on the whole you're likely to see a fair amount of blue sky.
13. The green spaces. Australia is a huge country, which means the cities really sprawl and there's a lot of green space.
14. There's so much more to see! From the Great Barrier Reef to Perth, you could spend years traveling around Australia and not see everything. I already can't wait to go back.
Read more:
You can now buy your way into Qantas' first and business class airport lounges for as little as $35