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Best up-and-coming destinations in Oceania

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Adelaide
Festivals, wine and laid-back charm
7.4
Adelaide Fringe has grown into the second largest arts festival in the world after Edinburgh's. Wineries in the nearby Barossa and Adelaide Hills have drawn growing food and wine tourism. Visitors can catch fringe shows across pop up venues each March. A compact city grid makes the festival easy to explore on foot.
Highlights:
  • 🏟️ Catch a game or event at Adelaide Oval
  • 🌿 Wander through the lush Adelaide Botanic Garden
  • 🛒 Explore fresh local produce at Adelaide Central Market
Hobart
Coastal charm meets historic streets
9.0
MONA, the Museum of Old and New Art, opened in 2011 and reshaped Hobart's cultural reputation almost overnight. Visitors descend into underground galleries carved directly into sandstone cliffs. Visitors can ride a ferry from the city centre straight to the museum's dock. A growing food and wine scene has followed the museum's success.
Highlights:
  • 🏠 Explore Battery Point's historic sandstone cottages
  • 🏔️ Climb Mount Wellington for panoramic city views
  • 🛍️ Stroll through Salamanca Market, taste local produce
Broome
Pearl Coast Sunsets and Red Earth
6.8
Broome grew wealthy from pearl diving in the late 1800s. Pearl farms still operate just offshore today. Cable Beach draws growing crowds for camel rides along the sand at sunset. Visitors can explore the town's mix of Asian and Aboriginal heritage in its old Chinatown district.
Highlights:
  • ⚓ Learn pearling history at the Pearl Luggers Museum
  • 🌕 Watch the Staircase to the Moon phenomenon
  • 🐪 Ride a camel along Cable Beach at sunset
Samoa
Tropical paradise with volcanic mountains
7.8
To Sua Ocean Trench drops visitors down a ladder into a swimming hole carved from collapsed lava rock. Open sided fale huts along the beach have drawn a growing eco tourism crowd. Visitors can snorkel the trench before drying off on black sand beaches. Samoa's slower pace draws travellers looking to avoid busier Pacific destinations.
Highlights:
  • 🌳 Explore the lush jungle on the Canopy Walk
  • 💦 Slide down natural waterfalls at Papase’ea
  • 🌊 Swim in the stunning To Sua Ocean Trench
Solomon Islands
Tropical paradise with pristine waters
7.6
World War II wrecks litter the seabed of Iron Bottom Sound near Guadalcanal. Divers can explore sunken ships and planes still resting where they fell decades ago. Visitors can also snorkel reefs that remain largely untouched by mass tourism. Small dive lodges have slowly opened to meet growing interest in the wrecks.
Highlights:
  • 🪖 Visit WWII relics at Vilu War Museum
  • 🌊 Explore the vast Marovo Lagoon, world's largest
  • 🤿 Dive the wrecks of Bonegi Beach and Marovo
Tonga
Tropical paradise with volcanic islands
7.8
Tonga remains one of the few places where visitors can legally swim alongside migrating humpback whales. Whales pass through Tongan waters each year between July and October to breed. Visitors can join small boat tours that follow strict distance guidelines around the animals. Tonga remains the last Polynesian kingdom still ruled by its own monarchy.
Highlights:
  • 🌊 Discover blowholes at Mapu'a 'a Vaea coast
  • 🗿 Explore the ancient Ha'amonga 'a Maui Trilithon
  • 🐋 Swim with humpback whales in Ha'apai waters
Vanuatu
Tropical paradise with cultural diversity
7.6
Mount Yasur ranks among the most accessible active volcanoes on Earth, letting visitors stand near its rim. Lava bursts light up the crater after dark on Tanna Island. Visitors can hike up for close views of the eruptions with a local guide. Growing adventure tourism has slowly opened up more of Vanuatu's outer islands.
Highlights:
  • 💧 Swim in the magical blue holes near Espiritu Santo
  • 🤿 Snorkel the blue waters and coral reefs of Champagne Beach
  • 🌋 Hike to the rim of Mount Yasur, the world’s most accessible volcano
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