Lonely Planet names Australia’s most ‘offbeat’ travel destinations
Lonely Planet has dubbed these two tourist underdogs a must visit for the intrepid traveller.
They are among Australia’s most remote and untouched destinations, and according to Lonely Planet, a must visit for the intrepid traveller.
Palm Island in Queensland and the Northern Territory’s Cobourg Peninsula have been named in Offbeat, the travel company’s latest guide to the world’s most unique locations off the beaten track.
The Australian locations were listed as among the top spots to visit in Oceania, joining Stewart Island/Rakiura and Taranaki in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
“In recent years we have cultivated homogenous travel desires, whereby, often we’re all striving towards the same experience,” Editor Lorna Parkes explains in the book’s introduction, noting the impacts of overtourism on international communities and the environment.
Palm Island, also known by its Indigenous name Bwgcolman, is the largest of 16 islands and accessible via a ferry from Townsville. With just one pub and a small township, the main drawcard is its natural beauty but also its historical significance, having once been a punitive Aboriginal reserve. Its waters are also a proposed site of a new submerged art installation by the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA).
The Cobourg Peninsula, which lies at the northwestern tip of the Northern Territory, is even more remote, requiring a permit and a reliable four-wheel drive to navigate the landscape.
The book includes 100 destinations around the world, from entire countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Lesotho, to lesser-known adventures such as Canada’s Sunshine Coast Trail and Luxembourg’s Moselle wine route.
The list also includes locations which are not only undiscovered gems, but also in need of increased tourism to support local communities.
“Travelling beyond the classic honeypot destinations is a terrific way to spread your money to corners of the globe where local people desperately need it,” Parkes points out.
Lonely Planet Publications marketing director Chris Zeiher said the book, which includes locations travelled to by the publisher’s authors and its readers, was in response to a growing desire for “crowd-free, under-the-radar alternatives to popular tourism mainstays.”
“Offbeat presents 100 detailed options for travellers to consider whether it’s lesser-known National Parks in North America, gorgeous yet surprisingly less frequented cities across Europe, or islands off Australia and New Zealand that remain relatively crowd-free.”
Lonely Planet’s Offbeat, RRP $44.99 is available at www.shop.lonelyplanet.com