To celebrate Australia recently reopening its borders to welcome international visitors again, we’ve selected some of the most incredible places to see in the land Down Under. There are Spanish-style castles and camel-filled deserts, as well as flower-filled cottage gardens and Alpine villages. Travel around multicultural Australia and you'll discover some unusual sights that will have you wondering where on Earth you are…

This century-old steam engine looks like it should be chugging through the highlands of Scotland. However, the Puffing Billy Railway travels through temperate rainforest between Belgrave and Lakeside, Menzies Creek and Gembrook. Sit on the carriage sills with your legs dangling over the side and take in towering Mountain Ash trees – then get your camera ready for when you go across the route's iconic Trestle Bridge.

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Are you in Barcelona? Mexico? Or Peru? Nope, you’re in tropical north Queensland. This Spanish-style castillo, now mostly in ruins, was built by José Paronella, a Catalonian who came to Australia in 1913 to work on the sugar cane fields, eventually buying and selling farms and amassing wealth. He first spotted this patch of virgin scrub along Mena Creek in 1914, buying it in 1929 and opening to the public in 1935. Book onto a day or night tour to take in the splendour of the tropical gardens and waterfalls.

Port Adelaide was the arrival point for most early German settlers, so the state of South Australia has a strong Teutonic heritage. Nowhere is it more obvious than at Hahndorf, a village in the Adelaide Hills. As Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement, built by Prussian settlers in 1839, there is lots of history here – take a wander around its heritage buildings on a guided walk and learn more at Hahndorf Academy’s German Migration Museum. There are lots of lovely galleries, food shops and restaurants in town too, plus German-style pubs serving bratwursts.

Swiss-themed Grindelwald lies in the Tamar Valley, just outside Launceston in Tasmania. Built in the 1980s, this small residential development features traditional architecture with wide eaves, flower boxes, window shutters and balconies. While here you can hire a paddle boat, tuck into schnitzel at the Alpenrose Bistro or play a round of mini-golf. Go at Christmas and Grindelwald positively twinkles with fairy lights.

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You'd be right to think Cooks' Cottage belonged in a quaint Yorkshire village. It did. The oldest building in Australia, it was built in 1755 by the parents of Captain James Cook and stood just outside the village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire. The explorer's historic home was shipped to Melbourne by local philanthropist Sir Russell Grimwade in 1934 as a way to mark the city's centenary. It was a painstaking process with the house dismantled and each brick individually numbered, packed into barrels and loaded onto a boat. The landmark site is open for visitors and located in the city's central heritage-listed Fitzroy Gardens.

The sight of a water buffalo wallowing in wetlands makes you realise just how similar parts of the lush Top End are to Asia. Buffalo were first introduced to the area in 1825 as working animals and meat for the north’s remote settlements. According to Australia’s environment agency, the settlements and their buffalo were abandoned in 1949 and the feral creatures spread across the floodplains. Today, the mammoth beasts are classified as an invasive species due to the damage they cause to the fragile wetlands.

Expecting Poldark to come stalking down the hill? You’ll be sorely disappointed but South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula has lashings of West Country-style charm. Many Cornish emigrants came to settle in Australia’s developing mining regions in the mid-19th century. In fact, by 1865 nearly half of all migrants in the state were Cornish. As well as the remains of heritage mills (follow the Moonta Mines Walking Trails to see them), you’ll find Cornish pasties in Moonta’s bakeries, and a museum dedicated to Cornish culture in the historic copper town.

A tiny town in Western Australia's pretty Avon Valley, New Norcia is the country's only monastic town. Founded in 1847 by Spanish Benedictine monks, its abbey, chapels, colleges and museum are characterised by their grand Spanish-style architecture. The intriguing and beautiful settlement has become a popular tourist destination. You can go on a retreat, take a tour or simply stop in to taste and buy monk-made produce, including abbey shiraz wine.

Another feral animal that has unexpectedly become part of Australia's scenery is the camel. It's thought a million of the dromedary (one-humped) camel roam around the dusty outback, although this figure increases dramatically every year. Between 1870 and 1920, as many as 20,000 camels were imported by British Settlers from the Arabian Peninsula, India and Afghanistan. Along with them came thousands of cameleers from the same regions to transport goods and people across the sun-scorched centre. With the advent of motorised transport, the camels were released into the wild and thrived.

When winter comes and the snow falls, the pretty mountain village of Thredbo in New South Wales’ Kosciuszko National Park really could be in the Alps (if you ignore the eucalypts, that is). The Snowy Mountains ski town is one of the country’s top sporting spots, laying claim to its longest ski runs and a winning combination of having the feel of a cosy European resort with laid-back Aussie charm.

From creamy Sicilian-style gelato to crisp wood-fired pizzas that could be fresh from a Naples pizzeria, this inner west suburb in Sydney is known as Little Italy for good reason. You'll soon forget where you are as you wander around Norton Street with its excellent Italian delis, cafés and bakeries. Take in culinary delights on a walking tour or embrace the joys of dolce far niente as you sip an espresso alfresco in the Italian Forum, a pedestrianised central courtyard inspired by Italy’s squares.

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It’s not exactly Roswell but just off Stuart Highway in Davenport lies the UFO Capital of Australia. Wycliffe Well’s extra-terrestrial origins date back to the Second World War, when soldiers stationed here noticed strange sightings. There are alien-themed signs, statues, public art and attractions to check out, and the roadhouse keeps a log of all sightings. Roughly 80 miles (128km) south of Tennant Creek in between Darwin and Alice Springs, you can keep a lookout on the night sky with a stay at Wycliffe Well Holiday Park.

With a distinct resemblance to the rolling hills of northern Italy, King Valley is in Victoria’s High Country. The wine-growing region has a strong Italian heritage too. The independent wineries here were established by Italian immigrants after the Second World War and it has more Italian grape varieties than anywhere else in the world aside from the motherland. Take a tour of the cellar doors in this pretty enclave and you’ll find sangiovese, arneis, barbera, pinot grigio, nebbiolo and prosecco, among others.

Provence should watch its step. Bridestowe Estate is the largest lavender farm in the Southern Hemisphere and is a spectacular sight (and scent) between December and early February, when the purple flowers bloom. Located in northeast Tasmania, the dazzling display is made all the more striking by the red earth that peeps through the curved rows of the lavender plants and the dramatic backdrop of Mount Arthur.

Custard apple, taro, and mangosteen are just some of the Southeast Asian produce you’ll find in Cabramatta. The suburb in southwest Sydney has the largest Vietnamese population in Australia following a major migration in the 1960s. Also known as Cabra, this is the place to go grocery shopping and eat authentic Vietnamese food. Get your pho fix at Pho Tau Bay and don’t miss the ga da don (crispy chicken) at local institution Tan Viet Noodle House. It’s also famed for its haberdashery stores and has various temples including the beautiful Mingyue Lay Buddhist Temple (pictured).

Visit the Blue Mountains in New South Wales in July and you could be forgiven for forgetting not just where you are but what time of year it is. Every winter the pretty region and its quaint villages transform into a winter wonderland. Visit Katoomba during its annual Yulefest (or Christmas in July, as locals call it) to see everywhere decked out in festive decorations. Expect log fires, carol singing, mulled wine and special festive menus. It might even snow, if you’re lucky. The historic Carrington Hotel is a lovely spot to join in the festivities.

Volcanoes and glaciers are not what you’d expect to see in Australia. And sadly you won’t get a chance to visit wild and remote Heard Island, one of Australia’s most spectacular, hidden spaces. The little-known landmass, located in the southern Indian Ocean about halfway between Australia and South Africa, is home to incredible wildlife including three species of seal, four species of penguin and two endemic bird species. Access to the inhospitable Subantarctic island, which has the nation’s highest and most active volcano, is strictly restricted to keep it free of introduced animal pests.

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White sands, perfect blue waters and swaying palms... you could be in the Seychelles but no, you’re on Australian territory. The Cocos (or Keeling) islands are 27 coral atolls that lie 1,700 miles (2,750km) from Western Australia's coast. Along with Christmas Island they are one of the country’s Indian Ocean Territories. Only two of the Cocos are inhabited: West Island (where you’ll find dreamy resorts) and Home Island, the only Muslim island in Australia, which is home to a small indigenous population of about 450 Cocos-Malay people.

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Aussies don’t need to travel to Europe to experience a slice of Bavaria. Mount Tamborine in the hinterland of Queensland’s Gold Coast is a hub of little boutiques and galleries including quirky German Cuckoo Clock Nest. Step inside this authentic wooden chalet and you’ll be transported to the Bavarian Alps. Pick up an artisanal cuckoo clock, made in the Black Forest of Germany, in this family-run emporium that after 20 years is a tourist attraction in its own right. 

Nowhere else on Earth can you swim with the ocean’s Big Three (whale sharks, humpback whales and manta rays). Ningaloo Reef lies 745 miles (1,200km) north of Perth and is UNESCO World Heritage-listed. It’s home to some of the world’s most spectacular marine creatures, with whale sharks most notable. When migration seasons align, you could be in for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swim with multiple marine life at the same time.

Head to Tasmania's Huon River valley region in spring and you’ll see orchards awash with apple blossom while in autumn roadside stalls are filled with all kinds of varieties of crunchy apples. This bucolic scene could be in the Garden of England, Kent, but it's actually in Australia’s Apple Isle. Apple trees were first planted in this valley by English explorers and, with a similar climate to England, they flourished. Visit family-run Willie Smith's – whose first tree was planted in 1888 – to discover the traditions behind the region’s orchards and sample its organic cider.

With drinkers spilling out onto the pavement with pint glasses in hand on a sunny evening, it could be a scene from London. However, The Lord Dudley, a handsome red-brick pub in Sydney’s leafy Woollahra, is as close to a proper British boozer as they get. Its traditional interior includes a wood-panelled ceiling, classic standard pub carpet and crackling log fire. Tuck into a Sunday Roast alongside hand-pulled ale served in proper pint glasses. 

While the Northern Hemisphere has the aurora borealis, the Southern Hemisphere has its very own. The aurora australis, or Southern Lights, sweep across the majestic night sky between May to September. As with the Northern Lights, there needs to be minimal light pollution for the best chance of seeing this natural wonder, but unlike the Northern Lights you’ll want to head as far south as possible. South Arm Peninsula in Tasmania (pictured here) is a dreamy place to view them as the swirling lights reflect against the still bays – who needs Iceland or Norway?

With a rugged coastline featuring pretty and deserted bays, towering Norfolk pine trees and fascinating history, Norfolk Island has plenty of charms. Yet few Australians visit this remote volcanic outcrop, accessible by plane from Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. The tiny five-mile (8km) long and three-mile (5km) wide island, which sits between Australia and New Zealand in the middle of the South Pacific, was a convict colony before being settled by descendants of Bounty mutineers. You won't hear the familiar Aussie accent here – the inhabitants speak a unique mix of Tahitian and 18th-century English.

This splendid Victorian-era arcade could well be in London or Paris but it is in Melbourne’s CBD. Opened in 1870, the Royal Arcade was the first such structure to be built in the city and is the longest-standing example in all of Australia. One of the shopping arcade's most striking features is its clock. Known as Gaunt’s Clock, it is flanked either side by the mythical figures of Gog and Magog. These giant statues have struck the chimes on the hour since 1892.

A medieval-style Italian castle is the last thing you'd expect to find in the dusty opal mining town of Lightning Ridge in northwestern New South Wales. It was built by hand in the 1980s using ironstone boulders that Italian miner Vittorio Stefanato, known locally as Amigo, collected. The structure is now heritage-listed and open to visitors. There’s also the incredible opportunity to see dinosaur bones (possibly from a plesiosaur) tucked 49 feet (15m) beneath the castle, accessible via a network of tunnels. 

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Dubbed the Opal Capital of Australia, Coober Pedy lies in South Australia’s desert outback. Its rustic underground town is an impressive labyrinth of houses, shops and churches for residents and guests to escape the unbearable heat, when summer temperatures reach 53°C (127°F). Guided tours at Faye’s Underground Home provide authentic insights into daily life, while the Desert Cave Hotel has a restaurant, bar, pool room and gift shop. The area is renowned for opal so pick up a souvenir and check out the eerily abandoned mining equipment. 

You might think you’re in the romantic Maldives or on a stunning Greek island, but Heart Reef is one of the most mesmerising places in Australia. This tropical archipelago is a coral naturally formed in the shape of a heart and is only accessible by helicopter, seaplane or light plane tour, adding to its secluded charm. Board a glass-bottomed boat to watch the turtles and colourful fish glide through the turquoise waters.