The best things in life are free, so they say, and it's a mantra that Australia certainly gets behind. From activity-packed city beaches and parks to epic art installations and scenic swimming spots, you'll find plenty of places with wow-factor Down Under. Here are some you can visit without paying a cent.

Centennial Park is to Sydneysiders what Central Park is to New Yorkers – a place to jog, rollerblade, cycle, horse ride, dog walk and kick about a ball. At 467 acres, the park has endless spots to play and picnic on, with cafés, playparks and free barbecues to boot. The brilliant Wild Play nature garden will keep little ones amused for hours. Follow walking trails to discover historic buildings and landscaped gardens, as well as native fauna and flora. Go at dusk to spot brushtail possums and to see grey-headed flying foxes leaving their roost.

Explore the big-hitting sights of Victoria’s capital in suitable style aboard a vintage W-class tram. You can hop on and off the City Circle Tram (route number 35) on its journey around Melbourne’s centre for free. Or stay on for the full 60-minute tour to listen to the audio commentary. You’ll hear about the city's major attractions, including the Docklands, Federation Square with its galleries and restaurants, SEA Life Melbourne Aquarium and the landmark Princess Theatre. Better still, some of these are also free!

Follow tranquil paths, spot eastern rosella and sulphur-crested cockatoos or loll under the trees and forest bathe in this stunning green space in the centre of Melbourne. It’s a beautiful place to spend a day and it’s completely free. The flower-filled Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria feature more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world, as well as ornamental lakes, sculptures, glasshouses, pavilions and the National Herbarium of Victoria. Feeling energetic? Join the locals as they pound along the Tan, a former horse-track turned jogging trail.

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The best way to get a feel for Queensland’s capital is on the Brisbane River, and you can float along some of it for free. Hop on board the CityHopper – a free inner-city ferry service that will take you from North Quay to Sydney St, New Farm. You can get on and off as much as you like at any of the eight stops. Depart at New Farm and go for a wander around leafy riverside New Farm Park, then follow the Brisbane Riverwalk along the water to dining hub Howard Smith Wharves for a bite to eat.

Another must stop on Brisbane's ferries is the buzzy South Bank district with all its galleries, museums and places to eat. It’s here you’ll find Streets Beach – Australia’s only inner-city, man-made beach and the perfect place to cool off on a steamy Brissie day. Splash about in the lagoon, stretch out on the white, sandy beach or hang out in the Boat Pool. Little ones will love the water play areas too. 

Little Raymond Island in the Gippsland Lakes is one of the best places to see wild koalas and you can get there for free. Jump on the ferry (no charge for walkers and cyclists) from Paynesville and follow the Koala Trail through its gumtrees. Before you know it, you’ll be cooing at the sight of furry friends resting in the nook of the eucalypts, smug in the knowledge you've not paid any cash to see them. Its population has boomed since 16 male and 26 female koalas were relocated from Philip Island to Raymond Island in 1953 to aid conservation of the species.

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Take a walk through modern Australian and international art at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), which sits on the edge of Sydney Harbour in historic neighbourhood The Rocks. The creative space has more than 4,000 works by Australian artists alone, and includes many pieces by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. It's free to visit the permanent collection of this public gallery, but specific shows are ticketed. Be sure to go for a drink or meal on the fourth-floor MCA Café to admire its knockout harbour views. It opens until 9pm on Fridays.

As urban spaces go, Kings Park is an impressive one. In fact, it’s one of the largest inner-city parks in the world and boasts stunning views of Perth’s skyline and the Swan River. Two-thirds of the park are bushland. It's also laced with tracks for walkers and joggers, has various play areas and is full of peaceful spots for picnickers and sunbathers. See native flora in the beautiful Western Australian Botanic Garden, gawp at the mighty 750-year old boab tree Gija Jumulu and walk among the treetops on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway.

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The food and wine scene is one of the South Australia capital's biggest draws and you’ll see a dazzling display of local produce at the vast Adelaide Central Market, which first opened in 1870. You could spend hours moseying around its stalls, stopping to chat to the producers and watching various free events and demos. However, we can’t guarantee you’ll leave without having spent a small fortune on all the gorgeous goodies on sale in this temple to gastronomy. 

Hobart, Australia’s southernmost capital, has plenty to entertain – Mona museum is a wonder both inside and out (it’s free for Tasmanians and under 12s, but you do have to pre-book), as is atmospheric wharf area Salamanca, with its heritage buildings and markets, and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (completely free to enter). But for the best views in town, take a walk up or around the bush tracks on Mount Wellington, which looms atmospherically over the city of Hobart and the River Derwent.

Melbourne’s modern civic square might be a crowd-splitter aesthetically, but there’s no denying there’s plenty to entertain you here. As well as various installations and free screenings of films and sports events, Federation Square is where you’ll find some of city’s top attractions, many of which are free. Learn about the living culture of the Indigenous peoples of southeast Australia at the excellent and immersive Koorie Heritage Trust and discover the history of Australian art at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia.

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Who needs galleries when you could just go for a stroll around Melbourne’s famous cobblestoned laneways to immerse yourself in its bright, bold and ever-changing street art scene? Many of the works have been commissioned by the city council or local businesses, and one of the most popular street art spots is Hosier Lane (pictured), just across from Federation Square. Check out the murals and installations in the laneways off Flinders Lane between Russell Street and Swanston Street too. Union Lane, off Bourke Street Mall, is also worth a peek.

The remote desert town of Alice Springs is at the hub of Australia’s exciting Indigenous art scene with a number of excellent galleries and artistic centres (many of which are free to visit). The nearby N'Dhala Gorge Nature Park, in the East MacDonnell Ranges, is the place to see rock art with over 6,000 prehistoric petroglyphs, plus many art and shelter sites that are sacred to Eastern Arrernte people. It's free to enter the park and you can follow an hour-long return walk to see the petroglyphs.

The gaping Cataract Gorge, just a short stroll away from Launceston’s centre, is a wonderful place to discover some of Tasmania’s native flora and fauna. Here you can explore the bushland or head to the Cliff Grounds to wander around Victorian-era gardens with ferns and exotic plants. Follow the cliff-face pathways, originally built in the 1890s, and gawp down onto the South Esk River. A walk over the Alexandra Suspension Bridge is a must too, and a splash in the free outdoor swimming pool is a great way to cool off after a hike.

There are plenty of alluring and free swimming spots in Sydney, but it’s hard to beat pretty little Parsley Bay. Tucked away in the back streets of the eastern suburb of Vaucluse, this narrow bay has a lovely green lawn, plus a stretch of sand and shallow waters for splashing and snorkelling. As a harbour beach, it’s got a shark net at one end too, and a wooden suspension bridge straddles the bay. Walk up the stairs by the beach to access it – it’s a great spot for snapping selfies.

The duckbilled platypus has to be one of Australia’s most intriguing creatures, as well as its most elusive – but you can make tracks to mountainous Eungella National Park to seek them out. Free to enter, this stunning forested wilderness in Queensland's Mackay Area is one of the best places to spy these amazing animals in the wild. Head to the Broken River area, where you’ll find designated platypus-viewing platforms along a boardwalk that follows the edge of the creek. Stay super quiet and go at dawn or dusk to be in with the best chance of spying them.

Release your inner kid and whizz down the towering white sand dunes of Lancelin, a coastal town to the north of Perth. You could join a group, of course, who will have all the kit, rent a board (for a small fee) or take your own for free. Watch the pros, then launch yourself down (it’s best for beginners to sit rather than stand). Don't forget your sunglasses, to stop the glare and sand getting in your eyes. If you’re not a fan of the sand, the seaside town is famed for its surfing and wind surfing too. 

As the capital, Canberra has the country's top cultural, historic and arts institutions. Best of all, most of them are free to enter. Musts on any museum-hopping weekend here are Parliament House, Australian War Memorial, The National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia and The Royal Australian Mint. Time your visit for September when Canberra is a riot of spring colour during the annual Floriade Festival, the largest (and free) flower festival in the Southern Hemisphere. 

You can’t visit Canberra without hanging out around Lake Burley Griffin, the social, cultural, recreational and sporting hub of the city. The serpentine artificial lake is located at the city's heart, and whether it’s kayaking, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding or dragon boat racing, there's always something happening here. Get out on the water yourself, follow walking and cycle paths, go for a picnic or simply watch the outdoorsy locals on the lake. Visit in March and you’ll be in for a treat: the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular sees colourful hot air balloons float over the lake at sunrise.

Antony Gormley’s haunting outback exhibition, Inside Australia, can be found on the white salt plain of Lake Ballard in Western Australia’s Goldfields region. Covering four square miles (10sq km), it’s one of the largest outdoor art galleries in the world, so leave plenty of time to walk about and admire this extraordinary natural landscape that has been heightened by Gormley’s installation. The 51 black chromium steel sculptures were modelled on people from the nearby town of Menzies.

Sydney is a stunner all year round, but visit the city in May and June and you’ll be in for an extra sensory treat. Each year, the city’s iconic buildings become a canvas for Vivid Sydney – a festival of light and music. Venture into the Central Business District from 6pm-11pm and watch dazzling light installations and projections illuminate historic sights including the Sydney Opera House, Customs House and Taronga Zoo Sydney. There are various paid-for music performances and creative events too.  

Tipped as the largest free-to-the-public sculpture exhibition in the world, Sculpture by the Sea is a highly anticipated annual event in both Sydney and Perth. The former takes place from late October along the stunning Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, and includes more than 100 thought-provoking sculptures by Australian and international artists. Perth’s gorgeous Cottesloe beach is the setting for its free annual exhibition, which stretches from the sea wall towards North Cottesloe every March. The coastal walks are brilliant in their own right all year round too. 

The Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail joined the Sculpture by the Sea family in 2022, a permanent installation which stretches 62 miles (100km) through the townships of Adelong, Batlow, Tumbarumba and Tooma and vineyards in the Snowy Mountains. The region was badly affected by the 2019-20 bushfires and this initiative was funded by the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund to help restore tourism and revive the community. The trail features 28 sculptures by Australian and international artists, and is set to expand to over 35 sculptures later in 2023

There are plenty of budget-friendly ways to pass the time in this laid-back tropical city. Start with a stroll along Darwin Waterfront, where there's always something happening. It has lovely grassy areas, a promenade, public art installations and a manmade saltwater swimming lagoon and beach – you can swim here for free, though there’s a small charge for the wave lagoon. Look out for a range of free outdoor fitness and wellbeing activities, such as yoga and live music.

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Explore the largest permanent collection of Indigenous Australian art in Australia at the Yiribana Gallery, within Sydney’s Art Gallery of NSW. Entry is free and the collection includes both traditional and contemporary works by aboriginal artists from bark painting, sculpture, weaving to prints, photography and watercolours. You can sign up for free guided tours of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection too, which take place at 11am daily and are led by Indigenous staff.

Forget the rides at St Kilda's Luna Park and head to its heritage-listed pier at dusk instead to watch a spectacle of the natural kind. A colony of little penguins return to their home at St Kilda Breakwater after a day at sea. Make for the viewing platform at the head of the pier for just before sunset then keep a look out – you’re likely to see rakali (native water rats) from the breakwater too, another protected species. 

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Catch the ferry from Perth or Fremantle over to Rottnest Island and get acquainted with the nature reserve’s fascinating history and cute inhabitants on free guided walks led by knowledgable volunteers. Opt for tours that divulge tales of shipwrecks and sailors, head to the West End to explore Cathedral Rocks and Fishhook Bay or learn about the island's formation, geology and marine reserves. You’ll soon encounter the Rottnest's adorable endemic marsupials, the quokka. Or sign up for the twice daily Meet the Quokkas tour to get a selfie with this cute animal.

For cricket fans, Adelaide Oval is hallowed ground. If you can’t bag a ticket to a match you can visit the Bradman Collection, a museum located in the Riverbank Stand that's dedicated to the Australian sporting legend. As well as footage of the batsman and interactive displays, it includes some of Sir Donald Bradman’s personal cricket memorabilia. It’s on loan from the State Library of South Australia and is free to visit.

New South Wales’ coastline is peppered with purpose-built rockpools where locals head for a sheltered sea swim. While some, like Sydney's Bondi Icebergs pool and Wylie’s Baths in Coogee incur a fee, Newcastle's heritage-listed Bogey Hole is free to use. A breathtakingly beautiful spot for a dip, it’s the oldest ocean swimming pool in Australia, having been painstakingly carved out of a natural rockpool by convicts in 1819 for the Commandant of Newcastle and soldiers to bathe in. 

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