Australia's Best Lookouts, State by State

Australia is a country built for the long view. A flat, ancient continent edged by sea cliffs and broken by sudden ranges means that a short walk or a roadside pull-off can deliver a horizon that goes on forever. The trouble has always been finding them. So we mapped every named lookout in the country and put them on one interactive lookouts map you can filter by state or sort by the ones closest to you.

Here is where to start in every state and territory.

New South Wales

The Blue Mountains set the standard, with Echo Point and a dozen clifftop platforms staring across the Jamison Valley to the Three Sisters. Further north, the granite dome of Bald Rock near Tenterfield rewards a steep climb with views into Queensland. Browse the full list of New South Wales lookouts.

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra is one of the few capital cities designed to be seen from above. Mount Ainslie lines up perfectly along Anzac Parade to Parliament House, and it is unbeatable at dusk. The ACT lookouts map has the rest, including the wild ranges of Namadgi to the south.

Victoria

The Grampians deliver the state's most dramatic outlooks, with the Pinnacle and Boroka lookouts perched high above the plains. Closer to Melbourne, the Dandenong and Macedon ranges hide quieter platforms. See them all on the Victoria lookouts page.

Queensland

The volcanic plugs of the Glass House Mountains rise straight off the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with a dedicated lookout framing the lot. In the Gold Coast hinterland, the Best of All Lookout at Springbrook earns its name, and up north, Hill Inlet looks down over the swirling sands of Whitehaven Beach. Start with the Queensland lookouts.

South Australia

In the outback north, the natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges is best understood from the Razorback and Wangara lookouts. Above Adelaide, Mount Lofty takes in the whole city and gulf in a single sweep, and on Kangaroo Island the wind-carved Remarkable Rocks frame the Southern Ocean. More on the South Australia lookouts page.

Western Australia

Cape Naturaliste, at the northern tip of the Margaret River coast, pairs a heritage lighthouse with one of the best land-based whale-watching outlooks in the country. The state's gorges and coast hold hundreds more on the Western Australia lookouts map.

Northern Territory

In the Red Centre, Simpsons Gap and the gorges of the West MacDonnell Ranges frame the desert in red quartzite, and the rim walk above Kings Canyon is one of the great outback outlooks. Dawn and dusk are everything out here. See the Northern Territory lookouts.

Tasmania

Few lookouts are as singular as the summit of the Nut at Stanley, a flat-topped volcanic plug rising straight out of Bass Strait. In Launceston, Cataract Gorge puts a wild canyon within walking distance of the city. The Tasmania lookouts map has the rest.

How to use the map

Every lookout is pinned with its name, locality and, where we have it, elevation. Tap "Near me" to sort the list by distance and get one-tap directions to the closest views. It is the fastest way we know to turn a spare hour on the road into something memorable.