The new National Museum of Australia features a variety of exhibits on Australian culture with a significant part of the Museum devoted to the history, culture and contemporary issues of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Museum is located on Acton Peninsula with views across Lake Burley Griffin.
National Museum of Australia
National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame
The National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame is located in the old courthouse and has exhibits on the lives and achievements of pioneer women in central Australia.
National Portrait Gallery
Situated in front of the new Parliament House, is a more traditional building that was originally built as a temporary structure and served as Australia’s seat of government from 1927 until 1988. The building now houses the National Portrait Gallery, the Australian Archives Gallery and a museum chronicling Australia’s political history.
National Road Transport Hall of Fame & Old Ghan Museum
This museum about 10km outside Alice Springs is dedicated to road and rail transport. It features lots of restored lorries including some early road trains as well as several excellent exhibits about the old Ghan Railway including some of the original trains that ran between Alice Springs and Adelaide. It is a must for railway enthusiasts.
National Sports Museum & MCG tours
This museum covers Australia’s involvement in a wide range of sporting events, with emphasis on Australian Rules Football, cricket and the Olympic Games. The museum is housed in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which frequently holds capacity crowds of around 100,000 while hosting cricket matches during the summer and Australian Rules Football in the winter. The MCG was the main venue for the 1956 Olympic Games. A must for sports enthusiasts.
Free entry with the iVenture Melbourne card
Free museum entry and MCG tour with the iVenture Card Melbourne sightseeing passNational Wool Museum
Geelong’s big attraction is this well designed museum that depicts the history of Australia’s wool industry. It also demonstrates the process of shearing, spinning and knitting.
National Zoo and Aquarium
Canberra’s small zoo has a good selection of Australian and African wildlife including the world’s only walk-through puma cave and Australia’s only tigons (a cross between a lion and tiger).
Nelly Bay Harbour (Magnetic Island ferry terminal)
Fantasea Cruises and SeaLink both operate a ferry service between Townsville and Magnetic Island.
SeaLink is the more popular of the two ferry companies and the return fare from Townsville costs $32. SeaLink ferries depart from the Breakwater terminal on Sir Leslie Thiess Drive in Townsville and go to Nelly Bay Harbour on Magnetic Island. SeaLink has the fastest boats but they’re restricted to passengers only.
Fantasea Cruises is slower but they are cheaper and are the only boats that take cars. The return fare is $25 and they depart from the terminal on Ross Street in South Townsville, directly across the river from SeaLink’s Breakwater terminal. They sail to Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island.
Nerang train station
A train line runs through the Gold Coast Hinterland linking the Gold Coast with Brisbane with stations at Nerang and Robina. Although it isn’t on a main interstate rail line, there are frequent Citytrain services into Brisbane. Bus 745 goes to Surfers Paradise from Nerang Station.
Newcastle Airport (NTL)
Newcastle Airport is in Williamtown at the western end of Port Stephens. It is a fast-growing airport with flights to Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne. It is served by Jetstar, Qantas, Tiger Airways and Virgin Blue.
The bus between Newcastle Airport and the train station in the city centre costs $4.80.
Newcastle Bus Interchange
The bus terminal is behind the train station. There are buses to destinations all the way up the east coast as far as Cairns as well as buses to Sydney and Port Stephens.
Newcastle Region Art Gallery
For a regional art gallery, there is a decent collection of Australian and international exhibits.
Newcastle Visitor Information Centre
Ngilgi Cave
This beautiful Ngilgi Cave was discovered in 1899 and was the first cave in Western Australia to be open to the paying public. There are regular tours of the cave that last around 45–60 minutes.
NGV International
This branch of the National Gallery of Victoria has exhibits of international art. Its permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Tintoretto as well as a collection of Egyptian artefacts. It also hosts a world-class programme of temporary exhibits.
Nimbin bus stop
There are several companies offering day trips to Nimbin from Byron Bay. These trips range from simple shuttle buses to tours that call in at a number of local attractions. Because of competition, there are some good deals available – check the brochures at your hostel for the best prices.
The Nimbin Shuttle Bus makes a daily return trip between Byron and Nimbin. The shuttle bus departs Byron Bay Mon–Sat 10am and returns 4pm.
If you’re just making a day trip to Nimbin from Byron Bay the Nimbin day trip run by Jim’s Alternative Tours is a good option. Jim’s is a popular tour that goes to Nimbin via the Minyon Falls, a country pub and World Heritage rainforest. The tour costs $40 and departs Byron Bay 10am, returning at 6pm.
Nitmiluk Visitor's Centre
Noosa Heads bus and coach stop
Greyhound and Premier Motor Service coaches stop at the bus stop opposite Lions Park in Noosa Heads.
Noosa National Park
This is a small, but excellent, national park easily accessible from the centre of Noosa Heads. The park has great beaches plus wildlife including koalas.