Best places to visit in October

1. Best for events: Perth, WA

Perth blossoms over spring and when the school kids have returned to learning, you can get busy soaking up that sun and those beautiful wildflowers. Before you get stuck into its exceptional wines, that is.

• October weather: 13-22℃, spring
• Top October events: 2021 WAFL Grand Final, ST. ALi Italian Film Festival, Drug Aware Groundswell Festival, Nanga Music Festival, Yello Festival, Oktoberfest in the Gardens, Elmar's in the Valley Oktoberfest, Gingin 150th, Boardwalk Beer Festival, and WA Beer & Beef Festival.
• Travel status: Travellers from NT, SA and TAS are welcome to join in the festivities, no quarantine is required. All travellers need to complete a G2G Pass registration.

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2. Best for hiking: Freycinet, Tasmania

Located a couple of hours drive away from Hobart, Freycinet National Park is one of the most beautiful places to visit in spring. Enjoy clear skies as you hike to the Wineglass Bay Lookout for some true Instagram-worthy photos.

Once you've finished your trip, head back to Hobart to wine and dine on Tasmania's fresh produce at the Royal Hobart Show.

• October weather: 8-17℃, spring
• Top October events: Royal Hobart Show, Hoptober Indie Beer and Music Festival, Tasmania Writers Festival, Halloween at The Foreshore, Brixhibition Hobart and Tasmanian Malay Cultural Festival.
• Travel status: Travellers from WA and the NT can visit without the need to quarantine. Those who haven't been to high risk locations in QLD and SA can also visit. Unless approved as an essential traveller, visitors from other states deemed high risk cannot enter Tasmania.

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3. Best for country town visit: Grafton, NSW

Just 3.5 hours drive from Brisbane, Grafton is a historic country town featuring classic Australian pubs and farmers' markets. Each year, the town hosts the Jacaranda festival to honour the trees which blanket Grafton in a sea of purple flowers.

• October weather: 14-22℃, spring
• Top October events: The Clarence 100 and Grafton Jacaranda Festival.
• Travel status: NSW is open to all people travelling from NT, SA, TAS and WA. Travellers from ACT, QLD and VIC can enter if they're not travelling from a declared hotspot and complete a travel declaration. You may need to quarantine on your return, depending on where you're travelling from.

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4. Best for adventure: Townsville, QLD

Townsville is viewed as the gateway to tropical north Queensland where colourful reefs, verdant rainforests and blissful beaches roll into view. From Townsville, it's a short trip to Magnetic Island which awaits with hikes and history. Otherwise, jump into your car and drive north to tick the Great Barrier Reef off your bucket list.

• October weather: 21-28℃, dry season
• Top October events: Towers Rush, Dinner under the Stars, Paluma Village Trail Run and Oktoberfest at the Brewery.
• Travel status: Queensland is open to all states and territories except VIC, most of NSW and the ACT. You may have to quarantine on your return depending on your home states rules.

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5. Best surprise destination: Broome, WA

Broome has become one very popular destination to visit lately. And why not? It has beaches, craggy coastline, dinosaur footprints, and camel rides. Celebrate Indigenous art and culture with the Yawuru people of Rubibi (Broome). Broome is at the top of Australia's local bucket list to visit this year.

Get in this October before the weather gets too hot.

• October weather: 23-33℃, dry season
• Top October events: Staircase to the Moon and We Vibin Fest.
• Travel status: Western Australia is a go for visitors from the NT, SA and TAS without the need to quarantine. Visitors from elsewhere may be allowed in with an exemption but will need to quarantine.

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