The best night time getaways in Australia

The days are getting shorter but that doesn’t mean playtime has to end. The city lights are calling, the possums are stirring and the stars are coming out.

For holiday makers and pleasure seekers in Australia, this is the year of enchanted evening escapades, slow travel and nighttime aesthetics.

Night sky camping trips

It’s the perfect time to snuggle under a blanket and look up at the stars. There are plenty of ways to stay warm while you wonder at the vastness of the universe.

Camp with Bubble Tent Australia, and you can have a complete view of the night sky from the comfort of your queen bed as you gaze straight through the roof of your transparent bubble tent.

Stargaze from your own swag in the wild and spacious campground at Australia’s first Dark Sky Park, located within the breathtaking Warrumbungle National Park.

Head to the heart of Australia, go glamping and attend the annual Alice Springs Dark Sky Festival. Thousands of kilometers from urban light pollution, the desert is home to some of the clearest air and most unforgettable night sky viewings in the world.

Beach at night

Don’t leave the beach just because the sun’s going down. The beach at night is a magical and mysterious place, perfect for dates and intimate gatherings.

Bring your LED fairy lights, a bottle of champagne and some rugs, and head to a sheltered cove like Sydney’s stunning Milk Beach for a picnic dinner.

Head out of town to a stunning, remote beach like Wonboyn Beach where you could go night fishing off the shore, cook your catch on a little fire in the sand and listen to the waves as you nod off to sleep outside in the dunes. BYO air mattress.

Bioluminescence aesthetic escapades

If you need a good reason to go on a holiday adventure, how about a bioluminescence road trip of southern and eastern Australia?

Also known as the ‘blue tide,’ bioluminescent phytoplankton are found in the ocean at beaches all around Australia. Go swimming at night in these locations and watch the pale glow of millions of lights swirling in the water around you.

Shining on the ceiling like tiny stars, glow worms live in abandoned train tunnels and caves all around Australia.

Incredible bioluminescent fungus or ‘ghost mushrooms’ can be found clinging to trees in some unique forests specific to Mount Gambier in South Australia, the Blue Mountains in NSW, Jervis Bay, and parts of Victoria and Tasmania.

Luxe night city adventures

Light and sound installation art, music, city lights and glamorous evenings out on the town have never looked more spectacular. Thankfully these moments can now be captured and shared using fancy new light sensitive smartphone cameras, because they are too luxe to forget.

For a quirky spectacle of carnival lights and sounds, rides and games, head to Sydney’s iconic Luna Park at night.

Australia has an incredible array of night-time festivals of light, culture and art to choose from if you want an immersive evening of astonishing experiences: Rising Festival in Melbourne, Dark Mofo in Hobart, Vivid Festival in Sydney, Illuminate Adelaide, and Swan Festival of Light in Perth all offer unforgettable moments in the dark.

As a special treat for Vivid Sydney, Torrens University Australia’s culinary students in a wonderful collision with Billy Blue College of Design, crafted a multi-sensory light installation and inventive culinary experience to surprise and delight Sydney-siders.

Or, try losing yourself among the delicious fragrances and red lanterns of the Chinatown Night Markets held every Friday in Sydney, or the Queen Victoria Night Market in Melbourne.

If you love having adventures and creating unforgettable experiences, you might love a career in hotels.

Check out the courses on offer at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, Torrens University Australia.