About
A guide to the best of Australia
Where to eat, stay and explore — city by city, category by category, without the guesswork.
Top in Aus publishes curated guides to the best of Australia — beaches and national parks, brunch cafés and restaurants, rooftop bars, wineries, hotels and things to do. We cover the country city by city, with Australia-wide lists for the big questions, and we publish new guides continuously.
Why we built it
Australia is enormous, and most trips are about choosing: which city, which beach, which day trip is worth the drive. The answers that come up first are often sponsored, out of date, or written by someone who has never been.
We wanted guides that name real places, link to their real websites and map pins, say who each one suits, and tell you the practical thing you'd only know if you'd been — when to book, when the jellyfish arrive, what to order.
Who it's for
- Visitors planning a first trip Down Under and deciding where to go
- Travellers moving between cities who want the local favourites
- People moving to Australia and getting to know their new city
- Australians who want a second opinion on their own city or the next one
What's in every guide
The format is deliberately consistent, so once you've read one you know exactly where to look in the next.
- A short answer up top — the shortlist, if you only read one paragraph
- Every entry with its neighbourhood, so you can group things by area
- A line on what each place is actually good at
- A price band, so nothing is a surprise
- One practical thing worth knowing before you turn up
- The official website and a Google Maps link, because that's what you'll want next
How a guide comes together
-
01
Pick the city and the category
We work down a list of the questions people actually ask — best beaches in Australia, best things to do in Sydney, best brunch in Melbourne — starting with the ones asked most.
-
02
Build the shortlist
Every plausible candidate goes on a long list, which then gets cut down hard. A guide of forty places helps nobody. We check every place is open and every link goes to the business itself.
-
03
Write it up
What each place is good at, who it's for, and the practical detail that saves you a wasted trip — the closing time, the queue, the thing to order.
-
04
Keep it current
Restaurants and cafés open, close and change hands constantly. Guides get revisited, and each carries the month it was last updated.
A note on safety and seasons
Australia's beaches and outback are spectacular and deserve respect: swim between the red-and-yellow flags at patrolled beaches, check marine stinger season in the tropical north (roughly November to May), and check road and park conditions before long drives.
Where a restaurant is kosher we name its supervising authority as it stood when the guide was last updated. Certification changes, so if it matters to you, check the current certificate before you eat.
Common questions
What is Top in Aus?
A guide to the best of Australia, city by city. We publish curated lists — the best beaches in Australia, the best brunch in Melbourne, the best things to do in Sydney — so you can find the good stuff without wading through a dozen tabs.
Who is it for?
Visitors planning a trip Down Under, people moving to Australia, and Australians who want a second opinion on their own city or the next one over.
How often are the guides updated?
Continuously. Each list shows the month it was last updated, and we revisit them as places open, close and change hands. Always check opening hours and conditions before you go — and swim between the flags.
Do you cover kosher food?
Yes. Melbourne and Sydney have Australia's main Jewish communities, and our kosher guides name the supervising authority for every entry. Certification can change, so check the certificate before you eat.
I run a business in Australia. How do I get featured?
A limited number of businesses can secure a place in each of next year's guides, written up by us in the same format as every other entry. See feature your business for how it works.
Spotted something wrong?
A closed venue, a detail that's changed, a place we've somehow missed — tell us and we'll take a look.
Get in touch