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Great Barrier Reef

Countries in the atlas · USA and Oceania

Australia

The Great Barrier Reef, the Red Centre with Uluru and the striped domes of the Kimberley.

Russian passport: visa requiredRussian Foreign Ministry: risk of detention at the request of other countriesprices ×2.6 vs Russia

Photo: Ayanadak123 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Great Barrier Reef
Photo: Ayanadak123 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Queensland, Australia · World’s best

Great Barrier Reef

Access 2/5 · fairly easyJFMAMJJASOND

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres along Queensland: thousands of individual reefs and hundreds of islands. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Snorkelling and diving boats head out to the reef from Cairns and Port Douglas, and in the Whitsunday Islands lies Whitehaven Beach with its quartz sand.

Getting there
Fly to Cairns or to the Whitsunday airports, then take a boat out to the reef.
Fees and tickets
The reef protection charge is 8.50 Australian dollars a day (usually included in the ticket price).
Sources (1)
Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Northern Territory, Australia

Uluru and Kata Tjuta

Access 3/5 · needs planningJFMAMJJASOND

Uluru is a huge monolith in the centre of Australia that shifts from orange to deep crimson at sunset. Nearby are the domes of Kata Tjuta and the Valley of the Winds.

Uluru is a sacred place of the Anangu people. Climbing the rock has been banned since 2019; instead, a trail of about 10 kilometres runs around it.

Getting there
Fly to Ayers Rock Airport (about 3 hours from Sydney) or drive 5 hours from Alice Springs.
Fees and tickets
A park pass costs 38 Australian dollars for 3 days; under-18s go free.
Why it’s hard
The centre of the continent: long flights or hundreds of kilometres of empty road, summer heat above 40 °C, and flies.
Sources (5)
Purnululu — Bungle Bungle Range
Photo: BriMiDra · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Western Australia

Purnululu — Bungle Bungle Range

Access 4/5 · hardJFMAMJJASOND

The Bungle Bungle Range is made up of hundreds of sandstone domes striped in orange and black. Within it are gorges such as Cathedral Gorge and Echidna Chasm.

Purnululu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Until the 1980s almost no one apart from Aboriginal people and stockmen knew about it.

Getting there
From Kununurra, a flight by light aircraft or helicopter, or 4–5 hours by road, the last 50 kilometres a rough track for 4x4s only.
Fees and tickets
Entry is 17 Australian dollars per car; there is no fuel in the park — carry enough for at least 300 km.
Why it’s hard
The park is open only in the dry season, the road is a rough track with river crossings, and there are no services. Many people see the domes only from the air.
Sources (1)

Before you go

Australia: entry, safety, money, flights, laws and budget — with sources.

Entry

Russian citizens need a Visitor visa (subclass 600), applied for online on the website of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs; you need proof of funds and medical insurance. ETA and eVisitor are not available to Russian citizens.

Even for a connection without leaving the airport, Russian citizens need a transit visa (subclass 771).

Rules for any passport

Checked 2 November 2026. These are the rules for a Russian citizen with an international passport on a tourist trip. For other passports and purposes, see the official website — the button above.

Sources (3)

Safety

There is no Russian Foreign Ministry advice to refrain from travel, but in its warning of 01.04.2026 the Ministry lists Australia among the “active accomplices” of the USA in detaining Russian citizens.

Sources (4)

Money and cards

Russian cards do not work. Bring cash; declare cash over 10,000 Australian dollars.

Sources (2)

Flights

There are no direct flights. Connections are via Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

Sources (1)

Laws and bans

  • Biosecurity: food, plant and animal products, and dirty footwear and gear go on the declaration; anything undeclared is fined.
  • The climb up Uluru has been closed permanently since 26.10.2019; sacred sites marked with signs are not photographed.
  • Class A Aboriginal cultural objects may not be taken out of the country.
Sources (3)

Budget

prices ×2.6 vs Russia · price level 0.94 (US = 1), 2025

Prices are 2.6 times higher than in Russia. A pass to Uluru-Kata Tjuta costs 38 Australian dollars for 3 days; on the reef there is a charge of 8.50 a day (included in the ticket).

The price level is the ratio of purchasing power parity for household consumption to the market exchange rate (World Bank). These are national averages: resorts and capitals cost more, the countryside less. Flights are not included.

Sources (1)