Australia's sunshine state is the top place for a domestic holiday in 2026
Planning next year's holiday is already on the minds of many Aussies.
And many are planning to stay close to home, by holidaying in Australia in 2026.
An exclusive Nine.com.au* reader survey found that 55 per cent of people are, in fact, looking to travel domestically.
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Noosa Main Beach on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Getty
And when it comes to where across Australia they were planning on visiting, one destination came out on top.
It's no surprise, because it's known as the Sunshine State, and most travellers want some warm weather on holiday.
Queensland is the most popular place our readers want to go, with 33 per cent looking at heading there in 2026.
It has everything, from the buzzing city of Brisbane with the new $3.6b Queens Wharf development to the resort towns of the Gold Coast, as well as world-renowned spots such as tropical north Queensland.
Close behind in the destination stakes was NSW, with Sydney no doubt a big pull for visitors.
Next came Victoria, with almost a quarter of Aussies saying they'll be heading there.
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Nine/Graphic: Polly Hanning
Maybe they'll be checking out one of the world's most trendy streets. North Melbourne was crowned one of the 'coolest' neighbourhoods in the world, according to Time Out's annual ranking.
It's also home to a hotel recently named among the world's best.
South Australia was next in the ranking. Adelaide remains ever popular, with 9Travel writer Jemima even hailing it as the best place to visit in Australia.
The skyline of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Tasmania, with its rugged scenery and cute towns, was next, followed by Western Australia, which has some of the best beaches in the world.
Top hidden gems across Australia
There are many hidden gems across Australiafor anyone looking for a holiday away from the crowds, as we recently reported.
Stunning places like Exmouth in Western Australia, Stanley in Tasmania, and Normanville in South Australia are still relatively untouched by holidaymakers.
That's despite many smaller hotspots being named as top tourism towns.
Brisbane CBD has seen a lot of new development. Getty
While more than half of Australians have visited Sydney and Melbourne, and the Gold Coast and Byron Bay continue to draw heavy crowds, only a fraction have been to regional destinations, research from Big Red Group showed.
If you need some more inspiration, these three Queensland destinations are in the top trending spots for Aussie domestic holidays this spring.
And they are not just the old favourites.
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Maleny is a beautiful spot in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Getty Images/iStockphoto
While the Sunshine Coast is an expected inclusion, the other two are more under-the-radar: Maleny and Sandstone Point.
Maleny is a small rural town surrounded by rolling green hills with views of the Glasshouse Mountains, an hour and a half north of Brisbane.
Meanwhile, Sandstone Point is a coastal area found about halfway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
*The nine.com.au poll, which runs once a fortnight, canvases the views of the nine audience on 9Nation, which is an online community of our readers and Nine viewers.
