The dolphins of Monkey Mia, blue waters of Whitehaven Beach, and monolithic wonder of Uluru were once largely untapped experiences for Aussie travellers.

But with the rise of social media, our nation’s hidden travel treasures have grown to attract visitors from interstate and overseas in such numbers that not many lie undiscovered by the masses.

Experts from travel company Bounce have scaled TripAdvisor and travel data to reveal the Australian cities and states/territories with the most “hidden gems”.

It turns out, while WA is brimming with secluded attractions, Perth doesn’t have as many well-kept secrets.

“There are plenty of hidden gems waiting to be discovered across Australia, and some of the lesser-known ones are only just beginning to be uncovered on social media,” CEO and Founder of Bounce, Cody Candee said.

“Of course, some of these spots can be found in highly populated areas such as Sydney, Perth and Byron Bay. But there are also plenty more untold secrets in Australia’s vast and diverse outback regions.”

Australia’s remote top end came in top of the list for states or territories, with 8.47 per cent of its total 838 attractions considered hidden gems due largely to the logistical barriers to reaching them.

It was daylight to the next best, with Tasmania’s mainland and hundreds of surrounding islands offering 106 hidden gems, making up 4.82 per cent of total attractions.

WA took fourth place on the list, with 212 of its 4679 total attractions at 4.53 per cent. Meaning there’s plenty to offer, but not heaps that you’ve never seen or heard of.

With many of its attractions easily accessible by road, and being a less expansive region, Victoria placed bottom with just 2.61 per cent of its 10,000 capped attractions considered hidden gems.

But when viewing Australia as a group of cities, Perth ranked towards the back end with only 19 of its 721 attractions recognised as hidden treasures.

Adelaide pales in size to Sydney and Melbourne, but with its Japanese gardens, serene lakes and unique historic trails, it offers numerous spots remaining largely void of high traffic with a leading 7.99 per cent of its hot spots considered hidden.

And with its famous hills region brimming with quality yet secluded settlements, vineyards and lookouts, the Adelaide Hills (6.74 per cent hidden gems) were afforded their own spot to sit second.

Darwin placed at 6.29 per cent, boasting Kakadu National Park and Katherine River as highlights.

When measuring the most-searched hidden attractions nationwide (August 2023 – July 2024) Queensland’s Toowoomba region was most popular, with WA’s Broome (509,200 searches) and Ningaloo Reef (344,300) taking sixth and tenth spot respectively.

As for the highest-rated hidden gems in Australia — defined as those receiving the highest number of excellent reviews — Victoria’s Panorama Garden Estate topped the list with 95.89 per cent of reviews rated as excellent.

WA’s magnificent Cape Le Grand National Park in Esperance took ninth on the list with 87.91 per cent of total reviews considered excellent.