📍14 Best Uniquely Australian Souvenirs For Overseas Tourists To Take Back Home. (2025.)

LOOKING FOR UNIQUELY AUSTRALIAN SOUVENIRS TO REMEMBER YOUR TRIP DOWN UNDER BY?

From the iconic golden beaches and rugged headlands that fringe the world’s 6th largest nation’s 25,760 kilometres of coastline to the famous arid Outback that occupies an expanse of 5.6million km within its vast interior, it’s fair to say that across its six various climate zones, the planet’s only island continent offers visitors a huge variety of places to see, things to do and experiences to be had.

One of the best ways to remember a trip anywhere is to buy a souvenir to symbolise your visit and remind you of the places you went, and the memories you made. But if you want to stay away from the usual stuff you can get just about anywhere, such as postcards, magnets, pins, pens, posters, t-shirts and thongs, you’re in luck, as there is no shortage of other excellent things to buy as a souvenir.

From gorgeous cultural items made loving made by the Aboriginal community to delicious locally-made foods and drinks and the many other things in between, here are some of the best uniquely Australian souvenirs for overseas tourists to take back home and surprise their friends and family with and where the best bets are to find them!

1. Boomerang.

No souvenir is more unique and iconically Australian than the boomerang. Steeped in at least 10,000 years of Indigenous history, it is the Aboriginal’s most famous cultural artifact, used primarily as a traditional hunting weapon, which thanks to its unique shape causes it to return to the user after being thrown.

These days, they’re one of the top uniquely Australian souvenirs for overseas tourists to buy as a memento for themselves or their loved ones because they are all lovingly hand-made by local crafters and often feature stunning traditional Aboriginal artworks of native fauna and flora, beautifully capturing the spirit of the Land Down Under and its strong ties to the world’s oldest living culture.

LOVE TRAVELLING? BUT HATE PACKING?

Want a FREE comprehensive packing list to streamline preparations for your next adventure? I’ve got you covered!

Send me my FREE Packing List!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with ConvertKit

2. Didgeridoo.

Going hand in hand with the Boomerang, the didgeridoo is another item synonymous with the ancient Aboriginal culture. With the oldest one found 1500 years old with suggestions it could have been around for 40,000 years, it is believed to be the world’s old wind instrument. And with the deep, vibrational sound that it makes when it is skillfully blown into there’s something about every aspect of it that feels very earthy and primordial,

These iconic hollow cylinders carved from a single piece of wood aren’t just for the audio experience as they usually come adorned with beautiful artwork in traditional Aboriginal style, making them a unique one-of-a-kind souvenir or gift for musicians with a penchant for old and unusual instruments and those who like their art as 3D sculpture features that also captures the essence of Australia’s Indigenous heritage.

3. Clap Sticks.

As beautiful as didgeridoos are, both audibly and visually, they aren’t practical to travel with, especially if you’re visiting from overseas, which makes Clap Sticks a fantastic musical alternative to take home as a gift for friends and family or a souvenir for yourself.

Measuring about 30cm, about the size of a standard ruler, these delightful percussion sticks are much more travel-friendly and portable and would be great for spontaneous jam sessions with your mates. And just like the boomerangs and didgeridoos, each features a different hand-painted Aboriginal design, making them perfect for displaying on your mantle piece when they’re not in use.

4. Coin Collections.

One of the things I can’t resist buying as a souvenir when travelling throughout Australia are coins, which come in many forms.

The easiest one to get is the general legal tender which you will still need to use to make your way around the country, even though many places have now gone cashless. There are also special coins that make the public rounds created to celebrate various momentous events and occasions that you may find in your change.

Or you can go to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, ACT, (or any post office) and get some stunning, shiny mint condition editions of circulated coins, or special collector coins of various sizes, designs, and proofs. Some of the best ones to remember your visit by are sets of the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback and famous structural landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

The gift shops of many of the country’s most iconic attractions also have beautiful encased coins, while some other places may also have a manual crank machine that imprints one of four designs shown on the outside onto a blank, which is a unique lightweight gift, but be careful with naked coins, as they tarnish from the oil from your fingers easily, especially the machine ones.

5. Thunder Eggs.

With many of the souvenirs available, they are already sourced, refined and processed into the final product. But one memento that you can do the leg work for and essentially pluck straight from the Earth and take home is Thunder Eggs. While they aren’t eggs in the traditional sense of being a female bird’s, for example, encased period, the reality of what they actually are is so much cooler.

Thunder eggs are a fascinating and unique geological phenomenon that appear like rocks, spherical and unassuming on the outside but when cracked open, reveal a spectacular and intricate world jam-packed with shards of typically agate or quartz crystals. These were forged reportedly 200,000 years ago when silica-rich volcanic lava cooled, encasing pockets of gases and steam, which slowly crystallized over time to create these mesmerisingly beautiful colourful mineral formations.

And you can find your own magnificent piece of ancient natural history to take home at Thunderbird Park at Mt Tamborine on the Gold Coast, which has the world’s largest Thunder Egg Mine. Use the pick and axe supplied with your entrance fee and take what you find to the shop, where you can either get it sawn in half and polished to reveal the magnificent colours, layers and formations inside for a spectacular keepsake or keep the secrets inside sealed inside forever.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to slog it in the mines, hacking away in the hopes of unearthing something most wonderful, you can get a solid or pre-cut and polished one at the store. Either way, it’s no doubt the most uniquely Australian gift there is, seeing as how it supposedly started forming when the world was coming out of the last ice age.

6. Boxing Koala.

If you’re looking for a fun, light-hearted souvenir that screams “Australia,” there’s nothing more hilariously endearing than an inflatable boxing koala. Modelled around the country’s most beloved and recognisable endemic animal, the kangaroo with the boxing gloves representing their upright fighting behaviour, it also is symbolic of the Aussie spirit, which is being heartwarmingly competitive with a light-hearted larrakin spirit, at least that’s my interpretation.

While locals love to use these to show Aussies their support at sporting events, it’s also great to take back home and use in the pool or have just hanging around the house as a fun talking point. You could also get a bit rowdy with your friends and playfully smack them with this humourous piece of Australiana.

7. Australian Monopoly Editions.

If you love board games or know a family who does, you can’t go past an Australian edition of Monopoly. You can get ones of the country, states and even popular tourist destinations, such as Ballina-Byron. Better yet, they don’t cut corners with the theming, as just about everything from the box down to the gameboard and the tokens are beautifully adapted to the location its depicting, making this the ultimate interactive souvenir that’s fun for the whole family.

It’s an especially great thing to buy if you’re travelling throughout the country for a while with friends or family as you can get riled up over the other greedy investors buying up all the properties as you try to buy up all the elite Australian destinations to yourselves. Or maybe not. This game has a reputation for destroying close relationships. LOL.

8. Australian Children’s Books.

Have a young kid in your life that you’d like to buy something for? A wonderful gift to get them that they can cherish for years to come is a delightfully written and drawn children’s book that will introduce them to this beautiful country, the culture and the animals that call this Great Southern Land home.

Books like “Somewhere In Australia” by Marcello Pennacchio, “Diary Of A Wombat” by Jackie French and “G’day Australia Search & Find” by Christie Williams are three really cute ones I came across that caught my attention, while “Possum Magic” by Mem Fox or “Wombat Stew” by Marcia K Vaughan & Pamela Lofts are two classic tales beloved by generations of children.

9. Plushie.

Speaking of gifts for children, it’s never not a good idea to get them a soft toy especially if it’s one of the beautiful endemic animals that call Australia home. Kangaroos and koalas are the most popular plushies that you can find just about everywhere. But there are also wombats, bilbies, turtles, Tasmanian devils, quokkas and emus to name a few depending on what different shops have stocked

But just because they are designed for kids, doesn’t mean adults can’t buy them for themselves. There’s no way I can resist a soft toy of a native animal when I got travelling, especially when they make them so darn cute!

10. Vegemite.

If you want to get an Australian icon of food there is, of course, nothing more synonymous with the Land Down Under than Vegemite. Possibly one of the most divisive edibles on the planet, people either love and protect it with their lives or absolutely despise it with a fierce passion, there is no in-between. But there’s no doubt that it perfectly embodies the Australian spirit.

We are a nation that loves alcohol in its many forms, so the fact that it is a thick, sludgy, deep-brown, salty by-product of the beer-production process, somewhat helps you understand why it is such a cultural phenomenon. But the taste sure as hell tells a different story as the flavour profile is akin to… well that’s for you to find out. Let’s just say, if you expected it to taste like beer, well, don’t, because it’s not that like that at all.

And that’s where I believe its endearing charm as the unofficial food of the nation comes into play. See, us Australians are a bunch of light-hearted jokesters with a wicked sense of humour. In the native tongue, the word is larrikin. And there is nothing more satisfyingly hilarious than watching an unsuspecting foreigner unaware of how to best consume this product react to it. It’s a timeless prank and is as quintessentially, authentically Aussie as the fearsome Drop Bear.

And the best way you can take home a thinly buttered slice of the country’s mischievous spirit is to buy a bottle of Vegemite and as per tradition, offer it up to your friends and family to try which will leave them questioning whether you love or hate them after just one taste.

11. Outback Spirit Sauces.

If you’re looking for some Australian and indigenous tastes to add a unique flavour profile to your meals, Outback Spirit has a range of sauces, chutneys and relishes that make them fantastic consumables to take back home.

These sauces are infused using native ingredients such as Kakadu plum, lemon myrtle, bush tomatoes and river mint, giving you a unique taste that is distinctively and authentically Australian. Use them as marinades or cooking sauces to enhance hot meals or as a dip for finger food to appreciate the artisanally-crafted blends more intensely.

12. Kakadu Plum Jams.

Also embodying the taste of Australia’s flora, Kakadu Plum’s commitment to using native bush tucker as ingredients for their line of jams is another delicious way to bring home a taste of the Land Down Under. Made from ingredients such as Kakadu Plum and Desert Lime and usable as a spread on toast or biscuits, or part of a marinade or sauce, these beautifully capture our landscape’s unique tastes that Aboriginals have been enjoying for thousands of years.

13. Kakadu Plum Chocolate.

For something sweet just snack on, Kakadu Plumb also has a range of 6 chocolate blocks infused with a delicious mix of native bush tucker, like Kakadu Plum, Lemon Myrtle & Macadamia and Desert Lime & Edible Flowers, that culminates in a very unique blend of flavours that you won’t find anywhere else.

Not only will you never have tasted anything like these but they are also great as a Food souvenir, as unlike the aforementioned sauces, jams and marinades which come in glass jars, these are smaller, more lightweight and less breakable to travel with and take home. That is assuming you don’t surrender to the temptation to eat them all before catching the flight home.

14. Alcohol.

Moving over to beverages, there are no shortage of options, particularly if you are of the alcoholic inclination, as Australia has some of the world’s most renowned offerings, along with many small microbreweries, offering everything from wine, beers, ciders and spirits.

Some of the most famous include Bundaberg Rum, Vodka Cruisers and Carlton, while Arctic Fox Beer and Kosciuszko Pale Ale are just some local examples using locally-grown ingredients that provide fantastic taste alternatives to the mainstream brands. These also make great gifts and collector items for friends who enjoy drinking and are the perfect social lubricant for adult get-togethers.

With a plethora of wonderfully unique Australian souvenirs to bring home, from destination number plates to stunning geological gems and beautiful Aboriginal artwork, only two questions remain, will you have enough room in your suitcase to take them back home, or will you need another and will it be underweight at the airport so you don’t have to pay for extra baggage!

If you plan to visit Australia, consider looking at these other posts.