Every type of hiker can find something to enjoy in Australia, from families to lone hikers, from the coast to the desert. The breathtaking environment will ignite your soul wherever your wanderings lead you in this untamed and sun-drenched area, just as it did for the Aboriginal people thousands of years ago. Plan your excursions using our list of Australia’s best hikes such as Kings Canyon Rim Walk, Cape to Cape Track, Great Ocean Road Walk.
Kings Canyon Rim Walk
One of the most well-known day treks in the nation is the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. This six-kilometer journey in Australia’s Red Centre’s Watarrka National Park follows the rim of a stunning, 150-meter-deep canyon.
It’s advisable to start this three to four-hour walk before dawn to avoid the oppressive heat. The landscape is painted with deep rose gold hues by the morning sun, and this is also prime wildlife viewing time for creatures like kangaroos, zebra finches, and white-plumed honeyeaters.
The stunning vistas make the 500 stairs up to the canyon’s rim in the first section of the journey worthwhile. A wonderland of weathered dome-shaped rock formations, ancient cycads, and the Garden of Eden, an unusual sanctuary with lush vegetation and a perpetual waterhole, can be seen below after ascending to the summit and following the u-shaped trail around the sandstone cliffs. Waterfalls cascade down the granite walls here after winter rains.
The Kings Canyon Rim Walk is a one-way loop, so you won’t run into hikers going the other way. It also needs a moderate to a high degree of fitness. Avoid going on a hike from September through May if at all feasible. Bring plenty of water, insect repellent, and sunscreen.
The 2.6-kilometer Kings Canyon Creek walk is a simple option for hikers looking for a more leisurely stroll down the canyon.
Mount Gower, Lord Howe Island – Best Trails And Hikes In Australia
One of the best days walks in Australia is up Lord Howe Island’s Mount Gower, which rises 875 meters. One of the best spots to visit in the state is this World Heritage-listed island off the coast of New South Wales. You can see the entirety of this naturalist’s paradise from Mount Gower’s summit.
The climb up to the mist forests at the mountain’s summit is 14 kilometers roundtrip. You can explore the island’s botanical and animal wonders along the journey; however, keep in mind that there are restrictions on the number of visitors to preserve the island’s pristine state.
There are rare orchids, fern-filled woodlands, and trees covered in moss as you ascend this beautiful summit at the southern tip of the island. Along the trip, you can gawk at views of the nearby Mt. Lidgbird, the lagoon, the island’s northern hamlet, and Balls Pyramid, the biggest sea stack in the world at 565 meters.
This moderate to difficult trek takes around five hours to complete, while the descent, which includes ledge crossings and rope portions, takes about four hours. The remarkably fearless providence petrel can be seen up close at the top from March through September. It is strongly advised to take guided hikes to learn more about the island’s distinctive ecology and natural history.
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Cape to Cape Track – Best Trails And Hikes In Australia
One of Australia’s top seaside hikes is the Cape to Cape Track. This delightful multi-day trip is situated 260 kilometers south of Perth in Western Australia’s southwest and meanders for 135 kilometers through forests of enormous karri trees.
The entire Cape to Cape Track walk, which lasts between five and seven days and is entirely within a national park, is named for its path between the lighthouses of Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin along the Margaret River coast. However, you can pick simpler routes for half-day or full-day walks.
The Cape to Cape walking track’s highlights includes coastal rock formations like the angular Sugarloaf Rock that protrudes into the ocean, cold cascades, immaculate beaches, and sea cliffs with views of the raging surf. Watch out for whales between June and December in Cape to Cape Track.
One of the hike’s more picturesque stretches skirts the clifftops above Contos Beach, where kangaroos frequently hide out under shady vegetation and wildflowers bloom in the spring. Another piece crosses the mouth of the Margaret River as it flows to the sea.
This is a fantastic option for hikers who prefer not to rough it after a long day of walking because campsites and a variety of more luxurious accommodations are located along the route. Along this path, tour firms also lead guided walks.
Great Ocean Road Walk, Victoria
One of Australia’s most well-known beautiful drives, the Great Ocean Road walk, runs along Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast, but you can also take in the spectacular vistas on foot.
This multi-day, one-way trip travels 104 kilometers from the hamlet of Apollo Bay to Port Campbell and Great Otway National Parks, carving through one of the nation’s most stunning stretches of coastline. Up to eight days are needed.
The Great Ocean Road challenging walk, one of the best in Victoria, inspires awe-inspiring respect for Mother Nature’s might. From Princetown to Glenample is arguably the most well-known section. The iconic Twelve Apostles, the towering coastal rock formations sculpted by howling storms and pounding waves, are visible from this clifftop promenade.
You can actually picture how the forces of nature gouged the Great Ocean Road walking scalloped coast over millennia as you stand above the perilous ocean. Other attractions include traversing some of the nation’s tallest coastal cliffs, strolling through wetlands and casuarina trees that are abundant with wildlife, and dropping to windswept beaches where old shipwrecks’ rusted anchors are scattered. From June to September, keep an eye out for whales offshore in the Great Ocean Road walk.
Although the Wreck Beach Walk segment is more difficult, the majority of the hike is rated easy to medium. Campgrounds, ecolodges, and upscale hotels are all options for lodging along the route. Tour companies also offer guided hikes.
Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk
Looking for a short trek along the city’s coast? Start your oceanfront trip at Sydney’s renowned Bondi Beach. The six-kilometer Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is actually more of a stroll than a trek, making it appropriate for everyone from novices to children. Starting in Bondi’s renowned Icebergs restaurant, it follows the bluffs and headlands along Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. Before leaving, pause here to eat something.
There are some of Sydney’s nicest beaches that you can see as you stroll along the coastal cliffs. Following the famous Bondi Beach, your journey will take you via Tamarama, Bronte, and Clovelly before coming to a finish at Coogee. Along the way, pause for a coffee or stroll down to the beach for a brief plunge to cool off in the surf.
Depending on how frequently you stop to take in the expansive coastline vistas, it will take you two to three hours to finish this well-known Sydney trek. If you want to experience Sydney’s beach culture, this is one of the best things to do.
Blue Mountains – Best Trails And Hikes In Australia
Some of New South Wales’ best walks may be found in the Blue Mountains National Park, which is around 115 kilometers from Sydney. For Australian bushwalkers, in particular, the arduous climb to the Blue Gum Forest has evolved into a sort of sacramental journey. Early in the 1930s, devoted bushwalkers pooled money to purchase this lovely 16-hectare woodland, preventing it from being destroyed. It now ranks high on the list of things to do in this wonderful wilderness area.
The woodland is reachable by a number of routes. The five-kilometer roundtrip track from Perry’s Lookdown is one of the most well-liked. It takes four hours to complete the hike. Take a moment to savor the breathtaking views from the overlook, where eucalyptus forests extend as far as the eye can see, before descending into the Grose Valley.
This hike is no exception to how sensory-rich hiking in the Blue Mountains can be. The air is filled with the pungent scent of eucalyptus and moist dirt, and cockatoos yell across the valley as water rushes over slippery rocks in a chilly brook and bark crackles beneath your feet.
The neighboring Acacia Flat campground is where those who want to spend the night can set up their tent. From the well-known Govetts Leap overlook, you can also climb to the Blue Gum Forest.
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Wineglass Bay Circuit
One of Australia’s most stunning beaches is Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park, so named for its voluptuous curves. One of the park’s best hikes has as its stunning background this half-moon-shaped sliver of white beach and sapphire sea. The same ancient trails that the Oyster Bay tribe of Tasmania formerly traversed are now accessible to hikers.
Picture-perfect views of this glittering bay, framed by the pink-tinged granite peaks of the Hazards, are available along the 12-kilometer Wineglass Bay Circuit walk. To reach the Wineglass Bay lookout, where you may admire views of the lovely bay, the path ascends sharply. The track drops to the shore from here after winding around the Hazards. Stay a while to take in the unadulterated beauty.
A different path goes to boulder-strewn Hazard’s Beach across the isthmus. Keep an eye out for some of the park’s unusual fauna, including wombats, wallabies, and the eastern quoll, as you travel. After the inclining ascent to the overlook, the distance is short.
The best time to go on this hike is during the summer, from December through April, when the days are longer, and the temperature is warmer.
One of Tasmania’s Great Short Walks, this excursion is a 30-kilometer leg of the Freycinet Peninsula Circuit. Due to its southern latitude, it’s also one of Australia’s top summer walks. From basic campgrounds to opulent ecolodges like Saffire Freycinet, there are many places to stay.
Uluru Base Walk, Northern Territory
Do yourself a favor and head back in the morning for a trek around Uluru’s base after admiring it from a distance and taking pictures of its changing colors at dusk. This sacred rock is encircled by the 10-kilometer Uluru Base Walk, which leads you through a variety of environments, including dense vegetation, acacia woodlands, waterholes, groves of bloodwood trees, and a dry, sun-baked desert. It’s a terrific way to view this well-known Northern Territory tourist destination from a different angle.
You may go up close and observe the etchings and constantly-changing colors of the rock’s surface by walking around it. The trail is flat and well-marked, and interpretive markers along the way give intriguing information about the area’s ecosystem and the significance of the rock to the Anangu people who live there. To discover more about the cultural significance of this famous monument and its environs, as well as where to get bush tucker, it is even better to join up for an Aboriginal-led hike (food).
With breaks along the route, the trail may be completed in three to four hours. The hike is best approached in the early morning when it is cooler by starting at the Mala parking and moving clockwise around the rock. Respect the culture of the locals by not taking pictures at sensitive locations along the trail. Signs will let you know where photography is prohibited.
If you plan it during the coolest part of the day, this is among the greatest family treks in Australia. Keep in mind that certain sections of the path close when it gets too hot in the afternoons of summer because of the risk of heat stroke.
The Uluru Base Walk is one of the best ways to take in its magnificence now that tourists aren’t allowed to climb the rock out of respect for the locals.
