Australia is always a walking paradise, but where to trek is highly seasonal. In the warmer months, hiking is difficult in all but the coldest places or those at highest altitude. Then, as a chill sets in over the southern states from June through to August, the tropical north becomes far more accessible in the milder, drier weather.
In between, you can time a hiking holiday with bird migrations, wildflower blooms or even passing whales.
Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania
Traveling in the mountainous region of central Tasmania, Overland Track deserves its place as one of Australia’s most famous landmarks. But you don’t have to deal with the whole week-long route – which can be done with a group tour, or a sole hike – to enjoy the beauty of the wild mountains.
A network of day walks catering to every fitness level leads to peaty button grass moors, dense forests of ancient trees bearded with glistening moss, and deep glacial lakes overlooked by jagged peaks where snowstorms are a possibility, even at the height of summer.
Kosciuszko National Park In Thredbo-Perisher Area, NSW
The ten highest peaks on the Australian mainland are encircled around these two ski resorts and in the summer it is possible to combine them all in a four-day trip. Short options range from a 400-meter-long hiking board that offers extensive views over the Australian roof, to daily trips through pastures full of summer flowers and across rugged mountain streams.
Namadgi National Park, ACT
Covering about half of the Australian Capital Territory, this remote area provides an important habitat for rock wallabies, pygmy possums, dingoes, and lyrebirds. Some of these species are represented in the Ngunnawal rock art found throughout the park, where more than half of the walking tracks reopened after being badly affected by last year’s bushfire.
Alpine National Park, Victoria
Fans of The Man From Snowy River may recognise some landmarks in Victoria’s largest national park but that’s no prerequisite for enjoying the region, where every peak seems to yield views of pleated, tree-covered ridges stretching towards the horizon. Sunset only enhances the beauty, making overnight hikes like the Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing particularly enjoyable.
Blue Mountains National Park, NSW
The cool days, the downpour, and the blossoming of the red leaves around many cities make autumn a perfect time to visit the Blue Mountains. At the national park, the dizzying variety of tracks includes a wheelchair-accessible trail to the region’s most famous rock formations, as well as strenuous hikes to the valley floor.
