Where to go walking in Australia
Walking in Australia is best undertaken with a local guide or self guided notes from an expert tour operator. That way, you’re far more likely to learn about aboriginal cultural heritage on the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory or spot wallabies, echidnas and koalas on Victoria’s Great Ocean Walk. Scenic sections of the Bibbulmun Track, along the southwest coastline of Western Australia, are also best appreciated with local knowledge, if only to find out the tale behind the Conspicuous Cliff. Alternatively, head south to Tasmania for wild walks in Southwest National Park. Read on to find out more about the best places to go walking in Australia.
Our Australia walking Holidays
Great Ocean Walk self guided tour, Australia
The full Great Ocean walk pack free self guided.
From
AU $2495 to AU $2955
8 days
ex flights
Great Ocean Walk holiday in Victoria, Australia
Walk the famous Great Ocean Walk in Australia
From
AU $2470
6 days
ex flights
Grampians walking holidays, Victoria, Australia
Hike among spectacular rock formations with great wildlife
From
AU $2695
7 days
ex flights
Cape to Cape guided walking holiday in Australia
Walk the longest coastal walk in Australia, 135kms
From
AU $2495
8 days
ex flights
Bibbulmun Track guided group walk, Australia
Most scenic sections between Walpole & Albany
From
AU $3985 to AU $4195
9 days
ex flights
Great Ocean walking holiday in Victoria, Australia
Self guided hike of the highlights of the Great Ocean Road
From
AU $1895 to AU $2295
5 days
ex flights
Australia walking holiday in the Red Centre
Guided activity in the ancient land of color, Red Centre
From
AU $3395 to AU $3495
7 days
ex flights
Great Alpine Walk holiday in Victoria, Australia
Walk the Great Alpine region of Victoria, Australia
From
AU $2495
7 days
ex flights
Mornington Peninsula walking holiday in Victoria, Australia
Hike along cliff tops & rugged back beaches, close to Melb
From
AU $2045
7 days
ex flights
Walking holiday in Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Climb Tanderra Saddle, explore Wilpena pound & ochre art
From
AU $2995
7 days
ex flights
Flinders Ranges self guided walking holiday, Australia
Hike one of the oldest geological landscapes in the world
From
AU $2895
8 days
ex flights
Walking in the Australian outback, Larapinta Trail
Trek the amazing Larapinta Trail in comfort
From
AU $3195 to AU $3295
7 days
ex flights
3 Capes walking tour in Tasmania
Winds through heathland, woodland and sections of rainforest
From
AU $1895
4 days
ex flights
Tasmania coastal walking holiday, Australia
Guided walking in beautiful Tasmania
From
AU $3195 to AU $3495
7 days
ex flights
Bibbulmun Track self guided walk in Western Australia
Walk the most scenic sections of the Bibbulmun Track in W.A.
From
AU $2695 to AU $2755
9 days
ex flights
5 day Larapinta Trail trek in Australia
One of the most stunning outback experiences in Australia
From
AU $2195
5 days
ex flights
The Great South West Walk in Victoria, Australia
Walk the Great South West Walk in Victoria, Australia
From
AU $3155 to AU $3195
13 days
ex flights
Cape to Cape self guided walking holiday in Western Australia
Spectacular coastline with rocky coves & idyllic bays in W A
From
AU $2875 to AU $2895
9 days
ex flights
Tasmania wilderness walking holiday in Australia
Explore the fascinating wilderness of Tasmania
From
AU $3795 to AU $3925
8 days
ex flights
Larapinta Trail walking holiday in Australia
Larapinta Trail & East Macdonnell Ranges guided trek
From
AU $3895
9 days
ex flights
Cradle Mountain walking holiday in Tasmania, self guided
World Heritage listed Tasmanian wilderness self-guided walk
From
AU $2895
6 days
ex flights
Cape to Cape self guided walking holiday, Australia
Hike this world-class 135km track in Western Australia
From
AU $3075 to AU $3095
10 days
ex flights
Tasmania & Western Australia walking holiday
Australia's Great Walks in Western Australia and Tasmania.
From
£6945
18 days
inc UK flights
Snowy Mountains walking holiday in NSW, Australia
Snowy Mountains 7 day self guided Alpine experience
From
AU $2455 to AU $2595
7 days
ex flights
1. Bibbulmun Track
2. Great Alpine Walk
3. Great Ocean Walk
4. Mornington Peninsula
5. Larapinta Trail
6. Tasmania
2. Great Alpine Walk
3. Great Ocean Walk
4. Mornington Peninsula
5. Larapinta Trail
6. Tasmania
Bibbulmun Track
1. Bibbulmun Track
The Bibbulmun Track is the longest in Western Australia, running for just over 1,000 klicks from Perth to Albany on the southwest coast. Named after indigenous Australians living in the Perth area, and promising cracking cliff top trails through karri and tingle forests, the section from Walpole to Albany is a real must for hikers searching for seclusion as they walk between remote cosy cottages and B&Bs.
Great Alpine Walk
2. Great Alpine Walk
As the name suggests, the Great Alpine Walk in Victoria will take you high above the valleys and creeks of northeast Victoria to provide prime panoramas from mountain peaks and razorback ridges. A variety of alpine routes takes you through snow gum forests to the state’s summits and historic cattlemen’s huts. Overnights in Falls Creek and Dinner Plain provide comfy lodgings on the trail.
Great Ocean Walk
3. Great Ocean Walk
Leave the car at home and take off in Victoria’s Great Otway National Park on foot as you embark on an inn to inn adventure against a coastal backdrop of sea stacks, waterfalls and manna gum groves covered in koalas. Discover the coves, beaches and cliff top heaths as you explore from Apollo Bay to the 12 Apostles, as whales watch from offshore and lighthouses wink from Australia’s highest cliffs.
Mornington Peninsula
4. Mornington Peninsula
Got plans to hike on cliff top trails and wild beaches, as well as indulge in cool coastal cafés just a couple of hours from Melbourne? The Mornington Peninsula is the place to sip, stroll and soak it all up. Take a lighthouse tour around Cape Schanck and trek from Arthurs Seat to King Falls and Bushranger Bay; just don’t forget to stop for lunch as the local grub is absolutely fantastic.
Larapinta Trail
5. Larapinta Trail
Hiking in the Outback is never going to be a walk in the park. However, if you’re hoping to experience the isolation and remote ridgelines and rock formations on the Larapinta Trail with local guides, you’ll discover a choice of easy and more challenging trails in areas sacred to Arrernte Aboriginal people. Trailheads are easily accessible from overnight accommodation in authentic Aussie homesteads.
Tasmania
6. Tasmania
Ascents to mountain peaks and alpine tracks in Southwest National Park take trekking in Tassie to new heights as you enjoy eagle-eye views over Lake Pedder, as well as access to the glacial lakes stacked on the shelves of neighbouring Mount Field. Elsewhere, the eucalyptus forests and cascading waterfalls around Lake St Clair and Cradle Mountain conjure Tasmanian treats way off the tourist trail.
Our top Australia walking Holiday
Great Ocean Walk holiday in Victoria, Australia
Walk the famous Great Ocean Walk in Australia
From
AU $2470
6 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 22 Mar, 25 Apr, 9 May, 13 Sep, 4 Oct, 25 Oct
2020: 22 Mar, 25 Apr, 9 May, 13 Sep, 4 Oct, 25 Oct
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Australia walking or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Australia walking holidays advice
Brett Neagle, owner and walking guide at our tour operator Auswalk, shares his top tips from the trails of Australia:
Victoria's secrets
“Victoria is a very fertile rain rich state like Tasmania, so there's beautiful forest and magnificent mountain areas like the Victorian Alps and the Grampians. And of course there are stacks of beaches and coastline. Little known fact: Australia has more snow than Switzerland, much of it in Victoria. Walking in winter is not possible in the Alps, though, unless you have snow shoes.”
Larapinta lessons
“If walking the Larapinta Trail you need to be prepared, very prepared, from kit, to water, to supplies, to fitness. Unless you do it with a tour company, then you can relax a bit more. Don't go off track, because no one will find you. Take an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) or PLB (personal locator beacon) no matter what.”
Tasmanian devil
“Tasmania's Southwest National Park is bloody hard, a really crap track, not sure that it's worth the hype given you can't see much as you walk. But still amazing bush and a big challenge. And remote. It's the walk you'd go on if you're a wanted criminal. Just kidding.”
Responsible Travel writer Catherine Mack explains what to look out for when walking in Tasmania:
Tassie tales
“Jack jumper ants are a feature of Tasmania and, with a nasty sting, you need to be able to identify them if going hiking. They are dangerous if you have an allergic reaction to them, which isn’t uncommon. People who are prone to insect bite allergies are advised to take a non-drowsy antihistamine before hiking. If you consider your allergy risk high, bring an EpiPen. Otherwise, if stung, treat with antihistamine cream which works in the majority of cases.”Wild walking
“Never underestimate how wild Tasmania is. Although the wilderness is easy to access, once you are out there, you are really out there. Which is what is so wonderful about it. But you need to take care. Always tell someone where you are going, try not to hike alone, sign the national park log books and have an emergency kit with you. As well as the obvious map, compass and plenty of water. Plus purification tablets. And be well packed with layers and waterproofs.”Australia walking holidays travel advice
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Australia walking holiday tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
We have selected some of the most useful Australia walking holiday tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
The walk was scenic and in many instances a little remote. The trail takes you along parts of the coast which you would never see from a car. ![]()
– Alan and Sue Sherbrooke
“The accommodations and food exceeded expectations. The holiday provider selected very pleasant places to stay on the walk and the proprietors were all friendly and helpful without being intrusive. Our rooms were clean, comfortable and occasionally quite spacious. The food was tasty, fresh, healthy and abundant. It was a wonderful trip – even in weather which was ‘a bit wild’.
The walk was scenic and in many instances a little remote. The trail takes you along parts of the coast which you would never see from a car. The trail was not at all crowded and while it would be possible to backpack it, we found it much nicer to sleep in real beds, eat real food and meet interesting and wonderful Australians like our hosts and drivers.” – Alan and Sue Sherbrooke on a self guided walk along the Great Ocean Road
The walk was scenic and in many instances a little remote. The trail takes you along parts of the coast which you would never see from a car. The trail was not at all crowded and while it would be possible to backpack it, we found it much nicer to sleep in real beds, eat real food and meet interesting and wonderful Australians like our hosts and drivers.” – Alan and Sue Sherbrooke on a self guided walk along the Great Ocean Road
More about Australia walking
Our Australia walking holidays travel guide explains what these trips entail, as well as the benefits of self guided and small group tours into the Outback – and beyond. Find out the best time to go walking in Australia, and when not to, as well as our recommendations for staying safe and being prepared.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Steve Bruce] [Koala: David Clode]
[Bibbulum Track: NomadicPics]
[Great Alpine Walk: Andrea Schaffer]
[Great Ocean Walk: Public domain]
[Mornington Peninsula: Kgbo]
[Larapinta Trail: Boticario]
[Tasmania: The 3B's]
[Victoria in the snow: Jimmy Harris]
[Great Ocean Road, Peterborough: Cody Board]
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