Australia is a hiker’s paradise, and it’s still one of the country’s best-kept secrets. While most visitors head straight to the beach or the reef, the hiking here is world-class — ancient gorges, alpine meadows, coastal clifftops, tropical rainforest, and red desert country that makes you feel like you’re on another planet. The range of terrain is extraordinary and the trails are generally excellent.
I’ve hiked across most of Australia’s states and territories, and the consistency of the scenery still surprises me. A half-day walk in the Blue Mountains delivers views that rival anything in the Swiss Alps. The Larapinta Trail through the West MacDonnell Ranges is one of the great long-distance walks of the world. Tasmania’s Overland Track is every serious hiker’s bucket list item. And some of the most extraordinary hikes are in national parks that get a fraction of the visitors they deserve.
This guide covers the best hiking trails in Australia — both the iconic multi-day routes and the exceptional shorter walks that reward the traveller who does a little research before strapping on their boots.
📋 TL;DR – Best hiking trails in Australia
- 🏔️ Overland Track (TAS): Australia’s most famous multi-day walk — 65km through dramatic alpine wilderness in Cradle Mountain NP.
- 🔴 Larapinta Trail (NT): 223km through the ancient Red Centre — gorges, waterholes and extraordinary desert scenery.
- 🌊 Three Capes Track (TAS): Four days of spectacular coastal clifftops on the Tasman Peninsula with comfortable hut accommodation.
- 💙 Blue Mountains (NSW): The Grand Canyon Walk and the Six Foot Track are outstanding day and multi-day options near Sydney.
- 🌿 Bibbulmun Track (WA): 1,000km from Perth to Albany — one of the world’s great long-distance walks.
- 🦘 Grampians (VIC): Outstanding day walks with sweeping views and excellent wildflower displays in spring.
- 🥾 Best season: April–October for most regions; avoid summer in the NT and outback; Tasmania is year-round with variable weather.
🏔️ Overland Track — Tasmania
The Overland Track is Australia’s most celebrated multi-day walk, and it absolutely lives up to its reputation. The 65-kilometre route from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair passes through the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area — a landscape so dramatic and ancient it feels entirely removed from the modern world. Glacier-carved lakes, alpine heathland, buttongrass plains, ancient pencil pines and the brooding presence of Cradle Mountain itself make every day genuinely extraordinary.
The walk takes most hikers six to eight days, with overnight stays in mountain huts along the route (private huts are available; booking is essential in peak season). The track is well-marked and the huts are in good condition, but it’s a genuine wilderness environment — weather can change rapidly and preparation is essential. The summit of Cradle Mountain (a side trip from the main track) on a clear day is one of the finest views in Australia.
🎯 Essential Overland Track planning tips
- Book early. The Overland Track operates a quota system from October to May (peak season), limiting numbers to 34 walkers per day. Bookings open well in advance and fill quickly — popular start dates can be booked out a year ahead.
- Direction matters. The track must be walked north to south (Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair) during the regulated season. This ensures even flow and avoids bottlenecks at the huts.
- Gear up properly. Tasmania’s weather is notoriously changeable — snow is possible in any month. A four-season sleeping bag, waterproof everything, and layered clothing are essential regardless of the season.
- Allow time for side trips. The Overland Track has several outstanding side trips — Mount Ossa (Tasmania’s highest peak), Barn Bluff, and Wombat Pool. Build flexibility into your itinerary to take these.
🔴 Larapinta Trail — Northern Territory
The Larapinta Trail is one of Australia’s greatest long-distance walks — 223 kilometres through the West MacDonnell Ranges, following ancient Aboriginal songlines through a landscape that stretches back 300 million years. The trail passes permanent waterholes (rare and precious in the desert), ancient gorges of quartzite and limestone, and some of the most spectacular red-rock scenery on earth. At night, the skies are among the darkest and most star-filled you’ll ever see.
The trail is divided into 12 sections, which means you can walk just one or two sections as day walks from Alice Springs, or tackle the whole thing over 14–17 days. The best sections for day walkers are Section 4 (Standley Chasm to Birthday Waterhole) and Section 12 (Redbank Gorge to Mount Sonder) — both are stunning. Mount Sonder at sunrise is one of the finest hiking experiences in Australia.
The Larapinta is best walked from April to September, when temperatures are manageable (15–28°C during the day). Summer walking is dangerous — temperatures regularly exceed 45°C. Water is available at designated points along the trail, but walkers need to carry more than they think they’ll need. Guided walks with operators like World Expeditions are excellent if you want logistics handled.
👉 Book a guided Larapinta Trail experience on GetYourGuide →
🌊 Three Capes Track — Tasmania
The Three Capes Track is a four-day, 46-kilometre coastal walk on the Tasman Peninsula that has quickly become one of Australia’s most popular hiking experiences. The scenery is extraordinary — dramatic sea cliffs up to 300 metres high, ancient rock columns, sea caves, and spectacular views across to the Tasman Sea. The track connects three dramatic capes — Cape Raoul, Cape Pillar and Cape Hauy — each with its own character.
What makes the Three Capes Track unusual among Australian multi-day walks is the quality of the hut accommodation. The huts are architecturally designed, with large windows facing the ocean, composting toilets, and cooking facilities. You carry only your personal gear and food — the huts provide mattresses, pillows and cooking equipment. This makes the walk much more accessible than the Overland Track for less experienced hikers.
💙 Blue Mountains — New South Wales
The Blue Mountains, just 90 minutes west of Sydney, is the most accessible major hiking destination in Australia and one of the finest. The mountains are actually a deeply eroded plateau of sandstone, and the scale of the valleys and cliffs is genuinely staggering. The eucalyptus forests that fill the valleys release oils that scatter blue light — giving the mountains their distinctive haze and their name.
The Grand Canyon Walk (named tongue-in-cheek — it’s nothing like the American one) at Blackheath is one of the finest short hikes in New South Wales. The six-kilometre loop descends through a lush creek canyon, past ferns and waterfalls, then climbs back out through heath and open forest. The National Pass and Empress Falls Walk at Wentworth Falls is also outstanding — following a narrow ledge cut into the cliff face above a series of waterfalls.
🗺️ Best Blue Mountains walks by difficulty
- Echo Point and the Three Sisters (easy). The most visited viewpoint in the Blue Mountains, with dramatic views over the Jamison Valley and the Three Sisters rock formation. Crowds can be significant at weekends — go early or stay late for the best experience.
- Grand Canyon Walk (moderate). A 6km loop from Evans Lookout at Blackheath descending into a lush rainforest canyon. The canyon section is beautiful — mossy walls, clear streams and tree ferns — and the climb back out passes through heath with excellent wildflowers in spring.
- Six Foot Track (challenging, multi-day). This 45km route from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves was built in 1884 as a horse trail and is now one of the finest multi-day walks in New South Wales. The Megalong Valley section is beautiful and the arrival at Jenolan Caves is a superb reward.
- Mount Banks (challenging, day walk). A less-visited gem in the Blue Mountains, the Mount Banks summit provides views that match or exceed anything from the more touristy lookouts, with far fewer people. The walk passes through heath and open forest with excellent wildflower displays.
🌿 Bibbulmun Track — Western Australia
The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s great long-distance walking trails — 1,000 kilometres from Perth (or more precisely, Kalamunda on Perth’s eastern edge) south to Albany on the coast of the Southern Ocean. The track passes through the karri and jarrah forests of the southwest, wildflower heathlands, coastal scrub and the remarkable granite formations of the south coast. The diversity of scenery is extraordinary.
The track is dotted with three-sided timber shelters (wambas) at regular intervals, complete with tank water and composting toilets. End-to-end walkers typically take eight to ten weeks. Day walkers and section walkers can access outstanding shorter stretches from towns along the route — the section through the Valley of the Giants near Walpole and the southern coastal sections near Denmark are particularly fine.
🦘 The Grampians — Victoria
The Grampians (Gariwerd in the Djab wurrung and Jardwadjali languages) is a series of sandstone ranges rising from the flat western plains of Victoria, about three hours west of Melbourne. The hiking here is excellent — well-marked trails, spectacular viewpoints and a density of Aboriginal rock art sites that makes the cultural experience as rich as the natural one.
The Pinnacle Walk at Halls Gap is the most popular — a 10km return walk to a viewpoint above the town with sweeping views across the Fyans Valley. The Wonderland Loop is a longer, more varied circuit that takes in several dramatic rock formations. The Boroka Lookout, accessible by car, gives extraordinary views with very little effort and is worth combining with the Pinnacle Walk.
Spring (September–November) is the best time to visit the Grampians — the wildflower displays here are among the best in Victoria, with hakeas, banksias, grevilleas and wattles in bloom across the heath. Wildlife is also abundant — kangaroos everywhere, emus striding through the campsite, and koalas visible in the large manna gums around Halls Gap.
🥾 Karijini National Park — Western Australia
Karijini is the most dramatic hiking destination in Western Australia and one of the most extraordinary in Australia. The park protects a series of deep, narrow gorges carved through 2.5 billion-year-old banded iron rock in the Pilbara region — ancient on a scale that makes the mind genuinely struggle to comprehend it. The gorges have names like Dales Gorge, Weano Gorge and Hancock Gorge, and each one has a distinct character.
The hiking at Karijini ranges from easy walks to the rim of the gorges (suitable for all ages) to Grade 5 adventures that require swimming, scrambling and chimneying through chest-deep water in narrow slot canyons. The natural pools at the bottom of these gorges — crystal clear, jade-green, surrounded by towering red walls — are among the most beautiful swimming spots in Australia. Getting to them is an experience in itself.
👉 Book a Karijini gorge tour on GetYourGuide →
Australia’s hiking trails are as varied as its landscapes — from easy coastal strolls to serious multi-week expeditions through wilderness that almost no-one has seen. Whatever your fitness level and experience, there’s a trail here that will challenge you, reward you and probably make you want to come back and do more. Lace up, pack water, and get out there.
