Road trips are great, but stretching your legs along shorter stretches of coastline is a fantastic way to really immerse yourself in the surroundings. Whether it’s a DIY half-day hike along the Spit to Manly walk in Sydney (you’ll forget you’re in the middle of our biggest city); a weekend overnighter like the Coast Track in NSW’s Royal National Park; a mid-length adventure along the Twelve Apostles Walk in Victoria; or a longer, guided trek like the Cape to Cape Track in WA, there’s a walking route to suit every family and fitness level.
The option you choose will depend largely on your budget and family. Luxury operators such as Great Walks of Australia offers top-notch camping accommodation along the way, with meals using local produce, and fine wines, but not all of these tours will be well-suited to young children. You’ll also want to consider how long little legs will hold up for each day (a good guide for under 12s is the same number of kilometres per day as years they are old). Whichever walk you choose, it’s a great way to keep the family active while on holiday, with a real sense of achievement at the end of it all.
Try these
Manly to Spit Bridge, NSW – This 10 kilometre walk is easily done in a morning or afternoon, taking in spectacular views over Sydney Harbour, small coastal coves and vast swathes of bushland. manly.nsw.gov.au
Coast Track (Bundeena to Otford), NSW – It’s a good idea to break this spectacular 26 kilometre coastal hike into sections. You can camp overnight at North Era campground.
Twelve Apostles Walk, Vic – Bothfeet Tours will guide you on this four-day, 56 kilometre section of the Great Ocean Walk, providing much of your walking gear plus meals and even a scenic heli-flight to ensure you see the incredible Twelve Apostles from all angles. Kids 12 and over can join regular tour groups; and they’ll even tailor a private, family-friendly itinerary for younger children. You’ll stay at the Bothfeet Lodge each night, so there’s no lugging heavy packs!
Cape to Cape Track, WA – Cape to Cape Explorer Tours offers a range of guided walks along this 135 kilometre stretch of the WA coast. Choose from a short sunset tour exploring forest and caves; full-day ‘Jewel of the Capes’ tours, or longer seven-night end-to-end tours (for kids 12 and older). You’ll get tasty meals and comfy lodgings along the way.
Traipse Jurassic cliffs and wander secluded beaches on Australia’s most enchanting walks.
Australia’s landscapes are made for hiking. Take the Red Centre, dusted in shifting sands and dotted with miraculous geological formations. Or our rainforests, left behind as the sole souvenir from continents that no longer exist. Down south, mottled night skies hang above crashing seas and unwavering cliffs. It makes sense, then, that hiking holidays are rising in popularity. No wi fi, no traffic. Just you and the path less travelled on the Great Walks of Australia in remote and iconic destinations.
What are the Great Walks of Australia?
If nature is your happy place, you’ve likely heard of the Great Walks of Australia, part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences program since 2013 – a curated collection of 15 all-inclusive, eco-luxury journeys showcasing the country’s most spectacular landscapes with expert guides and incredible meals. GWOA launching in 2013 as
From exploring the peaks of a World Heritage listed island, to journeying through the heart of Australia, and the gentle pull of the majestic Murray – there’s a walking holiday to suit walkers of all experience levels (and interests).
Joining a Great Walks of Australia hike means the pressure is off with all meals, guides and eco-luxury accommodation included.
Where can you hike?
1. Scenic Rim Trail, Queensland
Enjoy incredible food along the way.
Around 23 million years ago, volcanoes spewed magma across Queensland’s Scenic Rim . Now, what’s left of the fiery landscape takes the form of the UNESCO-listed Gondwana rainforest.
The Scenic Rim Trail is a four-day guided hike that takes you through the ancient rainforest. You’ll venture out into breathtaking viewpoints across the Main Range National Park. Enjoy a packed lunch, listen out for the duplicitous calls of the lyrebird and enjoy the silence.
You’ll spend your nights in boutique eco-cabins and incredible hospitality.
2. Murray River Walk, South Australia
Walk through vibrant wildflower fields.
Murray River Walk pairs easy hiking with blissful evenings cruising the Murray River. Over four days and nights, you’ll follow kangaroo trails through red dirt dusted with vivid patches of wildflowers.
Each day ends on a solar-powered, custom-built houseboat. Watch towering, red sandstone cliffs float by from the top deck spa. Then, it’s three-course meals sourced from local produce and served alongside the region’s best wines.
The entire region you’ll be traversing is within the Riverland Ramsar site. Watch as spoonbills forage for food in the tranquil wetlands, emus parade through the wildflowers, and regent parrots flit above.
3. Maria Island Walk, Tasmania
Spot adorable locals.
Your Maria Island walk begins with a private boat transfer to an untouched, white sand beach. Barefoot in the sand, you’ll quickly realise – aside from your guide and group – you’re completely alone. Spot countless wombats and hear the distant calls of Tasmanian Devils as you spend four days leisurely traversing the island.
Explore the incredible Lord Howe Island. (Image: Luke Hanson)
Lord Howe Island feels like another world. With its patchwork blue coral lagoons and magma-honed peaks, it’s easy to forget you’re in New South Wales.
This walk has the highest level of elevation in the Great Walks of Australia’s collection. It’s because of this that you’ll witness nature like never before. UNESCO-listed volcanic peaks and coral reefs that grew out of solidified lava will become your daily norm.
Along the way, step onto beaches that lie undisturbed for weeks at a time. Then, snorkel the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean.
This five-day, fully guided, premium hiking experience inside Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was developed in partnership with Aṉangu Traditional Owners. Begin your walk dwarfed by the shade of Kata Tjuṯa’s towering dome formations. Following remote desert trails through the red sands, crest dunes and traverse mulga woodlands as you draw closer to the monolithic walls of Uluṟu.
Each night, dine under the lamp light of the Milky Way in the warm desert air and sleep in new flagship, environmentally sensitive private camps and lodge. This is the first time that travellers have ever been allowed to spend the night inside the national park.
6. The Twelve Apostles Signature Walk, Victoria
See the Twelve Apostles in a new way. (Image: Ken Luke)
The Great Ocean Road’s rugged splendour is best experienced on this signature four-day, 44-kilometre guided walk . You’ll follow the rugged limestone stacks of the shipwreck coastline: wild, crashing waves, curious wildlife, and two national parks.
Finish each day at your luxurious lodge, where you’ll sit with your feet soaking and a glass of wine in hand. You’ll have a single lodge to call home on this walk, meaning you’ll only need to set out with a day pack.
7. Three Capes Signature Walk, Tasmania
Walk along the edge of the world. (Image: Luke Tscharke)
On Tasmania’s Three Capes Signature Walk , you’ll feel like you’re walking along the edge of the world. From your boat landing on a remote beach, climb slowly upward for spectacular views and wildlife encounters with pods of dolphins, fur seals and echidnas. Spend days walking Jurassic dolerite cliffs with the wild Southern Ocean as your only constant.
Stay in architecturally designed eco-lodges nestled at the very edge of the world. Think floor-to-ceiling windows, a plunge pool and even an on-site spa to tend to ailments from the hike.
