Australia’s most popular hikes right now

AllTrails names the hottest hikes to have on your radar.

It’s no secret Aussies like to hike. But according to AllTrails, we’re the third most active country in the world! We’ve previously covered the most popular hikes in Australia, but here, we’re breaking down the top five hikes to have on your radar for the year ahead. AllTrails has crunched the data to reveal Australia’s trending hikes for 2025 – read on for the results.

1. Grand Cliff Top Walk (Blue Mountains, New South Wales)

Length: 19 kilometres

The Blue Mountains is a World Heritage Site and an ever-popular hiking destination. So it makes sense that 2025’s most trending track is the region’s newest blockbuster hike. The Grand Cliff Top Walk opened in 2024 as a scenic 19-kilometre, two-day walking spectacular that takes in waterfalls, wilderness and the best vistas in the Blue Mountains. We’ve broken down everything you need to know about the Grand Cliff Top Walk here.

the Grand Cliff Top Walk, Blue Mountains — You’ll see magnificent views of the historic Grand Stairway and more around every bend on the Grand Cliff Top Walk. (Image: Lauren De Sousa)

2. Sherbrooke Forest Circuit (Melbourne, Victoria)

Length: 11.6 kilometres

With its towering Mountain Ash gums, rushing streams and moss-covered rocks, this hike looks like a true storybook setting. Don’t miss the nearby Sherbrooke Falls Walk, part of a brand-new wellness walk series by Parks Victoria that’s complete with an audio guide accessed via a downloadable app.

Hikers in Victoria's Dandenong Ranges National Park — Sherbrooke Forest Circuit is in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria)

3. Plenty Gorge Loop via Blue Lake (Melbourne, Victoria)

Length: 7.2 kilometres

You’ll likely encounter lots of Lycra on the Plenty Gorge Loop. Cyclists, joggers and hikers all head here to escape the city for their nature fix on this moderate track. The hike takes walkers through a gorge before leading out to the striking Blue Lake, the perfect place to pause and appreciate the peaceful surroundings.

The trail guides hikers to the peaceful shores of Blue Lake (Image: Flickr/woowoowoo)

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

4. Purling Brook Falls (Springbrook, Queensland)

Length: 4 kilometres

Bring your swimmers on this stunning hike in the Gold Coast hinterland. This trail takes hikers through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest to the base of a 100-metre-tall waterfall. Best of all, there’s a swimming hole to cool off in and take in the surroundings.

Purling Brook Falls is a great spot for a dip. (Image: Flickr/Tatters)

5. Mount Lofty Loop (Melbourne, Victoria)

Length: 5 kilometres

Another win for Melbournians – yet another local trail closes out the top five. This short loop immerses hikers in the rolling hills of the Yarra. The area is teeming with wildlife, so chances are you’ll spot plenty of kangaroos and wallabies along the way. Looking for more great hikes near Melbourne? We’ve got you covered.

Wonga Park in Victoria — Melburnians head to the Yarra to soak in the greenery. (Image: Wikimedia commons)

A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination.

There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.

old gold bank Victoria — Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time.

It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.

Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital

Creswick bike trail — This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria.

I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers.

I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.

The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife.

Eating there

Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857.

Playing there

Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.

Australia’s most popular hikes right now – revealed

AllTrails names the hottest hikes to have on your radar.

1. Grand Cliff Top Walk (Blue Mountains, New South Wales)

2. Sherbrooke Forest Circuit (Melbourne, Victoria)

3. Plenty Gorge Loop via Blue Lake (Melbourne, Victoria)

4. Purling Brook Falls (Springbrook, Queensland)

5. Mount Lofty Loop (Melbourne, Victoria)

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