- Many bushwalks in the Blue Mountains National Park offer awesome views of valleys, waterfalls, cliffs, and forest. You get to walk beneath dripping tree ferns, underneath pounding cascades, and through areas skirted by wilderness. All are easy to reach from Sydney.
- You can start from Alice Springs and walk the 250km (155-mile) semi-desert Larapinta Trail, which winds through the stark crimson McDonnell Ranges. You don’t have to walk the entire length — plenty of day-length and multiday sections are possible. This one’s for the cooler months only (Apr–Oct).
- Whether a wetlands stroll or an overnight hike in virgin bushland, you can find it in the World Heritage–listed Kakadu National Park. You’ll see red cliffs, cycads, waterfalls, lagoons hiding man-eating crocodiles, what sometimes looks like Australia’s entire bird population, and Aboriginal rock art.
- The 80km (50-mile) Overland Track between Cradle Mountain & Lake St. Clair National Park is arguably the best hike in Australia. The trek, from Cradle Mountain to Lake St. Clair, takes five to ten days, depending on your fitness level. Shorter walks, some lasting just half an hour, are also accessible.
