Australia
Australia

Victoria’s Great Ocean Walk

With good reason, the Great Ocean Road is hailed as one of the world’s most exquisite coastal routes. However, the breathtaking south-west Victoria coastline is not adequately captured by a car window. You must get in if you want the full surround-sound, all-sensory-activating experience.

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From the beach resort of Apollo Bay to the ocean-bound limestone stacks of the 12 Apostles, the Great Ocean Walk follows a 110-kilometer path along this breathtaking coastline.

A kaleidoscope of ocean blues, the amazing shapes of the crumbling limestone coastline, and the remaining patches of Gondwanaland rainforest are just a few of its many attractions. In addition, there is a lot of wildlife, particularly koalas. Never fail to look up.

In order to cover the entire distance, you should budget eight days. With a little preparation, like reserving campsites in advance (for less than AUD$20 per night), it’s relatively easy to do it yourself, though several operators offer guided walks along portions of the track. You can also try day hikes with shorter distances. Via cliffs, dunes, and, if you’re feeling adventurous, a quick detour to Rainbow Falls, the Cape Otway to Aire River stretch meanders through the national park.

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The final stretch from small Princetown, in the stunning Gellibrand River Valley, to the Twelve Apostles is my favorite short walk. It’s worth every step of the roughly four-hour journey back. From the beach, where its mysterious stone shapes astonish you, the well-known landmark appears even more magnificent. When Princetown’s emerald hills come alive with kangaroos, plan your return for the late afternoon.

Tasmania’s Three Capes Track

This setting is dark, beautiful, and desolate—anyone who has watched Game of Thrones will recognize it. Reminiscent of Pyke, the Iron Islands’ forbidden capital, the 1,000-foot cliffs are the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere and rise above an unfriendly ocean.

With its 2015 opening, this is arguably Australia’s most cinematic big walk and one of the newest, so the comparison is appropriate. Often accompanied by sightings of whales, dolphins, and the occasional lone albatross, the 48-kilometer track winds through moorland, rainforest, and those towering cliffs.

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Cape Pillar along the Three Capes Trail. Image credit: Getty Images/Blue Planet Studio
Cape Pillar along the Three Capes Trail. Image credit: Getty Images/Blue Planet Studio

Although most people walk alone, it is possible to do so privately while lodging in upscale lodges. For AUD$495 per person, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service has designed a self-guided walk that includes shared cabins for overnight stays and cooking facilities for up to 36 walkers. In order to prevent crowding on the remote trail, departures are carefully spaced out.

All you have to do is pack enough food and water, as well as the right equipment for the mercury climate, which can quickly shift from intense heat to torrential rain.

Perched atop Cape Pillar’s angular dolerite columns, it can sometimes feel as though you are about to pass away. Nothing really stands between you and Antarctica, and the Three Capes Track is known for its blissful seclusion. The feeling of accomplishment and amazement endures forever, and any minor annoyances brought on by the weather are quickly forgotten.

South Australia’s Heysen Track

Named for the artist Hans Heysen, who captured his landscapes on canvas, the 746-mile (1,200-kilometer) Heysen Trail is a strenuous hike along South Australia’s spine that demands careful preparation but yields remarkable rewards.

From Cape Jervis to the northern trackhead at Parachilna Gorge, the entire walk could take up to 60 days. The Flinders Ranges, a mystical location of ancient ridges and beehive-shaped hills revered by the Adnyamathanha people, is, in my opinion, the walk’s high point. Heysen described the land as having “dry, brittle colors and a hard blue sky.”

A four-day section of the track travels south through the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park for more than 60km to reach the town of Hawker, starting at Wilpena Pound, a naturally occurring amphitheater that is magnificently wrought in stone.

A kangaroo grazes near Wilpena Pound. Image credit: Getty Images/John White Photos
A kangaroo grazes near Wilpena Pound. Image credit: Getty Images/John White Photos

Along winding rivers, the diverse route—accompanied by cicadas and bird sounds—passes isolated sheep stations, oxpecker bush forests, fanciful rock formations, and native pines and red gums. Emus and kangaroos are always present, but you should also look for bearded dragons, echidnas, and, if you’re lucky, the endangered yellow-footed rock wallabies.

Easy camping excursions every day. Due to its remote location, this hike is more difficult than others because you will need to bring all of your equipment, including food, tent, and swag.

During the summer bushfire season, a large portion of the trail is closed. Mid-autumn or mid-spring is a good time to visit because of the mild to warm daytime temperatures and the possibility of cold nights. The bus from Adelaide only goes as far as Hawker, but transfers can be made from there, so it’s best to have your own wheels. For all the necessary details, including comprehensive maps that you can download to your Google Maps or GPS, visit the trail’s website.

Western Australia’s Cape to Cape Track

With bonus whale sightings in the winter and unspoiled beauty throughout the year, this 135-kilometer coastal path between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin is like walking on the edge of the world. Imagine headlands and granite capes, limestone cliffs and maze-like caverns, and lazy stretches of uninhabited beaches.

Though there is a fee for these views, the track provides views of the Indian Ocean from all directions, including headlands, sun-kissed beaches, and through forests and scrubland. In addition to appropriate sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc.), a first aid kit, food, and camping supplies, hikers should pack a lot of water (at least two quarts or liters per person on day hikes; double that for overnight hikes).

View of the headlands along the Cape to Cape Walk. Photo credit: Getty Images/lleerogers
View of the headlands along the Cape to Cape Walk. Photo credit: Getty Images/lleerogers

The route has four campsites that are well separated from one another. Private operators provide guests with more upscale lodging and frequently shuttle services to and from the track.

Depending on your level of fitness, the entire slog may take a week or longer to finish. There are grade four sections for seasoned hikers, but easier sections, like the 11-mile (18-kilometer) stretch from Yallingup to Moses Rock via enticing swimming beaches (beware of surfers at Injidup), can be tackled by those who are less resilient.

There are always creature comforts nearby as the trail winds from the northern tip of the Margaret River wine region to the southern tip.

Northern Territory’s Larapinta Trail

The Larapinta Trail begins at the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station, a quiet and historic location that establishes the mood for this 223-kilometer, 14-day journey through Central Australia. A venerable mountain range that was once as high as the Himalayas but has since eroded to human-scale peaks, the West MacDonnell Ranges are the route’s path.

An optional final summit of 4,524-foot (1,379-m) Mount Sonder, the perfect backdrop for sunrise, is reached after a significant portion of the journey passes through backcountry rivers and streams and low mountains.

The 12 sections of Larapinta range in length from a 9-kilometer walk through the Ormiston Gorge’s undulating quartzite cliffs to a 31-kilometer walk through the picturesque but isolated Hugh Gorge, an oasis encircled by red rock.

A hiker in Ormiston Gorge, along the Larapinta Trail. Image credit: Getty Images/janetteasche
A hiker in Ormiston Gorge, along the Larapinta Trail. Image credit: Getty Images/janetteasche

Hiking is most enjoyable from April to August (Australia’s autumn and winter months), when the weather is pleasant and sunny. Each section begins with a trail that offers basic amenities like water and restrooms as well as some shelter. The Larapinta Trail support staff can store food for you along the track, rent equipment, and arrange vehicle transfers, so it’s best to hire them rather than trying to go it alone (complete madness).

Aside from camping costs, the walk was free before this writing, but starting in March 2022, the NT Parks and Wildlife Commission intends to charge walking fees.

Too upscale for a hike? World Expeditions, which started the first guided treks here in 1995, provides shortened six-day tours that include specially constructed campsites and all the necessary arrangements.

Queensland’s K’Gari/Fraser Island Great Walk

K’Gari, which means paradise in the language of the island’s Butchulla guardians, is a fitting new name for Fraser Island, which was formally renamed in 2017. The largest sand island in the world, this 120km paradise in southern Queensland offers much more than just stunning beaches (all 250km of them).

Giant dunes that reach heights of 787 feet (240 meters), a profusion of lakes, subtropical rainforests, and breathtaking spring and summer wildflower displays are all part of K’Gari’s distinctive ecosystem.

The Great Walk is an eight-day, grade four trek that traces the original Butchulla paths, old logging roads, and tram lines over 56 miles (90 km) of primarily sandy trails. Middens and scar trees are among the many locations that hold special meaning for the Butchulla people.

One of the great pleasures of this hike is that the majority of the trails wind between lakes and bays, allowing you to start and end your days with a dip in the pristine waters. This is by no means a joke, though, because K’Gari is far away and has few facilities.

Because cell phone coverage is spotty, hikers must bring everything they need, including food, camping gear, and a map and compass. Simple National Parks offers campsites for less than AUD$7 per person, per night. Crucially, you must bring all waste with you, including toilet waste. A minor cost for preserving this unspoiled paradise.

Swimmers and sand dunes at Lake Wabby, K'Gari. Image credit: Getty Images/Peter Unger
Swimmers and sand dunes at Lake Wabby, K’Gari. Image credit: Getty Images/Peter Unger

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