10 of Australia’s most unforgettable walks and hikes

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These memorable walks and hikes offer stunning vistas, pristine beaches, and adorable wildlife.

From alpine peaks to red desert and rainforest, the walks and hikes here are a testament to the diversity of landscape in Australia. If you even manage to do half of what’s on this top 10, you can say that you’ve seen some of the most remote, spectacular and wild places on the planet, and some of this country’s pristine World Heritage areas.

 1. Bridle Gap hike, Wilpena Pound, South Australia

While there are many walks you can do in and around the geological wonder that is Wilpena Pound , this one takes you right across its floor from the top of one side to the other. Part of the famous 1200-kilometre Heysen Trail, it’s a six-hour return hike across 19 kilometres. The floor of the Pound is a bird-lover’s dream with a variety of raptors and parrots, wrens and robins making their home among the native pines, eucalyptus and heath.

Bridle Gap Hike
The magnificent Wilpena Pound. (Image: Emile Ristevski)

Walk highlight: The view of the mountain-ringed natural amphitheatre from Bridal Gap.
Distance: 19 kilometres
Level: Grade 3 (moderate)

 2. Grand Canyon Track, Blue Mountains, New South Wales

The Blue Mountains National Park is an arresting wonderland of verdant forest surrounded by giant sandstone buttresses. A six-kilometre loop that leaves from near the quaint village of Blackheath at Evans Lookout, the Grand Canyon Track affords mind-blowing views of Grose Valley. The trail takes you along the clifftops of the Blue Mountains dropping down into sub-tropical forest, beautiful Beauchamp Falls and fern-filled prehistoric gullies. The Grand Canyon itself is a 180-metre deep cut through the sandstone and makes for a dramatic ascent out of it to complete this short four-hour, yet epic, journey.

Grand Canyon Walk
Walk along the clifftops of the Blue Mountains. (Image: Destination NSW)

Walk highlight: Regular breaks in the bush along the top of the valley offer views of lush, forest-filled Grose Valley making it easy to see why this is a World Heritage Area.
Distance: 6.3 kilometres
Level: Grade 3 (moderate)

3. K’gari Great Walk, Queensland

The world’s largest sand island should be something of a pilgrimage for Australians. K’gari is a paradise of white beaches and over 100 freshwater lakes including the spectacular Lake McKenzie, mangroves and rainforest-lined creeks, all of which have given it World Heritage status. The six- to eight-day, 90-kilometre Great Walk takes in the best of the island, from the towering forest known as the Valley of the Giants to the famous swimming hole that is Lake Wabby.

K'gari Great Walk
The walk will navigate you through K’gari’s best natural features. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Walk highlight: Keep an eye out for dingoes, one of the best places to spot this iconic animal.
Distance: 75 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

4. Larapinta Trail, Northern Territory

This route is fast becoming the must-do walk in the country, taking you into the remote desert from Alice Springs to Mt Sonder. You’ll stride out across vast flood plains, along the dramatic ridges of the West MacDonnell Ranges and through spectacular canyons. Walk the whole 223 kilometres of the Larapinta, which takes 15 to 16 days, or simply do a day section, like the Mount Sonder Return or Counts Point Return. Along the way, you’ll admire rare desert flora and spot black-footed rock wallabies.

Larapinta Trail
The iconic red cliffs of Simpsons Gap. (Image: Tourism NT/Tourism Australia)

Walk highlight: Simpsons Gap is a dramatic red-rock passage sheltering a welcome waterhole.
Distance: 75 kilometres
Level: Grade 5 (difficult)

5. Mount Bogong Ascent, Victorian Alps, Victoria

To witness perhaps Australia’s most unlikely landscape, that of its alpine wilderness, you have to get up into the mountains. Now you can walk the entire length of the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track to achieve this, or you can cheat and do a fairly arduous one-day walk that takes you up into the high plains and the summit of Mt Bogong (‘Big-fella’, in Aboriginal tongue), Victoria’s highest at 1986 metres. The trail starts at the Mountain Creek picnic area and follows a steep 16-kilometre route known as Staircase Spur. You’ll pass through beautiful peppermint and snow gums before reaching the top of Mt Bogong and some awesome views of the Alpine National Park.

Walk highlight: Since this is a steep climb, you’ll be thankful for the sight of the charming Bivouac Hut, great for a spot of lunch.
Distance: 21.5 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

6. Overland Track, Tasmania

Tasmania’s wilderness is a World Heritage Area, and there’s no better way to see it than on this 65-kilometre, six-day walk. A once-in-a-lifetime trek, in the walking season from October to May you make your way from the base of Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair passing through ancient rainforests, glacial valleys, meadows and a dramatic skyline of peaks. This walk is popular; you’ll need to book in advance to walk in the summer months (advisable!) staying at campsites and huts along the route.

Overland Track
There’s no better way to see the wilderness of Cradle Mountain than by walking the Overland Track. (Image: Jess Bonde)

Walk highlight: The Overland is ripe with side trips; take your time, go off the beaten track and make an ascent of Mt Ossa, Tasmania’s tallest at 1617 metres.
Distance: 65 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

7. Cape to Cape Walk, Margaret River, Western Australia

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the beauty of this iconic region in all its glory, the Cape to Cape Walk is the way to do it. This diverse walk takes you through undulating forests and along the picturesque coastline that features some of Australia’s most pristine beaches. Taking approximately five to seven days to complete, you’ll traverse the full length of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park following the coast from the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse.

Cape to cape walk
Wharton Beach is one of many pristine beaches you’ll visit. (Image: Tourism Western Australia/@travel.withcharlie)

Walk highlight: The afternoon sunlight that streams through the towering Karri trees in Boranup Forest is something to behold.
Distance: 123 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

8. Great Ocean Road Walk, Victoria

The rugged coastline of the Great Ocean Road promises hikers untamed beaches, shipwrecks, spectacular ocean views, and an abundance of native flora and fauna. Stretching about 104 kilometres, you can pack a tent and choose to sleep under the stars, or give yourself a bit of luxury and stay at any of the many hotels along the route. If you prefer to join a guided tour, The Tas Walking Co ‘s Twelve Apostles Signature Walk is a fantastic four-day expedition where you will return each evening to their private eco-lodge.

Great Ocean Road Walk
The limestone stacks are a sight to behold. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Walk highlight: Unsurprisingly, the reward at the end is that you’ll get to marvel at the limestone monuments that are the Twelve Apostles.
Distance: 44 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

9. Wilsons Promontory Southern Circuit Walk, Victoria

Also known as the ‘Great Prom Walk’, the Wilsons Promontory Southern Circuit Walk in the idyllic Wilsons Promontory National Park is considered one of  Australia’s most spectacular coast walks. The three to five-day hike ticks all the boxes with picturesque beaches, temperate rainforests, and wildlife spotting opportunities (emus, kangaroos, wombats). The beaches you will visit during this trail are as pristine as they come.

Wilsons Promontory National Park
The southernmost national park on mainland Australia. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Walk highlight: The boulder-strewn beaches and turquoise waters of Sealers Cove and Waterloo Bay.
Distance: 35.5 to 52.8 kilometres depending on which route you take
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

10. Snowies Alpine Walk, New South Wales

It might be mainland Australia’s tallest mountain, but Mount Kosciuszko is very achievable to summit. Later this year, the 55-kilometre Snowies Alpine Walk will open so you can extend your time hiking the breathtaking alpine landscape. Along the way, you’ll see the iconic Snowy River, historic settler huts, alpine vistas, weathered snow gums and wildflowers. The trail can be walked over four days, with a range of accommodation options available throughout.

Snowies Alpine Walk
The walk connects Guthega to Charlotte Pass. (Image: B Ferguson/DCCEEW)

Walk highlight: The marvellous views from Hanson’s Peak and Marion’s lookout.
Distance: 55 kilometres
Level: Grade 4 (moderate)

Check out more spectacular walks and hikes in Australia.

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The Macedon Ranges is Victoria’s best-kept food and wine secret

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery
Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor.
The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate
Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery
The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford
Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery
The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling
Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges
Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges
A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage
Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine
Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree
Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)