8 unexpected getaways that take the path less travelled in Australia

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Whether hiking off-piste in a ski region out of season or venturing to far-flung islands, travelling off the beaten track can reveal the very best of our country.

1. Snowies Alpine Walk, NSW

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

The Snowies Alpine Walk, which launched in December 2024, is a major new hike that weaves together existing and pre-existing trails into a spectacular four-day, 56-kilometre loop around the alpine roof of Australia. This hike encourages visitors to linger beyond the winter months and reveals the striking landscapes that lie beneath the snow. Think meadows of alpine wildflowers, yawning valleys, and rivers steeped in mythos, like the Snowy River that played muse to bush poet Banjo Paterson.

walking through a forest of snow gums, Snowy Mountains
The hike guides walkers through a forest of snow gums. (Image: Elizabeth Whitehead)

2. Heyscape tiny cabins, WA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

There’s something intoxicating about being holed up in a tiny cabin nestled in the wilderness. Heyscape has 25 cosy but premium off-grid cabins across Western Australia with locations that include: a winery in the coastal region of Yallingup; a property where horses and sheep freely roam in Serpentine; and a regenerated cattle farm near Denmark, a region where towering karri trees meet rugged coast. The brief is to slow down and unwind, with WA’s natural beauty the only distraction.

Yallingup interior
Unwind in a tiny cabin in WA’s wilderness. (Image: Chriss Web)

3. Rumi on Louth, SA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

the private retreat exterior of Rumi on Louth
Rumi on Louth is a private retreat set off the coast of the Eyre Peninsula. (Image: Robert Lang Photography)

A once untamed 19th-century sheep station has been rewilded to become South Australia’s first-ever private island accommodation, set off the coast of the Eyre Peninsula. Rumi on Louth features king rooms, one-bedroom suites and a private retreat that sleeps 10, all with views of the vast ocean beyond. Experiences include kayak fishing, beach picnics, e-bike hire and stargazing. Hire the entire island for exclusive use for up to 22 of your equally intrepid mates. Currently in phase one of opening, named Rumi Reveal, phase two is set to be unveiled late 2025 and will see the addition of 26 earth-sheltered villas complete with organic gardens, chicken coops and a wellness spa with onsen-style hot baths – all operating entirely off-grid and expanding upon the island’s existing sustainable ethos. For more off-grid escapes on the Eyre Peninsula, see family-run business EYRE.WAY, which has just launched Bandari , its third luxe tiny home in the region.

an aerial view of Bandari, EYRE.WAY
Bandari is EYRE.WAY’s third luxe tiny home in SA.

4. The Overland Track, Tasmania

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

The Overland Track is known the world over for being a spectacular but challenging alpine walk in Tasmania’s remote wilderness. Tasmanian Walking Co. operates a seven-day Cradle Mountain Signature Walk through the World Heritage-listed area to Lake St Clair, Australia’s deepest natural lake. The 65-kilometre-long trail takes in craggy summits, temperate rainforest, waterfalls and glacially carved lakes. Retreat to private huts each evening to indulge in gourmet meals and local wines, recharging for the next day’s adventure.

scenic views of the Trek Cradle Mountain
Trek Cradle Mountain. (Image: Tourism Tasmania)

5. An eco lodge stay in Capertee Valley, NSW

Travelling with: Katie Carlin

Sunvale is a remote bush escape that blends glamping with luxurious lodge amenities to deliver the ideal group getaway accommodation. The four-bedroom eco lodge is part of Turon Gates Mountain Retreat , a 2428-hectare property that offers camping, glamping and cottage stays in NSW’s Capertee Valley. Rooms branch out from the communal living area with a long galley kitchen and 10-seater table at its heart. A striking glass fireplace is positioned in front of bifold doors that open onto the multi-level deck to reveal stunning mountain views – best observed from the woodfired hot tub with a glass of wine in hand as the sun sets.

the four-bedroom eco lodge at Turon Gates Mountain Retreat
The four-bedroom eco lodge is part of Turon Gates Mountain Retreat. (Image: GM Hotographics)

6. Tiwi Islands, NT

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

A visit to ‘The Island of Smiles’, 80 kilometres north of Darwin, offers insights into the proud Tiwi people who make up 90 per cent of the population and have a distinct language and culture. The islands have long attracted fishermen (for barramundi) and art collectors (there are five Tiwi-owned art centres). Travel by ferry or small plane for a day trip, or stay to watch the sunset from Tiwi Island Retreat , which has luxury tents and rooms with ocean views.

an aerial view of the Tiwi Islands Retreat
Venture to the Tiwi Islands. (Image: Tourism Australia/Shaana McNaught)

7. The Tarkine, Tasmania

Travelling with: Taylah Darnell

There’s no place quite like Gardiner Point to make you feel like you’re the last person on Earth. Known as the Edge of the World, this windswept lookout in Tasmania’s wild north-west marks the tip of the Tarkine – a region that embodies natural beauty as much as it does complete isolation. Join a guided tour with Tall Timbers to explore its craggy coastline, ancient rainforests and buttongrass plains, all backdropped by the bitter-cold Bass Strait. Bookend your trip with a stay in Stanley. The tiny fishing village is full of surprises, like an ancient volcanic plug known as The Nut and Hursey Seafoods, winner of the 2024 National Seafood Industry Restaurant Award.

the Nut, Tasmania
The Nut is a volcanic plug that rises 152 metres from the sea. (Image: Mattea Carson)

8. Island-hopping in WA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

Rugged Christmas Island is often referred to as ‘the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean’. Lying 1500 kilometres off the coast of Western Australia, the island is best known for its annual red crab migration. But it is also on the radar for nature-lovers drawn to its rich biodiversity, tropical rainforests, protected wetlands and diverse wildlife. A short flight away, the Cocos Keeling Islands are made up of 27 atolls with white-sand beaches fringed by palm trees, and coral reefs teeming with marine life. Visit the far-flung islands for an adventurous tropical escape that you won’t need to share with the masses. See also adventure tours and fishing charters in the Mackerel Islands, off the coast of the Pilbara, and Abrolhos Islands, 60 kilometres west of Geraldton.

the Cocos Keeling Islands
Explore the marine life beneath the surface of Cocos Keeling Islands.
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3 wild corners of Australia that let you reconnect with nature (in comfort)

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    The country’s rawest places offer some of its most transformative, restorative experiences.

    Australia offers sublime opportunities to disappear into the ancient, untouched wilderness, worlds away from modern stress. Wild Bush Luxury offers a collection of experiences that are a portal into the continent’s wildest, most undiscovered landscapes, from wide floodplains to vast savannas, where the only distractions are birdsong, frog calls, curious wallabies and the daily drama of sunset. With a focus on conservation and Indigenous knowledge, these all-inclusive experiences allow guests to slow down and quiet their minds for intimate encounters with the natural world.

    1. Bamurru Plains

    safari tent at Bamurru Plains wild bush luxury
    Let nature take front row.

    In the remote Top End, just outside Kakadu National Park on the fringes of the spectacular Mary River floodplains, you’ll find Bamurru Plains , a peerless Australian safari camp. After a quick air transfer from Darwin to the camp’s private airstrip, you’ll be whisked away via 4WD to a vivid natural wonderland of shimmering floodplains, red earth, herds of peacefully grazing water buffalo and 236 bird species (Bamurru means magpie goose to the Gagadju people).

    Accommodations consist of 10 mesh-walled bungalows and two luxe stilted retreats where guests enjoy panoramic, up-close views that invite them into their rightful place in the landscape (and binoculars to see it even better). Being an off-grid experience designed to help guests disconnect, the only distractions are birdsongs, frog calls, curious wallabies, the occasional crocodile sighting and the daily drama of the spectacular golden sunset.

    It’s a place where nature’s vastness rises to the level of the spiritual, and Bamurru’s understated, stylish,  largely solar-powered lodgings are designed to minimise human impact and let nature take front row.  Guests relax in comfort with plush linens, an open bar, communal tables that allow for spontaneous connections and curated dining experiences from the in-house chef using local ingredients and bush-inspired cooking methods.

    Bamurru Plains airboat tour
    Zoom across the floodplains. (Image: Adam Gibson)

    It’s a restorative backdrop for days spent zooming across the mist-covered floodplains in an airboat, birding with expert guides, taking an open-sided safari drive or river cruise through croc country. Spend time at the Hide, a treehouse-like platform that’s perfect for wildlife spotting.

    In fact, nature is so powerful here that Bamurru Plains closes entirely during the peak monsoon season (October to April), when the floodplains reclaim the land and life teems unseen beneath the water. Yet Wild Bush Luxury’s ethos continues year-round through its other experiences around Australia – each designed to immerse travellers in a distinct Australian wilderness at its most alive and untouched.

    2. Maria Island Walk

    woman on a headland of Maria Island Walk
    Maria Island Walk offers sweeping coastal scenes.

    Off Tasmania’s rugged east coast, the iconic Maria Island Walk is an intimate four-day journey through one of the country’s most hauntingly beautiful and unpopulated national parks, encompassing pristine beaches, convict-era ruins, and wildlife sightings galore. Accessible only by a small ferry, Maria Island feels like a place reclaimed by nature, which is exactly what it is: a penal settlement later used for farms and industry that finally became a national park in 1972.

    These days, the island is known as ‘Tasmania’s Noah’s Ark’ and its only human inhabitants are park rangers. It’s a place where wombats amble through grassy meadows, wallabies graze beside empty beaches, dolphins splash in clear water just offshore and Tasmanian devils – successfully reintroduced in 2012 after near-extinction on the mainland – roam free and healthy.

    Each day unfolds in an unhurried rhythm: trails through coastal eucalyptus forests or along white-sand bays, plateaus with sweeping ocean views, quiet coves perfect for swimming. Midway through the journey, you’ll explore Darlington, a remarkably preserved 19th-century convict settlement whose ruins tell stories of human ambition at the edge of the known world.

    At night, sleep beneath a canopy of stars in eco-wilderness camps – after relaxing with Tasmanian wine and locally-sourced meals, and swapping stories with your fellow trekkers by candlelight.

    3. Arkaba

    two people standing next to a 4wd in Arkaba
    Explore Arkaba on foot or on four wheels.

    For a bush immersion with more of an outback flavour, Arkaba offers a completely different type of experience. A former sheep station and historic homestead in South Australia’s striking Flinders Ranges that has been reimagined as a 63,000-acre private wildlife conservancy. It’s now patrolled mainly by kangaroos and emus.

    Small-scale tourism (the homestead has just five ensuite guestrooms) helps support rewilding projects, and guests become an essential part of the conservation journey. Days begin with sunrise hikes through ancient sandstone ridges or guided drives into the ranges to spot yellow-footed rock-wallabies. And end with sundowners on a private ridgetop watching the Elder Range glow vibrant shades of gold, crimson and violet as the air cools and time stands still.

    Here, you can join conservation activities like tracking native species or learning about Arkaba’s pioneering feral-animal eradication projects, then unwind with chef-prepared dinners served alfresco on the veranda of the homestead, which is both rustic and refined. The highlight? Following Arkaba Walk, a thriving outback wilderness where emus wander and fields of wildflowers grow.

    It’s an unforgettable immersion in Australia’s vast inland beauty, a place where the land’s deep and complicated history – and astounding resilience – leave their quiet imprint long after you return home. In a world where genuine awe is rare, Wild Bush Luxury offers a return to what matters most in the untamed beauty of Australia’s wilderness.

    Disconnect from the grind and reconnect with nature when you book with at wildbushluxury.com