Australia

Pristine beaches, remote wildernesses, and unique animals give Australia global appeal for outdoorsy travelers. At roughly the size of the Contiguous United States, Mainland Australia covers 7.69 million square kilometers (2.97 million square miles) making it earth’s largest island or smallest continent depending on your perspective. There are 23.5 million Aussies spread out across the land, which is about 13% of the population of the United States. Not to be forgotten is the the island of Tasmania, located 250 kilometers off the south coast of Victoria. Tasmania covers approximately 68,000 square kilometers (26,000 square miles) and is a secluded destination for hiking, camping, and touring.

Highlights of Australia

  • This 2.2-kilometer walk in the rainforest passes the Upper Cascades on the Liffey River to reach one of Tasmania's finest waterfalls.
  • This 8 to 9.5 kilometer hike is packed with coastal views, traveling from Norman Bay and across Norman Point to Little Oberon Bay, a pristine beach with pale sand and clear turquoise water.
  • The short walk on the top of Mount Wellington explores two short boardwalks and a trig station at the summit.
  • This 1.2-kilometer loop explores fantastic boardwalks and a longer trail through eucalyptus woodlands where koalas can be observed in their natural environment.
  • This 1-kilometer walk at the island's west end provides excellent coastal views highlighted by Seal Rocks, Nobbies, and the Nobbies Blowhole.
  • This 0.8-kilometer walk explores a grassy point to two overlooks of Pyramid Rock, a triangle-shaped rock island just off the southern coast of Phillip Island.
  • See Cape Barren geese on this 4-kilometer coastal road that can be walked, driven, or biked.
  • See black swamp wallabies too, on this scenic 4-kilometer-long coastal road.
  • This 8.5-kilometer loop explores beaches and bluffs in a reserve at the southeast end of Cape Woolamai.
  • Be on the lookout for echidnas as you hike around the end of Cape Woolamai.
  • This 1.8 to 2.65-kilometer walk in Mount Field National Park visits one of Tasmania's most famous and beautiful waterfalls.
  • This 12-kilometer loop in Freycinet National Park visits some of Tasmania's most beautiful beaches.

Australia Hiking

Hikespeak.com offers a small sample of the outdoor fun available in Australia with information on hiking tracks, campgrounds and holiday parks in the states of Victoria and Tasmania.

Hikes in Australia

This collection of hiking trails in Tasmania and Victoria, Australia, lists the hikes roughly from west to east and north to south. The table may also be sorted alphabetically or by distance to help you pick your next hike in Australia. A search feature can be used to quickly isolate the hike you are looking for. Each trail links to its own report complete with photos, maps, directions, and all the other information needed to locate and enjoy these hikes. Below the table is an interactive map with the location of each trail.

Trail
Description
Distance
Location
Nobbies Boardwalk750Nobbies Boardwalk on Phillip Island
This short out and back walk on Point Grant provides excellent coastal views highlighted by Seal Rocks, Nobbies, and the Nobbies Blowhole.
1 km
15 meters
-38.517163,
145.117576
Penguin Parade to the Nobbies760Penguin Parade to the Nobbies on Phillip Island
This coastal 4-kilometer long road can be walked, driven, or biked between the Penguin Parade Visitor Center and the Nobbies Centre.
8 km
25 meters
-38.508812,
145.147153
Summerlands Beach770Summerlands Beach on Phillip Island
This short out and back return hike brings you to a picturesque surf beach that is taken over by little penguins in the evening.
1 km
10 meters
-38.508812,
145.147153
Pyramid Rock780Pyramid Rock on Phillip Island
This short out and back walk takes hikers out onto a grassy point to two overlooks of Pyramid Rock, a triangle-shaped rock island just off the coast.
0.8 km
10 meters
-38.525928,
145.221826
Koala Conservation Centre790Koala Conservation Centre on Phillip Island
This loop explores the fantastic boardwalks in the Koala Conservation Centre as well as a longer trail through eucalyptus woodlands.
1.2 km
15 meters
-38.485668,
145.262828
Cape Woolamai Walk800Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island
This loop along beaches and bluffs is packed with Cape Woolamai highlights, including Woolamai Surf Beach, the Pinnacles, Cape Woolamai Beacon, Old Granite Quarry, and Cleeland Bight.
8.5 km
112 meters
-38.543936,
145.339985
Little Oberon Bay Walk850South Norman Bay to Little Oberon Bay in Wilsons Promontory National Park
This out and back hike is packed with coastal views, traveling from Tidal River Campground to Norman Bay and across Norman Point to Little Oberon Bay, a pristine beach with pale sand and clear turquoise water.
9.5 km
70 meters
-39.030653,
146.321366
Mount William895Mount William in Tasmania
This out and back hike tops a short summit that is the high point of Mount William National Park with panoramic views over the coastline at the northeast corner of Tasmania.
3.6 km
140 meters
-40.90896,
148.207197
Saint Columba Falls905Saint Columba Falls in Tasmania
This out and back hike descends into a rainforest to the base of a powerful 90-meter tall waterfall.
1.2 km
40 meters
-41.321271,
147.926203
Cataract Gorge915Cataract Gorge in Tasmania
This loop combines Zig-Zag Track, Cataract Walk, and Bridge Walk to explore Cataract Gorge Reserve, an impressive natural area just outside the center of Launceston.
3.4 km
80 meters
-41.445923,
147.122482
Liffey Falls925Liffey Falls in Tasmania
This out and back walk in the rainforest passes the Upper Cascades on the Liffey River to reach the base of lovely Liffey Falls, one of Tasmania's finest waterfalls.
2.2 km
70 meters
-41.700153,
146.759189
Apsley Waterhole945Apsley Waterhole & Lookout Track in Tasmania
This loop travels through a eucalyptus forest to a popular swimming hole on the Apsley River in Douglas-Apsley National Park.
1.2 km
30 meters
-41.865414,
148.190469
Friendly Beaches Freycinet950Friendly Beaches in Tasmania
This hike explores a long, pristine beach on the east coast of Tasmania north of the Freycinet Peninsula.
0.1 km
10 meters
-41.992685,
148.285445
Cape Tourville953Cape Tourville in Tasmania
This short circuit provides big views along the east coast of Freycinet Peninsula, circling 100-meter tall bluffs to reach the Cape Tourville Lighthouse.
0.6 km
10 meters
-42.122311,
148.34135
Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit960Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach Circuit in Tasmania
This rewarding loop through Freycinet National Park visits pristine light sand beaches at Hazards Beach and the renowned Wineglass Bay.
12 km
220 meters
-42.14581,
148.289189
Moorland Mosaic965Moorland Mosaic in Tasmania
This out-and-back boardwalk in Mount Field National Park crosses an alpine meadow covered with an interesting mix of plants.
0.65 km
20 meters
-42.682995,
146.611678
Russell Falls970Russell Falls & Horseshoe Falls in Tasmania
This hike in Mount Field National Park visits one of Tasmania's most famous and beautiful waterfalls and can be extended from 1.8 to 2.65 kilometers by venturing to the top of Russell Falls and nearby Horseshoe Falls.
1.65 km
80 meters
-42.682073,
146.716127
Pinnacles Boardwalk Mount Wellington978Pinnacles Boardwalk & Summit Trig in Tasmania
The short walk on the top of Mount Wellington explores two short boardwalks and a trig station at the summit.
0.75 km
20 meters
-42.89542,
147.237723
Octopus Tree980Octopus Tree and Circle Track in Tasmania
This loop in Hobart's Wellington Park reaches a unique eucalyptus tree with tentacles for roots that wrap around a boulder.
1.1 km
50 meters
-42.908751,
147.24798
Coal Mines Historic Site985Coal Mines Historic Site in Tasmania
This short loop explores the ruins of an old prison and coal mine that relied on convict laborers.
0.8 km
10 meters
-42.988141,
147.714598
Tasman Blowhole Fossil Bay Lookout990Blowhole & Fossil Bay Lookout in Tasmania
This short walk in Tasman National Park reaches a coastal vista point and a wave-carved tunnel through a rocky point that has the potential to spray up like a whale spout.
0.45 km
10 meters
-43.034392,
147.947942
Tasmans Arch Devils Kitchen991Tasmans Arch & Devils Kitchen in Tasmania
This short walk visits two impressive features on the coast of the Tasman Peninsula, a natural bridge and a chasm carved by the sea.
0.9 km
9 meters
-43.042071,
147.950548
Cape Raoul996Cape Raoul in Tasmania
This bushwalk explores the pristine coastline at the southwest end of the Tasman Peninsula, reaching a cape with daunting 200-meter tall cliffs dropping to swirling seas.
12 - 14 km
240 meters
-43.195255,
147.777145
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Coal Mines Historic Site Convict Precinct Walk Tasman Peninsula Tasmania Australia Hike Penal Colony Tour
If you think being a prisoner at a Tasmanian penal colony sounds bad, add coal mining to that prison sentence and you get something truly awful. Such was the case in the 1830s and 40s when, just after the famous Port Arthur Penal Colony was established, convict laborers were sent to another part of the Tasman Peninsula to work in coal mines (and you can imagine that working conditions in the... Read more.
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Tagged with · Mines · Ocean Views · Ruins · Saltwater River · Tasman Peninsula
Distance: 0.8 kilometers / 0.5 miles · Elevation change: 10 meters / 30 feet
By: Published: Last updated: May 6, 2017
Cape Raoul Track Tasman Peninsula Bushwalk Tasman National Park Stormlea Tasmania Cape Raoul Cliffs Walk
With some of the tallest sea cliffs in Australia, Cape Raoul is a daunting promontory jutting south from the Tasman Peninsula. While it is listed as one of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks, this hike is longer and harder than other tracks on that list at 12 to 14 kilometers (7.45 to 8.7 miles) round trip. The out and back bushwalk follows a track through wild vegetation in Tasman National... Read more.
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Tagged with · Ocean Views · Tasman National Park · Tasman Peninsula · Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks
Distance: 14 kilometers / 8.7 miles · Elevation change: 240 meters / 790 feet
By: Published: Last updated: July 2, 2021
Tasmans Arch Devils Kitchen Lookout Tasman Peninsula Walk Tasman National Park Eaglehawk Neck Devil's Kitchen Tasman's Arch Sea Cliffs
The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including Tasmans Arch and Devils Kitchen (as... Read more.
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Tagged with · Australian National Parks · Eaglehawk Neck · Natural Bridges · Ocean Views · Tasman National Park · Tasman Peninsula
Distance: 0.9 kilometers / 0.55 miles · Elevation change: 5 meters / 15 feet
By: Published: Last updated: July 2, 2021
Tasman Blowhole Fossil Bay Lookout Tasman Peninsula Tasman National Park The Blowhole Eaglehawk Neck Doo Town Fossil Bay Walk
The Tasman Peninsula extends into the Tasman Sea in the southeast corner of Tasmania. While the peninsula was once used as a penitentiary, a visit to the peninsula's impressive coastline today will feel like anything but prison. Just south of the narrow isthmus at Eaglehawk Neck, the east coast of the peninsula has several easy-to-reach wonders, including the Blowhole and Fossil Bay Lookout... Read more.
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Tagged with · Australian National Parks · Blowholes · Eaglehawk Neck · Ocean Views · Tasman National Park · Tasman Peninsula
Distance: 0.45 kilometers / 0.3 miles · Elevation change: 10 meters / 30 feet
By: Published: Last updated: July 2, 2021
Camping Lime Bay State Reserve Campground Tasmania Australia Lime Bay Campsites Tasman Peninsula
If you're on the lookout for a campground on the Tasmanian coast with grassy plots shaded by eucalyptus trees, don't overlook Lime Bay State Reserve. This off-the-beaten-path campground is located on a remote thumb of the Tasman Peninsula, set in a picturesque bay with light sand beaches framing the campground on both sides. Lime Bay State Reserve Campground Lime Bay State Reserve... Read more.
By: Published: Last updated: January 16, 2018