As we travel around Australia, we’re making an effort to visit as many of the best national parks in Australia as possible.
Being the outdoorsy nature lovers that we are, show us a good national park and we’ll happily get lost exploring it for days.
We just love everything about them. The walks, waterfalls, gorges, swimming holes, forests, rivers, wildlife and camping.
Except the flies and mosquitoes – can somebody please remove those – and getting bogged in Kakadu, which is funny now, but at the time not so much.
There are some amazing National Parks in Australia, over 500 in total, and whilst we haven’t even scratched the surface yet, below is a list of some of our favourites we’ve recently visited.
Please tell us in the comments below what some of our favorite Australian national parks are. Not only will it be a great tip for us, it helps all those who read this post!
1. Freycinet National Park – Tasmania
Freycinet National Park is our favourite destination in Tasmania, and one of our top three national parks in Australia.
With plenty of lovely walks, stunning beaches, granite peaks and a beach consistently rated as one of the world’s best, what more could you ask?
All you need is great weather like we had and you’ll be singing its praises like us!
Located 165 km north west of Hobart this Australian National Park attracts walkers from all over the world and is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. We didn’t do a lot of the walks here as we had limited time, but when the kids are older we’d love to go back and do the famous Overland Track.
Not as many people visit the west coast of Tassie, but it’s worth it. Running through the heart of the Tasmanian wilderness much of this park is remote and rugged with dramatic mountain peaks, spectacular gorges and world-famous rivers. Our cruise down the Gordon River was a highlight of our month long visit to Tasmania.
Victorians have kept Wilsons Prom, or The Prom a secret for too long. We were blown away by this park and can’t believe it’s not promoted more in other Australian states. You must book way ahead as it’s hugely popular with bush walkers and campers. Just picture stunning vistas of pink granite boulder mountains, turquoise water, and squeaky-white sand and you’ll know why.
Commonly referred to as The Grampians, it’s a rugged mountain range located in Western Victoria and is renowned for its breathtaking rocky views, rich culture, stunning wildflower displays, bush walks and rock climbing. One of our favourite moments – we conquered the summit of the 4km Pinnacle’s walk with our two young kiddies, they did so well.
Also called The Otways, this park is one of the popular stops along the Great Ocean Road. Immerse yourself in an ancient land and walk among tall trees and giant tree ferns, and discover beautiful waterfalls.
If you only have time to visit one area along the Great Ocean Road, make it Port Campbell. This is where you’ll see the best of the GOR and you could spend a whole day just here. Amazing natural formations over the rugged coastline with cliff top tracks, gorges, beach walks and stories of shipwrecks to discover.
If you’re looking to climb Australia’s highest peak, you’ll find it here in Kosciusko National Park. Just don’t do what we did and attempt part of this walk with young kids in dress clothes and ill prepared for the freezing windy weather, lol. Apparently visiting Kosciuszko in the summer is amazing as the wildflowers are in bloom. Plus the mountain biking is awesome. Since we don’t have a lot of mountains in the country, this is a unique national park in Australia. And whilst you’re here, why not explore The Snowy Mountains region.
Jervis Bay is stunning. Normally we’d head to the north coast of NSW from Sydney but on our current trip around Australia we headed to the south coast for the first time and spent five days in the Jervis Bay region. The beaches and coastal walks around here are as good as any in Australia.
Just when you think Jervis Bay is beautiful, around the corner from Jervis is this gem of a park called Booderee. Very popular with the locals because of its unspoiled beaches and great camping, but I’m suspecting not well known around the country, we’d certainly never heard of it previously. This region of NSW blew us away.
Murramarang is 200km south of Sydney and famous for seeing wild kangaroos hopping about on the beaches. They even hang out in front of your cabins and tent sites like well trained pets, which was a thrill for our kids. Great swimming, surfing and bush walks here, plus the cliffs and headland walks are a must.
You’ve probably heard of the Three Sisters? But the Blue Mountains has a depth greater than the infamous Three Sisters and being close to Sydney is one of the most popular national parks in Australia. There are waterfalls and rainforests, a wide variety of bushwalking tracks, adventure and rejuvenation, unbelievably good local produce, world class cafes, cosy pubs, and restaurants. It’s a nature lovers and foodie’s paradise. Did you know that the Royal National Park is Australia’s oldest National Park and the second oldest in the world behind Yellowstone? We didn’t either until a few years ago. Situated just one hour south of Sydney, the park’s diversity is seen in its coastal cliffs, sandy beaches, mountainous sandstone ridges and deep river valleys.
Burleigh Heads is one of our favourite spots on the Gold Coast, but we’d never ventured into the national park until recently. It’s a small park but a popular place for hiking, walkers and joggers because it provides great views. The coastal walk combined with part of the rainforest circuit is about 2.5 km all up. It’s not difficult as both of our young kids walked most of the way.
The town of Noosa is a popular high-end travel destination on the Sunshine Coast 1.5 hours north of Brisbane with a lively calendar of events and beautiful people, but for us the beauty lies in the National Park that hugs the headland. It’s another one of the most popular parks in the country with lovely walks and several stunning beaches.
Read More: Things to Do in Noosa, Queensland This park is divided into two sections. The Cooloola section between Noosa Heads in the south and Rainbow Beach in the north. And then there’s the incredible Fraser Island section. Fraser is the world’s largest sand island and one of Queensland’s natural icons. If 4wd is your thing, you’ll love Fraser!
At 110 million years old the The Daintree Rainforest pre-dates the Amazon and the dinosaurs. The Daintree and Cape Tribulation – a headland located within the national park looks anything but tattered and old. In 1988 it became a World Heritage Site and it’s the only place in the world where two World Heritage areas meet – Daintree Rainforest meets the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef.
It’s called a Marine Park but the Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s natural icons and World Heritage listed so I’m adding it to my list of must visit parks. Stretching 2,300 km long with over 900 islands we finally got to tick the Reef off our Australia bucket list this year. Cairns is the main gateway but there are many access points along the Queensland coast from Port Douglas in the north down to Lady Elliot Island in the south.
We think this park is Queensland’s best kept secret. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) is found along the Savannah Way Drive in Outback North Queensland and one of the last places to visit before you hit the Northern Territory. It’s an emerald green oasis in a semi-arid land with a beautiful gorge, walks and camping.
Undara was one of the most fascinating places we visited on our road trip through Queensland. I didn’t even know Australia had much volcanic history until visiting Undara Lava Tubes. This park is located along the Savannah Way drive heading west from Cairns in North Queensland.
Looking for paradise? Then head to this park with 74 islands called The Whitsunday Islands. These islands are boarded by the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea midway along the Queensland coast. If you love stunning beaches with soft white sand, island life and any water sport you can imagine, go here!
Previously named Katherine Gorge, Nitmiluk is about a 5 hour drive from Darwin. Katherine Gorge is made up of thirteen gorges carved through ancient sandstone by the Katherine River which have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people, who are custodians of Nitmiluk National Park.
Ahh, the wonders of Kakadu National Park. From wetlands, to sandstone escarpments, waterfalls, swimming holes, billabongs, rivers, and wildlife – it teems with abundance and an ancient mysticism urging you to explore its changing landscapes. Kakadu would sit in my top three national parks in Australia so far.
Litchfield is just over an hours drive from Darwin making it a great getaway from the city and easily accessible once you’re in the Top End. The highlight of this park is it’s many beautiful waterfalls and swimming holes. There’s some nice walking tracks and 4wd to be had for those equipped.
So our last recommended park on this list is our most recently visited. We left Karijini National Park just last week after five AMAZING days and it’s probably our favourite national park in Australia at the moment – and will be hard to beat as we continue to travel around Oz. Incredible walks, gorges and swimming holes. Put it on your MUST VISIT list for Western Australia.
Flights Car Rental National Park Tours in Australia
What National Parks in Australia would you add to this list?2. Cradle Mountain National Park – Tasmania
3. Wild Rivers National Park – Tasmania
4. Wilsons Promontory National Park – Victoria
5. Grampians National Park – Victoria
6. Great Otway National Park – Victoria
7. Port Campbell National Park – Victoria
8. Kosciuszko National Park – NSW
9. Jervis Bay National Park – NSW
10. Booderee National Park – NSW
11. Murramarang National Park – NSW
12. Blue Mountains National Park – NSW
13. Royal National Park – NSW
14. Burleigh Head National Park – Queensland
15. Noosa National Park – Queensland
16. Great Sandy National Park – Queensland
17. Daintree National Park – Queensland
18. Great Barrier Reef – Queensland
19. Boodjamulla National Park – Queensland
20. Undara Volcanic National Park – Queensland
21. Whitsunday Islands National Park – Queensland
22. Nitmiluk National Park – Northern Territory
23. Kakadu National Park – Northern Territory
24. Litchfield National Park – Northern Territory
25. Karijini National Park – Western Australia
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