Category: Australia

Best Summit Day-Hikes in South-East Australia

Australia may be the flattest continent on Earth, but it still has some great mountains. Here are my favourites from the south-eastern corner that you can climb in a day.

There’s nothing more satisfying to me than climbing a mountain from the bottom in a day. It’s my favourite form of hiking, combining the best views with a sense of achievement. It seems I’m built for short but steep hikes. The steeper they are the more of an adrenaline fuelled high I get, and rugged mountainous landscapes add to this natural high. And by completing the walk in a day I can then return to the comforts of civilisation, such as indoor plumbing.

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Princes Rock Walking Track, Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NSW

You can get good views of Wentworth Falls, in the Upper Blue Mountains, on three excellent circuit walks: via the National Pass, Wentworth Pass (no separate post for this), and via Hippocrene and Vera Falls. But if you want to see the falls in all their glory without much effort, then I can highly recommend the short walk down to Princes Rock Lookout from the Wentworth Falls picnic area. Continue reading “Princes Rock Walking Track, Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains NSW”

Minnamurra Rainforest and Falls Walk, Budderoo National Park NSW

A shortish walk through attractive remnant rainforest to view Minnamurra Falls in Budderoo National Park.

I don’t think I’d ever visited Minnamurra Falls before, or if I did it was a very long time ago when I was young. I’d driven past a few times and perhaps missed it out because the walk is quite short, an easygoing 4 kms roughly. I’m glad I stopped by with family though, because it’s a very charming and picturesque walk. Although the falls are the main reason to visit this patch of remnant rainforest, I actually found the rainforest itself to be the highlight.

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Belmore Falls Walking Track, NSW Southern Highlands

A short walk culminating in views of the very attractive Belmore Falls, near Robertson in the NSW Southern Highlands.

I’d seen Belmore Falls on Instagram, and was surprised I hadn’t visited them before, because they are a very attractive two tier waterfall. The walk to see them is very short (1.8km return), and in fact we visited with my 81 year old mother-in-law in tow, and did an even shorter walk than that described on the NPWS site (just a couple of hundred metres from the car park probably). They are well worth the visit if you are in the area (Robertson in the NSW Southern Highlands), and were particular good when we visited, as there had been heavy rainfall in the preceding few days. Continue reading “Belmore Falls Walking Track, NSW Southern Highlands”

6 Great Bushwalks in Victoria, Australia

Six of my favourite hikes from three occasions walking in the state of Victoria, Australia. From easy to hard, so something for everybody.

Until Christmas 2017 I hadn’t walked anywhere in Victoria, perhaps thinking it wouldn’t be so different from NSW. I was pleasantly surprised on that first trip, so much so that we stopped by Victoria on two subsequent trips to Tasmania. The walks we’ve done have been of a high quality, and included experiences that can’t be had in NSW.

These include climbing almost 2000m high mountains from the bottom in a day, such as Mt Bogong (1986m) and Mt Feathertop (1920m). Nearby Mt Buffalo (1723m) and the further flung Grampians Range are unique and rugged landscapes that have numerous walking tracks. And the small but prominent Cathedral Range in Central Victoria offers another unique walking experience.

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10 of the Best Day-hikes in Kosciuszko National Park

Ten of my favourite bushwalks in the unique alpine and sub-alpine landscape of Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park.

Kosciuszko National Park contains mainland Australia’s highest ground. The area looms large in the Australian imagination, an exotic landscape tied to the frontier spirit through epic poems like The Man From Snow River.

The highest ground of the Main Range contains all of the nation’s ten highest peaks, and lies in the southern section of the park. It’s a unique alpine landscape of grasslands, herb fields, and delicate sections of bogs, fens, and stony fjeldmark vegetation. The peaks are generally not very prominent, that is, unless you venture over to the Western Ranges, and my first pick of the walks takes in those vistas. There are glacial lakes, and Blue Lake is a real highlight visited on three of my top ten walks. At lower elevations there are iconic snow gums, one of Australia’s most distinctive and hardy eucalyptus trees.

Mt Twynam, Little Twynam, Blue Lake, & Hedley Tarn, Kosciuszko National Park
Snow gums near Charlotte Pass.

The northern section of Kosciuszko National Park is not so elevated, and perhaps lacks the glamour of the alpine region. Nevertheless, we discovered some excellent short walks taking in spectacular and atmospheric gorges and waterfalls, so it’s definitely worth a visit.

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Bullocks Flat Circuit, Kosciuszko National Park NSW

A pleasant circuit walk along a stretch of Thredbo River at Bullocks Flat. We saw quite a bit of wildlife in the area despite other walkers and cyclists.

The Bullocks Track is an easygoing walk along the banks of the Thredbo River. There are views up 800m to the Ramshead Range, and over picturesque sections of the Thredbo River. We encountered quite a bit of wildlife along the way, despite it being a fairly busy area with a major camp site at Thredbo Diggings. Not a spectacular walk but good one with children or if you need a rest from longer walks up in the alpine areas.

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Porcupine Rocks, Mt Duncan & Mt Wheatley, Kosciuszko National Park

Visit the big boulders called Porcupine Rocks on this popular walk starting on the edge of Perisher Village. You can extend the walk to bag two nearby peaks, Mt Duncan (1926m) & Mt Wheatley (1877m).

The Porcupine Rocks Track is a popular walk to big boulders high up in the Ramshead Range near Perisher Village. There are views over the Thredbo Valley, about 700 to 800m below. If that’s not enough for you then you can walk off-track to nearby Mt Duncan (1926m), and along an impact track and poled route to Mt Wheatley (1877m). All walking is through attractive alpine meadows, heath and snow gums.
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Mt Stilwell Walk, Kosciuszko National Park NSW

An excellent short walk from Charlotte Pass to Mt Stilwell (2040m) for great views of the Main Range and over an alpine plateau strewn with countless boulders.

The Mt Stilwell Walk was quite a find for us, as we’d walked other routes from Charlotte Pass before without giving it much attention. It turned out to be a great short walk with views of the Main Range, and over the boulder strewn alpine plateau to the south of the summit. There were numerous wildflowers in summer which added to the appeal. You also get to bag a 2040m peak while you’re at it: bonus 🙂 Continue reading “Mt Stilwell Walk, Kosciuszko National Park NSW”

Waterfall Walking Track, Kosciuszko National Park NSW

The Waterfall Walking Track is a pleasant enough walk through forest to a waterfall and a collection of big boulders in Kosciuszko National Park.

The Waterfall Walking Track is is a pleasant enough walk through a variety of forest types at about 1200m of elevation in Kosciuszko National Park near Jindabynbe. As the name suggests there is a waterfall along the way, but I think the highlight is a collection of giant boulders. Not one of the glitzy alpine walks further up Kosciuszko Road but worthwhile for a change of scene.

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