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Great Australian Journeys


Queensland
While Queensland is large in size, the national parks that are of interest to bushwalkers are generally quite small and scattered along the eastern side near the ocean. The extensive dry plains that sweep inland are generally of little interest to bushwalkers. The main issues for bushwalkers are the vast distances and the hot humid tropical climate. To camp in any National Park, permits are needed and generally campsites are restricted to a maximum of 12 people at a time. For popular places it is advised to book ahead for permits.
Whitsundays Great Walk, Qld
There's more to the Whitsundays than the offshore reefs and islands and no visit to the region is complete without a trek through the tropical refuge of the Conway Range. Highlights of the Whitsunday Great Walk include wandering through majestic tropical rainforest besides seasonal creeks, and looking beyond coastal townships to the Whitsunday Islands. The Whitsunday Great Walk takes you on a 30km journey through Conway State Forest, starting at Brandy Creek, and finishing at Airlie Beach. There are also walking tracks on many of the islands of the Whitsunday group. See also Whitsunday Ngaro Sea Trail
Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk, Qld
Walk through lush Gondwanan rainforest and along the rim of an ancient, eroded volcano on this spectacular series of day walks. The trail traverses a landscape as old as the dinosaurs, linking World Heritage-listed Lamington and Springbrook plateaux with Egg Rock and Turtle Rock in the scenic Numinbah Valley. See the Tweed Volcano which erupted around 25 million years ago and the powerful, crystal-clear streams and waterfalls that continue to erode it today. Explore Woonoongoora, known to the local Yugambeh people as ‘Queen of the Mountains’. Learn their ancient ancestral legends of how the rivers and valleys were formed.  Camp in the rainforest at Green Mountains, Woonoongoora and The Settlement or in the private camping area at Binna Burra. The best time to walk this track is between March and October, when temperatures are milder. 54km/4 days/day walks.
Wet Tropics Great Walk, Qld
The Juwun (Wet Tropics) Walk starts at Blencoe Falls in Girringun National Park, a spectacular three-tiered waterfall, which cascades 300 metres down into the Herbert River Gorge below. The walk follows the Herbert River downstream to Yamanie, with no designated walking track in the gorge. Be aware that beyond Blanket Creek, no designated bush camping sites have been identified. As you walk, look for emus and kangaroos resting from the heat and listen for laughing kookaburras or screeching sulphur-crested cockatoos. On the track to Big W, keep a lookout for bird life such as shags, cormorants and sea eagles that reside in the gorge. The walk, which covers 51km, has a difficulty rating of hard. Recommended duration time is 4 to 6 days.
Mackay Highlands Great Walk, Qld
Stunning scenery including dense rainforest, deep gorges, steep escarpments and tranquil farming communities make the Mackay Highlands Great Walk a very special experience. The track traverses Eungella National Park, Crediton State Forest, and Homevale Resources Reserve and National Park. Eungella National Park is a nature lover's paradise as it is located close to the boundary between subtropical and tropical rainforest, the area supports species from both vegetation types. The track is 50kms in length and graded moderate in terms of difficulty. Allow 4 to 6 days to cover the fill walk, or do sections.
Blackall Range (Sunshine Coast Hinterland), Qld
 The scenery of the Sunshine Coast’s hinterland attracts as many visitors as the more well known coastal regions. The natural beauty of the Blackall Range is on display on the 58km Great Walk through the Range which traverses warm subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalypt forest beside picturesque waterfalls. The complete walk takes 4 to 6 days, but day and part days walks are also possible.
Simpson Desert, SA/Qld
Walking the Simpson Desert is one of the walks for any serious cross country trekker to do in their lifetime. It is hard, often lonely, requires mental toughness and a will to keep going when all your body wants to do is stop. It is not the type of walk to be taken lightly. It requires a reliable support company or person to provide the logistics needed, including transport, water and food supplies and good communication technology.
The Simpson is remote - there are no shops which sell supplies, except on the extreme edges, no phones, no immediate medical assistance and no reliable water supplies. It is a minimum of 400 km to walk across the Desert depending on the route taken, and requires a walker to go up and down 1100 sand dunes. The terrain can be rock hard through clay pans, stony through gibber sections and soft through the sandy dunes. So, why do it? Walking a desert is the best way to see it, smell it, hear it, touch it and even taste it.

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