It is hard to pick out the best National Parks in Australia to check out. As an island so massive you could fit the entirety of Europe inside, Australia has so, SO many sights to see. Half of the country is on the tropical side of the tropic of cancer, and half is on the temperate side, leading to very different climates and ecosystems.
There are vast deserts with amazing natural formations in the middle, dense forests and waterfalls throughout, and some of the most varied and scenic coastlines and beaches in the world. Because of all this, national parks in Australia are some of the most stunning in the world.
This list is absolutely not exhaustive, but here are 16 incredible Australian National Parks that you should check out if you get the chance, mate! (along with all sorts of adventure options and accom as well!)
Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria
Murray Sunset is a pretty big National Park in northwestern Victoria, bordering South Australia. It would be a perfect stop on a roadtrip from Melbourne to Perth! It is most well known for its dry pink salt lakes that make for great photo ops! You can go on plenty of bushwalks in the area of just take some cool photos by the famous pink lakes.
Where to Stay: Murray-Sunset is quite remote, so it might be best as a stop on the way from Melbourne/Grampians National park to Adelaide! Some bigger (if you can call them that) towns nearby are Mildura (which has a few accommodation options) and Ouyen.
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Whitsunday Islands National Park, Queensland
The Whitsunday Islands are an absolutely stunning, almost Carribbean-like national park in Australia. All 74 islands are gorgeous and scenic, with bright blue waters complimented by lush, tropical greenery with plenty of nice bush walks.
Perhaps the most famous part of the Whitsundays, and even one of the most famous beaches in the world, is Whitehaven Beach. Located on the biggest island, Whitehaven is a natural marvel with massive sweeping patterns of sand visible through the clear water like long ribbons shaped by the tide.
Hamilton Island and Daydream Island are also very poplar destinations, as are all the islands really! Just make sure to wear a stinger suit in the water, because Queensland is known for its jellies and stingers!
Where to stay? Airlie Beach! This is the closest town to the islands, the most affordable, and where all the boat trips leave from. If you want something fancier, Daydream Island and Hamilton Island have wonderful resorts.
Uluru- Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory
Uluru is, of course, a must-visit when in Australia. This massive and mysterious rock formation is extremely sacred to aboriginal people, and it is really fascinating to visit this place and learn about all of its history.
Yes, although a new country, Australia has tons of history, especially of its indigenous people- and this is the best place to learn about it! Kata Tjuta is also an amazing rock formation in the area, made out of dozens of massive mountainous rocks rather than just one like Uluru.
You can learn all the specifics about how these formed millions of years ago, visit an aboriginal culture museum, hike around Uluru and Kata Tjuta, and much more when visiting. Just make sure to bring a fly net- for real. (You look like an idiot, yes… but trust me, you need it.)
Where to Stay? Alice Springs! Like Airlie in the Whitsundays, this is the closest big town to Uluru & Kata Tjuta, it’s where all the tours leave from, and more affordable than hotels in the park. Book an Alice Springs Hostel // Hotel here!
Royal National Park, New South Wales (Sydney)
Royal National Park is a big, mountainous area on the coast just south of Sydney. Its inland bits are beautiful green rolling hills, and its coastal bits are amazing cliffy coastline and beaches that are just about as attractive as coastlines can get.
There is a big, 27 kilometer coastal walk from the very top to the very bottom, which I would absolutely recommend doing in parts (I did the whole thing. In one day. It wasn’t one of my better decisions in life, but you can ready my story of death and rebirth on a 27k hike here).
It really is spectacular, and the terrain is very varied. Some things you might know from this National Park are Wedding Cake Rock, which is an almost fake looking white cliff that legit looks like.. a wedding cake. You also may have heard of the figure 8 pools, which are also fake-looking perfectly circular shaped deep pools. Very surreal and amazing.
Where to Stay? Make this part of your adventure in Sydney! We took the train to Cronulla and then a ferry across the channel (and train back also!).
Flinders Ranges National Park, South Australia
We have yet another insane natural phenomenon in the Flinders Ranges. The Flinders Ranges are the biggest mountain range in South Australia, and one if its most famous (and rightfully so) bits is called the Wilpena Pound.
I wish I had a photo from the sky to show you (one day I’ll get a drone!), but this is an oval shaped, natural amphitheater of mountains that rise high at the edges and plunge low in the foresty middle. So they’re like, a perfect oval of mountains.
Like a sports stadium but… of mountains. You get the point. It’s absolutely awesome that something like this exists! So cool that I’ll cheat on my own blog rules and steal a little google images photo to show you what it looks like here:
Where to Stay? Visit the Flinders Ranges from Adelaide or little country hostels/B&B’s in Port Augusta, Quorn, or Parachilna!
Amazing, right?! Who knew.
Kings Canyon – Watarkka National Park, Northern Territory
Another of the awesome National Parks in Australia ‘s Outback, Watarkka is most famous for being home to King’s Canyon. I also don’t have my own photos of King’s Canyon at the moment because when we went there to spend the night in swags (tent slash sleeping bag things), the outback had the craziest rainfall it had had in decades (the worst our tour guides had ever seen… great) and we had to get our tour bus through the floods and out of the area so we wouldn’t get trapped.
So, unfortunately, we came oh-so-close but King’s Canyon sadly didn’t quite happen for us. So here’s a picture of the flood we drove through instead… sorry. And some lightning. But as one of the most beautiful destinations in the Outback, it of course had to also make this list. One day I will go back and do it for real, and I hope you can too!
Where to Stay? This is another trip to take from Alice Springs, or you can camp to get the real outback experience!
Great Sandy National Park, Queensland
Great Sandy National Park is ever-so-appropriately named, as it encompasses Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the whole world. I did an entire post on Fraser Island right here so please check it out – it requires so much more than this tiny description!
Fraser is incredible – it really is completely made of sand- sand that has been there so long as to enable entire forests to grow on it and lakes to form over stone that formed from sand and dead vegetation mixing together and hardening over thousands of years.
The only freeway on the island is the actual beach, where 4WD vehicles speed at a limit of 80km/h right on the beach! We even took a plane ride that took off right from the sand! So surreal – a visit to the Great Sandy is a must in Queensland.
Where to Stay? On Fraser Island, or in Hervey Bay! There are no hostels on the island, but there are a couple big resorts with cheaper dorm options (or camping!). Kingfisher Resort is the most well-known resort here.
Accom will come as part of many tours from Hervey Bay or Noosa. As you can see in my post, I did a two-day tour (as part of a 30 day tour I was on) like the ones I have linked below!
Want to make it easy on yourself and leave the planning up to a guide? Check out these two options of inclusive tours to the island:
Arakwal National Park, Byron Bay, New South Wales
Just around the cape from Byron Bay, we have yet another beautiful beachside national park. Arakwal offers amazing secluded beach,bush, and surf, while being super conveniently close to the magical town of Byron Bay.
This was one of my favorite views/national parks in Australia and also one of my favorite towns – I absolutely loved Byron. And anyone who knows me probably won’t be too surprised by that fact! So, if you’re visiting Byron, you may as well pay a quick visit to beautiful Arakwal as well.
Where to Stay? Byron Bay is known for its incredible boutique and intricately designed hotels and hostels, from cheap backpackers to flashpackers to the more refined traveler. Check some out here!
Barron Gorge National Park, Queensland (Cairns)
Just outside of Cairns, you’ll find Barron Gorge National Park with all of its tropical rain forests, waterfalls, flora and fauna – home of the amazing Barron falls. It’s actually an UNESCO world heritage listed rainforest, which you can view via cable car and skyrail!
When you go this far north in Australia, the landscape is almost more comparable to Asia than other places in Australia, because it is so much closer to the equator and therefore much more tropical (and humid!).
I would call walking here more of a jungle walk than a bush walk, as you’ll find vines hanging all over the place (George of the Jungle was stuck in my head the whole time because the vines reminded me of that… I’m embarrassing) and lots of streams and tropical plants. The Crystal Cascades are another popular waterfall destination outside of Cairns, not quite in this National Park but not too far away!
Where to Stay? In Queensland’s tropical capital, Cairns! There’s a huge variety of accomodation there.
Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
When visiting Victoria, this National Park is a MUST. One of the most famous national parks in Australia, Port Campbell encompasses many landmarks along the ‘shipwreck coast’ of the Great Ocean Road: the twelve apostles, London arch, The Grotto, and the Loch Ard Gorge, to name a few.
This area is purely and simply breathtaking – one of my favorite coastlines in the world. There are a lot of interesting stories to go along with the different areas too; as a hint, it’s called the ‘Shipwreck Coast’ for a reason!
Chec out my epic ead my Great Ocean Road Itinerary here – best used if you want to rent a car and drive.
Where to Stay? Well, it depends how far along the Great Ocean Road you plan to get! Some big options are Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, or you can make a day trip from Melbourne.
Or, if you don’t have too much time, you can book a Great Ocean Road day trip from Melbourne, too. This is the most popular option.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland
Okay, okay, this is a Marine Park and not a National Park. Sorry. Whatever. I still felt that it was pretty imperative to include the Great Barrier Reef in this national parks in Australia post, with it being kind of almost the most famous natural wonder in Australia (and the world) and all.
The best thing about the Great Barrier Reef is that it is off almost half of Queensland’s coast – aka it is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. To put how massive it is into perspective, the Great Barrier Reef is as big as (get ready, I’m about to hit you with some knowledge here) …… 70 MILLION football fields.
Yes, million. MILLION. My mind just about explodes when I think about that. It’s the largest living organism in the world (unless we kill it which it looks like we just may have done…)!! And should be on everyone’s bucket list if it isn’t already.
Anyway, since it is so massive, you can visit it from any of a number of different places. A lot of people visit it from Cairns, but really you can visit from anywhere from the northernmost tip of Australia just about all the way down to Fraser island. One of the best ways to experience it is by doing an island hopping diving liveaboard tour. So take your pick!
Scuba dive, snorkel, experience 1/3 of the entire world’s coral species, or tons of marine life in the Great Barrier reef. Make sure you find a turtle too – have Crush take you down the EAC to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney to find Nemo! 😛
Where to Stay: Cairns is an obvious choice, and has many tours leaving from there. That’s what I did. You can check Cairns hostel options / hotel options here! Here are some tours and amazing adventures from Cairns (many of which can include Barron Gorge National Park too!):
Recommended Tours:
Sydney Harbour National Park, NSW (Sydney)
Sydney – one of the only cities I know to have a legit National Park WITHIN the city. Sydney really is the coolest. You can be on what feels like a remote bush trek through rich forresty trails, an come out to a park with a view of the Opera House and tall city skyline!
Where else is that possible, to have such amazing nature within such close reach of a huge city? Sydney Harbour is home to so many amazing inlets, parks, points, and nature. And Sydney Harbour National Park spans over a few different areas of it – the North Head in Manly, Middle Head in and south of Mosman, South Head at the tip of the Eastern Suburbs, and some islands in the harbour.
All have gorgeous waterside walks and splendid views of the harbor, city, and sea. Read my post about all the coastal walks in Sydney here, Or check out my Guide to Manly Beach.
Where to Stay: Anywhere in Sydney, of course! I lived in Manly Beach and highly recommend it.
Grampians National Park, Victoria
The Grampians are an impressive and beautiful mountainous National Park – not tooooo far from Melbourne in Victoria. There are some amazing viewpoints and bush walks here, some beautiful waterfalls, heaps of kangaroos to spy on and secretly obsess over in the fields (one hopped by our door one morning and we all got a little too excited) and some great museums as well to learn about Aboriginal culture.
We got to paint boomerangs and do some great nature walks here – I wish we could have stayed longer! Next time I definitely will.
Where to Stay: There are a few lovely little hotels in Hall’s Gap and surrounding areas, or the Grampians Eco YHA for budget travelers. You can also do a Grampians day trip from Melbourne if you don’t have time.
Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales
The Blue Mountains are also a must-visit when in Sydney – another of the most famous national parks in Australia. These are a magnificent area of cliffy mountains that have a slightly blue appearance from afar because of all the eucalyptus and gum trees that grow on them.
There are tons of amazing bush walks, waterfalls, a ‘Scenic World’ where you can ride cable cars and trams (and the world’s steepest railway – over 50 degree incline!) and learn a bit about the mining industry that used to boom there.
The three sisters, a beautiful rock formation, is possibly the most famous landmark of the Blue Mountains, and all the little towns up there really make it feel like you are out of the city with their cute, small-town, mountainy vibes. I did a great day tour of the Blue Mountains and made a super cute video to go with my blog post about it – see my Blue Mountains Day Trip here!
Where to Stay: I found it easier to do a day trip from Sydney, but there are a few affordable accommodation options in the Blue Mountains also. This is basically exact tour I did and loved it.
Springbrook National Park, Queensland
Springbrook is in the South of Queensland on the McPherson Mountain Range, almost in NSW. There are really nice walks here, with babbling brooks, interesting plants and trees, and an abundance of really amazing and intricate creeper vines that slowly take over trees. The most famous part of Springbrook is the Natural Bridge, where a waterfall gradually broke through the roof of a cave and now flows basically through a hole in the rock in one beautiful natural masterpiece.
Where to Stay: Springbrook is the closest to the Gold Coast/Surfer’s Paradise, and would make most sense as a day trip from there or a stop-off on the way to Byron Bay! The Gold Coast has some great affordable accomodation or fancier high-rise hotels with amazing views.
You can alsobook it as a day tour from Surfer’s Paradise, which is popular.
Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park, New South Wales
Another of the best national parks in Australia is actually just north of Sydney – the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase. This beautiful area spans along the Pittwater, Palm Beach, and the rest of the massive bay up there and all of its inlets. Think: more beautiful nature, bush walks, and water views.
There seems to be a common theme here! Possibly the most popular place to visit in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase is Barrenjoey Head in Palm Beach, where you can walk up the hill to get a fantastic view of Palm Beach and the Pittwater inlet just about 50 meters apart from each other. Another must-visit in Sydney, and guess what… I also did a blog post about The Palm Beach Lighthouse Walk here! Read for more specific directions about how to get there.
Where to Stay: Day-trip up here from Sydney, or spend some time in lovely Palm Beach, home of the show Home & Away!
This is also available as a day tour from Sydney!
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Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.
Kristina Hellmann
Saturday 3rd of September 2016
Am excited to say that my daughter, whom resides in Brisbane, surprised me with a trip of a lifetime for my 50th. With my sister-in-law accompanying me, we leave in March for 3 weeks of exploration and knocking off something from our "bucket lists". We will be travelling the Sunshine coast, Hervey bay, Kingfisher bay, Noosa and Byron bay before heading back to Brisbane. Still so surreal!!!
Sarah
Thursday 4th of August 2016
There are some incredible national parks in Western Australia as well (Cape Range, Cape Le Grand, Purnululu, Karijini, Kalbarri). Definitely worth the trip over.
Erica
Sunday 10th of July 2016
Some great tips in here! I'm preparing for a two-week trip to Australia and there's so much to see I can't even figure out where to start. Bookmarking this for reference as I desperately try to narrow it down :) I really love your photos from the Great Barrier Reef marine park.
KimmConn
Friday 12th of August 2016
ahh Erica I'm so sorry my computer was broken for a good 6 weeks, preventing me from updating my blog, and it just got fixed!! Anyway, I hope your planning is going well... theres definitely SO much to see!! Best of luck and let me know if you have nay questions :)
Sabine
Monday 27th of June 2016
Thank you for this great overview!! I was in Australia last year. I saw the Blue Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitesundays, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon and the Daintree National Park - so yes they are so beautiful! Also I visited the Freycinet National Park on Tasmania and Flinders Chase on Kangaroo Island. I would recommend you the last two. Best regards from Germany!
Natasha Peterson
Wednesday 15th of June 2016
Wow, what an amazing journey! And I absolutely LOVE all of your photos...I spent about 3 months in Australia but it was all just in Brisbane visiting a friend. Now I have to go back just to check off this whole list!