The Best Places to Enjoy a Unique Outdoor Adventure in Australia

Australia is a wonderful country if you want to be at one with nature. It has an array of picturesque landscapes, featuring immense and barren deserts, as well as majestic mountains and lush rainforests. Due to the country’s isolation from other larger continents, it nurtured a wealth of unique animal and plant species. Thus, one of the more popular endeavours is going on trails on horseback.

Viator lists nine locations in Australia that are perfect for horseback riding. Most of the entries mainly focus on coastlines, as a lot of the more notable locations include a plethora of hiking trails.

Aside from the beaches of the Gold and Sunshine Coast, there are viable alternatives such as exploring the Bogong High Peaks, the Snowy Mountains, and the Comboyne Plateau. Outdoor adventurers can also find hidden trails in New South Wales, Victoria, and, of course, Queensland. South Australia, on the flipside, has gorgeous rainforests, which set the tone for a nice horseback riding experience.

In terms of actual horseback riding vacations in Australia, New South Wales is arguably at the top of the list. The state has Kosciuszko Park Ride, which takes explorers on a ride through the outer regions of the Snowy Mountains. Revolvy even claims that it inspired Banjo Paterson’s acclaimed poem, ‘The Man From Snowy River’. Similar adventures include Snowy Mountains Lodge Ride, Comboyne Plateau Ride, and Bushranger Ride.

Queensland, on the other hand, has the Gold Rush Trail. A typical itinerary features a seven-day, six-night horseback riding tour in the country’s northeast state. It’ll take hikers and horses to some of the best beaches and bush trails of Noosa, the Sunshine Coast, and the Fraser Coast and South Burnett. If they’re lucky, triple Olympian, Alex Watson, may even lead the tour.

Down south, there’s the Aussie Cattle Drive, a perennial favourite, because of its unique approach to horseback riding and hiking. Since South Australia is a bona fide cattle region, this area offers a once-in-a-lifetime horse riding holiday wherein guests will help drive more than 500 cows along desert trails to Anna Creek Station.

The bond between man and animal is a special one, and none more so when riding horseback. The connection between a rider and horse should be a deep one. Jack Houghton, in one of his articles on Betfair Grand National, says, whether racing or casual riding, people have to know their horses first. This creates a better atmosphere and, more importantly, a smoother ride. So if you are riding a horse for the first time, get to know it first before you go off on a long ride so that you can build a connection with it even if it is only for a day, as the benefits can be great. Ultimately, a horse needs to be able to trust the person that is riding it otherwise the rider can encounter difficulties along the way.