Paradise to Westcott is a 3.2km, grade 3 One Way hike located in Bunya Mountains National Park Queensland. The hike should take approximately 1hrs to complete.

Summary

The Paradise to Westcott track follows part of the cliff-line on the Bunya Mountains’ western side with Westcliff lookout providing clear views over the open plains of the Darling Downs. Shortly after entering the rainforest opposite the Paradise car park, the track passes through Little Pocket, one of the small natural clearings or ‘balds’ scattered over the Bunya Mountains. This enjoyable walk weaves in and out of rainforest and dry open forest on the mountain edge and ends at Westcott where there are both picnic and camping facilities.

About the region

Bunya Mountains is a national park in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia.

The park includes much of the mountain range called the Bunya Mountains. The park are encompasses the most westerly area of subtropical rainforest in southern Queensland and the largest population of bunya pines remaining in the world. It is situated 63 km northeast of Dalby or 58 km southwest of Kingaroy.

The park is known for its abundant wildlife, permanent waterfalls and spectacular views. The mild climate of the range means morning and evening temperatures are low. The park is accessed by a steep and winding roads and is well serviced with camping grounds, an extensive network of walking tracks and several picnic grounds.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Queensland.com

Yaberoo Budjara Heritage Trail is a 28km, grade 3 One Way hike located in Yanchep Western Australia. The hike should take approximately 8hrs to complete.

Summary

This 28 kilometre one way trail is based on the movement of Yellagonga and his people between Lake Joondalup and Yanchep. It can be completed in sections. It extends from Neil Hawkins Park in the south to Yanchep National Park in the north, traversing tuart and banksia woodland, coastal heath and former wetlands.

Yellagonga was an Aborigine whose tribe stretched from the Moore River to the Swan River. The Aborigines used the chain of wetlands to move away from the coast in winter, returning to the lakes in summer as the inland water supplies dried up. This route was later used as a stock route by Europeans. Yaberoo Budjara is translated as “the land of the people north of Perth””.  The trail is limestone and sand underfoot and is not suitable for summer walking.  It has red markers with a grasstree symbol and can be accessed in sections: Neil Hawkin’s Park to Hester Ave : 10km This land was once part of a stock route. Lake Joondalup (meaning “”the lake that glistens””) is a large freshwater lake that was well known to the Aborigines as a favoured camping and hunting ground. On the eastern side of the trail paperbark and shoreline vegetation dominate

Notes

Start Point: Neil Hawkin’s Park, 30km (40minutes) north of Perth

End Point: Yanchep National Park, 60km (one hour) north of Perth

Region: Yanchep, Perth

For more information, a location map and GPS file please visit Trails WA. 

Ravensbourne Rainforest Circuit is a 1.7km, grade 3 Return hike located in Ravensbourne National Park Queensland. The hike should take approximately 40 mins to complete.

Summary

On the Rainforest circuit in Ravensbourne National Park, large Sydney blue gums (Eucalyptus saligna) emerge through the rainforest canopy. Walkers can admire many attractive ground ferns, epiphytic ferns and vines growing in the understorey and along the higher section of this walking track the remains of an Aboriginal yam-digging site can be seen.

About the region

Ravensbourne is a national park in Ravensbourne and Buaraba in South East Queensland, Australia, 33 km west of Esk. It is a small scenic park on the Great Dividing Range within the Lockyer Creek water catchment area and overlooking the Lockyer Valley. Small remnants of the rainforest and wet eucalypt forest that once covered this part of the Great Dividing Range are preserved in Ravensbourne National Park. Red soils of the park’s west and south-west support rainforest that includes eucalypt species as well as palms, vines and ferns. Sandy soils of the park’s eastern section support open eucalypt forest. The park is situated in the water catchment areas of the Brisbane River and Lockyer Creek.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Queensland.com

Arkaroo Rock Circuit is a 3.1km, grade 3 Circuit hike located in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park South Australia. The hike should take approximately 2hrs to complete.

Summary

Arkaroo Rock is a significant cultural site for the Adnyamathanha people of the Flinders Ranges. This hike goes to a rock shelter with their rock paintings featuring ochre and charcoal images that depict the Yura Muda (Dreaming, or creation story) of Ikara (Wilpena Pound).

Enjoy spectacular views of the Chace Range at sunset. The rock paintings are best seen in morning light.

The trail includes bridges and regular seating benches. There is interpretive signage at the carpark trailhead.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA

Upper Sturt Gorge River Circuit is a 7.6km, grade 4 Circuit hike located in Sturt Gorge Recreation Park South Australia. The hike should take approximately 3hrs to complete.

Summary

This loop of the upper section of the River Trail in Sturt Gorge Recreation Park. The trail can be adventurous, with many river crossings and some rock scrambling. After rain expect the river to be higher, and the stepping-stones across the eight river crossings may be underwater.

The loop can be walked from Gate 12, on Broadmeadow Drive (opposite house number 106).

The loop takes in the:

An alternative start point could be Horners Bridge, on Coromandel Parade. This is a good spot to access via Adelaide Metro public bus to Bus Stop 37B Coromandel Parade. From Horners Bridge, walk down the River Trail / Wattle Trail. Walking anti-clockwise, continue along the River Trail for another  4.3km until it meets the Parrianna Link Trail, follow this short trail up and out of the gorge. Follow the Lomandra Trail and Wattle Trail back to where you first met the Wattle Trail on the River Trail, and back to Horners Bridge.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA

Filsell Hill Circuit is a 4.7km, grade 4 Circuit hike located in Kenneth Stirling Conservation Park South Australia. The hike should take approximately 3hrs to complete.

Summary

Kenneth Stirling Conservation Park is actually a series of four parks. They were bequeathed by Kenneth Stirling to the people of South Australia, the parks were declared conservation park in 1990. Information about the parks is limited. We’ve featured walks in the two largest parks:

Both parks are predominately remnant native stringybark forest, similar to nearby Mt George Conservation Park. The understorey is a mixture of bracken, ferns and grasses.

The walk detailed below remains in the conservation park and doesn’t enter private property (there are some minor crossings into private property, but there is no signage or gates or fences to note the boundary and it would be reasonable to walk on these short track sections). Please be respectful of private landowners who have permitted this. It isn’t easy to include a loop walk that explores the northern part of the park, but we have included some optional notes to walk to the quarry and return.

Read these directions in conjunction with the map.

You could walk further north along Proberts Track from point 4, but there isn’t an easy way to make it into a loop, so you will need to return along the same route. The fire track on the western boundary, north of point 5, becomes fainter and more overgrown as it heads north. It disappears entirely before reaching the creek.

From the quarry you could walk to Filsell Track. The fire trail to the quarry is easy to follow. The quarry was used to quarry stone for the Adelaide to Lobethal road. There is a plaque here commemorating a worker’s accidental death. After the quarry, the fire track becomes increasingly faint before disappearing. You could make a small loop by continuing to walk by contouring around the hill for a further 150 metres to reach Filsell Track. Looking right (east) the Filsell Track enters private property, there is an old loose wire gate there, and a fence. You could walk left (west) and uphill to the peak of Filsell Hill – it’s steep but manageable. Over the summit, where Filsell Track meets the western boundary, there is a locked gate with commercial vines the other side. It’s easy to remain in the park, to walk downhill (south) along the inside of the fence – but it can be tough going, you can’t walk immediately beside the fence, but can walk parallel to it, returning to the dam you passed earlier. It’s only 250 metres, doable but maybe not pleasant.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA

Alligator Falls Track is a 17km, grade 3 Return hike located in Bowling Green Bay National Park Queensland. The hike should take approximately 6hrs to complete.

Summary

In the Mount Elliot section of this park, Alligator Creek flows through the landscape in a series of cascades, deep pools and waterfalls. The Alligator Falls track starts from the southern end of the Alligator Creek day-use area.

About the region

Bowling Green Bay is a national park in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia, 1,103 km northwest of Brisbane, and 28 km south of Townsville and 59 km north of Ayr. It is a Ramsar Convention listed Site. The park protects diverse range of habitats including the rugged, forested landscape surrounding Mount Elliot and Saddle Mountain as well as coastal estuaries between Cape Cleveland and Cape Bowling Green.

Mount Elliot rises 1,342 m and has numerous creeks on its eastern slopes, of which, Alligator Creek is the most important. The creek is a popular place to swim and to watch birds drinking the creek’s water or feeding on riparian vegetation.

The parks incorporates the floodplains of the Haughton River. This includes one of the largest wetlands on the east coast of Australia. The wetland arose as the coastal streams deposited material into the calm waters of Bowling Green Bay. It is composed of mud and sand flats, swamps, isolated hills, mangrove forests and inter-tidal flats.[3] Behind the areas where mangroves grow are bare salt pan. These wide expanses are a unique characteristic of North Queensland wetlands produced by comparatively low rainfall and a short wet season that never washes the salt away.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Queensland.com

Mia Tappa Circuit is a 2.4km, grade 3 Circuit hike located in Cobbler Creek Recreation Park South Australia. The hike should take approximately 1hrs to complete.

Summary

Mai Tappa means ‘food pathway’ in Kaurna language. The trail reveals aspects of the Kaurna culture including the importance of plants for food, medicine or textiles, and the importance of local animals in Kaurna life.

Download the interpretive Mai Tappa Circuit brochure to take it with you as you walk.

There are numerous shared-use trails within Cobbler Creek Recreation Park to explore, offering different walk lengths. There are some walkers-only and cyclist-only trails.

Dogs on leads are permitted in the park and Cobbler Creek.

Access the park trails via:

Discover the ruins of one of the area’s first European farms. One of the first Europeans to farm the area was William Pedler, a shoemaker whose trade gave rise to the name Cobbler Creek. The ruins of his farmhouse, Trevalsa, can still be seen on the Porosa Hike and the Ruins Loop. Teakles House is another stone ruin, also on the Porosa Hike, the Ruins Loop and the Valley Circuit.

Getting there

• the Smith Road carpark
• carpark at the base of the Grove Way, just up from the Bridge Road intersection
• the Mike Green Trail on Middleton Crescent, Golden Grove
• Valour Court, Golden Grove

History

Discover the ruins of one of the area’s first European farms. One of the first Europeans to farm the area was William Pedler, a shoemaker whose trade gave rise to the name Cobbler Creek. The ruins of his farmhouse, Trevalsa, can still be seen on the Porosa Hike and the Ruins Loop. Teakles House is another stone ruin, also on the Porosa Hike, the Ruins Loop and the Valley Circuit.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA

Stringybark Circuit is a 2.7km, grade 3 Circuit hike located in Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park South Australia. The hike should take approximately 1hrs to complete.

Summary

The Stringybark Hike is a short loop of the eastern part of Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park. The trail wanders through the flora and fauna, including grassy open areas and stringybark trees.

GPX file courtesy of Walking SA. File may not contain elevation data and may only represent half the length on return hikes.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Walking SA