10 National Parks To Add To Your Australia Bucket List
We think it’s safe to say that Australia has some of the best National Parks in the world.
The incredible diversity of landscapes across the country has to be seen to be believed. From ancient red rock formations, to bright blue, white sand beaches and dense tropic rainforests- Australia has it all.
For us personally, we love when we can visit one park and see a variety of sights or do multiple hikes, so that is the main reason the following were a standout for us!
We’ll let you know everything you need to know before visiting including fees, camping options and our personal tips, so let’s get into it!
10. Cape LeGrand National Park, WA
Where is it?
About 47kms east from the town of Esperance, WA
Why we love it:
Just look at the colour of that water, how could you not love it! We had never seen beaches like this before, even the sand is unique- it is so fine it squeaks between your toes!
What to see and do:
Drive onto the beach and spend the day at Lucky Bay - you may even spot some friendly kangaroos!
Wharton Beach - known to be one of the best beaches in Esperance.
Plus so many other beaches to visit - Cape LeGrand Beach, Hellfire & Little Hellfire Bay, Thistle Cove and Duke of Orleans Beach.
If you’re feeling adventurous you should also visit Frenchmans Peak for sunrise! It is a 3km return hike with amazing views over the park and ocean.
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Lucky Bay campground & LeGrand beach campground
Both have toilets and showers
$15 per person, per night (unpowered), booked through the DPAW website.
Book in as early as possible as these campgrounds are usually fully booked well in advance.
- FREE CAMPING -
Dunn Rocks
This is where we stayed, parked up on the beach near the water! It was beautiful (and free) but keep in mind it is quite a far drive from any of the other beaches.
There is one drop toilet and you will most likely need a 4WD to access this spot.
- CARAVAN PARK -
The Duke of Orleans Caravan Park
Check website for pricing (dependant on power, season & number of guests).
Fees:
Most Western Australian National Parks require an entrance fee of around $15 per vehicle.
However if you are planning on spending a decent amount of time in WA we would highly suggest you purchase yourself an annual parks pass from either the DPAW website ($120) or if you are an RAC member you can purchase one for half price ($60).
Our top tips:
Be mindful of the weather! Esperance is known to have fairly unpredictable weather with high wind so plan your beach trips accordingly.
If you are really keen to see the kangaroos at Lucky Bay but can’t seem to spot any, try visiting at either sunrise or sunset- we saw a few start to come out at sunset!
Our top beach - Little Hellfire Bay. Park at the carpark for Hellfire Bay and go for a little walk over to Little Hellfire Bay, we promise you won’t be disappointed, and you may even get it all to yourself!
9. Purnululu National Park (The Bungle Bungles), WA
Where is it? About 300kms south of Kununurra, WA
What you need to know:
Purnululu National Park is only accessible via 4WD due to the corrugated roads.
Before even arriving at the visitor centre, there is a 53km fairly rough road with several water crossings.
The park is also closed between December - April due to wet season.
Why we love it:
As Jack would say, there’s a vibe here. Wandering through these ancient unique rock formations and watching the colours change throughout the day was such a special experience.
Camping options:
- National Park camping -
Walardi campground (south) & Kurranjong campground (north).
Both have drop toilets and there is a generator permitted area at Walardi campground.
$13 per person, per night (unpowered), booked through the DPAW website.
You are not assigned a site when booking, you can choose your own when you get there.
Stop in at the visitor centre before entering the park and they will give you a camping pass to leave on your dash.
- Free camping -
There are two highway rest stops close to the entry of the national park, both have drop toilets & dump points.
These are a good option to save some money on camp fees, but keep in mind the entry
road could take up to two hours of travel time!
- Caravan park -
Bungle Bungle Caravan Park
$50 per night, powered
This caravan park is also on the highway side of the park and will require a long drive to the walking trails!
Hiking options:
- Northern walks -
Echidna Chasm (2km return)
Mini Palms trail (4.4km return)
- Southern walks -
The Domes (700m loop)
Cathedral Gorge (2km return)
Piccaninny Creek Lookout - (2.8km return)
The Window (6km return)
Whip Snake Gorge (10km return)
Piccaninny Gorge Trek (overnight, 20km return)
Our top tips:
Make sure you visit Echidna Chasm between 11am and midday to see that amazing glow of the rocks!
Visit one (or both) of the lookout areas for sunset and watch the rocks change colour as the sky does.
Be aware of the heat! Make sure you have plenty of water and opt for more shaded walks if you are going in the middle of the day- Cathedral Gorge is a fairly shaded one!
There is also a variety of tours you can book at Purnululu, including helicopter tours flying over the domes (which is definitely on our bucket list for the next time we visit!)
8. Border Ranges National Park, NSW
Where is it?
About 39kms north of the town of Kyogle, NSW. Right next to the QLD border.
Why we love it:
There is such a huge variety of walks and hikes to do! It’s also so interesting to see all the different rainforest climates in the one area.
What to see and do:
Make sure you go for a couple of the walks this national park has to offer!
Brushbox falls was an absolute highlight for us, and is only a 2km walk from the Sheepstation campground.
There are also a few lookout points with a picnic area the Border Loop lookout.
We would also recommend the Helmholtzia Loop (1km) if you want to feel like you are in the middle of Jurassic Park (kinda).
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Sheepstation Creek campground
$12 per person, per night, booked through the NSW Nationals Parks website.
Sites are large with picnic tables and fire pits, there are also drop toilets-but be on the look out for spiders, we saw a MASSIVE huntsman in there.
Forest Tops campground (walk-in camping, tents only)
$12 per person, per night, booked through the NSW Nationals Parks website.
Drop toilets, picnic tables and barbecue facilities available.
- CARAVAN PARK -
Rainforest Gateway Campground
$15 per person, per night unpowered.
A good option if you want a shower and flushing toilet for the night! Only about 10kms from Brushbox Falls.
Fees:
$8 per vehicle entry fee into the National Park.
Our top tips:
We would highly recommend spending at least one night at the Sheepstation Creek campground! The whole campground is beautiful with towering trees and an abundance of bird life.
You can watch the vlog of our time in the Border Ranges here.
8. Great Otway National Park, VIC
(we had to tie eighth place because we are way too indecisive)
Why we love it:
The Great Otway National Park was our first ever rainforest experience and it really blew us away. We had never seen dense, deep green plant life or experienced the climate before so it will always be a special place for us!
What to see and do:
Take a walk through the California Redwoods plantation and have a picnic there!
Venture down to the base of the beautiful Hopetoun falls- it really feels like something from a fairytale. There are 200 steps to the base so wear some better footwear than Megan did (ugg boots were not a good choice).
Wander through Maits Rest rainforest walk, weaving through ancient trees and under giant fern leaves.
Camping options:
- FREE CAMPING -
Aire Crossing
This is where we stayed, it really feels like you are immersed in the middle of the rainforest.
There is a long drop toilet a short walk from the campsites and a beautiful river flowing nearby.
There are only about 4 campsites so perhaps think about getting in early, however we did have the entire place to ourselves when we stayed.
- CARAVAN PARK -
Bimbi Park
Check website for pricing (dependant on power, season & number of guests).
Our top tips:
We’d definitely recommend spending the night at Aire Crossing campground- to this day it is one of our favourite and one of the most peaceful free camps we have ever stayed at!
Also, spot some koalas just hanging out on the side of the road! Check wikicamps for the coordinates.
7. Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park, QLD
Where is it?
About 325km north-west of Mount Isa, QLD
Why we love it:
The first word that comes to mind when we think of Boodjamulla is OASIS. The combination of red rocks, dense palm trees and bright water is like nowhere else.
What to see and do:
Hire a canoe and paddle through the towering gorge - try to book in as early as possible with this as it is very popular (we couldn’t manage to snag one).
Watch the sunrise from the Constance Range lookout. It is a 3.7km return walk but is well worth the early wake up!
Go for a swim at Indarri Falls (1.5km walk) and lookout over the gorge from the upper gorge lookout (3.6 km walk one way).
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Boodjamulla campground
$6.75 per person, per night booked through the QLD parks & forests website.
This would be our recommendation if you can get a spot! We weren’t organised enough unfortunately.
This campground is right next to all the walking trails and has toilets and showers.
- CARAVAN PARK -
Adels Grove
$40 per night, unpowered
Here you have access to a bar and restaurant, a swimming area/water hole for guest use only, laundry, flushing toilets and cold to lukewarm showers.
Our top tips:
Be more organised than we were, get a canoe booked as soon as you arrive.
Take a pool noodle down to Indarri Falls to spend the day.
You can watch our vlog of our adventure through Boodjamulla here.
6. The Daintree Rainforest, QLD
Cape Tribulation
Where is it?
About 124kms north of Cairns, QLD
Why we love it:
The Daintree is just iconic- it is the largest rainforest in Australia and the oldest rainforest in the WORLD! Also Sir David Attenborough once said it was his favourite place on Earth so you can’t argue with the legend himself!
This National Park is also incredibly easy to navigate as it is just one road that you follow the whole way through.
What to see and do:
Take a croc tour along the Daintree River to see the big boys in their natural habitat.
Spend the day at Cape Tribulation beach. Being from WA we know we are spoiled for beaches but this one was up there as one of the most beautiful beaches we had ever seen!
Take a walk through the rainforest on the Marrdja Boardwalk- there have also been cassowaries sighted here.
Visit Mason’s swimming hole for a refreshing croc safe swim (gold coin donation).
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Noah Beach campground
$6.75 per person, per night booked through the QLD parks & forests website.
Drop toilets available and the campsite is walking distance to yet another stunning beach - remember where you are though, we wouldn’t recommend swimming with the crocodiles and stinging jellyfish.
- CARAVAN PARKS -
Cape Tribulation Camping
$22 per person, per night unpowered
There are 3 other caravan parks to choose from in the Daintree however this one has the best reviews!
Fees:
There are no entrance fees into the national park however you will need to take a barge across the river to enter from the south!
$14 one way or $26 return
Our top tips:
Visit the Daintree Icecream Company! All ice cream is made with exotic fruits grown on site and tastes amazing!
Stop in to the Alexandra lookout for an incredible view over the rainforest and ocean. Also pull over and have a look at Struck Island when you see it from the road!
You can watch the vlog of our adventures through the Daintree here.
5. Paluma Range National Park, QLD
Where is it?
About 78kms north of Townsville, QLD
Why we love it:
As we’ve said before, we love being able to do and see a variety of things in one National Park, and Paluma Range has it all- hikes, lookouts, swimming holes and a really beautiful campground.
What to see and do:
Go for a slide down the natural rock slides at Big Crystal Creek.
Take a refreshing dip at the fittingly named Paradise Pool.
Head up to the lookout points and visit Little Crystal Creek along the way.
Camping options:
Big Crystal Creek campground (unpowered)
$6.75 per person, per night booked through the QLD parks & forests website.
Access to flushing toilets, cold showers and fire pits in every campsite.
It is also walking distance to Paradise Pool.
Our top tips:
We could have easily spent the whole day at Big Crystal Creek! As well as the rock slides, there are also multiple pools to swim in.
You can watch the vlog of our time in Paluma Range here.
4. Cape Range National Park, WA
Where is it?
About 75kms from Exmouth, WA.
Why we love it:
For the snorkelling! It is so easy to see how the snorkelling here is known to rival the Great Barrier Reef. There is such a huge abundance of underwater life!
What to see and do:
Drive your 4WD onto Mesa beach to spend the day relaxing.
Snorkel in what feels like a life size aquarium at Oyster Stacks.
Turquoise Bay and Osprey Bay are also a beautiful beaches to spend the day.
Go for a hike around Mandu Mandu gorge for epic views of the National Park.
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
There are eight different National Park campgrounds in Cape Range.
All cost $11 per person, per night booked through the DPAW website.
All are unpowered with access to drop toilets.
Our personal favourite campgrounds are Mesa & North Mandu campground.
- CARAVAN PARKS -
Yardie Homestead Caravan Park
Check website for pricing (dependant on power & season).
Fees:
Again, being a WA National Park there is an entrance fee of $15 per vehicle- or just use your annual parks pass.
Our top tips:
Make sure you check the tide times before heading to Oyster Stacks. You are only permitted to snorkel at high tide, above 1.2m.
If you are turtle obsessed like us, head over to the turtle resting area to see hundreds of turtles floating just off the shore (and some mating haha). This is also best seen at high tide as more turtles come in!
There is also a couple of chilled out turtle dudes floating around Osprey Bay so make sure you grab your snorkel gear out of the car there!
You can watch our vlog of our adventure through Cape Range here.
3. Litchfield National Park, NT
Tjaynera Falls
Where is it?
About 120kms south of Darwin, NT.
Why we love it:
There is nowhere else in Australia you can visit this many waterfalls in the one area!
The whole park is also so easily accessible, with 4WD only required for a couple of places.
What to see and do:
Swim at all of the waterfalls! Florence Falls, Buley Rockholes and Wangi Falls are all open for swimming.
You can also swim at Tjaynera Falls/Sandy Creek (pictured), however this one requires a 4WD to access.
Visit The Lost City, a collection of huge sandstone formations that have eroded over the years to look like the remains of an ancient civilisation (also requires 4WD to access).
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Wangi Falls, Florence Falls & Tjanera Falls (Sandy Creek) Campgrounds
Cash only- $10 per person, per night.
There is a 2WD camp and a 4WD camp at Florence Falls, Wangi Falls is 2WD accessible.
Tjaynera Falls/Sandy Creek requires a high clearance 4WD to access and possibly a snorkel due to a fairly deep water crossing (dependant on the season).
There are flushing toilets and cold showers at all campgrounds.
- CARAVAN PARKS -
Zebra Stone Litchfield
$10 per person, per night unpowered
Flushing toilets, showers, gallery and cafe.
Our top tips:
This might seem like an obvious thing to say, but it gets HOT. Plan your days accordingly and maybe spend the hottest part of the day cooling off under a waterfall.
Make sure you pack a pool noodle for a relaxing day!
Try the scones at Zebra Stone, they are delicious!
2. Karijini National Park, WA
Fortescue Falls
Where is it?
In the Pilbara region of WA.
Why we love it:
Karijini will always hold a special place in our hearts as it was the first place we ever visited in our Troopy.
However re visiting a year later was just as special, if not better.
Similar to Purnululu, there is a spiritual feeling within the park- being surrounded by ancient rock formations and lush greenery.
Hikes:
There is so many different walking trails for a range of fitness levels at Karijini.
If you’re not big on walking you are still able to visit all of the lookouts, at most they are a 400m walk from the carpark.
Dales Gorge walks (2kms return) - There are two walks following the upper rim of the gorge or the base of the gorge.
Weano Gorge walks (1km return) - Same as Dales Gorge, one upper and one lower walk. You can also continue onto Handrail Pool from the Lower Gorge walk.
Fortescue Falls (800m) - You need to go down a set of metal stairs and navigate rock steps to access the water (pictured below).
Fern Pool - Just a further 300m walk from Fortescue Falls.
Knox Gorge (2kms return) - One of the more challenging walks in the park with some loose rocky ground.
Joffre Falls (3kms return) - The park has recently added ladders to this hike so there is no crazy rock scrambling on the way down however the rocks are very slippery beside the water.
Hancock Gorge (1.5km return) - Definitely the most adventurous hike in the park! Walk through chest deep water and over slippery rocks to reach the beautiful Kermits Pool.
Kalamina Gorge (3kms return) - Not too challenging but can get very hot there in the middle of the day!
Hamersley Gorge (1km) - While this is a short walk, it does involve climbing over rocks and either balancing along the narrow ridge or swimming across the water to reach the famous ‘grotto’ (pictured below).
Mount Bruce Summit (9kms return) - The most challenging hike Karijini has to offer, best done at sunrise before it gets too hot.
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
Dales campground
$11 per person, per night booked through the DPAW website.
Drop toilets and dump point- also walking distance to Fortescue Falls/Fern Pool/Dales Gorge walks.
- CARAVAN PARKS -
Karijini Eco Retreat
$22 per person, per night, booked through the Eco Retreat website.
Flushing toilets, drinking water, hot showers, bbq and picnic tables- also and a bar and restaurant!
- FREE CAMPING -
Buddhas Overnighter (look up coordinates on Wikicamps)
Utilise this free camp to visit Hamersley Gorge!
Fees:
$15 per vehicle entrance fee into the park, or use an annual parks pass.
Our top tips:
A lot of the roads around Karijini are corrugated so 4WD is recommended!
We would recommend camping at all three campgrounds that we've listed here to minimise driving from walks/waterfalls back to your campsite. Check out our Karijini itinerary post to see what we mean by this.
Fern Pool is a must visit! This perfect oasis is our favourite waterhole in all of Australia. Get down early in the morning to experience the real magic of this place.
Once again, a pool noodle doesn't hurt!
You can watch our adventures through Karijini National Park here (part one) and here (part two).
K’gari (Fraser Island), QLD
Central Station campground
Where is it?
Off the coast of Inskip Point/Rainbow Beach, QLD.
Why we love it:
Surely this is the best beach camping in the world?! K’gari means paradise and it’s easy to see why!
We also love the diversity of the island- one minute you’re on a perfect white sand beach, the next you are in the middle of a lush tropical rainforest.
What to see and do:
Go for a float down Eli Creek, pretty much a lazy river that floats all the way to the beach!
Relax in the Champagne Pools - Frasers natural jacuzzi!
Visit Lake McKenzie - Probably the most popular location on the island, the blue tones of this lake need to be seen to be believed.
Check out Maheno shipwreck.
Tackle the notorious Ngkala Rocks bypass to venture up to Sandy Cape.
Camping options:
- NATIONAL PARK CAMPING -
There is a huge selection of National Park campgrounds on Fraser.
All are $6.75 per person, per night booked through the QLD parks & forests website.
Our top picks would be Awinya Creek & Sandy Cape.
If you require toilet/shower facilities you will need to book in to either the Central Station, Dundubara or Waddy Point campgrounds. All other campgrounds have no facilities.
- CARAVAN PARKS -
Cathedrals on Fraser & Dilli Village
Fees:
Barge fees - $130 return for one vehicle, from Inskip Point.
Our top tips:
The island is massive! -Well, a lot bigger than we were expecting anyway. Make sure you plan for long driving distances between each side of the island.
Tide times play a huge role in navigating the island, both Eli Creek and Awinya Creek are impassable at high tide.
Pack a floatie for Eli Creek and Lake McKenzie, and visit early in the day to beat the crowds.
LET YOUR TYRES DOWN!
You can watch our vlogs of our time on Fraser Island here (part one) and here (part two).
