Twelve parks that together tell the story of the continent — desert, reef, rainforest and alpine — and the season each one rewards most.
Australia protects more than 500 national parks, and they hold the best of what the continent does: the oldest rainforests, the reddest deserts, gorges carved over two billion years, and coastlines that stop you mid-sentence. This is a starting twelve — a spread across every state and territory and every landscape type.
Many of these parks are jointly managed with their Traditional Owners, and several ask visitors to respect specific cultural protocols. We've noted where that matters. Check park websites for fees, permits and seasonal closures before you go, and carry more water than you think you need.
The spiritual heart of the continent: a vast sandstone monolith and the domes of Kata Tjuta rising from the desert, jointly managed with the Anangu Traditional Owners. Walk the base circuit at dawn, when the rock glows and the crowds are thin.
Climbing Uluru is closed out of respect for its sacred significance — and the walks around it are far more rewarding anyway.
Australia's largest national park, a World Heritage area for both nature and culture, with 20,000-year-old rock art at Ubirr and Nourlangie, monsoon wetlands teeming with birds and crocodiles, and the Jim Jim and Twin Falls.
The Bininj and Mungguy peoples have lived here for tens of thousands of years. The dry season (May–October) is the easiest time to explore by road.
Ancient Wet Tropics rainforest meeting the Great Barrier Reef at Cape Tribulation — the only place on Earth two World Heritage areas adjoin. Boardwalks, river cruises and the chance to glimpse a cassowary.
North of the Daintree River by ferry from Cairns; some tracks need a 4WD beyond Cape Trib.
Pink-granite peaks, the perfect curve of Wineglass Bay, and quiet coastal walks on Tasmania's east coast. The Hazards lookout is a steady climb; longer circuits reach the sand and the wilder southern beaches.
Mild and walkable year-round, with summer best for swimming and autumn for soft light and solitude.
The jagged spires of Cradle Mountain reflected in Dove Lake, alpine moorland, wombats grazing at dusk, and the start of the celebrated six-day Overland Track. The Dove Lake circuit is an accessible taste of it all.
Weather changes fast here — come prepared for four seasons in a day, even in summer.
A vast plateau of eucalypt-hazed valleys, sandstone cliffs and the Three Sisters rock formation, all within day-trip range of Sydney. Clifftop lookouts, the Giant Stairway and the National Pass cliff walk are the highlights.
The eponymous blue haze comes from oils released by the forests of eucalypts below.
Rugged sandstone ranges rising from the Victorian plains, with the Pinnacle lookout, MacKenzie Falls, abundant wildlife and some of the richest Aboriginal rock art in south-eastern Australia.
Known as Gariwerd to its Traditional Owners. Spring brings wildflowers; autumn brings cool, clear walking weather.
The ancient amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound and rust-red ranges that glow at sunrise and sunset, in South Australia's outback. Emus, kangaroos and yellow-footed rock-wallabies are common, and the night skies are extraordinary.
Cooler months (April–October) are far more comfortable for walking and touring.
Deep, narrow gorges carved into two-billion-year-old rock in WA's Pilbara, with spring-fed pools, tiered waterfalls and tight chasms you scramble and swim through. Hancock and Hamersley gorges are unforgettable.
Remote and rugged — visit in the cooler dry season, carry plenty of water and respect the gorge difficulty ratings.
The orange-and-black banded sandstone domes of the Bungle Bungle Range, a World Heritage landscape in the remote Kimberley, hidden from the wider world until the 1980s. Walk into Cathedral Gorge and the narrow Echidna Chasm.
Access is by rough 4WD track or scenic flight, in the dry season only.
The world's second-oldest national park, on Sydney's southern edge, with the spectacular two-day Coast Track, the Figure Eight Pools, hidden beaches and wildflower heath.
An easy escape from the city — but check tide times before attempting the Figure Eight Pools, which are only safe at low tide.
Ancient Gondwana rainforest in the Scenic Rim, with waterfall walks, the canopy Tree Top Walk and some of the best subtropical birdwatching in the country, all within reach of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
See our Scenic Rim guide for tracks, access and guided tours.
From the Scenic Rim's Gondwana rainforest to Queensland's far north, Cooee Tours runs guided national-park touring — we handle the access, the permits and the long drives.
Browse Queensland park toursThere's no single answer — Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu are the cultural and natural icons, the Daintree holds the oldest rainforest, and Cradle Mountain and Freycinet are Tasmania's showpieces. The best one depends on the landscape you most want to experience.
It varies by state and park. Some charge a daily vehicle or entry fee, some require a parks pass, and a few (like Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Purnululu) have specific permits or access rules. Always check the relevant park authority's website before you go.
Northern and outback parks (Kakadu, Karijini, Purnululu, Flinders Ranges) are best in the cooler, drier months from roughly April to October. Southern and alpine parks are often best in spring through autumn, with summer suiting swimming and coastal walks.
Lamington and the wider Scenic Rim parks are within easy reach of Brisbane and the Gold Coast — see our Scenic Rim guide for tracks, access and guided day tours.
No. Climbing Uluru was permanently closed in 2019 out of respect for its deep cultural and spiritual significance to the Anangu Traditional Owners. The base walk and cultural tours are the recommended ways to experience it.
Cooee Tours acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise that the places described here hold deep cultural significance for the First Peoples who have cared for them for tens of thousands of years.