Bucket list unlocked: Get to know the iconic Queensland Great Walks
List
By Ben Southall
Thorsborne Trail | Cooloola | Gold Coast Hinterland | Sunshine Coast Hinterland | K'gari | Mackay Highlands | Conway Circuit | Carnarvon Gorge | Mt Bartle Frere
You don’t need to be an extreme rambler or professional trail runner to enjoy the secluded tracks and multi-day trails that criss-cross the national parks of this incredible country. Many of the great walks of Australia offer unparalleled access to some unimaginable natural scenery—and many of them are right here in Queensland.
These iconic walks provide visitors with new and exciting ways to explore the state's natural areas, and there's a Queensland Great Walk for every kind of avid adventurer.
Plan your next amble with our guide to the best multi-day Great Walks in Queensland.
1. Thorsborne Trail
Thorsborne Trail, Hinchinbrook Island, Townsville
Please note: The trail is often fully booked out months in advance, so plan to purchase your permit with plenty of time to avoid disappointment.
The Thorsborne Trail is one of the Great Walks of Australia that will stay with you long after you get home. Boasting some of the most unspoilt and unique landscapes on Earth, this five-day mega hike's Jurrasic Park-style trail encompasses rugged mountain summits, dense tropical rainforest, pristine tropical beaches, and remote, untouched bush camps. And then you get to Zoe Bay.
Gaze out across blissful natural rock pools to a steep waterfall and towards a long, sweeping sandy bay in the distance. This Queensland great walk is remotely situated on Hinchinbrook Island National Park just off the Cassowary Coast in northern Queensland. Access to Hinchinbrook Island is by boat from Lucinda or Port Hinchinbrook and, while few visit this remote part of the world, those who do remember it forever.
You’ll need to be fully self-sufficient and book well in advance—this tiny piece of paradise only allows up to 40 on Hinchinbrook Island at any one time. Here's what to pack for your walk.
Duration: 32 km. The hike should take around 4-5 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 5: Extreme
Best time of year: May to November
2. Cooloola Great Walk
Carlo Sandblow, Rainbow Beach, Sunshine Coast
Just a couple of hours north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast you’ll find another of Queensland Great Walks. Stretching from Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach, the 102km trek of Cooloola Great Walk meanders sandy beaches, coastal woodland, hidden lakes and ancient sand blows north of Noosa.
Wander through the remote sand dunes around the upper Noosa River, watch the migrating whales as they pass Double Island Point lighthouse, and marvel at the other-worldly Carlo Sandblow, before arriving at Rainbow Beach where thousands of travellers make the jump across to K'gari (Fraser Island) every year.
Duration: 102 km. The hike should take around 5 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: Year-round
3. Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk
Twin Falls, Springbrook National Park, Gold Coast
The rainforest-clad hills and steep escarpments of Lamington and Springbrook national parks feel a million miles away from the busy coastal lifestyle of the Gold Coast.
The Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk is one of the most majestic Great walks of Australia, winding 54km through UNESCO World-Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests, through some outstanding natural landscapes found nowhere else on Earth. Beginning in the lush rainforest surrounds of O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat, past Binna Burra campground and onto the breathtaking Nerang Creek and Purling Brook Falls, the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk also includes traversing the rim of 23 million-year-old (and dormant) Tweed Volcano.
You can also expect to see some incredible flora and fauna along the way; possums, sugar gliders, tree frogs, cockatoos and lyrebirds are all spotted here. In summer it’s a great retreat from the heat, but in winter you’ll need your thermals in the morning.
Duration: 54 km. The hike should take around 3 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: Year-round
Explore with a little help from the experts: AusWalk Walking Holidays takes all the planning out of your trip so you can focus on the experience. You'll only need to carry a day pack, with meals and comfortable accommodation provided along the way.
4. Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk
Kondalilla Falls, Kondalilla National Park, Sunshine Coast
The spectacular Blackall Range lies just north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland – an undulating mountain range of sub-tropical rainforest, tall eucalypt forest, bubbling creeks and waterfalls.
Take four days to slowly meander along the 58km Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, staying at remote bush camps along the way. If you’re a self-proclaimed weekend warrior, there are half and full-day hiking options here too, including waterfall walks accessible from Montville or Mapleton.
Duration: 58.8 km. The hike should take around 4 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: Year-round
5. K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) Great Walk
Central Station, K’gari, Fraser Coast
Many people experience K'gari, the world's largest sand island, via 4WD as they drive along the infinite 75 Mile beach, but if you've got the time and inclination to explore K'gari on foot, you’ll uncover even more of this UNESCO World-Heritage-listed island's secrets.
Part of Great Sandy National Park, K'gari boasts over 100 freshwater lakes, crystal-clear rockpools, ancient forests, hidden beaches and numerous campsites, and there’s always somewhere to stop, set up camp and take in the marvellous views. On foot, you’re also likely to see the island's dingos as you meander untouched sand dunes, rainforests and mangroves.
The entire 90km Great Walk takes between six and eight days to complete, but there’s much shorter half or full-day wanders through the World Heritage-listed wilderness on offer, too. Follow traditional Butchulla pathways beneath towering rainforests, past crystal clear lakes and over vast sand dunes, and discover the island's history along the way.
Duration: 90 km. The hike should take around 8 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: Year-round
Explore with a little help from the experts: K'gari Walking Tours is K'gari's only supported hiking company, with permits to support hikers along the Great Walk track system and walkers camps. There are hiking packages for the adventurous and those who want a little luxury, with options to tackle the whole distance or head out on a shorter trip.
6. Mackay Highlands Great Walk
Finch Hatton Gorge, Eungella National Park, Mackay
Looking through the towering trees, across dramatic cliffs to the sugarcane plantations and ocean on the horizon, it’s easy to understand why hikers from all over the world travel to experience this incredible Queensland Great Walk.
A one-way track that starts 80km west of Mackay in Eungella National Park, Mackay Highlands Great Walk is one of Queensland’s most ecologically diverse regions, traversing through towering red cedar, Mackay tulip oak, groves of piccabeen and Alexandra palms, navigate waterfalls and volcanic boulder formations—even Mackay's famous sugar cane fields as you head through The Pioneer Valley.
Trekking along the top of the Great Dividing Range, this is one of most unique Great Walks of Australia, and is perfect for beginners as much of the trail is flat. While you're here, take a detour and head to Eungella National Park, home of the shy and retiring platypus.
In case you need more convincing to lace up your boots, check out these hikes and drives and this local guide to Mackay’s great outdoors.
Duration: 66 km. The hike should take around 3-5 days to complete.
Classification: While it is considered a grade 5 (extreme) track, the first two sections are relatively flat and semi-graded, making this section an excellent introductory walk for first-timers with a good level of fitness.
Best time of year: May to November
7. Conway Circuit (formerly Whitsunday Great Walk)
Cedar Creek Falls, Conway National Park, The Whitsundays
Some run it in a few hours (there’s an annual Run the Great Whitsunday Trail), others plod the 25km over a few days, stopping at campgrounds along the way. Whichever way you choose to traverse Conway National Park, be prepared for some serious elevation change.
You’ll take away memories of dangling vines, scampering rock wallabies and the glorious fluorescent blue Ulysses butterfly—such a unique way to see a side of the Whitsundays that very few other travellers experience. Leaving from Airlie Beach, be sure to detour to Honeyeater Lookout for spectacular coastal views.
Duration: 27.1 km one-way. The hike should take around 3 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: May to November
8. Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk
Carnarvon Gorge, Carnarvon National Park, Queensland Country
For serious hikers, the Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk is the ultimate Queensland Country hiking challenge, full of tough terrain and difficult trails hidden deep inland. Comprising Carnarvon National Park and its namesake emerald green gorge, Carnarvon Gorge, as well as Mount Moffat sections of this vast national park, the 87km Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk will take you six to seven days to adequately tackle.
Australia's very own Grand Canyon, this particular great walk boasts an impressive cultural history, too; home to a number of significant Indigenous sites including the Art Gallery, Big Bend, Wards Canyon, Cathedral Cave, the Amphitheatre and the Moss Garden.
Want to experience Carnarvon Gorge at a more leisurely pace? Check out our guide for tips on the region's shorter walks and hikes, including multiple trails that can be easily crossed off in a day.
Duration: 87 km loop. The hike should take around 6 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 4: Difficult
Best time of year: Year round, though summer months see the temperatures soar here.
Explore with a little help from the experts: Carnarvon Gorge Eco Tours offers expert-led hikes to the park's main attractions, day trips off the beaten track to explore Carnarvon's quieter side, and wildlife spotting on a night safari.
9. Mt Bartle Frere
Mt Bartle Frere, Wooroonooran National Park, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
At an imposing 1622 metres above sea level, be prepared to climb and climb, then climb some more to reach the summit of Queensland's tallest mountain, Mt Bartle Frere. Hidden in the depths of Wooroonooran National Park, part of the prehistoric Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, the Bartle Frere Trail is one of the most fiercely challenging Great Walks of Australia. It's also one of the most tranquil and most beautiful.
Navigating rocks, and mossy tree roots, the Bartle Frere trail cuts its way through thick rainforest, low-hanging vines and the ever-present humidity this far north. The full walk can take up to two days, though it can be done in one, with trail goers required to be fully self-sufficient and well-prepared for the terrain.
Putting all of that aside, as the canopy thins, you arrive at what has to be one of the country's most remote and wonderful campsites; a steel platform with 360° views to the Atherton Tablelands one way, and the Great Barrier Reef the other atop Mt Bartle Frere.
There are only four campsites along the Bartle Frere trail, that allow a maximum of eight people at a time, so be sure to book well in advance and check the trail conditions before heading out.
Duration: 15km. The hike should take around 2 days to complete.
Classification: Grade 5: Difficult
Best time of year: April to September
Need to know:
Pre-booking campsites is essential for any multi-day walks. They’re popular places and ensuring you have the right permits and paperwork can save a lot of time (and stress) on the day. To find out more and to check the latest track and campsite updates, visit the Department of National Parks website.
For your next unique outdoor experience, check out the best remote island camping in Queensland.
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