Australia may be a massive country with as many amazing adventure spots as there are people. But below, is my favourite two outdoor adventure spots that I reckon take the cake for being the most exciting and stunning
4WD Touring: Snowy River National Park
From hard off-road paths to riverside camping and great bushwalking tracks, Snowy River NP has everything.
A brief but oh so sweet High Country encounter is your best way to describe this four-day experience in Snowy River NP. It’s everything: with hard off-roading that will require 4wd accessories to cross the rocky Deddick Trail; a few of the greatest riverside campsites you’ll discover in Oz (Little River Junction camping area is amazing); some fantastic bushwalking tracks; also, if you are eager, the opportunity to encounter one of this nation’s most famous lakes.
Snowy River NP is readily obtained from the north (Jindabyne, NSW) or the south (Buchan) and, even if you’re in a rush, you could probably induce the Deddick in 1 day, however to do this is a disservice to the park’s numerous other attractions. Even the Deddick Trail leaves out of McKillops Bridge and can be tough; needing an ecb nudge bar or other bull bar to get through certain bits. There’s also exceptionally steep segments which are frequently heavily rutted and, even if there’s not been much recent rainfall, very slippery, so it is going to test your driving along with your car’s grip aids (and retrieval points should you get stuck!) . The benefits would be the wonderful high-country terrain along with the terrific views after the Deddick gains elevation. (Notice: that the Deddick Trail is closed between June to October.
This track isn’t the only way to traverse the park; you can select to handle a little section of the Deddick south of McKillops Bridge and then flip on Bowen Flat Road and then Monkey Top Road, looping around to Yalmy Road prior to making your way into the beachfront area in Raymond Falls.
To reach Jacksons Crossing, you need to take the Gelantipy Road, which will feed into the western side of this national park, before turning into Running Creek Track. Instead, Jacksons Crossing could be reached from Raymond Falls into the south, through a streak of fire paths.
Canoeing the McKillops Bridge into Balley Hooley part of The Snowy River is a must-see encounter; even though the river is much stronger than its pre-dam days, the current increasing of water amounts from the Snowy Hydro Scheme has made the paddle a more daring one. It is possible to camp on the sandy banks of this river, or intend to meet your own 4WD-based car seat heater loving companions in Jacksons Crossing or alternative vehicle-accessed camping areas on the way. For bushwalkers, the Snowy River Trail is well worth mining, and the considerably shorter stroll into Little River Gorge (Victoria’s deepest), only off Bonang-Gelantipy Road, is a must-do.
Family camping: The Murray River
Recommend: All year
Australia’s longest navigable river runs through three States, from NSW and throughout Victoria before flowing into the Southern Ocean in South Australia. The Victorian segment is enormously popular with campers and outdoor enthusiasts for several reasons: the quantity of free (and paid) campsites across the river means regardless of where you visit, it rarely feels cramped; the water activities available (canoeing and proximity to water skiing or riding on a historic paddle steamer); the fishing (1500km of shore between Wodonga and the South Oz boundary, in accordance with Parks Vic — remember to also buy a fishing permit); swimming at a few of the lake’s beaches nearby Albury-Wodonga; and each of the on-ground activities encompassing it (walking, MTB, cycle touring, etc.). Insert the easy entry, and you’ve got the perfect a family camping destination.
The Murray River meanders through a selection of landscapes as it makes its way throughout Victoria. In the alpine areas of the Upper Murray (one of our favorite areas of the river) into the more spacious and arid Mallee area around Mildura, camping at several locations along the Murray is a wonderful way to view the river and its environs shift — and also the way the river creates such a massive portion of every area you camp in. The absolute variety of national parks and state parks which encircle the mighty waterway permit for a number of campsites; the Upper Murray is a brilliant kick-off tip for any camping road trip across the river, together with the campsites in Jingellic Bend (obtained via Shelley Road, from the Murray Valley Highway), Bullock Flat and Burrowye Bend offering a more distant texture. These campsites are rather popular chiefly because they give excellent put-in points for canoes/kayaks, but accommodate easy access meaning you’re not going to damage the automotive leather of your beamer or bog your station wagon.
The Kurrajongs (from the northern part of Mount Lawson State Park — a playground which also provides a lot of hikes and bush-based camping) is a huge campsite further west of Burrowye Bend on the lake which has comparable watercraft attractions, and more amenities.
If you take prepared meals and venture slightly farther west to Mount Granya State Park you do not just have a great riverside campsite at Cotton Tree Creek, but also accessibility to the 10.4km-return increase that contributes to the peak of Mount Granya, through quite Granya Falls. Proceed to Albury and you also begin to access a number of the Murray’s famous beaches — and get the opportunity to restock camp provisions from the supermarkets there– prior to after the river farther on its westward journey.
The area centred around Mildura is my second favorite Murray River destination; the absolute range of activities available here, in addition to the trendy camping and abundance of wildlife and birdlife, imply that you could easily spend two weeks simply ambling from campsite to campsite. The reservations encompassing this famous inland town come under the collective of the Murray River Parklands and, though largely day-use locations, make for the ideal excuse to handle some town-based camping as you research them. The reservations offer you excellent fishing and paddling with Murray Cod and Golden Perch are located here — but be conscious of catch limits and also have your fishing permit as this isn’t some Melbourne fresh food store where you take whatever you want, with so many Carp in the region these native species need to be protected.
Venture farther west after the Murray and also you will Go through the remarkable Mallee region of Victoria — its own deserts and open spaces are a huge contrast to the rugged, heavily timbered mountains of the Upper Murray seen and the commencement of your Murray camping trip. Together with the broad river surrounded by enormous river red gums, little islands dotting the river itself, and The opportunity to experience a genuine outback sunset, finishing off your Murray River Camping experience with a couple nights camping at a few of the national parks here — Hatta-Kulkyne and Murray-Sunset are must-stays — are the perfect end to this significant camping experience.