12 Best National Parks in Australia: Embrace Nature’s Beauty

Australia is a vast country with a diverse climate and landmarks. Even though it covers a whole continent, with some small islands, the country is among the least populated countries in the world. For those reasons, these best national parks in Australia are just a few of many national parks that you should visit at least once.

Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park

Right in the middle of the continent of Australia lies Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park. The national park in Northern Territory is the home of the world-famous gigantic stone, Uluru, formerly Ayers Rock. It is higher than the Eiffel Tower at 348 meters tall and as wide as 9.4 kilometers in circumference.

Nearby, the 36 domes of the Olgas, called Kata Tjuta, cover almost five thousand acres of land. Its tallest dome rises 546 meters above land. It is not as famous as Uluru, but both become the main parts of one national park.

Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park is best to be enjoyed for its beautiful scenery, especially during sunrise and sunset. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are some favorite objects for photographers. Other than that, the national park is also great for adventures, birdwatching, and cultural activities.

Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park is in the northern part of Australia’s Northern Territory, east of the city of Darwin. Covering almost 20,000 kilometers of area, it is one of the largest national parks in the country and has a huge biological and ecological diversity.

Several activities that cannot be missed when visiting Kakadu National Park are cultural activities, bird and wildlife watching, swimming, or just enjoying the beauty of some waterfalls.

Blue Mountains National Park

Situated close to Australia’s most well-known city, Sydney, Blue Mountains National Park is a popular tourist destination in New South Wales. The national park is famous for the unique rock formation of the Three Sisters in one of its areas, Katoomba.

Visitors can enjoy the clear air with cool and relaxing temperatures in Blue Mountains National Park. Further, visitors can also find some wildlife there, and a national park is also a great place for exercise and education.

Munga-Thirri National Park

Queensland’s largest national park, Munga-Thirri National Park, which covers 10,120 square kilometers, is located near the state’s western border. It is a desert featuring large dunes with a height variation of ten to 35 meters.

The main track, the QAA Line, is for tourists to pass with their 4WD vehicles through Munga-Thirri National Park. Tourists can camp without going farther than 500 meters from the track for safety. Beware of the temperature that can be freezing in winter and scorching during summer.

Daintree National Park

Daintree National Park is a tropical rainforest in the northern part of Queensland. The name is from the Daintree River, which divides the national park. Tourists can walk or swim at Mossman Gorge south of the river. Across the river, however, many rare animal species like cassowary can be found

Kosciuszko National Park

The highest peak of Australia’s mainland, Mount Kosciuszko, highlights the 6,900 square kilometers area with the same name, Kosciuszko National Park. It is located close to the capital of Australia, Canberra, in the southeastern part of New South Wales. It is 354 kilometers from Sydney.

Every four months a year during winter, the mountains in Kosciuszko National Park are covered by snow. It allows visitors to ski in several ski resorts there. Visitors can hike or mountain bike along the walking track during summer. Other activities are swimming, canoeing, rafting, and fishing.

Royal National Park

Located just south of Sydney, Royal National Park is a quick escape destination from the metropolitan area. Visitors can hike along while enjoying the natural scenery or swim and surf on one of eleven beaches in the national park. The stunning ocean view cannot be missed from the national park’s coastal cliff.

Related: These Cool Places in Sydney Must Be in Your Visit Plan!

Grampians National Park

Melbourne, one of Australia’s biggest cities, has a popular national park nearby Grampians National Park. It is also accessible from another big city, Adelaide. More specifically, the national park is in the Grampians region in Victoria and covers an area of 413,210 acres.

Grampians National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia. Tourists often do many activities in the national park, such as bushwalking, gliding, and rock climbing. It even holds an annual food and wine festival with the area’s original produce.

Related: Where Should You Visit for a Perfect Trip around Melbourne?

Purnululu National Park

Purnululu National Park is in the northeastern part of Western Australia. It is also one of best national parks in Australia as a World Heritage Site. It is the home of the Bungle Bungle Range, among the world’s best karst terrain.

Karijini National Park

With 627,422 hectares of area, Karijini National Park is ranked in scale among national parks in Western Australia. It is situated in the northwestern part of the state in the Hamersley Ranges. The national park is known to have slot canyons, water holes, and waterfalls where visitors usually swim.

Port Campbell National Park

Port Campbell National Park is a relatively small national park placed on Australia’s southern coastline in Victoria, about 190 kilometers from Melbourne to the southwest. It covers just 4,300 acres of area, but it is popular for its tourist attractions, such as the Twelve Apostles, Loch and Gorge, the Gibson Steps, the London Arch, and the Grotto.

Flinders Chase National Park

The beautiful and famous Kangaroo Island in South Australia has its national park in Flinders Chase National Park. The national park is located at the island’s west end, about 110 kilometers from the island’s city of Kingscote and approximately 177 kilometers from South Australia’s capital Adelaide.

The highlight of Flinders Chase National Park is the famous rock formation called Remarkable Rocks. The name is not just a name but beautifully crafted by nature. There are also some sanctuaries where visitors can see kangaroos, koalas, goannas, echidnas, and platypus.

Related: 11 Native Animals of Australia, Some You’ve Never Heard Of

If you prefer natural destinations for your holiday, these best national parks in Australia are perfect for you. However, if some sand, sun, salt water, and wind are more to your taste, try to find Australia’s best beaches.