I Hiked 100km of the Hume and Hovell Track Through Country NSW From Burrinjuck to Tumut

We sent Explorer Eva out bush for a week to trek 100km of the 426km Hume and Hovell Track from Burrinjuck Waters to Tumut in Country NSW. Here’s how you can follow in her (and Hume and Hovell’s) footsteps too.

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Wiradjuri people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Want to experience a classic Australian thru-hike but don’t have months up your sleeve? This 100km section of the Hume and Hovell Track gives a taste of quintessential Aussie landscapes and remote camping in just under a week. Bookend your hike with a cosy cabin stay at Reflections Holidays Burrinjuck Waters and Tumut River parks, and you’ve got yourself a perfect week away!

Quick Overview

This 100km, six-day hike follows a section of the 426km long Hume and Hovell Track, one of Australia’s iconic thru-hiking routes. Traverse quintessential Aussie bushland, rivers, mountains, farmland, and forests on this journey linking the townships of Burrinjuck and Tumut.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Hume and Hovell Track History

The 426km Hume and Hovell Track follows in the footsteps of an epic journey taken by Hamilton Hume and William Hovell in 1824-25. The two men set off from Hume’s family farm in Appin with six convicts, five bullocks, three horses, and two carts, on a mission from the NSW Governor to find suitable farming land for a growing ‘free settler’ population.

The 1900km round trip from Appin to Geelong took them through country previously uncharted by white Europeans, between Yass and the south coast of Victoria. The group faced wild landscapes, raging rivers, impassable mountain ranges, conflict over leadership, and near starvation.

All eight men survived to tell the tale, and the trip was later commemorated with the design of a thru-hike between Yass and Albury. The current track runs through Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri, Wolgalu and Ngarigo Countries. Snippets from Hume and Hovell’s journey indicate they had friendly interactions with Aboriginal people along their journey, and were even shown the way on some occasions.

Skill Level

Advanced/Grade 5

How to Get to the Hume and Hovell Track

From Canberra: 1 hour 25 mins

Head north then west along the Barton and Hume Highways, past the town of Yass, until you reach the Burrinjuck Road turn off. Take this road for 25 minutes to your starting destination: Reflections Burrinjuck Waters.

From Sydney: 4 hours

Head south along the Hume Highway, past Yass, until you reach the Burrinjuck Road turn off. Take this road for 25 minutes to your starting destination: Reflections Burrinjuck Waters.

Where to Stay on the Hume and Hovell Track

The night before your hike, stay at Reflections Burrinjuck Waters right on the lake.

Hot tip! Book a cabin instead of a campsite to make the most of some little luxuries and prep space before your big hike!

During the walk, designated campgrounds are well set up with shelters, toilets, and natural water sources nearby. These don’t need to be booked. Finish your walk at Reflections Tumut River along, well, the Tumut River. Nothing like a hot shower, friendly faces, and a comfy bed at the end of a long hike!

Read more: Comparing Different Methods of Treating and Purifying Water on the Trail

Essential Gear for the Hume and Hovell Track

• Hiking pack
• Hiking tent
• Sleeping mat
• Sleeping bag
• Water bladder or drink bottles
• Water filtration/treatment
• First aid kit
• PLB
• Hiking stove & gas
• Lightweight meals & snacks
• Hiking shoes
• Rain jacket

What it’s Like to Hike Hume & Hovell Track

Day 1 – Arrive at Burrinjuck

I met my mates Paul and Daygin (who were actually complete strangers at the time, but that’s another story) in Tumut to do the car double shuffle and head to our starting point of Burrinjuck Reflections Park.

Read more: 7 Things I Learnt Hiking 100km With 2 Strangers in the Footsteps of Hume & Hovell

We checked in with the friendliest camp hosts of all time (cheers Wendy!) before settling into our cosy cabin to watch the sunset colours over the lake. We made the most of hot showers, cosy beds, and a fully equipped kitchen. Hello spaghetti bolognese!

It’s worth noting there’s minimal phone service at Burrinjuck (one bar with Telstra and nothing with Optus), so do any Googling, admin, and email auto replies before you head to the park.

Day 2 – Burrinjuck to Billy Grace Reserve

Distance: 20km (6km boat, 14km walk)
Duration: 7 hours

Our day started with a visit from kangaroos and a delightful swim in the lake – which we then needed to cross!

Usually, the Reflections staff will take you to the trailhead in their boat, which needs to be booked in advance with a phone call to Reflections, but on our departure date it was being serviced. Luckily, Wendy looped us in with two friendly fishermen (both named Craig – true story) who zoomed us across the glassy lake.

The gravelly trail traversed the lakeside and meandered through farmland where we encountered friendly horses and nervous cows. The dirt turned to bitumen, and we walked three abreast, chatting away, and waving to farm families driving past.

In the tiny town of Wee Jasper, we got some ‘How ya goin’s?’ from friendly and mildly bemused locals before arriving at the Reflections Wee Jasper’s office, located at Billy Grace Reserve with a half hour to spare before closing. The original plan was to stay at the Fitzpatrick Trailhead, but after our host said, ’Why would you do that? We’ve got showers, water, toilets, and the river right at camp here’, we didn’t think twice about changing plans.

Loaded with ice cream, chippies, and Gatorade, we set up camp right on the creek and our Reflections hosts very kindly dropped us a fire bucket and a load of wood at sunset.

Day 3 – Billy Grace Reserve to Log Bridge Creek Campsite

Distance: 13km
Duration: 6 hours

A glorious morning coffee by the river, a stretch, and a nice hot shower got us ready for a big day of elevation on the trail.

We started a bit late, but it meant we could stop at reception to top up drinking water and have ice cream for breakfast, so… worth it.

Leaving the flats of Wee Jasper, we began our climb into the foothills of the Brindabellas. Most of the track was single trail, steep, and rocky. As we climbed, we left open farmland behind for scrubby native bush, swathes of eerie pine forest, and valleys with trickling streams.

We made it to the top of Wee Jasper just before sunset. While there wasn’t much of a view, it was a relief and felt like a huge achievement. We walked the last couple of kilometres under the light of our head torches and arrived with high vibes at Log Bridge Creek Campground around 6pm.

Day 4 – Log Bridge Creek to Micalong Creek Campground

Distance: 12.5km
Duration: 5 hours

Sunrise finally showed us how gorgeous our campground was! Perfect flat grassy sites with a small open cabin, toilet, tables, and a running creek. Heaven.

We started walking mid-morning and took our time snapping pics in the lush ferny gullies. The track was a stark contrast to the day before with gentle ups and downs, some cracker river valley views, and a dreamy bridge-side lunch spot.

The human impact over the last 200 years wasn’t hard to notice, though. Between creeks engulfed with blackberries and the stark contrast between state forest and native bushland, we lamented that we were probably walking through a very different landscape from what Hume and Hovell did.

We arrived at camp before sunset to another dreamy location with a fresh flowing creek deep enough for an icy cold dip! The day ended with a roaring fire to warm us up.

Day 5 – Micalong Creek to Bossawa Campsite

Distance: 6.5km
Duration: 3.5 hours

By this morning, we’d firmly decided that the highlight of the walk is the campsites! All grassy, flat, creekside oases in the wilderness. With a short day ahead, we soaked up the camp vibes with a morning fire, swim, brekky, and plenty of deep stretching.

Read more: Staying Safe Around Swimming Holes and Waterfalls

Although this was the shortest day, it was my favourite scenery. It still took us forever to hike because that’s what happens when you travel with a photographer and videographer who can’t walk past a nice bit of light without capturing it! But it was nice to take the time and soak it up.

Dreamy fern-filled gullies, tranquil waterfalls, and the constant sound of Micalong Creek kept us company most of the way.

Shady old trees watched over us, so we provided them with the occasional hug and pat in return.

We arrived just before dark at another perfect campground and snuck in a round of Monopoly Deal before settling down to dinner by the fire.

Day 6 – Bossawa Campsite to Thomas Boyd Trackhead

Distance: 24.5km
Duration: 9.5 hours

A big day ahead meant we woke before dawn to get a head start. It was jarring to hear trucks on the nearby highway after seeing no other people or cars for three full days.

The first stretch of track was through the stunning Micalong Swamp Flora Reserve. Golden mist hung in the early morning air, and we could picture this place with emus running around as Hume and Hovell observed 200 years ago.

It had a really special feel to it, and the info signs told us the Wiradjuri and Wolgalu peoples maintain a strong connection to the area.

The afternoon took us into classic Aussie eucalypt scenes full of towering scribbly gums and blankets of peeling bark on the ground.

The first phone reception in days was a shock as we slowly climbed down off the edge of the mountains towards the Goobagandra River.

Even though we started early, we still finished in the dark. One final uphill slog with the headtorches had us busting out the emergency snacks and hyping each other up to get through it, but we made it to camp in the end!

Day 7 – Thomas Boyd trailhead to Wermatong (Junction of H & H track and Snowy Mountains Highway at Wermatong)

Distance: 20km
Duration: 8 hours

We dubbed this day ‘cool bridge day’ and were firmly back in farm country, waving to sheep and cows.

First, we crossed the Goobagandra River on an impressive suspension bridge and couldn’t resist immediately swimming among the tumbling granite-filled water below.

Our second bridge was an epic (and a bit scary) narrow suspension footbridge, that you could see all the way through to the river below. One at a time, we inched our way across, I a little more white-knuckled than the others!

We cleaned up the final bits of our food for lunch, then tackled one last brutal uphill climb through farm paddocks towards a golden sunset across the hills.

Our final push was once again completed in the dark with the eyes of cows glowing eerily and the lights of town twinkling at us in welcome!

We jumped in the car we’d left at the trackside at Wermatong on the Snowy Mountains Highway and drove the last 10km along the highway into Tumut, where we spent our final night in total luxury in a riverside cabin at Reflections Tumut River. We were endlessly grateful for that post-hike shower and a comfy bed to collapse into after a well-deserved beer and pub meal at the local brewery.

Day 8 – Tumut to Burrinjuck (by car)

Our reputation must have preceded us because our friendly camp neighbours excitedly asked us about how our hike went. We chatted with them over coffee by the river, then hooked into a big brekky at a local cafe.

Full, well-rested, and satisfied, we headed back to Burrinjuck to collect our cars and bid farewell, tired but satisfied with an epic journey.

Safety Tips for Hume & Hovell Track

• Water is available from creeks at all campsites mentioned. The water should be treated before drinking by using filtration, tablets, or boiling for one minute

Read more: How To Purify Water in the Bush

• This walk is remote with no phone service and minimal human interaction. You should carry at least one PLB or emergency device in your group at all times
• This track sees temperatures as high as 45ºC in summer and as low as -7ºC in winter. Check the forecast before walking and plan for the weather

Read more: How To Hike in Hot Weather

• The best months to hike this trail are autumn and spring

FAQs Hume & Hovell Track

How long is the Hume and Hovell Track?

The Hume and Hovell Track is a thru-hike in NSW stretching 426km between Yass and Albury.

How do I book accommodation for the Hume and Hovell Track?

For those keen to stay at the Reflections Holidays parks along the track, like Burrinjuck Waters, Wee Jasper, and Tumut River, these can be booked via the Reflections Holidays website. Some campgrounds along the trail are free to stay at and don’t require booking, while others cost a small fee payable on arrival. Check out the Hume and Hovell Track website for full info on each campground.

Where does the Hume and Hovell Track start?

The 427km Hume and Hovell Track starts at Cooma Cottage in Yass and ends at the Hovell Tree in Albury.

How long does it take to walk the Hume and Hovell Track?

You can walk the full Hume and Hovell Track in around 18-26 days or tackle shorter sections in under a week.

When is the best time to walk the Hume and Hovell Track?

The best months to hike this trail are during autumn and spring.

Can you cycle the Hume and Hovell Track?

The Hume and Hovell Track is designed as a walking trail, but some sections can be ridden on a bike. Other parts are prohibited to cyclists, but you can plan alternate routes that follow a similar path.

Can you take dogs on the Hume and Hovell Track?

Some sections of the Hume and Hovell Track are located in state forests making them dog-friendly.

Read more: Overnight Hiking With My Dog on the Hume & Hovell Track

Photography by @dayginprescott