NSW will soon be home to 13 Great Walks that wander a total of over 630km through some of the state’s most iconic and remarkable scenery. 

 

Minister for Environment and Heritage, James Griffin, and NSW National Parks have today announced the NSW Great Walks plan – a state-wide initiative to develop 13 exceptional multi-day hikes up and down the NSW coastline, through Gondwana rainforest, across the cliffs of the iconic Blue Mountains, and through the state’s alpine region. 

‘Hiking in nature is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the world, and our Great Walks will help bring more visitors to our rural and regional areas where they boost local economies,’ Minister Griffin said.

NSW National Parks considers a ‘Great Walk’ a multi-day hike of two or more days that’s mostly located in a national park and features on or off-park overnight accommodation en route.

Read more: Are Australian Walking Tracks Being Over Engineered?

Where are the hikes?

Currently, five of the Great Walks are already able to be hiked while another eight are in development or expecting to receive upgrades.

The hikes that are already able to be walked include; 

The other eight walks that are in development include; 

Dorrigo Escarpment Walk

A 46km walk through the Gondwana World Heritage rainforest of Dorrigo National Park over four days and three nights.

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Great Southern Walk

A 67km walk that links the Kamay Botany Bay National Park with the Coastal Walk of Royal National Park and then down the coast to Wollongong over five days and four days. 

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Murramarang South Coast Walk

A 34km along the beaches of Murramarang National Park on the South Coast over three days and two nights. 

 

Snowies Alpine Walk

A 55km walk across Australia’s alpine rooftop through Kosciuszko National Park over four days and three nights.

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Tomaree Coastal Walk

A 20km walk from Tomaree Head to Birubi Point in Tomaree National Park near Port Stephens over two days and one night. 

 

Tweed Byron Hinterland Walk

A 36km walk from Mount Jerusalem National Park to Nightcap National Park in Northern NSW over four days and three nights. 

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Wollemi to Gardens of Stone Walk

An estimated 90km walk linking Blue Mountains, Wollemi, and the new Gardens of Stone National Parks over five days and four nights. 

 

Light to Light Walk

This hike 32km on the Far South Coast is currently able to be walked but is expecting to receive basic hut accommodation in two places along the trail.

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How great are these walks?

Most of the Great Walks piece together multiple existing trails in the areas to create longer multi-day walks, with campgrounds, huts, trail extensions and other facilities being the main infrastructure being built.

The overnight accommodation options for the Great Walks vary from trail to trail, with some expecting hikers to be self-reliant and carry in tents to well-established or remote campgrounds, while others feature huts on trail or even off-park accommodation. 

‘Our magnificent multi-day walks shouldn’t just be for the more hardcore hikers, which is why we’re offering many styles of walk and accommodation so visitors from far and wide can enjoy the diverse landscapes in our nearly 900 national parks and reserves,’ said Minister Griffin upon the announcement of the plan. 

The Great Walks plan is part of the NSW State Government’s $450 million investment into NSW national parks over four years on over 200 visitor infrastructure projects. 

 

Feature photo by Destination NSW