Best for... national parks

WHILE QUEENSLAND pips NSW at the post for the most national parks by a total of just two (237 to 235), when you compare the size of both states (1,729,742 to 801,150 square kilometres) it becomes clear why NSW can justifiably lay claim to having the most abundant and compelling natural wonders in the country.

Varying in size and offering, NSW’s national parks form a patchwork across the landscape, offering up dramatic swathes of dense flora, soaring snow-capped mountains and rugged yet ethereal desert environments. Two of the state’s most celebrated parks are also its most accessible. THE ROYAL NATIONAL

(1) sits at the edge of the city itself, PARK giving the inhabitants of Australia’s most populace capital an easy escape in which to experience wildlife, waterfalls, coastal walks and beaches the likes of Garie and Wattamolla. West of Sydney, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed BLUE MOUNTAINS

(2) stretches over some NATIONAL PARK 2690 square kilometres and boasts a fascinating Indigenous history (it is the land of the Gundungurra and Darug peoples), as well as stunning landmarks and lookouts. Butting up against Blue Mountains National Park is the ruggedly unspoilt CAPERTEE

(3), which is home not only NATIONAL PARK to bountiful wildlife but also the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in the USA.

Heading further afield, KOSCIUSZKO

(4) presents an alpine NATIONAL PARK location of jutting mountains and snow-powdered expanses (5) that easily rival anything found in Europe, especially considering the French Alps don’t have platypus or wombats. The area is so rare and pristine that some 350,000 hectares, over half of its footprint, have been declared wilderness, a fact that has earned the park UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status. Equally dramatic yet in sharp contrast to Kosciuszko’s wintery heights is MUNGO

(6) in the state’s south-west. NATIONAL PARK Fly into Albury and drive the banks of the Murray River to experience its otherworldly desert beauty and learn about its staggeringly ancient history from an Aboriginal Discovery guide. Even a short trip here will recalibrate your appreciation and understanding of our continent, in all its natural glory.