Walk this way
Love hiking but don’t want to have to haul a heavy backpack for days on end? We’ve found four great walks around Australia where the only thing you’ll need to carry is a bottle of water – and your camera to capture all that spectacular scenery. And, on these Life’s an Adventure hikes, the end of each day will see you feast on gourmet meals and sleep in a plush bed.
THREE CAPES WALK
Where: Tasmania
Length: Three days
The pièce de résistance of a hike in this remote southeast corner of Tasmania has to be a flight over, or cruise underneath, Cape Pillar – the tallest sea cliffs in the Southern Hemisphere. Here you’ll find 300-metre-high dolerite sea columns rising from the ocean. The equally impressive Cape Raoul – only accessible by hikers – will also give you a taster of the dramatic, raw beauty to come. At the end of each day, sleep in deluxe chalets and dine on fresh, local produce, paired with a good drop of local wine.
GREAT OCEAN WALK
Where: Victoria
Length: Three days
The 243-kilometre long Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed area famed for its surf beaches and the Twelve Apostles – limestone stacks rising out of the Southern Ocean. It takes more than a week to walk the full length, but this hike ensures you see the best bits over three days. End with a helicopter flight over the Twelve Apostles and stay in the five-star Alkina Lodge – three unique, purpose-built contemporary residencies. Get set for sweet dreams.
LARAPINTA TRAIL & RED CENTRE WALK
Where: Northern Territory
Length: Nine days
If you haven’t experienced the beating heart of Australia, this is the way to do it. Walk part of the Larapinta Trail, a 231-kilometre path that follows the rocky spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges from Alice Springs Telegraph Station to Mount Sonder. End your nine-day hike meandering around the 500-millionyear-old monolith, Uluru, a living cultural landscape that is sacred to the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. A visit here, and you’ll see exactly why.
LIGHT TO LIGHT WALK
Where: New South Wales
Length: Four days
The Sapphire Coast was named after a gem because of its deep blue sparkling waters. A hike here takes you deep into this dramatic landscape from striking 320-million-yearold red rocky outcrops to coastal forests. Glide along its vibrant waters on a cruise to take in the birdlife, and if you’re lucky, you might even spot a dolphin or, from
May to November, a migrating whale. lifesanadventure.com.au