our top 5 Aussie national parks

These are 5 of our top national parks from our travels so far. There are so many beautiful places to visit in Australia and most of these can be found in our national parks. We have so many favourites however here are 5 of our top spots. We love these places so much we have visited multiple times and will return again for sure.

1. Flinders Ranges National Park, SA

What’s not to love? Stunning mountain ranges, rich Australian history, four-wheel driving and beautifully rewarding bushwalks with breath-taking visitas. Check out some of our posts on the Flinders HERE & HERE.

Our favs from the Flinders:

• Bush camping at Rawnsley Station and dining at their Woolshed Restaurant.
• Wilpena Pound; our favourite walks were Hills Homestead, Wangara Lookout and Mount Ohlssen Bagge. The Hills Homestead is quite a leisurely stroll while Wangara Lookout and Mount Ohlssen Bagge are more strenuous the views are well worth the effort.
• The historical Nuccaleena Mine. The drive out is spectacular and the ruins are in fantastic condition.

2. Kakadu National Park, NT

Kakadu is amazing. It has a diverse and natural beauty which is hard to beat.  The national park is situated in close proximity to Darwin making it easily accessible for every traveler. Check out our post from Kakadu HERE.

Our favs from Kakadu:

• cruise Yellow Water wetlands – both at sunrise and sunset
• visit Twin Falls by four-wheel drive and boat
• swim in the pools on top of Maguk (Barramundi) Gorge
• view the rock art at Ubirr Rock and climb to the top for spectacular views from the lookout
• camping at Cooinda Lodge is excellent with wonderful facilities and central location

3. Simpson Desert National Park, SA

Oh my! The Simpson is spectacular. The parallel sand-dunes go on forever and we never got sick of the beautiful red sand. Every time the Colorado would crest a sand-dune it took our breath away. It is a natural Australian wonder. Check out our post on the Simmo HERE.

What to experience in the Simmo:

• remote travel at it’s finest
• wildflowers, glorious wildflowers
• slimbing to the top of Big Red
• the wonders of Eyre Creek
• bush camping at its absolute best
• star gazing – the most spectacular skies we have ever seen
• take in the view from Knoll’s Lookout
• cross wide, stunning claypans
• stand where QLD, SA and NT meet at Poeppel Corner
• while technically not the Simpson National park make sure you stop in at both Purnie Bore and Dalhousie Springs both oasis’ in the desert, brimming with birdlife.

4. Tjoritja/West MacDonnell National Park

The region surround Alice Springs in one of favourites in the country. It’s smack bang in the Red Centre and capital of the Australia Outback. The West Macs as they are affectionately known lay to the West of Alice Springs (funny that). The stunning mountain range has numerous gorges that have been carved over millions of years. The red of the rock, the blue of the sky and the green of the vegetation is nothing short of beautiful.

Our favs from the West Macs:

• our favourite place to camp was at Redbank Gorge
• a refreshing dip in Ellery Creek Big Hole
• the stunning landscape at Ormiston Gorge
• the aboriginal culture of the Orche Pits
• Simpsons Gap is closest to Alice with stunning gorge walls and lots of rock wallabies.
• for history buffs like us the West Macs also home to the memorial grave of Rev John Flynn of flying doctors fame

5. Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park, NT

What says Australia better than our red heart? Uluru is iconic and recognised internationally as an Australian icon. It is truly a spiritual experience to visit and explore this region. While the town Yulara has become quite touristy due to the amount of tourists that flock to the rock each year, the National Park itself is relatively untouched. Check out our past posts HERE & HERE.

Our favs from Uluru & Kata-Tjuta:

• sunrise and sunset at Uluru and the Olgas – the colours are ever changing
• the Valley of the Winds walk through the Olga- OMG! One of the best walks in Australia – Amazing.
• walking the base of Ulura – 13 km of ever changing beauty
• the shorter guided base walk is also not to be missed. Its free and so informative. We’ve done it twice now.
• the Cultural Centre is a great place to start you Uluru Adventure