Australia's "Great Walks" Boom: Marketing Tactic or Hiking Haven?

As of October 2025, Australia's walking tracks are attracting increasing numbers of visitors, with a growing trend of "Great Walks" emerging across the country. New South Wales, which had no Great Walks until early 2023, now has 10 and will soon have 13. Queensland, on the other hand, has 15 Great Walks, though the state's Parks and Wildlife Service only lists 10. Meanwhile, Victoria has three multiday walks with "Great" in their names, and Tasmania boasts 60 "Great Short Walks" but no officially designated "Great Walks."

This surge in "Great Walks" branding is largely inspired by New Zealand's successful Great Walks program, launched by the Department of Conservation in 1992 to manage overcrowding and environmental damage on the country's most popular multiday hikes. The New Zealand model features online bookings, caps on walker numbers, and affordable campsites and huts, establishing it as the global standard for walking track management.

In Australia, the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has adopted a similar approach with its NSW Great Walks initiative, aiming to create durable walking tracks, protect sensitive environments, and encourage hikers to spread out across the state. However, the implementation of "Great Walks" programs varies across the country, leading to a lack of consistency and confusion among outdoor enthusiasts.

Despite the inconsistencies, the Great Walks brand appears to be encouraging more Australians to hit the trails. In New South Wales, there has been a 20% increase in bushwalkers on trails that have become Great Walks in the past two years. And when the Flinders Island Walk in Tasmania joined the Great Walks of Australia program in 2024, its tour operator reported a 72% increase in bookings.