SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTH & FITNESS
TOURISM AUSTRALIA
TOURISM AUSTRALIA
Larapinta Trail
Where: West MacDonnell Ranges, NT Length: Up to 223km / 12 + days Grade: Moderate to hard
Some people like to ease their way in, while others will get full-body ink for their first tattoo. The full 223-kilometre traverse of the Northern Territory’ s heroic Larapinta Trail is more like option B, offering rich light, permanent cold-water waterholes and red-rock vistas so iconically Australian you almost expect someone to emerge from the gloaming to tell you what is and isn’ t a knife. With 26 campsites along the way, this is a bucket-list camper-trekker’ s paradise, tracing the spine of the West MacDonnell Ranges west of Alice Springs. Avoid the warmer months.
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Wet Tropics Great Walk
Where: Girringun National Park, Qld Length: 70km / 4 – 6 days Grade: Hard
Starting at Australia’ s tallest single-drop waterfall, Wallaman Falls, passing through World Heritage-listed rainforest and with campsites handily spaced for a four-day trek, the Wet Tropics Great Walk is hot, challenging and unforgettable. Keep an eye out for local wildlife, both the potentially menacing variety( saltwater crocs, cassowaries and mosquitoes) and the more tourism-brochure friendly( platypus, electric blue Ulysses butterflies and tree kangaroos). Aim to travel during the dry season, which falls from April to October.
TOURISM AUSTRALIA
32 | JAN / FEB 2025 COSTCO CONNECTION