Australia's Top Destinations | National Parks

National parks play a vital role in preserving native habitats and protecting wildlife. They also offer myriad opportunities for holidays and outings. The most popular parks usually have visitor centres, camp sites and picnic areas and may offer ranger-led activities such as guided walks, but some parks have few or no facilities. Remember that you cannot take pets or firearms into national parks.

The soft, multicoloured sandstone of Kalbarri’s river gorges and coastal cliffs was deposited more than 400 million years ago as successive layers of sand, resulting in its almost horizontal banding. The distinctive red, gold and brown staining is caused by iron oxides. Twisting canyons formed by the Murchison River can be viewed from lookouts reached by road.

At Millstream, on the south- western edge of the park, date palms shade a chain of lily-covered, spring-fed pools – an oasis in the central Pilbara long used by Aboriginal people and drovers. By contrast, the semiarid spinifex grasslands that stretch north and east to the Chichester escarpment are a wonderland of flat-topped mountains, rust-red peaks and ridges, pyramids of rock and hidden waterholes.

The Avon River, which is actually the upper reaches of the Swan River, runs through the centre of this park. In summer it is little more than a string of
pools, but when fl ush with winter rains, it emerges from a series of gorges as the Swan Rapids, popular with white-water canoeists. Within the park, jarrah (at its northern limit) mingles with marri trees and wandoo woodland to form a rich habitat for fauna, including more than 90 bird species. Roads within the park are unsealed, but suitable for 2WD vehicles.

The craggy Stirling Range rises abruptly from fl at sandy plains to run east–west for 65 km. Most peaks can be reached by tracks leading from parking areas and offer magnificent views, but many of the climbs are rough and steep. The park also showcases the region’s extraordinary flora: around 1500 wild-fl ower species, including rare plants, bloom here. The best viewing months are from September to December.