Walks Worth Unhitching For: Trails Near Great Camps

I unhitch nothing, because there is nothing to unhitch. The Troopy is the tent, the kitchen and the bed all at once, so the only thing standing between me and a good walk is whether I have carried enough water and left enough charge in the batteries to keep the fridge cold while I am gone. That constraint has taught me to pick camps that put a proper trail within walking distance of the door, so I am not moving the rig twice in a day just to reach a car park. These five do exactly that, and each has earned its spot on more than one trip.

Ikara-Flinders Ranges: St Mary Peak

Wilpena Pound in South Australia is one of the great natural amphitheatres, a ring of ancient quartzite folded up out of the plain, and the outside route to St Mary Peak is a long, honest day of around 14.5 kilometres. The Adnyamathanha people, the traditional owners, ask that walkers do not stand on the very summit out of respect for its cultural significance, and honestly the Pound looks better from the shoulder anyway. I carry at least three litres in the heat, a hat, and a proper map because phone signal is patchy. Start before sunrise so you are off the exposed sections before the day heats up. The Wilpena campground sits right at the trailhead, so you are walking within minutes of your morning coffee, which is exactly how I like it.

Karijini: the gorges

Karijini in the Pilbara is a network of deep, cool gorges cut into some of the oldest rock on the planet, and it feels like walking into the earth rather than across it. Dales Gorge is the gentle introduction, with Fortescue Falls and the quiet swim at Fern Pool at the bottom. Push on to Hancock and Weano if you want the Class 5 scrambles down to Handrail Pool, but know your limits honestly, because those routes are unforgiving and people get hurt in them every season. Camp at Dales and you can walk the rim before the heat builds, then drop into the shade of the gorge for the middle of the day. Carry more water than feels sensible, because the Pilbara heat is a different animal. This links naturally to a wider western leg of the Big Lap.

A word on the class ratings at Karijini, because they are not marketing puff. The trails run from Class 1, an easy stroll, up to Class 6, which needs ropes and real experience, and the popular Weano and Hancock routes down to Kermits Pool and Handrail Pool sit at Class 5, with cold water, slippery rock and narrow ledges. People get into trouble in there every season, and a rescue from the bottom of a gorge is slow and serious work. If you are travelling solo or with young kids, stick to Dales Gorge and Fortescue Falls, save the hard gorges for when you have company and settled, dry conditions, and always tell someone your plan before you drop in.

West MacDonnell Ranges: Ormiston Pound

The Ormiston Pound walk is about 7 kilometres of red rock, spinifex and a shady waterhole you will not want to leave once you have earned it. It is a stone's throw from the Ormiston Gorge campground, and it forms one link in the longer Larapinta Trail, so it gives you a taste of that famous walk without committing to the whole thing. Do it in the cooler months from about April to September, carry more water than you think you need, and start early enough that you finish the pound rim before the sun is high. There is usually a water crossing at the gorge end, so pack your boots to keep dry. It fits straight into a Red Centre loop alongside the other West MacDonnell gorges.

Cradle Mountain: Dove Lake Circuit

The Dove Lake circuit in Tasmania is only about 6 kilometres and much of it is boardwalk, but do not let that fool you, because the weather does exactly what it likes and can throw all four seasons at you in a single afternoon. Carry layers and a proper waterproof even on a blue morning, and take gloves in the cooler months. The reflection of Cradle Mountain in the lake on a still day is worth the drive on its own, and the campground near the park entrance keeps you close to the shuttle bus that runs into the valley. It is a rare alpine walk that is genuinely accessible, so take it slowly and enjoy it rather than racing the loop.

Grampians (Gariwerd): The Pinnacle

From the Wonderland car park near Halls Gap in Victoria, the walk up to The Pinnacle is around 9.6 kilometres return through slot canyons, past balancing boulders, to a lookout over the whole Fyans Valley. Halls Gap has camps right in town, so you can be on the trail early and back for a late lunch without moving the rig. Go at first light and you will have the good bits to yourself before the day crowds pour in from Melbourne. Some sections were rebuilt after fire and flood in recent years, so check the current trail status with Parks Victoria, as closures come and go.

What I actually carry on a day walk

Travelling solo means nobody is coming to check on me if I roll an ankle three kilometres up a gorge, so my day pack is not optional kit. It carries three litres of water as a minimum and more in the heat, a personal locator beacon, a small first aid kit with a compression bandage for snake bite, snacks, a hat, sunscreen, a paper map and a fully charged phone that I keep switched off to save the battery for when I need it. In the ranges I add a thin layer even on a warm morning, because the weather at Cradle Mountain in particular can turn from shorts to sleet in twenty minutes. None of it is heavy, and every piece of it has earned its place on one trip or another.

The power side is the other half of walking off a remote camp with any confidence. My 200 watt solar and a decent lithium setup mean I can leave the fridge running, the beacon charged and the phone topped up without ever starting the engine, even across a couple of grey days when the panels are only sipping. If you are weighing up your own house battery for this kind of self-reliant travel, our comparison of lithium versus AGM caravan batteries lays out the real watt-hours and the weight penalty of each. Get the power sorted and the walking looks after itself, because you are never sitting on a summit fretting about what is happening back at the rig.

The self-reliant bit

Walking off a remote camp is a water and power sum before it is anything else. I carry 90 litres of water, budget around five litres a day for drinking when it is hot, and my 200 watt solar keeps the 12 volt fridge cold and the phone charged without ever touching the crank battery. Before a big walk I make sure the fridge is at temperature and the batteries are topped so I am not fretting about the food while I am up a mountain. Dogs are not allowed on any of these trails because they all sit inside national parks, so if you travel with one, plan a sitter or a dog-friendly camp outside the boundary before you arrive. The quietly contrarian view: skip whatever a top-ten list tells you is the unmissable walk and go early instead, because the crowds ruin the best trails by mid-morning. Line up your camps with the parks directory and the trails index, and sort your cheap nights between them with our guide to free camping rules by state.