interNATIONAL PARKtours - Group Walking Tours to National Parks and Natural places in Australia and Overseas. Enjoy walking tours and holidays with experienced andknowledgeable guides.

Outback North Queensland is a land of red rocky ridges, abundant wetlands, lush gorges, rippling grasslands and country towns. Join a two week journey from Cairns to the Gulf of Carpentaria, south to Mt Isa and back to the east coast.

Local guides introduce the fascinating world of Undara Volcanic National Park as we explore the world’s longest single vent lava flow. Board the historic Gulflander (the “old tin hare”) for the train ride from Croydon to Normanton. Journey north to Karumba, the Gulf of Carpentaria’s major fishing port. A sunset cruise on the Norman River is a chance to spot saltwater crocodiles, endemic mangrove and migratory birds.

Boodjamulla National Park features Lawn Hill Gorge, palm-fringed waterholes and sheer sandstone walls. Canoe the waterways, swim in rock pools and walk to viewpoints and Aboriginal rock art. Visit the laboratory at the Riversleigh Fossils Centre in Mt Isa and take an optional guided tour of one of the world’s largest underground mines. At the John Flynn museum in Cloncurry, experience the history of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. East in the small town of Richmond, is the renowned marine fossil museum at Kronosaurus Korner. Your tour ends in Townsville.

Why not join this tour and North Queensland Coast to complete your Tropical North Queensland experience.

Captain Cook described it as paradise. Convicts in its infamous penal colony would have disagreed. Paradise returned to Norfolk Island with the arrival of the ‘Bounty’ mutineer descendants and their South Pacific wives. These days, residents and visitors revel in the history and charm of this subtropical island 2½ hours flight from Sydney or Brisbane. Developed by creative locals in association with EcoEscapes and IPT’s guide, Barry Davies, this is a week of Norfolk’s gentle walks, great food, history and meeting the locals.

Naturalist, Margaret Christian will lead walks to explore forests of ancient Norfolk Pines, palms and massive tree ferns. More than 40 endemic plant and bird species are protected in the island’s national park and reserves. Other walks lead to island viewpoints and follow coastal cliffs. Share in the Islanders' heritage on excursions with John Christian and cultural shows with Donald Christian.

Enjoy dinners in private homes, local produce and traditional Tahitian cuisine. Historian, Arthur Evans, will bring Norfolk’s colourful history alive. There’s also the option to cruise to nearby Phillip Island and hike to the top, past huge colonies of nesting seabirds.

IPT is 35 years young in 2010 and we invite you to join us on a celebratory tour to three of our favourite places. Join IPT founder Tony Groom on this 10 day tour to Girraween, Mt Barney and Lamington National Parks. Enjoy easy strolls by creeks, optional ascents of local peaks, and walks through sub-tropical rainforest.

Girraween National Park near Stanthorpe offers walks to granite domes, improbable balancing boulders and exquisitely water worn creek forms. We stay three nights in secluded style at Girraween Environmental Lodge.

Returning east across the Great Dividing Range we enter the national parks of the Scenic Rim. Staying three nights at Mt Barney Lodge, we explore the Lower Portals, take in the views from the summit of Mt Maroon (optional) and spend a day visiting local food producers and artists.

Binna Burra Lodge in Lamington National Park is our final destination. At your doorstep, graded hiking trails lead through World Heritage listed rainforest to hidden waterfalls, ancient beech trees and views of the Mt Warning caldera. Join our final dinner where you can take a walk down memory lane and share a birthday toast with the IPT staff.

Make a pilgrimage to the heart of the Gondwana rainforests on one of Queensland’s new long distance hiking trails. Over five days we traverse the mountains, World Heritage-listed rainforest and hidden valleys of Lamington and Springbrook National Parks. This fully accommodated tour allows you to walk the full 54km trail in comfort with extra days for rest or shorter walks.

From O’Reillys, walk 21km through the Green Mountain section of Lamington following sections of the QLD / NSW border. Based at Binna Burra Lodge, we explore the Lower Bellbird Circuit with lookouts over the eastern side of Lamington. Admire the stands of flooded gums, brushbox and piccabeen groves on the way to lunch at the base of Ballanjui Falls. Leaving the Lamington plateau, we descend past Egg Rock, a remnant plug from the Tweed  shield volcano, Wollumbin (Mt Warning). The trail continues through the farming valley of Numinbah then climbs through upper valleys to the mountain plateau of Springbrook. Staying overnight in chalet accommodation, we finish with a half day hike via Warringah Pools to the cool spray of Purlingbrook Falls in the centre of Springbrook National Park.

Sixty kilometres off north-eastern Tasmania is a world of craggy mountains, quiet inlets, lagoons and white sandy beaches. Spend a week with local people as you explore the bays, headlands and high points of Flinders, the largest island in the Furneaux group.

Immerse yourself in the orange hue of lichen-covered rocks or the intricate patterns of tidal pools. For a bigger picture, hike to the summit of Mt Strzelecki, the highest point on the island. On a clear day, the views are spectacular to the far north east coast of Tasmania. A half-day coastal walk leads to the limestone formations and caves of Settlement Point plus Wybalenna, the last settlement of Tasmanian Aborigines. The nearby Furneaux Museum documents the island’s history. There are also chances to see Cape Barren Geese, the second rarest in the world.

A day cruise in sheltered waters explores the outer islands, bustling with shearwater rookeries and other sea birds. On the last day, enjoy the views from the craggy granite formations of Darling Range.