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

The Australian Alps tour visits the highest reaches of Australia. From Kosciuszko to Khancoban, Buffalo to Bogong, we discover a plethora of plant and animal life, a great variety of walking opportunities and an impressive wealth of history, the views are nothing short of spectacular.

From Canberra our first destination is the northern area of the Kosciuszko National Park, where we visit a section of the Yarrangobilly Caves. These limestone caverns are among the most richly decorated in Australia. From Thredbo in the southern area of the national park, we explore Mt Kosciuszko, Blue Lake and Perisher Valley.

In the second week of our tour we visit the Bogong High Plains of Victoria. Day walks range from a spectacular ascent of Mt Feathertop, peaceful strolls around Mt Buffalo and Falls Creek and a fascinating section of the classic Australian Alps Walking Track. Beautiful Snow Gums grace our paths on many of the walks in this area. Flora is a highlight in this section that might include endangered buttercup and daisy species that are restricted to the highest peaks; as well as the brilliant display of spring wild flowers. We stay in hotels and ski lodges at Adaminaby, Thredbo, Falls Creek, Dinner Plain and Bright.

Wilsons Promontory National Park is a peninsula of sculptured granite boulders, tall forests, coastal heath land, fern grottoes and pristine beaches. Walks to the most southerly points on mainland Australia contrast with time in World Heritage listed Croajingalong National Park.

Three nights at Tidal River gives you a choice of warm-up walks before a challenging circuit hike. Your destination is the remotely situated Wilsons Prom light station, in the southern section of the park overlooking islands in Bass Strait. The completely restored light keeper’s house is home for two nights. Inside you can relax in cosy comfort and later venture down to the Southern Ocean’s edge to watch the mesmerising display of the short-tailed shearwaters returning from their epic migratory flight. You won’t want to leave this “world away from the everyday”.

Croajingalong National Park is a stunning region of wilderness coast, rainforest, dune fields and coastal heath land. Wildlife includes 300 bird species, seals, whales and dolphins off the coast. The tour finale is two nights at Point Hicks, the tallest lighthouse on Australia’s mainland. Stay in cottages built in 1890 from timber salvaged from shipwrecks and enjoy pristine beaches, coastal and dune walks.

Stretching along the southern rim of the Tweed / Mt Warning Caldera, the Nightcap Ranges are a walker’s paradise and part of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage area. Designed by your local guide, this seven day circular walk leads you to hidden waterfalls, palm valleys, misty lookouts and lush subtropical and temperate rainforests. At week’s end, feel rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit while learning about the natural and human history of Northern NSW.

Starting at Doon Doon near Nimbin, we join the Historic Nightcap Track, part of the original trail used by travellers and postal workers between Lismore and Murwillumbah in the late 1800s. Camping at Rummery Park for two nights, we walk through Blackbutt and Brushbox forests to the base of spectacular Minyon Falls. Traversing the catchment of the Rocky Creek Dam, we follow old logging tracks into Terania Creek (site of environmental protests in the late 1970s).

We spend some time with locals Nan & Hugh Nicolson, authors of the Australian Rainforest Plants series and lifelong conservationists. Our journey continues via the Caldera Rim and the Walls of Jerusalem cliff top walk back to our starting point at Doon Doon.

The heart of Carnarvon National Park is a place of rambling creeks, hidden waterfalls and delightful side gorges. To the south east, are the wide open vistas of Arcadia Valley beneath the moody ridges of the Expedition Ranges. Journey to Queensland’s Central Highlands and spend time in these beautiful destinations, not just on the road!

After meeting in Rockhampton, we overnight on the Capricorn Coast and enjoy beach swims and headland walks. Travelling south west via historic Mt Morgan and Moura, we arrive in Arcadia Valley, our base for three days. Here cattle stations back onto the Expedition Ranges and from our homestead, we enjoy private walking trails and quiet, starry nights. Nearby are the lookouts of Lonesome National Park and the waterlilies and birdlife of Lake Nuga Nuga.

One hour west is the Carnarvon Gorge section of the much larger Carnarvon National Park. We explore the main gorge and its side canyons on a series of half day walks. Wards Canyon shelters the giant King Fern; the Amphitheatre quietens our voices and the Art Gallery features over 2000 Aboriginal engravings and stencils. We return to Rockhampton after a week in Queensland’s sandstone country.

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.