Australia is home to same insane National Parks and they’ll all BEAUTIFUL and worth adding to that bucket list of yours. At RatPack, we’re all about giving out that free advice so that you can set off with all the tips and tricks you need to have the most wicked time!
We’ll be letting you in on…
- All our favourite National Parks on the East Coast
- Where to find Kangaroos on the beach
- The best spots for swims in natural pools
- AND of course, tips and tricks from the crew that have been there
We want to provide you with an easy to follow guide on the best parks to visit and what to get up to and see whilst you’re there.
If you are planning on travelling around the place in a camper van (which btw, we can save you 10% on if you were uhming and ahing about the idea), then you’ll have a lot more freedom when it comes to dedicating time in the day to travel to some of these locations.
Aussie has thoussannndssss of national parks, so we’ve hand picked a few of our faves. Let’s goooooooo…
Click images to see more.
Noosa National Park
This really is the walk that has it all – it’s sick! You’ve got hidden rock pools, koala spotting, beaches and insane viewpoints to look forward to. The top spots on this walk are:
- Fairy Pools
- Dolphin Point
- Hell’s Gate
- Boiling Pot
- Tea Tree Bay
I am certain that a load of you are gonna ask more about the infamous Fairy Pools. So… to get to them, you have to walk about half way (ish) along the national park walk. Just after Granite Bay, as you pass Picnic Cove you will see a park bench under a tree as the track turns right around a large bend. This is where you have to scramble down the rocks to the not so hidden pools.
Top Tip – Look up in the trees and you may be lucky enough to spot some koalas! The best place to spot them is just behind Tea Tree Bay.
Cape Hillsborough, Mackay
Kangaroos. On the Beach. At Sunrise. Need I say more? This place is the definition of paradise.
It is a lesser known spot along the East Coast, so don’t miss it!
The park is located 50km north of Mackay (which you can stop off at if you’re travelling with Greyhound).
Top Tip – Keep an eye out for Ulysses butterflies (look em up – they’re beaut).
Glass House Mountains
Just an hours drive North of Brisbane, this is the place to go if you’re a fan of epic scenery.
The national park is formed of 11 peaks – 2 of which are open to the public to hike.
Top Tip – If you’re hiring a camper…A little north from the park is the 34 mile Blackall Range Tourist Drive – one of the most scenic drives in Aussie.
Paperbark Forest, Agnes Water
Paperbark Forest is a cute little board walk and stepping stones that take you in to the heart of the forest and wetlands – hence the stepping stones (soggy feet are a big no).
The trail is approx 45 mins, so short but sweet and home to some beautiful butterflies.
Top Tip – There are picnic benches at the beginning and end of the trail, so bring some lunch, take a seat and soak in your surroundings.
Cape Byron National Park
The home of RatPack – Byron Bay…full of beaut spots. One of them being Cape Byron National Park, also known as ‘the light house walk’.
The highlight of this walk is that you can visit the easternmost point of mainland Australia. I am proud to say that one day in January 2017, I was the most easterly person in the country to be eating a Mars bar – I felt pretttyyy cool!
Also, make sure to look out to sea as there is a chance that you’ll spot the residential pod of dolphins or even some migrating whales (May to Nov).
Top Tip – Do the lighthouse walk at sunrise for some amazing views.
About the Author: Sammy
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Great service from Ben, came back with answers within minutes and walked us through the process, great experience, thanks Ben
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Ben made it so fast and easy for us to reserve our camper van for our trip in the fall! Excellent service!’n
I had a call with Ryan who was super nice, knowledgable and made me feel really at ease with making my decision. He asked me all about what I want to do and achieve on my trip, although I didn’t really want to pack too much in… nor gave much detail on what I want to do, he gave options and ideas for me to look into. He used his own experience as an example which was really helpful to hear and made me feel like I’m right at home with RatPack, I knew then I was making the right choice by talking to him. He answered any questions I had, even if they seemed like silly questions to ask. The booking process is really easy and straight forward, they do all the hard parts for you. Once Ryan talked me through my options, I made my selection and all I had to do was enter my card details for the deposit and I was done! Thanks to Ryan’s detailed and calm approach I knew I was booking with the right company/team. I can’t wait for the next step!!
George has been amazing. He put together the costings for our trip, and then I changed the dates completely and he redid everything and said it wasn’t a problem. I felt that he worked hard to get me the best deal, advised me which pickup town was the best deal, when was the best time to travel, and how I could save money by adding a day to our trip (yes, it was cheaper to go for 21 days than go for 20!). George sent through mountains of advice on travel destinations, camping sites etc. I would definitely recommend RatPack Travel and George.
The Ratpack team and specifically Ryan f were great for booking our dream New Zealand campervan trip. Ryan worked hard over several days trying to find the best possible deals for us and the communication was great with updates regularly. He was able to get us 2 vans that out did any other quotes that we received and we are really looking forward to our trip with Ratpack being by our side. Thanks a lot Ryan F!
Lovely people, more than helpful.
I am so stoked with the service I received from Ryan at RatPack Travel. He was so proactive and on the ball to help me with all my questions and variations. He gave me several options and gave me other things to look at to make sure I had all that I needed. Ryan did all the legwork in following up the availability of the type of van I wanted. If you are wanting to go on a Campervan holiday no matter how long or short, I would recommend RatPack Travel! They will be you support in every step of the process, in the lead up and while on the road. Thanks Ryan! You're a legend! They are a one stop shop when it comes to sourcing campervans and motorhomes from different providers! I nearly forgot to say - he got me a great deal on a newer model. ;)
Thijs and Gemma were just so lovely to communicate with and explained everything so well. Booked us our campervan seamlessly, and with a great deal too 😊 10/10 service from them both!! Couldn’t recommend more! 😊
Ben was super helpful, easy to deal with and always got back to all my questions nice and quickly, with all the campervan options out there we really didn’t know what one to go with but Ben did all the searching for us and made the whole process really simple.
Amazing and outstanding customer service, Ryan exceeded all expectations, he and his team found the perfect deal for us, if you are looking for renting a campervan in NZ or Oz, don’t look for more! Go straight to them and you’ll see you are in the best hands! 🙌
Greg was superb! We told him what we wanted in a camper van. Even with less than two weeks notice, he didn’t disappoint. We loved our camper van and it was perfect for the two of us!
