[category]
[title]
Ah, the great outdoors. There’s nothing like spending a day soaking up fresh air and completely immersing yourself in nature. From lush national parks and ancient subtropical rainforests to beautiful beaches and calm alpine lakes, Australia is a playground for the outdoorsy crew – and it turns out the country’s absolute best spots are clustered along the East Coast.
To find Australia’s ultimate outdoor adventure hubs, Net World Sports ranked all 88 Australian SA4 regions (the standard geographic boundaries used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics). The researchers scored each region out of 100 across seven measures: hiking and trail-running routes, parkrun events, paths and tracks, mountain-bike trails, access to national parks and protected areas, suitable outdoor days and rock-climbing locations.
In news that will surprise nobody who’s ever visited, Sydney’s Northern Beaches was crowned the country’s best place for an active outdoor lifestyle – scoring 77.26 out of 100. The region boasts 450.7km of hiking and trail-running tracks per 1,000sqkm, along with 1,288km of broader paths and tracks, 178km of mountain-bike trails, and 16.9 rock-climbing locations per 100,000 residents. And on the nature front? 100 per cent of residents live within 10km of a national park or protected area.
Not far behind is Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, which boasts 1,709km of walking paths per 1,000sqkm – an even higher density than the Northern Beaches. Meanwhile, North Sydney and Hornsby came third, recording the nation’s highest density of hiking routes at 583km per 1,000sqkm.
Tasmania had a strong showing in the top ten, with Hobart ranking fourth and the Launceston and North East region landing in tenth. Hobart took the title for Australia’s best adventure weather, with more than 68 per cent of days deemed suitable for outdoor activities. Meanwhile, South East Tasmania emerged as the national hotspot for rock climbing, with an impressive 83.1 locations per 100,000 residents. You can find out where your region ranked here.
The best regions in Australia for outdoor adventure
- Sydney – Northern Beaches
- Sydney – Sutherland
- North Sydney and Hornsby
- Hobart
- Australian Capital Territory
- Adelaide – South
- Brisbane – West
- Adelaide – Central and Hills
- Hume
- Launceston and North East Tasmania