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Dreaming of a Euro summer as you claw your way through the last gasps of Melbourne's winter? If you’re looking to get your fix without the long-haul flight, one Victorian hike has just been crowned the best place in Australia to fake it till you make it – no passport required. The hiking experts at AllTrails have rounded up Australia’s top ten hikes that evoke some of Europe’s most iconic landscapes, and the number one spot goes to a spectacular coastal walk in Wilsons Prom.
The Oberon Beach Campsite via Tidal River trail takes walkers along granite headlands and past secluded beaches with glass-clear water, backed by scenery that could easily be mistaken for Croatia’s Adriatic Coast. There are pristine campsites along the way, too, making it a particularly good option if you want to turn your faux-Euro holiday into a proper multi-day adventure.
And while there’s no Aperol Spritz waiting at the end of the trail, there is something undeniably European about spending the day wandering between beaches along dramatic rocky outcrops. Pack a picnic blanket and supplies to make a sanga and you can pretend you’re on the Med – no problem. According to AllTrails, Australian search interest for the term ‘Euro Summer’ has risen by 285 per cent over the past three years, reaching an all-time high in June 2026. Demand for European getaway inspiration has also nearly doubled, rising by 96 per cent between mid-2024 and mid-2026. But with airfares pretty steep at the moment, most of us will have to find our Euro escapism a little closer to home.
If Scotland is more your speed, head further west along the Victorian coast to the Johanna Beach to Castle Cove Trail via the Great Ocean Walk – a rugged trail past isolated beaches, towering cliffs and rolling green hills that AllTrails says evoke Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
The rest of AllTrails’ top ten list serves up an impressive tour of European dupes: NSW’s St George Head channels Portugal’s Algarve, while the Blue Mountains’ Cliff Top Track and Grand Canyon evokes Germany’s Black Forest. Tasmania’s Cape Raoul Track brings Norway’s dramatic fjords to the Tasman Peninsula, and WA’s Bald Head Hike and Cape Naturaliste to Dunsborough recall Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way and Italy’s Cinque Terre, respectively.
Queensland’s Bare Rock Track and Morgans Walk serves up Swiss Alps-style mountain scenery, while South Australia’s Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail and Granite Track via Bethany channel the vineyard landscapes of Provence and Germany’s Rhine Valley. But for Melburnians chasing a Euro Summer without boarding a plane, Wilsons Prom is the obvious place to start – just a few hours from the city and delivering top-tier cinematic scenery.
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