The Australian Alps Walking Track is a long-distance walking trail through the alpine areas of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and the ACT. It is 655 km long, starting at

Walhalla, Victoria Walhalla is a town in Victoria, Australia, founded as a gold-mining community in late 1862, and at its peak, home to around 4,000 residents. As of 2023, the town has a population of 20 permanent residents, though it has a large proportion of ...

, and running through to Tharwa , near

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. The track weaves mainly through Australian national parks, such as

Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hi ...

and

Kosciuszko National Park The Kosciuszko National Park ( ) is a national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, New South Wales, Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix o ...

, although it is not exclusively restricted to national parks. It ascends many peaks including

Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko ( ; ; Ngarigo: ) is the highest mountain of the mainland Australia, at above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park, a part of the Australian Alps National Parks and ...

Mount Bogong Mount Bogong, located in the Alpine National Park and part of the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, is the highest mountain in Victoria, Australia, at above sea level. The Big River separates the massif of the mountain from t ...

, and

Bimberi Peak Bimberi Peak or Mount Bimberi with an elevation of located within the Brindabella Ranges is the highest mountain in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It is located on the border between New South Wales (NSW) and the ACT, the NSW portion i ...

, the highest points in NSW, Victoria and the ACT respectively. The AAWT crosses exposed high plains including the Victorian Bogong High Plains and the Main Range in NSW. To walk the whole trail can take between 3 and 8 weeks. Food drops or a support crew are necessary as the trail does not pass through any towns, although it passes close to the ski resorts of Mt Hotham, Falls Creek, Mt Baw Baw, Thredbo, Charlotte Pass and Perisher. There is an active group of AAWT Track Angels able to help walkers by providing transport and food drops. It has been signposted for part of its length in a tri-state agreement. However, most parts of the Track require hikers to have highly developed navigation skills, particularly in wilderness areas. The Australian Alps Walking Track is an extension of the older Victorian Alpine Walking Track, established during the 1970s. The Victorian track was extended after many years of promotion by the Federation of Victorian Walking Clubs and various government departments. The NSW stretch of the walk is less imaginative than the Victorian section. Where the Victorian section typically follows spurs and ridges, the NSW section typically follows fire trails/tracks. The route recommended by John Siseman adds some interest to the NSW section of the walk. Between Walhalla and Tharwa it passes through these National Parks: *

Baw Baw National Park The Baw Baw National Park () is a national park located on the boundary between the Victorian Alps and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately east of Melbourne and north of the Latrobe Valley. Th ...

(including Cobberas Wilderness Area), up to the New South Wales border. *

(including Jagungal Wilderness Area), immediately north of the border. *

Namadgi National Park Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the southwest of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of th ...

, adjoining Kosciuszko National Park. *

Brindabella National Park Brindabella National Park is an national park in New South Wales, Australia, that is located approximately southwest of Sydney central business district in the Brindabella Range. Much of the eastern boundary of the national park forms part of t ...

Fastest Known Times

While most individuals attempting the track take 30–40 days and most groups take 50–60 days to complete the track, the track has been completed in as little as 12 days. The following are the fastest recorded times for completion of the entire track under 5 categories: *Mixed-gender self supported team: 11 days 9 hours by John Riley, Kylie Salm and Phil Robinson on 26 November 2019. *Male self supported: 10 days 23 hours 14 Minutes by Paul Cuthbert & Tom Bartlett on 26 January 2022. *Male supported: 13 days 11 hours by Beau Miles on 17 March 2011. *Female self supported: 24 days 0 hours by Emma Timmis on 17 April 2016. *Unsupported: 19 days, 9 hours 30 minutes by Army Captains Monika Georgieva and Wes Walsh on 28 December 2023.

References

External links

Australian Alps Walking Track - Brochure
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OpenStreetMap full AAWT routeCraig's AAWT siteNigel's AAWT 2006 experienceRohan & Nigel's AAWT 2008 experienceLuke and Simon Perraton's AAWT Winter 2009 experienceAndy and Mark Oates blog and videos of both their 2005 and 2018 winter traverses
Hiking and bushwalking tracks in Australia