New South Wales: The inhabitants of New South Wales are never far from adventure for the main focus of outdoor sports here is the Great Dividing Range, which runs parallel and close to the densely populated eastern seaboard for the entire length of the state. Many parts of the Great Dividing Range are rugged enough to have escaped the clearing that occurred as European settlers spread westward from the coast, and today patches of magnificent virgin forest still cloak peaks and escarpments and fill valleys. Although eucalypt forests predominate, alpine heaths cover high peaks in the south, and scattered pockets of subtropical rainforest become more common as you travel northward. The Great Dividing Range offers almost unlimited challenges for adventures, including cliffs for rock climbers, vast tracks of bushland for walkers, and scenic fire trails and rugged back roads for mountain bikers. The highest peaks and plateaus of the Snowy Mountains are a winter playground for ski-tourers. The rivers that have carved their way through the ranges offer opportunities for canoeing, kayaking and rafting, while the narrowest gorges provide a venue for the exciting sport of canyoning. Further west, New South Wales offers entirely different landscapes including semiarid plains and the red-sand deserts and dramatic rockscapes that characterize classic outback country. Adventure Further!

Northern Territory: Renowned for its outback scenery, Aboriginal culture, the great landmarks of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, and the wetlands of Kakadu, the Northern Territory is an enticing but daunting adventure-travel destination. Services are often few and far between, with many towns consisting of little more than a cluster of houses, a shop and a pub, and extreme weather can turn even a short outing into an ordeal. It is for these reasons that some of the Territory’s parks impose strict regulations on visitors. At Uluru-Kata Tjuta, for example, walking is not permitted away from approved tracks and camping is not allowed anywhere with-in the park. Other national parks have less rigid rules but do request that visitors make their plans known to rangers. Despite these restrictions, however, well-prepared travelers can take advantage of a wide range of adventure activities and almost unlimited potential for wilderness exploration. Adventure Further!