Sunset over the Murray River at Ulupna Island, Barmah National Park, Victoria

Photo: Gypsy Denise, CC BY-SA 4.0

ADVENTURES

Where a Seeka takes you

56 trip guides

The beach and turquoise water of Wainui Bay, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

NZKrzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0

Abel Tasman by packraft: walk the track, paddle the calm

Abel Tasman National Park sits at the top of New Zealand's South Island, where a long coast of golden sand beaches and granite headlands runs between Marahau and Wainui Bay. The Abel Tasman Coast Track follows the whole of it, a Great Walk that moves between forested ridges and sea-level flats, crosses estuaries on the tide and reaches beaches with no road access. Sea kayaks and guided operators have worked this coastline for decades. A packraft plays a different and narrower part here. It rides in the pack, comes out in the calmest inshore corners on the right morning, and always sits second to the track under your feet.

The Colo River gorge from Alidade Hill, Wollemi National Park

NSWDougBeckers, CC BY-SA 4.0

Colo River: Sydney’s wilderness paddle

The Colo River suits fit parties comfortable with multi-day wilderness travel who want a deep sandstone gorge in Wollemi National Park, a short drive north-west of Sydney. At normal levels it is pool-and-run water, long flat pools broken by sandy runs where you drag the packraft; summer in the gorge is hot, and high water is a reason to stay home. You walk in on steep ridge tracks off the plateau on the Putty Road side, or start more gently on the lower river near Colo village, and NPWS has the current word on track access, closures and permits.

The Glenelg River between paperbarks at Mumbannar, Victoria

VICDietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0

Glenelg River: slow water for days

The Glenelg River suits a first multi-day trip, solo paddlers and families in tandems: broad, slow flat water through far south-west Victoria and the limestone gorge of Lower Glenelg National Park, with a gentle current and no rapids. You plan your days around designated riverside campsites booked through Parks Victoria, and most downstream trips finish at Nelson on the estuary, where the river turns tidal. Summer days can be clear and warm with little shade on the water, so carry sun protection and plenty of drinking water.

Lake Yarrunga and the Shoalhaven gorge from the Three Views lookout, Kangaroo Valley

NSWPhil Whitehouse, CC BY 2.0

Kangaroo Valley and the Shoalhaven by packraft

Kangaroo Valley suits a first overnight paddle: flat, drowned-valley water on Lake Yarrunga inside sandstone escarpments, short carries, and NPWS paddle-in campsites that need booking. Paddle in the morning, because the gorge arms funnel westerlies that build through the afternoon, and pack a wetsuit or dry layer from late autumn through to spring. The valley is a few hours south of Sydney, and you launch from an access point on the lake and paddle to camp.

Sunset over the still water of Lake St Clair, Tasmania

TASDwaipayanbasu85, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake St Clair: walk-in paddling at the Overland’s end

Lake St Clair sits at the southern end of the Overland Track in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. It is Australia's deepest lake, carved by glaciation, and it holds cold water year-round. Forested shores rise to mountain ridgelines. For walkers finishing the Overland Track, Cynthia Bay is the end. For paddlers, it is the start of a different kind of time on the water, time the lake gives slowly and on its own terms.

Morning sun over the Murray River in Barmah Forest, Victoria, with river red gums and canoes

VICMick Nettleingham, CC BY-SA 4.0

Murray River overnights with a packraft

The Murray is Australia's longest river. It leaves the Snowy Mountains and runs more than 2,000 km across mostly flat country to the Southern Ocean. The middle and lower reaches are wide, slow and warm in summer. Red gums line the banks for long stretches. A sandbar forms on the inside of every bend. The river moves, but it never hurries you. Big-sky days, simple camps, easy logistics. Come for that and it delivers, reliably.

Kayakers on Myall Lakes seen from Violet Hill camping area, New South Wales

NSWRob Freijs, CC BY-SA 3.0

Myall Lakes: flat water without the crowds

Myall Lakes National Park sits on the NSW mid-north coast, north of Newcastle and within easy reach of Sydney. Behind a long barrier of coastal dunes lies one of the state's largest lake systems: Myall Lake, Boolambayte Lake and The Broadwater, linked by channels and draining to the sea through the Myall River at Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. The whole system is big, paperbark-edged and mostly flat. Paddlers and houseboaters have been coming here for decades, and the multi-day routes it offers on inland water are among the more accessible on the east coast.

An arm of Lake Eildon winding between steep forested hills in north-east Victoria

VICShirleyshoe93, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting Lake Eildon

Lake Eildon is a large water storage in north-east Victoria, formed by damming the Goulburn River near the town of Eildon. It spreads through a series of long arms and inlets, including the Delatite, Howqua and Big River arms, surrounded by steep forested hills and the Lake Eildon National Park.

Lake Somerset seen from The Spit picnic area near Somerset Dam, south-east Queensland

QLDShiftchange, CC0

Packrafting Lake Somerset

Lake Somerset is a large water storage on the Stanley River in the Somerset Region of south-east Queensland, about an hour and a half north-west of Brisbane. It sits upstream of Lake Wivenhoe, and the two dams work together for water supply and flood mitigation on the Brisbane River.

Lake Taupō, New Zealand, with Mount Ruapehu and the central plateau mountains beyond

NZQFSE Media, CC BY-SA 3.0 nz

Packrafting Lake Taupō

Lake Taupō fills a volcanic caldera in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the largest lake in the country, fed by the Tongariro River and other streams from the south and drained by the Waikato River at the town of Taupō, with the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park on the southern skyline.

Dead tree trunks from the forest drowned around 1958 standing above the surface of Lake Tinaroo, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland

QLDVmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting Lake Tinaroo

Lake Tinaroo is the large reservoir behind Tinaroo Falls Dam on the Barron River, up on the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland. Its long, branching shoreline of bays and inlets sits among farmland, rainforest and state forest, with the air noticeably cooler than on the coast below.

Lake Wānaka from the town beach at Wānaka, with snow-capped mountains beyond

NZKrzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting Lake Wānaka

Lake Wānaka is a long, deep glacial lake in the Otago high country, ringed by mountains, with the town of Wānaka on its southern shore. The Makarora and Matukituki rivers feed it, and the Clutha Mata-Au drains it from an outlet near Albert Town. On a still morning it offers big-country paddling within walking distance of a café.

The mouth of the Arthur River in north west Tasmania, with the township and bridge behind

TASTirin, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting the Arthur River

The Arthur River drains a large part of the Tarkine (takayna) in north west Tasmania and meets the Southern Ocean at the small township of Arthur River. Its lower reaches wind through rainforest and coastal scrub inside the Arthur-Pieman Conservation Area, dark with tannin and often still enough to hold a mirror image of the forest.

The pedestrian suspension bridge over the Avon River at Northam, Western Australia

WAMitch Ames, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Avon River

The Avon River runs through the wheatbelt east of Perth, past York, Northam and Toodyay, and cuts west through the Darling Range to become the Swan. For much of the year it is a string of pools across farming country. In a wet winter it becomes a flowing river, and through the hills it turns into whitewater.

The Gloucester River pooling under gums on the River Walk, Gloucester Tops, Barrington Tops

NSWDoug Beckers, CC BY-SA 2.0

Packrafting the Barrington Tops

Packrafting the Barrington Tops suits paddlers who want the gentler lower reaches and flatter water of the Barrington, Gloucester and Manning rivers, carried in on foot, and who are ready for cold water and rain-fed rivers that rise fast with timber in the channel. Autumn and spring generally bring more reliable levels and settled weather. You reach the plateau from Gloucester in the east or Scone in the west, on roads that are unsealed in places, so check access and closures with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Corporation before you go.

The Barwon River winding through Geelong, seen from Montpelier Park in Highton, Victoria

VICMarcus Wong Wongm, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Barwon River

The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges, runs north and east through farmland past Winchelsea, winds through Geelong, then turns south through wetlands and Lake Connewarre to meet Bass Strait at Barwon Heads. It is a city river, a wetland river and a tidal estuary within a short drive of each other.

The Brisbane River at Moggill, seen across the water from Joseph Brady Park at Barellan Point, Queensland

QLDKerry Raymond, CC BY 4.0

Packrafting the Brisbane River

The Brisbane River runs out of the ranges north-west of the city, through Wivenhoe Dam, and down a long farming valley past Fernvale and Lowood before it turns tidal and winds through Brisbane to Moreton Bay. The stretch below the dam is the part worth a packraft.

The Buller River near Murchison, running through forested hills in the Tasman Region

NZKrzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Buller River

The Buller River, Kawatiri, flows out of Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park and runs west past Murchison, through the Buller Gorge, to the Tasman Sea at Westport. It is one of the South Island's best-known whitewater rivers, and Murchison sits at the centre of a whole network of rivers paddled by kayakers and rafters.

The mouth of the Canning River in Perth, Western Australia, with moored yachts and the city skyline in the distance

WACalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Canning River

The Canning River runs out of the Darling Range east of Perth, down through the southern suburbs, and joins the Swan River at Canning Bridge before opening into Melville Water. Its lower half is a broad tidal estuary. Above Kent Street Weir it is a narrow, freshwater river lined with paperbarks and reeds.

The broad Clarence River at Grafton, New South Wales, seen over Memorial Park

NSWKgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Clarence River

The Clarence River rises in the ranges near the Queensland border and runs south and east through the Clarence Valley to the sea at Yamba and Iluka. It is one of the largest rivers on the New South Wales coast, and it has two very different characters: remote gorge country upstream, and a broad, slow, tidal river through Grafton and the cane fields below it.

The Derwent River at New Norfolk, Tasmania, with willows on the bank and hills behind

TASeGuide Travel, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Derwent River

The Derwent River flows out of Lake St Clair in Tasmania's Central Highlands and runs south east through the Derwent Valley to New Norfolk, where it slows and widens into the long estuary that carries it past Hobart to Storm Bay. It is two rivers in one: a hydro-managed inland river in the upper valley, and a broad tidal waterway at the city end.

A forested bend of the Frankland River near Nornalup in Walpole-Nornalup National Park, Western Australia

WASam Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.0

Packrafting the Frankland River

The Frankland River runs south through the tall forests of Walpole-Nornalup National Park on the south coast of Western Australia and empties into Nornalup Inlet near the small settlement of Nornalup. Its lower reaches are slow, dark and forest-lined, and they lead straight into one of the most sheltered inlet systems on that coast.

The Georges River from Marra Place at Sylvania, Sydney, with a sandy shore and a bridge on the far left

NSWOSX, Public domain

Packrafting the Georges River

The Georges River rises near Appin, runs north through Campbelltown and Liverpool, then turns east through south-west Sydney to Botany Bay. Below the weir at Liverpool it is tidal, and through its middle reaches it is lined by the bushland of Georges River National Park.

Wind-driven chop on Lake King in the Gippsland Lakes, seen from a sandy shore

VICscopeway, CC BY 3.0

Packrafting the Gippsland Lakes

The Gippsland Lakes are a chain of large coastal lakes in East Gippsland, Victoria, sitting behind the dunes of the Ninety Mile Beach. Lake King, Lake Victoria and Lake Wellington are the main bodies of water, fed by the Mitchell, Nicholson, Tambo and Latrobe rivers and joined to Bass Strait by a single artificial entrance at Lakes Entrance.

The Goulburn River at Seymour, Victoria, lined with river red gums and a snag in the current

VICMattinbgn, CC BY 3.0

Packrafting the Goulburn River

The Goulburn River is the longest river wholly in Victoria. Below Lake Eildon it runs west past Thornton and Alexandra, then north through Seymour and on towards Shepparton and the Murray. This guide covers the reaches below the dam, where the river is shaped by releases from Eildon as much as by rain.

The Hawkesbury River at Wisemans Ferry, New South Wales, with ferry cables visible on the right

NSWsv1ambo, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Hawkesbury River

The Hawkesbury River winds through deep sandstone valleys on the northern edge of Sydney before meeting the sea at Broken Bay. For much of its length it is tidal, and the stretch from around Wisemans Ferry down to Brooklyn runs between national parks, with forested ridges on both sides and only a handful of settlements along the way.

The Huon River near its junction with the Picton River, Tahune, Tasmania

TASKham Tran, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting the Huon River

The Huon River drains a large part of southern Tasmania. It runs from the mountains of the south west out through forestry and farmland to a wide tidal estuary below Huonville.

The Jamieson River flowing under the Brewery Bridge at Jamieson, Victoria

VICMattinbgn, CC BY 3.0

Packrafting the Jamieson River

The Jamieson River comes out of the Victorian high country, drops off the ranges and winds down to the Goulburn near the small township of Jamieson. Snowmelt and rain feed it, so the river you paddle depends entirely on when you go and what the catchment has had. At the right level it is proper moving water through a thinly settled valley. At low summer levels it can be little more than a wade.

The Logan River looking downstream from the old bridge at Jimboomba Lions Park, south-east Queensland

QLDShiftchange, CC0

Packrafting the Logan River

The Logan River rises in the Scenic Rim ranges on the Queensland and New South Wales border and runs north past Rathdowney, Beaudesert and Jimboomba, through Logan City, to southern Moreton Bay. It is a winding rural river for most of its length, turning tidal and wide in its lower reaches south of Brisbane.

The Margaret River lagoon behind the sand bar at the river mouth near Prevelly, Western Australia, with hire canoes on the beach

WASeanMack, CC BY-SA 2.5

Packrafting the Margaret River

The Margaret River flows west through forest and farmland in the south west of Western Australia, past the town that shares its name, and reaches the Indian Ocean at Prevelly. It is a small river with a big reputation, and its lower reaches and lagoon mouth make a short, easy paddle on a coast better known for surf.

The Maribyrnong River curving below steep grassy banks at West Essendon, Melbourne

VICTirin, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting the Maribyrnong River

The Maribyrnong River runs through Melbourne's west, from the rural creeks north of Keilor, through a deep valley at Avondale Heights and Maribyrnong, and down past Footscray to join the Yarra near the port. The lower river is tidal, and the whole length sits within the suburbs.

The sandy bank of the Maroochy River estuary at Cotton Tree on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, under a grey sky

QLDKgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Maroochy River

The Maroochy River drains the hinterland behind the Sunshine Coast, running from the ranges west of Yandina through cane country and mangroves to the sea at Maroochydore and Cotton Tree. For most of its lower length it is a tidal estuary, wide, shallow and slow.

The Mary River looking north from the Kidd Bridge at Gympie, Queensland, between tree-lined banks

QLDSue Allen, CC BY-SA 3.0

Packrafting the Mary River

The Mary River rises in the ranges behind the Sunshine Coast hinterland and runs north through Kenilworth, Gympie, Tiaro and Maryborough to the Great Sandy Strait. Through the Kenilworth and Gympie country it is a winding rural river of long pools, gravel runs and deep, tree-lined banks.

The Mersey River at Latrobe, Tasmania, a calm reach between reed beds near Bells Parade

TASGary Houston, CC0

Packrafting the Mersey River

The Mersey River runs from the Central Highlands of Tasmania north through Mole Creek country and Latrobe to Bass Strait at Devonport. It changes from a mountain river in its upper reaches to a slow, tidal estuary in its last stretch to the sea.

The Mitchell River near the Princes Highway bridge in Bairnsdale, with anglers on the bank and a jetty

VICLuke Steenhuis, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Mitchell River

The Mitchell River runs out of the Victorian high country in East Gippsland, cuts a deep gorge through Mitchell River National Park, then crosses the river flats past Lindenow to Bairnsdale and on into Lake King. Above the park it is formed where the Wonnangatta and Dargo rivers meet.

The braided gravel channels of the Motueka River at Tapawera, Tasman, New Zealand

NZFrank Exchange, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Motueka River

The Motueka River runs north through the Tasman region of the South Island, from the hills south of Tapawera down a long farmed valley to Tasman Bay at Motueka. It is a clear, gravel-bedded river, braided in places and lined with willows, with long gentle reaches between the riffles.

The Murchison River winding through its red sandstone gorge below the Z Bend lookout, Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia

WAFlickr user robertpaulyoung, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Murchison River

The Murchison River reaches the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri, on the Western Australian coast north of Geraldton. Its last stretch runs through Kalbarri National Park, where it has cut a deep, winding gorge through red and white banded sandstone. It is remote, hot and flood-driven, and when there is water in it the gorge is one of the great paddling settings in the west.

The Murrumbidgee River at Ashmont Reserve, Moorong, with river red gums

NSWBidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au

Packrafting the Murrumbidgee

The Murrumbidgee rises in the Snowy Mountains, runs north through the Australian Capital Territory, then turns west across the Riverina towards the Murray. Few Australian rivers cross such different country in one course.

The Nepean River at Penrith, New South Wales, a wide reach between tree-lined banks under a blue sky

NSWsv1ambo, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Nepean River

The Nepean River runs north along the western edge of Sydney, past Camden and Wallacia, through the Nepean Gorge and out past Penrith, where it widens into a broad, slow reach before becoming the Hawkesbury near Yarramundi. It is the closest big river to a lot of western Sydney, and a train ride from the city.

Rapids on the Ovens River at Bright, north-east Victoria

VICSheba_Also, CC BY-SA 2.0

Packrafting the Ovens River

The Ovens River runs out of the Victorian alps above Bright, down through Myrtleford and Wangaratta, and into the Murray. It is one of the more accessible alpine-fed rivers in the state, with a road following much of its length.

The broad Shoalhaven River seen from Hanging Rock Lookout at Nowra, New South Wales

NSWMrActiniuM, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Shoalhaven River

The Shoalhaven River rises on the southern tablelands of New South Wales, runs north through deep sandstone gorges, is held back by Tallowa Dam, and then turns east past Nowra to the sea. It is one river with three very different characters, and the paddling depends entirely on which one you pick.

The Guildford Road Bridge over the upper Swan River at Guildford, Western Australia, seen from the riverbank

WARonnievonjohnson, CC BY 4.0

Packrafting the Swan River

The Swan River is Perth's river. It begins where the Avon meets Wooroloo Brook in the hills north-east of the city, winds through the Swan Valley and Guildford, and widens past the city centre into Perth Water and Melville Water before reaching the ocean at Fremantle. Most of its length is a tidal estuary.

The Tamar River at Launceston, Tasmania, with hillside houses reflected in still water

TASDANIEL JULIE, CC BY 2.0

Packrafting the Tamar River

The Tamar River, kanamaluka, is a long tidal estuary in northern Tasmania. It begins at Launceston, where the North Esk and South Esk rivers meet, and runs north between farmland, vineyards and small towns to Bass Strait near George Town and Low Head.

Lake Karapiro on the Waikato River, with the Maungatautari Road bridge and small islands

NZUlrich Lange, Bochum, Germany, CC BY-SA 4.0

Packrafting the Waikato River

The Waikato River is New Zealand's longest river. It leaves Lake Taupō, runs north through a chain of hydro lakes, flows past Cambridge and Hamilton, and reaches the Tasman Sea at Port Waikato. For a packraft, the interest lies in the hydro lakes such as Lake Karapiro and the broad, steady reaches around Cambridge and Hamilton.

The Yarra River at Pound Bend, Warrandyte, lined with river gums

VICNick Carson, CC BY 3.0

Packrafting the Yarra: paddling from the suburbs

The Yarra runs through Melbourne's suburbs for most of its length. It is not a wilderness river, and that is the whole point. When the hull packs into a backpack, a suburban river becomes a weeknight option. Finish work, catch a train to a riverside suburb, walk to the bank, and you are on the water before dark. That is a different kind of access to the outdoors, and the Yarra makes the case for it.

Sunset over the granite shore of Honeymoon Bay, Freycinet Peninsula, Tasmania

TASJJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0

Paddling Freycinet’s sheltered water

Freycinet National Park sits on Tasmania's east coast, a few hours' drive from Hobart. The Hazards define it: a wall of pink granite rising straight out of the Tasman Sea. Below them, Coles Bay is the gateway town, and beyond the peninsula lie Wineglass Bay, a string of smaller beaches and water that is clear in a way you do not expect from the sea. People come for the walking. The paddling is quieter and more conditional, and worth understanding before you put a packraft on the water.

The sandstone walls of Katherine Gorge from the Katherine River, Nitmiluk National Park

NTJP1681, CC BY-SA 4.0

Paddling Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)

Nitmiluk National Park sits a short drive from Katherine in the Northern Territory, on the traditional country of the Jawoyn people. The Katherine River runs through it, and over millions of years that river has cut a series of sandstone gorges with walls rising sharply from the water. In the dry season, when the gorges are open, the water between those walls is slow and flat. The colour shifts from pale green in direct sun to deep shadow at the base of the cliffs. It is a significant and closely managed place. Paddling it takes preparation, respect for the rules, and an honest reading of the season.

A forested bend on the lower Gordon River, western Tasmania

TASFelix Andrews, CC BY-SA 3.0

Paddling the lower Gordon River

The Gordon River moves slowly through western Tasmania in wide, dark sweeps, its water stained the colour of black tea by the buttongrass and rainforest catchment around it. It is broad, flat and cold, and the country around it is part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, one of the largest temperate wilderness areas left in the Southern Hemisphere. Getting onto this water takes serious planning. Staying on it takes weather patience and a clear head about your own limits.

The Blackwood River at Nannup, Western Australia, with jarrah and marri on the banks

WACalistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Blackwood River, WA’s long touring river

The Blackwood is one of the longest rivers in Western Australia's south-west. It rises in the wheat belt country east of the Darling Scarp and runs west and south through jarrah forest and farm valleys before it meets the sea at Hardy Inlet near Augusta. That distance, and the variety of country it passes through, makes the Blackwood the central canoe touring river of the south-west. Most of its length is gentle moving water, not whitewater. The reward is days of unhurried paddling through changing country, with the sounds of forest instead of traffic.

The Clutha River running blue through the Upper Clutha Valley, Central Otago

NZLewis Verduyn-Cassels, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Clutha River: big, fast, cold

The Clutha Mata-Au is New Zealand's highest-volume river and the country's second longest. It drains Lake Wanaka in Central Otago and runs south through the high country to the coast below Balclutha, covering hundreds of kilometres on its way to the Pacific. The water is glacier-blue, cold every month of the year, and moves fast almost everywhere. From a bridge or a hillside it looks serene. From a hull on the surface it is something else entirely.

Aerial view of the Franklin River meeting the Gordon River in Tasmania's south-west

TASRobyn Jay, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Franklin River and packrafts: read this first

The Franklin River is the most searched name in Australian packrafting. It is also the river a Seeka does not belong on. Better to say that at the start. If you came here looking for a packraft to run the Franklin, this guide points you somewhere better.

Mist over the Mitta Mitta River gorge below Dartmouth Dam, Victoria

VICMike Cline, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Mitta Mitta River by packraft

The Mitta Mitta suits touring paddlers with basic river skills on its valley reaches at calm, friendly levels, while the gorge sections are serious whitewater for trained paddlers only. The river runs from the Victorian Alps to Lake Hume near the New South Wales border, and below Dartmouth Dam its level follows scheduled releases rather than rain, so check current levels and release information close to your departure date. The water runs cold through the whole system even in summer, and Parks Victoria or the relevant land manager can confirm where you may camp.

Tannin-dark water and paperbarks on the upper Noosa River, the Noosa Everglades

QLDBernard Spragg, CC0

The Noosa Everglades by packraft

The upper Noosa River sits inside the Cooloola section of Great Sandy National Park, Queensland, under a name that surprises people: the Noosa Everglades. It is often described as one of only two everglades systems in the world. Tannins from the surrounding wallum heathland and paperbarks stain the water dark amber, and on a calm morning it holds a near-perfect reflection of sky and tree line. The colour, the stillness and the way the river narrows as it reaches into the park make this one of the more striking multi-day paddles in south-east Queensland.

McKillops Bridge crossing the Snowy River in Snowy River National Park, Victoria

VICTheatretwitt, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Snowy River by packraft

The Snowy River carries a weight that few Australian waterways do. Banjo Paterson wrote it into the national imagination, and the name still stands for something wild and remote. The real river is more complicated than the poem. The Snowy Mountains Scheme dammed its headwaters in the mid-twentieth century, and environmental releases in recent decades have put some life back into the lower reaches. The multi-day journey through Snowy River National Park in East Gippsland remains one of Victoria's great wilderness trips. It asks a great deal of anyone who takes it on.

Great Lake on Tasmania's Central Plateau, morning mist over highland moorland

TASJJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Western Lakes with a packraft

The Western Lakes sit high on Tasmania's Central Plateau, reached by unsealed roads and then on foot. Thousands of tarns scatter across open moor and dolerite country inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, loosely grouped under names like the Nineteen Lagoons. Up there you find water in every direction, linked by short cross-country carries, with no fixed trails threading the whole of it. A packraft belongs here in a way few other craft do.

The Whanganui River winding through bush between Pipiriki and Jerusalem, New Zealand

NZPrankster, CC0

The Whanganui Journey with a packraft

The Whanganui Journey is one of New Zealand's Great Walks, and it is not a walk at all. You travel the Whanganui River by paddle, through Whanganui National Park on the North Island, across several days of green gorge, mist and continuously moving water. The DOC hut and campsite network along the river gives the trip structure without stripping out the wilderness. Few multi-day river journeys anywhere are this carefully managed and this convincingly remote.

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