Trails
Find ClimateWatch trails in your area or discover trails right across Australia at locations you may visit. Through regularly walking a trail and making observations in the ClimateWatch app you are helping us build a robust dataset that will shape Australia’s scientific response to climate change.
Why get involved?
- Learn how climate change is affecting Australia's plants and animals
- Become an observer and help monitor biodiversity
- Use the free ClimateWatch app to observe indicator species
- Make a real difference in your local community
On your trail walks make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen, and always have some water with you.
Use the interactive map to find a trail near you
The 100 Acres Reserve is classified as a Conservation Reserve of Regional significance. The Reserve is in a natural bush setting.
When the Mayor of Albury, Alderman William Jones, opened the City’s Botanic Gardens with the planting of an English Elm tree in 1877, he created an icon which has stood the test of time. For over 130 years, these magnificent gardens have graced the western end of Albury’s Central Business District.
While the trees have matured and the layout has been modernised, the Albury Botanic Gardens has lost none of its beauty and charm - and remains the jewel in the city’s crown to this day. This is a place where people of all ages and backgrounds come for peace, relaxation, education and celebration.
Start your walk from Anakie Gorge Picnic Area, entering from Gorge Road (unsealed road), Staughton Vale. Contribute to citizen science while exploring one of Melbourne's lesser known gorges.
The trail at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra is a fantastic way to engage with our living collection of Australian native plants and contribute to valuable research in protecting our native plant species.
Discover the trail and become citizen scientists in your own backyard. Look out for the signs marking the ClimateWatch plants. Information on the trail is also available at the Garden’s Visitor Centre.
The Bellarine Peninsula is located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay, and Bass Strait. The Barwon Coast includes a landscape that includes Coastal Moonah Woodlands and wetlands with high environmental biodiversity and conservation values.
Kennington Reservoir is popular for bushwalking, fishing and picnicing. The reservoir has been called 'a fine sheet of water' and is known for it's wildlife, indigenous vegetation and walking tracks.
Walk north from the Reservoir on the Grassy Flat Creek Trail which connects to the Grassy Flat Bushland Reserve.
Visit the Wetlands Centre Cockburn to collect a species ID sheet and walk the trail with your ClimateWatch app in hand.
Bournda Environmental Education Centre (EEC) is a NSW Department of Education and Communities facility, located within Bournda National Park on the Far South Coast of NSW. Bournda EEC works closely with schools to support students learning about our amazing coastal environments and how they can contribute to looking after them. You can find out more by visiting the Bournda EEC website.
Brewongle Environmental Education Centre (EEC) is run by the NSW Department of Education and Communities and provides curriculum-based programs for all schools and students from K-12 in the Western Sydney Region. Their vision is to deliver focussed, relevant, engaging sustainability education programs.
Brewongle has worked with local experts and scientists to develop a ClimateWatch trail on their grounds, allowing visitors to contribute to climate change research.
The Brisbane Botanic Gardens are located 7 km from the Brisbane CBD at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain, Mount Coot-tha.
Canning River Regional Park is nestled in suburban Perth. The trails here will take you over sedge meadows, through mature woodlands, over creeks and amongst the crowns of a paperbark forest.
As part of a unique ClimateWatch in Parks initiative, we have worked together with Parks Victoria to create this ClimateWatch trail in Cape Conran.
Suburban streets, parks, backyards and bushland – nature abounds on Capital Hill. To make it easy we have included species you can find near Parliament House.
This trail location is owned and accessed by the Cumberland Land Conservancy (CLC). Acquired in 2017 by the Commonwealth Government and gifted to Cumberland Land Conservancy the property "Marsdenia" in Llandilo covers 3.75 ha of high conservation bushland and is part of a key corridor between the Wianamatta Regional Park and the Wianamatta Nature Reserve.
This trail location is owned and accessed by the Cumberland Land Conservancy (CLC). Acquired in 2017 by the Commonwealth Government and gifted to Cumberland Land Conservancy the property "Thornbill" in Agnes Banks covers 2.2 ha of high conservation bushland and is part of a key corridor between Sydney University’s Richmond Campus and the Agnes Banks Nature Reserve.
This trail location is owned and accessed by the Cumberland Land Conservancy (CLC). Purchased by the Commonwealth Government and gifted to Cumberland Land Conservancy in early 2016. "Wallaroo" covers 38 ha in Mulgoa and protects Critically Endangered Cumberland Shale Hills Woodland, Cumberland Riverflat Eucalypt Forest and provides habitat/foraging for six species of endangered wildlife.
This trail location is owned and accessed by the Cumberland Land Conservancy (CLC). Donated by a corporate donor in early 2018, the Cumberland Land Conservancy property "Wombat" covers 4.5 ha of high conservation bushland, protects endangered Shale Sandstone Transition Forest and forms a key link between Blue Mountains National Park and Mulgoa Nature Reserve.
Currawong Bush Park in the Yarra Valley gives you the opportunity to have a 'wilderness-like' experience and immerse yourself in nature not far from the city.
East Point Reserve is a special place for the people of Darwin and is one of the most popular recreation areas for both locals and visitors. Rich in history and biodiversity, East Point is easy to access and has an abundance of facilities and attractions for everyone.
Ecolinc is one of six Department of Education and Training, science and mathematics specialist centres situated in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. Ecolinc provides environmental science programs for F-12 students and professional learning for teachers.
Details of all Ecolinc programs may be found on the Ecolinc website.
Come and explore the Glen Iris Wetlands trail and discover our local plants and animals. Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the natural environment on a walk around the Glen Iris Wetlands and discover our new signage, featuring frog and bird sounds plus our interactive stormwater display.
Monitor species selected by GCRBG Friends. There is potential to reach outside the gates and engage a wider community with other species commonly grown on the Gold Coast, but not held in the Gardens Plant Collection.
Keep an eye out for Friends Guided Walks on this ClimateWatch trail.
Rising abruptly from the surrounding Western Plains, the Grampians (Gariwerd) is a series of rugged sandstone mountain ranges and forests rich in plants and animals, some of which are found nowhere else.
Part of the ClimateWatch in Parks initiative with Parks Victoria, this trail at the Gresswell Forest Nature Conservation Reserve is near a fantastic piece of remnant bushland in Watsonia. Contribute to citizen science while experiencing an urban wildlife refuge in Melbourne's north-east, home to a wide variety of native flora and fauna
Gumblossom Reserve has about 5 ha of native vegetation typical to the area prior to the development of the Quinns Rocks townsite in the 1960s. The vast array of plant species exists due to the varied soils associated with two intersecting dunes systems. The reserve has two main plant communities: Banksia woodland and mixed shrubland and heathland.
As part of a citizen science collaboration, we worked together with Greening Australia and Parks Victoria to create a ClimateWatch trail at Haining Farm.
In 1974, Sir John T. Reid gifted Haining Farm to the Victorian Conservation Trust for the people of Victoria to use for the purpose of education and conservation. Haining Farm presents an opportunity to transform a dairy farm into a public park, with habitat for endangered native species like the Helmeted Honeyeater and lowland Leadbeater’s Possum.
The Herdsman Lake trail takes about 30 minutes to explore between the two bird hides, and is at the northern end of Herdsman Lake near Jon Sanders Drive in Osborne Park.
JCU Cairns is situated adjacent to two World Heritage Areas - the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef. The campus is surrounded on three sides by rainforest-covered mountains and located near the northern beaches in the suburb of Smithfield.
We have worked together with James Cook University, Townsville campus to create this ClimateWatch trail.
The campus is surrounded on three sides by rainforest-covered mountains and located near the northern beaches in the suburb of Smithfield. It is an urban wildlife refuge in Townsville.
Kangaroo Valley in the Illawarra region of southern NSW is nestled between the Southern Highlands and NSW South Coast, about two hours' drive from both Sydney and Canberra.
Kangaroo Valley Public School has a rich history of initiating environmental education. The Kangaroo Valley ClimateWatch trail will provide a stimulating and relevant context for engaging students in scientific investigation processes.
Killalea State Park in Shell Cove is a spectacular tract of coastal land that is popular for surfing, fishing, picnics, bushwalking and ClimateWatching.
We have worked with Parks Victoria to create this ClimateWatch trail at Kings Billabong Park, a protected river wetland area along the Murray River approximately 8 km south-east of Mildura. It is located at one of the highest-value conservation reserves in the Sunraysia area.
Contribute to citizen science while experiencing an oasis on the edge of the wild Australian outback, home to majestic River Red Gums and a variety of native birdlife.
Kings Park is home to the Western Australian Botanic Garden, which displays over 3,000 species of the State’s unique flora. Two thirds of the 400 ha park is protected as bushland and provides a haven for native flora and fauna.
The Spectacles Wetlands has one of the largest stands of Paper-bark woodland in the metropolitan Perth area (approximately 33 km south of Perth CBD) and 87 species of water birds, birds of prey and woodland birds. There are a number of land animals including: bandicoots, snakes, occasional wallabies, possums, and bats.
As part of a ClimateWatch in Parks initiative with Parks Victoria the first sub-alpine ClimateWatch trail has been created at the magnificent Lake Catani, Mt Buffalo. The area is near a campground set amongst snow gum woodlands along the banks of the lake.
Lake Monger is a large urban wetland on the Swan Coastal Plain in suburban Perth. It is habitat for an abundance of local flora and fauna making it a popular location to observe a wide selection of WA's beautiful birdlife.
Lake Seppings is a natural ecosystem within the city that provides a refuge for local native plants, animals and birds.The aboriginal name for Lake Seppings is Tjuirtgellong, the place of the long neck turtle.
It is a flat walk through small groves of shady trees alongside the wetland with views across the lake to Mt Adelaide. A haven for water birds with a bird hide for enthusiasts. Over 100 species of birds have been recorded here.
This ClimateWatch trail was created as part of Biodiversity Monitoring in Melbourne's East by the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA). The project won the Government category for the 2016 Victorian Premier's Sustainability Awards, as well as the Local Government category in the 2016 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards.
More information on Lakewood Reserve can be found here on the Knox City Council website.
Macquarie University in Sydney has a ClimateWatch trail for students, staff and community members to record their observations along and contribute to climate science.
The Maitland Park trail was originally developed for the Geraldton Science Awareness Festival in 2011. This trail is in the centre of Geraldton near Nagle College and takes about 30 minutes to explore.
Visit Scouts WA's Manjedal Activities Centre and walk the trail with your community group, friends and family with your ClimateWatch app in hand to record what you see.
Marramarra National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Hawkesbury region of northwestern Sydney.
You can walk the ClimateWatch trail on the Clayton campus and record your observations in our awesome ClimateWatch app.
Our ClimateWatch in Parks initiative worked together with Friends of Morwell National Park to create this ClimateWatch trail, connecting the La Trobe community to their local flora and fauna. Start your walk from Foster's Gully Visitor's Area.
The environmental significance of the area makes it a haven for the community to enjoy and learn about the environment and conservation values of Morwell National Park.
With native bushland right on campus, Murdoch University is an ideal location for recording ClimateWatch indicator species such as the endangered Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, WA Christmas Tree and Cowslip Orchid.
Murdoch Environmental Restoration Group (MERG) and Earthwatch are excited to deliver this new ClimateWatch trail to Murdoch's Perth campus, a location that features important remnant Banksia Woodland habitat that were once prolific across the Swan Coastal Plain.
Situated on beautiful Phillip Island, Newhaven College provides education from Prep to Year 12. This unique 82 acre site is bursting with wildlife and a prime location for a Climate Watch Trail.
The grounds also include a Climate Watch Cultural Trail experience which celebrates Bunurong stories and nature. From bushfire recovery and resilience, to wisdom about the Moonah tree, powerful narrations from Bunurong Elders enable visitors to understand the importance of country in a new light.
Newhaven College has created an education program for younger year levels, demonstrating to others in the school how to monitor and observe species. The cultural trail provides an avenue for outdoor classrooms for both environmental and cultural studies.
They have also created an education program for younger year levels, demonstrating to others in the school how to monitor and observe species.
Known best for its unique geological rock formations, Organ Pipes National Park is home to a wide variety of plants and animals across three distinct communities, found along the river, on the slopes and on the top of the escarpment. Over 150 years of grazing and farming had left the land barren and eroded before the park was protected in 1972. Since then revegetation efforts have enabled the return of many native species.
Pannawonica is an iron-ore mining town located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near the Robe River.
Paraburdoo is a mining town which is located at the south western end of the Hamersley Range National Park in the Pilbara region.
The team at Piney Lakes would like to encourage everybody to make continuous observations so that plenty of data can be collected in order for scientists to make accurate assumptions about the effects of climate change, as it applies to Australian flora and fauna.
As part of our citizen science initiative, we have worked together with Randwick City Council to create this ClimateWatch trail along the Randwick Coastal Walkway, a coastal bushland, heath, and wetland providing valuable habitat for wildlife to live and picturesque coastal views for the community to enjoy, especially during winter whale migration.
We have worked with Randwick City Council to create this ClimateWatch trail at Randwick Environmental Park, a bushland and wetland providing valuable habitat for wildlife to live and the community to enjoy. This trail contains 3.6 ha of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub, a critically endangered ecological community.
Reedy Swamp is a 130 ha marginal basin wetland located on the immediate outskirts of Shepparton’s north-west urban area and is considered a high value wetland and an important component of the Goulburn River Floodplain.
Start your walk near the outdoor classroom. The trail can be explored for short or long walks.
Few studies tell us how Australia’s plants and animals are responding to climate change in our local parks. As part of a unique ClimateWatch in Parks citizen science initiative, Earthwatch Australia have worked together with Parks Victoria and Marine Care Rickett's Point to create this ClimateWatch trail, connecting the coastal community to a nation-wide scientific study that will take teaching outdoors and collect data that will build our understanding of climate change impacts.
Dorroughby Environmental Education Centre and Rous Water have developed a ClimateWatch trail at Rocky Creek Dam that can be used by students and members of the public. Enjoy the many walking paths around Rocky Creek Dam and contribute to scientific research at the same time.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne and Cranbourne) play a leading role in the conservation of plants through biodiversity research, programs to protect rare and threatened species, and the study of habitats. It is an ideal environment for recording information on seasonal changes of plants and animals to find out more about how climate change is impacting species in Australia.
The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne and Cranbourne) play a leading role in the conservation of plants through biodiversity research, programs to protect rare and threatened species, and the study of habitats. It is an ideal environment for recording information on species to bridge the information gap on climate data.
Explore the gorgeous Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney and record your observations on our ClimateWatch app.
The Rumbalara Climate Watch Trail is located within Rumbalara Reserve which is under the care and control of Gosford City Council. The trail provides excellent views of Brisbane Water Estuary and the surrounding catchment. Access to the top of the trail (160m above sea level) is via Dolly Ave at Springfield and at the lower end (60 m) there is an entry at the end of Donnison St Gosford.
As part of a ClimateWatch in Parks initiative, we have worked together with Parks Victoria to create this ClimateWatch trail at Serendip Sanctuary, a protected area 60 km south-west of Melbourne.
Contribute to citizen science while experiencing a wildlife oasis in the Western Volcanic Plain, home to a wide variety of native birds and mammals. ClimateWatch trails help obtain repeated observations, encouraging visitors and the local community to enjoy nature while contributing to science.
As part of their environmental science curriculum, St. Joseph's College in Geelong has developed a ClimateWatch trail to help teach students about climate change and biodiversity.
The Currimundi Lake ‘Loop the Lake’ walk traverses three habitat types providing ample opportunities to observe a diversity of species including ClimateWatch indicator species. The entire 4 km loop starts on the banks of Lake Currimundi leading to a beautiful open beach and looping back into unique coastal bushland. This is a circular route however you can choose to walk it in sections (north or south). The trail can be accessed from a number of entry points and involves crossing over on the beach – so be prepared to get your feet wet!
Explore unique coastal floodplain habitat, remnant wetlands, diverse vegetation, and wildlife on the Doonan Creek ClimateWatch trail.
The Kawana Forest Nature Trail leads you through the southern portion of Kawana Forest Bushland Reserve located to the west of Kawana Way in Meridan Plains. This trail is about 2 km long and can take up to an hour to walk the loop – depending on how many species you encounter!
The trail runs along the Maroochy Wetlands Boardwalk in Bli Bli. The timber and composite fibre boardwalk makes it easy and more accessible to explore this environmental haven at the edge of the Maroochy River.
This trail was developed for the Youth Eco Summit at Sydney Olympic Park and will expand in the near future to become a more comprehensive ClimateWatch trail.
Situated on the southern riverside of greater Hobart, Taroona High School is a co-educational school from grades 7 to 10. On the school grounds, this is the first ClimateWatch trail to be created in Tasmania.
The trail falls along the popular Taroona Foreshore Track which offers beautiful views of the Derwent River, crossing the coastline amongst remnant coastal bushland by Hinsby and Taroona beaches. The coastal foreshore and gullies leading into it are cared for by local volunteer groups, the Taroona Environment Network.
he Australian Botanic Garden at Mount Annan hosts remnants of native Cumberland Plain Woodland vegetation. The ClimateWatch trail has been created to engage the public in the long-term monitoring of biodiversity found in the Garden. Mount Annan is also host to the new PlantBank facility which houses the Royal Botanic Gardens Domain & Trust seeds and specialises in scientific research and conservation of native vegetation.
TERN’s Australian SuperSite Network have launched a ClimateWatch trail at Tinaroo Environmental Education Centre (TEEC) - a state government-run centre in far-north Queensland with a 25 year history of providing education on land care, outdoor pursuits and sustainability.
The Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is managed by the Gundit Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and the Winda-Marra Aboriginal Corporation.
This ClimateWatch Trail is within a managed IPA, participants must be accompanied by a local indigenous guide. See below for booking information.
On the banks of the Swan River, just minutes from Perth, sits the main campus of the University of Western Australia. An ideal environment to test your ClimateWatch skills and take climate action with our free app.
Urrbrae Wetland is located approximately 6.5 km south of Adelaide. The trail is located at a man-made wetland designed to function as a water retention basin whilst having the benefits of natural wetland characteristics, home to many different species of local plants, providing a productive habitat for numerous species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
The Valley Lake Kelta Malpi Conservation Park is located within the Crater Lakes precinct in Mount Gambier featuring picnic facilities, covered shelters, gas barbecues, seating and a playground. The precinct also includes public toilets, extensive parking suitable for buses and access for disabled guests.
Within the 15 ha Valley Reserve, near the corner of Waverley and Stephenson Roads, lies some of the only remaining patches of intact bushland in the area. These provide a vital habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna, and a fascinating insight into how Mount Waverley looked before urban development.
Waylen Bay/Heathcote Reserve are ideal beach and bushland environments for observing and recording environmental changes. The walk starts at Waylen Bay Scout Hall, The Strand Applecross. The trail also has Geocaching Activities and details can be located at www.waylenbayscouts.org.au. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with the Species Identification list for extra fun.
Explore the Australian Journey and Wetlands Werribee Trails (Werribee River Boardwalk) to monitor species that are indicators of climate change. These trails are located within grassland and wetland habitats adjacent to the Werribee River and support a diverse range of flora and fauna.
The trail will take 45 - 60 minutes.
At the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, Wilsons Promontory National Park offers spectacular scenery of huge granite mountains, open forest, rainforest, sweeping beaches and coastlines.
The ClimateWatch trail at the Prom is located on the Lilly Pilly link track. It is a short five minute walk from the Tidal River Visitor Centre to the signpost marking the starting point. The track is 900m long and can be accessible for all via a motorised Trailrider, allowing people of all abilities and ages to discover a wonderful sample of environments rich in birdlife, such as estuarine wetlands, lowland forest and heathlands.
Yanchep National Park is 42 km north of Perth. Its bushland and wetland are home to western gray kangaroos and diverse birdlife. Trails include a raised boardwalk among trees inhabited by koalas.
Yarra Bend Park is the largest area of natural bushland near the heart of Melbourne. The park features steep river escarpments, open woodlands, wild river escarpment, playing fields and golf courses. It is also a haven for native flora and fauna, with a total of 320 indigenous plant species recorded in the park. Animals found in the park include the platypus, water rat, bats, reptiles and diverse birdlife.
The Birrarung, or Yarra River, is a significant place for our First Nations people and is a key biodiversity corridor in our city, providing valuable habitat for plants and wildlife. The City of Stonnington acknowledges the Boonwurrung, Wurundjeri and Bunurong people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters of our city and we respect the special relationship of First Nations’ people to the land and water.
This ClimateWatch trail wanders through the biodiversity-rich rest areas across from Melbourne High School and Darling Gardens in South Yarra. Discover the 19 ClimateWatch species along the 200m trail including trees, flowering plants, grasses, land and water birds, insects and reptiles.
