Leave No Trace in Australia

The seven Leave No Trace principles, applied to Australian parks. Short, practical and specific to what goes wrong here.

Last reviewed 12 November 2026

Australian parks get a lot of visitors, and small things add up. A dropped orange peel, a shortcut down a slope, a feed for a kookaburra. Here’s how the seven principles apply here.

1. Plan ahead and prepare

Check park alerts and the fire danger rating before you leave.
Know if you need a permit for camping, large groups or commercial activity.
Take enough water and food so you don’t need to forage, drink from creeks or cut your trip short in a risky way.

2. Stick to the track

Don’t shortcut switchbacks. It causes erosion that takes years to repair.
Walk through puddles and mud, not around them. Going around widens the track.
Clean your boots before and after, at the stations at track entrances if there are any. Soil carries phytophthora (root rot), myrtle rust and chytrid fungus, which has wiped out frog species.

3. Take your rubbish home

Pack it in, pack it out. That includes fruit peel and food scraps. They don’t break down quickly and they attract pests.
Toilets: use them where provided. Otherwise bury waste 15 cm deep, at least 100 m from water, tracks and campsites. Carry out toilet paper if you can, plus all hygiene products.
No soap, sunscreen or repellent in creeks. They pollute water and harm frogs and fish. Many creeks feed drinking-water catchments.

4. Leave what you find

Don’t pick plants, take rocks or move logs.
Aboriginal cultural sites (art, scar trees, stone arrangements) are protected. Look, don’t touch, and follow signs about where you can go.
Don’t build rock stacks. They disturb habitat and mislead other walkers.

5. Minimise fire impacts

Many parks ban campfires, and total fire bans apply to everyone. Use a fuel stove.
Where fires are allowed, use existing fire rings, keep them small, and put them out with water, not soil.

6. Respect wildlife

Never feed wildlife. It makes animals sick, dependent and aggressive. Fines apply in national parks.
Keep your distance, especially from nesting birds and animals with young.
Dogs aren’t allowed in most national parks. Leave them at home unless the park says otherwise.
Drones are restricted in most parks. Check the rules before you fly.

7. Be considerate of others

Keep noise down. Most people come for the quiet.
Give way to people walking uphill, and step aside for faster groups.
Hike with headphones out, or at least one ear free.
Share photos without geotagging fragile spots. Viral locations get loved to death.