Hikezilla

Author's note

This story was inspired by Outside's "The Most Adventurous States in America" — but adapted for Australia, with our own landscapes, activities and data.

Interactive data story

How Outdoorsy Is Australia?

Eight states and territories. Mountains, beaches, trails, deserts, forests and millions of people getting outside. But what actually makes somewhere "outdoorsy"?

Explore how outdoor life differs across Australia's states and territories — from participation and access to hiking, surfing, cycling, snow and more.

Hikezilla Insights · Updated 18 October 2026

Explore the story

Chapter 1

What does "outdoorsy" even mean?

"Outdoorsy" can describe several different things. A place might have lots of protected land, high participation, easy access to nature, huge trail networks, strong outdoor communities, world-class surf, snow, camping — or some combination.

This story explores those dimensions one at a time. It does not name a most outdoorsy state.

Chapter 2

Australia has a lot of nature. But can you reach it?

Protected land, forest, coastline, wetlands and bioregions are spread very unevenly. Switch between totals and shares — a big state can hold a lot of nature without it covering much of the map.

But can people actually reach it?

How many residents live close to protected land? Choose a distance.

Chapter 3

Having nature is one thing. Using it is another.

AusPlay, the national sport and activity survey, estimates how many adults take part in each activity. Each comparison uses a single survey year, and Australia is shown as a separate benchmark.

Chapter 4

Choose your outdoors.

Pick an activity. Participation, opportunity, community and events are shown separately — they measure different things and are never combined into one score. Activities with thinner evidence are marked.

Chapter 5

Explore a state.

Every state has its own mix. A zero can be real — the ACT has no coastline — while a dash means the data simply isn't there.

Chapter 6

So, which state is the most outdoorsy?

It depends on what you mean by outdoorsy.

Nature, access, participation, infrastructure, community and individual sports each tell a different story. A state that leads on protected land may not lead on participation; one with the most coastline may not have the most people near a national park.

Explore the data yourself

Chapter 7

What does outdoorsy mean to you?

We've shown you the data. Now decide what matters.

Mountains or ocean? Trails or surf? Choose the parts of outdoor life you care about and see how Australia's states and territories compare for your mix. It's your definition — not Hikezilla's ranking.

Sources & methodology

13 datasets, each listed once with the calculations and limitations that apply to it.

  • This dataset provides baseline demographic and geographic information for Australian states, aggregated by state and year. It includes population, household counts, land area, and various urban and regional population metrics.

    Source lineage: outdoorsy-state 2.3 / core/state_baselines.csv. See sources/source_catalogue.csv and licensing docs. Accessed 2026-09-23–24.