Walking Track Grading System

In March 2011 the Council of Bushwalking Australia endorsed the Australian Walking Track Grading System, a voluntary walking standard.

The Australian Walking Track Grading System is a nationally consistent system to grade the level of difficulty of the track walking experience and then to clearly communicate that information to walkers.

How to Grade Walking Tracks using the Australian Walking Track Grading System

The grading system operates at two distinct tiers.

1. A technical grading of the walk where the land manager determines the walk’s grade of difficulty using a set of technical questions based on the Australian Standard 2156.1-2001 Walking Tracks - Classification and Signage; and

2. A ‘plain English language’ description to describe the walk to the public.

For an explanation of how to grade a walking track using the new standard please download the User Guides below:

User guide to the Australian Walking Track Grading System (PDF - 945KB)
User guide to the Australian Walking Track Grading System (MS Word Document - 155KB)

For more information about the Australian Walking Track Grading System see http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/recreation-and-tourism/australian-walking-track-grading-system