Great Walks

ONE of my jobs as editor of Great Walks is paginating the magazine. Basically it’s like a jigsaw puzzle where I have to place the stories, columns and ads onto the pages to give the mag the right flow and so it follows the theme of the issue, which i

WE all experience mental health issues at some point in life and for some of us a major event occurs that leaves us with a diagnosed mental illness. This is what happened to me following a violent incident at work – I developed anxiety, depression an

IF YOU’VE EVER wanted to go walking in NT and need a bit of inspiring make sure you check out Top End Wedding, a feature film co-written by, produced and starring Darwin’sown Miranda Tapsell. It showcases may iconic Top End destinations such as Darwi

SEEMINGLY adrift in the enormity of the Indian Ocean, the remote Cocos Keeling Islands sit atop the remains of ancient volcanic activity and offer a remarkable walking opportunity. And despite the fact they’re geographically closer to the Indonesian

LAST November, my dear friend Jess and I ventured from the inner-west Sydney bubble to one of the most magical places on earth – Chile! It was important for both of us that we went straight into the mountains and started some training hikes, to prep

OPEN up your wallet and take a look at an Australian ten dollar note. One side features Australian writer Banjo Patterson, author of the famous poem The Man from Snowy River. Part of this poem is micro-printed on the note (a security measure) and bey

AFTER completing the busy Queen Charlotte Track and Heaphy Track, we wanted to hike somewhere different this time. The St James Walkway looked a little different – promising a quieter and gentler sub-alpine hike. Built in 1981, the St James Walkway d

TONGARIRO NP is a dynamic place. Volcanoes here have erupted, collapsed and erupted again over millennia, forming dramatic cones, crater lakes and alpine desert. Its centerpiece is Mt Ruapehu, the highest point of the North Island at 2797m and an act

ASCENDING towards the 1175m east peak of Mount Mitchell (‘Cooyinnirra’) on a Friday morning, I’m grateful for the many luxuries afforded on this hiking tour – among them, knowledgeable guides, a light daypack, and the promise of a comfy bed, chef-pre

THE Charles Darwin Walk in Wentworth Falls was one of my favourite bushwalks as a kid – my grandparents lived near it, I’ve taken several friends on it as an introduction to the Blue Mountains and I’m hoping to show it to my nephews one day. I’ve alw

THERE’S a richness and diversity to the Dandenong Ranges that extends beyond the Melbournian staples of the iconic and well-visited Cuckoo Restaurant, Rhododendron Gardens, or Observatory Lookout. Flora, fauna, spectacular walking trails and cafes al

THE first word you need to consider when taking on the Milford Track is rain. Get ready to be wet. Now sure, this doesn’t happen to everyone on the walk but it happens way more than you expect it to. And while it’s always best to avoid getting your f

LET’S face it. Gaiters are never going to be the sexiest piece of clothing in your outdoors wardrobe. Like a puritan quest for covering up, gaiters are in their essence, functional. I first came across gaiters when I joined my bushwalking club and sa

YOU might think enough different categories of outdoor clothing exist to satisfy the most multi-disciplined, compartmentalising gear nut, but apparently you’d be wrong. Originally designed for high-energy output alpine pursuits such as ice climbing,

HIKING footwear is an important consideration for every walker – the comfort of your feet will play a big part in your enjoyment of a walk. Blisters, hot spots, damp socks, sore soles and twisted ankles are all problems that involve footwear. Aiming

WHEN it comes to bushwalking, your tent will be one of your biggest investments so it pays to look after it. With this in mind here are my top points to give your tent longevity and to guarantee it’ll do what it’s meant to do – to keep you safe and d

ROTTNEST Island is one of the more unusual day walk destinations in Perth. The island is only 30km from the city centre and is viewed by locals as an ideal holiday destination for water sports and cycling. There is just one settlement on the island,

Showcasing the northern Alps, the Via Alpina crosses 14 beautiful alpine passes. Walkers experience a variety of culture, geology and topography on a journey across six Swiss cantons (A canton is like a mini-state of which the country has 26). Wide r

FOR decades, the traditional camera for high quality bushwalking images has been the full frame Single Lens Reflex (SLR). They have a wide range of lenses and have the greatest capability for a portable camera system. An issue for many though is that

SWITZERLAND took hold of my life many years ago. Ever since, it has held me captive! I love the Alps, the Lakes, the Valleys, the Castles and Cathedrals, and all of its history and culture. But what I love most is the feeling of leaving the busy worl

WOULD Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson have ever crossed the Blue Mountains without the help of the local Aboriginal people? As silent partners, Aboriginal Australians gave Europeans their first views of our many iconic animals. Indigenous people were