Great Walks

RECENTLY I found out that my name Brent is old English for ‘high place’ or – more aptly for this issue of Great Walks – ‘steep hill’. As you’ll see screaming on this cover the words ‘Climb that hill!’, because more often than not any bushwalk will in

When the international borders reopen in 2022 this is a walk you should put on your bucket list! Stretching 912km through the Colorado Rockies, from the Mile High city of Denver in Colorado’s north to Durango in the southwest is the iconic Colorado T

FOR her birthday, Mum decided she wanted to hike Tassie’s Overland Track. Six days of hiking and camping, unguided, in the Tasmanian wilderness? Sounded fabulous to us: Mel (Mum’s best friend), Leigh (Mel’s husband), Max (my boyfriend), and me. Since

“In going round this lake, Kilroy who was ahead of the party stopped, saying he saw a beautiful bird, which he recommended me to shoot to add to the collection. My gun being loaded with slugs in one barrel and ball in the other, I stopped the camel t

FREEEEEDOM! It wasn’t until the aeroplane door made that comforting screwing-shut noise that I actually believed it – after twice being rescheduled due to COVID-19 outbreaks, I was finally leaving NSW for the first time in over a year. Not that I was

Distance: 30-38km | Time: 4 days | Grade: medium Day 1: Transfer from Launceston, trek to Wild Dog Creek base camp. Distance: 7km Time: 4hr Day 2: Explore Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Distance: 8-12km Time: 6-8hr Day 3: Explore Walls of Jerus

I wake in my wilderness cottage in the historic hamlet of Corinna: the gateway to the Tarkine. Overnight rain danced like a possum on a hot tin roof before the ear-bleeding screeches of a Tasmanian devil fight. There is no mobile reception, nor inter

1. Whyte River Track: 3.5km loop/90-minute/easy 2. Pieman Heads: 2km return/30-minute/ easy 3. Lover’s Falls: 400m return/30-minute/ moderate (short, but steep) 4. Huon Pine Walk: 600m return/30-minute/easy 5. Savage River Walk: 6km return/3hr/ m

SITTING here in our Brisbane residence seems far removed from where we have just come from in the remote southwest region of Melaleuca, Tasmania. The noise of city traffic, jets, glaring streetlights, flushing toilets, dishwashers, washing machines a

UNTIL NZ’s 10th Great Walk, the Paparoa Track, was launched last year there has been nine Great Walks for decades and our dream was to walk these over nine weeks with a total of 550km of walking – a challenge on many fronts. The seed of the idea had

1. Routeburn Track (Mount Aspiring and Fiordland) 2. Milford Track (Fiordland) 3. Kepler Track (Fiordland) 4. Rakiura Track (Stewart Island) 5. Abel Tasman Coast Track (Nelson / Tasman) 6. Heaphy Track (Nelson / Tasman) 7. Whanganui Journey (Ma

Enjoy 25 years of local knowledge paired with extreme attention to detail on Active Adventures unmatched all-inclusive walking tours that explore the most beautiful landscapes of Aotearoa. Experience the best of South Island’s national parks and a mu

AN Australian family of five, including a six-year-old girl has walked New Zealand’s epic Te Araroa Trail from Cape Reinga in the north to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. In total, they walked about 2300km of the 3000km distance. Goldie Gerl

Julia: “No words can describe the feeling when faced with a natural wonder of such magnitude. I was in awe of it then and I remain in awe of it now. In that moment Hugh Gorge put my existence into perspective.” ■

Matthew: “An early start for a solo hike through the darkness to catch a stunning sunrise. Though I didn’t feel alone, the chorus of birds accompanied me as the sun crept over the distant cloud cover. I stopped to admire, as it illuminated the eucaly

NOW is the perfect time for chasing waterfalls. Winter, spring and just after rain bring about the most dramatic water works, so we decided to look down south for 10 of the coolest cascade walks and found that South Australia has a waterfall for any

LIKE many retired people I’m just itching to get overseas again and see how the other half are living. In the meantime, I’ve found plenty to explore in my own backyard in Manly. I’ve lived all my life on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and I’d heard stori

YOU don’t need to bushbash through thick scrub like our writer did on pg 60 to appreciate Sydney Harbour’s natural beauty. These five walks are well marked, easy to access, and offer great views and top swimming spots. For spectacular Sydney Harbour

1. Manly to Spit Walk: 10km/4hr 2. Bundeena to Wedding Cake Rock, Royal NP: 3.5km one way/2.5hr 3. Botany Bay Coastal Walk: 12.7km/4hr 4. Aboriginal Heritage Walk, Ku-ring-gai Chase NP: 4.4km loop/3-3.5hr 5. Bondi to Manly: 80km/4-5 days ■

WITH the inaugural Wilderness Photographer of the Year presented by Nokia comp well underway (see pg17) we thought we’d give you a few pointers on how to improve your images and your chances of winning some awesome prizes including cash, trips and mo

JACKETS may be one of the most versatile pieces of outdoor clothing. They can perform many different functions, from all-out torso heater to rain sealant, snow barrier to casual pub dress to multi-pocketed carrying device, and any combination of the

MY earliest bushwalking memory is of the Cascades Trail in Garigal NP, NSW. I often walked with my dad and my brothers. At the bottom of the trail was the ‘Cascades’ where we would catch tadpoles, race stick ‘boats’ through the water and stuff our fa

I AM a desk jockey during the week but love to make use of my weekends and get out into the Aussie bush. Whether it’s a short walk, a few hours, a full day or an overnighter, it doesn’t matter as long as I have the opportunity to get out there. I hav

A lot of people, especially woman, have fears about hiking alone, with the most common fear being for their safety. Often people would ask me, “Are you not scared for your safety?” My answer is: “No, I’m aware of my safety but certainly not scared.”

Although I’ve only started using trekking poles regularly in the last couple of years, I’ve watched designs progress over time and the FXP 4 may be the most highly-evolved model I’ve seen yet. It’s the HR Giger Alien of walking poles. Adjustable leng

SAND, sand, endless sand. The Cooloola Great Walk lies within the Great Sandy National Park, an entire region of sand stretching some 200km along the South-East Queensland coast. Over the last 500,000 years the sand has been shaped and shifted by win

Length: 5 days | Distance: 90km | Grade: moderate Day 1/15km: Rainbow Beach to Kauri walker’s camp. Day 2/20km: Kauri walker’s camp to Litoria walker’s camp. Day 3/15km: Litoria walker’s camp to Dutgee walker’s camp. Day 4/20km: Dutgee walker’s c

AMERICA’S Pacific Crest Trail was made famous by Cheryl Strayed’s book Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Cheryl walked 1700km of the trail in 1995 when she was 26. Here we showcase some gorgeous images from this mighty walk and inc

NOTHING rivals the sheer thrill and elation one feels when you finally reach the top. You gaze downwards and beyond, often a full 360˚, marvelling at the contours, the green hues, the winding rivers, the solitary tarns, a vast ocean surrounded by sky