Great Walks

A while back, British nature writer Robert Macfarlane (who wrote one of my favourite nonfiction books about outdoor adventure Mountains of the Mind) discovered that the latest Oxford Junior Dictionary was missing a few things. Oxford University Press

I was never really a ‘hiker’ or ‘walker’ as such but loved a good long trot through new and interesting places. As an ex-servicewoman in the Australian Army, I somewhat found carting my house on my back so to speak relatively natural and somewhat com

I LIVE close enough to the Victorian High Plains to consider them part of my backyard and as a member of a local bushwalking club, it means I get to spend a lot of time playing there. The Border Bushwalking Club features two events on its yearly cale

EIGHT turquoise-blue emu eggs sit on their bed of twigs, glowing in the sunlight like beads for a gigantic necklace. A male emu lurks behind the encircling wall of grass and lignum, ready to get back on the nest as soon as we have gone. The eggs’ bur

“A very snug cove”, that’s how one person described Ship Cove, one of the many bays that make up Marlborough Sounds. Standing on the pebbly beach and staring out into the sparkling waters I couldn’t agree more. This was a very snug cove and the perfe

IF you’re going to cross the ditch to try one of NZ’s 10 Great Walks (soon to be 11 – see pg32) it seems a shame not to do a couple, which is what Ultimate Hikes were thinking when they created The Classic guided walk, which allows you to walk the Mi

THE climb is relentless, getting steeper, colder, gnarlier. I’ve been going for six hours already, gaining nearly 1000m in elevation from ocean towards the summit and the day is taking longer than I expected. Patches of snow start to dot the track an

TO guide, or be guided? That is the question. There are pros and cons for either choice, but the most important question to ask yourself is: what do you want out of this walk? You might want to learn everything about an area, or you might want some s

PRESENTED BY CAM WINS A MSR POCKETROCKET DELUXE STOVE WORTH $189! Cam Smith, Melbourne, Vic | Camera: iPhone 11 Cam: “A friend and I recently walked along, climbed and scrambled up, and fell down the Mt Anne Circuit a few weekends ago. It was a f

AFTER two years of tumultuous times and restricted travel, the world is starting to feel more normal again with international trips back on the cards. If you’re still hesitant to travel far or just want to experience some bold and spectacular wildern

PRESENTED BY SUE (59): “Dee and I met as registered nurses in a busy intensive care unit. We spent many hours together during long day and night shifts caring for complex patients and have remained firm friends. We both love bushwalking and we’ve com

IT’S been a long two and a half years since the world was plunged into the maelstrom of Coronavirus, and one of the industries that suffered deeply and immediately was retail. Unlike food, clothes, and toilet paper, outdoor gear was a hobby spend and

IT’S one of those things you think will never happen to you. On a normal day in 2019, Mark Berridge went cycling with his mates but within a few hours he was being rushed to hospital with a severe spinal chord injury and his life was changed for ever

THE majority of those lucky enough to walk amongst the majestic peaks of the Frenchmans Cap massif, approach and return on the well maintained but still rewarding track past the Loddon Plains. For years, this route has had the reputation of heartbrea

HAVE you ever thought about joining a bushwalking club? Well in my case – no. To me bushwalking is a solitary pastime, almost spiritual – the bush your company, getting away from it all, and everyone else. Of course, walking alone has its limitations

I was not an outdoorsy child or teenager, but in adulthood I realised how much I enjoyed spending days at a time immersed in nature. Somehow the views are always better if you have to work for them. And as someone who enjoys getting away from the cro

A Qld government proposal to build luxury cabins in Great Sandy National Park poses a threat to its pristine natural beauty and Aboriginal cultural heritage, locals say. The state government plans to construct “eco-tourism” accommodation in locations

Producer by trade, Caro started lotsafreshair.com to inspire people to get outdoors and remove barriers to bushwalking. IT may come as a shock to the hardiest of solo-hikers out there, but we are not alone. It’s estimated that there are over 100,000

WITH our Wilderness Photographer of the Year presented by Southern Ocean Walk well underway, it’s time to meet this year’s judges. And the good news is our judges from last year have returned. These professional photographers will be bringing plenty

HEAVY rain was predicted for our first week of rambling around the tracks on the Whitsunday Islands, but this didn’t dampen our spirits. Hey, the rain’s warm up here. On day one from Shute Harbour, Phil on his Island Transfers boat dropped us off at

MY earliest bushwalking memory is on the Bibbulmun Track with my dad, sitting under a tree boiling water to make soup for lunch. It was raining, I was soaked to the bone and shivering under my oversize raincoat. Our friend Tilly had found a couple of

BORN and raised in South East Queensland, we have always enjoyed exploring and navigating to hidden gems in our national parks. We have spent the last few years poring over maps and finding lesser-known trails to remote bush camps to spend more than

‘Kit Kat’ is a fundraiser and avid senior hiker who earned her trail name walking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019 with type 1 diabetes. IMAGINE having a hiking buddy readily available to join you on all your walking expeditions, long or short, easy o