Indholdsfortegnelse for February - March 2022 i Great Walks

This new long-distance trail goes from the French Alps in the south (pictured) to the Belgium coast in the north. The 1000km walking and cycling route echoes the line of No-Man’s Land along the Western Front. It’s mind-boggling to think such a long-distance trail was occupied by hundreds of thousands of soldiers, in all weather conditions and under the constant threat of death. However the Western Front Way isn’t about glorifying war it’s about honouring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. The Western Front Way travels through the most beautiful, historical and varied countryside shaped by millions of compelling human stories and experiences. The Belgian section is complete, with over 450 plaques in place on 100km of the walking route, and 35 larger plaques on local points of interest. Another…

I like to head to the alpine regions in summer to escape the heat and to see the landscape transformed after the snow melts. This was a 2-day hike from Guthega covering 32km with around 1500m ascent. Being a loop we managed to experience a lot of scenery and to climb several peaks. We parked the car at Guthega and walked along the Illawong Trail and eventually crossed the Snowy River over the Illawong Suspension Bridge. The river was flowing well due to higher-than-normal rainfall the week before. There’s no dull part to any of the trail. There’s something interesting all the way, from the beautiful vegetation including snow gums while we were still under the tree zone, to interesting rocks and insects, not to mention the views across the…

MY wife and I love coastal walks. We’ve hiked the coastlines of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, and the Portuguese Coastal Camino. We’re drawn to the rawness of nature so explicitly expressed by the sea in all its moods. With Covid making overseas travel a challenge we looked for somewhere closer to home to satisfy our lust for wild seas, weatherbeaten cliffs, hidden coves and deserted beaches. The answer was a no-brainer – Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Walk. We decided to do this one in style – no overnight packs, no tent to pitch at the end of a day’s slog, and no dehydrated meals to cook over a small stove. This time we’d do it with some creature comforts…

I grew up in England, mostly fell-walking (as we call hiking there) in North Wales. My dad grew up walking in the Lake District (northern part of England) and did a great job passing that love on to me and my siblings during our childhood. As an adult, life took me in different directions before I got back into hiking in my 30’s and realised how beneficial getting out into the wilderness could be for my mental health and well-being. I moved to Washington State 15 years ago, at which point I promptly fell in love with Mount Rainier. Or should I call it Mount Tahoma? Rainier was the name chosen by early British explorers, but there is a growing movement to restore the original indigenous name of the mountain,…

LOOKING for an excellent day walk south of Sydney? Look no further! These three walks will please every bushwalker. Carrington Falls & Nellies Glen, Budderoo National Park Located in Budderoo National Park, Carrington Falls is massive, with the Kangaroo River plunging over 50m into the gully below – the sound of crashing water is thunderous. The view from the large rocky outcrop atop the waterfall to the fresh green valley below is magically pristine. Everywhere you look there is beauty. This scene can be witnessed from different lookouts via a short walking loop starting at Carrington Falls picnic area – also known as Thomas Place. The loop is sealed and is pram friendly. Further upstream, just a short drive away, lies a charming bushland swimming hole named Nellies Glen. With…

WELCOME to the 100th issue of Great Walks. One hundred! What a milestone. I’m so proud to still be at the helm of Australia’s only dedicated bushwalking magazine, having launched the very first issue in 2007. Putting out only seven issues a year means it’s taken a while to get here. 2022 is our 15th year of publication and the Great Walks brand has certainly evolved. The idea of Great Walks was thought of by a previous Yaffa employee who ran the marketing department. David Clutterbuck was an Englishman who grew up hiking up and down Great Britain’s wonderful range of fells and munros (see break out). Living in the UK he was spoilt for choice when it came to magazines and books on walking in the great outdoors. Fast…

IT’S a big mistake to ever start out on a hike thinking, “this’ll be easy.” It never is. In retrospect, I should have surmised something from the name, Grampians Peaks Trail, but the modest quoted daily distances and estimated walk times had me looking forward to a leisurely stroll combined with plenty of lazy afternoons with a book. This long awaited 13 day/164km trail through one of Victoria’s most treasured national parks, dominated by tilted sandstone mountains and striking rock formations, opened on 13 November and I was there at the starting line, a willing guinea pig eager to launch myself on the new product. But as with any fresh and untested route, there were a few surprises ahead. The GPT is a one-way hike starting from Mt Zero at…

Here at Great Walks we love exploring new walking tracks and we had the honour to get a behind-the-scenes look with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) at part of their 55km Snowies Alpine Walk (SAW), which, when completed in 2023, will be a fantastic four-day walk showcasing the full scenic beauty of Kosciuszko National Park. SAW’s first completed stage is the 9km Guthega to Charlotte Pass walk and on a cool, misty morning in December myself and my two hiking buddies Martin and Andy met Greg Thomson, SAW’s Principal Project Officer at Guthega carpark for a sneak peek at this gorgeous walk. “IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO MEET SOMEONE FULL OF PASSION AND PRIDE” It’s always great to meet someone full of passion and pride, eager to talk about…

Time: 6 days | Length: 85km | Grade: easy-moderate Day 1: Marengo Beach to Shelley Beach and return’. Distance: 11km | Grading: easy | Time: 3.5hr Day 2: Blanket Bay to Cape Otway Lighthouse. Distance: 10.3km | Grading: easy-moderate | Time: 3.5hr Day 3: Cape Otway to Castle Cove. Distance: 15.5km | Grading: easy-moderate | Time: 5.5hr Day 4: Castle Cove to Great Otway Cottage.Distance: 15km | Grading: easy-moderate | Time: 5.5hr Day 5: Castle Cove via Ryans Track to The Gables. Distance: 13km | Grading: easy-moderate | Time: 5hr Day 6: The Gables to The Twelve Apostles. Distance: 20km | Grading: easy-moderate | Time: 6.5hr…

STEEPED in mysticism, romanticism and raw, rugged wilderness, Ireland comes etched in ancient and modern way-marked hiking trails journeying across its heath-covered countryside and wildflower-kissed coastal cliffs. Hear traditional spoken Gaelic along the Wild Atlantic Way and find cultural artefacts at its abandoned hamlets and bucolic villages. The Emerald Isle is calling. So, be sure to lace up the boots and hit these ten magnificent trails. 1 Causeway Coast Way, County Antrim: 53km linear Taking in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Giant’s Causeway and being a site of Special Scientific Interest makes the Causeway Coast Way Northern Ireland’s most celebrated coastal walk. The sensory 3-day hike will both thrill and educate you. Walked in either direction between the Victorian coastal towns of Portstewart and Ballycastle, sights to behold…

A couple of years ago myself, my wife and our two daughters pulled the plug on the real world, packed our lives into a Landcruiser and headed north from Sydney. The plan was to hug the coast until we got sick of each other, or sick of living in a camper trailer, and fortunately neither happened. Instead we kept going, had an amazing family adventure that completely changed our lives, and when we rolled back into Sydney a year later we’d seen places I never knew existed, and now could never forget. We’d learned an enormous amount about this country, and each other, and we remembered how little you really need, to live a happy and fulfilling life. And the walks. Oh my goodness the walk!. As Dr Seuss would…

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 dry, and help you sleep well in the outdoors. AT CAMP. On the last morning of a walk, I remove the fly and hang it on a cord between trees to dry and air while the inner tent is unpegged from the ground and stood, still assembled on its end to dry out condensation before I pack it away – if there is a nice breeze, anchor it by a cord to a tree while you have breakfast and…

IF you want to get out there, then the Northern Territory’s Red Centre is as ‘out there’ as it gets. From the moment you arrive, it’s like you’ve landed on a new planet. “Major Tom to Ground Control, do you hear me?” Surrounded by red earth on a flat, dry landscape that stretches out to enormous rock formations, the Red Centre is alien and barren at first impression, but the desert comes to life with hikes and activities – you just need to know where to look. Alice Springs makes a great jumping off point for all your adventures – people are often shocked by how much there is to do in town. Stay and explore art galleries showcasing a range of indigenous artists or how about getting your hands…

THE opening of the road to Mount Kosciuszko was predicted as a boon to tourism. The Traralgon Record thought the task of reaching the summit was now a ‘fairly easy one for any powerful car’, and The Sydney Telegraph enthused: ‘it will shortly be possible to leave Sydney at 9.30 one night, and be up at the top of Kosciusko the next afternoon’. The summit road inevitably became the tourist magnet foreseen in 1908, so much so that, by the late 1960s, summer traffic had created a significant management headache. In 1968, the New South Wales Minister for Lands, Tom Lewis, feared that ‘Mount Kosciusko was in danger of becoming a carpark with a stick in middle which stated that it was Australia’s highest point’. For a time, cars were…

WATCHING the intense bushfires on the TV in early 2020, I burst into tears with fear. My 10-year-old son’s eyes were fixated on the screen, silent. What was he thinking? He is a nature lover. Was he grieving? My mum was comforting me on the couch whilst we were seeing the significant and direct impacts of climate change. The smoke affected everyone and increased the frequency of my headaches. She has always known that the impacts of climate change are devastating, but it was in that moment that she realised that reading the news and being an ongoing bystander would not halt climate change. The increased severity and frequency of these types of weather events affecting people close to her made her realise that urgent action was imperative. But what…

DON’T live the same year 75 times and call it a life is a motto that I have tried to live by for quite a few years now. Because for most of my existence I have endured some sort of mental health issue, whether it be depression, anxiety or an insecurity leading to suicidal thoughts. So about 10 years ago, I needed something the add onto the support I got from a counsellor’s room. I tried a walk down by Melbourne’s Yarra River alone, really it was to find perspective and escape to a quiet peaceful place and from that very small first step ignited a future of bushwalking daily in Australia’s most iconic destinations. Discovering new philosophies, places and pushing my body to thrilling limits in cold, wet and…

WASHINGTON State is in the Pacific Northwest region of the western United States and it’s blessed with pristine national parks, major volcanoes, hundreds of gem colored alpine lakes, and mountain ranges grand enough to rival anything in the lower 48. Just check out these photos and you’ll know what the fuss it about! Need to know: www.stateofwatourism.com…