Innehållsförteckning för June/July 2021 från Great Walks

AS Great Walks hurtles towards issue 100 (Feb-Mar 2022) we have plenty of wonderful walks to inspire you before that – and this issue (No. 95) is no exception. we head ‘off the radar’ and showcase some of Australia’s finest walks you’ve (probably) never heard of. First off the rank is Mugii Murum-ban State Conservation Area, NSW (pg18) where our writer and his wife had the place to themselves. We then showcase another ten wonderful multidayers where you can avoid the crowds (pg28). After all, with our international borders closed (hopefully NZ remains open) more Australians are taking on our iconic walks so it’s nice to know there are places to go to avoid the masses. In other news, after months of planning we have launched our Wilderness Photographer of…

MY adventure began the moment I boarded Coral Expeditions’ Coral Discoverer from Hobart’s Sullivan’s Cove. For the next 11 days, I’d be indulging my senses, as we cruised along the coastline, taking in the sights and sounds of Southern Tasmania, and learning about the wealth of its natural history, shared each night by our on-board lecturers. Launched in 2005, the Coral Discoverer is a small 63m purpose-built expedition cruise ship accommodating a maximum of 72 passengers with a relaxed ambience and spacious cabins, sundeck, lounge and bar, which can be enjoyed after a big day of exploring. After being welcomed aboard by Captain Josh and the crew, we gently cruised down the Derwent River in the golden light of late afternoon, where bubbly and conversation flowed freely, and new friendships…

WITH international borders pretty much closed to us (hopefully NZ has stayed open), Australia’s iconic multi-day bushwalks like Tassie’s Overland Track and NT’s Larapinta Trail are reaching their quota. So how about trying one of the country’s lesser-known but just as majestic multi-dayers? Here’s our list of under-the-radar walks you should consider. And if you haven’t heard of them that’s a good thing! 1 Solitary Islands Coastal Walk, 60km – Coffs Coast Regional Park, NSW Home of the Big Banana and several excellent beach breaks, a scenic multi-day walk also lives in Coffs Harbour. This Grade 4, 60km one-way adventure takes you along the east coast from Coffs Coast Regional Park in the north, to Sawtell near Bongil NP in the south (or vice versa if you want). The trail…

THIS MONTH’S WINNING PHOTO Transfagarasan highway, Romania Raymond Serafin, Petrie Qld Camera: Sony a6300 Raymond: “The mighty Transfagarasan is a paved mountain road crossing the southern Carpathian Mountains of Romania. After a fun day of zippy driving, we stopped at the top of the pass to pause and take in sunset, and were greeted with the most gorgeous shades of orange, blue, pink and green.” Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado, USA Matt Henzell, Nundah Qld Camera: iPhone 6 Matt: “My son Finn (7) and I tackled Twin Sisters Peak in Rocky Mountain NP in northern Colorado while staying with family back in the US in 2017. A big day for his little legs and in his words ‘tough and exhilarating’. This shot is from the east peak with Longs Peak in…

IN January 1910, an Austrian-born man with a luxuriant black moustache climbed Cradle Mountain. Looking over the pristine lakes, rugged mountains and buttongrass plains he was smitten by the beauty of the Tasmanian highlands, declaring in his thick accent, “This must be a national park for the people for all time. It’s magnificent, and people must know about it and enjoy it.” The man was Gustav Weindorfer – known to his friends as Dorfer – who had arrived in Australia in 1900, aged 26, leaving behind a tedious accounting job in Vienna for adventure in a new country. Dorfer had a keen interest in the natural world, and soon after arriving in Australia was exploring the bush around Melbourne as a member of the Victorian Field Naturalists Club. At the…

LIKE a silent sentinel the isolated sandstone plateau, Mt Solitary, stands upright and alone in the Jamison Valley below Katoomba. Looking for an epic trail with dramatic views, our group of six made this our goal and so early one Thursday morning we set out, ready to take on this challenging track. After descending into the valley from the Echo Point kiosk down Furber steps, passing Katoomba Falls through cool temperate rainforest, grand vistas of Jamison valley emerge – all whilst the popular Three Sisters loom down at us. These iconic rock formations are important in Indigenous culture and Dreamtime stories, where legend has it three sisters fell in love with three brothers from a neighbouring tribe. This was forbidden under tribal law and ultimately led to a major war…

Named after one of Australia’s best known landscape artists the Heysen Trail, at 1200km, is our nation’s longest dedicated hiking trail. From humble beginnings at the small fishing town of Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula to the ancient rock formations of the Flinders Ranges it embodies the essence of Australia’s quintessential landscapes. The Southern Ocean Walk is a curated journey incorporating some of the most spectacular scenery of the early stages of this trail from Cape Jervis to Victor Harbor. Over four glorious days guests can enjoy remote sandy beaches, dense sclerophyll forests with all year waterfalls and sheer cliff faces against the majesty of the Southern Ocean. Surrounded by an array of wildlife in their natural element, this walk is a must for anyone with an affinity for…

1. Solitary Islands Coastal Walk, 60km – Coffs Coast Regional Park, NSW 2. Nadgee-Howe Wilderness Walk, 55km – Nadgee Wilderness Reserve, NSW/VIC 3. Investigator Trail, 89km – Lincoln NP, SA 4. Black Range Trek, 28km – Mount Remarkable NP, SA 5. Hakea Trail, 23km – East Fitzgerald NP, WA 6. Coastal Plain Walk Trail, 52km – Yanchep NP, WA 7. Leeaberra Track, 28km – Douglas-Apsley NP, Tas 8. Eastern Peaks Circuit, 40km – Girraween NP, Qld 9. K’gari Great Walk, 90kms – Fraser Coast, Qld 10. Waleka Walk, 14km – Nitmiluk NP, NT…

HOW did your favourite track get to be what it is? Usually, it’s through red tape, dreams, schemes, planning, love and a whole lot of wonderful volunteers. We hunt down the stories behind six iconic Australian walks. Bibbulmun Track, WA In 1969 the Perth Bushwalkers club was created, by 1972 they sought a new challenge. The club’s founder Geoff Schafer came up with the idea for a track that would get “townspeople to experience the bush first-hand”. It turned out to be a massive undertaking. Geoff went directly to the Minister for Forests, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, to get authority to begin. Much to even his own surprise he got it. He then bowled into the State Forests Department to lay the project on them – already pre-approved and waiting for…

IN Great Walks most recent readers survey we found out that many of you use a car with some off-road features to get to your favourite hiking spot, so we thought we’d give you a rundown on the ideal car setup for bushwalkers. Gearing up Take a look at your clothes, which right now probably aren’t what you’d wear for a long bushwalk. Now you could just set off with office clothing, but you know you’re better off with specialist gear. You’d make it without, but that wouldn’t be the sensible, comfortable or safest choice. Cars are no different. Many people into outdoor pursuits drive SUVs because of the extra ground clearance and some of them have all-wheel-drive traction, which helps on loose surfaces such as dirt roads, grass, mud…

With domestic travel and outdoor experiences soaring in popularity, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is urging bushwalkers to re-familiarise themselves with safety tools, especially if travelling alone, and encouraging new and less-experienced adventurers to include safety in their planning. Every year around 130 bushwalkers get lost or need rescuing in Blue Mountains National Park. Most people are found within 24 hours, but occasionally a weekend adventure can turn to tragedy. So with this in mind, NPWS along with the NSW Police Force have come up with the Think Before You TREK campaign with the goal of reducing the number of people getting lost, injured or even dying in the bush. In a nutshell the TREK campaign stands for: Take enough water, food, equipment and first aid supplies…

AN overnight walk that starts and ends at the same spot sounds perfect. That way you don’t have to worry about swapping vehicles or trying to work out how you’re going to get home. So with that in mind here are our 10 favourite overnight loop walks that showcase the tropical beauty of the Sunshine State. 1 Cooloola Great Walk sample The Cooloola Great Walk is one of Queensland’s 10 Great Walks, linking Noosa and Rainbow Beach via a system of high sand dunes known as the Cooloola Sandmass. This 108km, Class Four walk is usually done over five days, but there are two alternative routes on the last day and hikers can get a taster of the whole experience by connecting them. Starting from Carlo carpark at the Great…

“OH, really?” drawls my work colleague when I explain where I’m going for Christmas. The ambivalent intonation coupled with a blank expression serves to identify yet another dedicated hiker who has never heard of this extraordinary place. I can’t really blame them, because until a few weeks ago I hadn’t heard of it either, despite it being part of the Greater Blue Mountains, barely three hours drive from Sydney’s CBD. It’s effectively known only to Lithgonians, coal interests, and NSW’s most voracious bushwalkers. This may explain why, over a few days across one of the year’s main holidays, we can explore Mugii Murum-ban State Conservation Area (hereafter known as ‘the park’) without meeting another living soul. What’s in a name? It starts with the Australian boobook (also known as the…

NOW that you can cross the ditch it’s time to showcase some wonderful parts of Aotearoa and first up is Banks Track in the South Island, 31km of ever-changing vistas, views and variety. This 2-3 day walk follows farmland and forest, over an extinct volcano, along coasts and cliffs, through reserves and into your hosts backyards. Accommodation on the private walk offers rustic comfort, history, warmth and character. And as these images attest this walk should be on your bucket-list. Need to know: bankstrack.co.nz…

THE Sentiers de Grande Randonnée, ‘great hiking trails’, are a network of long-distance walks criss-crossing France and some of its regions such as Corsica (GR20 – see last issue) and Reunion Island, off the east coast of Africa (GR22). The official network is made up of 35,000km of walking tracks, with designated numbers, that run through mountains, along the coastline and through the countryside. The network is maintained in France by the Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pédestre (French Hiking Federation). Some of the most popular trails include the French section of The Way of St James via le Puy (GR65) or GR2, which travels between Le Havre and Dijon via Paris. The five trails below are just a small sample of this vast network, with beaches, mountains, wildlife and…

THERE are no alligators in Alligator Gorge. No crocodiles, either. This was the first thing I checked before dragging my husband four hours north of Adelaide for an anniversary hike, since our overseas travel plans had been thwarted by the pandemic. It turns out the name was simply derived from an old local shepherd called Ally. Situated within the northern section of Mount Remarkable National Park, I would dare to suggest that Alligator Gorge is even more remarkable than Mount Remarkable itself. The captivating 9km Ring Route, as well as some shorter trails and lookouts, can be accessed by following Alligator Gorge Road 14km south from Wilmington, SA. From the carpark, we got right into the thick of things by descending around 300 steep steps to the bottom of the…

THE rugged Wollemi wilderness has lured me in again with its contrasting promises of serenity and adventure. I was here with a group last spring but this time I’m on a solo walk and my goal is the remote junction of the Wollangambe and Bowens Creek canyons. I’m an experienced bushwalker and have planned this trip carefully. I set off from Mt Irvine around 8am one sunny morning in mid-January, first on the track to Tesselated Pavements then head north along the light track that comes and goes a while longer, meandering through rocky scrub. Soon the landscape becomes deeply dissected, and one must scramble up rocks and descend into gullies beyond. A sharp rise through a tangle of fallen branches and burnt tea trees brings me to a rock…

Night On The Mountain The fog has risen from the sea and crowned The dark, untrodden summits of the coast, Where roams a voice, in canyons uttermost, From midnight waters vibrant and profound. High on each granite altar dies the sound, Deep as the trampling of an armored host, Lone as the lamentation of a ghost, Sad as the diapason of the drowned. The mountain seems no more a soulless thing, But rather as a shape of ancient fear, In darkness and the winds of Chaos born Amid the lordless heavens’ thundering–A Presence crouched, enormous and austere, Before whose feet the mighty waters mourn. – George Sterling The Ocean The Ocean has its silent caves,Deep, quiet, and alone;Though there be fury on the waves,Beneath them there is none.The awful spirits…