Innholdsfortegnelse for August/Sept 2021 i 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 involve going up – and sometimes up and up... and up! And there’s only one way you’ll reach the top of that damn hill (and maybe the five or 10 in front of it!) and that’s putting one sure foot in front of the other and moving forward. Our new writer for the Words of Wisdom column Katrina Hemingway (pg98) knows all about climbing hills, having walked PNG’s infamous Kokoda Track, and the Pennine Way and Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk both in…

“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 to get at the shot belt which I could not get without his laying down. Whilst Mr Gill was unfastening it, I was screwing the ramrod into the wad over the slugs, standing close alongside of the camel. At this moment the camel gave a lurch to one side and caught his pack on the lock of my gun, which discharged the barrel; the contents of which first took off the middle finger of my right hand and entered my left cheek…

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 and hot showers is replaced in Melaleuca with a serene environment that is more suited to the flora and fauna of that rugged area than it is to humans. These days the previous small tin mining community in Melaleuca is filled with adventurous hikers, day tourists coming in to see Port Davey, mariners who enjoy the serene Bathurst Harbour, and environmentalists who manage this World Heritage area. Last year we hiked through this area on the Port Davey Track and fell in love with the history and wilderness that shapes this land (read…

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 Gerlach was aged five when her family started the six-month trek, and turned six halfway through. Deanna takes five with Great Walks. GRW: How did the idea of taking on NZ’s Te Araroa begin? Our six-month family adventure tramping New Zealand’s Te Araroa started with an itch. One hell of an itch that had been brewing for years as we dreamed of adventure as young lovers. We dreamt a lot but seemingly weren’t motivated or brave enough to make it happen. Then we were lucky enough to…

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 type of wanderer. Whether it’s a stone’s throw from the city, or a day trip away; a short stroll for people that want a quick fix, or a longer slog for those who want a little more, the south holds something for everyone when it comes to waterfall walks. Waterfall Gully, 3.9km – Adelaide Hills Let’s kick off the list with a walk that’s close to home but packs a punch, I mean, the name says it all. The Waterfall Gully to Mt Lofty Summit…

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 mobiles phones. There are two Wilderness Photographer of the Year categories – People and Places. In this issue we’re looking at People. Just look at pretty much any photo in this issue of Great Walks and you’ll see people in the image – people walking, working, interacting with their environment or with others. Putting people in an image puts the reader in the image. So, with this in mind here are six reasons why people photos are a good thing. To give a sense of scale One of…

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 have done many multi-day walks with family and friends including the Great South West walk, Great Ocean Walk (solo), the 655km Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) as well as many one and two-night adventures, mostly around Victoria with a few interstate trips thrown into the mix. So what’s in my pack? I spent most of 2020 in a cocoon just gathering new gear to replace some heavy older gear, attempting to head towards ultralight. Osprey Exos 48 hiking…

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, big thunderous clouds, glorious sunrises, and the setting sun’s vibrant pink hues. You cannot live, thrive, or survive without these epic views. But must there always be such a hellish climb? I love bushwalking, but I’m not a fan of going uphill. No matter how much aerobic and strength training I do, it gets no easier. Here are my tips to get you there. Use those glutes and core muscles I rely on my legs’ hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles to propel me up hills. They do…

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 Trail. Built over 30 years ago and maintained by Colorado Trail Foundation volunteers, it’s one of the country’s highest multiday walks, with an average elevation of 3048m and a high point of 4053m over Coney Summit peak. Walkers enjoy the spectacularly diverse wilderness areas, canyons, mountain ranges, pristine lakes and fields of wildflowers, and wildlife, are encouraged to adhere to the ‘Care for Colorado’s seven principles of conservation and sustainability. The timeframe to hike the trail is narrow because of the deep snowpack and high chance of…

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 bored of my home state – in the last 12 months I’d seen more of it than ever before and loved it – but when your primary passion is bushwalking, Tasmania will always beckon. My original two-week, multi-hike itinerary had, thanks to the delays, been reduced to a single walk – a four-day exploration of Walls of Jerusalem National Park with Tasmanian Expeditions. But what a walk! As an Overland Track veteran I was keen to see more of central Tassie, and the soaring cliffs and alpine…

“EVERY CRACKING TWIG IS ALMOST DEAFENING IN THE QUIET SURROUNDINGS” 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 stories as a child that there was once a track that led down through rugged bushland at North Head to Store Beach. The idyllic beach today is accessible only by water, but I was determined to find my way down over the headland. North Head is rich in history. Shipping once dropped off supplies at Store Beach for the nearby Quarantine Station which was for many years a no-go area and accommodated only the very…

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 above. It’s a wide-ranging category, and here Great Walks looks at a number of options for your winter go-to garment. Mountain Designs Perisher Soft shells are a great addition to an outdoor closet, especially for day hikes on which rain isn’t forecast, but maybe just a little drizzle and a chill wind. (On multi-dayers you might prefer to keep your bases covered with separate hard shell and insulation layers.) The Perisher certainly feels the business, soft on the inside and supple on the outside, with an unspecified waterproof/windproof membrane sandwiched…

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.” Another fear is: “Don’t you get lonely?” Yes, sometimes you can be lonely, but you honestly are so busy enjoying the hike and what nature has to offer that you don’t have time for feeling alone. I want to address the common fears/concerns people have when thinking about hiking on their own. SCARED: What if there are weirdos, killers, creepy people out there? Who’s to say you aren’t the weird one? All kidding aside, the reality is that it doesn’t matter where you are in…

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 wind, tide, storm and rainfall, creating the largest sand island in Australia, Fraser Island (K’gari to the Aboriginal people), and the mainland Cooloola sandmass, one of the largest accumulations of windblown sand on the entire Queensland coast, rising 240m high above this breath-taking coastline. The Great Sandy National Park showcases enormous sand blows, pristine sandy beaches, undulating sand dunes, rainwater-fed lakes and an interesting array of sand nourished forest types; spectacular flora and fauna also add to the hiking experience. Be prepared for an adventure, with soft sand underfoot…

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 internet access. Here, time ticks to a different beat. It’s a dark, cloudy dawn. It’s wet. It’s off-season. And it’s perfect. From this remote off-grid eco-village, I’m about to explore some of the 447,000 hectares of the Tarkine’s renowned biodiversity. Enchanted forests The settlement of Corinna began in 1881 as a base for miners and piners in search of riches. Leading directly from the lodge is this bewitching forest walk bordering the Whyte River, which was once rich in gold. However, by 1919, mining dried up and…

Active Adventures 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 multi-day hike to natural hot pools on the 14-day New Zealand Winter Adventure ‘Rimu’ trip, or fall into the rhythm of nature as you sample the Routeburn, Kepler and Milford Great Walks and spend the night on Doubtful Sound on the five-day Great Walks Discovery ‘Takahe’ trip. activeadventures.com Nature and Nosh Following the same recipe as their successful six and seven day tours, Nature and Nosh have launched a series of new short hiking escapes. The three and four day tours celebrate the little pockets of the Waikato and Coromandel regions…

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. Manly to Spit Walk Region: North Sydney For spectacular Sydney Harbour views, this is the track for you. Start near Manly Wharf and work your way to the stunning Spit Bridge. This harbourside trail passes through Sydney Harbour National Park, a mix of subtropical bushland and a series of short tracks crossing between stunning beaches, bays and inlets in North Sydney. Take in historical sites such as the Grotto Point Lighthouse and admire Aboriginal rock engravings of fish, boomerangs and kangaroos. You could alternatively start at Spit Bridge and end in Manly…

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 faces with snacks. I’m an online personal trainer for hikers and trekkers. I help hikers get strong and pain-free so they can conquer every adventure. I first started working with hikers a few years ago, when I got a job at a simulated Altitude gym. It became evident that there were so many hikers who needed help; to get ready for big trips, overcome aches and pains, or simply feel more comfortable and confident in their local hiking. I realised with my background in hiking…

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 include some inspiring quotes from her book. “I made it the mantra of those days; when I paused before yet another series of switchbacks or skidded down knee-jarring slopes, when patches of flesh peeled off my feet along with my socks, when I lay alone and lonely in my tent at night I asked, often out loud: Who is tougher than me? The answer was always the same, and even when I knew absolutely there was no way on this earth that it was true, I…