1. healthiness
WALKINGBACKTO
Walking is not only healthy, it makes you feel good and is
light on the pocket. Mike Dolan puts his best foot forward
to reveal some top walks around Australia.
(fitness)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
HEYSEN TRAIL AND THE FLINDERS RANGES
The Heysen Trail stretches 1200 kilometres north from
Cape Jervis into the rugged Flinders Ranges. Made up
of more than 60 short walks, one of the easiest is the 8.5km
Tanunda Circuit (southaustralia.com), which leads down
the main street of the Barossa township of Tanunda, past
the cellar doors of Peter Lehmann and Langmeil. Further
up the trail, the Flinders’ rugged beauty hits home: red
mountaintop cliffs, giant gnarled ghost gums, steep
gorges, swathes of semi-desert and vivid oases. Some
430km north of Adelaide is the walking arena of the
crater-shaped Wilpena Pound and accommodation at
Rawnsley Park Station (rawnsleypark.com.au). Further
north still is the iconic Prairie Hotel (prairiehotel.com.au)
at Parachilna, on the edge of the desert, famous for its
food and its desert sunsets.
VISIT: heysentrail.asn.au
MOUNT LOFTY SUMMIT, ADELAIDE HILLS
This is a popular but challenging 710-metre ascent to a
majestic peak that has spectacular views over Adelaide
and the coastal plain. More than 350,000 people made the
7.8km return climb last year and it takes about three hours
for the fit. At the top is the summit restaurant and, on the
way up, you’ll pass the First Falls and Second Falls look-
outs, Chinaman’s Hut, Wilson Bog, where ferns cascade
over the trail, a youth hostel, a section of the Heysen Trail
and final ascent to the summit.
VISIT: environment.sa.gov.au/parks/home
NEW SOUTH WALES
BONDI TO COOGEE, SYDNEY
This 6.2km coastal walk follows the sculpted, honey-
coloured sandstone cliffs laid down during the Jurassic
period. One way, it takes about two hours. From the broad
sweep of Bondi, walkers follow the clifftop track around
several headlands to the cafe strip of Bronte, then along the
clifftop causeway past the white marble angels of Waverley
Cemetery, around sheltered Clovelly Bay and the rocky shore
of Gordons Bay (with its boat racks) to Coogee. Both Bondi
and Coogee beaches are well-serviced by buses and there
are toilet blocks along the way. Those who don’t like
crowds should start the Bondi to Bronte section early on
weekends. The Bondi to Tamarama section hosts Sculpture
by the Sea in late October and early November.
VISIT: bonditocoogeewalk.com.au
KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL PARK
This four-hour return walk to the highest point on
the Australian mainland, the 2228m Mt Kosciuszko,
through our highest national park, starts with a chairlift
ride from the village of Thredbo (1365m) to Eagles Nest
(1945m). From there, it’s a level, two-hour stroll on metal
walkways (to protect fragile alpine vegetation), crossing
the headwaters of the Snowy River and passing glacial
lakes, to the cairn at the top of Australia, where you
can take in high-country views over the Main Range
all the way to the Victorian Alps.
VISIT: thredbo.com.au/summer/summer-activities ®
Walking only advised
for this route.
Jogging is an option on
this route.
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2. WESTERN AUSTRALIA
CAPE TO CAPE TRACK
Welcome to the extreme south-western tip of Australia,
where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. Both ends
of this 135km walking track are marked by historic lighthouses
– one in the north on Cape Naturaliste and one in the south
on Cape Leeuwin. In between are pristine beaches, towering
cliffs, lagoons, karri forests, great drifts of wildflowers in
spring and the vineyards and restaurants of Margaret River,
the celebrated food and wine community that’s a little
further inland. Tackling the whole walk takes five to seven
days, but there are multiple access points that allow the
track to be completed in smaller segments. Camping is
available and there are plenty of places to stay around
Margaret River, Yallingup, Gracetown, Prevelly and
Hamelin Bay. Go it alone or join guided walks with
accommodation, drop-offs and pick-ups included.
VISIT: www.capetocapetrack.com.au
KINGS PARK AND BOTANIC GARDEN, PERTH
Located minutes from Perth CBD, this expanse of
green is one of the world’s largest inner-city parks and
offers the sylvan glades of the Botanic Garden and water
views along the Swan River. This is where city workers
exercise during lunch hour and families enjoy picnics.
Fitness fanatics should head to the end of Cliff Street
in West Perth for spectacular views of the CBD, where
the 242 steps of Jacob’s Ladder present the perfect heart-
starter. For more gentle exercise, head into Kings Park
for the Esplanade and its cooling river breezes.
VISIT: cityofperth.wa.gov.au
VICTORIA
THE GREAT OCEAN WALK
This trail traces one of the most dramatic coastlines in
Australia. If you thought the Great Ocean Road was a
coast-hugger, lace up your walking shoes and take a stroll
along this 91km track, which meanders from Apollo Bay,
three hours south-west of Melbourne, to the Twelve Apostles.
Along the way, you’ll pass wild beaches and quiet coves,
visit remote lighthouses, climb coastal staircases, negotiate
tidal rock ledges and walk through more stunning scenery
than you can poke a trekking pole at. There are shorter
sections, ranging from 20 minutes to five hours, while the
entire length takes six days. Walkers can go unescorted –
the four-hour, 10km Cape Otway to Aire River hike is
popular, as is the five-hour, 12.4km Aire River to Johanna
Beach walk. Alternatively, join an eco-credited, guided
walk with Bothfeet (bothfeet.com.au).
VISIT: greatoceanwalk.com.au
MELBOURNE TAN TRACK
No visit to Melbourne is complete without a walk,
jog or run around Melbourne’s iconic leafy Tan Track,
a 3.8km track around King’s Domain and the Botanic
Gardens that follows the banks of the Yarra River before
entering parkland. Affectionately known as the Tan, it
was originally a horse track for Melbourne’s well-heeled,
but today it’s one of the city’s most frequented locations
for all and sundry. Every year, the Go The Tan run takes
place in February and the current record is 10 minutes
and 12 seconds.
VISIT: free-things-to-do-melbourne.com/tan-track.html
QUEENSLAND
BRISBANE SERPENT
This metropolitan Brisbane riverside walk covers many
of the city’s top sites. Take the CityCat river ferry to
Holman Street, next door to the Jazz Club, and head to
South Bank. Note the row of eateries perfect for lunch
– from the Stokehouse to the Jetty – just before you reach
central South Bank and Streets Beach on the river bank.
Just metres away is the Gallery of Modern Art and the
Kurilpa Bridge to the city centre, where you’ll come
upon Queen Street Mall, Australia’s biggest. Leave the
mall near the Riverside Centre and walk along the river
bank, over the Story Bridge to Chinatown, followed by
the Powerhouse in New Farm. Walk up the road to the
Merthyr Bowls Club and then hop on the Sydney Street
ferry back to Holman Street.
VISIT: visitbrisbane.com.au
HINCHINBROOK ISLAND
Enjoy a Robinson Crusoe experience hiking through
rainforest on this uninhabited 30km-long island, which
boasts an interior of undisturbed valleys lorded over by
1000m peaks. It’s Australia’s largest island national park
and is protected within the Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage Area. The 32km Thorsborne Trail takes four
days. Camping permits cost about $5 per person or
$20 for a family, per night, and there’s a small eco-resort
(porthinchinbrook.com.au) at its northern tip for those
who want to stay in comfort and enjoy day walks, while
also relaxing on a pristine sandy beach.
VISIT: nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/hinchinbrook ®
Northern Territory
Kata Tjuta
Western Australia
Cape to Cape track
Victoria
The Great Ocean Walk
Queensland
Brisbane Serpent
NORTHERN TERRITORY
ULURU AND KATA TJUTA
Rising 348m above the desert, Uluru is one of those
deeply impressive places every Australian should visit
once in their lifetime. Walking around it and into the folds
within its high, ochre-coloured walls that lead to secluded
waterholes (as the Anangu people have done for thousands
of years) and listening to ancient stories about its features
can’t help but impress. Allow three to four hours for the
popular 9.8km Liru Walk. Alternatively, 47km up the road
are the 36 domes of Kata Tjuta (formerly known as the
Olgas), where Mt Olga towers nearly 200m higher than
Uluru. Immerse yourself in Kata Tjuta’s haunting landscape
with a gentle stroll at sunset, or take the 7.4km, 3.5-hour
Valley of the Winds walk at dawn.
VISIT: environment.gov.au/parks/uluru
LITCHFIELD NATIONAL PARK
Just 90 minutes (130km) south of Darwin, on the
Stuart Highway, is a plateau on the Tabletop Range
with half a dozen waterfalls and swimming holes, one
of the few places in the Territory where locals say it’s safe
to take the plunge. The 1500sqkm park has sealed roads
“and a mesmerising landscape with magnetic termite
mounds, dancing brolgas, monsoon forests and historic
sites. The tracks to the waterfalls – including those to
Wangi, Florence and Tolmer falls – are well-maintained.
Some are easy, others challenging. Most walkers cool off
in the waterholes. It’s an easy day trip from Darwin or
visitors can stay overnight at Batchelor.
VISIT: litchfieldnationalpark.com
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3. TASMANIA
MARIA ISLAND
Close encounters with sea lions on the beach, wombats
in the long grass and geese promenading like women
in grey bustle skirts are everyday events on Maria Island,
10km off the south-east coast of Tasmania. Day-trippers
who arrive by ferry (eastcoastcruises.com.au) will find
plenty to explore. Dedicated trekkers come for the four-day,
award-winning, guided Maria Island Walk with gourmet
food – including King Island cheeses, Roaring Forties
chardonnay, summerberry puddings, fresh scallops and
asparagus risotto – but the main course is the scenery that
rivals Wineglass Bay on the Tassie mainland. Each night,
you’ll sleep soundly in tented cabins or historic cottages.
VISIT: mariaislandwalk.com.au
HOBART PIPELINE TRACK
Named after the pipeline that supplies fresh water
from Mount Wellington to Hobart, this track offers
lush forest, a gradual gradient, waterfalls and views of
Cathedral Rock. The hamlet of Fern Tree on the Huon
Road from Hobart sees the track meandering 12km to
Wellington Falls. Historic stonework of the early settlers
and the cast iron pipes laid in 1901 give the track a sense
of local history. There’s a shorter stretch of 3km from
Waterworks to Fern Tree, but the main track contours
around the mountain and needs a full day to complete
comfortably. The gentle downhill gradient makes the
return journey particularly welcome.
VISIT: hobartcity.com.au/recreation/bushland I
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
BRIDGE TO BRIDGE
Do as the locals do and spend an hour taking in
the heart of the capital on the Bridge to Bridge walk,
which follows the shore around Lake Burley Griffin’s inner
basin. The paths between Commonwealth Avenue Bridge
and Kings Avenue Bridge pass many major attractions,
including the National Library, Questacon – the National
Science and Technology Centre, National Portrait Gallery,
Australian National Gallery, Reconciliation Place and views
of both the old and new Parliament House.
VISIT: visitcanberra.com.au
TIDBINBILLA SANCTUARY
This swathe of wilderness on the southern outskirts of
Canberra is the perfect place to see the region’s wildlife.
Tidbinbilla Sanctuary’s well-appointed bushwalking trails
allow walkers to explore a beautiful valley with granite-
topped mountains framing it. Wetlands, grasslands,
eucalypt forests and rugged peaks await visitors. There
are 21 trails, including the 300m Black Flats Dam, where
black swans and platypuses thrive, the 700m Koala Path,
the 1.8km Cascade Trail, the 2.1km Lyrebird Trail and the
8.2km Gibraltar Peak that takes in grasslands and alpine
ridges. Families often take in several short tracks to see
the wildlife.
VISIT: tidbinbilla.com.au
Tasmania
Maria Island
Canberra
Lake Burley Griffin
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