healthinessWALKING

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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 RANGESThe 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 HILLSThis 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 !t. 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 !nal ascent to the summit.VISIT: environment.sa.gov.au/parks/home

NEW SOUTH WALES

BONDI TO COOGEE, SYDNEYThis 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 PARKThis 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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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

CAPE TO CAPE TRACKWelcome 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 wild"owers 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 !ve 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, PERTHLocated 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 WALKThis 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 !ve 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 !ve-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 TRACKNo 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 SERPENTThis 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 ISLANDEnjoy 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 !

Nor thern Territory

Kata Tjuta

Western Australia

Cape to Cape track

Victoria

The Great Ocean Walk

Queensland

Brisbane Serpent

NORTHERN TERRITORY

ULURU AND KATA TJUTARising 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 PARKJust 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 M

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TASMANIA

MARIA ISLANDClose 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 !nd 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 TRACKNamed 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 "

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

BRIDGE TO BRIDGEDo 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 Grif!n’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 SANCTUARYThis 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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