Everything good in Central Australia happens at dawn. Whether it be walking, hot air ballooning, photography or just admiring the views, dawn in the desert is outstanding. Getting up is hard but once you are up it's worth it. For us it was tackling Kings Canyon, the set piece walk of the vast ochre wonderland... Continue Reading →
Bobbin Head in Kuringai Chase National Park is my backyard. In the cooler months I go bushwalking and in summer I go kayaking. (Of course, anytime of year is good for a coffee and chocolate brownie from one of the two cafes.) I've done many of the walks countless times, but I've never completed the... Continue Reading →
Last week I made a summery pilgrimmage to Thredbo, and after a tip-off from a friend checked out the new Thredbo Valley Track. Running from Thredbo to Crackenback, this 18km graded gravel track is geared towards mountain bikers, walkers and, being Thredbo, superfit runners. There are a few campgrounds on the way so you can... Continue Reading →
The Lower Blue Mountains gets a bad rap from die-hard bushwalkers. It doesn't have the world-famous gorge views, the real mountains weather (read: freezing) and it's just a bit close the sprawling Sydney metropolis to be truly getting away from it all. All of that is true, and also none of it. The Knapsack Reserve in... Continue Reading →
If you haven't tried it, can I recommend you do so now! And that means right now if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, while there's still nice snow. Snowshoeing is essentially just hiking in the snow, with big flat snowshoes strapped to your boots and two poles. Snowshoeing allows you to get into tight... Continue Reading →
Mt Buffalo in the Victorian High Country has, for my money, one of Australia's best walks. It probably doesn't get the airplay it deserves, but it is so much the better for it. The Big Walk at Mt Buffalo is a 22.6km up and down epic. (Not including the side trip to a waterfall -... Continue Reading →
There's this bushwalk I've been meaning to do for around 12 years now. The trouble is it's virtually in my own backyard, so I can do it any old time, which is exactly why I never ended up doing it. This walk in the woods is part of the Great North Walk's Hornsby to Thornleigh stretch. I... Continue Reading →
We don't do mountains in Australia. Hell, we don't even do hills. So, if you are training for Mt Everest, or say, a random mountain in New Zealand where can you train? I live in Sydney so the Blue Mountains is an obvious choice. It does the job, but a four hour return trip and a... Continue Reading →
Eastern Australia has just been in the grip of a heatwave, just ask any tennis player. Happily there is one place on the east coast that is at least ten degrees cooler than the city (and around twenty degrees cooler than the Rod Laver Arena) and that place is Thredbo in Australia's Snowy Mountains. I... Continue Reading →
Don't fancy a stuffy tour bus or bicycling? No problem in Martinborough on the bottom of New Zealand's North Island. You can walk from vineyard to vineyard straight from the village! Martinborough has quite a backstory. The streets are laid out in a grid and named after cities of the world, so there's Naples St,... Continue Reading →
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