SUNDAY 24TH / SATURDAY 6TH

This Sunday, we will be walking in Olinda. Click here to see the planned route. It is a circular walk of about 13kms on unsealed paths and roads, with lots of gentle gradients and one whopper hill - you start and end at the top of it at a lookout/carpark. It is not particularly accessible by public transport, so you will need to drive yourself there, arrange a chauffeur or use a taxi.

On Sunday 7th NOW SATURDAY 6TH June, we will be walking along Melbourne's dismantled Inner and Outer Circle Railway. Click here to see the planned route. This is a one way walk from Royal Park Station near Melbourne Zoo, through Brunswick, past the Fairfield Boathouse, through Kew, Hawthorn and Malvern to Oakleigh Station. The full route is 25kms, but there are plenty of public transport options for a shorter walk: 4 trams and a train in the first 4 kilometres, trams at 10.5 and 12.5 kms, and several train stations beside the path from 14 to 22 kms. I believe all transport options are in Zone 1 (or on the border). The route is primarily on sealed paths, although there are a few sections where we will probably walk alternative, unsealed tracks (also note that an alternative route will need to be used between Heidelberg Rd and Chandler Hwy for those using mobility aids: wheelchairs, scooters, walking frames).

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Please email or leave a comment here with your contact details if you'd like to join us, and we will talk re: starting times, places, etc.

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THE USUAL LIST OF THINGS TO BRING:

If you want to join us, you will need to bring the following things. This list may seem very serious business, but you do not want to be caught without these basics.

• Water. It’s really important to have enough to last you either the whole walk or until the next water-point. For a full day walk without any water points, you will need AT LEAST one litre, with more waiting at the end. Carrying two 600+mL bottles is advisable.

• Good, broken in walking shoes (cross trainers or sneakers are fine, sandals only on city walks, hiking shoes or boots are excellent so long as they’re broken in)

• Appropriate clothing (jeans aren’t great, and be aware of thigh chafing if you wear a skirt or dress)

• Appropriate weather-specific gear, especially on long, remote bushwalks – what you carry is all you have (minimum in all autumn walks: raincoat, scarf, beanie; sunhat, sunglasses, sunscreen)

• Bandaids for possible blisters, Ventolin if you need it, and consider bringing a small first-aid kit on remote walks (painkillers, disinfectant, bandages, any specific medication you might need)

• High energy snacks (nuts, dried fruit and chocolate are the usual recommendations)

• Lunch! This is clearly the most important bit! Usually we bring a thermos of tea (please BYO tea or coffee!) and a variety of tasty vegetarian morsels to share. Leftovers, legume-based salads, potatoes, rice dishes, quiche: all these are delicious. Let us know your dietry requirements, and remember your cutlery!

• Enthusiasm and willingness to talk about random shit, a camera, your phone so you can text people and say you're eating lunch on a mountain or something.

• A sense of your limits, and confidence in voicing them. There is no shame in having to stop to rest – in fact it is very important. We always pause at least once or twice to “look at the view” when we’re going up a hill! If things are getting absolutely too difficult, there is almost always the option of a shorter route, catching public transport, getting your chauffeur to pick you up early, calling a taxi, or turning back.

• Water. Don’t forget it, or I won’t let you walk with us. *Bossy/serious man is bossy/serious*