Walking, hiking on the rise as South Australians take to the trails
It’s the most ancient form of exercise, but why are South Australians embracing walking – from afternoon strolls to month-long hikes – like never before?
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They’re pushing themselves on steep climbs in the early morning, measuring their performance on their phones or the latest tracking device, and they’re strolling along paved, flat surfaces for their morning constitutional.
These are the rapidly increasing number of South Australians who walk most days, and the hikes are as varied and unlimited as the reasons people undertake them.
From Anstey Hill in the northeast through to Cleland, Mount Lofty and along the Linear Park running from Highbury to the gulf, the number of walkers in training to get fit for an event, stay in shape, stave off the ageing process or just enjoy getting out of the house has risen exponentially this past year.
When we were all stuck at home for even a short time during last year’s lockdown, and alternative pastimes such as travel were strictly off-limits, it seems the need to get out and walk became insatiable.
Walking SA has catalogued a hard-to-fathom 763 walks, including 451 through the bush and 161 at various locations throughout the city and suburbs.
While many new walkers are only really experiencing the oldest way of staying fit for the first time, the walks have been there for a decade just waiting for people to discover them.
Most walks measure five to 10 kilometres but they can range from five minute strolls to Mount Barker Summit or Chapel Hill to the 225km Kidman Trail that wends its way from the Kuitpo Forest to Clare and the 1200km Heysen Trail. The longer walks are treated by serious walkers as pilgrimages ranging from days to months.
Walking SA executive director Helen Donovan says there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who make walking their primary means of getting fit over the past five years and the number has escalated further since the pandemic.
“Since the time when we were more limited when gyms were closed and our options were limited, people rediscovered the benefits of walking,” she says. “They discovered that there were so many amazing national parks within close access. Mount Lofty is a prime example of the opportunities for walkers. There are nine different ways to get up Lofty, something for all fitness levels.
“Looking at our data base and also monitoring stats on different counters around the state, they all indicate there’s been a significant growth in the number of people walking since Covid.
“Walking is the most popular form of exercise for people aged 40 plus. The more flexible working arrangements to have come out of Covid, including a lot more people working from home, has really increased the number of walkers. People are no longer locked into just walking after work or sometimes on weekends and it shows in the number of people we see walking our trails. If you’re not spending an hour or two travelling to work each day, which is one clear trend to come out of Covid, you have that extra leisure time.”
Donovan says people are increasingly walking not just as a form of exercise and leisure but as a means of “transport” to shops, cafes and even work. Consequently, Walking SA and local councils are making it easier to find safe ways to travel by foot with the construction of walkways such as the Outer Harbor Greenway, Marino Rocks Greenway and Mike Turtur Path.
“The more we can shape the urban environment for walkability, our research shows the more people will undertake a walk not just for leisure but as a means of getting from Point A to Point B, including travelling to work,” she says.
“One of the most effective ways of improving mental health as well as physical health is to ensure that people can commute and not just recreate on foot.
“We try to make sure we have good walks for kids, families, from parents with prams and the serious walker.
“There are walks everywhere for all levels, from a casual walk around Hope Valley Reservoir to a stretch of Linear Park or along the beach front through to more strenuous hill walks.”
Donovan says multi-day hikes such as the Heysen Trail, which runs from Cape Jervis at the bottom of the Fleurieu Peninsula to the Flinders Ranges, have become increasingly popular with those who want to combine camping and adventure with their walking.
And for those who have been captivated hearing about the Camino de Santiago (Pilgrimage of Decompostela) in Spain, SA and Victoria have combined to create their own “Aussie Camino” from Portland to Penola to commemorate the life and journeys of Saint Mary Mackillop. It runs 160km and takes more than a week to complete.
“You don’t need to commit to these longer walks to take walking seriously as a means of achieving health and fitness. Of course a lot of young people walk but we’re very encouraged by the number of older people who not only recognise the health advantages of walking, they appreciate the social value as well. Because you’re going up and down and on uneven surfaces, it’s both cardiovascular and strength based.
“Walking clubs have members active into their 80s and, in some cases, even their 90s. They’re amazing and a tribute to how to stay fit, which of course makes people live longer and healthier.”
Midwife Sarah Coolen is one of the more adventurous walkers to take on the Heysen Trail at her own pace. She’s completed several sections already and expects to finish the walk, which takes on average about 60 individual days, sometime early next year.
“I’ve done it in order from Cape Jervis, returning each time to where I left off, and just fit it in when I can,” she says. “The way you complete the walk varies for different people depending on commitments. I’ve done five days in a row, then a couple of days at other times. The longest day I’ve done is 30km.
“The five days in a row was through the Adelaide Hills, starting at Meadows. Usually you would stop at camping grounds if you’re doing several days straight but I have friends in the Hills so that made it easy to find somewhere to stay for the night.
“There’s no rule as to how you do the walk, it’s just a case of completing it at your own pace, comfort level and convenience. You can rough it, stay with friends or spend a night at the local pub and enjoy a hot shower and a nice meal. On one of the days hiking through the Hills I stopped at Mount Lofty for a coffee and a lovely polenta cake but, as the terrain becomes a bit more sparse towards the Flinders, I expect those luxuries will diminish.”
While Coolen has some experience having completed the Overland Trail in Tasmania in the mid-1990s, she rediscovered walking while searching for hikes on the Walking SA website as a means of winding down from the very real responsibilities that come with her profession. She recently completed the Tanunda to Kapunda section of the Heysen Trail but knows she still has almost three quarters of the walk ahead.
“I’m just happy to chip away, it’s a really nice goal to have and will be an amazing achievement,” she says. “Being on a walking trail is my happy place, it recharges my batteries.”
In recent years, the Heart Foundation has been at the forefront of promoting walking as a vital means of exercise with a range of benefits – in fact, Walking SA chairwoman Tuesday Udell is also a Heart Foundation senior policy officer.
The Foundation’s website describes walking as the “wonder drug” that assists with weight management, blood pressure and cholesterol, while also helping to stave off some cancers, osteoporosis and even bone fractures. It promotes walking as a means of improving balance and co-ordination, which are increasingly important the older we get.
The Heart Foundation has been proactive in encouraging people to become certified walk organisers who can create local walking groups specifically targeting different fitness levels. All registered Walk Organisers are covered by Heart Foundation insurance cover.
As a walk organiser, Ian Short has noted growing interest among people over 50 in taking up regular planned hikes and walks along well-marked walkways. He has undertaken many walks through the Adelaide Hills and conducts an eight to 10km walk around Anstey Hill every Thursday while acting as a back-up organiser on another walk each Tuesday.
Safety, support and numbers are important keystones to the Heart Foundation walks, with Anstey Hill offering walks of various elevation while participants see a wide range of wildlife, from hordes of kangaroos to koalas and wombats against a backdrop of rolling hillsides, deep gullies and wildflowers.
“At the moment, we have 11 walkers registered for the Thursday walk and about six or seven turn up most weeks,” Short says. “Obviously different age groups are attracted to different walks and the ages on the walks I conduct usually range from around 50 up to 75. They’re very committed and I’ve found the only reason someone doesn’t usually turn up is if they have another commitment. Otherwise, they walk rain, hail or shine. If the weather gets above 30 degrees, we might make it seven kilometres or shorter but it’s hard to hold some of them back.”
Walking on a regular basis started for Short in early 2013 as he and a few mates got into shape to traverse the Kokoda Track later that year. The exercise continued when he returned from the legendary wartime trail in Papua New Guinea and he took his commitment to walking up a level at the start of 2019 when he learned the Heart Foundation needed walk leaders.
“I had just moved from Prospect closer to the Adelaide Hills and I needed an activity to get me out of the house and meet other people in a new area,” he recalls.
“You soon realise when you start walking regularly that it doesn’t just improve you physically, it improves your mental health as well.
“The mix of people on the walks is a nice balance of men and women who all seem to have a good sense of humour and they often want to finish the walk with a coffee at the local cafe. It really has become a great social experience.”
As a busy young professional whose job involves getting injured people back to work, Ashleigh Henschke understands both the benefits of getting and staying fit and how important it is to find time to include exercise into the daily routine.
Whether she’s walking on her own or with several friends, she takes full advantage of the paths and trails in the Tea Tree Gully district to mix walking with running, without impacting on the time she spends working out at her local gym.
“Walking is a big part of my fitness regimen,” she says. “It’s low impact and always has the potential to be a very social part of staying fit.
“Living in the northeastern suburbs, we’re very lucky to have access to many interesting, well designed walking trails including the one that goes around Wynn Vale Dam and continues all the way to down Tea Tree Plaza. I love how I’m able to catch up with friends while walking among the beautiful scenery and get to call it exercise.
“The Wynn Vale Dam is a great place to exercise because it has so many options in regard to distance and enough space to share with others in the community.
“There’s a five kilometre park run but the shorter loop is perfect for a few friends to take their dogs for a walk.”
The Wynn Vale Dam loop, like many walking trails including the Linear Park, is a shared facility for walkers and runners as well as cyclists.
The advantage of these paths, even the 30km Highbury to Henley Linear Park, is that sections are easily accessible without being too far from home at any point. That can be a very important benefit during times when the weather is problematic.
For those seeking a longer adventure without committing to the Heysen Trail, Walking SA has recently launched The Adelaide 100, a 100km walking loop that takes in the coast, Adelaide’s waterways and the hills. It runs from Black Hill Conservation Park to West Beach, south to Kingston Park, inland to Belair, through the Hills to Norton Summit and back to where it started.
It is expected to become a challenge for the serious walker but its well-signed route presents an opportunity for casual walkers looking to only complete a small section.
The obvious message emanating from the hundreds of trails is that there’s a walk for everyone and that getting and staying fit is right at your feet. It’s just a matter of taking the first step.
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