Travelling Australia on foot – The Ways of the Bushwalker – some would say the bushwacker. But this kind of bush walking is far more sophisticated than that.
Australians have always loved to step out in nature, whether off-track or along a marked route. Bushwalking is one of our most popular pastimes.
From the earliest days colonists found pleasure in leisurely strolls through the bush, collecting flowers, sketching, bird watching and picnicking. Yet over time, walking for the sake of walking became the dominant motive. Walking clubs proliferated, railways organised mystery hikes attended by thousands, and Paddy Pallin established his equipment business. Bushwalking – serious walking – was invented.