Category Archives: australia

Walking as a Spiritual Practise

In reality, walking is about the slowest form of movement we can imagine. For the philosopher Frédéric Gros, “walking is the best way to go more slowly than any other method that has ever been found.” It is certainly not preferred by the driven or the busy; walking stands resolutely apart from things that propel. Commonly it’s the priorities of productivity and efficiency that overrule walking as dead or wasted time. Even the term pedestrian reeks of the dull and unmotivated. Regardless, the act of walking remains a very human one. It is an act of the spirit. For as long as human beings have inhabited this earth walking has been an act of longing and aspiration: we have walked to find home; we have walked in spiritual pilgrimage; we have walked to celebrate, to protest, and to commemorate; we have walked as a form of rest and recreation, and in pursuit of better health; we have walked to discover new worlds, to conquer new heights, and even to pray.

The Further One Goes

As the car made its way up the tarmac ribbon that runs from Harrietville to the top of Mt Hotham, the setting sun filtered its way through the trees. One of the intrepid hikers aboard took a moment to enjoy the comfort he would leave behind for the next few days. He closed his eyesContinue reading “The Further One Goes”

The Land On Which We Walk

A simple omission on my behalf, a typo, an awareness deficit. We are walking on something. Sometimes it’s crunchy, sometimes sandy, sometimes muddy, sometimes hard and jagged. An unconscious connection is made with each stride. The humble blister is formed on a foot to remind you that you walk on a sacred ancient land andContinue reading “The Land On Which We Walk”

Henry Lawson and Walking

Henry Lawson was born in 1867. In this brief examination we look at Henry Lawson’s time in outback NSW in the early 1890’s where he immersed himself in drought conditions for literary ends. He walks with his mate Jim Gordon. Let’s start with Bruce Elder’s piece in the Griffith Review. Now head over to aContinue reading “Henry Lawson and Walking”

Walking For Health And Pleasure

The following passage is an excerpt from the introduction of a book entitled “Wonderful Walks in Victoria”. It was published in 1931 by the “Betterment and Publicity board of the Victorian Railways”. There was a push to get the metropolitan population out and about via the railways. The language is rich and inviting. Walking forContinue reading “Walking For Health And Pleasure”

These Boots

These boots are a pair of Rossiter Scrubs. I adopted them in 1991. They were my goto serious bushwalking boots of the time. They were not worn for any other reason, other than serious walking. Folklore suggested that I was required to own a pair of full leather, thick soled, ankle supporting boots. In theContinue reading “These Boots”

On WALKING and TALKING

I present this essay on walking and talking by E Kaye from the Melbourne Bushwalkers in the 1954 no 5 edition of the “Walk” magazine. We have been walking for a long time, we have been walking for millions of years. We have walked a long way. It took us a long time to walkContinue reading “On WALKING and TALKING”

Gone Camping

This essay originally appeared in Eureka Street Volume 9 number 6 by Bill Garner in July/August 1999. BIll’s book “Born in a tent” was published in October 2013 Whilst it may initially seem incongruous to be associating car camping with walking, both pursuits are linked by the yearning for the simple life. When the vehicleContinue reading “Gone Camping”