Melbourne Walks

Update: Good news!  The Geelong book is now available in all good bookstores, newsagents, Tourist Information Centres in the regions covered by the book and through online bookstores.  It retails for $29.99.  If you are interested in being a stockist, please get in touch with me by leaving a comment. Here’s the cover so you can see what to look out for. I’m very happy with how it turned out, and really enjoyed walking it, so hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

Best Walks of Geelong, the Bellarine and the Brisbane Ranges, JP Mundy (2012), Woodslane Press

In August 2011, I started working on my next walks guidebook, which will cover more than 40 walks in and around Greater Geelong, the rugged Brisbane ranges, across the beautiful Bellarine Peninsula and along the Surf Coast. I have fallen in love with this area after holidaying frequently on the Bellarine over the past few years, and last year, being lucky enough to complete the 5 day, 100km+ and truly world class Great Ocean Walk. This next book should be out by Christmas 2012 and will again be published by Woodslane and available in good bookstores, some local cafes and online.

Some of these walks are less than an hour’s drive/train from Melbourne, and most are wonderful for a day or weekend out, or are perfect for those based in Geelong, holidaying on the Bellarine or spending a few days touring this beautiful part of Victoria. They will appeal to walkers of Melbourne’s Best Bush, Bay and City Walks and will be between 4 and 10 kilometres long, and easily doable for almost everyone.  I will be following this with another guide on Best Walks of the Great Ocean Road.  I was originally planning to combine them, but when I started researching and walking, it was clear there were just too many fabulous walks to combine in one book!

Getting out and walking really opens up this beautiful land and its natural and human stories – it’s also incredibly good for the heart and soul. I hope you’ll find a walk from amidst the book that will lift your spirits and get you out and about this wonderful region.  Hopefully you will find some familiar ones, and others brand new for you to explore – I know for sure there are lots of other great walks out there I haven’t been able to include, but hopefully this will give you a taster and encourage you to get out and explore further afield! Here is the outline of the walks I will be including, along with links to any relevant blog entries:

Chapter 1 – Greater Geelong

Waterfront Geelong
Heritage Geelong
Eastern Park & the Botanical Gardens
Limeburners’ Kilns
Point Henry Wildlife Reserve
Queens Park & Buckley Falls
Barwon River Reserves
Deakin University
Hovells Creek Reserve
Kirk Point
Inverleigh Flora & Fauna Reserve
Leigh River Walk

2. The Bellarine Peninsula
Clifton Springs
Portarlington-Point Richards
Drysdale to Queenscliffe Rail Trail
Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve
Queenscliffe Marina & Township
Queenscliffe Daytrip: Millionaire’s Walk, Sorrento
Point Lonsdale to Swan Bay Circuit
The Rip & Pt Lonsdale Lighthouse
Ocean Grove Nature Reserve
Barwon Heads to Ocean Grove
The Bluff
Connewarre Game Reserve
Black Rock to Breamlea
Pt Impossible

3. Surf Coast
Surf Coast Walk
Point Danger to Jan Juc
Jan Juc to Bells Beach Clifftop Walk
Ironbark Basin & Jarosite Headland
Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk 

4. Brisbane Ranges and Surrounds
The Burchell track
Anakie Gorge
Falconer’s Lookout, Werribee Gorge
Steiglitz Gold Heritage Loop
Lara Lakelands Reserve
Serendip Sanctuary
You Yangs East West Track
You Yangs Branding Yard Trail
You Yangs Big Rock Walk