Friends and on-foot fitness in ‘glorious’ nature

HEADING out each week to explore, the Smythesdale Walking Group has covered around twenty-five thousand kilometres since they launched just over ten years ago.

Denny van Maanenberg, walks coordinator, said the focus is to provide a space for all ages, especially the elderly, to keep mobile and healthy, develop friendships, and help each other along the way.

“It’s about getting out there to explore our local areas because Ballarat and Golden Plains have some wonderful walking tracks,” he said.

“We start and finish at the Smythesdale Gardens. We get out and enjoy the fresh air, the bird life and the animal life.”

With about eight regular Smythesdale routes, last week’s walk covered the Brewery Dam and Argyle Dam circuit, just over five kilometres.

“We have a lot of tracks around here. We’ve got crazy little nicknames for them all, like the Doctors Hill. It’s an extension of Doctors Road,” Mr van Maanenberg said.

“We’ve got the barking dog’s track, which is a big loop around one area of Smythesdale. Years and years ago we had a lot of dogs up one end all chorusing and barking their heads off as we walked.

“We’ve got the kangaroo loop because we always see kangaroos, and the tip track along the rail trail because it goes past the big landfill centre.”

Once a month, the group is part of The Trailblazer Walks, heading away from usual territory to join other areas’ walkers.

“One of our up-and-coming walks is the Beaufort Lake and around the back tracks. The bush smells absolutely glorious after the rain,” Mr van Maanenberg said.

The group doesn’t have a formal membership, but maintains a register so anyone who has completed 500 walks can be recognised and celebrated.

“We have around 30 to 35 people on our books, of which we get an average number during the wintertime of 10 to 15, and it increases a little bit more in summer.”

Smythesdale Walking Group meets each Thursday at 10am. Numbers are currently limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. Contact 0419 666 860 or [email protected].