Walk for wildlife: Anglesea author to tackle 88km journey

AN INSPIRED Anglesea resident and decorated author is spreading the message of Australian wildlife conservation by walking a staggering 88 kilometres over four days in the month of March.

Award-winning writer and graphic designer Esther Gonstalla will take on the Wilderness Society Nature Walk Challenge, walking 88 kilometres starting between March 3-13 along the Surf Coast Trail.

She will begin in Fairhaven and walk along the coast to Point Impossible in Torquay (44km), then do it in reverse, all within 96 hours.

“I just love the wildlife here in Australia, the wilderness has so much to offer and the biodiversity here is second to none, so I thought I would do something practical to get the message out there and hopefully inspire others to do the same,” Ms Gonstalla said.

Ms Gonstalla’s travels as an author have taken her around the world.

Anglesea resident Esther Gonstalla will walk 88 kilometres over four days raising funds for the Wilderness Society Nature Walk Challenge. She will start the walk somewhere between March 3-13.

Starting in Germany, she has travelled to countries such as French Polynesia, France, USA, Canada, and the Caribbean, but Australia and the Surf Coast is at the top of her list of where she has lived, motivating her to take on the wilderness walk challenge.

“I’ve spent the last five months completing my seventh book Atlas of a Threatened Planet, which uses infographics to explain everything you need to know about the planet and how to save it,” she said.

“But I am also a big advocate for ending animal extinction in Australia and I was quite shocked to hear that Australia has lost 34 mammals to extinction already with others such as the koala and the hairy-nose wombat on the brink as species as well.

Ms Gonstalla specialises in visualising data in her books and is also an avid hiker, having already completed the Great Ocean Walk from Apollo Bay to the 12 Apostles (110km) and the Cape to Cape Walk in Western Australia (150km).

“The challenge for this walk will be doing it in four days,” she said.

“I’ve sold over 50,000 copies of my books in my career as an author, but to really push and transform the message of wildlife conservation out there, I think it’s beneficial I put myself out there and do inspirational things like this walk.”

To donate to Ms Gonstalla’s challenge head to naturewalkchallenge.org.au/esther-gonstalla or to follow her on her journey, head to @infographic_nomad on Instagram.