Going Bush Toowoomba
Exploring Our Region's Best Bushwalks
Setting Out: Tips for New Bushwalkers
If you're new to bushwalking or just considering if it might be for you, here are some tips to get you started on your journey.
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These Boots are Made for Walking, Lake Cressbrook. Photo by Stephanie Tredinnick, 2021
Step 1. Be Comfortable
- Hat: Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun, wind, and to avoid picking up any spiders/ticks along the way.
- Shirt(s): I wear a moisture-wicking, short-sleeved shirt, and add a collared shirt or light jacket for windy/cooler weather. Packing an extra layer of clothing is especially important on longer bushwalks when weather conditions may change over the course of a few hours.
- Long, breathable pants: Long pants are recommended for narrow or overgrown trails to avoid scratches from cobbler's pegs, nettles, thistles and prickly pears. I prefer walking in leggings, but light cargo pants are a good option too, or you can buy proper hiking trousers from stores such as Anaconda/Kathmandu/BCF.
- Hiking Shoes - Sneakers are fine for many paths, but a quality pair of hiking shoes (or boots) are 100% worth the investment if you plan on bushwalking regularly. These will provide you with traction on steep/rocky/muddy trails, protect you from cactus spines + give you greater ankle support and overall comfort. Happy feet, happy you!
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A Path Less Taken, Glen Rock Regional Park. Photo by Stephanie Tredinnick, 2021
Step 2. Be Safe
- Walk to your abilities: Choose walks that suit your ability level and increase distance/difficulty level gradually. (If you have any health concerns, remember to consult with your GP to check if bushwalking is a good option for you).
- Walk in favourable conditions: Avoid going for a bushwalk if there is storm activity, bushfires, flooding or heatwave conditions.
- Walk with a friend: If you become sick/injured and your phone is out of range, your friend can fetch help. If you can't find a walking buddy, make sure you tell somebody where you are walking and when you expect to return.
- Be aware of your surroundings: Stick to the path, and look out for hazards like snakes, spiky/stinging plants, fallen trees, loose rocks or steep gullies. And NEVER put yourself in danger to take a selfie - even the perfect shot isn't worth your life.
- Take a backpack & fill it with these very useful items:
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Phone - Call for help, time/map your walk, check weather alerts, or navigate to safety using offline maps or apps such as what3words.
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Map - Vital if signage isn't clearly marked along the walk.
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Plenty of Water - Essential to prevent dehydration. Also great on your hat to cool down, and useful for washing hands/cleaning wounds if necessary.
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Snacks - Even if it's a shorter walk, it's good to pack a piece of fruit and/or some muesli bars. If you get lost or injured, you will have rations to keep yourself comfortable until help arrives.
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First Aid Kit - A basic kit will help you manage cuts, sprains, stings & bites. Sunscreen & insect repellent should also be included for your safety and comfort.
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Head torch - Perfect for walking at dusk - to see the trail and prevent a close encounter of the spidery-kind. Also useful when hunting for creatures under rocky outcrops or in the holes of trees.
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Pretty-faced Wallaby, Cranley Escarpment. Photo by Stephanie Tredinnick, 2021
Step 3. Be Respectful
- Leave no trace: Remove all rubbish, including food wrappers, plastic water
bottles and doggy poo bags.
- Stay on the path: This prevents walkers from crushing small plants, or spreading seeds of pest plants/grasses from one location to another. It also stops us from frightening away native animals and damaging their habitat.
- Be a responsible dog owner: Keep your dog within eyeshot at all times and always put them on the leash if approaching another walker/dog. It is also important that we keep our dogs under control to protect the many wild animals that frequent our local bushland (i.e. kangaroos, wallabies, hares, goannas, snakes, and countless species of birds).
- Leave wildlife undisturbed: If you are lucky enough to encounter a wild animal on your walk, enjoy watching it from a distance and take some photos to remember the experience... but never feed it, touch it, remove it from its preferred habitat, or do anything that might cause it distress or harm.
- Refresh and connect: Bushwalking is great for exercise, mental health and relaxation. For some, it is also an opportunity to connect on a spiritual level with nature, God or the ancestors who walked these lands before us. Whatever your motivation is, take time to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings and be thankful that we have such beautiful spaces to relax in and recharge from our busy lives.
Tips for Bushwalking with Kids
- Expect to take longer than the official walk time: We usually take 1.5x the time printed on the map.
- Pack plenty of snacks & water: Fruit, vege chips or muesli bars are great (remember to take your wrappers with you). On medium-long walks we take a full lunch with sandwiches and a sweet treat to give that extra bit of motivation. Avoid perishables such as meat or yoghurt if you plan to be out for more than an hour or two.
- Other handy things to pack: Depending on the child, you might also find these items useful;
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A book to read: Something to chill out with on a snack break. Don't let them choose a Nursery Rhyme Compendium, because nobody wants to carry that in their backpack!
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A small scrapbook or activity book: If your child is artsy they may like to keep a nature journal or draw a map of the trail you're walking. On our longer trips we have sometimes packed a 'Get Ready for Prep' book to use when we get tired. We might trace a letter in the book then try to find something in the bush that starts with that letter, or practice writing some numbers then play a counting activity with found objects.
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Spare clothes: I always carry spare socks in my backpack and leave a full change of clothes in the car in case the original ones get wet/muddy/prickly/ripped.
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A toy: My son sometimes takes a matchbox car and 'flies' it along as we walk, but I prefer no toys if possible. It's more fun to have hands free and find a nature toy along the way (i.e. rock/stick/ feather/helicopter leaves, etc.)
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Plasticine: Weird, but actually useful. If you or your child touches a stinging tree leaf it's important to get the little stinging hairs off the skin as quickly as possible. My medical kit now has tape in it for this purpose, but once we didn't have access to tape and found a pot of squishy putty in the car - this took away the stingers, and also gave a welcome distraction from the pain. (Note: You are only likely to come across stinging trees in dense rainforest such as the Bunya Mountains or Main Range National Park, but if you're the type of person who likes to be really prepared, now you know!)
- Explore along the way: Kids get bored easily, so let them enjoy any distractions they come across. Chasing butterflies, hunting for bugs or pretty rocks, squelching about in a muddy puddle, or floating leaves down a creek are all valid reasons to pause a walk. And instead of getting frustrated waiting for them to finish their activity, you can try joining in too!
- Look around for landmarks: To help my kids pace themselves through a walk, we check for interesting changes in the landscape (i.e. a creek-crossing, a fallen tree, a big hill) so we can find them again on the way back to the car. We sometimes make mud-maps (with a stick in the dirt) to check how far we have left to go. If a place is really special we name it so we remember it for our next visit (some memorable spots include Three Paw Tree, Ghost Gum Ridge, and Sit Cry Rock).
- Give lots of encouragement: When your child is feeling too tired to go on, there are plenty of ideas you can try to get them moving again.
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Be their personal cheer squad: Great job! You can do it! Keep trying. I knew you were strong enough to do that! It’s okay to feel tired/sad. Let’s have a rest then see how we feel after that.
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Set a goal/challenge: I bet you can make it to that tree. Race you to the top of the hill. See if you can collect a rainbow (spot one thing of each colour). Play 'Floor is Lava' (only step on rocks - first one to fall off is out.)
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Give physical support: Allow rest breaks when needed. Hold their hand. Invite them to grab onto a strap on your backpack. Give a shoulder-ride. (This can be difficult if you have multiple children, your child is getting heavier, or you’re too tired yourself. I tell my kids they only get free-rides if the path is flat!)
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Consider extrinsic motivation (i.e. bribe them): I avoid doing this as a rule, but sometimes you need that extra push to get them over the line. A suitable bribe might be going to a playground after the walk, cooling down with a small slushy, or watching a favourite TV show when they get home. Never bribe in cash – they’ll keep expecting it!
- Accidents happen, but it’s okay because that is how we learn: Things will go wrong*. My own children have had dealt with wet shoes and muddy pants, green ant bites and mozzie bites, twisted ankles and scraped knees, even run-ins with nettles and stinging trees. There's been whinging, moaning and weeping (some of those were me), but it’s all been worth it because my kids are smarter and stronger thanks to these experiences. They are self-confident. Aware of the world around them. Curious. Brave. Empathetic to animals and other humans (most of the time - they're real children, not angels). Interested and interesting. For me, that reward is absolutely worth any risks one might encounter on a bushwalking adventure.
*Safety Tip: Exploring in nature is fun and a great opportunity for learning, but keep in mind that children lack our experience and perception of danger. You can help keep your child safe by giving them your careful attention and guidance.
Climbing Trees, Ravensbourne National Park, 2021
Amphibious Vehicle, Highfields Falls, 2021
Hunting for Ladybugs, John Trousdell Park, 2021
Dying Dramatically, Lake Cressbrook, 2021
Spotting Cloud Shadows, Mt Cordeaux, 2022
Playing 'Floor is Lava', White Rock, 2022
Thoughts from my 5 & 6 year-olds
What is the best bit about bushwalking?
E: You get free entertainment at the end.
C: Nothing.
What is the worst bit about bushwalking?
E: You have to go up big hills and you get so exhausted.
C: Going for a long, long, long walk. A long walk. A really long walk. That’s my worst thing.
What is the most interesting thing you’ve ever found on a bushwalk?
E: Grandma and Grandpa. Hehehehe.
C: I don’t know. A scorpion.
How do you feel when you get to the end of a walk?
E: I feel proud of myself.
C: Really tired.
What do you do when you’re feeling super tired in the middle of a walk?
E: I just find, like, a little rock and I sit down.
C: Rest.
What is one imagination game you can play with a stick?
E: I pretend it’s a little wand, and I’m a fairy.
C: It’s a sword.
What’s the worst way you've hurt yourself, and did you still finish the walk?
E: Spraining my ankle at the creek, and I finished the walk because Mummy put a bandage around my foot.
C: I tripped over my ankle and it’s still hurting.
Are you scared of anything in the bush?
E: I’m scared of snakes, bats and the second thing is um… lions.
C: Like... the only thing I’m scared of is what she said. Snakes and lions… but not bats.
What's your favourite place to do a bushwalk, of all the ones we’ve ever done?
E: Mt Cordeaux. Because it had more exercise than the other ones. And we made friends with some other people. And we could see basically everything.
C: Highfields Falls. Because it has the waterfall and you can relax in it.
Resucing an Injured Insect, Mt Edwards, 2023
Natural Bridge Balancing, Greene's Falls, Mt Glorious, 2023