PHOTO: New South Wales hopes to make Australia's Great Walks list with improvements on a trail through the Blue Mountains. (Photo by James Ruggia)
New South Wales is planning to build a series of walks including one that goes directly through the Blue Mountains National Park, the site of the iconic exploratory journey in 1813 of Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William Charles Wentworth, which plays a role in Australian history comparable to that played by the journey of Lewis and Clark in U.S. history.
The hope is to create hiking trails that will be listed in Tourism Australia's Great Walks listing. Tourism Australia has been promoting the idea of quality in Australia through several "Great" listings including the Luxury Lodges of Australia; the Great Golf Courses of Australia; the Ultimate Winery Experience; the Indigenous Tourism Champions program and the Great Walks of Australia. As of now New South Wales hasn't had a trail could make the list.
The great walks in New South Wales will be built over a five-year period in order to add a product experience to New South Wales that will compete with New Zealand and other Australian states such as Tasmania and Victoria. New Zealand's successful marketing of such walking trails as the Milford Sound Track attracts an estimated 10,000 international visitors per year. Tasmania, with 1,800 miles of trail, is home to four of Australia's seven Great Walks.
The founder of Virgin Australia, Brett Godfrey, made a proposal to the New South Wales government that would include the building of lodges within the national park for hikers. The Blue Mountains is a protected national park. Godfrey and Virgin co-founder Rob Sherrard operate the Tasmanian Walking Company, which runs private treks along the Overland Track in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Walking Company envisions the kind of product they're currently offering in Tasmania which includes such elements as private lodges with quality foods and wines for walkers paying up to $3150 in peak season for a five-day walk.
Under the plan some $2.4 million will be invested in improving trails that today are only used by hard core hiking enthusiasts. Signs, board walks and other details that make it possible for more main stream travelers to hike will be added to the Blue Mountain trail as well as the Royal Coast Track in the Royal National Park and the Sydney Harbour Scenic Walk.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
