Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country Book
Book
Best Walks of Victoria's High Country Book Review
It is hard to find a book that gets the balance right between providing a ‘taste’ of what you might experience and all the detail needed to plan a specific hike. The ‘taste’ books are great to whet your appetite but the detail is needed to put the plan into action. We have recently discovered a series of hiking guide books which sit in the middle of this challenge. Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country is the first of our book reviews for this great range of books from Woodslane Press and Boiling Billy.
Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country was written by Australian writer and outdoor enthusiast Craig Sheather. Sheather has hiked all over the world and writes for outdoor and travel magazines and websites.
This book, first published in 2018, provides factual and perhaps understated guidance on well, the High Country in the Australian state of Victoria – an area that encampasses Mansfield, Glenrowan to Wodonga, Mount Buffalo and Bright, the Central High Country and The Upper Murray.
I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I read the quote from Dr Seuss that Sheather dedicated to his children:
You’re off to great places,
Today is your day,
Your mountain is waiting,
So get on your way!
And I was right. I have now added a bunch of new hikes to the list. In all 40 walks are reviewed in the book which includes walking trails, rail trails and hiking trails. There are also suggested additional walks and hikes to discover.
The trail lengths span one hour to three days so the book is great for everyone from the sightseer, the family road trippers, day hikers through to multi-day hikers. Each trail review includes:
- An At a glance section including information on grade, time, distance, conditions and getting there
- Walk information including numbered steps on the direction to head and what you’ll experience including history, nature etc
- Photos that give you a real-life sense of the trail
- A map that includes the numbered steps and a comprehensive sense of what’s there including facilities (toilet, camping, picnic etc), what you’ll see such as aboriginal art as well as cafes, wineries and even breweries for the urban walks
All walks are graded as easy, easy/moderate, moderate or difficult. The book contains helpful guidance on what these terms mean. The trails reviewed range from The Kelly Gang at Glenrowan which is an easy 1.5 km (1 hour) in the township of Glenrowan through to the difficult Mount Bogong walk that is 15 km (6-5 hours). The longest trail is the one-way Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing at a difficult 37 km – the author suggests you car shuffle or arrange a pick up/drop off for this one.
The indexing and referencing in this book is great and it even includes a Walks at a Glance section organised by area that provides guidance on public transport, cafes and whether you can take your dog!
Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country has something for everyone. For the shorter, less difficult walks all you need to do is get outdoors. For the overnight and multi-day hikes just take a photo with your smartphone of the pages you need and add a GPS, and you’re all set!
We Like
- Great information and photos that are helpful and realistic
- Easy to read, no nonsense style
- Comprehensive referencing and indexing
- Walks at a Glance summary which helps you focus in on area, walk length and the experience you want
- Something for everyone to experience
We Don't Like
- The maps have lots of symbols so you’ll need to study the summary at the back of the book before you get started. I made the mistake of not doing this and interpreted a couple of symbols in the completely wrong way – oops!
Buy One
You can purchase the Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country from Amazon Australia
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Investment
AUD $25.40 RRP
Best Walks of Victoria’s High Country
What’s inside
Page example
Close up of one of the trail maps
At a glance information
Disclaimer
This review was done with product provided by the Author for review
Last updated
8 November 2024