ADVENTURE
The Trail Blazers
Australia's
Bicentennial National Trail is the longest marked trail on earth, winding
5330 km down the Great Divide.
Although within four hours' drive of more than 10 million Australians, less
than 20,000 people have completed long-distance treks on the trail since it
was officially opened in 1988.
By comparison, America's 3500 km Appalachian Trail attracts 1.5 million walkers
a year.
Conceived
by R.M. Williams, the trail's real origins date back to 1973 when RM convinced
young and energetic horseman Dan Seymour to ride the proposed route. It took
him two years.
Then in 1978, to mark completion of the selected route, more than 1,00o riders participated in a 90-day pony express ride from Cooktown to Melbourne.
"You don't try to conquer the trail. You move with its flow, learn and respect
its changing moods and many lessons," says Doc Eckley, one of the few people
to have ridden the trail's entire length.
"It is a journey of time and experience, danger and delight, and success should
never be judged on distance alone. It represents a change of lifestyle, that
may change your life forever."
Twelve guide books, each covering a 400 to 500 km section of the trail, are available from:
-
The Bicentennial National Trail,
PO Box 2235, Toowoomba,
Queensland 4350
email: bnt@bigpond.com
website: www.vicnet.net.au/~bnt -
Or contact:
-
NSW BNT Co-ordinator,
Department of Land and Water Conservation,
PO Box 95, Lithgow,
NSW 2790
Phone (02) 6531 3842
Full story and profiles of sections of the trail: Issue 6, August-September 1999
