October 14, 2009 09:21 in Nature-Bound News by john ::

By Paul Edwards for FINANCIAL REVIEW

Walking tours are blazing a trail, and promising a great meal at the end of it

I always thought a walking holiday was something to be done just once, and even then only for the good of the soul. The concept conjured images of Byron and Shelley behaving very badly in Italy and Greece or impersonators stumbling around the Cotswolds in sensible shoes and thick brown stockings.

Things have changed and the deal now is for holidays that ease the conscience, burn the calories and give the feeling, however small, of oneness with the early settlers. You can stride out on a misty mountain or a burning desert, knowing that before long someone is going to give you remarkably fine food and the appropriate wine, and that you will sleep in a well equipped tent or better yet – on many tours you’ll sleep in a luxurious resort.

Nature-Bound Australia has tours ranging up to 17 days and take in scenic regions with vehicle support. The regions include the Great Divide, Queensland tropics and Outback, a full circle of Tasmania, Alice to the Rock via Kings Canyon, the Queensland-New South Wales Border region, Outback New South Wales down the Darling River, the remote Corner Country where three states meet and Adelaide to Alice via the Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre.

“People want to do more than just walk” operator John Thompson says. “Each tour is balanced with other regional features, including historic villages, bush legends, Aboriginal rock art and culture, National Trust properties, boutique wineries and artist galleries. The emphasis is on authentic Australian experiences mainly in remote areas and along back tracks”.

Byron must have loved it.