**Walking & Yoga Weekend - a fabulous and popular new addition to our products**

2021... AND THE GREAT COVID 19 PIVOT

December 31, 2021

18 months ago I sat at my dining table, paper and markers in hand, brainstorming what direction to take Edgewalkers in.

My plans to expand our International adventures in Mongolia and Russia and to explore new possibilities in Panama and Georgia (country) were suddenly halted; the international and interstate client base that we had been building over the previous 4 years was gone and it was looking like we would not have much work to the new staff member I was planning to hire: i.e. the amazing Kirra Diconza.
(pictured above at yoga weekend)

The word 'pivot' was everywhere. At first, I thought it was some netball or basketball-related business analogy. I soon learnt that as a business model, ‘pivoting’ is a business strategy (used a lot by start-ups) that allows the business to drop one aspect of the business and refocus on another, usually letting go of the previous direction.

The point is to allow the enterprise to change course and discard anything it no longer needs, this could be its partners, its key client base, its activities, its revenue streams; its resources. Basically, change whatever allows it to adapt as the climate changes around it.

Well, we pivoted.

We created the 2-day Cape to Cape Quickie & the 3-day Walking & Yoga Weekend. We dropped our margin and priced them so that our local WA market would find them appealing. We got to hire Kirra and keep our small team working the whole time.

**Walking & Yoga Weekend - Margaret River**

We built on the success of our Walking with Wildflowers and offered more dates. We adventured further north in WA and trialed an outback adventure featuring the Murchison Gorge in Kalbarri.

**Walking with Wildflowers - Fitzgerald Biosphere**

We continued to have success with The Creativity Retreat and the Women's Walking & Writing Retreat and decided to try a few others. We added a Leadership Retreat (so, so 😐) a Mother-Daughter Retreat (no go 😞) and then a Walking, Yoga, and Plant-Based Cooking Retreat (oh yeah baby 😁). We cut costs by buying our own van, having my partner John join the company, and working our little butts off.

2021 has been all about trial and error, adaptation, flexibility, patience, and continuing to walk our talk by providing wholehearted and high-quality experiences that leave people feeling fulfilled and reset.

Edgewalkers is not out of the woods yet, but 2021, despite the refunds, the impending lock-downs, the tight-shut WA borders, and the shortage of staff, has been a WILD and STUNNING year!

Bring on 2022 and our seventh year bringing people close to nature and to their most creative possibilities. 😁

The Fitzgerald Biosphere - Western Australia

A walk through the Fitzgerald Biosphere

October 20, 2021

On St Mary’s Beach at Point Ann, the powdery white sand squeaks beneath our hiking boots as the dazzling turquoise of the Southern Ocean gently laps the shore. About 50 metres out from the beach a dark, grey fin waves to us. Then another. We are all excited at the sighting. Whales!

The water is not always this calm. Sometimes the southerly wind is icy and the ocean wild, the wind strong behind us walking eastwards along the beach.

About a kilometre along St Mary’s Beach we turn off the beach, and walk up a dune and into the bush.

We are on the Mamang trail (Mamang is a Noongar word for whale), we will see more whales once we are back near the ocean. Now, we wade through a pink carpet of melaleucas and verticortias.

The Mamang Trail - in the Fitzgerald River National Park…

Blue Leschenaultia claw flowers sway in the low coastal heath and red grevillea nudiflora flowers reach out onto the rocky sandy path, alone on their stems.

Exposed hakea seed pods range in sizes as the end of the curly white tendrils start to brown and come to the end of their bloom.

Low on the ground Honey Pot Banksias and Petrophile Longifolia give texture to the path, softened by the pastel blue of a subtle smoke bush.

This year, probably due to the plentiful rainfall they have experienced after almost 3 years of drought, the Banksia lemanniana shrubs are heavy with yellowing flowers, in various stages of growth. Like lanterns these textured banksias illuminate the bush.

Banksia lemanniana - Fitzgerald River National Park

Not much later, I shriek when we find the Western Tiny Blue orchids in the same spot they were last year.

On the way to the Ravensthorpe Range we stop for a short stroll through the Kukenarup Memorial. Like sweet surprises, Purple Enamel and Lemon-Scented Sun orchids appear throughout the low heath. Scattered in small groups, colonies of Spider Orchids, sway peacefully in the breeze.

On the Ravensthorpe Range the pink Kunzea flowers spill out onto the rugged red of the four-wheel track where we walk, oohing and wowing at the floral spectacle. The views of the mine below us do not detract from the sheer enjoyment of being immersed in a diversity of wildflowers that is hard to match.

Yellow Grevillea Shuttleworthiannas and Acacia opheolithica hug the edges of the trail.

There are Purple Dampiera and white Goodenias, Grevillea coccinea (toothbrush), Grevillea pectinata, Grevillea tripartite, Grevillea fulgens, and two different species of Boronia. The Ravensthorpe Bottlebrush is also flowering early and the Acacia glaucoptera is full of yellow blooms.

The Hake Trail - Fitzgerald River National Park

Further south, we walk on the west side of the FRNP where the Hakea trail follows the coastline from Quoin Head to Cave Point. Our walk from Hammersley Inlet to West Beach is about 13 km. There are plenty of Melaleucas in flower; more pink. Royal Hakeas sway and rattle above red spiky claw flowers (Calathamnus sp), light pink boronias, and Banksia lemannias are plentiful.

We sight purple enamel orchids and cowslips too. Trigger plants litter the edges of the trail as we approach West Beach - tall pink ones and creamy cow-kicks; here also the yellow of Eucalyptus preissiana flowers shine to the brackdrop of the breathtaking coastline.

All over the biosphere, we see Qualup Bells, but nowhere are they more colourful and abundant than at the Barren’s Lookout. Several bushes there are heavy with scoops of pink-yellow blooms.

And, this year, also flowering early, the Barren’s Regalia or Regelia velutina, lines the track all the way up to the magnificent views from East Mt Barren

Barren’s Regalia on top of East Mt Barren, Fitzgerald River National Park

Verticordia grandis - Lesueur National Park

Wildflowers of Western Australia - Lesueur National Park

July 30, 2021

It may be raining and blowing a gale outside right now but as we get closer to the Djilba season (Noongar name for August and September season), you can already see the bright yellow acacias brightening up the bush from the Pilbara to the great southern regions.

We love the wildflower season in Western Australia. And this year is already proving to be a bumper season.

If you want to see some stunning wildflowers right now within 3 hours drive of Perth, then head north to the florally diverse Lesueur National Park. There are currently 3 set trails there (with a multi-day trail being built at the moment) and these will take you on a magical meander through some florally rich landscapes.

The Lesueur National Park is home to over 10 declared threatened species and over 900 species of flowers. It is a hub of diversity and the trails are well posted. Here are some captures from a recent scoping trip into this magical wildflower wonderland.

Mt Magog, Mt Talyuberlup and Wildflowers - Stirling Range National Park

June 10, 2021

Peaks, Wildflowers & Fascination in the Stirling Range National Park

The Stirling Range National Park is one of Western Australia’s most visited national parks and has been called a ‘coral reef out of water’ for its great floral diversity and environmental value.

Early in May (autumn in the southern hemisphere) we took a much-needed, unstructured day off and travelled the 5 hours south of Perth to hike Mt Magog and Talyuberlup, two of the more demanding peaks in the park.

From the very moment we turned onto Stirling Range Drive to access the trailhead, bright and glistening blooms covered in the morning dew and soft rain adorned the way.

On the trail too, which starts with a gentle slope and steadily becomes more demanding, an abundance of flowering plants lined the path.

Fascinated by the fabulous view of Mt Magog and Talyuberlup we hiked up its craggy & slippery granite footholds and muddy slopes, captivated by the floral natives that lit up the path all the way up to the increasingly challenging peak. Acacias, hakeas, banksias, bottlebrushes endemic to the area and a scattering of Kingia australis visible throughout, to name just a few of the more prominent plants.

The day was damp and the trail was challenging. We made our way over the densely vegetated ridge on the less travelled trail from Magog to Talyuberlup and by the time we had hiked all the way there and back, and down to the car, we were exhausted and wet but filled with a deep sense of wellbeing.

Sure, physical exercise results in a myriad of physical and mental benefits – our bodies have evolved for physical activity, but much of the feeling of wellbeing may well be due to the beauty we were immersed in.

When we fascinate, it was discovered in 1890 by American psychologist William James, we switch on the parasympathetic system and help the brain regenerate mental energy.

Fascination may be why natural organisms and environments can engender such a feeling of wellness and peace. Fascination, regenerates mental energy and although the body might be tired from the physical exertion, the mind is calm and fresh and more aware of its surroundings.

Below are some of the spectacular plants we saw along the way.

The first bright yellow & orange flower is a Hibbertia selkii. I was delighted to see this beautiful species of the Hibbertia genus just casually brightening up the side of Stirling Range Drive, it’s a priority 2 listed species, which means that we don’t really know too much about this species because there are less than 5 locations where it is found. It means that the species needs to be studied more but is possibly going to be labelled threatened.

In the middle is Hakea cucullata, or Scalloped Hakea - a pretty plated offering of curly pink tassels. This is quite a tall plant, a couple of metres or more, sometimes leaning right out from the edge of the road.

Next to it is another hakea, Hakea lissocarpha, also called Honey Bush, and is widely spread around Western Australia from Geraldton to Esperance, its flowers creamy with pink hues.

Hakeas are endemic to Australia – most are found in WA - and were traditionally used as a source of food by Noongars for their sweet nectar – sometimes they sucked it straight from the plant, sometimes the flowers were soaked in water. The fruit of some hakeas, which is woody and hard was also roasted until the seeds popped out and were eaten like nuts.

There are so many species of flowers in the Stirling Ranges - 1500 to be exact and many only found here, as in nowhere else on the planet. Like this one: Darwinia hyperifolia. There is always something to fascinate about.

Darwinia hyperifolia 1 Stirling Range.JPG

Here’s a short video of our exhilirating day!

BIOPHILIA – does spending time in nature really help?

April 24, 2021

Biophilia refers to our human love for all things living, but more specifically, to the idea that we possess an innate (even genetic) inclination to want to be around living organisms & systems and that it makes us feel better.

The Cape to Cape track - Western Australia’s epic coastal trail offers a range of natural environments and wildflowers.

Since the term was popularised by Edward Wilson in the 1980s, there have been many studies into the positive effects that nature has on our wellbeing.

Do humans have an affinity and an innate tendency to feel better when they are affiliating with living organisms?

Yes! And it’s not just nature-loving, tree-hugging ‘hippies’ who think so.

Numerous studies have concluded that being in contact with nature has strong positive physical & psychological effects. It makes sense, as a Japanese study on natural forest therapy points out, we have already spent almost 99.9% of our evolutionary history in natural settings. It’s only for a miniscule fraction of our existence that we have been industrialised and living in urban settings.

These positive effects include increased longevity, better physical health, mental recovery, increased focus and attention, positive thoughts and reduced stress. The reduction of stress is particularly important as stress is the cause of so many diseases and conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to depression to other autoimmune disorders.

Boranup Forest …. Karri, Marri, Jarrah, Grass Trees, Peppies … green living organisms all around

Another Chinese/Japanese study found that there were significant reductions in stressor markers when subjects spent time in nature as compared to urban settings. Including 12.4% reduction in cortisol levels, 7% decrease in sympathetic nervous activity (which alerts the body to respond to danger) 1.4 % decrease in blood pressure and 5.8 % decrease in heart rate.

In addition, the parasympathetic system function rose by 55% showing increased a relaxed state in participants.

In other words, stress can be relieved by being out in nature.

‘… exposure to natural stimuli can mediate the negative effect of stress reducing the negative mood state at the same time as enhancing positive emotions.’ (Berto, 2014)

Walking and spending time in nature may lead to longevity and healthier minds.

Another important positive effect of spending time in nature is the increase in Natural Killer cells and anticancer proteins with suggestions that walking through forests and other lush and natural environments can help in the prevention of cancer and other diseases. (Miyazaki, 2011)

The list of studies goes on, all supporting the central premise that generally, we not only feel better spending time amongst living organisms, but they lead to quantifiable improvements in physical and mental health issues.

But what exactly causes the benefit? This is still a mystery.

Qualup bells - in the spectacular Fitzgerald River National Park - Western Australia

Is it the colours? The green in the leaves of the Karri trees or the grasses in our wetlands? The deep blues in the sky and ocean?

The deep red in the West Australian earth and rock, the diversity of colour in our flowers?

Or is it the sensations of the wind in our hair, sand between our toes, the sound of birds calling out, the taste of salt and fire? Or the patterns that we see in bark and granite; in shells and fish, intricate yet familiar?

Are we really genetically programmed to be at one with nature?

But do your own research:

How do you feel when you are driving around a multi-storey car park, sitting in an airconditioned, neon-lit office, a supermarket?

How do you feel when you are out in the garden, dipping your feet in the ocean, walking among trees?

As we celebrate Earth Day once again during this time of Covid-19 pandemic I invite everyone reading this to reflect on how our urban and industrial environments are making us sick and how a simple stroll on a park, in a forest, on a beach, in a garden, or a simple grouping of pot plants in a corner can have such a positive effect on how we feel and on our mental and physical wellbeing.

2020 - The Year We Stayed Home

January 08, 2021

2020 was a year that will be remembered in history as a year of global disease, political disillusion, and forced distance from loved-ones. The tourism industry will most probably remember it as the year we stayed home.

The video below is a visual account of our 2020.