On the cover.The Grampians, VIC
Rob BlackburnWHEN IT COMES TO VARIETY of adventures, we are
bloody lucky to live in Australia. Our country’s
incredibly varied landscapes mean that whether you
are a walker, climber, cyclist, camper, paddler or – like
most of us – a combo of most of these, you will always
be able to find something “new” in terms of fun and
fulfilling outdoor adventures. And this still applies even
if you narrowed it down to each state; you will find any
number of activities and destinations that will deliver a
memorable experience – and without having to book
flights, or a month off work, these adventures can be
had relatively cheaply. All you need is some spare time.
The reason I am talking so much about this is that
we often dismiss “home” as boring or lacking in
outdoor opportunities. Really, all you (and I) have to do
is look a little closer at what is all around us: one of the
least populated countries on the planet, with huge
swathes of national parks, state forests and other
recreation areas that are more than up to the job of
cateringforthat“outdoorfix”thatmostofuscrave.
In this issue, we’ve kicked off a new series aimed at
showcasing a few of the many adventures on offer in
each state. Victoria is our first “profile state” and I am
sure you can believe me when I say it was very difficult
to narrow it down to just six Vic-based adventures. Of
course, that just gives us an excuse to profile Victoria
more than once – after we’ve worked our way
through the other states and territories. So in future
issues you can look forward to more of our “6 of the
best” stories focused on one of Australia’s states or
territories. We’ll even duck “across the ditch” and reveal
some of the North and South islands’ best adventures.
There are plenty of other crackerjack stories in this
issue, including some great NSW bushwalks, a
behind-the-scenes look at the Banff Mountain Film
Festival,andaprofileononeofAustralia’sbest
climbers who was sadly taken from us way too early.
One of my favourite stories this issue, though, is
Dean Mellor’s yarn on retracing the route of explorer
Dr Cecil Madigan, who crossed the mighty northern
Simpson Desert in 1939. Dean’s 4WD camping
adventure following in Madigan’s footsteps just proves
again that, no matter how much we think we’ve
“done” Australia, there’s always another exciting
adventure just outside our front door.ADVENTURE IS JUST OUTSIDE THAT DOOR
EDITORIAL
editorial director›justin walker
art director›mike ellott
designer›katharine mckinnon
senior contributors›pat kinsella, james
mccormack, dean mellor, andrew bain,
tim robson, caroline pemberton
senior photographer›mark watson
contributors›huw kingston, chrissie goldrick,
offroad images, natsumi penberthy, carolyn barry
website producer›gemma chiltonADVERTISING&MARKETING
head of specialist brandsjulie hancock
print & digital partnerships›eleanor rattray
[email protected]
02 9282 8483 0402 135 296
marketing manager›georgia mavrakakisBEHINDTHESCENES
publisher – specialist division›cornelia schulze
publisher›jo runciman
director of media solutions›simon davies
general manager, marketing›natalie bettini
group circulation manager›paul weaving
production manager›megan cosgrove
advertising production›dominic roy
associate producer›carolyn barry
distribution›network services
printing›PMP Limited
ISSN 2200-
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