Interesting Articles on the Aussie Peace Walk Website

AussieWalk members and friends contribute many stories for the Aussie Peace Walk website. Here is a list of some of these stories:

How It All Began and Harry & Kathleen’s IML Adventure – dating back to 1990. Sadly Harry passed away in 2021 but his legacy lives on.

Meet a Master Walker – Elisabeth’s achievement in walking every one of the currently active IML walks (subsequent to this article she has now also completed the newest IML walk in Croatia).

Meet IML Walkers Yvonne & Jamie – what would have been a one-off event in Canberra that has turned in to a love of the IML through the friends they have made along the way.

Walking For Pleasure – combining a social outlet with physical activity for those who live in the Canberra and surrounding regions.

Sneak Peek – 2021 Aussie Peace Walk Routes

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Have you entered the 2021 Aussie Peace Walk? If so, you might be interested in having a sneak peek at the various walking routes. If you select the rectangular box at the top right of the map, which is the “view larger map” option and you will then have the option to toggle on or off the various routes. This can also be done in the smaller version of the map by clicking the button on top left of the map (the rectangular one with the small arrow).

If you have not yet entered it is not too late to do so. Go to https://aussiepeacewalk.com.au/ and select the orange “Register Now” button. But hurry, online entries close at midnight (Canberra time) on Tuesday 23 March. You can also enter on the weekend of the event, but the entry cost increases.

Did you know that you can also download these maps to your phone (or hand held GPS)? There are several steps needed to achieve this, but they are all relatively simple:

  1. Save the 2021AussiePeaceWalkmaps to your computer (right mouse click to “save link as”)
  2. Then you can either email the GPX file to yourself or add it to your Dropbox, so that you can then access the file on your phone
  3. Open your email or Dropbox App on your phone and find the GPX file.
  4. You will need a mapping App on your phone. There are many options available, but we have successfully used myTracks for iPhone and OsmAnd for Android
    – these are the icons:
    myTracks App icon for iPhone   OsmAnd for Android phones
  5. If emailed – press and hold the file attachment and it will prompt you to open the file – you may need to select the preferred App
  6. If using Dropbox – find the file and select the 3 dots (…) to the right of the GPX map and you will see a number of options appear (eg Create transfer, Copy link etc) – scroll down until you see the Export option.
    When you click on Export you may see several App options and may need to scroll to find your mapping App.

Tips for using the myTracks App
When using myTracks over the event weekend, select the “file folder” icon at the bottom of the screen (3rd from left) and then select the desired track/map route.
To zoom in on your location, select the arrow icon at the bottom of the screen (2nd from right).
The world icon (2nd from left) will give you the option to change from standard map view to satellite or hybrid view.
Unfortunately the checkpoint locations are not visible in myTracks.

Tips for using the OsmAnd App
If you have more than one track loaded you can turn them on or off by pressing the button on the bottom left hand corner of the screen, choosing ‘configure map’, then ‘gpx track’.
When OsmAnd prompts you to download offline maps make sure you use WIFI (not mobile data) and have 600MB free on your phone, it downloads both Australia and Oceania. You don’t really need them, but it enables the app to work in areas that have no internet connectivity, and will be cheaper in the long run for data downloads.

Tiptoe through the tulips

Floriade 2017

More photos on the AussieWalk Facebook page

Floriade is on again in Canberra, and is celebrating its 30th birthday. This means that the Heart Foundation early bird walks are also on again, where you get the opportunity to complete a 45 minute walk around Floriade before the gates open to the general public. The walks are free, but a donation to the Heart Foundation is always appreciated – a collection tin is available at the walk.

Floriade early bird walks start at 8am each Monday-Saturday of Floriade, which runs from 16 September to 15 October 2017. There are no early bird walks on Sunday. Each walk is approximately 2.5km.  A number of AussieWalk and Walking For Pleasure members are assisting as volunteers to lead these walks, and we would love to see you there.

In particular, mark your calendars for these dates, when AussieWalk/Walking For Pleasure has a scheduled walk immediately following the earlybird walk:

Saturday 23rd Sep: complete the early bird walk then a lap of the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin.

Saturday 14th Oct: complete the early bird walk then a walk along Anzac Parade past the memorials, including two new memorials since we last walked here.

We meet near the crossing on Commonwealth Avenue – see the blue flower on the map below. Arrive 5-10min early to sign in, so you are ready to start the walk at 8am.

Centenary trail set to open Sunday, 27 October

The Canberra Centenary Trail will officially open on Sunday, 27 October, with a “Try the Trail Day.”

You can “try the trail” between 10am and 2pm starting from any one of five locations: Hall School Museum [Victoria Street, Hall], John Knight Memorial Park [Belconnen], Chapman [near Cooleman Ridge], Remembrance Park [Campbell] and Tuggeranong Town Park.

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