The Gawler Bushwalkers club has been going for over 20 years with many long-standing members and well qualified walk leaders. Members come from a wide range of backgrounds and ages and enjoy bushwalking and as well as walking for fitness and friendship. Many take a keen interest in native plants, trees and orchids, and walk locations often reflect this. The walk program is compiled at the AGM each year in February, and then walks are held every second Sunday from April to October. Members meet a carpark in Gawler for an 8am departure, often with car-pooling, to the walk start point. Most walks are held in the northern areas out from Gawler generally in the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley or Kapunda area and have included the Lavender Federation and Heysen Trail and the new Clare Valley Wine & Wilderness Trail. Most Sunday walks are 5 to 6 hours in duration with stops for morning tea and lunch, after which some members will have a coffee and cake as a reward.
The walks cover a distance of 16 to 20km. Occasionally there is a shorter walk where available, and new, or less-experienced walkers’ needs are always accommodated, as the group aims to offer a welcoming, safe walking experience.
The club also runs a summer walk program on a Thursday afternoon/evening around the Gawler area from November to March, weather permitting.
There is a group of members currently walking the Walk the York trail which they should complete in 2022. A group is also holding a camp in Victor Harbor in October this year.
The club presently has 70 members with 20 to 25 who walk regularly.
The first walk with the walk is free and if people decide to continue, the membership fee is $20 per year. There is no charge for each walk.
You can find out more at:
- Betty Smith, Club Secretary: phone 0417 083 907, email smithbetty014@gmail.com
- private Facebook group for members: facebook.com/groups/147495371972805 (where walks are advertised and members can share photos and other walking-related information)
You can find a walking club at walkingsa.org.au/walk/list-of-walking-clubs-south-australia.
At this Sunday’s 
Skyline Walkers are a friendly group of 68 walkers who meet on Saturday mornings. They offer a all-year round program of walks. 
Each year the 
The annual 
Our guest speaker will be Ben Trewren. Ben was awarded the 2018 Terry Lavender Churchill Fellowship to explore opportunities for trail destinations to attract and grow world class ‘shared-use’ interests. Having recently returned from his exploratory trip overseas, he is moving on to writing his investigation report. Ben will present a report about what he discovered about how trail destinations attract and grow world class ‘shared-use’ interests.
