THE Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Thursday Walkers group will head off on its first trek for 2026 in early March.
The focus is on having fun and capitalising on the health benefits of low-impact exercise and time spent in nature.
Traditionally, the group’s first jaunt of the year is a twilight walk – a relatively short introductory circuit around the Winda Woppa peninsula.
The Walkers will then set off on a mix of short, medium and long-distance treks, with most trips scheduled between Wallis Lake and Lake Macquarie, and everywhere in between.
While the majority of the group’s walks explore the Hunter and the MidCoast, plans are afoot for more adventurous trips this year.
“Following a break during the summer months, the annual planning meeting has now laid out a program for the 39 Thursdays between 5 March and 27 November, including a four-day camp to walk the surrounds of North Haven/Laurieton and a couple of special outings,” organiser Ray Hughes told NOTA.
Ray said the group is “not one of power walkers”, but contains members of all ages with a wide range of abilities and interests.
“We are a group of friends who walk for pleasure and company, so a lot of chatting takes place as well,” he said.
“Some say we are a walking group with a talking problem, others say a talking group with a walking problem.”
Upcoming outings will take the group through the Tilligerry Habitat at Tanilba Bay, to Johnson’s Beach in the Myall Lakes National Park, and to the Newcastle Art Gallery.
Interested community members can join the group at the Tea Gardens Library carpark at 4.00pm on 5 March for the first walk of the year.
Every Thursday following (from 12 March) the group departs from the Library at 8:30am, relying upon carpooling to get to destinations further afield.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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