Walking provides people with time, freedom and flexibility to interact intimately with the wide range of Wet Tropics environments. Walking plays a vital role in presenting the Wet Tropics World Heritage values. It can increase public awareness and understanding of the need for the conservation and protection of the Wet Tropics as a natural and Aboriginal cultural landscape. Walking also provides social, recreational and educational benefits for all sectors of the community and caters for diverse interests and capabilities. It is a popular activity, undertaken by the majority of visitors, and contributes significantly to providing employment and economic benefits for the Wet Tropics region.
You can learn all about for the many wonderful Wet Tropics walks in Wet Tropics walks to experience.
The Walking Strategy can be viewed or downloaded here. It is available in full with appendices or in a summary form.
The Walking Strategy aims to provide a network of diverse walking experiences to allow walkers to experience a wide variety of:
Appropriate and accessible information about walks is vital to assist walkers to choose walks which suit their needs and abilities. Information is also a valuable management tool to help walkers find suitable walks and ensure that they are well prepared for safe walking. A database of managed walks has been developed to enable walkers to search for walks and information. Wet Tropics walks to experience complements the numerous books, brochures and visitor centres already providing information. Educational information about the many aspects of the Wet Tropics environment and history is also available on particular walks.
Two major concerns for land managers are the cost of construction and maintenance of tracks and the safety of walkers. There is a need for increased funding for the construction of new walks and the upgrading and maintenance of currently managed walks. This includes funds for ongoing consultation with Aboriginal groups and other stakeholders.
The Walking Strategy recommends that a spectrum of different walking experiences be provided and that walkers be informed of their varying degrees of responsibility for their own safety depending on the type of walk undertaken. A track classification system correlates different kinds of walking tracks with a range of service standards, walk settings and degrees of safety and risk management. It acts as a guide to management of individual walks. Track management plans will be developed to deal with the particular management issues for each walk.
The Walking Strategy operates under the broad policy framework provided by the Wet Tropics Nature Based Tourism Strategy. It was developed with assistance and in consultation with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, other government agencies, local governments, private walk managers, Aboriginal groups, bushwalkers, the tourism industry, local communities and conservation groups.