There's nothing like rounding a corner on a never-before-walked trail, and stumbling across a place that takes your breath away. That hidden pocket of untouched forest that seems too beautiful to be real. This is one of the things I love most about hiking.
For this reason, I'm always looking for new places to visit and new tracks to walk, and I find that hiking guide-books are the best way to find them. The first guide-book I ever bought was Day Walks Melbourne by Open Spaces Publishing (OSP). I've used it so much, and have been so impressed with the quality, that I've bought almost every hiking book they've released since.
Naturally when I heard about their latest offering, Victoria’s Goldfield Walks, my first thought was to continue the tradition. When I tweeted about my intention, because I assumed everyone wanted to know (or something), I was pleasantly surprised to get a response from the awesome folk at OSP with an offer of a review copy. They even gave me a second copy to give away to you, my awesome readers... How could I turn them down?
So I think I've made it clear that I loved the previous OSP guide-books... Well, this one is no different. Focussing on a relatively small area of the state, it includes quite a few walks in the Goldfields region that I wasn’t aware of, like those in Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.
Ranging in length from 7 – 19 kilometres, these 20 walks not only take in the area’s gold rush-era historical sites, but also some amazing natural landscapes and waterfalls. The walk descriptions and contour maps make finding your way extremely easy, and the book is small enough to tuck away in your day-pack when you don’t need it.
If you’d prefer to use your GPS, the data file for each walk can be downloaded from the OSP website. They even post regular updates online of track closures and realignments.
If you're an avid day-hiker, the OSP books are definitely worth having. You can grab yourself a copy of Victoria's Goldfield Walks online for $19.95 (plus postage).
As I mentioned, Open Spaces Publishing provided me with two copies of Victoria's Goldfield Walks for review and giveaway. This has no influence whatsoever on the opinions I put forward in this review.
Win yourself a copy of Victoria's Goldfield Walks...
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The competition closes at 2pm on Sunday 21st of July. If you aren't signed up by that time, you will not be considered.
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Entry is only open to Australian residents.
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If I'm unable to contact a winner within 72 hours, the competition will be re-drawn.
Are you a fan of the OSP guide books too? If you have anything to say, please leave a comment below.
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