Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32October 2016 21 W hen floods poured through Victoria's Grampians National Park in January 2011, about a third of its walking trails were destroyed. When new trails were needed, park authorities went back to the future, dusting off an idea first mooted in 1987 for a long‑distance walking trail that would run the length of the mountain range. The idea is now reality. When completed in 2019, the Grampians Peaks Trail will stretch for 144 kilometres — from near Mount Zero in the north to Dunkeld in the south — and is certain to become one of Australia’s premier long-distance mountain trails. The first section of the trail opened last year, making a three-day, 36-kilometre loop from Halls Gap and creating one of the few easily accessible overnight hikes in the Grampians. The route heads through the Wonderland Range, with its sandstone features as wonderful as the name suggests, before arriving at Bugiga, a campsite purpose- built for the new trail. Here, 12 individual wooden tent platforms have been constructed in a ring around a common shelter, in what will be a prototype for another 11 camps to be built along the trail. The second day of the walk takes hikers over the summit of Mount Rosea, with its sweeping views that seem to encompass all of the Grampians, before dropping to the public campground at Borough Huts, near the shores of Lake Bellfield. The final day returns to Halls Gap along the valley floor. It isn’t just overnight hikers who have benefitted. The trail for the popular day walk from Halls Gap to the Pinnacle has been upgraded as part of the Grampians Peaks Trail’s construction. As a single snapshot of the Grampians’ natural features, it’s hard to beat this day walk, which squeezes through the Grand Canyon and Silent Street slots, where the sandstone walls seem almost to clamp shut. Just beyond Silent Street, the trail ends atop the Pinnacle, a narrow thumb of rock protruding above Halls Gap. At the Grampians’ northern end, trails on the Mount Difficult Range remain closed after a 2014 bushfire but you can still walk inside a peak at Hollow Mountain, or climb to the summit of Mount Stapylton, above the imposing cliffs of Taipan Wall, which are famed among rock climbers. At the southern end, hike to lofty vantage points atop Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt before rewarding your efforts with lunch or dinner at the Royal Mail Hotel (one of Australia’s finest country restaurants) in Dunkeld. The whale sharks are not the only ones at fault. Unfortunately, many people don’t follow the rules, despite the thorough (if rather mechanical) instructions they receive before entering the water. While environmentalists complain the whale sharks are sometimes touched by divers and boatmen and this can spread disease, I did not see any contact when I was there. They also say that continuous feeding by boatmen to encourage the whale sharks to stay interrupts migration patterns, leads them to injure themselves by rubbing against boats, and causes them to lose their instinctive — and protective — fear of humans. Efforts are underway to make things safer for the whale sharks in Oslob but enforcing these regulations properly is the next step. While more needs to be done, a visit to Oslob is an extraordinary experience. I didn’t expect my encounter with these huge fish to be as wonderful as it was — definitely one for the bucket list. Tim Lindsey travelled to the Philippines at his own expense. A fishy festival Oslob is not the only place in the Philippines where you can see whale sharks. Donsol — on Luzon island, an hour’s flight from Manila — calls itself the “whale shark capital of the world”. It is famous for its annual Butanding (whale shark) Festival in April, which celebrates the arrival of the gigantic creatures in local waters. As many as 50 outrigger boats decorated with flags, banners and giant whale-shark images form a regatta and parade from Santa Cruz, the farthest coastal village of Donsol, all the way up the Donsol river and into town. In the past, boats have towed huge whale shark rafts while others have life-size whale shark replicas mounted on their decks. Children hold their own whale shark street parade. Dressed in wild and fantastical costumes and body paint, they march through the centre of Donsol dancing to brass bands, drum and bugle corps — truly an amazing sight. You can also swim with whale sharks in Donsol. The WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is working with local tourist authorities to protect the giant fish. Facts facts FLY Philippine Airlines fly daily to Manila from Sydney and three times a week from Melbourne; several domestic airlines fly to Cebu City; three-hour drive to Oslob. A great trail in the making By Andrew Bain