Our Tips For Enjoying Bush Walks With Kids!

Main Image Credit: Photo by Erico Marcelino on Unsplash

Heading out for a day in the stunning Australian bush is something all Australian families will do at least once (but often many, many times!), but the Australian bush has its challenges as much as it has its beauty, so in this Family Days Out blog we wanted to share with you our tips for enjoying bush walks with kids!

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1. Be Prepared!

Bush walking is a great way to get out into nature, and enjoy some really beneficial exercise as a family, but the Australian bush can be wild so make sure you take healthy snacks and water! Even if you're planning to be away for 30 minutes, take a small back pack with something to keep hydrated and keep that energy up, especially kids who use so much!

It's also a good idea to take a small first aid kit, even with just the basics. You never know when it will come in handy!

With kids in tow, you never can be too careful, so as with any venture out into wilderness (even if you're out on marked tracks in a national park), tell someone where you're going and have a physical map of the area too. Phones are great but signal and battery life isn't as reliable.

This is also Australia, so especially on longer walks make sure you pack sunscreen and hats. That sun can come beating down harsher than we realise, so slip, slop, slap and wrap!

2. Pick Your Routes Accordingly

Older kids will get a kick out of trying to spot the wildlife and independently finding they way through the tracks, but there's no reason you can't take younger kids too, it's just all about planning! If you have toddlers, we all know they can be unpredictable in where they decide to head off to. If you want feel completely comfortable, a toddler harness backpack is a great way to keep your mind off where those little feet are exploring. However, if you're comfortable with those younger kids having a little more room to explore, just choose paths and trails that aren't close to rivers, or cliffs, or any other features that might offer possible hazards.

Australia has plenty of marked routes with frequent thoroughfare from other walkers, so you have plenty of options to keep "on" the beaten path so you know that finding your way back to the car won't be part of the problem.

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3. Keep A Change Of Clothes

Bush walking can welcome unwanted bugs, dirt, leaves and stains on the clothes of our adventurous kids, so it's always a good idea to keep a set of clean clothes in the car waiting for you on your return. (It's not a bad idea to keep some more snacks and water in the car too as a back up)

4. Make A Game Of It!

Australian wildlife is some of the most beautiful in the world, so why not make a game for the kids to see what they can spot! You can take a notebook so kids can jot down or even draw what they see, or you can create "Wildlife Bingo" before you head out of animals they HOPE to see, and they can check them off as they spot them!

Another fun game is to take photos of various plants, flowers, or birds that you come across - or again if you take a notebook, drawn them! - and then when you get home, spend an afternoon talking about what you say, and try to identify them! This will bring out the naturalists in the kids and it's always so exciting for them to learn about what they found!

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5. Check The Weather

Weather can be unpredictable, so make sure you check the weather on the day you're actually going to head out. This isn't just for potential downpours, but also for that sun. 

We've already shared with you our preparation tips ensuring you have sunscreen and hats, but consider taking layers to combat potential weather changes. Also make sure you have the right shoes. If it's hot, that doesn't mean thongs are the best option! Always take closed toe supportive walking shoes that can also protect your feet from the sun. 

Knowing the signs of heat exhaustion is always a great way to manage potential weather challenges. Shallow breathing, rapid heartbeat, red skin....keep an eye on that sun and ensure you head into the shade as quick as possible, and keep that water intake going.

6. Make Noise

The Australian bush is home to the beautiful, and the slightly dangerous too. In fact, ask someone NOT from Australia about their thoughts on the country and their usual reaction is "it's full of things that can bite you". Well, yes and no. Australia has some dangerous snakes and spiders, but it's all about being prepared.

The cliche of "snakes are more scared of you than you are of them" exists for a reason. It's true! As you walk, just drag your feet through the leaves more than you normally would, to just let any snakes know you're coming. Keep to the paths, and there's a good chance you won't see one at all on your adventure.

Should you need to go to the bathroom "natural style" or you find a public toilet block, always check under leaves, and under the toilet seat and in the bowl first (and around the walls and behind the doors) just to make sure our creepy crawly friends haven't been waiting to say hi.

Just be alert, and make noise!

Photo by Hamish Weir on Unsplash

7. Enjoy Flame Free Fun

One of the worst things to ever happen in the bush are bushfires, and so many are caused by bushwalkers cigarettes or BBQs. Leave the flames at home! It only takes a second of concentration to disappear for something to happen, and the flora and fauna is far too precious for anything to happen as a result of someone who is just wanting to enjoy it too.

8. Leave Only Footprints!

The amount of families that we can encountered that leave their rubbish behind continues to astound. Nature is for wildlife and not for wrappers, so always take a bag with you that your rubbish can go into straight away, and carry it back to your car.

There is no reason that anything needs to be left behind, and picking up after yourselves and not littering is a great example to set for those little ones!

If YOU have any tips on enjoying bush walks with kids that we haven't mentioned, comment below are share! We hope you have an amazing time exploring the incredible wonders that are the Australian bush, and we can't wait to hear all about your adventures!