Escaping Your Comfort Zone

27/02/2026

A massive thanks to Outdoors Victoria, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Halls Outdoor Education for creating such a positive, inclusive and exhilarating experience for our group. The "Discover our Forests" program is an incredible opportunity for community groups to better connect with the forest through outdoor recreation.

We had such a ball!!

For the best quality, view the videos directly on the DEECA website (you will find the EYCZ one half-way down, under Coopers Creek to Bruntons Bridge, Erica State Forest.

https://www.exploreoutdoors.vic.gov.au/investing-in-outdoors/discover-our-forests

18/10/2025

Short and Slow at Buckley Falls today, just 10min from Geelong CBD. So beautiful!

17/09/2025

Side by Side Nature Walks is a free, intergenerational program for women aged 18-30 and 55+. Here's our upcoming walks in the Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast regions:

September

Thu Sep 18: Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
Sat Sep 20: Serendip Sanctuary Ramble, Lara
Mon Sep 22: Point Impossible to Torquay Ramble
Thu Sep 25: Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve, St Leonards
Sat Sep 27: Barwon Heads Bluff Ramble
Mon Sep 29: Moggs Creek Ramble

October

Sat Oct 4: Limeburners Bay - Hovells Creek Track, North Shore
Mon Oct 6: Anglesea River Ramble

Register here: https://www.escapingyourcomfortzone.com/nature-walks

Join the private Facebook Group to see what we have been up to! https://www.facebook.com/groups/sidebysidegeelongsurfcoast

***Calling Younger Women!***
We’ve got an amazing group of older women walking with us each week, full of encouragement, laughter and life experience to share. Now we’d love to see more younger women join in too!

If you’re 18-30 and up for some fresh air, a friendly chat, or just a break from the daily grind, come along! Whether you’re new to the area, a student, a young mum needing a break, or just looking to meet new people, you’re welcome here! Need help with transport? Just let us know - email us at [email protected].

04/08/2025

Great news, all dates and locations for the free Side by Side Nature walks, for women 18-30, and 55+ have been finalised!

Here's the upcoming “Come and Try” walks this August across Geelong and the Surf Coast. Spots are limited, and we specifically need more women in the 18-30 age group to join us, so please share it around!

Monday 11 August - Big Rock, You Yangs - Epic Views and Toasted Marshmallows

Saturday 16 August - Distillery Creek, Aireys Inlet - Nature Trails and Toasted Marshmallows

Monday 18 August - Point Roadknight Beach - Turquoise Waters and Towering Cliffs

Saturday 23 August - Big Rock, You Yangs - Epic Views and Toasted Marshmallows

Thursday 28 August - Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

Friday 29 August - Distillery Creek, Aireys Inlet- Nature Trails and Toasted Marshmallows

Register here: https://www.facebook.com/share/16ojoV4BiL/

08/06/2025

Seeking women aged 18–25 in the Surf Coast, Geelong and the Bellarine.

Feel like you're figuring life out solo? Let’s change that.

Join us for Side-by-Side Nature Walks - a FREE program where young women (18-25) walk and talk with older women (55+), side-by-side in nature. No pressure, no fitness tests. Just good chats, fresh air, and real connection.

Why Join Us?

• Chill walks in beautiful local spots. Waterfalls. Campfires. Clifftops.
• Make new friends across generations.
• Move your body, clear your mind, take time to reset
• Build your confidence in nature
• Share stories, feel supported, and be part of something real

Weekly 90-min sessions across the Surf Coast, Geelong and the Bellarine.

Kicking off August 2025. Tell us what day and time suits you: https://www.escapingyourcomfortzone.com/nature-walks

Because walking with someone who’s been there can change how you feel about where you're going.

SIDE-BY-SIDE NATURE WALKS is a new intergenerational pilot program to engage young women (18-25 years old) and older women (55+ years old) together, for improved social connection and physical activity, leading to better health & wellbeing.

08/06/2025

Are you a woman aged 18-25, or over 55? Do you live in Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast? We are inviting you to join us on a series of FREE, gentle nature walks designed to reduce loneliness and build meaningful connections across generations.

If you have ever seen "Old People's Home for Teenagers" on SBS, you will know the incredible benefits that come from connection across generations. And that's what we are aiming to achieve, but with nature as our playground!

Walks start early August and will take place across the Bellarine, Geelong, and Surf Coast.

Whether you’re just starting out in adulthood, or stepping into (or through) retirement, this is a chance to share stories, support one another, and enjoy the beauty of nature together — side by side.

Express your interest, tell us what days work best for you, or ask any questions here:
https://www.escapingyourcomfortzone.com/nature-walks

More detail in the comments 👇

15/01/2025

This morning I was invited to join the ABC Melbourne Conversation Hour to chat about the release of the new global guidelines to overhaul the way doctors look at obesity, by moving beyond BMI calculations to a more nuanced approach to look at the whole person.

Commission chair Professor Francesco Rubino, of King's College London, said obesity existed on a spectrum with some people having excess fat but being otherwise healthy and others having serious related health impacts.

The new definitions, published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, aim to resolve conflict in medical circles over whether obesity was a disease or just a risk factor.

Rather than just BMI, the authors from Global Commission on Clinical Obesity proposed 18 criteria for diagnosing clinical obesity, taking into account a range of problems from sleep apnoea to liver disease.

You can listen to this brilliant Conversation 30mins here (including me!): https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/theconversationhour/the-conversation-hour/104808092

Read this article for all the details:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-15/obestity-definitions-body-roundness-index-bmi/104815814

I know 100's of people in bigger bodies that will out-hike, out-kayak, out-MTB and out-adventure many others who fit the arbitrary number that equals a "healthy" BMI. No one should ever make assumptions about your health based on your size.

I truly hope that Australian healthcare providers take these guidelines onboard to improve health outcomes for everyone by reducing weight stigma, shame, embarrassment, judgement and a sense of failure for those in bigger bodies.

Body Positive Australia
VicHealth
Diverse Personal Training
This Girl Can VIC
Heart Foundation
Plus Outdoor - Plus Size Outdoor Gear

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity has put forward 18 criteria for diagnosing clinical obesity, moving away from the use of the Body Mass Index.

05/11/2024

Some great Grade 2 and 3 walks coming up this weekend for those who want to try walking with a bushwalking club!

23/10/2024

For those of you who know me, you know how excited I get about short, relatively flat walks, that are beautiful! Wearing my other hat over at Bushwalking Victoria, I have been working hard on the Try Bushwalking Month, where clubs across Victoria host volunteer led walks of all types in November. And I'm excited that they aren't all the long, speedy, mountainous hikes, there's plenty of our kind of walks there too!

This is a sample of the short, Grade 2 walks they have organised - so jump on and check them out!

https://collections.humanitix.com/try-bushwalking-month-bushwalking-victoria (pop Grade 2 into the filter or the search)

PS. How cool are walks that include cemeteries!

What's your favourite short, relatively flat walk?

Not all bushwalks need to scale mountains and take all day! In fact some of our favourite Victorian walks are short, fun and relatively flat.

Here's a sample of our grade 2 walks coming up this November, great if you are just starting out, coming back from injury, or simply prefer a relaxed short walk.

From Ballarat to Wangaratta, Mornington Peninsula to Anakie Gorge, Melbourne suburbs to Gippsland rail trails, from mines and cemetery trails and oh so many spring wildflowers, there's a walk there for everyone!

View all of our Try Bushwalking Month walks here (select Grade 2 in the filter): https://collections.humanitix.com/try-bushwalking-month-bushwalking-Venturing Victoria

Warby Range Bushwalkers
Wimmera Bushwalking Club
Bendigo Bushwalking and Outdoor Club
Ballarat Bushwalking Club
Walking Club of Victoria
Great South West Walk - Portland Vic
Werribee Bushwalking & Outdoor Club Inc.
Echuca Moama Bushwalking Club
Camperdown Bushwalking Club, Victoria, Australia
Catholic Walking Club
Berwick and District Bushwalking Club

14/10/2024

Plus Outdoor - Plus Size Outdoor Gear have a new website! Have you checked it out yet?

Ooooooh, aaaaand...there's loads of gear on sale too, rain jackets fir under $100! Jump on and grab a bargain (and let them know if you love their website! I love how they have put Sizing Support front and centre!)

https://www.plusoutdoor.com.au/