Council secures funding to deliver new active hiking program

Women and girls will soon be reaching new heights across the Scenic Rim after Council received funding from the Queensland Government to launch the EmpowHER Hiking program.

Council received $100,000 in funding under the ActiveKIT program, which aims to get more people across the state exercising more frequently.

Mayor Greg Christensen said he was delighted to receive the funding and to partner with a number of prominent Scenic Rim tourism operators to bring the EmpowHER program to the region

"Council will team up with Mount Barney Lodge, InterNATIONAL PARK Tours and O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat in offering the EmpowHER Hiking program next year," he said.

"These tourism operators are well known across southeast Queensland, so when people register for the program, they know they are going to be seeing and experiencing some of our region's most stunning scenery - which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

"This is going to be an amazing program, and I would like to encourage women and girls who are keen to see more of our beautiful scenery and increase their fitness to give the EmpowHER Hiking program a try.

"The program is open for both locals and visitors and will be a great way for people to explore more of their own backyard, and hopefully our visitors will continue returning again and again to unearth more gems in the towns and villages throughout the Scenic Rim region.

“I would like to thank both the Queensland Government and Health and Wellbeing Queensland for this funding allocation to bring this great program to our region.”

Research conducted by Mount Barney Lodge’s Mountain Fit program found 87 per cent of participants were female, highlighting the demand for bushwalking participation programs targeting women and girls.

Mount Barney Lodge owner, Innes Larkin, thanked Council for applying for the funding, saying the program would have major benefits for the region and for women and girls.

"Congratulations on Council for applying for a grant that not only builds tourism in the region, and allows operators to work together, but also one that focuses on empowering women to get out into the outdoors," he said. 

"We know that our research says the outdoors is a wonderful place for your physical and mental health, so by empowering women to get out into nature and the outdoors ensures we are building a legacy that goes forward.

"I would urge everyone to get on board because once the activities and dates are released, they will be snapped up really quickly." 

The EmpowHER Hiking program also follows on from the recent success of the Gondwana Festival, a month-long celebration of some of the most precious and spectacular areas of the Queensland section of the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. The festival included full or at near capacity guided walks, talks and adventures from the base camps of Mount Barney Lodge, Binna Burra Mountain Lodge and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.

As part of the funding, successful applicants were able to choose a specific challenge and demographic that best suited the outcomes they wanted to achieve. Council selected Challenge 1, which aims to increase physical activity participation of Queenslanders who are insufficiently active.

Women and girls of all ages were selected as the target audience as research conducted by the Australian Clearinghouse for Sport shows 59 per cent of women are more likely to be insufficiently active compared to 50 per cent of men. 

Data also shows bushwalking is the eighth most participated activity for females in Queensland, and with the EmpowHER Hiking program, it will encourage participants to start at a level they are comfortable with. 

The program will run next year from February to June 2022, taking participants on regular guided walks throughout the Scenic Rim’s naturally beautiful landscapes.

This project is jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Health and Wellbeing Queensland and Scenic Rim Regional Council. 

The proposed program also aligns with the Scenic Rim Health and Wellbeing Plan 2015-2020 and the Queensland Government’s Activate! Queensland Strategy 2019-2029. 

More details about the EmpowHER Hiking program will be released closer to the start date.