(Advice on) Syd bushw. clubs / -partners for a 30something

[renijm]

Hi, I recently moved to Syd from Melbourne. I'm in my mid30s, F, and working full time as consultant in the city. In Melbourne I was a member of 2 very active and popular bushwalking clubs, mainly attracting people aged 25-45, and walked nearly every sunday, plus sometimes packcarries.

I haven't come across any active bushwalking clubs in Sydney yet that seem to attract a relatively 'young' crowd, e.g. many clubs appear to have a high proportion of their members being in the 50+ age group. Nothing wrong with them of course, but I enjoy & prefer a club with quite a few people of my own age.

Does anyone have suggestions for bushwalking clubs in Sydney which have a lot of '30somethings' amongst their members?

Of course I'm also interested in hearing from other 30-sometings who would like to join up for walks. I live near the city, don't have a car but can of course share petrol & driving duties.

Thanks!,

[Jellybean]

Hi,

Try Sydney Bushwalkers Club (just Google SBW and you'll get the website). Great club, great people, wide range of ages, walks and other outdoor activities. (I joined with a few friends earlier this year, wish I'd done it years ago!).

Cheers,

JB

[juju]

Whilst living in Sydney over 20 years ago (yes I'm 50ish) I walked with the National Parks Association. People were mostly my age then (mid 20's, 30's). They do real variety of walks. Julie.

[melinda]

Hi renijm,
Sydney Bush Walkers have an informal group of younger members called the 'Tiggers'.
They have occasional social nights together and occasional 'Tigger' walks.
Otherwise it's just out there with the rest of us.
Check them out at: http://sbw.org.au/
You might also want to consider Sydney University University Bushwalkers.
Check them out at: http://www.subw.org.au/

[npiper]

Hi,
my name is Nicola and I am also new to Sydney, having just recently moved from Europe. Although already in my mid-40s, I am very fit and would also love to find some people to go on regular hikes with, ideally every Sunday or as often as possible. I used to be member in hiking clubs before and always went on 4-6 hour hikes and am missing this kind of thing now. The only problem is that I do not have a car. Let's get together!

[tom_brennan]

Can't speak for all the clubs, but certainly SBW has a fair number of 30 somethings.

[FatCanyoner]

Of course the Uni clubs are another option. I'm 30, and when I first started walking with clubs I had the same issue with the average age being more than double mine!

I do most of my walking with the Sydney Uni Bushwalkers. You don't need to be a student. In fact, more than half the members are not. Most members are aged between 20 and 40, although there are a handful of people right into their 50's. You can check them out here: http://www.subw.org.au/. There are plenty of trip reports on the website to give an idea of the kind of walks we do, and the kind of people who come on them!

There are other uni clubs from UTS and UNSW that are quite active, but I can't give much of an insight into them.

Tim

[tom_brennan]

Similar topic has been discussed previously - though with much the same posts and posters!
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7402

It's also worth considering what type of walking you want to do. On track or off track. Day walk or overnight. Hard or easy. Different clubs tend to specialise. Try and get hold of the program - most clubs have old programs on their websites. I know SBW gets a lot of people joining who don't go on to become members, because the walking is more challenging than they expected. You need to make sure you join a club that has the sort of walks you want to do, as well as the people you want to walk with.

SBW has a New Members Info Night on September 12. See the web site for details (under How to Join).

[FatCanyoner]

I thought you use to be a Bush Club man Tom...

[tom_brennan]

I thought you use to be a Bush Club man Tom...

I'm just a club slut

Yeah, true. I am just finishing a two year stint as Bush Club Short Notice Walks Co-ordinator, but I've done most of my walking in the last year (or two) privately or with SBW. Though I've still led more walks in total for the Bush Club.

I also help out with some of the New Members Nights for SBW. We talk about the different styles of bushwalking, and for certain people, we definitely steer them towards other clubs that will probably be a better fit for what they want to do.

[FatCanyoner]

I can't blame you. SBW has been one of the very few bushwalking clubs to actively engage with younger walkers. It's a shame, as I think the age thing turns a lot of people away from getting more involved in bushwalking. Hopefully the recent success of SBW spurs a few of the others to follow suit!