RUNNING IN AUSTRALIA
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| Australia has many scenic trails for runners and hikers to explore - like the Cape to Cape Track in Western Australia |
If you are interested in sporting lifestyle and culture, Australia is definitely a country to visit. Australia has hosted numerous international sport events, including the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Additionally, Brisbane is slated to host the 2032 Olympics.
Like the picture above suggests, if you are a runner or hiker, Australia has an abundance of scenic trails (called tracks) and urban routes to explore. And, in general, I found the infrastructure there for supporting running and hiking (e.g., access to drinking water & toilets) to be good in both urban and rural settings.
For runners, I usually list major marathons taking place for cities I write about in my travel posts. With Australia, I will do something a little different: as I am writing this, believe it or not, there are nearly 500 Parkruns taking place each weekend in Australia! Of the three major cities I visited - Sydney, Melbourne, & Perth - each has at least 25 Parkruns taking place; check it out at PARKRUN AUSTRALIA. Once you register with Parkrun, you can run and/or walk free of charge in any Parkrun 5K (not only in Australia but around the world).
RUNNING ROUTES
If staying downtown in the cities listed below, these routes will be easy to reach by foot:
Sydney
Foreshore Walk- This 5K route from Woolloomooloo Wharf to Sydney Harbour Bridge goes by other popular sites, such as, Royal Botanical Garden, Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay. This Walk continues past the Bridge as well.
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| View of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Foreshore Walk |
Honourable Mention - 1) Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk (6K one way) and 2) Manly to Spit Coastal Walk (10K one way). From downtown, you will need to take public transit to reach these Walks. I recommend getting a Mobi card which allows you to tap on & off public buses, trains and ferries. The card can be topped up on the Mobi app.
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| Australians love to swim! And Sydney has many salt water pools to enjoy - like Bronte Bath on the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk |
Melbourne
Yarra Trail- This trail is located along the Yarra River, which runs through Melbourne. I suggest starting from Federation Square and head east toward the Sports District which contains a number of different sports stadiums including: the Rod Laver Tennis Arena (site of Australian Open) and Melbourne Cricket Ground (site of Australian football and a recent Taylor Swift concert). After exploring the Sports District, one can get on the Yarra Trail again and head back to Federation Square or extend the run by continuing east on the Trail before turning back.
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| While exploring Melbourne's Sport District, I came across the Collingwood Magpies Australian football team in practice. The players performed a sport-specific skill (e.g., kicking or passing the ball) then would sprint about 10 seconds to the next station and rested for about 30 seconds before performing another skill - an example of adding High Intensity Interval Training for building cardio fitness. |
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| Runners and walkers at Albert Park - a site for one of Melbourne's Parkruns |
Perth
Bell Tower to Causeway Bridge- Start at the Bell Tower and head east toward Causeway Bridge. The pedestrian path runs along the Swan River and is about 2.5K to the Bridge. As you approach the Bridge, you can turn around and head back for a 5K distance OR there are some options for extending your run: a) visit Heirisson Island which the Bridge crosses, b) visit McCallum Park located on the other side of the Bridge, or c) continue running east and turn around later.
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| Pedestrian pathway heading east toward Causeway Bridge along Perth's Swan River |
Honourable Mention - 1) Near the Bell Tower, one can catch a passenger ferry to Rottnest Island. Car traffic there is minimal making bike rental a good option for exploring Rottnest's scenic coastline and beaches. 2) As you head west from the Bell Tower toward Kings Park, a pedestrian path goes by Elizabeth Quay which is a transportation hub for trains which will take you all over Perth (including the airport). One can catch a train for Fremantle to visit the Western Australia Museum of Maritime, Western Australia Shipwreck Museum, and Fremantle Prison. 3) And from the Bell Tower, it is an easy walk to downtown Perth sites like the Perth Mint and Perth Cultural Centre.
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| Exploring Rottnest Island's scenic coastline and beaches by bike |
CLIMATE
Note: for a quick conversion of temperatures from Celsius (C) to Fahrenheit (F), multiply C by 1.8 and add 32 to get degrees F.
Sydney’s climate falls in the temperate zone, with warm to hot summers and no dry season. December to March is the warmest time of the year averaging 26 degrees C for a high and 19 degrees C for a low with on average 8 days of rain per month. And June to August is the coolest time of the year averaging 17 degrees C for a high and 9 degrees C for a low with on average 6 days of rain per month.
Like Sydney, Melbourne’s climate also falls in the temperate zone. December to March averages 25 degrees C for a high and 15 degrees C for a low with on average 5 days of rain per month. And June to August averages 15 degrees C for a high and 7 degrees C for a low with on average 8 days of rain per month.
Perth has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. December to March averages 29 degrees C for a high and 18 degrees C for a low with on average 1 day of rain per month. And June to August averages 19 degrees C for a high and 10 degrees C for a low with on average 13 days of rain per month.
With these climate conditions, I recommend running in a technical shirt and shorts; and bringing along a light, packable rain jacket. If travelling during June to August (winter in Australia) and running early in the morning, bringing a thermal layer makes sense, provided it does not take up an excess of packing space and can be used for other purposes.
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| For wetter running conditions: I brought along this hooded jacket that has both water repellency and UV protection properties and did not take up much suitcase space |
GETTING THERE
Of the cities I visited - Sydney, Melbourne & Perth - all these airports accommodate both international and domestic flights. (Brisbane airport also has both international and domestic flights). And domestic flights seem to reach most major cities throughout Australia.
While I travelled from city-to-city by airplane, I have spoken with others interested in seeing Australia by campervan, which is a possibility as well.
For more information on places to go, things to do, and planning a trip to Australia, try TOURISM AUSTRALIA.
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Thanks for reading! For more, check out the Travel section in the EOOC TABLE OF CONTENTS. In addition, as I visit other cities in Australia, I will add information on these cities to this post.
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Experiment of One Coaching covers topics ranging from running, strength training, health & wellness, sports nutrition to travel. I usually post once or twice a month.
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