Celebrating International Women’s Day #IWD19 #balanceforbetter
All around us at the Great Walks of Australia we are fortunate to work with women from so many backgrounds, across so many areas of the business – from operations and management, to marketing and reservations, guides and hosts… and more. They are inspiring and adventurous – and today is about celebrating them all on International Women’s Day 2019.
Meet Sue Badyari, CEO World Expeditions Travel Group
Great Walks of Australia product member: Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort by Australian Walking Holidays
An extensive traveller herself, Sue is responsible for the operations of small group adventure tours all over the world. She believes that the most authentic travel experiences occur when travellers get off the beaten track. Her main priority is to develop tourism that goes hand in hand with the local community and protects the natural environment. Responsible and sustainable travel is core to her philosophy and is embedded into all aspects of the group’s activities.
This year the company will have more women guides leading their small group adventures and more dedicated women only departures than ever before.
Working her way up through the company, the group has been under Sue’s inspiring leadership since 1999, growing from a single brand company to a multi-brand operator and distributor of travel products. She has been the driving force behind its many achievements, including:
- Establishing Australia’s first Charity Challenge with the Fred Hollows Foundation
- Developing the World Expeditions’ domestic brand, Australian Walking Holidays and creating the award winning semi-permanent campsites on the Larapinta Trail
- Acquiring Tasmanian Expeditions and UK based Sherpa Expeditions and establishing the UTracks self-guided travel division
- Conducting the negotiations and due diligence for purchasing Adventure South New Zealand (2010); Trail Journeys (2017) and the Blue Mountains Adventure Travel Company (2018)
- Becoming the first-ever commercial operator of the full Nepal 1700km traverse of the Great Himalaya Trail (recognised worldwide as an outstanding operational achievement) and over-seeing the establishment a network of permanent campsites in the Everest and Annapurna regions
- Developing the World Expeditions Community Project Travel program and establishing the World Expeditions Foundation, which became a pivotal fundraising portal in the wake of the devastating Nepal earthquakes in 2015.
In recognition of her pioneering work in adventure travel, Sue is a regular speaker at international tourism and travel events, including the IIPT World Symposium (Johannesburg, South Africa), NZ Adventure Travel Trade Association event (Auckland, NZ), Global Eco Tourism Conference Asia/Pacific (Sydney, Australia). Travel media regularly seek comment from Sue about issues pertaining to the adventure travel industry.
Under Sue’s leadership, World Expeditions offers a flexible work environment to enable parents with children to continue to work and to progress with their careers. Evidence of the long term retention, progression and satisfaction at World Expeditions can be seen by the proportion of employees who have reached 10+ years of service to the organisation.
World Expeditions is Australia’s longest established adventure travel company and offers more than 500 stand-alone itineraries, which are meticulously designed for those travellers who want to take the ‘paths less travelled’. Their member product in the Great Walks of Australia collection is the Classic Larapinta Trek in Comfort by Australian Walking Holidays.
Coming up in the first week of April is the Sustainable Trails Conference to be held in Marlborough, New Zealand.
Our Great Walks of Australia CEO, Gina Woodward will present on Great Walks of Australia – What makes a great walk and how successful have we been? and will participate in a panel discussion on What do we need to plan for? Changing nature of trails in Australia and NZ.
The events incorporates presentations and discussion on both walking/running and cycling/mountain biking trails. The primary themes are around:
1. Creating experiences, not trails
2. Making trails count — how to attract investment
3. Governance, management and good planning
4. Selling the experience — innovation in marketing
To register for this event, please do so here through TRC Tourism before 15 March 2019.
Tasmania is a truly stunning place to explore on foot – that’s why we have five walks in our most southern state of Australia – and there are certainly five reasons (and more) to join us there soon on one of the Great Walks of Australia.
- Each month offers a different delight for walkers whether that be watching humpback whales migrate in November, seeing the forest ablaze with wildflowers in December or swimming in warmer ocean waters after a mountain walk in February
- Abundance of wildlife including the rare Tasmanian Devil and an island full of wombats, birds, wallabies, kangaroos, geese and more… see the Bennett’s Wallaby, Forester Kangaroo, Pademelons and white-bellied sea eagles. Our Maria Island Walk is on a UNESCO world heritage listed island, the site of important wildlife conservation programs.
- 5 of our 12 Great Walks are located in Tasmania – our terrain and climate are just great for hiking
- Explore the Edge of the World when you hit our newest trail on the Three Capes Lodge Walk, next stop Antarctica
- Passionate guides bring our story to life – many of them are local to Tasmania, care deeply about their beautiful backyard and can’t wait to share this with you on a walk
- Food and wine… wow. Our sparkling white wines and our Pinot Noir are world renowned. You’ll enjoy many a fabulous tipple on the Great Walks and you will have certainly earnt that end of day drink. Our fresh produce, clean air and water, mean that our food offering is rather lovely too – you may enjoy fresh fish or oysters on your next walk
- Easy to access – our walks depart from pickups in either Launceston or Hobart, both great gateway cities with major airports and direct flights from mainland Australia
- Eco lodges that rival the best in the world – from the timeless architecture of Friendly Beaches Lodge on the Freycinet Experience Walk, the stunning timber design flowing through to the ocean at Bay of Fires Lodge, or the new mind-blowing designs on the Three Capes Lodge Walk, this is a more than comfortable way to walk
- Our walks in Tasmania operate primarily from October through to May each year, with some walks also offering winter departures on select dates – what a way to experience the true meaning of seasons
- Our Overland Track is an iconic walk that’s on the bucket list of hikers all around the world. Explore it with us on the Cradle Mountain Huts Walk…
Ok, so there are 10 reasons and we could just keep on going… so get in touch and we’ll see you in Tassie soon!
Dreaming of hitting the shores of Lord Howe Island and climbing an incredible seven peaks in paradise?
Here are the current dates available for 2019 and 2020. Be quick as spots book out quickly …
Remaining departures for 2019:
18 March – 4 places available
25 March – 4 places available
8 April – 1 place available
29 April – 2 places available
9 September – new departure – 14 places available, good vacancies for groups
16 September – 2 places available
21 October – 2 places available
28 October – 2 places available
SOLD OUT DEPARTURES – 1 April, 13 May, 20 May, 23 September, 7 October, 14 October, 25 November, 2 December
Departure dates available in 2020:
March – 2, 9, 16, 23
April – 27
May – 25
September – 7
October – 12, 19 and 26
November – 16 and 30
SOLD OUT DEPARTURES – 18 May, 14 September
All bookings are subject to availability. Availability correct as at 21/02/2019.
Need to learn more? For full walk itinerary or to book click here or call Pinetrees on 1800 226 142 from within Australia.
Walk into Luxury is offering a special discount on May and June 2019 departures of its four-day Margaret River Cape to Cape Walk.
To celebrate the start of the 2019 walking season, Great Walks of Australia’s eNews subscribers can book their place on any departure in May or June 2019 for just $2490pp (twin share) – that’s a saving of $200 per person or $400 per couple.
The four-day walk includes luxury pool villa accommodation, exclusive Margaret River food and wine experiences, and four days guided walking along the clifftops, turquoise bays and forest of the Cape to Cape Track.
To claim your discount contact info@walkintoluxury.com.au and mention the Great Walks of Australia eNewsletter – News from the Trails.
Learn more about the Cape to Cape Walk here.
Book a Murray River Walk departing in the month of July 2019 and discover the warmth of the Riverland with their Winter Explorer Package…
The Winter Explorer Package includes:
– 4 days and 3 nights on award-winning Murray River Walk;
– 2 nights at the Renmark Hotel with complimentary breakfast;
– A tour and tasting at the famous St Agnes Brandy Distillery;
– Dinner and a complimentary glass of wine at Eleni’s Greek Restaurant, Mallee Estate Wines; and
– Coffee tasting and tour at Arrosto Coffee
Price $2,500pp twin share (package inclusions total $300 additional value)
Terms and Conditions Apply – Bookings must be made to Murray River Walk office, please call 0429 691 976 or email info@murrayriverwalk.com.au . Guests must stay two nights at Renmark Hotel for all inclusions. The package applies only to new bookings for July 2019 departures. All venues are in Renmark, South Australia.
Book now or find out more about the Murray River Walk here.