Planning & Administration
Before You Lead Your First Walk
This module will help you to
- Choose a walk to lead
- Access information about the walk
- Plan and conduct a walk preview
- Understand and implement your club’s administration procedures
Resources
For group sessions
PowerPoint presentation
Slides: Planning (PPT, 3.3MB)
Presenters' notes
Presenting the topic: Planning (PDF, 234KB)
Note: you may customise the material to reflect your particular club circumstances, with permission from and acknowledgement of Bushwalking Victoria.
For participants and individual leaders
Printed information
Handbook: Planning (PDF, 146KB)
Handbook: Administration (PDF, 100KB)
Bushwalking Manual online reference
Planning for enjoyment outlines considerations for choosing a walk
The first section of Safety essentials details safety considerations before the trip
Bushwalking Victoria website
The Club Resources page provides samples of typical club administration documents.
Useful external links
The Victorian State Government provides a wealth of useful information.
Visit Victoria lists day walks near Melbourne
Walking in Victoria highlights a variety of interesting State Forest walks
The more-to-explore app gives details and maps for tracks in State Forests
Any search including the words ‘bushwalking’ or ‘hiking’ and the name of the area you are interested in will give you some preliminary ideas that you can follow up in more detail.
Learning Activities
Learning Activities can help develop your skills and understanding. In a face-to-face situation, you can do these in groups using screens if available, or using physical resources provided by the presenter. If you are working on your own, these online activities provide a way to become engaged in the learning process. They work better on a laptop or tablet but they can run on a phone.
Steps to planning a walk
This activity leads you through the four planning steps towards leading your first walk. Select each step, in turn, for more information.
Common Questions
Key Points
- Choose a walk that you will enjoy leading.
- Do not try to lead a walk that is at the upper limit of your own capability. You need extra energy for leadership tasks.
- Careful planning will help maximise the enjoyment of leader and participants.
- Paperwork and administrative tasks may be boring, but they are essential for the safety and enjoyment of walkers as well as the smooth running of your club.
- Make time after your first walk for a de-briefing meeting with your mentor, to help you reflect on your performance.