John Howard's Walks of Wonder: five of the best

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/13/john-howards-walks-of-wonder-five-of-the-best

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Long-serving former prime minister John Howard was perhaps best known for his walks. That, and WorkChoices. But definitely the walks. In fact, he said so himself recently: “I’m associated with walks.”

Howard’s name is so synonymous with tracksuited rambling that Questacon, the ACT-based interactive science museum, asked permission to name one of its “Walks of Wonder” after the former PM.

“Every institution, building and path reveals amazing science right under your nose,” Questacon wrote of the new walking track, which follows Howard’s prime ministerial route around the parliamentary triangle.

“Why does lichen grow on only one side of a tree? Does sound always echo? How old is the ground we walk on? Find the answer to these and more on the Walk of Wonder.”

But although lichen growing on trees recalls the style and also appearance of our former leader, it’s not the only highlight of his long term in office. To commemorate his other achievements, here are five more John Howard Walks of Wonder you could take.

Reconciliation Perambulation

Begin at Kirribilli House, Sydney. Take a short stroll up the hill to the stairs at the northern end of the Harbour Bridge. Equivocate for a moment about whether you should join in a massive popular protest for Indigenous rights, then head to the pub for a schooner of practical reconciliation before walking home.

Along the Waterfront

Start at the Melbourne Club. Enjoy the picturesque southern capital as you head to the Port of Melbourne via Crown Casino and the waterfront. This one is fantastic for dog owners (and trainers) but doesn’t really suit more organised groups. Recommended dress: balaclava and military fatigues.

The Brough Stuff

Take a lot of water for this Walk of Wonder, which begins at former Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough’s electorate office on the Sunshine coast. Take a short stroll to Mutitjulu, the Central Australian Indigenous community where the intervention began. Catch your breath before heading to Oombulgurri, the first remote community to be evicted. When you arrive you’ll have plenty of time to ponder your achievements.

Operation Iraqi Fitness

Not for the faint hearted! Celebrate the SAS’s first successful mission in Iraq at Al Asad Airbase, before heading to Fallujah, the site of a 2004 battle planned and executed by Australian Major General Jim Molan. You’ll be tired by the time you make it to Baghdad, so kickback and relax at the former Australian Wheat Board offices.

You’ve Bennelong Way, Baby!

This Walk of Wonder is best begun on your ear outside parliament house in Canberra, Take a long stroll up the Princes Highway to the ABC offices at Ultimo, enjoy the bias, and then it’s a quick skip over to Bennelong, where you’ll be surprised at how much has changed since your last visit.