Get active and adventurous!

The Active Adventure Around Ararat walking trail was launched in Ararat last month.

Active Adventure Around Ararat is designed to get your mind and body active and is a walking trail featuring checkpoints at which you are provide a clue. If you complete the trail you solve the puzzle.

The Heart Foundation conducted a competition to encourage communities to come up with innovative ways to get their community to be active, and East Grampians Health Service was successful in its application for the Active Adventure Around Ararat project and received a $10,000 grant.

Initially developed by EGHS’s Zosha Jarecki-Warke, the project was handed over to Kelsey Weight when Ms Jarecki-Warke moved on to other employment.

“Active Adventure Around Ararat is a permanent scavenger hunt/walking trail around Ararat with the aim of encouraging the community to engage with green spaces and parks,” Ms Weight said.

“The trail takes in Alexandra Gardens, Kokoda Park, the Library, Centenary Park and Emu Park, with each checkpoint featuring a different puzzle to solve, and most of the trail is suitable for all ages and abilities.

“You can complete the trail in one hit, or in sections, and once you have collected all the clues you will solve the puzzle.”

Ms Weight said it was hoped to have the puzzle changed every month, so that the trail was always fresh and offering a new puzzle to solve.

The project received assistance and support from Ararat Rural City, with the Ararat Woodies and the Ararat Men’s Shed also contributing to the project by making the checkpoint posts.

“Thank you to everyone who has been involved in this project, we are looking forward to seeing residents getting out and about over the coming weeks and months, walking the trail and solving the puzzles,” Ms Weight said.

Walking trail maps can be collected from the front reception of the EGHS Community Health Centre, Girdlestone Street Ararat.

Walkers at the launch of Active Adventure Around Ararat head to the first checkpoint