Melanie Ball

My career as a travel writer fell off the back of an overland expedition truck somewhere between London and Johannesburg and over the thirty-something years since then my articles and photographs have appeared in newspapers and magazines across Australia. My love of bushwalking well predates my epic African adventure, however - back to my toddler years when I headed into the bush behind our house - and I am still happiest with only hiking boot tread between me and terra firma. I have trodden trails through overseas regions from Tierra del Fuego to Ethiopia’s Simien Mountains but have clocked up most of my kilometres on foot in Australia.

My first book, Top Walks in Victoria, was published in September 2014. My second book. Top Walks in Australia, featuring 66 walks around the country, was released in September 2016.