By Tania Phillips
Imagine being paid to visit some of the most beautiful places in Australia and talk to fascinating people along the way.
New co-presenter of SBS’ Great Australian Walks, Susie Youssef (Deadloch, The Project) admits she is still pinching herself that this is her life now.
On the back of the success of Great Australian Walks with Julia Zemiro, Great Australian Walks has returned to SBS with a brand-new series – only this time beloved comedy legend Julia Zemiro (Fisk, RocKwiz) is sharing her step counter with two additional presenters: comedian Susie and inaugural Alone Australia winner Gina Chick.
The show features 10 spectacular new walks with each episode inviting viewers to slow down and join either Julia, Susie or Gina on an intimate journey of discovery as they soak in the sights, sounds and stories that define Australia. Walks featured in series 2 include: Cape to Cape Track (WA), Snowies Alpine Walk (NSW), Beechworth (VIC), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (NT), Bruny Island (TAS), The Bay Trail (VIC), Wadjemup/Rottnest Island to Fremantle (WA), Wilpena Pound (SA), Bathers Way (NSW) and The Riesling Trail (SA).
For Sydney girl Susie that meant strapping on her now tax deductible shoes and heading to Victoria and South Australia.
“We truly have one of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes and I pinched myself a couple of times,” Suzie, who was a big fan of the show before being asked to do it, said.
“There’s a moment in Beechworth when I’m up at a look-out with an incredible woman called Megan Carter and just looking out over the amazing view. I got light-headed and thought this is nuts, I could never have imagined in a million years that this is where my path would take me – it was breathtaking.
“And it was amazing that someone would pay me to do it, all my shoes are tax deductible now, I love it. It’s really why SBS made the show, they just wanted me to please my tax accountant at some point and for that I’m very grateful.”
Susie said she loved to walk (something that she was reminded of during lock-down) and being part of the show took her places she may never have thought of going.
“I didn’t get to chose the walks, we had a few discussions about a few places that I might have been before that could be good to do again but I got to do new places,” Susie explained.
“I got to do the Bay Trail in Melbourne from St Kilda to Brighton area (Albert Park was where we began), and then we went up to Beechworth in Victoria.
“They were all so good, but Beechworth was an amazing walk – the people and the place and the history, it was just gorgeous.
“The next two walks that I did were both in South Australia.
“The first was the Riesling Trail in Clare which was gorgeous and there was a bit of wine involved, which I would never object to on a walk, and then we finished with the most challenging but the most spectacular walk at Wilpena Pound which is Ikara/Flinders Ranges National Park. I’ve never ever done a walk like that before.”
Suzie said she hoped that the show would encourage other people to go and enjoy what the country had to offer or just to breathe out for a little while and escape into the beautiful landscapes vicariously.
“Walking is a nice way to see a place,” she said.
“During lockdown it became one of those things that was a life line for me. I’ve always been a walker but I noticed so much more then – especially if you’re doing the same walks again and again because we didn’t have the chance to get out and go other places.
“You kind of notice your neighbours garden and what changes are there. Different places opening up and closing down, people moving in and out. It’s so different to going for a long drive where people are focused ahead. With walking you’re looking up and around and you can take your time with it. There is no rule to where you go.”
While Beechworth was her favourite place, she described her visit to Ikara Flinders Ranges National Park as “both breath-taking and breath giving” a true moment to breathe out.
“You can do bits and pieces of trails,” she said.
“I don’t’ think the show is setting the challenge to get out and do all the walks that we’ve done.
“I think it’s saying if this sparked any sort of inspiration for you and you feel inclined – look at what this incredible and beautiful country and this incredible landscape has to offer. “Honestly, we could make this show for the next 50 years and we would never do all the walking tracks in Australia.”
The brand new series of Great Australian Walks premiered on Thursday 22 August on SBS and SBS On Demand with episodes are continuing weekly.
