Tracey Smythe, from Surf Beach, admits there was a time when she could barely walk to her closest beach without feeling breathless. She weighed more than 100kg and her doctor was urging her to lose weight.
But then, about 11 years ago, she joined an event with her colleagues – at the Grand Prix circuit where she was working at the time – to complete 10,000 steps a day. And she has not stopped walking since.
“I became addicted to walking and lost 30kg in four months,” says Tracey, adding that she also uses shakes to moderate calorie intake. “Most days now I walk at least 5km. I’m so grateful to that (10,000 step) initiative.”
She became such a fan of walking that Tracey set up a Facebook site, now called Millowl Walking (named after the First Nation’s name for Phillip Island), which tracks her walking adventures around the island. The site includes photos and snapshots of her (almost) daily walks, “capturing the joy of what I’m seeing and feeling”.
“Walking is self-care time,” says the 61-year-old mother-of-three. “It’s about seizing the moment, stopping and seeing the lady bugs in the grass, appreciating the moments.”
As such, her walks are not about setting records or taking the next Insta-worthy shot. Rather she follows the joy. Her favourite walk is the Summerland Peninsula, either to the Nobbies or in reverse to the Penguin Parade.
While the island has a 100km coastline, about 70km is accessible and Tracey has “carved” up those areas into 5km digestible walks. “A lot of the island has paths and I do no climbing and I walk with the tides.”
She says she named the Facebook site Millowl Walking – which has 1500 followers – because she has gained a glimpse into the importance of connection with country, and “appreciating this beautiful place”.
Tracey has lived on the island for nearly 30 years and has also devoted her love of the area to running the Phillip Island History Facebook site, researching and tracking down old photos and stories. Most long-term locals know her from when she worked in the former toy shop on Chapel Street, but she now runs Go Be Fearless (gobefearless.com/), about safety for female travellers.
“I love to travel and post all the walks I go on, on my Facebook site, even though it’s not Phillip Island. For me walking is first about the mental outcomes, about forming new habit loops. All of us are dealing with some kind of problems in life and so walking is critical to form a whole new mindset.
“It’s about introspection without distractions, self-care.”
www.facebook.com/phillipislandwalking
By Sarah Hudson
Photos: Sarah Hudson
