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OUR IMPACT

COASTREK'S IMPACT

Coastrek isn’t just Australia’s most iconic hiking challenge - it’s a celebration of fun, fitness, friendship, fresh air and fundraising. We’re on a mission to get millions of women (and yes, men too!) out on the trails, boosting their physical and mental health and wellbeing while soaking up the magic of our awe-inspiring coastlines. 

Since our very first trek in 2009, more than 90,000 legends - mostly women - have laced up, trained hard, laughed harder, and hit the trails with their Coastrek crew. Together, they’ve connected with nature, strengthened friendships, and raised over $57 million dollars (and counting!) for some of Australia’s most admired charities. 

Empowerment, purpose, and a whole lot of trail-blazing life-changing energy - that’s the Coastrek impact. 

Coastrek was founded by Di Westaway OAM and created by Wild Women On Top, one of Australia’s largest and longest running women’s health movements. 
 
OUR MISSION: To inspire, connect, coach and champion women in nature through shared hiking adventures. 
OUR PURPOSE: To help women fall in love with health and fitness through hiking. 
OUR VISION: A healthier, happier world. 

90,000 TREKKERS

have trained and participated in a Coastrek event

$57 MILLION

in donations raised for charity over the history of Coastrek

3 MILLION KILOMETRES

have been trekked by Coastrekkers around Australia – that’s 40 times around the world!

2,800 VOLUNTEERS

have given their time to volunteer at Coastrek events.

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800,000 DONORS

have supported our trekkers to raise funds for charity.

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49 COASTREK EVENTS

we've run with the goal of getting more women out in nature.

FUNDRAISING IMPACT

Giving back - locally, nationally, and globally - is baked into the Coastrek DNA. It all began with the Wild Women Seven Summits team, who raised funds for the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation, on a mission to end preventable childbirth injuries whilst climbing the seven highest mountains in the world. 

When Coastrek officially launched in 2009, that passion levelled up. It marked the moment we transformed from extreme hiking and fundraising into long-term, lifechanging impact for some of Australia’s most trusted charities.

Fast forward to today and our trekkers have hiked their way to more than $57 million raised for charity - proof that when fun, fitness, friends, fresh air and fundraising are your purpose, incredible things happen. 
Coastrekkers raised over $27 million for the Fred Hollows Foundation (2009-2018) – which represents restoring the sight of over 1.1 million people globally.
Over $7 million raised for the Heart Foundation (2023 - 2024) - supporting heart research and initiatives to help end heart disease and address the gender gap in heart health for women.
Over $21 million raised for Beyond Blue (2018-2022, 2025-present) helping provide access to mental health support in Australia. More than 800 contacts are made to the Beyond Blue 24/7 Support Service every day – that’s over 292,000 life-changing conversations a year. 

BACKED BY RESEARCH

"Nature exposure… provides mental health benefits that reduce healthcare costs and improve productivity, with global values in the trillions."
- People and Nature, 2025

Scientific research says it loud and clear: exercise with friends works wonders. In research recently published in People in Nature (Chauvenet et al 2025) and co-authored by our very own Founder, Di Westaway OAM, it was found that as a friendship-based therapy program, Coastrek not only boosted participants’ mood and mental wellbeing - it supercharged it, giving Coastrekkers a full glow-up experience that lasted for months afterwards.

And here’s the kicker: the research also found training in nature delivers the biggest mental health boost of all - and it doubles the lasting impact. Instead of benefits fading after six months, nature training - which we call hiking - keeps you feeling brighter and stronger for up to twelve months.

Even better? It was found that this program delivers the equivalent of AUD$4,000 worth of mental health support per person, which is $20 million per annum (across all Coastrek events) (Chauvenet et al 2025). Who would have thought that hiking in nature with your friends could be so fabulously valuable!

Want to dive deeper into the science? Explore the stats, studies, and evidence-packed goodness on our Research page.

 

“Science has finally caught up with what Coastrekkers already know: our magic mix of fun, fitness, friendship, fresh air and fundraising doesn’t just lift your mood - it launches it. It boosts confidence, turns teammates into soulmates, spices up your mind, body and spirit, and fires up your why. You’re not only doing something wildly good for yourself - you’re helping transform the lives of others.”
 -  Di Westaway OAM
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Coastrek’s Ripple Effect

WHEN ONE WOMAN STEPS UP, A WHOLE COMMUNITY RISES

INDIVIDUAL WELLBEING

Coastrek isn’t just a hiking challenge - It’s a nationwide wellbeing wave disguised as an epic coastal adventure. When a woman signs up, laces up, and shows up for herself, the magic doesn’t stop at her boots. The research is clear: Coastrek’s unique mix of fitness, friendship, nature, adventure and purpose doesn’t just lift mood - it ignites it. Our multimodal, nature-based program boosts energy (85%), melts stress (73%), lifts mood (93%), strengthens resilience (87%) and helps tame anxiety and depression - all while giving women a bold, empowering purpose to move towards (Coastrek Health and Wellbeing Survey 2024). 

COMMUNITY WELLBEING

But here’s where it gets seriously powerful. Women are the health influencers of their families, their workplaces, and their social circles. Research shows that when you empower a woman, you empower a village (Health Care for Women International). Her behaviour guides the culture. Her wellbeing shapes the family. Her confidence, calm and courage change the way her family eats, sleeps, plays, moves and copes. So every time a woman transforms her health through Coastrek, that wellbeing radiates outward – to partners, kids, workplaces, friends and communities. 

TRANSFORMING LIVES

And the ripple keeps rolling. Coastrek has raised $57 million over 17 years, transforming the lives of people supported by our charity partners, energising volunteers, inspiring donors, and lighting up entire communities with feel-good purpose. All of this at a time when up to 88% of Australian women have expierenced mental ill-health, chronic stress and lifestyle-related disease (Beyond Blue). Coastrek is a beacon – a joyful, science-backed, community-powered antidote to burnout and overwhelm. This is more than a hike. It’s a wellbeing revolution - one woman, one team, one Coastrek at a time. 

Impact Stories 

"My daughter struggled with anxiety on completing such a big ask as 50km and cried numerous times on the track. Strangers stopped and talked to her and encouraged her. This is what mental health support is all about. She was able to finish with support of her team and strangers"

- Lee, Coastrek Sydney 2025

"The entire experience has been the best thing I've done for my mental health as a middle-aged mother of 4. I simply couldn't speak highly enough of the whole experience! I loved everything about it!”

- Jenny, Coastrek Mornington Peninsula 2025

"It brings women together, to share an amazing experience. We talk about taboo subjects, we laugh, we cry but we come out more connected than ever"

-  Nichola, Coastrek Fleurieu Peninsula 2025

"For me, event day was the "icing on the cake". The journey to get there was most fulfilling. I made new life long friends, and achieved what I thought was an impossible goal"

-  Laurie, Coastrek Sunshine Coast 2025