I’ve tagged the walks on the blog with star ratings for enjoyment, and grading for difficulty.

Star ratings

The star ratings for the walks are a rough average of the enjoyment ratings given by my partner and I (sometimes we disagree!) and correspond to the following, subjective, descriptions:

 One star – we did not enjoy this walk at all, and/or felt that this was a waste of time.

 Two stars – this walk was okay, but there were aspects that we really didn’t enjoy.

Three stars – this walk was relatively enjoyable, but we aren’t planning to repeat it.

 Four stars – this was a great walk, and we would probably like to re-walk this, at another time of year/weather.

 Five stars – this walk was special, and we’re already planning to go back.

Enjoyment rating influences:

• Things that we enjoy and so increase our ratings include:  bird life, wild flowers, seclusion, old-growth/undisturbed vegetation, variation in vegetation/scenery along the walk, great views.
• Aspects that decrease our enjoyment: feral animals/vegetation, too many other people on the trail, too much of the trail as 4wd track or fire trail, walking along or close to busy roads, being surrounded by logging/plantation/mining areas, too many flies (a few is fine, hundreds is crazy-making without nets), the trail being confusingly marked or too overgrown so that you end up off track often.

Difficulty grading

I’ve used the official grading system to guide my gradings. More about what that means, here: http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/forestry-and-land-use/visiting-parks-and-forests/visiting-state-forests/activities/australian-walking-track-grading-system. I’m just an amateur, so my gradings are for my own reference, please don’t use this as anything other than a rough guide. Where a walk has been graded by Vic Parks, I use their grading.