Four years ago, Tahir Rauf came to Australia and was impressed by the landscapes and greenery Down Under.
In 2017, Tahir and few friends started a hiking group called Sydhikers. Soon, it gained popularity by word of mouth and social media. A time came when it became so large that Tahir had to organise a volunteer group that now runs the hiking trips.
“We have a YouTube channel, website, Instagram account and Facebook page, through which we plan our walks and trips," Tahir tells SBS Urdu.
“I am a nature-lover. Even in Pakistan, I was fond of hiking and camping. When I came to Australia, I realised that our community’s way of socialising was always around a table laden with food. Be it at home or a restaurant, we always plan our activities around food,” says Tahir.
Source: Tahir Rauf
Aiming to change that and switch to a “healthier socialising lifestyle,” he landed upon the idea of hiking.
"Australia is a very beautiful country, and there are so many places and things to explore. Many hiking and walking tracks are within a five to 10-minute driving distance from many residential areas in Sydney," he says.
Hiking is not just a great physical exercise, but also relaxes you mentally, Tahir adds.
In 2009, Jagruti Jhala moved to Australia with her family. Her daughter joined her on the Sydhikers hiking trip.
“This is the first time I am hiking with such a large group of families. It has been an amazing experience. You don’t need to spend a cent. Someone is doing all the planning for you; I even got a carpool to come to the trip,” says Ms Jhala.
Hiking for the first time, Jagruti describes her trip as amazing. Source: SBS
Zubair Latif a member of Sydhikers, came to Australia five years ago and has been hiking for the last three years. He tells SBS Urdu that the purpose of this group is simply to “connect.”
“We want people to socialise, get to know each other and learn what Australia is all about,” says Zubair.
Those interested in this group’s activities, subscribe to the trips which are organised in various parts of Sydney. Hikes are guided by New South Wales guidelines on difficulty levels and physical fitness.
Yash Mehta is also volunteering for Sydhikers. He says, “I came here as a student and the support I got from this group is pretty good. I have been volunteering for them and have organised many hikes.”
“Grade 1 hikes are the easiest, in which children can also participate, while Grade 5 hikes are the most challenging and involve a steep climb,” Tahir explains.
Sydhikers is a volunteer group which organizes hikes free of cost. Source: Yash Mehta Sydhikers
People from various backgrounds participate in the hikes, which Tahir says, help them get involved in other community activities such as playing cricket or even sharing business ideas.
SBS Urdu program broadcasts every Wednesday and Sunday at 6 PM (AEST)
