Go hiking, bird watch, swim in the sea or simply enjoy nature and your connection to it. It's good for the body and great for the soul.

We are blessed with a fantastic natural environment, with so many beautiful places for us to explore right on our doorstep. So organise a family picnic at a local park, pop down to the beach for a day or walk along a river or through a forest. Take a deep breath and be thankful for nature's wonders.

How to do it now!

There are over 3000 national and state parks, reserves and areas covering all ecosystems from desert to marine spread across Australia in every state. Here are some of the state guides available:

• Victoria - Parks Victoria, Victorian National Parks Association

• New South Wales - National Parks and Wildlife Service

• Queensland - Parks and Forests

• Western Australia - Parks and Recreation

• South Australia - Parks SA

• Tasmania - Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania

• Australian Capital Territory - Parks and Reserves

• Northern Territory - Parks and reserves

There’s also some good information to be found on your local council website on places close to home.

Why is this action important?

In the hurly-burly of our modern citied lives we can too easily forget how nature nourishes us. Be it the cleansed feeling as you emerge from the surf or the calm as you sit next to a gentle creek and contemplate who you are, nature offers it all. Being in nature also inspires us and reminds us exactly what it is we are trying to enhance, protect and preserve when we turn off that unnecessary light or fix that dripping tap in our day-to-day lives.

Environmental benefit

This action is intended to cultivate our relationship with nature. In Australia, less than 6% of the land is in anywhere close to its original condition, with the remainder having been converted into farms, suburbs, car parks and cities. We have plundered the natural environment in Australia for the past 200 years as if we thought we could move on to another pristine environment when we were done. So we must learn to respect and enjoy this place of ours - the only one we have.

Wellbeing benefit

The capacity of nature to relieve us of stress, to aid our recovery and rejuvenate us is well accepted if not well understood. Salt water heals wounds; the company of a dog can improve physiological and physical wellbeing and increase longevity; a creek running through a rainforest calms our troubled minds.
We need to remember that we are a part of nature and learn to value the ways it can succour us.