Wild magazine

[MickyB]

Just wondering if anyone has subscribed to 'Wild' magazine which is advertised on this site. Is it a good read? Is it worth the money? Is it all about Australian walks/adventures etc or does it have overseas stuff as well? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[doogs]

It's available in most large newsagents, have a quick flick through to see if it's your cup of tea. I am often disappointed with the content when I buy a copy, but that's probably just me, other bushwalkers must really like it for it to be financially viable !!! The website quite nice as it has some old reports on it http://www.wild.com.au/

[MickyB]

Thanks doogs. I asked my local newsagent if they had it. He knew of it but told me it's only available through subscribing. Will have to go to a larger newsagent.

[Son of a Beach]

A lot of bushwalking shops have it for sale, so that may be worth a shot if it's not at your newsagent.

They do include some articles about overseas walks and adventures, but it's mostly Australian.

[michael_p]

Check your local library. My local library has it, which is great for me as I'm a cheapskate.

[MickyB]

A lot of bushwalking shops have it for sale, so that may be worth a shot if it's not at your newsagent.

Thanks Son of a Beach. I might have to try that. I went to a couple of newsagents today but neither had it.

My local library has it, which is great for me as I'm a cheapskate.

That makes 2 of us. Must be a Michael thing

[KANANGRABOYD]

It seems to have gone towards less real hiking and more beginners etc.
Lots of advertising, and just like "ROCK" - has a core band of contributors, with the occasional outsider.
Ummm, don't know if it is worth the price - what I do is go and skim through it every issue at the newsagent, then if good articles then buy it.
Outside is a much better read.
Maybe others will say otherwise.

[puredingo]

Most mags are basically all ads these days. I prefer the little freebie "bushwalker" editorial that my local shop gets in a few times a year.

[photohiker]

I subscribed for a couple of years.

Its not a bad magazine, but there were limited articles of relevance to my interests. In the end I cancelled as I was getting a pile of them lying about that I'd never properly read. In any case, these days, I'd go with an electronic copy over a tree munching version.

Zinio makes Wild available online. You can browse and buy per issue, or save a bit and subscribe. Latest version (Sept/Oct 2013) looks good though with articles on the Denison and Gordon, and the Larapinta trail. I've also always enjoyed the articles by Quentin Chester.

[icefest]

MickyB, if you ever find yourself in the CBD, I know the city Library has a subscription. I was there last weekend reading them.
-icefest

[MickyB]

MickyB, if you ever find yourself in the CBD, I know the city Library has a subscription. I was there last weekend reading them.
-icefest

Thanks icefest. The only time I go near the CBD is to got to the footy. Unfortunately and my team didn't set the world on fire this year although they did set a dwarf on fire. So I doubt I will be in there for another 6 months.

[vicpres]

Wild Magazine isn't a bushwalking mag, doesn't claim to be one and if my memory serves me correctly (I have been a subscriber since issue 1) has never claimed to one. Wild promotes itself as being a Wilderness Adventure Magazine and the content reflects this, covering bushwalking, skiing, caving, canoeing, rafting etc. The only nationally distributed bushwalking magazine I am aware of is Great Walks.

[Wingnut]

I find some issues a bit disappointing which puts me off subscribing so I just buy the ones that appeal to me on occasion...

[climberman]

It seems to have gone towards less real hiking and more beginners etc.
Lots of advertising, and just like "ROCK" - has a core band of contributors, with the occasional outsider.
Ummm, don't know if it is worth the price - what I do is go and skim through it every issue at the newsagent, then if good articles then buy it.
Outside is a much better read.
Maybe others will say otherwise.

Rock has folded. I think Chris's love kept it afloat. I have had a Wild subscription on and off over the years.

[mikethepike]

Wild Magazine isn't a bushwalking mag, doesn't claim to be one and if my memory serves me correctly (I have been a subscriber since issue 1) has never claimed to one. Wild promotes itself as being a Wilderness Adventure Magazine and the content reflects this, covering bushwalking, skiing, caving, canoeing, rafting etc. The only nationally distributed bushwalking magazine I am aware of is Great Walks.

Wild originally labeled itself “bushwalking, skitouring, canoeing and climbing magazine" and its main focus was certainly bushwalking. Later it became ‘Australia’s Wilderness Adventure Magazine’ although the meanings of Wilderness and Adventure are both controversial.
Content has changed a fair bit since its change to bi-monthly publication and it now has too many pages on nature study and conservation (even an article on sharks!)and two pages on camp dinners that to me rank as sheer fantasy – Ok, maybe fine eating is now part of the bushwalking scene - nice if you can manage it but to me the quality of the walk comes miles ahead of the quality of the dinner. Older issues covered some really gutsy walks but now the emphasis is where the market (its main readership?) is – trail walks, both local and overseas. The style has also changed dramatically, whereas the pages were once crammed with stuff, now it is all designer layout, neat and with too much white space IMO.

Lots of advertising, and just like "ROCK" - has a core band of contributors, with the occasional outsider.

The adverts are unavoidable, that’s what keeps price down and less advertising (and readership) will see the mag. go the same way as Rock. I think there is possibly a lesser proportion of adverts in recent issues compared with 30 years ago. Wild actively promotes its advertisers as some of these are threatened with demise in face of ‘shopless’ e-outlets. It's a tough world I think.

[flyfisher]

Wild used to be a fantastic mag, but the demise of Chris Baxter as the editor saw it go downhill.

Now not a patch on what it used to be, with the interesting reading mostly gone. Shame really, I used to really love to get it.

FF

[mikethepike]

I couldn't agree with you more FF. Dear Chris would be rolling over in his grave I think.

I finished a 3 year subscription to Wild last month and saw the latest edition in the library and it only confirmed my decision to not renew. 'Wilderness Adventure' it advertises itself but there was nothing in the first 30 pages - just half page snippets of things, most pretty forgettable. And most of the rest could have been out of any tourist magazine. The photos seem less likely to be the author's but from photo agencies, tourist bureaus and even tourist resort eg the photos on the Arkaroola article in the latest edition.

[peregrinator]

Wild used to be a fantastic mag, but the demise of Chris Baxter as the editor saw it go downhill.

Now not a patch on what it used to be, with the interesting reading mostly gone. Shame really, I used to really love to get it.

FF

I have to agree on all your points. It just makes me wild to think about the sad decline. It is severely lacking in substance. Maybe worth $0.95, certainly not $8.95.

[Nungulba]

Yes, Wild Magazine nowadays is not what it was (is anything?).

Which is why I am buying up selected back issues, especially the first year. If anyone has these (issues 1-3) and wishes to sell I am prepared to pay $20 per issue for mags in good condition. Postage included.

Also, later issues (sellers please list your offerings)

Anyone selling???

[puredingo]

Hmmm...I got an "outdoor" magazine subscription for my birthday, avoid at all costs.
Save yourself the cash and go to paddy pallins and take there free advertisment panthlets home instead.

[CFPhillips]

Hi all,

Current editor of Wild Magazine here.

In describing the magazine, Chris Towers has it right:

Wild Magazine isn't a bushwalking mag, doesn't claim to be one and if my memory serves me correctly (I have been a subscriber since issue 1) has never claimed to one. Wild promotes itself as being a Wilderness Adventure Magazine and the content reflects this, covering bushwalking, skiing, caving, canoeing, rafting etc. The only nationally distributed bushwalking magazine I am aware of is Great Walks.

The foundation editor, Chris Baxter initially had a concept for a title that would serve as a guide for anyone wishing to explore Australian wilderness areas under their own steam. He wanted to cover just about anything that, in those days, was defined as a "rucksack sport".

Nearly 35 years on, bushwalking is still very much a central activity to the magazine and the majority of our readers invariably describe themselves as bushwalkers. As such, my aim will be to work with as many of you as I can to ensure that Wild maintains (or regains, if you're one of those who have stopped subscribing to us) its relevance and interest for readers such as yourself. I will also be working closely with Matt and the team from Bushwalk.com to ensure that this work doesn't detract or conflict with the community hub that this website represents.

For those interested in taking part of this 'rejuvenation' project (for want of a better word), I would encourage you to visit the new Wild website (wild.com.au) and have a browse. We're yet to update the site with a new and improved version of The Wild Index (give us a month or two and it will also be there), but we're working hard to ensure a balance between content depth and ease-of-use. Likewise, consider subscribing to our eNews 'Wild Updates' so that you can receive our weekly emails. By doing these things, you'll be in a good position to begin providing feedback, submitting/pitching story ideas or notifying us of any problems (visit the Contact Us page to submit your feedback).

Wild Magazine was once the foundation of the outdoor community in Australia, even helping to finance the first Aussie expedition to summit Everest. Now that we operate in a much more fragmented publishing landscape it's time to innovate. I hope to consider all of you as partners during this transition.

Sincerely,

Campbell

[vicrev]

Good luck,hope you can bring the mag up to it's former interesting content.. ......

[horsecat]

I don't even pick up the free issues (usually one or two months old) that some of the outdoors shops give away anymore - too much conservation talk for me

[CFPhillips]

Thanks for the swift responses. I find it interesting that some people aren't too interested in the conservation material - most of the bushwalkers I speak with tend to be extremely concerned about protecting the wilderness from human development, but occasionally someone will say something along those lines:

...too much conservation talk for me

I'm not doing this to start any arguments, rather I hope to discover where the balance of content in our magazine should lie. Perhaps it should be a topic in its own right: Does conservation matter to bushwalkers and should we be discussing it regularly? Is Wild a forum for these discussions and why do some bushwalkers not want to talk about conservation?

Any thoughts?

[icefest]

I understand the purpose of the conservation tilt (and I agree with most of it) but there have been moments in the past where it feels like preaching to the converted.

I guess it's a bit like advertisement though - it's a part of it, and is probably part of why I agree about conservation.

[CFPhillips]

Some great food for thought there icefest. Thank you.

[johnw]

I've been a subscriber for years but finding the magazine content less and less relevant to me. I do enjoy the photography but frankly I don't think I'll bother renewing next time. Similar to an earlier comment I have several issues still unread. Most of the trips I read about I'm unlikely to do and while some are of passing interest, others I just skip over completely. Maybe my interests are too parochial. I also occasionally pick up the free "Bushwalker" magazine when I see it or read it online and find that more relevant along with the online mag from this site. I also find the conservation in Wild aspect an overdose, although I agree that conservation is important. However I already belong to a large conservation/bushwalking organisation and usually already know about most of what appears in Wild. Also I question the appropriateness of some content. At breakfast this morning I chose to flick through the issue I'm up to, probably from mid-last year, and noticed the double page "infomercial" of new items of gear listed a weatherproof outdoor speaker. What the?

[Snowzone]

I used to subscribe to Wild and couldn't wait for the next copy to arrive in my letterbox. It used to inspire me and I did quite a few of the walks I would read about. I stopped subscribing around 4 years ago after becoming bored with the content. I agree with Horsecat and Icefest, I care a lot about our beautiful environment and physically and financially have input into that so as Icefest said, I am already aware.
I would rather open the pages to find a walk reviewed that looks interesting and achievable to me. One or two international walks are ok but local walks are much more likely to be done.

[CFPhillips]

This is great insight, please keep it coming!

As an aside, I am hoping to diversify the content you will see appearing via our website (again, not always relevant for bushwalkers, so apologies on that account).

Still, very interested in this angle regarding conservation and 'preaching to the choir'. Perhaps there is an acceptable level of conservation content and in attempting to find the most unique conservation stories?

Here's another topic on which I'd be interested in hearing past readers' opinions: what of making this information interesting to young readers? Do you think Wild should be attempting to capture teens and young adult audiences in a bid to raise their interest in the subject matter (probably more likely to work via online/digital media than print)? In general, are young people as interested in wilderness activities as they were 20-30 years ago?

If anyone doesn't feel like commenting here, but would prefer to contact me with their opinion directly, don't hesitate to email at wild@primecreative.com.au.

Thanks again.

[icefest]

I'm no longer one of the young readers (rather just a younger one).
I personally think that the combination of print and subscription is hard to target at younger people. You might have more luck with an online subscription but that depends. I doubt a paywall system is worth it.

I suspect one possible new direction could be to approach local bloggers and work with them.