The Great Walk, billed as "a celebration of Western Australia's unique and beautiful environment," started from the little southern coastal town of Denmark, Western Australia, on March 20th, 1988.

Twenty six days and 650 km later, the Great Walk culminated in 1,000 people standing on the steps of Perth's Parliament House, to present Premier Peter Dowding with a message.

That message was contained in a beautifully hand-rendered charter, 1.8 metres long, which outlined the concerns and hopes for the future of our forests and their role in protecting our environment.

The scroll was also a timely reminder that the whole community owed a tremendous debt to nature and had now to begin repaying it, if the quality of our lives was to be maintained in the coming years.

The handing over of the Great Walk Tree Charter to the government and people of Western Australia also signalled the offical end to one of the biggest environmental events in Western Australia for many years. Because the Great Walk became more than just a jaunt through the forests: it took on a shape and promise that few, if any, had dared to contemplate...