For the past two years, I’ve walked my dog almost every day, covering 50 to 70 kilometres each week and more than 5,000 kilometres in total. What began as a routine quickly became a practice shaped by movement, nature, and research.
Bluey arrived as a young Border Collie and shifted my rhythm completely. After years of endurance sports and thousands of Garmin-tracked kilometres across triathlons and Ironman races, I understood movement through performance. Walking reconnected me to something quieter: presence, observation, and the landscape itself.
These daily walks now sit at the foundation of my PhD research in movement analytics, behavioural patterns, and Wearonomics.
The photographs captured along the way document light, texture, and environmental cues that often align with shifts in movement and attention. A key objective of my research is to understand how this type of collected data can be shared through economic models and open platforms. Integrating spatial, environmental, and biometric data helps transform everyday walks into insights that can inform the broader public health ecosystem.
Bluey Niero
Below is a selection of walks, some solo, others with Bluey, each a meaningful data point in this ongoing exploration of movement, nature, and mental health.
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Malabar Headland Walk
Malabar, NSW - 4 km | 57 min | Elev 62 | 316 calories
A coastal trail carved along Sydney’s eastern cliffs, the Malabar Headland Walk follows open headlands, sandstone paths, and exposed ocean viewpoints, offering sweeping views and the constant sound of the Pacific below. The route moves through some of the region's most dramatic coastal terrain, with textured rock sections, wide horizons, and pockets of native scrub that give the walk a rugged, expansive feel. It is a short but striking escape where wind, light, and coastline come together.
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South Maroubra Walk
Maroubra Beach, NSW - 3 km | 70 min | Elev 200+ | 347 calories
The Maroubra Walk traces the coastline south of Randwick, following a wide mix of concrete paths, cliffside tracks, and open coastal stretches shaped by wind, salt spray, and shifting light. Unlike the shaded gully of Fred Hollows, this route opens immediately to the Pacific, offering long views, exposed rock platforms, and the rhythmic sound of the surf breaking below. Over roughly 3.1 kilometres and 70 minutes of movement, the walk reveals a steady pattern of ascent and descent, with more than 200 metres of elevation gain woven into the natural rise and fall of the coastline.
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Fred Hollows Walk
Randwick, NSW - 1 km | 23 min | Elev 41 m | 119 calories
The Fred Hollows Walk is a quiet trail tucked inside a leafy gully between Randwick and Coogee. Following raised boardwalks, soft soil paths, and small stair sections, the track winds through a cool, shaded reserve named in honour of Professor Fred Hollows and his legacy of care and restoration. It’s a short, refreshing walk where the sound of the creek, the dense ferns, and the filtered light create a calm escape right in the middle of the Eastern Suburbs. Perfect for a gentle reset — and a favourite for energetic dogs like Bluey who love exploring every corner.
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Fearnley Grounds Walk
Centennial Parklands, NSW - 5 km | 102 min | Elev 55 m | 470 calories
This walk follows one of the most interesting off-leash corridors in Centennial Park, circling the edges of Kensington and Busbys Ponds. The area blends shaded woodland, open grass fields, and quiet pond views, creating a route that feels both spacious and immersive.
As the terrain shifts, from soft leaf-covered tracks to wider paths and open clearings, the walk naturally breaks into small segments that change the rhythm of the experience.