Warrnambool walking club tackles loneliness with 80 members already signed up
Jade Thwaites launched Walk Collective in Warrnambool to connect isolated women, attracting more than 80 expressions of interest.
Jade Thwaites started the Walk Collective on R U Okay? Day after realising solo walkers passed each other without connecting.
Jade Thwaites and Tanya Bonner co-founded the group to address loneliness in south-west Victoria. The first gathering on 15 September brought women together at Surf Life Saving Club.
The group now meets three times a week, stays free, and welcomes children and newcomers. Thwaites and Bonner offer support between walks, too.
Anyone struggling can reach out anytime. Professor Melody Ding from the University of Sydney backs the model.
Walking clubs solve two problems at once: getting people moving and cutting isolation, she said. This helps middle-aged and older women especially.
- 80+
- Expressions of interest
- September 15, 2026
- First gathering date
- 3 times per week
- Meeting frequency
- Free
- Cost
Why it mattersCommunity walks tackle rising loneliness and low physical activity. They work in a judgment-free, free way that reaches people who might avoid gyms or organised sport.
AustraliaThe initiative reflects growing concern about social isolation in Australia, where loneliness cases doubled between 2021 and 2023, and shows how grassroots groups can tackle it locally.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 8 d ago
