Since 2009, Di Westaway has raised almost $60 million for charity. What began as walk with 40 dedicated women became a nationwide movement supported by 6000 people every year.
Now, for the first time, Coastrek is coming to the South Coast, with a 30-kilometre route winding down the award-winning Munjip Trail.
"We walked the coast around the South Coast for days and days and days to work out which was the best, most beautiful, stunning, scenic, gorgeous, fabulous stretch," Di said.
"We found the Munjip Trail, which has just recently opened. It follows the Indigenous songlines, so we're super excited about our event."
The Munjip walk, which starts at Corrigans Beach, is a good, long walk, the first Coastrek was a much more gruelling affair.
"It began as a 100-kilometre hike, but we made a mistake with the maps. It ended up being 126-kilometres," she said.
"You can imagine by the time they got to the end, those that lasted the distance - which was, interestingly, most of them - they were very angry with me. It took about 36 hours."
While that first walk became the stuff of legend, Di eventually decided to make the event a little more accessible to your everyday walker.
"It's accessible to somebody who can walk," she said.
"It's not designed for wheels or bikes or scooters or dogs, but definitely anybody who can put one foot in front of the other, it's absolutely for them."
Although the trek is designed for everyone, Di strongly suggests some practice before the big day, with a 12-week training program provided for everyone who signs up.
"If you do the training, you'll have much more fun on the day," she said.
"You'll know what to wear, you'll know what to put on your feet, you'll know how to manage your blisters, and you'll know how your body is going to respond to walking."
Although gentlemen are more than welcome to participate, Coastrek has always been a female-first initiative.
"In the early days, Coastrek had a rule that you had to have at least 50 per cent women in your team," said Di.
"What we found over the years was the event started with 30 per cent men, 70 per cent women. Gradually, without us doing anything, more and more women wanted to do it, and less and less men wanted to do it."
Part of the reason Di concentrated on women was to encourage a community vibe.
"What we don't want is men who think it's a race," she said.
"When you watch men and women hiking a trail, the men often hike in silence and just want to get there, and the women want to talk non-stop from the moment they step on the trail to the moment they step off."
While the goal this year is to raise $6 million for Beyond Blue, Coastrek isn't really about the destination, but the journey.
"We know there's so much data now around the benefits of physical activity for mental and physical health," Di said.
"We know the goodness of connecting, being in nature, physical activity and having a sense of purpose. The important thing is staying together, nurturing each other, and just having a grand adventure."
Sign up for this year's Coastrek's grand adventure along the Munjip Trail at coastrek.com.au
