"Holiday at home" was a COVID catch cry and it's one that Australians seem to have taken to heart.

When the borders closed in 2020, and the hotels and holiday parks filled to capacity, many people chose to go bush, on hikes and on their bikes, to disconnect from the internet, and reconnect with nature.

Now the borders have reopened, and the world is once again Australia's oyster, something unusual has happened. 

Many people are still choosing to stay at home, having, it seems, fallen in love — all over again — with Australia's natural attractions.

It is perhaps a case of 'don't build it and they will come'.

In Western Australia, adventurers — on foot or on wheels – are flocking to the state's network of bush trails in unprecedented numbers.

Trail town

Erin Gauntlett, the deputy director general of WA's Department for Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, said for some, what they found in the wilds of Western Australia was almost too good to be true.

"People reconnected, or for some people they connected for the first time, to the natural environment, and I think all of the different trails experiences that we have in WA provided that perfect opportunity for people to engage," Ms Gauntlett said.

One of the best places to engage is the South West town of Dwellingup.

Local mountain bike enthusiast Alicia Caruso said people are coming to the former logging town in their thousands to cycle, hike or just meander along the local trails.

"For me, [it] just calms the mind and also rejuvenates the body," she said.

"So, you're getting that exercise element but you know, we live in a world that can be quite chaotic and hectic so for me, just being in trails and being in nature, just really helps me kind of reflect on everything," Ms Caruso said.

Fellow enthusiast John Cusack enjoyed the tracks and trails around Dwellingup so much he moved to the town.

For him, riding keeps his mind and body active.

"You can ride lots of different trails, you're out in the bush, you get to see all sorts of animals and birds," Mr Cusack said.

"It's something you can do by yourself, it's something you can do with a group of friends."

Taking a punt

Of course, it hasn't always been this way.

In the mid 1990's, Alicia Caruso's father Peter White owned an adventure tour business in Dwellingup and thought it might be a good idea to hire out a few bikes.

"I said to my wife, we should invest in a fleet of mountain bikes, and they were Malvern Stars in those days, and I remember my wife saying to me, 'Do you think mountain bikes are a good investment?'

"I said, 'I think it's going to take off'."

It was a slow burn, but take off it did.

Developing Dwellingup as a trails destination involved years of hard work by local business owners, local and state governments, and the community, to improve existing trails and develop new ones.

They had to provide the right mix of local services, and install proper signage so people don't get lost in the bush.

Investment booming

Murray shire president David Bolt said the result has been extraordinary.

"Little country towns like this around the country, some of them are dying," he said.

"They don't have enough activity in terms of economic activity so it's really brought that activity.

In April 2024 Dwellingup was rewarded with official 'Trail Town' status, for its well-developed trails, natural assets, services and infrastructure, cafes, shops, accommodation, and for its supportive community.

Ms Gauntlett said the growth in popularity of the trails network was supercharged by the COVID pandemic.

"COVID was sort of like a catalyst for taking it to the next level and bike-packing and gravel bike riding and stuff, they're just like booming at the moment," she said.

Between 2021-22 and 2022-23, there was a 40 per cent increase in bush-walking activity in WA and a general increase in the number of people accessing trails.

Ms Gauntlett believes Western Australian's love affair with their own backyard is long-term.

"I think in WA, maybe in the past, we kind of always looked to the east, we had always looked overseas, and then, through the pandemic, we were forced to look in our own backyard and I think ... it's really opened their mind and their kind of eyes to what's possible and what's here."

And the trend is reflected across the country.

'Control-alt-delete'

An Australia-wide survey, published in the Department's WA Strategic Trails Blueprint, found that in the five years to 2021, bush walking increased 66 per cent while mountain biking increased 58 per cent.

And if you think you're too old, too young, or too unfit, think again.

Trail enthusiasts are quick to point our there's a trail for everyone.

Ms Gauntlett, a keen trail user herself, believes the trail experience is of benefit to everyone.

"I have been known to say that when I'm out and about it's a bit like control-alt-delete on the computer," she said.

The WA government is committed long-term, investing tens of millions of dollars in enhancing and expanding WA's trails, which it says include Indigenous Dreaming networks that have been 60,000 years in the making.

The government says its vision is to create for visitors "a deeper connection to country, community and culture".