Free fitness: Perth’s best hikes, trails, running clubs, swimming groups and free yoga and Pilates classes

Many of us pledged to return to the gym as soon as pandemic restrictions eased but were hit with yet more hurdles in the form of soaring housing and grocery costs, petrol prices, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine contributing to inflation reaching a 32-year high. While keeping active is something we know we ought to do, it’s often shoved to the bottom of the priority list when we’re juggling other expenses, including higher rents and mortgage payments. The good news is there are many ways to get fit for free in WA and we’ve rounded up the best on offer to help you get moving. Wellness by the beach Free your mind in beautiful surroundings every fortnight between October and March at the sustainability-focused Summer X Salt Markets next to the beach at Clarko Reserve in Trigg. Co-owned by Sophie Keate and Mei Wan Yong, who want to inspire healthier communities while doing good for the planet, the market offers a bunch of free family wellness activities including yoga, Pilates and meditation. Start your day with an hour-long meditation or sound healing session at 7am to cultivate your inner calm and peace. Nature-loving yogis can then join a yoga class from 8am with Holly Dutton from WildFlower Yoga Collective, before more breathwork, strengthening and toning on offer from 9-10am at the Pilates session. All levels of experience are welcome and there are opportunities to participate in group ocean swims. All this is on offer against a backdrop of live music, food and drink trucks, children’s workshops, and stalls featuring the works of designers and creatives who are passionate about ocean sustainability. Lace up Chase that runner’s high by turning up at one of the 450 Parkrun locations throughout Australia. Open to anyone regardless of their age, pace or ability, all events take place in scenic open spaces, with a 5km run on Saturdays and a 2km junior event on Sundays designed for children aged between four and 14. Prefer to walk? No problem. Everyone is welcome, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate, and there is no time limit for finishing the trails. Visit parkrun.com.au to find your nearest location. Join the club Another free running group, the Perth Run Collective, meets at 5.45pm every Tuesday and Thursday at Lululemon’s Perth City and Claremont stores respectively, and at 8am every Sunday at Clarko Reserve in Trigg. Welcoming participants of all levels, and offering a variety of distance and pace groups, you’ll discover some of Perth’s best urban and suburban trails. Dive in Ocean swimming is well worth the plunge, being a low-impact aerobic workout that also gives you a natural high. There are many ways to start ocean swimming, and one is by joining the Port Beach Polar Bears, which runs free swim group classes in Fremantle. The group meets at Port Beach on weekdays and weekends at 6am, and members swim year-round. Some members even combine their swim with a beach walk or jog for even more of a health boost. If you don’t live near Fremantle, another group, Cold Nips, also gets you out of bed and into the ocean as the sun comes up. This group meets every Wednesday at local beaches throughout WA, and is hoping to attract one million Australian members by 2024. Step to it Not for the faint-hearted, stair climbs build cardio endurance, mental toughness, lower body strength and more. Among the most popular spots in WA for walking or running up and down stairs is Jacob’s Ladder in West Perth. If you don’t live near the CBD, however, there are alternatives, including the “Jacob’s Ladder of the south” which opened recently in Golden Bay, 60km south of Perth. Charge up the 100 steps and you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree coast and bush views at the top. What’s more, access points and paths have been designed to suit people of all abilities so everyone can enjoy the parklands which, in addition to the ladder, feature a playground and interlinking walking trails. Meanwhile, fitness fanatics in the western suburbs and north of the river can also use the stairs at Reabold Hill in Floreat, with spectacular views over Perth. Natural high If you prefer to work up a sweat through hiking, WA has a great selection of challenging trails. One 18.4km return trail begins at Sullivan Rock, about an hour’s drive from Perth along Albany Highway, and it’ll take you all the way to the highest point in the Darling Range, Mount Cooke, which is a steep but rewarding 2km climb. The 1000km Bibbulmun Track, running from Perth to Albany, takes between six and eight weeks to hike end-to-end, so many time-poor hikers complete it in sections. A great starting point is the 34km return hike beginning in Kalamunda and finishing at Mundaring Weir which involves some steep climbs and gravel descents. Also rated as one of the best half-day trails in Perth is the roughly 17.5km return journey along Kitty’s Gorge which follows the Serpentine River and Gooralong Brook with a vertical gain of about 220m. If that sounds like a walk in the park, you can head on to Baldwin’s Bluff, an extra 6km return hike, from the nearby Serpentine Falls picnic area. No-cost gyms A great variety of outdoor exercise equipment is available for use 24 hours a day at Arbor Park in Morley, Bohemia Park in Noranda, Riverside Gardens in Bayswater and the Banks Reserve area in Maylands. Whitfords Nodes Park also provides an exercise stairway, jogging trails and dedicated outdoor fitness equipment. City Beach Reserve outdoor gym is small but there’s enough to provide a full body workout, while Cottesloe Beach has not only the equipment but billboards with advice on cardiovascular conditioning and how to stretch and strengthen. Scarborough Beach has a rock wall if you want screaming abs, and city professionals can head to David Carr Memorial Park, near Elizabeth Quay, where there’s a variety of workout equipment and extensive jogging and cycling paths.