The Guest Edit: Brisbane Lions Stars Cathy Svarc and Sophie Conway Pick the Best Spots to Get Active

In The Guest Edit, we hand the reins over to some of Australia's most interesting, tasteful and/or entertaining people.

For this instalment, we've enlisted premiership-winning Brisbane Lions AFLW players Cathy Svarc and Sophie Conway to talk us through their favourite places to get active in and around Brissie when they're not kicking goals — literally — on the field.

Passionate, determined, ferocious, fearsome: watch Cathy Svarc and Sophie Conway on the football field, even for mere seconds, and these words instantly spring to mind. Not only 2021 premiership-winning players with the Brisbane Lions AFLW team, but lynchpins of the successful squad — including across eight wins out of ten games during the 2022 home-and-away season — the duo are match-controlling, game-changing stars. For her efforts so far this year, before finals, midfielder Svarc topped the entire league for tackles. Playing on the wing and constantly zipping from defence to attack, Conway tied for top spot in the Lions' goal-kicking.

Game in, game out, Svarc and Conway visibly give their all on the field — including across a couple of years that've been marked by fixturing chaos. Due to the pandemic, as well as Brisbane's recent floods, exactly when and where the Lions might play has frequently been up in the air. "A little mantra we go by is 'anywhere, anytime'," explains Conway. "We're just happy to be playing footy," she continues — "we get to, we don't have to," Svarc adds.

Those statements could also apply to the pair's approach to getting active, too. That's not just about bringing their best to Lions matches, but also navigating being a professional athlete overall, especially with the AFLW program currently only running for part of the year. It's little wonder that Svarc describes herself and Conway as "very active outside of football in general, and in the off-season" — and, as they head into finals, who better to tell us where to work up a sweat in and around Brisbane?

FOR A SCENIC STROLL, RUN OR CYCLE: THE KANGAROO POINT AND UQ RIVER LOOPS

Cathy: I don't think you can go past the old Kangaroo Point stairs and walk, and that river loop there — that's probably one of our go-to walks. Probably walk, maybe running.

Sophie: I'm huge for all of it in the off-season. I love getting my hands on something different. Obviously, we still have our programming, gym and running to do, but even if it's getting on my bike and doing the river loop out to UQ, out to Tennyson and back, that's probably one of my go-tos.

Getting there: find the Kangaroo Point Cliffs at 29 River Terrace, Kangaroo Point — or head over to UQ via foot or bike via the Eleanor Schonell Bridge.

FOR TRAIL RUNNING, OR JUST WANDERING: MT COOT-THA

Cathy: I love trail running as well, and that's definitely something we don't get to do during the season. But going somewhere like Mt Coot-tha, there's so many different little spots there — and you can either do the walk and trek up to the lookout, or you can sort of get lost along the way a little bit and follow some of the trails.

That's always quite a nice way to get active and get out. It's a little getaway there in the middle of Brisbane. I think that's a pretty cool place to get out back into nature.

Getting there: head to Mt Coot-tha via either Sir Samuel Griffith Drive or Gap Creek Road.

FOR A TRUSTY FAVOURITE WITH A BIT OF EVERYTHING: NEW FARM PARK

Sophie: You can't go past New Farm Park. It's got a lot there, even from a tennis court point of view.

Cathy: To get the competition side out again.

Sophie: Yeah, get the competition side out again and turn off from footy. And obviously go for a walk and just enjoy the scenery around there because it's an unreal spot.

Cathy: It's a great location.

Getting there: find New Farm Park at 1042 Brunswick Street, New Farm.

FOR A QUIET SPOT IN THE CITY: CAPTAIN BURKE PARK

Sophie: Under the Story Bridge is really nice. It's a really nice spot to just sit there and even do some yoga. Yeah, that's a good spot to go to, because it actually can be quiet.

New Farm Park and under the Story Bridge — those two places are probably our go-tos.

Getting there: find Captain Burke Park at 117 Holman Street, Kangaroo Point.

FOR BEACH AND CREEK SWIMS: BURLEIGH, CURRUMBIN AND TALLEBUDGERA

Sophie: If you go south, anywhere from Burleigh and Tallebudgera to Currumbin — there's some obviously nice beach spots there to get in and among. And some unreal cafes.

I think anywhere along there is really nice. Talle Creek is obviously really nice, it's a nice little swimming spot.

Cathy: And you've got the walk around there as well

Sophie: Yeah, that unreal walk around the headland there.

Getting there: head to Burleigh Heads, Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin on the Gold Coast.

FOR ESCAPING INTO NATURE: NERANG AND SPRINGBROOK NATIONAL PARKS

Cathy: The other place I love going down to is Nerang National Park, down that way. That's always one of my little go-to getaways — to go for a walk or a run in the forest and just get away from people. It's beautiful.

Sophie: We do like getting in among it, doing a climb as well. That's always fun. And trying to find your way to a waterfall — there's definitely some nice ones there.

Cathy: And around Springbrook.

Getting there: head to Nerang National Park via Beaudesert–Nerang Road, and to Springbrook National Park via Gold Coast–Springbrook Road, Nerang–Murwillumbah Road or Currumbin Creek Road.

FOR A SURF, NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU HANG TEN: MUDJIMBA

Sophie: If you want to go north, I'm a big fan of Mudjimba. Pretty quiet, not much to do there — there's an unreal cafe there actually. You can go for a swim, enjoy the sun and have a coffee.

Cathy: And attempt surfing. That'd be a great thing to be better at. We're just beginner surfers, but we're aiming to be better. That's an amazing activity, though. I actually wish I was a much better surfer to be able to go out. The times that we've been able to get out and do that, it takes you away.

Sophie: It's quite therapeutic when you're out there, because you don't really think of anything.

Cathy: You're just there, in the moment.

Sophie: You're just there, and you're like "what wave am I going to catch? Am I going to get dumped? Am I going to absolutely get axed here? Will I get up?" It's good fun.

Getting there: head to Mudjimba on the Sunshine Coast.

FOR A COASTAL WALK: NOOSA NATIONAL PARK

Cathy: The other good one up north is Noosa National Park. That's an absolute go-to as well. It's stunning. Around to Hell's Gate, that's a great run. We've done that many a time.

Sophie: That's unreal up there. That's a nice walk, even run, to get to the point there.

Cathy: And see some snakes and dolphins.

Getting there: head to Noosa National Park via Park Road or Viewland Drive, Noosa Heads.

FOR A COFFEE BEFOREHAND OR AFTERWARDS: FLORENCE CAFE

Sophie: My go-to cafe is Florence in Camp Hill. I think it's an absolute ten out of ten. There is a park just around the road, and when Cathy used to live in Coorparoo, we definitely made the most of that area. It's definitely more of a hilly walk in the burbs — but I'd do anything to go for a coffee there, to be honest.

Cathy: We still drive to go there.

Sophie: I reckon I'd drive 15 minutes out of my way to go there.

Getting there: find Florence Cafe at 54 Martha Street, Camp Hill.

Top image: photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images via AFL Photos.