Australian Hiker

The Australian Walking Track Grading System was endorsed in July 2010 as a voluntary industry standard and is now used almost exclusively throughout Australia having replaced an older system. This grading system provides a readily recognisable standard for walkers to be able to establish the difficulty of a particular walk regardless of where in Australia it is and allows them to determine whether they have the fitness and ability to undertake the walk. In this podcast episode we discuss the different grades along with the not so obvious quirks. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

Many hikers have heard of the New Zealand Great Walks and in this episode, we catch up with New Zealand Hiker, Jonty Crane, to find out just what the Great Walks are and to see how he rates them to help if you are considering doing one of these great trails. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

Recently we caught up with hikers Natalie and Pete Cornford to talk about their adventure on the 509km Turkish walking trail, the Lycian Way. Located in the northern Mediterranean this trail has a lot to offer including ancient Turkish cities, world heritage sites, and coastal vistas to name a few. In this episode we find out all about this lesser known trail  www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

In episode 317 we talked about the Camino del Norte-Camino and the Camino Primitivo but have you ever heard of the 350km Via Gebennensis, also known as the Way of Geneva? I certainly hadn’t. This set me on a mission to find out more about this European hiking trail. The walk was only designed in the 1990s with the aim of guiding walkers from Switzerland, Austria and Germany to le Puy, from where they could set off on the traditional pilgrimage on the Way of Saint James (Camino Frances). In this interview we catch up with hiker Lindy Saler to find out all about her journey on the Via Gebennensis to see what she thought of this trail. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

When we started Australian Hiker in 2016 one of the question’s that we got asked, a lot, was do we run hiking trips? As much as we love hiking and outdoor adventures we’ve been there and done that in the past and prefer to refer people to companies who do this for a living. In this episode we talk with Tom and Maddie about what its like to run an outdoor adventure company, find out some of what they offer, and also find out about some of their own amazing trips and adventures. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

Every year Australian Hiker touches base with suppliers, importers and manufacturers of hiking equipment to find out what new and exciting products are on the market and well as to see how the industry is trending. Gill and I were originally heading to the Industry Trade show in March of this year but due to a cyclone that show was cancelled. Over the past 7 weeks we have been catching up with five Australian based suppliers to find out about what gear has been recently released and what we can expect in the coming months. At the end of these supplier interviews I briefly discuss where I see the outdoor gear industry heading. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

I follow a number of US based podcasts and blogs and one of the things that appears unique to the USA is the discussion on ‘fun’. It’s not that we don’t have fun in Australia but for some reason we just don’t seem to discuss it in the same way and we definitely don’t label it. But should we? In this podcast episode we discuss the concept of fun as it applies to hiking and outdoor activities. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube  

Ask just about anyone who is a non-hiker to name a long distance hiking trail and chances are they will say the ‘Camino’ and by default this means the ‘Camino Frances’. also known as the ‘Way of Saint James’ or  the ‘Camino de Santiago’, This well-known pilgrimage trail starts in France, crosses the Pyrenees mountains which straddles the border of France and Spain, and continues into Spain for a total distance of 780km long. This trail which was World Heritage Listed in 1993 takes most people around 35 days to walk. But did you know that there are over 200 ‘Caminos’ with a handful attracting the attention of keen hikers who want a different experience than that on offer via the Camino de Santiago. In this episode we talk with hiker Sheila Lunter who joined the  828km Camino del Norte (the Northern Way) and the 321km Camino Primitivo (the Original Way) in a ‘choose your own adventure’ option to find out about these ‘lesser known’ Camino's.   www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on ou

When we think about hiking there are two pictures that typically come to mind. The first is of moving from place to place over multiple days, carrying everything on our backs, sleeping in a small tent, then moving on and repeating the process the next day. The second picture we think about is driving to a nearby destination hiking for part of the day with a ‘smallish’ pack, and then returning to your car before driving home. But why is that? In this article we look at basecamping as an alternative to create a different type hiking adventure whereby you hike from and return to a central location. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

I first fell in love with long distance hiking in about 2014 and surprisingly it had nothing to do with the movie ‘Wild’ that was released in the same year. The more I investigated the concept of long-distance hiking, the more I liked the idea of doing one of the well-known USA Triple Crown trails. The US Triple Crown is a goal that many long distance hikers set themselves and consists of the Appalachian Trail Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail You may be surprised to know that Australia has its own Triple Crown trails, even if they aren’t as well known, or for that matter an official thing. In this podcast episode we talk with hiker Kevin Moss to find out all about his experience in completing the Australian Alps walking Track, the Bibbulmun Track, and the Heyson Trail  in a single Calendar year. www.australianhiker.com.au Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker

In 2012 we hiked in Bhutan and at that time we were trying to decide between two hikes. One of the choices we were looking at was the 350 km Snowman Trek which in the end we didn't end up doing. This trek is one of Bhutan’s and for that matter, one of the world’s, best known treks taking around 24 days to complete the whole hike. In today’s episode we catch up with hiker Jonty Crane to find out more about his experience on the Snowman Trek. For me this is a bucket list hike and one that I was keen to find out more about! www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

In mid 2024 Larissa and her husband Brendan, hiked 1047km along the length of Ireland predominantly on ‘The Ireland Way’. This is a trail that has come across my desk from time to time and when Larissa first contacted us towards the end of last year, this was a great opportunity to find out about Ireland’s long trail. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Youtube  

The new Southern Headlands Walk is a one way, 20km walk between Narrawallee and Burrill Lake located near the southern township of Ulladulla. The new walk combines stunning scenery, beaches, wildflowers, cafes and accommodation options for those who wanted to play and stay! In this episode listen to our on trail recordings to see what we were thinking about this walk in real time and then at the end of the episodse we discuss how to get the best from this walk. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

No one plans to get lost or injured on a hike but every year our state and territory police forces, with support of organisations like the state emergency services, parks services as well as local volunteers, respond to incidents of lost or injured hikers. In many cases the outcomes of these incidents are just a minor inconvenience to all concerned but at the other end of the scale, there is occasionally the unfortunate loss of life. In addition to the human outcomes, the resources of the organisations providing assistance are often stretched and taken away from other roles they perform. So how can you minimise potential issues on-trail and if you do become lost, what steps should you take to ensure you are found as quickly as possible? In this podcast episode we discuss this important content with the hope that you will never need to use it! www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hik

In 2018 Tim hiked the Bibbulmun Track as a solo male hiker, but what’s it like hiking the Bibbulmun as a solo female hiker? In this episode Gill takes control of the microphone and asks Trudie all about her experience on-trail, along with the reasons for undertaking this trip, and what she came away with from this long distance hiking experience. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube  

Once you decide to start doing overnight hikes there are additional pieces of gear that you need to consider like a sleeping bag, tent and also some sort of light. By far the most commonly used light for hikers is a headlamp but with so many to choose from how do you decide what to purchase? In this podcast episode we discuss key considerations for choosing a headlamp for hiking but having said that you may find that you end up with more than one! www.australianhiker.com.au Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

In January 2025 over the Australia Day Long weekend Australian Hiker headed up to Kosciuszko National Park to walk the newly opened Snowies Alpine Walk. We, more specifically Gill, completed the whole walk in three days and I played a support role due to injury completing about 18km of the 56km walk. While this walk was designed to be done over four days from a number of hikers that I have both talked to, and seen, do this walk as a 'choose your own adventure' option, and this seems to be how people are approaching it. This podcast episode includes a series of on trail recordings from our three day trip and at the end of the podcast we provide an overview of what we thought of this trail as well as discussing options to help you make your own journey that much better. www.australianhiker.com.au Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

Ask just about any hiker to name some overseas hiking destinations and Timor-Leste is unlikely to be in that list. In fact, most people would probably struggle to place Timor-Leste on the world map. In this week’s episode we catch up with hiker Jonty Crane to find out what’s so special about hiking in Timor-Leste and to find out what we have been missing out on. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

In late 2017 our friend Kellie, Gill, and I undertook a five day walk on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail in South Australia and to this day, this walk still ranks as one of our favourite hikes of all time, it was that good. In 2020 major bushfires decimated Kangaroo Island including this trail and much of the Flinders Chase National Park in which it resides. It wasn't until around 2023 that hikers could again do unsupported trips. In this podcast episode we catch up with hiker Julia Patten, who with a friend recently walked the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail. We’re looking forward to seeing how the trail has recovered since the fires and what sort of experience you can expect if you do this walk. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube

Sleeping bag liners; what are they used for and why should you consider using them if you are into overnight camping? As the name suggests, their main use is as a liner for sleeping bags but they are so much more and are a very versatile piece of gear that many hikers don’t even consider, but should they? In this podcast episode we find out more about they types of liners and the uses that they have. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Threads Australian Hiker Youtube