Australian Hiker

As this podcast goes to air I am just a few days out from starting my journey on the Great South West Walk in southwest Victoria. In this episode I talk about the trip planning and discuss my pre trip expectations; and hesitations! 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 Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube

Throughout Australia much of our wilderness areas and reserves are managed by the relevant government agencies and while to do the best they can with limited resources they also rely on the support of enthusiast volunteer groups and individuals to assist, often undertaking work that government is unable to. In today’s Episode we catch up with Jon and Justine from the Tasmanian Volunteer group Wilcare SPRATS (“Sea sPurge Remote Area TeamS”), SPRATS for short, who for the past 18 seasons have taken on the responsibility for managing invasive weeds growth on an 850km section of Tasmania’s’ wild and remote southern and Western coastlines which has seen a 98% reduction in the targeted weed species. 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 Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube

Recently I’ve come to realise that at some stage I may not be physically able to do every walk on my list and even though the plan is to do 3 long distance walks a year for the foreseeable future at some stage as I get older I’m eventually going to slow down. So quite arbitrarily I estimated that I have about 30 long distance walks left in me in addition to all the short walks. As such I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to start prioritising these walks just in case I don’t get to the end of the ever growing list. But as the title of this podcast says, “I need a bigger bucket as there are too many good walks, and not enough time to do them”! This podcast discusses what we look at when prioritising our walks and hopefully helps you with your own choices. 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

On the 2nd March 2026 Australian Hiker has gone through a major change and in this short episode we want to update you, our listeners, what this change is and where we are heading in the short to medium term. We are also seeking your input about what you would like to see. 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 you think about Transylvania the name Dracula comes to mind. But did you know that Transylvania was originally part of Hungry and only incorporated into Romania after World War one. More importantly Romania is home to the Via Transilvanica long distance hiking trail which was officially launched on the 8th of October 2022. At that time the trail was 1400km but at the time of this interview covers just on 1600km in distance. The aim of this trail was to give travellers the chance to discover various parts of Romania in quite a unique way - different regions with their history, people, culture, landmarks, and stories. On launching it was designed to be the trail that unites. In today’s episode we catch up with Alin, one of the team involved in creating this trail, along with Siobhan and Geoff, two Australian Hikers who undertook this walk to get different perspectives on this relatively unknown trail. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Aust

The concept of pack weight for your hiking adventures is one of those topics that has the potential for heated debated when you get a group of hikers together. Everyone will have an opinion but this question is like asking ‘how long is a piece of string’? Which is just a way of saying that the answer is impossible without more specific information. In this podcast episode we look at the concept of pack weight and discuss considerations for determining what this means for you. 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

The 154km West highland way is one of Scotland’s best known hiking trails and in fact is listed as one of Scotland 'Great Trails'. Having said that if you aren’t familiar with hiking in the UK then you may know much about this trail. In this podcast episode we talk with Aussie hiker Susie Ashton-Davies about her 8 day 'end to end' trip undertaken in September of 2025.  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

Australia is a country of sun lovers; if we aren’t at the beach, we’re out bush, if we aren’t out bush, we are usually outside doing something if the weather is warm. As I write this article we are in the middle of a heatwave over much of Australia and with that some intense UV so I’m spending my time indoors, planning for upcoming hikes and putting together podcasts like this one. If however the conditions are with you and you are getting outside hiking, then you need to put some thought into sun protection, with head protection being on the top of the list. In this podcast episode we look at the main types of head protection available on the market and what you should consider when choosing that perfect hat for your outdoor adventure. 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

Iceland is a destination that you don’t tend to hear too much about when it comes to hiking so when Aussie hiker Sarah Groves contacted me late last year, I was keen to find out more. Over a 12 day period Sarah and her group hiked 160 km on some of Iceland’s Hidden Trails. In this podcast episode we talk with Sarah about her Icelandic adventure. 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 early 2025 I came across the term Land snorkelling and it definitely piqued my curiosity about what it was because as a term its probably one that most hikers aren’t really familiar with, at least by name, even though they may be familiar with the practice. So what is Land snorkelling, what defines it and why should this form part of your hiking practice? 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

Over the past 18 months we have caught up with New Zealand Hiker Jonty Crane about several of his adventures, many of which are on trails that fall outside the ‘norm’. This interview is no different as we talk to Jonty about the Ladakh Sky Trail in Northern India, a trail that most people would have never heard of and one that is classed as ‘strenuous’ reaching altitudes over 5000 meters. 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 most hikers to name some European hiking trails and the 170km Tour Du Mont Blanc hiking trail will often crop up. This trail includes sections through France, Italy and Switzerland, and circumnavigates western Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc. For most hikers this trail, which starts and finishes in the Chamonix Valley, is undertaken in around 11 days but it can be done in a quicker, or slower fashion depending on the experience you are after.In this podcast episode we talk with hikers Joe and Annie who undertook this well-known European trail in August of 2025. 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

On 11 November 2025 Australian Hiker celebrated its 9th birthday. In this podcast episode we reflect on our past year, and look at where we are heading over the coming year including our long distance hiking plans for 2026. 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  

It’s that time of the year when you start to consider gifts for that special hiker in your life. In previous years we have looked at the full gambit of Christmas gift options covering just about every price range. In this podcast episode we take a bit of a tongue in cheek view of what you can do for that hiker in your life beyond spending money. 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

The 2025 Outdoor Retailer Australia Show was held on 14-16 October 2025 at EPIC located minuted form the centre off the city. For various reasons the last time that this ‘trade only show’ was held was in 2019 and is a chance for Australia’s outdoor wholesalers and manufacturers to showcase their new and existing products to Australia’s outdoor retailers and allied media and Australian Hiker attended this event as a media representative. After such a long break this show was smaller than usual but of the two days that we attended we recorded a number of interviews from 6 seperate suppliers, some who look after multiple brands, and also had a chance to catch up with others. As usual from our discussions with the various suppliers at the show, we will be undertaking a number of gear reviews over the upcoming year that will be of interest to you. australianhiker.com.au Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twi

Gill and I have been meaning to walk the Mount Dromedary Summit Trail, also know as Gulaga located between the coastal towns of Narooma and Bega. While easy to navigate this walk certainly gets the heart rate pumping being almost all uphill from start to the destination point at the summit before making your way back down. We didn't have any preconceptions about this walk but came away surprised at the solitude we found on this trail even with coming across a number of other hikers. In this podcast episode we bring you a series of on trail recordings to give you an idea of what to expect and offer suggestions for how to get the best out of 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

One of the things I love about doing this podcast is hearing about people’s stories. I particularly love hearing about hikers creating a ‘chose your own adventure’ where they cobble together walks or undertake walks in a different way all to keep it interesting. In this podcast episode we talk with “self-proclaimed saunterer”, Greg Keaney, who over the past two years walked along Australia’s east coast from Tweed Heads near the NSW-Queensland border to the township of Eden close to the Victorian border. Instead of doing this walk all in one go, Greg did this walk in one week blocks in between his work commitments. He walked every beach and every headland (almost) over 80 days and 16 one-week stages. 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 this week’s episode, we catch up with Rob from Australian pack manufacturer, Whippa, to find out all about this uniquely Australian company and some of the great product on offer. 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

Last weekend Gill and I walked the newly opened Munjip Trail, located just south of the NSW coastal town of Batemans Bay. This walk, which ranges between 15-18km can be done in a single day or over a series of days and has now become a firm favourite of ours. I took over 320 photos and videos on our walk, there was just so much to see. In this podcast episode find out all about 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

The Kokoda Track has is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs 96 kilometres overland through the Owen Stanley Ranges in Papua and New Guinea and due to military action during World War 2, has become part of Australia’s cultural identity. this track is on the must do list for many Australian hikers and while there are much longer tracks available both in Australia and overseas, this is one of the most physically and personally challenging tracks that many hikers attempt. In this episode, we catch up with New Zealand hiker, Jonty Crane, to find out all about his experience on this well-known track. 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