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OVERSEAS ADVENTURES

Mount Roraima, Venezuela Yukon, Canada

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above us. It’s a tabletop mountain often covered in clouds, and I was fascinated by its presence. On the third day we made our way up the steep cliff face, walking under waterfalls that fell 2000m above us! It was like being on another planet.

Once at the top I was as excited as a kid, running around and exploring this rocky moonscape. And when the clouds cleared, I could see for miles. We stood at the trig station where Venezuela, Brazil and French Guinea meet.”

“At night on top of the mountain we ate, drank rum and talk honestly and openly about all sorts of things. One guy spoke about having to deal with the recent suicide of his sister. I really felt for him and there was a long silence as each of disappeared into our heads thinking about our families miles and miles away. And it was then that I realised I missed my Mum more than I would ever admit.”

“You can hang out with someone for years and never really know them and you can meet someone for a few days and really get to understand them: their thoughts, feelings and fears. This was one of those times. And I felt incredibly honoured.”

The theme for this issue is Walk More, See More, Live More. It’s a motto I have tried to live by – even in these unpredictable days of COVID lockdowns and spontaneous travel bans. And even though, like you, I can’t travel overseas at the moment and maybe not even be able to leave my state or city, I know that will change and we will have more freedom soon enough, whatever the new world order looks like.

So, until then we have to stay positive, make sure we get out of the house, clear our heads and stretch our legs on a local bushwalking track, and think about our next dream holiday – be it Southport, South Australia or South America!

The original selfie. My boot and the view on top of Mount Roraima, July ‘91.

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MAKING MEMORIES

Advertising Bobby Butler P: 02 9213 8265 M: 0405 594 303 bobbybutler@yaffa.com.au

Contributors Belinda Tomlins, Caro Ryan, Dan Slater, Elisha Donkin, Helen Hayes, Katrina Hemingway, Warwick Sprawson, Wayne Mullane

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FROM THE EDITOR

“JULY 1st, 1991: Sitting on a bed back in Santa Elena after an exhausting five days hiking up Mount Roraima,” my 30-year-old diary reads. “I went up with four others, Mark (Swiss), Kathy (Pom), Florian (German) and Carlos (Dutch) plus our guide Jose (South American Indian). We first had to go on a hairraising 4WD trip to the Indian village of Paratepui, the jumping off point for the hike.”

Putting together the Life Through The Lens images of Venezuela’s Mount Roraima (pg84) brought back fond memories of that same hike I did 30 years ago and of the 12 months I spent exploring the top half of South America. After searching through a few old boxes, I found my diary of that trip. It’s the only time I have kept one and it’s full of wonderful insights and the thoughts going on in the mind of a 24-year-old backpacker.

“The first day’s walk was long and hard, hiking through streams and rock hopping. We pitched camp – a large piece of black plastic, numerous rocks and a ball of string. Got woken up by a thunderstorm and a torn tent which took some repairing, but we fixed it and after some rum to celebrate our success we fell back to sleep.”

“Day two. The scenery was spectacular, and each step took us closer to Mount Roraima that stood menacingly

Given the difficulties with international travel at the moment, Hidden Italy walking tours has developed some Australian-based ‘gourmet escapes’ featuring excellent accommodation, great walks, fine food and wine, good company – all with an Italian twist! The tours include: Wollombi Hunter Valley; Central Tilba and NSW south coast in NSW; the King Valley/Victorian High-Country; McLaren Vale/Adelaide Hills; Adelaide/Flinders Ranges; Auckland/Waiheke Island in NZ. All tours include six nights’ accommodation in 4-star accommodation; four guided day walks in surrounding national parks; a day visiting the regions’ most prestigious vineyards; as well hearty breakfasts, all lunches and dinners in excellent restaurants.

For full details go to www.hiddenitaly.com.au.

Happy walking Brent McKean

WHERE NEXT?

4 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

LAKE MACKINTOSH, TAS

LAKE MACKINTOSH, TASMANIA Five kilometres from Tullah in Tasmania's west and is one of the most beautiful lakes in the region.

The lake and surrounding countryside are magnificent with myrtle, sassafras and eucalypt forests along with native ferns growing almost to the lake's edge. Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park has its western boundary lying to the east of the lake so you're in good company. There are several lovely bushwalking tracks around the 17km-long lake or take the three-hour return walk to the summit of Mt Farrell through lush forest, past old mines and through areas of buttongrass. From the summit there are amazing views of Tasmania's wilderness. Or if you had the right gear and know-how you could explore the mighty Granite Tor Conservation Area that the lake forms part of.

Wherever you go you won't be disappointed.

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6 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 CONTENTS

CONTENTS October_November 2021 Travel

10 BICENTENNIAL NATIONAL TRAIL One family’s big adventure 20 CAPE TO CAPE, WA Soft sand, softer bed 28 WESTERN ARTHURS, TAS Hard yakka every step of the way 44 YUKON, CANADA Things are a bit crazy way up north 51 MAINLAND COASTAL WALKS 12 of the best 56 COCOS-KEELING ISLANDS A bit of Asia in Australia 92 GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK, VIC 10 highlights of this epic track

Daywalks

42 ALPINE NP, VIC Exploring our iconic huts

Feature

40 ERNEST HEMINGWAY Why you should read his books

Walksmart

62 Dealing with heat exhaustion 64 Lightweight gear 70 Sea to Summit sleep system 74 Sleeping better in the bush 76 Walking off your middle age spread

“

WHENEVER YOU’RE IN NEED OF A 4WD TO CARRY YOU ACROSS A CROCODILEINFESTED RIVER, THEY ARE NEVER AROUND

”

Regulars

4 Where Next?

8 Your Way 37 Picture Perfect 80 Track Tested 81 Behind The Scenes 82 By the book 84 Life Through The Lens 90 Guided Getaways 98 Words of Wisdom

On the cover: Photo: Lake Mackintosh, Tas

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YOUR WAY

8 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

PRESENTED BY

READER’S STORIES

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT Life comes full circle for Tim Orchard on Victoria’s highest peak.

WORDS_TIM ORCHARD WHEN I was a child in our household we were always busy. One of my favourite memories was a couple of trips we made to Mt Beauty where we used the location at the foot of Mt Bogong to climb Victoria’s highest peak. We have footage which captured these moments complete with no sound and lots of waving at the camera. Happy times.

I now have three kids of my own. Over the years we have looked to create our own memories.

This included travelling to NZ’s South Island which was my first overseas trip growing up where Dad, my brother and I completed the Routeburn Track. We did the Hooker Valley Track at the base of Aoraki/Mount Cook as well as keeping busy around Queenstown. I could see my two youngest kids were really enjoying these mini adventures, as did I. We made plans for the start of 2021 to visit Thredbo with the goal of climbing Mt Kosciuszko. Uncertainty on state borders remaining open saw this trip postponed for another time. Our Plan B was to head to Falls Creek for a week. This was to be the first trip for my daughter Bella since she went to Nepal on a school trip just over a year earlier to trek the Annapurna Circuit.

This trip had proven to be more of an adventure than planned. Five days into the trip Bella tripped and fell on one of the many bridges

and broke her leg. After a long rehabilitation she was ready to get back out and make up for lost time. As the car got closer to Falls Creek I spotted Mt Bogong and on showing Bella her first words were, “Dad, can we please climb it this week”. Who was I to say no?

A few days later we drove to the starting point with an air of excitement and anticipation. The kids couldn’t wait to get started. The early part of the walk proved to be relatively flat with a few upward undulations as we walked through forest and across rivers.

After just over an hour the track narrowed and steepened. The gap between our faster hikers (the kids) and the slower (their Dad) widened.

I was encouraged by the trees thinning out and the feeling of being more elevated as the views opened up. Soon the top of Mt Bogong became visible with it becoming noticeably windier and cooler. The warmer clothes, which the kids couldn’t understand why we were carrying, were put on as we made the final walk up to the summit. Reaching the top we were greeted by amazing vistas. There was a sense of achievement within our group as the previous four hours of toil had paid off.

The walk back down ended up being a tale of making sure that Bella didn’t break another leg as the track proved to be steep and slippery. On returning to the car the total distance we had walked was just over 23km in around 9 hours.

Quite a day’s work.

We finished our time in Falls Creek completing additional walks and enjoying all the area has to offer. I would highly recommend a visit up there in summer to walk the trails, which are many and well laid out. Climbing Mt Bogong, this time with my kids, has created some fabulous memories for us all. The wheels are already in motion on planning for where to next.

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10 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Rainbow over Glen Alice in Wollemi NP, NSW

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GREAT EPIC WALKS NATIONAL TRAIL

SMALL FAMILY, BIG ADVENTURE A couple and their toddler experience true wilderness and a little drama on the 5300km National Trail.

WORDS_BELINDA TOMLINS PHOTOS_FLORIAN SOKOLOWSKI

GREAT EPIC WALKS NATIONAL TRAIL

12 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

AS I stood at the bank of the Daintree River, looking desperately from right to left trying to detect the slightest hint of crocodile, I fantasised about a 4WD coming to our rescue. Alas there were none. Murphy’s Law: as a hiker, whenever you’re in need of a 4WD to carry you across a crocodile-infested river, they are never around. Whenever you’d prefer to enjoy your hike in peaceful solitude, they roar by, leaving petrol fumes in their wake.

I looked back at my husband who had the largest stick he could find in his right hand, his hiking poles in his left, and our two-year-old daughter on his back. I fake-smiled at him, too nervous to give off my usual high-pitched nervous laugh. The Daintree River was all that stood between us, a very large burger, and a hot shower. Eight days and 130km into a ninemonth 5,330km hike, my body was already experiencing serious hiker hunger. Crocodiles be damned!

Eyes straight ahead, blood roaring in our ears, we soundlessly pushed through the warm

water. Even Aimee knew now was not the time for toddler antics. Surviving the cross, we giggled like deranged fools, and walked into Daintree Village feeling like hard-core heroes.

Little did we know that crocodiles would be just the first in a series of Lord of the Rings style obstacles that we would encounter on the National Trail.

Boots ‘n’ all

The National Trail was the brainchild of RM Williams. I always thought RM was just a stuffy old rich guy who made over-priced boots for preppy private school boys. Turns out he was the complete opposite. A true vagabond, during the Great Depression he wandered between cattle stations looking for work. Between nights out in the bush with an empty belly but full heart he endured stints in police-lockup due to anti-vagrancy laws. He knew that wandering these remote regions was tough, but ultimately a uniquely Australian experience. It was his gift to us all.

After roping in his mate Dan Seymour to complete the journey on horseback and write the original 12 Guidebooks, by 1988 the trail was good to go. Around 5,330km along the length of the east coast of Australia. From Cooktown to Healesville, every imaginable beauty and beast would be encountered on this hike. With fairly reliable water and camping roughly every 20km, it was designed for use by horse riders, walkers and eventually, cyclists.

A massive undertaking in one of the planet’s driest countries. From stock routes to bush tracks, to forgotten country roads, every type of terrain is experienced.

Over the years it has been completed by experienced long-distance horse riders, deep-thinkers with donkeys, foolhardy walkers and lycra-free cyclists.

The trail has resulted in marriages, babies, and probably a few divorces!

But back to my story. Or more correctly, our story, because this trip was one that I certainly could not imagine having done without my husband Florian and our daughter Aimee.

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“

EVERY IMAGINABLE BEAUTY AND BEAST WOULD BE ENCOUNTERED ON THIS HIKE

”

Left: Belinda and Aimee enjoying their handiwork.

Top: No shortage of water as you cross from Daintree Village to Mossman.

Above: As happy as a pig in mud!

GREAT EPIC WALKS NATIONAL TRAIL

14 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Q&A Wanting to know more about Belinda’s big adventure, we asked her a few questions.

GRW: What was your first day on the walk like?

Belinda: We had a very whirlwind start to our adventure. We had only chosen the National Trail to hike two weeks before we left and received the official guidebooks on the day we were to start our drive from Brisbane to Cairns. We took a minibus from Cairns to Cooktown and the driver managed to drive into a ditch and roll the trailer containing ours and the other passenger’s bags. Luckily no one was hurt, and after all the guys on the bus had helped to right the trailer, we found that our gear was all intact too. By the time a local (and avid hiker) had taken our photo at the official start line, it was around 9:30am and already hot and humid. We were pretty tired already, so did not have the energy to contemplate the feat ahead of us!

The guidebook updates sent us around in circles and we ended up only managing to get 15km into the trail instead of the 32km we had planned. When we found a creek with running water, we gladly set up camp even though it was on the side of the road underneath some powerlines. Powerlines would become our close friend over the next nine months as we found they were often the only cleared, mostly flat campground available.

GRW: What were your main concerns with taking a toddler on such a long walk?

Belinda: As a parent you can talk yourself into all sorts of fears when it comes to your kids.

Would Aimee be getting a balanced-enough diet? Would her skin be damaged by the intense Australian sun? Would she be warm enough, cool enough, dry enough? Would she be bitten by a crocodile or a dingo? Would she leave the tent and go wandering at night? We soon learnt that kids are extremely adaptable and very quick learners. Within the first few weeks she had learnt how to navigate barbed wire, could walk two kilometres without stopping, and could even help Florian to pitch the tent. I worry much more about Aimee now that we are back in ‘civilisation’. In the wild, I know I am giving her my full attention and she is stimulated and blossoming!

GRW: Can you recall one particular day when you felt like you’d had enough?

Belinda: We managed to cross NSW during a “once-in-a-lifetime” flood. It had been raining for three days straight and it was freezing.

We were still wearing our summer gear and each only had a thermal top and a very light rain jacket. We had lucked out the night before and managed to start a campfire and mostly dry out our clothes, but the rain was torrential on this day. As we made it out of

the Werrikimbe National Park and back into cattle country, we were nearly blown over by the wind. Lucky for us, we had been invited to stay at a trail angel’s farm that night. We arrived looking like drowned rats and were immediately sent to the bathroom for a long, hot bubble bath. We ended up staying five nights as we waited out the floods. If it had not have been for Bill and Louise at Red Hill Organics, who knows if we would have had the mental strength to continue.

GRW: How important is mindfulness on the walk?

Belinda: The National Trail is too long to be overly sensitive to your surroundings the entire time. Of course it is important to know where you are, what water/food/ camping resources are available and to take in the beauty and magic of what is around you, but if you get too bogged down by your surroundings, you could definitely talk yourself out of continuing. In the modern world, we very rarely get the chance to tune out and just daydream, so take this precious opportunity and let yourself switch off. You will be surprised at how much calmer and clearer you feel after nine months of letting go.

GRW: Can you please describe the logistics of organising such a big walk

Belinda: While some people prefer to organise their hikes down to the last microscopic detail of how much their socks weigh, Florian and I like to take a more realistic approach. We only allowed ourselves to look at one guidebook at a time and then broke down each guidebook into resupply points. We then contacted the relevant section coordinator and property owners to arrange food parcels which we would post and then collect along the way between major resupply towns.

When hitting a resupply town, we made sure that where we were camped was conducive to resupplying because when we were at a post office on the Pacific Crest Trail trying to resupply for Oregon, someone called the sheriff on us because our doggy bags and strange powders made us look a little suspicious.

It is impossible to say how much we were carrying at any point because we did not have access to any scales, but Florian would carry Aimee (13kg) and probably another 10kg of water, daily food, equipment and safety gear.

I carried the remaining items such as tent, sleeping quilt, food and water which probably hit the 20kg mark. We understand the 10 per cent rule, but we also could not leave Aimee at home, so were physically prepared to be able to carry more. With all of our big-ticket items such as tent and quilt, Florian did a lot of research to buy the lightest and best quality gear that we could afford. It was definitely worth the investment of time and money!

Above: The gorgeous granite of NSW.

“

A PACK OF EMUS RAN STRAIGHT ACROSS MY PATH ONE DAY. WHAT BIZARRE AND HILARIOUS BIRDS

”

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We chose to hike the National Trail for two reasons. One: it was a long, continuous trail that would justify us taking a year off work and living a fully vagabond lifestyle. There is only so much of ‘modern, civilised society’ that any person should have to endure. Two: the rest of the world was closed.

Queensland

For the entirety of Queensland, it was hard not to unfavourably compare the National Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail in the US, which Florian and I had hiked 2,400km of in 2015. Instead of sweet single-track winding past alpine lakes and brown bears, we were met with a lot of flat, straight road (often bituminised) shooting past coal mines and flattened kangaroos.

The pristine mountain streams of Washington State were replaced by ankle-deep dams the colour of the cows that had toileted there, bore water signaled by windmills, and cattle troughs. Long after the wet season had ended the only way we had of knowing there was any water around was if we could hear birds or could find a kangaroo at dusk to follow.

We soon learnt that the inherit beauty of Queensland lay in the encounters we had with the truly insane people of this country – the fourth generation of farmers who have thrived against the odds to keep this country fed.

We were complete strangers, yet they let us send our resupply boxes to their cattle stations!

When we finally arrived on the edge of heatstroke, smelling like death, and so hungry that we were eyeing off their working-dogs, they welcomed us with fresh fruit salad, cold beers, and yarns that were so entertaining, we knew why they weren’t bothered by their lack of phone reception.

One farmer even went out of his way to track us down in the middle-of-the-night to give us the leftovers from a sausage sizzle he had attended. Those snags and cokes were indescribably good. We practically wept!

Our morale also picked up when we started to see some of Australia’s native animals alive!

A pack of emus ran straight across my path one day. What bizarre and hilarious birds. The dingo taught us what true freedom is. I thought about all the dogs stuck in tiny apartments or being forced into a jacket on a 25-degree day and paraded around like toys in hipster pubs…

New South Wales

By the time we climbed over the double padlocked rabbit-proof fence into NSW (technically the borders had opened up four days prior!), we had hit our stride, but so too had the NSW floods and mice plague of 2020!

Summer had snuck out in the middle of the night and left us in t-shirts and thin, not-sorainproof jackets. After battling wild river crossings and torrential rain for three days straight, two of the National Trail’s truly heavensent trail angels sheltered us in their home for five days; we were indulged with endless hot bubble baths, Qantas pajamas, and organic Wagyu that would make even the strictest vegetarian weak at the knees, and day-to-day life on a working farm.

The floods may have washed away a good portion of the coastal population of NSW, but it failed to dampen the love-lives of the resident mouse population.

After encountering bears in the US, we had always been fastidious about securing our food.

The methods we used were not unlike the security measures required to be overcome in the opening scene of every Mission Impossible movie. You know the drill: laser-alarms, complicated codes, booby-traps…

GREAT EPIC WALKS NATIONAL TRAIL

16 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Left: Never walk past a dam without taking a swim.

Below: Belinda testing the flooded waters and deciding “If it’s flooded, forget it”.

was covered in mice scratches. Did I forget to mention there was also a dead mouse in our water filtration system?

Suffice to say we hot-footed it into Ebor and were able to hitch a ride into Coffs Harbour to restock, resupply, and recover!

It’s funny that the challenging days on trail always become the most glorious on reflection.

In modern society, this very rarely happens.

When someone hurls abuse at you because you drive too slowly, you don’t tend to think back on this memory with a smile. Yet, if you end up lost in the bush for three days, you can’t wait to get back there!

“

DID I FORGET TO MENTION THERE WAS ALSO A DEAD MOUSE IN OUR WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM?

”

But the national parks of NSW had made us soft. We’d just spent two and a half days completing a 15km stretch of trail through the Gibraltar National Park. The park was recovering after the horrendous bushfires of 2019 and although the eucalyptus were reshooting, there was not an animal track to be found. The nettle had gone to town though, so when we couldn’t find the turn-off to take us to Glen Innes, we made our own trail along a dry creek, before scaling up a waterfall, and using a combination of nerves, wit and a GPS to self-rescue.

So, under the impression that NSW had not a single animal left, we did become a little blasé about our food supply. This was rectified when I spent the better part of a night watching mice slide down our tent, and we awoke to find that all of our food supplies and cooking equipment had been nibbled through. Plus, my husband

The ACT

The trail through to Canberra was dry, but frighteningly cold. It was like it was trying to give us a not-so-subtle hint that we were in the depths of autumn and we’d better get seriously moving before winter set in. As a die-hard Queenslander and winter-denier, even I was forced to admit that we needed a slight gear reshuffle in order to complete this trail in a state other than frozen.

We took five days off in Canberra to swap t-shirts for thermals, a sleeping quilt for some – 14C sleeping bags and Aimee’s jumper for a full-blown Arctic snowsuit, gloves and beanie. Luckily, the trail through the ACT is notoriously fast, so we could complete our kilometres in record-breaking times.

Sometimes you just need some easy kays!

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18 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Below: Florian and Aimee enjoy another long, straight, flat road.

Right: Nothing beats break time.

Most importantly, she knows there is a way of living where we do not have to rely on cars, the internet, and junk food.

The conclusion

Victoria

By the time we dragged our sorry bodies from Tom Groggin over the border (aka the Murray River) and up into the Victorian High Country we were ready to be finished (morning-sickness from a badly-timed pregnancy was not my friend).

But we finally had our sweet single-track winding past alpine lakes. The brown bears were replaced by brumbies, wild cattle, echidnas, wombats, rabbits and birds the like of which we’d never seen. Bonus points for the fact that none of these creatures were likely to see my now-three-year-old as a bedtime snack.

May in the high country is not for the faint-hearted. Every time we reach significant elevation, the weather would turn, and we would be forced to flee down to lower ground. It was certainly a special feeling to be glad to be hailed on because at least we

weren’t getting wet. We also appreciated the fact that we could simultaneously get a tan while getting pelted with ice.

Toddler on the trail

You might be wondering how our toddler Aimee enjoyed her big adventure. As in every generation, parents are bombarded with wellmeaning advice on how to raise happy, healthy, resilient kids. Thankfully, the few people we did encounter had enough common sense to realise that children (and, in fact, all human beings) thrive outdoors. Yes, she was mostly dirty and sometimes cranky, but she was always happy to have our undivided attention and to experience the world as it should be experienced: in the flesh.

She now realises the importance of water, fire, and shelter and how to access and maintain all three. She knows to leave no trace.

Any long-distance hiking trail will always be what the hiker needs it to be. For us we found it best not to over-plan. The National Trail required that we be adaptable. We were stopped by floods and fires. In the same week.

The water, if there was any, often tasted like cow. The mountains we had to climb almost crushed our minds and our bodies. Florian ended up in hospital twice with a blood infection.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for us was realising that the trail cannot be completed without the help of strangers. You must not be afraid to pick up the phone to organise property access, food resupply boxes, and directions.

But the gifts that the trail gives you are ones that can never be taken away. A true appreciation of and connection to country.

A true and life-long friendship with people throughout Australia. A true sense of achievement knowing that more people have gone to the moon than have completed the National Trail.

Whether you complete a day-hike, a sectionhike or a thru-hike on the National Trail, you’re guaranteed one hell of an adventure! So what are you waiting for? Get out there!

Need to know: bicentennialnationaltrail.com.au

A KARIJINI & NINGALOO REEF ADVENTURE FOR TWO WORTH $10K! Thanks to

Prize includes: • 6 nights accommodation including 3 at Karijini Eco Retreat • Pack-free walking – carry only a day pack each day • Superb meals and Australian wines with dinner • ‘Wow Factors’ including a Ningaloo reef experience Please note, the prize does NOT include flights into Paraburdoo and out of Exmouth, both via Perth and any pre or post tour accommodation

To enter, visit: www.greatwalks.com.au/LAAcomp1021

Terms & Conditions: This competition is for Australia residents only and expires 30/11/21. Prize must be taken within 12 months of winner being notifıed. A good level of fıtness is required to complete this walk. Prize is non-transferable, and cannot be redeemed for anything else. Once dates are locked in winners are unable to change tour dates. The winner will be announced on Great Walks. All entrants will receive the Great Walks eNewsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your details will also be shared with Life’s An Adventure.

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20 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Gorgeous walking between rock and sky.

PHOTO: ELEMENTS MARGARET RIVER

GREAT COASTAL WALKS CAPE TO CAPE TRACK, WA

COMFORT FACTOR

For Helen Hayes, a four-day luxury guided experience on WA’s Cape to Cape Track is the perfect introduction to bushwalking.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_HELEN HAYES

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GREAT COASTAL WALKS

22 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

CAPE TO CAPE TRACK, WA

IF I was Kelly Slater, I would be frothing. On what is my first visit to Margaret River, I am blown away by the surf breaks that line the rugged Indian Ocean coastline. No wonder this part of the world is so revered by surfers far and wide. But I am not here to surf; I am here to hike, and it is very early in the piece that I realise that the Cape to Cape Track is just as much a siren call for walkers, as the waves are for Kelly, Owen Wright and a sea of surfers searching for stoke … and finding it.

My journey to the Cape to Cape, a much vaunted track in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP in WA, is down to the C-word. COVID. What else was there to do in lockdown but walk? So I walked. And walked some more. And then had the idea that maybe my old legs could handle a proper hike. A REAL hike.

The wish list was fairly straight forward when I was hike shopping. I wanted luxury

with my walk. I only wanted four days. I didn’t want to have to work out where to go.

I didn’t want to carry stuff. Definitely no tents. No cooking by headlamp or in teeny tiny saucepans over an open fire or a camping stove. And no mountains please. Plus I wanted amazing food and wine at the end of the day.

And so, Walk into Luxury’s Cape to Cape Track walk popped up in the google browser, and with one click and with a reasonable dent in my credit card, I was in.

To pole or not to pole

Starting at the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, the Cape to Cape was also going to be the first hiking experience for the rest of my gaggle (two couples) so there were trips to various hiking shops to purchase all the gear. Walk Into Luxury sent out information on what was required and what sort of training we should be doing. Boots or shoes? Hiking boots.

Dutifully purchased early so they could be worn in properly. Thick socks. Layers. Lots of layers. A shirt that wicks moisture – tick.

Lightweight fleece – tick. Waterproof jacket – tick. Medium size backpack – tick. Then it came to poles. You’re either for poles or not. A hiking friend suggested using just one, so I did.

Lightweight and easy to slide in and out. OK then. Time for training.

On the first ‘training’ hike with my gang of four, my Rolls Royce pole got stuck in a crack on the boardwalk and it caused great mirth amongst my friends. Rookie error. Said pole was banished to the backpack for the rest of the 6km walk. We followed that up with an 8km effort and on the last ‘team’ walk, we did the 10km Spit to Manly Walk, including a side trip to see the historic houses at Crater Cove. Sitting on a rock looking at these shacks at the bottom of a cliff, tucking into an energy drink and a protein ball that I had truly earned, I got that first thrill of hiking happiness and was looking forward to the real thing. Bring it on!

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Walking into luxury at Injidup

We are picked up in Perth at the crack of dawn

by Walk Into Luxury’s amiable driver and guide Rusty and drive, all geared up and ready to roll, to the starting point of the walk. Today, we are doing a half day, walking from Smiths Beach to our accommodation at the Injidup Spa Retreat. We meet our guide, the bubbly Elise Parker, who gives a safety briefing to the group of six – my four and a couple from the Solomon Islands. The main ones are to stay on the track and not to go within three metres of the cliff edges. Ok then. She gives us a map and shows us the four different sections we are going to be tackling. They are the best of the best, a highlights package showcasing the varying terrain that the track is known for.

We will be walking on beaches, over rocks, on dirt tracks, on sand dunes, through forests and over limestone and granite cliffs. By the time we have finished we would have done around 45 of the track’s 135km length between the lighthouses at Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste NP.

We amble off and it doesn’t take long for the first ‘wow’ to tumble out of our mouths. We look over the beach up the desolate coastline to a storm on the far headland creating a wild and beautiful sky. Said storm heads south and dumps a little rain on us but clears quickly – something that happens several times. We clamber over the rocks at Smiths Point then head for Canal Rocks with its giant granite boulders, Wyadup Bay and Injidup. There are stairs to go down, stairs to go up, photos to be taken, and information to be learned. Elise is a font of knowledge and as we cruise through the stunning coastal vegetation, everything coated in verdant green, she points out native rosemary, native celery, pig face, peppermint, Cape Naturaliste Clawflower, shark tooth wattle, and a host more. We are too early for the 2500 species of wildflowers, which carpet the coast in spring (the best time is Aug-Nov), and we won’t spy any of the 150 species of orchid, but what we do see is magnificent.

As is the spectacular villa at Injidup that awaits us. We love the heated outdoor plunge pool that looks over the coastline. Inside is just as good, with a lounge room complete with heated floors and clean burning fireplace, a full kitchen, and two beautiful bedrooms with ensuites. A chef-cooked dinner also awaits so we can relax post-swim without having to go out. Genius.

“

WE AMBLE OFF AND IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE FIRST ‘WOW’ TO TUMBLE OUT OF OUR MOUTHS

”

Granite boulders on the way from Smiths Beach to the Natural Aquarium.

GREAT COASTAL WALKS

24 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

CAPE TO CAPE TRACK, WA

Au Naturaliste Above: Baudin’s black cockatoo.

Right: A native bird sits atop a grass tree.

WALK NOTES | GUIDED CAPE TO CAPE TRACK WITH WALK INTO LUXURY

WESTE

Time: 4 days | Length: 45km | Grade: moderate Cape Naturaliste

2

Yallingup 1

Smiths Beach

Perth

Injidup

Moses Rocks 4

Wilyabrup sea cliffs

Day 1: Perth to Smiths Beach, walk to Injidup.

9Km/3hr

Redgate Beach 3

Boranup

10km

Day 2: Cape Naturaliste to Yallingup. 14Km/6hr Day 3: Redgate beach to Boranup Forest: 14 km/6hr Day 4: Moses Rock to Wilyabrup Sea Cliffs: 8km/3hr

We are up early and Rusty drives us to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse for the start of our first full day walk, from the Lighthouse to Yallingup – a grand total of 14km. The first section, to Sugarloaf Rock, is wheelchair accessible boardwalk, and bless him, Rusty is waiting at a pretty lookout near the Rock with morning tea. Elise adds to the goodies with her homemade chocolate brownies, something we look forward to every time we stop. This early stop fuels us for the walk ahead, where we traverse limestone cliffs with jaw-dropping front row seats to this slice of paradise – the Indian Ocean on one side and what feels and looks like untouched coastline for kilometres.

We come past the Three Bears surf break – with Poppa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear all familiar names to surfers near and far.

Elise says it is nearly time for whales to start appearing, but sadly, they are late for their date with us. We walk on, stringing out along the cliff line, until we reach Mount Duckworth, where we are to have our beautifully packed catered lunch sitting in a stand of melaleuca.

We stiffen up during lunch but it doesn’t take long to get going again, especially with beautiful rainbows to show us the way south. Elise talks about the Wadandi People (Saltwater people), who are of this land. She educates on places their ancestors would go for this or that, what they would eat, when they would move on and most interestingly of all, about their seasons. The Wadandi have six seasons, not four, and we are visiting in Makuru (June-July), when the sea and the weather are wild.

There is a walk along the beach to Yallingup, the Wadandi word for ‘place of love’, where Rusty and more importantly, the bus, are waiting. We admire the sculpture of a surfer, built to recognise this place as where surfing began in Western Australia, then it is home to our plunge pool, before a private chef comes to Injidup to cook a gourmet dinner using local produce and showcasing local wines. I could get used to this.

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26 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

CAPE TO CAPE TRACK, WA

Forest of dreams

Above: Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse Top: Strolling on a dirt section of the track on day four.

NEED TO KNOW For more info on Walk Into Luxury visit walkintoluxury.com.au. For info on the Cape to Cape Track visit capetocapetrack.com.au and for WA’s national parks go to parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au

Trusty Rusty drops us at Redgate Beach for the 14km stretch to Contos. Elise stops at a monument to the SS Georgette, which sank in 1876, carrying a cargo of local Jarrah.

Local Wadandi man Sam Isaacs, with some assistance from 16-year-old Grace Bussell, saved many lives when the ship went down.

The rock the ship hit is now known as Isaacs Rock, while Grace had a town named after her. You can see some of the mast in the centre of the monument and should you want to, apparently you can see the remains of the ship out near the rock.

We carry on, managing to get down the difficult but mercifully short downhill to Bobs Hollow, using the thoughtfully supplied chain fence. Then it is up and over the clifftops of Contos Beach, stopping for lunch at the pristine Contos campground. From here, we deviate off the Cape to Cape Track and head into another world – Boranup Forest.

I almost expect to see fairies flitting about in this most beautiful of forests, such is the extent of its magical allure. Boranup is home to karri trees that are over a century old, and walking on the track, under the shade of these beautiful giants, makes me half expect to see Treebeard pop up somewhere. Elise shows us what the inside of the grass tree looks like, and

it is a work of art. We also come upon a pair of noisy Baudin’s Black Cockatoos. It is these local titbits that really add to the experience.

This forest, this day, was special, and for the first time, I am not glad to see Rusty and the bus waiting to take us home to yet another gourmet experience.

Walking on water

Not quite believing this is our last hiking day, we set off for the three-hour walk from Moses Rock to Wilyabrup Sea Cliffs. As we are walking in winter, the creeks and rivers are swollen, and Wilyabrup Brook is no different.

We take our shoes and socks off to cross, then enjoy bare toes in the sand before stopping to dry off and don shoes. We climb up a dune, and then head through the most spectacular granite cliffs. It feels like walking through a painting with the orange of the rocks, the blue of the ocean and the green of the vegetation.

The piece de resistance is climbing up the stairs to the cliff top, where we stay for several minutes just soaking up the panorama that we have come to love so much. And just when we think it could not get any better, a pod of dolphins emerges, entertaining us with their antics at the base of the cliffs.

If this is hiking, I am hooked.

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28 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

The exposure could get a bit hairy at times, but Evan took it all in his stride.

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GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS WESTERN ARTHUR TRAVERSE, TAS

ON THE EDGE Great Walks takes on what Sir Edmund Hillary called ‘Australia’s only real mountain’, the Arthur Range.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_DAN SLATER

GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS WESTERN ARTHUR TRAVERSE

30 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Top: Our first taste of the spectacular geology was tempered by facefuls of wind.

Above: Knee-deep mud is not uncommon crossing the plains. Don’t avoid it – embrace it!

Right: There’s a rugged beauty in the plants that survive in the shelter of the rocks.

I’M not a religious man, but some things are definitely worth praying for. Some circumstances are so important, the alternative so dire, that asking a favour of The Almighty is worth a shot, just in case. An unbroken stretch of perfect weather in Tasmania’s famously fickle Southwest National Park is one of those things. We were to tackle Australia’s hardest on-track walk over a week in early autumn, and fierce storms lashing through the turbulent World Heritage Area would put paid to our attempt as surely as a wellaimed trekking pole to the knee cap. We might get lucky? Friends laughed at our naivety. The weather was everything. We prayed.

Before I was even fully awake, Kevin was parking his mini bus in Huon Campground under a sky the colour of hopelessness. As the owner of Tasmanian Wilderness Experiences, Kev specialises in hiker transport around the island, although when pushed he admits he’ll act as a guide for experienced parties. Also on the team was Evan, owner of cottage industry workshop Terra Rosa Gear, taking a break from making lightweight tarps and other equipment at his Melbourne workshop. Our fourth wheel was Gerda – hardcore hairdresser, redhead and comic relief.

We’d spent the previous night at Base Camp Tasmania, a comfy, purpose-built bunkhouse an hour west of Hobart. During final packing, we’d fretted over last-minute equipment choice dilemmas. Lightweight chair vs. thermal sleeping bag liner? Extra muesli bars vs. spare camera battery? We desperately tried to keep our pack weights under 20kg. We failed.

| 31

il

r

– ready to swap the mountains for the mud.

WALK NOTES | WESTERN ARTHUR TRAVERSE Time: six da

ce: 40km + side trips | Grad Pedder

Day 1: From the carpark, follow the Port Davey Track across the plains before turning south to climb up Moraine A. Follow the ridge to Cygnus Lake.

8-10hr/7.3km

ing

Port Davey rack trailhead

Day 2: Keep going SE between tarns and peaks, passing Square Lake and finishing with the descent to Lake Oberon. 6-8hr/4.3km Day 3: Continue in the same direction, with optional side trips up Capricorn and Dorado Peaks, to finish at High Moor. 7-9hr/4.2km

1

Day 4: From High Moor, Negotiate the steep ups and downs of the Beggary Bumps and Tilted Chasm.

Camp at Haven Lake.

7-9hr/4.1km

Seven Mile Creek

Lake Cygnus Mt Capricorn

2

ron

3

eak

Day 5: Start to turn north along the ridge, before dropping off and descending Moraine K to Seven Mile Creek.

6-8hr/5.4km

Mt Scorpio

ke Uranu High Moor

Tilted Chasm

4

Morraine K Junction

5

Haven Lake

2km

Day 6: Slog through the mud west across the buttongrass plains, and all the way back to the car park. 7-8hr/14km

GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS WESTERN ARTHUR TRAVERSE

32 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Above: Evan striking a pose above an alpine tarn, Lake Ceres.

Opposite: Scramble-tastic!

Hauling ourselves up one of day three’s flatter sections.

TRIP PLANNING Due to the challenges inherent in the Western Arthur Traverse, guides willing to take clients there are few and far between. Better to work up to an independent trip by gaining the relevant bushwalking experience on easier, multi-day hikes. Once fully prepared, the first obstacle for mainlanders is transport and call me biased, but Kevin Lempa at Tasmanian Wilderness Experiences (twe.travel) is knowledgeable, passionate about the environment and highly entertaining. I also heartily recommend staying at Base Camp Tasmania (basecamptas.com.au) before and after the hike. It’s spotless, comfy, has true eco-credentials, and the owner Graham is a gem who’ll go out of his way for you. In terms of bureaucracy, all you’ll need for the hike is a Tas Parks Pass.

Spur of the moment

The Arthur Range runs southeast from the Scotts Peak Dam end of Lake Pedder, a succession of granite crags poking from the ridge like nails hammered into a baseball bat.

Glaciation from the Wheneverzoic period has left a series of small, picturesque lakes nestled between the peaks, giving the range its instantly-recognisable topography. A full traverse takes at least ten days and passes the majestic pinnacle of Federation Peak, “Australia’s only real mountain” according to Sir Edmund Hillary. Sadly, the middle third of this epic crossing has been closed since 2019 in an attempt to stop the spread of phytophthora cinnamomi. This virulent mould, also called dieback, infects plant roots, rotting the tissue and usually killing it.

With the use of boot cleaning stations mandatory, the Western Arthur Traverse was still operating as far as Moraine K, one of the spurs offering an easy descent off the main ridge. We were only a quarter of an hour into the beautiful copse of rainforest that kicks off the hike when Gerda provided the first slice of entertainment. Having been probing the strange lump that had been nestled against her gum since the car park, curiosity finally got the better of her and she fished out a fat, bloody leech. And so it began.

As a professional bushwalker, we bowed to Kevin’s superior knowledge of local conditions, although our eyebrows collectively hovered on discovering he’d be walking the entire track in gumboots. The first and last days of

the hike, which cross the buttongrass plains adjacent to the Huon River, are notorious for being an Australian version of the Somme battlefield. Forget the exposed scrambling and punishing pack weight, it was plunging kneedeep into cold, wet sludge that I was dreading.

Gumboots aside, we’d considered numerous ways to minimise the risk of trench foot (sandals, waterproof socks, piggyback rides), but none were plausible, reliable and safe. The only solution was to embrace it.

I never realised mud came in so many colours – grey, yellow, black, taupe, and more shades of brown than a cardboard box showroom. And God forbid anyone who didn’t have it caked up to their knees! Kev would openly question random strangers as to how they’d avoided getting their pretty shoes dirty.

The only answer, of course, was by trampling new tracks around the mud, thereby destroying more vegetation.

Normally a cheerful fellow with a stock of terrible jokes, a few key occurrences would trigger a Kevin rant. Along with mud-avoiders and dieback-spreaders, mainlanders who caught Ubers from Hobart to the trailhead also copped it, for obvious reasons. To be fair though, the track knowledge Kev would impart to clients on the drive in was worth its weight in dehydrated yoghurt. Speaking of which, this self-confessed, undiagnosed ADD sufferer was obsessed with monitoring the group rations, which it’d been his job to prepare. After each meal, he’d recalculate how many grams of food remained per person, and

| 33

Adventure is all

speculate at length in what order they should be consumed. No, there was never a dull moment with Kev around.

Carry on camping Safely through the muck, we ascended Moraine A to the crest of the range, where a chill wind propelled us all the way to Lake Cygnus, our first camp. All official sites had wooden tent platforms to protect the alpine vegetation, but demand for these far outstripped supply. There were even long-drop toilets, but what they boasted in depth they lacked in actual architecture. Walls and roof were conspicuous by their absence, privacy only ensured by the thickness of the surrounding bush and the circuitous approach track.

From Lake Cygnus the going got sketchier by the day. The descent to Lake Oberon was a test piece; if anyone struggled with that, Kevin advised, they should probably turn around and go home. At least the patchy cloud of day one had been replaced by glorious blue sky; tackling this landscape in the rain would be a fast way to a free helicopter ride. As it was, we could discern every nook and cranny of Lake Pedder and all the way to Fed Peak, aloof in the distance.

Oberon Camp was a pearler, although the water was cold enough to turn Gerda’s hair blue. Most were satisfied just to watch the tips of the quartzite cirque glow orange in the reflection of the tannin-stained lake water as the sun bestowed its final gifts for the day. By

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34 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Right: Pausing at the top of Moraine K, with views across the button grass plains to Lake Pedder and beyond.

Below: There were a couple of tight squeezes that necessitated passing the packs.

Bottom: Colder than it looks – Gerda ‘enjoying’ a paddle in the tannin stained Lake Oberon.

now we were getting to know our co-hikers, from the four lads who always ambled in last, to the pocket-rocket Irish girls, to the ex-couple who’d chosen this hike to resume their mutual campaign of bickering. The camp ambience would turn decidedly frosty at their arrival, especially the day the man managed to lose their tent poles, which he’d stuffed in his pack side pocket that morning. And that’s before they ran out of gas!

Tricky manoeuvres

On day three, we travelled just over four kilometres in eight hours. We bagged Pegasus and Capricorn, skirted Lake Uranus, clambered between chock stones and across sloping slabs, and navigated descents more akin to a mud chute through a bramble patch than a path. Day four promised obstacles with such emotive names as the Beggary Bumps and Tilted Chasm, both of which lived up to their promise. It was the latter that finally got the better of Gerda. Down-climbing muddy cliffs carrying a pack weighing a quarter of your bodyweight isn’t exactly a stroll in the park, and while tackling a particularly vertiginous section, one hand slipped. So began her slowmotion arc backwards, like a ballet dancer swooning gracefully off a cliff. Thank God, Evan, waiting his turn above, was quick as a snake, catching her elbow before she could over-balance beyond the point of no return.

Watching from below, I’d like to think if Evan had missed, I would’ve caught her anyway.

With my face.

It was a relief to reach Haven Lake, an aptly-named sanctuary of calm after three days of hectic exertion. This marked the end of the most difficult part of the traverse, and the mood at camp was buoyant (unlike the boot which Gerda dropped in the tarn while washing her socks). The various hiking groups

were by now good friends, with the exception of the soon-to-be re-ex-couple, and contact details were exchanged, food shared, and future trips discussed.

The penultimate day was a short one; we were to descend Moraine K and sleep at Seven Mile Creek, from there slogging eight hours back across the plains to the car park. For her grand finale, Gerda would find herself gussetdeep and sinking fast. Grabbing a handful of grass to pull herself free of the sucking mud, she was bitten on the hand by a jack jumper, a giant, athletic, venomous ant that never makes the lists of ‘top ten things that can hurt you in Australia’, but probably should. Having heaved herself out, red-faced and brown-trousered, she resembled a full size gingerbread person dipped in chocolate.

The amusement was still to come as we paused atop Mt. Scorpio to soak in our final panorama. The dolerite ramparts of Precipitous Bluff, one of Australia’s best-named mountains, glowered from the distant south coast. From our perch, Kev pointed out Macquarie Harbour, 100km away on the east coast, while Fed Peak reared up before us, tantalisingly close yet sequestered behind the ‘Walking Track Closed’ signpost. The path between Moraine K and Luckmans Lead, the usual Western Arthurs exit, is due to reopen later in 2021, with the missing link to the Eastern Arthurs following sometime in 2022, assuming the spread of phytophthora is successfully curbed.

Our pleas had been answered. Not a single cloud had besmirched the wide Tasmanian sky since the first morning. Back in Sydney, the mother of all storms had dumped rain of biblical volumes on our friends for literally the exact period we’d been basking in sunshine.

Maybe there’s something in this praying lark, after all?

Need to know: parks.tas.gov.au

| 35

FEATURE TASSIE GUIDED WALKS

SHOW ME THE WAY Looking for a guided walk along the Apple Isle? Well look no further!

IF you enjoy lugging a large backpack around unfamiliar and challenging terrain then you might want to stop reading this. However, if you fancy exploring pure wilderness with a guide and carry just a day pack then this story is for you. And if you want this pack-free walking experience in Tasmania then these five excellent walking tour operators will show you a great time.

Park Trek

Exploring Tasman NP with Life’s An Adventure.

Coral Expeditions’s Coral Discoverer.

Park Trek offers a number of pack-free walking holidays in Tasmania including: Three Capes & Tasman Peninsula: Over four spectacular days of walking and sightseeing explore the highlights of the magical Tasman Peninsula. Highlights include Cape Hauy, Fortescue Bay, Cape Raoul and a three-hour award-winning wilderness cruise around the spectacular Tasman Peninsula with a chance to see an abundance of wildlife. This is a small group pack-free experience, staying each night at Park Trek’s very own Three Capes Lodge – a purpose built ‘home away from home’ and a brilliant space to relax with new friends.

Tarkine Wilderness: Rich in both natural and cultural heritage the Tarkine is a vast expanse of wilderness – home to Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforest. A bucket list experience, Park Trek’s experienced local guides take you on an unforgettable exploration of the region over five memorable days, exploring inspiring and untouched landscapes, sweeping mountain views and picturesque waterfalls all while taking in the ambience of ancient Gondwanda rainforests.

Enjoy this incredible region from a different vantage point, cruising down the Pieman River and stay in iconic accommodation along the way. parktrek.com.au

FEATURE TASSIE GUIDED WALKS

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Life’s An Adventure

Life’s An Adventure offers a huge range of pack-free guided walks on the Apple Isle.

Going clockwise from the north-east they have Flinders Island, the Bay of Fires and Freycinet NP, then heading south down the east coast, Maria Island, Bruny Island and the Three Capes. Moving inland they have Cradle Mountain, the combined Cradle Mountain and Walls of Jerusalem walk, and the combined Lake Pedder and South West Wilderness walk. And finally their Tarkine wilderness walk. So take your pick. Coast or mountains, islands or rainforest? Each destination has been thoroughly researched to give you the best experience and with plenty of creature comforts such as first-class accommodation, wonderful meals and the chance try a few local wines.

“Have just returned from spending three glorious days wandering around Maria Island with a wonderful group of people, led by our Life’s An Adventure guide’s Kat and Daniel,” wrote John N. “With their expertise, knowledge and obvious love of the outdoors, we were led around the island and shown the history, flora and fauna.

With an unrushed, easy going pace we had plenty of time to summit mountains and swim in crystal clear waters, having beaches all to ourselves.” lifesanadventure.com.au

Tasmanian Hikes

The Tasmanian Walking Company has been operating guided walking tours in Tasmania

for over 16 years and strives to provide unique and exceptional pack-free and full-pack walking experiences. Destinations include the iconic Overland Track, gorgeous Maria Island, the Frenchman’s Cap, the South Coast Track and Mount Field. The company is a Quality Tourism Accredited Business and Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife & Transport Accredited Licensed Operators. The feedback from one customer was: “We did the Overland Track on the 18th Nov 2019. It was tough, amazing and an unforgettable experience. Our breaky, lunch, dinners and desserts were fantastic. Senna’s rhubarb and apple crumble was divine and that beetroot hummus dip was OMG delicious. Thank you for looking after us.” tasmanianhikes.com.au

Inspiration Outdoors

Inspiration Outdoors specialises in guided walking and cycling tours of Australia, and they’re all about adventure during the day and comfort at night. In Tasmania their trips include the Bay of Fires Walk, Bruny Island and the South Coast, Central Highlands – Cradle Mountain, Overland Track and Mt Field National Park, and the East Coast – Wineglass Bay, Maria Island, and the Three Capes Track. A relaxed, social and supportive atmosphere is central to their tours. Have a chat and enjoy the sights and smells with your walking companions. Then back at the accommodation, slip into your comfy slacks and slippers and put your feet up with a cup of

The Tarkine’s Corinna Wilderness Experience. Park Trek.

tea or a wine. Enjoy the conversation around the dinner table. And if you want to go to bed as soon as you’ve finished the last spoonful of dessert, or stay up and chat, you can. inspirationoutdoors.com.au

Coral Expeditions

Coral Expeditions spends summer leading small ship expedition cruises to the National Parks and islands of Tasmania’s southern coast, where soaring coastal cliffs meet crescentshaped beaches carved by the elements, and native wildlife can be spotted at every turn.

Sailing from Hobart, the 72-passenger yachtlike Coral Discoverer explores south into the pristine Southwest Wilderness World Heritage Area and as far north as Freycinet National Park and Wineglass Bay. Along the way, stops at Maria Island, Bruny Island, Port Arthur, Woodbridge, the Huon River, and Tasman Peninsula provide a true expedition experience of relaxation and wonder in some of Australia’s most beautiful wild regions. Activities include hiking, kayaking, interpretation by an expert Expedition team, and the opportunity in indulge onboard and ashore in Tasmania’s most tantalising produce and artisanal beers and spirits. Cruises include 10 Night Coastal Wilds of Tasmania, 10 Night Coastal Treks of Tasmania, and 16 Night Circumnavigation of Tasmania. Voyages depart from January to March 2022 and 2023. coralexpeditions.com

PRESENTED BY

GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

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PICTURE PERFECT READERS’ PHOTOS

PICTURE PERFECT

Great Walks readers send us their best bushwalking snaps.

THIS MONTH’S WINNING PHOTO

NORMAN WINS A MSR POCKETROCKET DELUXE STOVE WORTH $189!

Dolomites, Italy

Norman Herfurth, Coogee NSW Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Norman: “Sunrise at Rifugio Lagazuoi located at 2752m altitude, is the highest mountain hut in the Cortina D’Ampezzo. The view looks across to Pian Falzerego and Cinque Tori on our Alta Via 1 Dolomite 9-day trek.”

Green Gully Track, NSW David Turner, Sydney NSW Camera: Fuji Fine Pix F70EXR David: “This photo was taken at Bird’s Nest Hut on the Green Gully Track.

We were mesmerised watching the cicada coming out of its shell bit by bit, finally unfurling its wings and drying them. The photo symbolises for me the beauty, strength, fragility and grace of the natural world.”

PICTURE PERFECT READERS’ PHOTOS

38 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Nullarbor Plain, WA

Photo: Liz Robinson, Mitcham, Vic Camera: Canon PowerShot S5 1S Liz: “On the western Nullarbor, arid plains and saltbush give way to granite hills and eucalypts.

Camping at Fraser Range Station, we climbed Mt Pleasant: from the summit, the forest spread below us like a vast inland sea. The rough track back to camp was not hard to find!”

Yosemite National Park, USA

Photo: Rae H ooper, Mount Lawley WA Camera: iPhone 7S Rae: “Short lunch break for Sadie by the Merced River, Yosemite Nation Park, California. Incredible hiking country, can’t wait to get back there!”

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PRESENTED BY

Tarn Shelf, Mount Field NP, Tas

Photo: Phoebe Roberts, Huon Valley, Tas Camera: N/A Phoebe: “A visit to see the turning of the Fagus, the weather was wild and there were but only a handful of people on the shelf. The walk resulted in beautiful photos crazy experiences... and a broken leg for me! It is a risk we take to go out into these amazing places that can at times be so wild yet wonderful.

The leg is on the mend, but the prognosis is no hiking for 6-9 months so will enjoy receiving my magazines to keep me hungry for more hiking...”

WIN

WIN A POCKETROCKET DELUXE STOVE

This enhanced PocketRocket (83gm) includes a pressure regulator ideal for all-condition environments, offering consistently faster boil times than nonregulated canister-mounted stoves (1L: 3.3min). Just 10gm heavier than the PocketRocket 2, this ultralight deluxe version features a durable push-start burner head Piezo Igniter and a broad b for better heat distribution and simmering.

RRP: $189 Website: spelean.com.au

Wollumbin, NSW Joy O’Neill Warriewood NSW Camera: iPhone X Joy: “A special sunrise from Blackbutt Lookout in the Border Ranges – the eastern cloud bank amazingly mirrors the peak and ridges of the iconic Wollumbin – Mt Warning – while fog gathers below in the valleys of the Tweed. It was a magical view etched forever in my memory.”

Email your pics to: editor@greatwalks.com.au u (Subject: Picture Perfect) Please aller supply an image file no sma than 1MB. Also include a 50word caption, your address and the type of camera used.

40 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

BY THE BOOK I ERNEST HEMINGWAY

THE POWER AND THE PASSION Great Walks showcases the beauty of America’s greatest novelist Ernest Hemingway.

NOBEL prize winner Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is one of America’s greatest writers. His economical and understated style – which he termed the iceberg theory – had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his adventurous lifestyle and his public image brought him admiration from later generations. If you don’t know much about Hemingway then these short quotes from some of his most famous books might show you why you should pick up one of his novels.

stayed by the side of the boat. Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was and then went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered, and he had stayed.”

– The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

“

And just then it occurred to him that he was going to die. It came with a rush; not as a rush of water nor of wind; but of a sudden, evil-smelling emptiness and the odd thing was that the hyena slipped lightly along the edge of it.”

– The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories (1961)

He remembered the time he had hooked one of a pair of marlin. The male fish always let the female fish feed first and the hooked fish, the female, made a wild, panicstricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her, and all the time the male had stayed with her, crossing the line and circling with her on the surface. He had stayed so close that the old man was afraid he would cut the line with his tail which was sharp as a scythe and almost of that size and shape. When the old man had gaffed her and clubbed her, holding the rapier bill with its sandpaper edge and clubbing her across the top of her head until her colour turned to a colour almost like the backing of mirrors, and then, with the boy’s aid, hoisted her aboard, the male fish had

“ “

I did not say anything. I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice and the expression in vain. We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred,

and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stock yards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it.”

– A Farewell to Arms (1929)

“

He smiled as only the truly shy can smile.

It was not the easy grin of the confident, nor the quick slashing smile of the extremely durable and the wicked. It had no relation with the poised, intently used smile of the courtesan or the politician. It was the strange, rare smile which rises from the deep, dark pit, deeper than a well, deep as a mine, that is within them.”

– Across the River and into the Trees (1950)

“

The moon was up now and the trees were dark against it, and he passed the frame houses with their narrow yards, light coming from the shuttered windows; the unpaved alleys, with their double rows of houses; Conch town, where all was starched, well-shuttered, virtue, failure, grit and boiled grunts, undernourishment, prejudice, righteousness, inter-breeding and the comforts of religion; the open-doored, lighted Cuban boilto houses, shacks whose only romance was their names” – To Have and Have Not (1937)

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“

He was completely detached from every thing except the story he was writing and he was living in it as he built it. The difficult parts he had dreaded he now faced one after another and as he did the people, the country, the days and the nights, and the weather were all there as he wrote. He went on working and he felt as tired as if he had spent the night crossing the broken volcanic desert and the sun had caught him and the others with the dry gray lakes still ahead. He could feel the weight of the heavy double-barreled rifle carried over his shoulder, his hand on the muzzle, and he tasted the pebble in his mouth.

Across the shimmer of the dry lakes he could see the distant blue of the escarpment. Ahead of him there was no one, and behind was the long line of porters who knew that they had reached this point three hours too late.”

– The Garden of Eden (posthumously published in 1986)

“

Dying was nothing and he had no picture of it nor fear of it in his mind.

But living was a field of grain blowing in the wind on the side of a hill. Living was a hawk in the sky. Living was an earthen jar of water in the dust of the threshing with the grain flailed out and the chaff blowing. Living was a horse between your legs and a carbine under one leg and a hill and a valley and a stream with trees along it and the far side of the valley and the hills beyond.”

– For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

“

All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already. Now, looking out the tunnel of trees over the ravine at the sky with white clouds moving across in the wind, I loved the country so that I was

happy as you are after you have been with a woman that you really love, when, empty, you feel it welling up again and there it is and you can never have it all and yet what there is, now, you can have, and you want more and more, to have, and be, and live in, to possess now again for always, for that long suddenended always; making time stand still, sometimes so very still that afterwards you wait to hear it move, and it is slow in starting.

But you are not alone because if you have ever really loved her happy and untragic, she loves you always; no matter whom she loves nor where she goes she loves you more.”

– Green Hills of Africa (1935) Speaking of the Hemingway, check out our new Words of Wisdom columnist Katrina Hemingway on pg99 (No relation. That we know of...) – Ed

GREAT DAY WALKS ALPINE NP, VIC

42 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Left: Standing on Mt Loch.

Great Walks explore some of Alpine NP’s historic huts.

GIMME SHELTER WORDS AND PHOTOS_ELISHA DONKIN ON my first visit to Alpine National Park in Victoria, I headed up to the Hotham Alpine Resort in search of some decent day walks that would offer an ideal introduction to the region.

The Huts Walk seemed to be the perfect fit, taking in three historic huts and offering a stunning variety of views and terrain all within one long day.

The trail forms a wide loop from Hotham village with plenty of options for short detours and side trips. I decided to tackle the all-encompassing circuit for a total of 19.5km, including the three huts and Mount Loch summit.

You can begin the Huts Walk at either Mount Loch carpark or the Davenport Access Track, both located along the Great Alpine Road at Hotham. In fact, if you have two cars, it’s ideal to have one parked at both trailheads to avoid the 2.8km along the road.

I decided to set off from Mount Loch carpark on a crisp summer morning following Machinery Spur Track with views across to the striking Mount Feathertop and beyond to Mount Buffalo. After almost 3km, I reached a track junction and the first optional detour of the Huts Walk.

The official trail turns right, but I opted to continue ahead and complete the additional 1.7km return trip to Mount Loch. If you pick a clear day, the incredible panorama of the national park from the summit is a worthy reward for the additional work.

The trail then follows the Australian Alps Walking Track towards Derrick Hut. While it veers off to the right just before it, you can complete the 800m return detour to visit the wooden ski shelter originally built in 1967. The walk deviates from here at a signed junction towards Spargo’s. For a few hundred metres the trail is vaguely defined, but as long as you follow the orange snow poles you will come to the trail heading down to the hut.

The iconic Spargo’s Hut is one of the oldest structures in the Alpine region and has survived a number of bushfires since it was built in the 1920s. It’s an ideal spot for some lunch, although there’s not a whole lot of shelter on offer from the hot sun. The trail then heads down the steep switchbacks of Golden Point Spur to Swindler’s Creek.

It was a relief to finally reach the sound of flowing water and the relatively flat Cobungra Ditch trail until it merged with the Davenport Access Track. From there, an optional detour heads down to the more recently built Silver Brumby Hut for a 2.8km return trip.

Otherwise, you can head straight up the access track to the Great Alpine Road. If you managed to leave a car here the walk is done, but I had the somewhat mundane ramble back along the road to Mount Loch carpark before I could feel the elation of completing this wonderful day walk in the Aussie Alps.

Need to know: parks.vic.gov.au

WALK NOTES HUTS WALK, ALPINE NP, VIC Time: 6-8hr | Length: 19.5km | Grade: Moderate-Hard 2km

Mt Loch

Derrick hut Swindlers Creek

start Silver Brumby hut

Great Alpine Road end

Spargo’s hut

When you spend the day walking and biking along sunny trails, the experience can be breathtaking in more ways than one. But don’t worry, you’ll see astounding vistas and fascinating wildlife at every turn, so your hard work will just keep paying off.

Discover more at travelyukon.com

Tombstone Territorial Park

YG/Cathie Archbould

44 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

The dramatic beauty of Tombstone Territorial Park.

GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS YUKON, CANADA

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

Great Walks explores Canada’s Yukon province and discovers a land of wild trails and ripping yarns.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_BRENT MCKEAN

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GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS

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YUKON, CANADA

IT’S a tradition that’s been around for almost 50 years. The sourtoe cocktail has become a musttry at the former Yukon gold mining town of Dawson City and it’s exactly what is sounds like: a human toe preserved in salt, used to garnish shots of whisky. The first toe belonged to a miner and rumrunner named Louie Liken, who had his frostbitten appendage amputated in the 1920s. Fifty years later, in 1973, Yukon local ‘Captain’ Dick Stevenson found the jar containing the toe and took it to the Sourdough Saloon where he started plonking it into punters’ drinks. And now it was my turn. The motto for Canada’s Yukon province is ‘North of Ordinary’ and after joining the Sourtoe Cocktail Club I could see why.

Of course, there’s more to the Yukon than just slamming shots in bars and I was here to experience the area’s amazing wilderness and unique Indigenous and gold rush history. Ok, and the odd whisky bar.

Town and country

After a long flight from Sydney to Vancouver and an internal flight to Whitehorse, I had the day to explore Yukon’s largest town.

Whitehorse is a bit like Jindabyne – a great jumping off point for all things outdoors.

Within the town there are a few highlights including the Takhini Hot Springs, the

MacBride Museum of Yukon History, Yukon Breweries and the S. S. Klondike, the last steamboat to cruise the Yukon River, now a museum. You can see most of these things on the 5km paved Whitehorse Millennium Trail.

Also, according to Guinness World Records, due to its latitude Whitehorse is the city with the least air pollution in the world!

After Whitehorse, I flew to the former gold rush town of Dawson City and it looks like it’s straight out of a John Ford western – with its wide unpaved streets, well preserved shop fronts and gorgeous heritage timber buildings. You could easily spend a couple of days exploring the town that was home to Jack London (author of frontier novels such as White Fang and Call of the Wild) and iconic poet Robert W. Service, who wrote of life in the gold rush era.

Dawson has plenty of highlights including the Jack London Museum, Canada’s first casino Diamond Tooth Gerties (make sure you get there for the old-time stage show) and Dredge No. 4 on Bonanza Creek – the largest wooden hull dredge in the world – which looks a bit like a Civil War battleship. Local operator Klondike Experience offers a variety of tours that will allow you to explore Dawson and surround on foot, mountain bike or car.

And they also offer winter trips to view the incredible Northern Lights.

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“

THE FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE WHO OWN THE PARK ARE THE TR’ONDËK HWËCH’IN, OR ‘PEOPLE OF THE RIVER’

”

Jesse Cooke, owner of Klondike Experience, has lived in Dawson for quite a few years and I asked him why he loved it here. “I love the extreme seasons, the pace of life, and the culture. We’ve got very long days in the summer – it gets hot and sunny, people come from all over the world to visit, and the sun never sets. It’s intense, but it’s all worth it when late August comes around, the nights start to get dark, things slow down a little and the Northern Lights make their appearance once again.

“The pace of life here in Dawson is like no other I’ve ever experienced. Most people are very informal, most businesses take credit, locals know pretty well everyone, and visitors feel safe and welcomed by the community. It’s this small-town culture that I really love.”

There’s gold in them thar hills

One of the biggest single factors that changed the face of the Yukon was the Klondike gold rush of 1896-1899. In August 1896 gold was discovered by three men just outside of what would eventually be Dawson City. When news reached Seattle and San Francisco the following year, it triggered a stampede of prospectors. To get to the gold, prospectors had to cross the infamous Chilkoot Trail – now one of the region’s most famous walking trails.

During the course of the gold rush more than 300,000 prospectors, their families, horses and equipment used that trail. It was arduous and dangerous. Each prospector was required to bring a year’s supply of food by the Canadian authorities in order to avoid starvation. In all, their equipment weighed close to a tonne, which for most had to be carried in stages by the prospectors. By the time the gold rush was over most prospectors left empty-handed – and it’s these stories of dreams and hardship, man versus nature, that Jack London and Robert W. Service wrote about with such passion.

The people of the river

After exploring Dawson City, I headed to Tombstone Territorial Park on a self-guided walk. Klondike Experience provided all the gear – tent, sleeping map, food, gas cooker… and bear-proof food container. Yep, Tombstone has bears. I didn’t see any, but it pays to be careful, so you have to carry bear spray and keep your food in a lock-up odour-proof canister. They’re heavy but necessary.

The trailhead is a 1.5hr drive from Dawson and Klondike Experience arranged the dropoff and pick-up. Before the walk you must visit the park’s excellent information centre, fill out a trip intention form and attend a short bear safety briefing.

Clockwise from above: Grizzly Lake, Tombstone Territorial Park.

The sourtoe cocktail. Not for everyone...

Totem pole, Whitehorse.

The raw beauty of Tombstone Territorial Park.

48 |

“

ALL THIS STEEP WALKING AND CARRYING A HEAVY PACK CERTAINLY GOT MY HEART RATE UP

”

Top to bottom: Heading to Divide Lake.

Robert W. Service’s original house at Dawson City.

The campsite at Grizzle Lake contains bear-proof food boxes.

Opposite: View from the Midnight Dome over the Yukon River near Dawson City.

Tombstone Territorial Park’s 2200km2 protects a unique wilderness of rugged peaks, permafrost landforms and abundant wildlife, all reflected in a rich First Nations culture.

The First Nations people who own the park are the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, or ‘people of the river’, and are descendants of the Hänspeaking people who have lived along the Yukon River for thousands of years. They travelled extensively throughout the territory living on salmon and caribou.

In the mid-19th century, European fur traders and missionaries established a presence in the territory. Contact with the newcomers presented new challenges and opportunities for the Hän. Trade increased and new goods and economic practices were introduced. And then there was that gold rush... After an hour at the interpretative centre, it was time to hit the track. The trailhead is a 15min drive from the centre and Klondike Experience helped with the drop-off too.

The hard yards

The first day’s walk was 11km (6hr/difficult) to the Grizzly Lake campsite. The first part was through thick treelined bush and it’s here I had to be a bit noisy, so I didn’t startle any bears.

Fortunately, I had to practice singing a Bon Jovi number I was performing at a fundraiser at my kids’ school so at least I had an excuse to raise my voice. And singing in the wilderness is so much more inspiring than in the shower!

The elevation gain was gradual until a series of switchbacks popped me out of the forest and above the treeline. The trail then followed a steep ridgeline that I stayed on for the next couple of hours. All this steep walking and carrying a heavy pack certainly got my heart rate up.

There was a lovely viewpoint halfway along the track where I got my first glimpse of Grizzly Lake and the surrounding Mount Monolith, which wouldn’t look out of place in Patagonia. However, I still had three solid hours of walking ahead of me and when the wind picked up it was head down, push on.

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GREAT WILDERNESS WALKS YUKON, CANADA

The walk continued to be slow going, often on scree slope, loose gravel and large boulders, so I took my time. However, once at the campsite the first thing I noticed was how gorgeous the place was. In front of me was a crystal-clear glacial lake and Mount Monolith towered above me like some silent sentinel.

The campsite had tent pads, cooking/eating facilities and excellent drop toilets. I was pretty stuffed after that long day, so it was an early dinner (but a very tasty one thanks to the yummy food Klondike Experience supplied) and early to bed. However, as the days were long, and it was still very bright outside I had to cover my eyes with a t-shirt. I should have heeded the advice I was given and taken a sleeping eye patch. That’ll learn me.

Peaks and passes

The next day’s walk was to Divide Lake 6km away (3.5hr/difficult). That doesn’t sound far, but the first hour was walking up an incredibly steep route to Glissade Pass (1811m) so bring walking poles, you won’t regret it. After taking a breather at the top I knew I had to go down the other side and from the grade of the route and the terrain it was a bit of a hair-raising prospect!

The trail down is all loose scree, so I had to dig my heels in and take it slow and steady. It took quite some effort, however, soon enough the loose scree was replaced by rock slabs and boulders, then I was at the bottom. From there it was an easy walk along a gorgeous meadow for 4km to Divide Lake campground – with yet more stunning views and similar campsite facilities. From there you can carry on to Talus Lake (6km/2.5hr/ easy) as a day trip or camp out at Talus.

However, I only had four days in the park so the last two were spent going back the way I came, including that challenging walk up to Glissade Pass and another night at Grizzly Lake. It really was a great walk.

Returning to the trailhead after four fine days of solo trekking I took my boots off and noticed a blackened bloodshot toenail and it reminded me of our mate Louie Liken. I just hoped it was only the nail that would drop off and not the whole toe, else there was the chance it would end up in a shot glass in Dawson City!

Need to know: For more info on Klondike Experience visit klondikeexperience.com. For info on visiting the Yukon go to travelyukon.com.

YUKON’S KLUANE NATIONAL PARK The Auriol Trail, in another Yukon must-visit Kluane National Park, is a moderate loop that takes in pristine boreal forest, subalpine terrain and epic mountain slopes.

The park is teeming with wildlife, including Dall sheep, caribou, moose, grizzlies and black bears, as well as smaller mammals and plenty of birdlife. Hike the loop in four hours or take your time and spend the day enjoying the vistas over Haines Junction and the distant Ruby Ranges. Serious hikers can use this route to access the more challenging Quill Peak and Mt. Martha Black.

As the name suggests, Sheep Creek Trail is ideal for viewing Dall sheep in the spring.

The trail incorporates several beautiful viewpoints of the Slims River Valley, and even the famous Kaskawulsh Glacier. Feeling energetic? Continue along the Thechàl Dhâl Ridge route to the top of Thechàl Dhâl (Sheep Mountain). You’ll be rewarded with stunning views of Kluane Lake, Outpost Mountain, Red Castle Ridge, the Ruby Range and the Sheep-Bullion Plateau.

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GREAT COASTAL WALKS

SAND, SURF & SOLITUDE

14 OF THE BEST

Great Walks showcases 14 mighty mainland coastal tracks – from Albany to Eden (and plenty in-between!)

WORDS_SARAH STACKMAN

IN 1811, French explorer Louis de Freycinet was the first person to map the entire coastline of Australia, a vast area of dramatic rocky outcrops, imposing cliffs, endless bays and pristine beaches.

Many parts of this coastline are truly remote, even dangerous, but there are plenty that can be explored safely on foot. So here we present 14 spectacular walks that showcase mainland Australia’s southern coastline.

Western Australia

If the eastern states are the glitzy siblings, then WA is the quietly gorgeous western cousin who remains a mystery to all who pass her by. More’s the pity, for Australia’s biggest state holds grandeur you’ll not find anywhere else, and you don’t have to hike the whole Bibbulmun to find it.

Bald Head Trails Walk

Best for: Coastal ridgeline lovers on an Albany weekend away.

You’d be hard pressed to find a better day out than this wonderfully immersive photographer’s dream just a hop, skip and a jump from Albany. Following the peninsula out and back again, every corner unleashes another stunning snapshot of the King George Sound and Southern Ocean; you’ll feel like you’re tip-toeing along a giant’s jetty. The track needs a little maintenance so bring long trousers and a can-do attitude, but it’s not difficult and easily done in 4-5 leisurely hours with time for a sunset swim at Misery Bay on the way home.

Info: 12.5km (old signs are out of date) / 4-5 hours

/ bring fly repellent in summer / independent / bring water / return track. Area: Albany Web: trailswa.com.au/trails/bald-head-walk-trail

Sheila Hill Memorial Walk Best for: Fun scrambles and sea views.

If you find yourself at a loose end near Denmark in WA’s far south, you’ll find hills, thrills (and hopefully no spills!) at Mt Sheila.

Following the classic Bibbulmun Track markers, this is a fun (occasional scramble) up granite boulders to sea views with lots of shaggy forests for variety. Easily done as a there and back to save the car shuffle, it’s a lovely day out with fabulous scenery. Note: it’s easy to extend or get lost in those extra bits so keep the phone handy for redirections.

Info: 5.5km one way/ 1-2 hours / bring your own water / medium to hard in sections / independent / nearest town Denmark.

Web: thelifeofpy.com/sheila-hill-memorial-track

Mamang Trail

Best for: Pristine white sands far from the crowds, and maybe a bit of whalewatching.

Mamang is a south coast Aboriginal name for “whale”, many traditional stories point to the close relationship the Noongar people have with these annual visitors to this coast. If you’re lucky you might get to see them as they join your pilgrimage to this lovely place. The trail itself is a great mix of beach and track, with crazy twisting coastal woodland providing natural avenues to unbelievable beaches. The sunsets will absolutely blow you away with

light rarely seen outside of east Asia. Best walked March to November, the trail can easily be broken into smaller sections.

Info: 1-3 days (13 hours) / 31km return / camping available / bring your own water / general area: Ravensthorpe / Fitzgerald River. More info contact: Albany@dbca.wa.gov.au Web: trailswa.com.au/trails/mamang-trail

South Australia

Known for the mega thru hike the Heysen Trail, that’s not all SA has to offer – our friends in “Radelaide” have been keeping a lot of secrets! There’s plenty of day and overnight

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Above: Light to Light.

tasters of the Heysen to be enjoyed, as well as options to choose your own adventure in pretty coastal places you may never have heard of.

Ridgeway Hill Walking Trail

Best for: Those who want a win/win weekend for fishing, camping and walking.

This sweet little trail follows a loop through the quieter areas of Newland Head Conservation Park and can be linked up with other small hikes in the area. You can’t swim at the nearby Waitpinga campground due to strong currents but it’s a great place to set up camp for the night and let the sound of distant waves lull you

gently off to sleep. Keep an eye out for furry friends, especially echidnas and kangaroos.

Info: 7.5km loop / 2-3 hours / easy / under 2 hours’ drive from Adelaide / if you’re into sea fishing there’s plenty of great spots to fill out the second day of the weekend. General area: Encounter Bay near the Heysen Trail.

Web: southaustraliantrails.com/trails/ridgewayhill-loop-hike

Coast to Vines and Shiraz Rail Trail

Best for: If you want a leisurely food and wine weekend with something to work up the appetite.

TNSW

GREAT COASTAL WALKS

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13 OF THE BEST

The longer (38km) Coast to Vines Trail includes the 14km Shiraz Trail, an easy going odyssey of paved bike and walking paths wandering happily between McLaren Vale and Willunga.

Sampling all the food, wine (and chocolate!) your heart could possibly desire along the way, the trail is built along a winery-lined old rail corridor, is 95 per cent off vehicle access roads and is almost completely flat. With guided bike trips and independent options abound, this is an easy day out for pretty much everyone.

Info: 38km / 14km / 2-3 hours walking / under an hour from Adelaide / wheelchair accessible / plenty of water, food and drink / independent or guided. Area: McLaren Vale (The Weekend Notes website has a good guide).

Web: walkingsa.org.au/walk/find-a-place-towalk/coast-to-vines-rail-trail

Coastal Cliffs Walking Trail Loop Best for: Great Southern Ocean views and the variety of trails.

In the same vicinity as Ridgeway Hill (and the Heysen) south of Adelaide, the 8.6km Coastal Cliffs Walking Trail loop is part of a larger network of small walks in and around Encounter Bay, ranging from 600m to 11.5km (the Walking SA website has an excellent map).

It’s possible to link them all over a weekend if you can find someone nice to car shuffle for you (maybe that sea fishing enthusiast partner?). This section is a diverse little walk mixing fire trail and single track with coastal views you can knock out in a morning.

Above: Fitzgerald River NP, WA. Tourism WA

Info: 8.6km loop / 2-3 hours / under 2 hours from Adelaide / bring your own water / independent Web: walkingsa.org.au/walk/find-a-place-towalk/coastal-cliffs-walking-trail-newland-head/

Right: Give yourself time for a vineyard tour on the Coast to Vines Trail, SA. WEEKENDNOTES.COM

Victoria

With free entry to national parks and a strong outdoor education program, many hikers’ first experience of the outdoors is in Victoria. While you’ve probably heard of the Alpine ranges and the Grampians, did you know there’s a lot to be loved within two hours of Melbourne and some right on the front doorstep?

Airey’s Inlet Beach and Clifftop Loop

Best for: Those wanting a moderate day walk on a Great Ocean Road trip.

A great day out on the Great Ocean Road, this salty, sea-edged loop ticks all the boxes for a coastal explore. Starting near the Split Point Lighthouse and continuing along limestone cliff tops to Sunnymead Beach, there’s history, birdwatching, rock pools and beaches, so

bring the cozzies. Dogs are usually fine, and it’s worth getting up early for the sunrise over the spectacular beach views. Want a longer challenge? The 44km Surf Coast Walk tracks all the way from Airey’s Inlet to Torquay.

Info: 11km loop / 3-4 hours / moderate to medium grade / under two hours’ drive from Melbourne just past Anglesea / bring your own water / There’s also a challenging MTB route in Airey’s Inlet if that’s your cup of tea.

Web: walkingmaps.com.au/walk/127

Baldry’s Crossing to Cape Schanck

Best for: A group with a couple of cars for the shuffle, where variety is key.

Beginning your strides towards the ocean

at Baldry’s Crossing picnic area, the track winds through 16km of varying terrain and scenery before arriving triumphant at the Cape Schnacks Lighthouse. Mainly level, there’s a lot to see including farmland reminiscent of Dorset’s hills, woodland stuffed to the gills with ferns and grass trees flaunting their punky hairdos, tea-trees perfuming the air and pretty silver banksia tempting the bees. To top it all off there are coastal inlets channelling fresh water to the ocean and plenty of photo opportunities on the pretty beaches.

Info: 16km one way (can be done there and back but it’s a big day) / 4-5 hours / 1.5 hours from Melbourne / bring your own water / General area: Rosebud/ Portsea.

Web: bushwalkingvictoria.org.au/item/baldry-scrossing-cape-schanck

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New South Wales

Walking in NSW doesn’t need much introduction with hiking such a large drawcard for the state. Sydney, Blue Mountains, Kangaroo Valley ... everyone knows the regular haunts near the capital. But did you know the far south coast has had a huge push in recent years to open up its wild spaces for people just like yourself?

Nadgee Wilderness Walk

Best for: Isolation and ruggedness all to yourself.

Not to be confused with Namadgi in the ACT, the Nadgee Wilderness Walk is even further south than the Light to Light and is a step up for both navigation and isolation (with a little difficulty they can be linked). For the dedicated grade 5 hiker however, the sheer beauty, isolation and ruggedness of this magnificent place will peel your eyes and heart open to everything that beeping phone has dulled. Fantastic for birdwatching, whale watching in the spring, water dragon spotting and dolphin seeking, the trail is a mixture of open moors, long stretches of beach, fire trails and coastal tracks.

Notes: it’s worth bringing something to suffocate ticks with such as Vaseline and you’ll need to register for a Parks NSW permit ($10 day) and numbers are limited. Call the NPWS office at Merimbula to ask about river levels before you set off on (02) 64955000.

Info: 55km / 3-5 days / need to organise a boat transfer / 4 hours from Canberra / when you’ve registered you’re given a map with water sources (less in summer).

Web: australianhiking.com/nadgee-wilderness-walk

Bingi Dreaming Track

Best For: An Immersive experience of Indigenous Australian history.

Arthur’s Seat State Park Combined Walks

Best for: When you want options for shorter or longer walks with great rewards close to home.

The Arthur’s Seat State Park is a pretty little reserve on the way to Portsea and very accessible from Melbourne. There’s lots to see and do for a day out including mountain biking, birdwatching, picnicking, BBQing and of course, hiking. The best map of the walks can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y66mhckm with options from 1km right up to the 26km Two Bays Walk, many of them can be combined easily and all offer excellent nature escapes. The Lookout Circuit is the best bet if you’re short on time at only 20 minutes.

Info: 1km up to 26km one way / 30mins from Frankston / easy / lots of amenities including cafes / some natural water sources on the Two Bays walk but bring your own too.

Web: parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/arthursseat-state-park

Point Nepean Walk

Best for: Lovers of history and the ocean air

Head out to the very tip of Portsea and you’ll find the Point Nepean National Park just waiting to delight history buffs and walking lovers alike, with the 14.5km circuit walk showing off some of the best examples of WW2 defences, fortifications and gun embattlements in the Southern Hemisphere.

There’s also extensive Indigenous history including middens from the Boonwurrung Nation and the quarantine station’s various uses over the years are a fascinating insight into the area’s history. Adding all this to some very stunning scenery it’s a great excuse for a stroll. Also view the site and memorial where Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing while swimming at the nearby Cheviot Beach.

Info: 14.5kms / 3+ hours / under an hour from Melbourne / some water available.

Web: trailhiking.com.au/point-nepean-walk/

The Bingi Dreaming Track follows an ancient songline or ‘dreaming track’ of the Brinja-Yuin people through fantastic, twisted red-tinged forests, rocky vantage points, lush greenery and white sandy beaches ripe for a swim. This is a special place requiring an open heart and mind; keep your eyes peeled as you wander for evidence of people living, loving, celebrating and mourning here long before the pyramids were even a spark in the Pharaoh’s eye. Finish at Tuross Head if you fancy a coffee overlooking the water at the end.

Info: 13.5km / 4-6 hours or over two days there and back staying at one of the towns either end / grade 3 / close to Batemans Bay / Indigenous tours available including sea plane at Bingi Dreaming Tours or walk independently.

Web: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/ walking-tracks/bingi-dreaming-track

Hare Point Walking Track

Best for: When you want to work hard at being lazy.

This is the track for warm sunny days with your toes in the sand and a pack of salty fish

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and chips from Hyams Beach under your arm. It’s easy and flat, almost all on sand and just long enough to justify planning nothing else for your day but strolling along the white expanses, swimming through the deep blue water, exploring mangroves and working hard on your tan. There’s no directional markers but if you use common sense and keep an eye on the track you’ll be fine.

Info: 6km return / 2-3 hours (not counting time snoozing on the sand) / bring water, cozzies / The grandkid’s tiny hands in yours.

Web: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/ walking-tracks/hare-point-walking-track

Light to Light Walk

Best for: An iconic walk experience with very pretty light and beaches galore.

If you go down to the southern seas you’re in for a big surprise, there’s a wonderful three day adventure escape but it’s kind of in disguise! Leave the Sydney crowds far behind and head far south towards Eden, where hidden past acres of lonely state forest make for a true hiker’s fairytale. Secluded inlets (with occasional jellyfish), little green glens, wild coastal heathland bursting with wildflowers and history abound it’s tempting

Above: Nadgee Wilderness Walk.

to simply turn around and walk back again, which is entirely doable as the trail can be done in either direction over 1-4 days. The lighthouse structures at either end are a nod to the walk’s name.

DESTINATION NSW

Opposite: Cape Schanck, Vic.

Info: 31km one way / 1-4 days / 7 hours from Sydney, 4 hours from Canberra / water halfway and at Green Cape Lighthouse if you ask very nicely.

Web: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/ walking-tracks/light-to-light-walk

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Waterproofing your packs contents is essential.

FANTASY ISLAND Australia’s remote Cocos Keeling Islands offers a truly unique atoll walk.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_RIK SODERLUND

GREAT ATOLL WALKS COCOS KEELING ISLANDS

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GREAT ATOLL WALKS COCOS KEELING ISLANDS

58 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

SEEMINGLY adrift in the enormity of the Indian Ocean, the remote Cocos Keeling Islands sit atop the remains of ancient volcanic activity and offer a remarkable walking opportunity. And despite the fact they’re geographically closer to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, these idyllic isles located thousands of kilometres from the WA coast are actually an external territory of Australia.

First sighted in 1609 by Captain William Keeling of the East India Company, the islands have had a turbulent history. English Merchant Alexander Hare – infamous for establishing a harem – was the first settler in 1826. Soon after, Scottish trader Captain John Clunies-Ross arrived on the islands alongside his family with the intention of settling the islands. Under Clunies-Ross’s rule the islands soon became a powerhouse of copra production which continued until the 1980s. The legacy

of this industry is still highly visible in the sheer number of coconut palms that dominate the landscape. In 1955, the islands officially became an external territory of Australia and it wasn’t until 1978 that the Clunies-Ross family relinquished control of the islands and sold them to the Australian Government.

The Cocos Keeling Islands are made up of 27 individual islands with a permanent population of just over 500 people spread between two of these islands, Home and West Island.

Descendants of the original plantation workers still reside on Home Island and live in a traditional Malay kampong, which in many aspects feels very much like a small piece of Malaysia. West Island is home to around 100 Australian mainland expats including ancestors of the Clunies-Ross family. The remaining 25 islands are pristine, uninhabited and beckoning to be explored.

Gliding on

On West Island, boarding Cahaya Baru, a sleek modern, air-conditioned ferry for the 30 minute trip across the lagoon is a rare way to start a walk. Gliding across the crystal-clear waters of the inner lagoon, scattered coral reefs break up the endless kaleidoscope of blues.

Dark shapes can be spotted moving towards the surface where the strikingly ornate shell of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle reveals itself briefly before descending to the depths once again. Midway through the crossing, the entire atoll is visible, including the highest point of the islands standing at an insignificant 13m above sea level. At a little over 14 sq km, the islands are a mere speck in the expanse of the Indian Ocean that covers in excess of 70 million sq km.

As the mooring lines pull tight and the crew secure the ferry alongside the Home Island jetty,

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it is immediately apparent that you have arrived somewhere very special. Walking up the paved roads towards the kampong the wafting aroma of Malay food immediately induces pangs of hunger. The proud and little understood culture of the Cocos Malay people is evident in the cleanliness and welcoming feel the community has. An older resident, his skin wrinkled from decades of exposure to the sun, tinkers with his outboard motor and smiles broadly whilst saying selamat pagi, which translates to “good morning” as we stroll past. The paved laneways, traditional dress, authentic buildings and ladies cooking outside on coconut husk fuelled fires all attest to the significant cultural diversity of these incredible islands.

Reluctantly and with the realisation that we still have over 18km to cover it is time to leave the kampong and the delightful people who reside there and commence the atoll walk

in earnest. As the paved laneways transition to a meandering gravel road, we are afforded an enticing view of our finishing point, the southern end of West Island.

My island Home

Progressing along Jalang Kampong Atas, the trail that leads to the southern end of Home Island, the scene of stillness and tranquility belies what is happening on the other side of the island. The unrestrained Indian Ocean is in a relentless battle with the fringing reef of the islands. Tasked with enduring the brunt of the ruthless open ocean swell that pummels into the islands, the wave washed tidal zone is resisting the ocean and holding its own against the might of a force intent on overcoming it.

Abruptly, Home Island physically ends and with that, the intent of the atoll walk

Main: The thought of getting marooned on one of these islands is appealing.

Below: Cocos Malay children live an idylic lifestyle.

Bottom: As the tide comes in the amount of real estate to walk on starts to decrease.

GREAT ATOLL WALKS COCOS KEELING ISLANDS

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is immediately apparent as we are faced with the first of many water crossings. The aforementioned uninhabited islands are accessible on foot only on certain low tides.

During normal tidal ranges, the expanse between the islands is awash with water and impossible to negotiate on foot.

Stepping into the water for the first channel crossing to Pulu Ampang brings certainty that you are in the tropics. The warmth of the water is a subtle reminder that the Equator lies just 12° north and this induces a sudden mindset change that the channel crossings will be a favourable aspect of this journey. With water temperatures hovering around 28°C and a similar air temperature it is hard to remember what cold feels like. As we navigate across the channel teeming with marine life, brightly coloured fish can be seen scurrying about in search of a new area of concealment to ambush their next unsuspecting meal.

Like the cultural diversity of these islands, the landscape is constantly varying as it adapts to the ever-changing rhythm of the ocean and climate. The shapes of the islands are constantly altering due to the combined influence of erosion and deposition. Leaving the paved roads and remnant vegetation of Home Island behind, the terrain markedly changes to exposed rocky shores littered with shattered fragments of coral. Travelling further, faultless white sandy beaches come together with thick, overgrown coconut forest.

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Clockwise from left: After successfully summiting Mount Cocos the descent takes around 45 seconds.

A local woman using traditional cooking methods.

The Cocos Malay locals are extremely welcoming and friendly.

Welcome to Home Island an amazing a little known part of Australia.

Every turn a tern

A constant companion throughout the duration of our walk is a charming little bird, the white tern (gygis alba). Inquisitive by nature and a noticeable lack of fear have them circling above us seemingly encouraging us on our journey. Out to sea, frigate and booby birds can be seen tirelessly scanning the ocean surface for signs of life.

Traversing the wild and windswept coast of South Island frequently reveals unique objects washed up on the shoreline.

The south-easterly trade winds, which for centuries have propelled trading vessels around the globe, now deposit unsettling reminders of human kinds’ impact on our planet. Whilst resting in the shade of a swaying coconut palm, sweat beading on my forehead it is difficult to grasp that the nearest landmass to the south is Antarctica, some 6,000km away. These islands really are in the middle of nowhere.

During this rest break, we decide to make an attempt on the summit of the high point of the islands. Discussions surrounding suitable equipment, supplementary oxygen and appropriate altitude sickness prevention take place ensuring we are adequately prepared for this challenge. Starting at sea level we commence our summit attempt with vigour. Three minutes later we are proudly standing on the summit of a 13m high sand dune! This high point was used during WWII as an observation point and a battered

concrete slab reveals the inscription: CPL MR FERDINANDS / CEYLON ENGINEERS / 21st FEBRUARY 1942. Emerging from the jumble of competing plants, the remains of an old ablutions block appear on the edge of the trail. The islands have a wealth of littleknown military history including the Royal Australian Navy’s first victory at sea by the HMAS Sydney against the German raider, the SMS Emden.

Still basking in glory after our successful summit attempt, we opt to head inland away from the coast. The hypnotic sound of waves colliding with the shore is replaced by the scurrying of crabs in the undergrowth. Dense vegetation and more solid ground make a pleasant change from the tiring soft sand of the beach front. Strategically placed fishing buoys, hung from branches, lead us back to the inner lagoon.

All too soon a flawless vista exposes itself and the final stretch of our walk is upon us. The view across to West Island invokes sobering thoughts that this incredible journey is nearing its conclusion. The late afternoon light casts enchanting shadows on the glistening sand as juvenile reef sharks systematically patrol the shoreline. With aching muscles and encouraged on by the thought of a cold drink and air conditioning, we plunge into the tropical waters once more. As the tide begins to rise, exploring the few remaining postcard perfect islands is a fitting conclusion to what is truly a great walk.

NEED TO KNOW The Cocos Keeling Islands are accessible twice weekly via a four-hour Virgin Australia flight from Perth International Airport. It is essential that you plan your trip to coincide with the lower end of the tidal range. A low tide of 0.3m or less is required to complete the walk. The islands have two main seasons, the trade winds season from May until October and the locally known doldrums from November until April. The walk can be completed at any time of year subject to the tide. More info: cocoskeelingislands.com.au

62 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES

TOTAL MELTDOWN Great Walks gets to the bottom of heat exhaustion after experiencing it first-hand.

WORDS_BRENT MCKEAN

“HYDRATE, hydrate, hydrate.” That’s what I was told on the first day of my desert hike in the Red Centre. I was with a group of bushwalkers experiencing the Simpson Desert and the on-site doctor didn’t mince his words. I’d been to this part of Australia many times but never so early into the walking season. It was late April and the daytime temperature would be at least 35°C and only a few degrees cooler in the shade. So I did what I was told: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I added electrolytes to my waterbottle and wore a wide brimmed hat. I did everything I could to stay cool and yet I still got heat exhaustion.

Delayed reaction

The strange thing was I didn’t experience it until I was out of the desert and on my way back to Sydney on the plane. We left the Simpson on the sixth day after having a really enjoyable walk and drove back to Alice Springs.

I do remember having a headache that night at the hotel but when I woke in the morning to catch my flight home I felt completely fine. I had breakfast and caught a cab to the airport.

The first hour of the flight to Melbourne was fine and I happily read my book. After about 90 minutes I began to feel hot and clammy and my head began to throb. I thought this was pretty strange so I drank water and tried to forget about it. Soon enough this heavy fatigue hit me

and I was no longer able to read my book so I tried to snooze, but I just felt worse.

Once the plane landed in Melbourne I had no time to think about what was going on as I had to rush to catch my connecting flight to Sydney. By the time I boarded that flight I felt terrible and heavily fatigued. I could barely stay awake so I closed my eyes and when I woke up the plane had landed in Sydney. I didn’t feel any better and I began to think I didn’t have the strength to get up and collect my baggage from the carousel, but I knew I couldn’t sit there.

I stood up to get my bag from the overhead locker and bang! I hit the floor in a faint. The lady behind me yelled for help and suddenly I was surrounded by members of the crew trying to work out what was wrong with me. At that point in my fog-filled brain I thought this might be heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.

I tried to explain this to one of the members of the crew who was checking my pulse but I wasn’t making much sense.

Worse for wear

After some minutes they got me up on a seat so the other passengers could pass and I was given oxygen, which I don’t know if it helped or not.

After much discussion I was wheelchaired off the plane and I immediately threw up in the

airport lounge. I continued to talk gibberish and someone called an ambulance. The ambulance officer checked my vitals which were all fine. I got to the hospital and the triage nurse asked me lots of questions that I can’t remember then they put me in the A&E waiting room where my partner Holly was anxiously waiting. I had rung her at the airport but I made no sense over the phone so I handed it to someone who explained the situation as best they could.

The first hour at A&E I could hardly stay awake and was still talking gibberish. My limbs were heavy and I sat crumpled over the chair quietly moaning. However, after another hour I began to come to. After 2.5 hours and still not seeing a doctor I told Holly I felt good enough to go home as our kids were being looked after and they needed to be home.

Once home I went straight to bed and felt slightly better in the morning but I took the day off work. The following day I felt even better and saw a doctor to get the all-clear. The doctor organised some blood tests and they were all fine but she did confirm I had suffered heat exhaustion. And yet I still don’t really know what happened. I was the only person on the desert trip to get it. So why me and could I have done anything else to prevent it? And why did it take so long for the heat exhaustion to affect me? I decided to speak to a professional to get a better understanding of heat-related illnesses.

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Far left: Hydrated hiker = happy hiker.

Left: Walking in hot environments like deserts can result in heat-related illness.

Ask the expert

Meet Dr Matt Brearley, a thermal physiologist, and Australia’s pre-eminent occupational heat stress consultant.

GRW: What’s the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke?

Matt: “People use the terms interchangeably but they are very different. Heat stroke is clinically diagnosable but with heat exhaustion there are no clinical guidelines for that. It’s more based on an opinion.

“Heat stoke is where you have two diagnosable conditions. Firstly, you have a core temperature above 40°C which is extremely high. Heat stroke is an illness of the motivated. You have to be motivated to reach that core temperature.

During this time your body will be giving you all the messaging to slow down, stop, seek shade.

“The second condition is you will have central nervous system impairment which will translate to being incoherent when you are trying to communicate to someone. I’ve seen some really bizarre behaviour. I’ve seen people take off all their clothes in the middle of a worksite. You can have trouble with your gait and picking up objects.

“Heat exhaustion is profound fatigue following exposure to heat. You can have a normal temperature and all your vital signs can be normal.

You can also have heat exhaustion sometime after you’ve been exposed to heat. So what happened to you was quite profound. It’s not like you just needed a nap on the plane. It’s nothing to be sneezed at. Your condition was quite serious.”

Heat Hangover

Matt: “I’ve come up with this term the Heat Hangover. Most of my work is in occupational settings like mining where people work deep underground. It’s like a sauna down there.

Miners get very hot and sometimes show signs of a bit of a headache, slight nausea but nothing

too serious, they might just go to bed early.

They show the signs of an alcoholic hangover without drinking any alcohol. What we have tapped into here is that heat doesn’t just affect people during the exposure but sometime afterwards as well. We see some miners have heat hangovers day after day. And I think this is related to what you felt.”

GRW: In the desert I was told to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I also tried to stay as cool as possible and seek shade when I could.

And yet I still got sick. Why? Matt: “Staying hydrated is good advice but we can get a bit fixated on it. You should ask ‘what else can I do to cool myself?’ I think where you were you didn’t have a lot of options.

“With heat-related illness we look at two things. We look at hydration and we look at cooling. As soon as you start feeling hydrated you also need to think about cooling. It’s your body temperature that drives those responses either during or following heat exposure. Also you can drink yourself to the point of having an illness called hyponatremia or over drinking (where too much water in the body dilutes the sodium, causing the condition and symptoms to be similar to heat exhaustion).

“We have seen studies from the US military where soldiers have suffered heat stroke even though they were hydrated. In one study over a 22-year period they studied 5200 soldiers who had to be hospitalised due to heat stroke; almost 1000 of those soldiers had severe heat stroke and there were 37 deaths. And of those thousands of soldiers that went to hospital only 17 per cent were dehydrated. So if you were to say dehydration equals heat stroke I’d say no.

“In these hot settings you need to avoid walking in the hottest part of your day and limit your work rate (for example walk slower) to avoid bringing your core body temperature up too much. It’s all about paying attention to your body.”

BEAT THE HEAT To avoid heat-related illness you should: START YOUR HIKE EARLY: Not everyone likes to wake up early, and your trip doesn’t have to feel like work; just find a balance between how much sleep you need and minimising your exposure to afternoon heat. Get organised in camp with gear to facilitate a quicker morning departure.

COVER UP: The more of your body you can shield from the sun, the happier you’ll be.

Loose-fitting long sleeves and pants paired with a wide-brimmed hat will do wonders.

Remember to shield your eyes with some UV-blocking sunnies and lather that sunscreen on every exposed part of your body – especially if you’re hiking at altitude.

KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED: If you are hiking during summer, physical exertion and hot, dry conditions can cause you to become dehydrated quickly. The easiest way to combat dehydration is to drink fluids before, during and after any adventure.

LEARN TO IDENTIFY HEAT EXHAUSTION: When the body temperature increases and is unable to cool itself properly heat exhaustion can occur. Heat exhaustion can be easily treated as long as the symptoms are noticed early and treatment administered as soon as the symptoms begin. Symptoms of heat exhaustion: headache, nausea, muscle cramps, moist skin with goose bumps when in the heat, heavy sweating, faintness, dizziness, fatigue and possibly a weak, rapid pulse.

REST OFTEN: Remember that most hikes are not races. While you’re eating those snacks and sipping that water find some time to sit down in the shade. Get wet to cool off if you’re getting hot. Unwind. Relax and take the time to appreciate the beauty around you.

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LIGHTEN UP G

Great Walks checks out 12 lightweight products perfect for your next bushwalk.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_DAN SLATER IF there’s one topic of conversation that’s never far from the campfire, bushwalking forum or outdoor store counter, it’s how to go lightweight. It’s a simple formula – the less you carry, the more comfortable your hike – yet you must take all necessary precautions to stay safe, and to do this you’ll need to carry certain essential items of equipment, all of which are measurable in grams. But it’s not as simple as researching and buying the lightest alternative out there; availability, durability, sustainability, and cost should all be taken into account.

Yes, the perfect pack weight is a shimmering

mirage – every time you get close, it moves further away. You buy the latest backpack, and six months later an updated model is released made from some new-fangled, technotextile that weighs 50 percent less. All you can do is keep abreast of things, and here’s where Great Walks is here to help. We’ve tested and reviewed some of the latest lightweight gear available in Australian stores, because we believe in keeping it onshore and helping our retailers get over this nasty COVID business.

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Hiking poles just keep evolving, and as one of the original brands (founded in Germany in 1948) Leki is at the forefront of that evolution with the Micro Vario Carbon. Since they were introduced, folding style poles have quickly overtaken the older telescopic design in popularity, and with good reason. They pack up shorter for starters, the MVCs reduce to 40cm for storage. They’re also less prone to mud and dirt clogging the mechanisms and end up lighter, particularly if carbon fibre is used for every section. The MVCs tip the scales at only 240gm per pole. As usual though, with lighter weight comes compromise – carbon poles are more prone to snapping under sideways pressure than aluminium ones, something to bear in mind for expedition-pack multi-dayers.

In testing, I was very happy with them. I mean, you can’t really use them wrongly, but

some nice touches added to the experience.

The compressed foam Aergon handle was ergonomically well-designed and comfortable from any angle, but I really liked the way the foam extended down the shaft, giving you something to grip on steep uphill sections. The Aergon is also compatible with Leki’s Photoadaptor, which converts the pole into a monopod for your camera. Lastly, the MVC extends and collapses with ease. The locking mechanism is cleverly simple, as is the length adjustment. It’s a winner.

RRP: $399 Website: velovita.com.au

Osprey Levity 60 For one of the lightest structured packs on the market we turned to the largest backpack specialists in the world – Osprey. Their Levity (Lumina for women) model is unbelievably light at 860gm (medium back length), around half the weight of many of its competitors. However, weight isn’t everything. I could throw together a featherweight pack from baking paper and plastic straws, but it probably wouldn’t carry well. The real test is in the performance, and here the Levity scores highly.

I stuffed the pack with the maximum recommended load of 11kg. That might not sound like much, but if you’re überlighting all your gear it’s enough. Long story short – it felt great!

The Exoform harness and hip belt hugged my torso perfectly, while the mesh back panel did a great job with the ventilation. The main body’s NanoFly fabric does feel tissue thin, but is mostly protected by the thicker material used for the huge side, top and front pockets. The webbing, zips, compression cord, and buckles are all the smallest or thinnest I’ve seen on a pack, so treat it all with respect.

No using the Levity as a handy seat come lunch break! One small irritation was it not being able to stand on its own due to the tortoise shell-like silhouette, but I figure that’s a small price to pay for a pack this light and comfy.

RRP: $299.95 Website: outdooragencies.com.au

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Hoka One Speedgoat 5 – EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW Okay, these review pages are not the place for a heated debate on the pros and cons of trail running shoes versus hiking boots. Suffice to say that the former have increasing numbers of dedicated fans, and should now be considered an option for trekkers who have reduced their pack weight sufficiently to be able to dispense with ankle support. Depending on size, each shoe might weigh around 300-350gm. Compare that with even a ‘lightweight’ hiking boot and you’re halving your weight penalty.

If you’ve decided to go down this path, the Speedgoat 5 (291gm/size US 9) will be an excellent companion. Part of Hoka One One’s Sky category (‘empowers you to reach the peak’!), the 5th iteration of the legendary Speedgoat features Hoka’s trademark maximal cushioning, along with increased traction and support. Soft, yet firm, the compression moulded EVA midsole feels like a little personal mattress for your foot. The toe and heel rockers throw you into your next stride, where the Vibram Megagrip ensures that ground contact is reliable.

Walking 10km with the Speedgoats (carrying the 11kg load in my Osprey Levity) was a breeze, and I can’t wait to take them out for longer. (They were also superb to run in, naturally.) The Speedgoat 5 will be released in January.

RRP: $269.99

Optimus Crux Stove With something as simple as a canister stove burner head, there aren’t many specs to differentiate one from t’other, but one is the weight. Swedish brand Optimus’ most ethereal offering is the Crux Lite. While there are lighter ones on the market, 72gm is pretty bloody good. There is no piezo igniter, but those things often break anyway and end up as dead weight. Its three fold-out arms provide an ample base for small hiking-style pots, and resistance to wind is average. The other important measurement for camp stoves is output, which in this case is 10,200 BTU. That figure doesn’t mean all that much on its own though; what you really want to know is – how long will it take to boil water?

On test, it took about 11 minutes to boil a litre of cold water in a windless environment. I’ve definitely had faster setups, although a lot depends on the gas and cookware used (in this case Optimus’ own butane/isobutane/propane mix and the Keith titanium pot (see below). If you’re more interested in preparing a gourmet camp feast, a careful touch will bring the flame down to a simmer, so no problems there. The Crux Lite comes with a small storage bag, but it’s worth noting that the Optimus Crux stove is only 11g heavier and folds up smaller. In a saturated stove market, you could do worse than trust a company with 122 years experience.

RRP: $89.95 Website: outdooragencies.com.au

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Keith Ti6013 Two-Piece Titanium Cookset There’s no point splashing out on a fancy lightweight stove if you’re humping along your family heirloom cast iron casserole dish. If you’re weight obsessed, there’s only one material for your cookware, and that’s titanium, but there’s a surprisingly small selection to choose from in Australia. One of the widest ranges comes from Keith, a Chinese titanium specialist manufacturer. It’s a strange name for a cookware brand, admittedly, but they’ve definitely got the know-how.

The snappily-titled Ti6013 includes 1.2 litre and 0.4 litre vessels, weighing a total of 195gm. Too much? Leave the little one at home, although using it as a lid will decrease your boil time and thus fuel consumption. Its base is also bevelled so that it nests neatly atop the main pot, enabling you to keep part of your meal warm (the rice) while cooking another part (the chilli). Each pot has a folding two-part handle, although I found that if gripped too tightly, carrying a litre of water, for instance, the silicone handle sleeves slipped over one another, reducing the stability of the grip.

Titanium’s heat transfer is impressive, meaning your food will cook quicker, but also it’ll lose heat quicker once off the stove. Maybe transfer it into a bowl for eating.

RRP: $139.95 Intertrek 02 94175755 or sales@intertrek.com.au

Radix Nutrition Radix is the new kid on the block when it comes to freeze-dried camp food, at least in Australia. Hailing from across the ditch, this Hamilton-based company has, as the name implies, a focus on healthy nutrition. In their words, they ‘use applied nutrition to target cognitive and physical performance through the enhancement of metabolic function’. While this might be tricky to test while stuck in a Sydney lockdown, I can certainly report on the more easily quantifiable aspects of the product.

Following the standard add-hot-water-to-pouch-and-tearoff formula, the Radix pouch did actually rip straight across, avoiding the messy side effects of more flimsy packets. The five minute wait time seemed rather short, and sure enough, the first mouthful of Grass-Fed Lamb, Mint & Rosemary was a bit chewy, but another three minutes fixed that. The nutritionally-dense recipe was delectable, a cut above the bog-standard offerings on the market, and included 21 percent lamb pieces, broccoli, pink Himalayan salt and crunchy almonds. This followed by an instant Apple, Cinnamon & Turmeric breakfast. Hot or cold, the recipe is designed to assist muscle balance and growth, and while the anti-inflammatory turmeric was unusual, the texture and lack of sweetness was pleasing. If you have a dislike of dehydrated camp food lodged deep in your bones, maybe from a traumatic youth camp experience – fear no more. It’s worth giving Radix a shot.

RRP: Grass-Fed Lamb, Mint & Rosemary – $11.90; Apple, Cinnamon & Turmeric – $7.50 Website: radixnutrition.com

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Exped Flex Mat M Here in Australia, foam pad style sleeping mats are far outsold by inflatables, but in the US, it’s a different story. Why is that? Of course, there are pros and cons to both styles, but if we’re discussing weight, which we are, at 325gm, Exped’s Flex Pad is actually 150gm lighter than their own Synmat UL, the lightest mat in their inflatable range (comparing full-length models).

The next highest consideration is comfort, and you may not think so to look at it, but the Flex Mat’s 1.8cm of closed cell IXPE foam, moulded in a body-contouring dimple pattern, actually does a pretty good job of cushioning the body. The night I spent on it, I slept the same as normal.

The other great advantage of a foam mat?

It won’t puncture, deflate, and leave you sleeping on the cold, hard ground. On a long-distance trek, that’s an inconvenience you just cannot afford. In fact, some hikers use one as an additional layer of warmth and protection for their inflatable mat. Yes, it’s bulky (it’ll end up travelling outside your pack, so be careful not to pollute the environment by allowing crowding foliage to scratch off pieces of foam), and yes, it’s got a relatively low R-value of 1.5, but for some people the pros will outweigh the cons.

RRP: $49.95 Contact: Expedition Equipment 02 94175755 or sales@expeditionequipment.com.au

Petzl e+LITE At 26gm, you simply can’t get lighter than this. It’s quite frankly ridiculous, but before I explore Petzl’s classic light in detail, one caveat: the e+LITE is designed for emergencies. It’s not supposed to be your single source of light on a hike, although having said that I’m sure plenty of gram gremlin thru-hikers on the PCT are doing just that.

The main reason is its output – at 30 lumens it’s almost the same brightness as the incandescent bulb on the original Petzl Zoom from 1981, the granddaddy of them all. Still, it’s plenty light enough for mooching about in the tent of an evening, and nipping to the lavatory. I wouldn’t want to rely on it for getting off a mountain after being benighted though.

As for features, there are some cool ones in this tiny package.

Two CR2032 batteries will keep for 10 years in your emergency kit without leaking, unlike AAs or AAAs. There are six settings: off, low, high, strobe, red strobe, red, off. This order allows you to switch on to either low light or red LED first. The strobe is surprisingly visible at night, and the buckle doubles as a whistle and is moulded with the SOS code. It’s IPX7 waterproof, the band is soft and comfy, and of course at 26gm you don’t even know you’re wearing it. Lastly, it comes with a cute little case that probably weighs more than the actual torch.

RRP: $59.95 Website: spelean.com.au

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Therm-a-Rest Stuffsack Pillow Of course, also of crucial importance to a good night’s sleep is your pillow, and opinions vary widely on this subject. Some campers require an enormous, fluffy bag of foam to be able to doze off, and others will just throw some clothes in a dry bag and zonk out. If you’re in the latter camp (pun intended), this could be the product for you.

However, those in the former would be advised to give it a go as well.

In short, it’s a 12 litre stuff sack with a brushed polyester lining. Use it for normal stuff sack duties during the day – clothing, sleeping bag, etc. (probably avoid dirty undies though!) – then at night, turn it inside out, re-stuff it and rest your face on that soft, plush fabric.

In testing, this worked like a dream (pun also intended). As an erstwhile dry bag stuffer, no matter how carefully I folded my down jacket before inserting it, I’d always wake up with a zip poking me in the eye through the thin material.

Not this time. I stuffed in two jackets, made sure the sack’s one external seam was underneath, and slept like a baby. Well worth carrying this 80gm vs. the 30gm of a UL dry bag.

RRP: $39.95 Website: spelean.com.au

Sawyer MicroSqueeze If you’d gone shopping for a backcountry water filter ten years ago, you’d have likely walked out with a solid, beer can-sized plastic cylinder, with a heavy ceramic filter through which you hand-pumped the object of your thirst. That all changed when Sawyer reached these shores. Born in 1984, the brand has evolved into this simple, 56gm, multi-tool sized filtration unit. Unfiltered water is squeezed from a Sawyer soft bottle/pouch through a 0.1 micron matrix and into your waiting bottle/mouth/eye. The filter cuts out 99.99999 percent (their figure) of bacteria, protozoa and microplastics (but not viruses). The instructions are printed on the pouch so you can’t really go wrong.

The filter is good for 100,000 gallons, should you be able to keep track for that long, but it does require cleaning from time to time.

Fortunately it’s a simple process of backwashing with a big syringe (included). Sound good? It is, but there are concerns. If the water you’re filtering is excessively dirty, i.e. opaque, the product is still drinkable but the filter can become blocked in under a litre. Also, the flow rate is frustratingly slow if you’re used to an efficient hand pump.

My main gripe however is with the too-narrow neck of the pouch. If you’re filling it from a flat pond rather than a flowing waterfall, liquid just can’t enter fast enough. Plan ahead!

RRP: $89.95 Website: backpackinglight.com.au

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Rab Aeon 35 – EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW Classified as a day pack, the 35 litre Aeon may seem out of place in this review, but true ultra-lighters who have got their base weight down to the magic number of 7kg will be using this size pack for any distance of trail. Weighing in at 940gm, it’s actually heavier than the aforementioned Osprey Levity, although removing the included rain cover will bring it back under. Taking over the Aeon mantle from stablemates Lowe Alpine, Rab has retained the basic structure but updated the back panel to the Air Contour X – an ABS plastic Sheet with EVA foam pads. ABS is strong, flexible and light – ideal characteristics for a frame sheet, with the length adjustment being a simple Velcro panel.

In use, I personally found the shoulder straps and hip belt a little on the thin/narrow side, translating to a slight discomfort in those key pressure zones, but that was my only complaint. The features and pockets all worked well. Echoing modern trail running designs, the Aeon’s hydration sleeve is positioned behind the back panel, which makes it easier to refill and replace into a full pack. The whole pack is made from recycled materials too, which is a more and more important consideration nowadays (at least it should be). Look out for the Rab-branded Aeon in March 2022.

RRP: N/A Contact: Intertrek 02 94175755 or sales@intertrek.com.au

Biolite Charge 40 The powerbank is an anomaly in this review: while everything else is getting lighter, this is a product that never existed before, and so is effectively extra weight. However, on a modern multi-day hike it’s amazing how many items can require recharging – phones, of course, but also head torch, lantern, GPS, camera, earphones, e-reader etc. If tech on trail is your addiction, you’re going to need to listen up. Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hours, and a typical smart phone runs on 2500 mAh. Biolite’s Charge series comes in a 20, 40 or 80, which equates roughly to 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 mAh, or 2, 4 or 8 smart phone charges. I chose the Charge 40 for its balance of capacity and weight (265gm).

The unit comes in an aesthetically-pleasing, durable, non-slip case with two USB-A outputs and a USB-C port. It’d be nice if it was rated waterproof as well though. Life force is indicated

by a four-bar light display, although I’d have preferred a digital percentage readout. From dead, it’s advertised as taking 2½ hr to fully charge (small print: with an 18w USB-C PD). My 5w iPhone USB adaptor took a whopping eight hours, but my wife’s 25w Samsung equivalent was more like three, so that’s close enough. To juice up my 2500 mAh iPhone XS from 0 to 100 percent took two hours with the high-speed Power Delivery, compared to 2½ hr via mains electricity, and I managed it four times off a full powerbank.

RRP: $69 Website: seatosummitdistribution.com.au

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PERFECT MATCH

Great Walks checks out Sea to Summit’s Sleep System designed to match you with the right sleeping bag, liner, mat and pillow.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_CARO RYAN FROM LOTSAFRESHAIR.COM

WELL, if the last year or so has taught us anything about living through a pandemic, it’s the value of a great online shopping experience.

And if I think about what can make an online click great, it comes down to confidence.

Confidence that the platform is easy to use, secure and more than anything, confident that I’m making the right choice without having a real live person to talk to… especially when parting with serious money, like what is needed for a foundational bit of gear like a sleeping bag, mat or a full sleep system.

‘Oh, Great Genie of the Aussie Outdoors, if only there was a magic gear concierge, to curate the perfect equipment playlist, for my preferences, size and fit, and then deliver it to my door... like a handy hiking Spotify.’

Thankfully, the company that seems to

spend a lot of time coming up with solutions to everyday outdoor problems – Sea to Summit (S2S) – have come up with the Sleep System Finder. Call me cynical, but I was sceptical that an online questionnaire could deliver what my tall (I’m 5’9”/178cm), female, back sleeping, wonky body (which feels the cold) needed – without trying it out in a shop.

Here’s what I found: Over a series of 10 questions, the S2S Genie grilled me with exactly the type of questions you’d hope a good shop assistant would ask, mostly starting with the words, ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘which’ and ‘how’. Thankfully, just like sitting an exam in school and feeling the relief when you realise it’s multiple choice, the answers are presented in a simple graphic form, with basic explanations.

Once the answers are complete, the threesecond delay in waiting to receive your results, is like waiting for Santa to arrive (or for those of us old enough to remember, watching Perfect Match and waiting for Dexter’s compatibility rating). The results offer three suggestions for each piece of gear in the sleep system: a sleeping bag, liner, mat and pillow, and then highlights the best match for you.

Given that there are 47 different sleeping bags and quilts in their range, this takes the exhaustion out of doing the research and the confusion out of choosing.

For this test, I opted for the type of gear and uses I am most familiar with, so I could compare based on my experience – lightweight hiking gear, for a cold, tall, back sleeper. Here’s the gear they recommended and what I found:

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Sleeping Bag – Sea to Summit Flame FmIII Women’s (Long) Call me cynical (again) but I’ve never really been one for ‘women’s specific’ gear. After four nights surrounded by the 850+ loft of the S2S Flame FmIII’s ULTRA-DRY down and its women’s specific mummy contouring, I’m changing my mind. The online system had very wisely chosen the long size for me and inside I found a generous amount of room around the torso within vertical baffles, before it tapered with horizontal ones that led down to the foot box. This room inside provides scope for extra layering (I wore a single layer of thermals) if you want to boost the rating below it’s – 4c comfort level. I’m told I sleep like I’m in a coffin, so as a dedicated back sleeper (with occasional forays to the sides), I appreciated this extra torso room for elbows, which rested comfortably without feeling contained or claustrophobic.

The hood shape naturally hugged my head and needed only minimal cinching to draw it

in around my face. It’s the single cinch point on this bag and doesn’t have a second cinch point around the shoulders*.

The YKK flip zipper (right side opening) gives an option for cooling things down at the foot box if things heat up and is hidden within a draft tube to stop unwanted chills in the night.

I never need to wonder what goes on inside a down sleeping bag again, as the translucent 10D shell fabric offers a unique view of the RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified filling.

At 850gm (my scales), including the UltraSil Nano compression sack, this bag squeezed down to 28cm long. A very good bag.

RRP: $749

Sleeping Pad – Sea to Summit Etherlight XT WL (Women’s Long)

I’ve slept on many different mats over the years, and the Etherlight XT felt like the Rolls Royce… or is that Tesla these days? Shining a light on the problem solving nature of Sea to Summit products, the first thing I noticed is that the Airstream Pump Sack is built into the stuff sack.

Smart. Although this adds to the packed length of the mat (29 cm), it was easy to use, taking just over 3 sacks of air to fill it up and removes the huff n’ puff of blowing up manually… not to mention the risk of mould growing inside.

The comfort of this mat is outstanding and given that there is a cushy 10.1 cm of plump and tender air between my tired body and the cold, hard ground of the Blue Mountains National Park, it makes sense. The multi-function valve allows for adjustments to find your Goldilocks level of ‘just right’ firm-to-soft ratio and 30D/40D materials and cushioned pattern feels robust in comparison to other brands. With noise being one of the common complaints with inflatable mats, this one is quieter than other models, but I found it had a lower ‘rubbing noise’ tone rather than a high crinkley sound like other manufacturers.

As per my preferred ‘corpse-pose’ yoga sleep position, the width of this mat was the real stand-

out for me; both elbows rested comfortably on the mat, with room to move. If you’re a side sleeper, you’ll love that 10cm height of hip-loving joy.

The online system chose the Women’s Long mat for me, which my scales calledin at 670 grams including stuff sack. As a cold sleeper, I tested this at temps down to 2c and the warmth (R3.2, ASTM standard tested) of the mat was excellent. They use two different types of insulation that both reflects your own warmth back to you and manages conductive heat loss. The only improvement I can think of would be to further develop the stuff/pump sack to add a compression strap reducing the overall packed size.

RRP: $329

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Liner – Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus+ (short)

Up to this point, my Sea to Summit online personal shopper had played its cards straight out of Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail and ‘chosen wisely’. So when I saw that the liner had been supplied as size short, I was surprised… and not for the first time. Turns out this liner only comes in one size that they describe as being, ‘ideal for women and youth’ and ‘for gram counters under 6 feet tall’.

Thermolite – a fabric designed for lightweight warmth – is made by the people behind other technical materials such as Lycra and Coolmax. This isn’t the first time I’ve used a S2S Thermolite Reactor liner. I like the benefits of adding warmth to a sleeping bag, whilst also keeping all my dirt and sweat to myself, rather than sharing it with my sleeping bag. Let’s face it, cleaning bags is a pain and a liner can help minimise the need for regular cleaning.

When it came to getting into bed, I discovered the benefit of using a smaller liner with a larger sleeping bag and what my * in the sleeping bag review refers to. With the shorter liner, I was able to use its cinch cord to draw the bag over my shoulders, which felt like a warm hug. Nice.

RRP: $89.99

Pillow – Aeros Premium Pillow (regular)

Many outdoorsy folk look upon pillows as a luxury optional item. Sure, you can stuff lumpy clothes into your stuff sack to make an equally lumpy pillow, but like travelling business class, once you’ve been there, you never want to go back behind the curtain.

For a sliver of the price of an airfare (remember those?), 80gm and about the size of a tennis ball, you can get the business class of camping pillows with the Aeros Premium. This lil’ guy is perfect for squeezing down into the awkward little bottom corner of your backpack and comes with the S2S Pillow Lock system. Which doesn’t mean much unless you have a S2S mat, which comes with the stick-on velcro-esque patches to hold your pillow in place all night.

The 50D brushed polyester cover fabric is super soft against your cheek (or your face, you wacky tummy sleepers!) and the synthetic filling (between the fabric and the TPU bladder) wicks sweat away on those hot summer nights. The height is easily adjustable with the mini-valve, which doesn’t fit the sleeping mat inflation sack, so you’ll need to puff into this one. A potential improvement could be a removable cover for washing.

RRP: $59.99 Need to know: seatosummit.com/sleepsystemfinder

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SLEEP SYSTEM FINDER. Finder 1-7. The Sleep System Finder is easy to navigate and each page asks you questions to help you hone in on the right product.

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Right: Dome tents are ideal if you’re camping on exposed precipices or hard ground.

Below: A warm hot chocolate before you hit the hay can help you sleep better.

SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS Great Walks offers 10 tips for getting your best night’s sleep in a tent.

WORDS_GREAT WALKS

IF you’ve come close to hiking back to the carpark in the middle of the night because sleep was eluding you, then we have good news! Here are our top ten tips on to ensure your next night sleeping in a tent is a good one.

1

INVEST IN GOOD GEAR: This sounds obvious, but if you scrimp on your kit you’ll pay for it later. You should invest in your camping gear as you would hotel rooms.

Your tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat – the bare essentials for getting a good night’s sleep outdoors – should be carefully considered (for some excellent ideas see pg70). Inflatable mats offer the best combination of low weight and comfort. Down sleeping bags offer the best warmth-to-weight ratio, but in damp conditions synthetic is better. A three-season tent is usually more than adequate in Australia – except in Alpine area then a four-season should be considered. Dome tents are ideal if you’re camping on exposed precipices or hard ground. Tunnel tents are better when it’s raining because the vestibule is bigger, giving you more space to dry your gear and cook inside when the weather isn’t cooperating.

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DON’T SLEEP TOO TIGHT: When it’s 2 cold it’s easy to just layer up with every item of clothing you can lay your hands on.

But if your sleeping bag becomes too tight as a result of all those extra layers it’s insulating power is affected. Instead, place those extra layers on top of the sleeping bag.

designate for going to the toilet (50m away from the nearest water source thanks!). It’s no fun looking for it in the dark, the cold, the rain or worse still when bears could be around. On that note, keep a head torch handy so you don’t have to search for that in the dark either. Oh, and it’s a good idea to go to the toilet before you go to sleep.

DON’T GO TO BED COLD: Your sleeping STAY UP LATE: Or as late as possible.

3 6 bag is an insulator; it’s not a heat creator. So Hopefully, you’re pleasantly exhausted don’t creep into your sleeping bag cold. Instead, after the day’s activities, but if not don’t force warm up with some jumping jacks or go for an evening stroll to warm your body up for bed.

4

REPURPOSE YOUR WATER BOTTLE: This is a good one. When choosing a water bottle make sure it’s one that can hold hot water too. Come bedtime you can fill it with hot water, stick in your sleeping bag (remember to make sure it doesn’t leak) and voila you have a hot water bottle. And you’ve even got water close at hand for making tomorrow’s first cup of coffee!

THE LOO? Before you go to bed 5WHERE’S locate your nearest toilet or the area you

yourself into going to sleep when the sun disappears behind the horizon. If you go to bed too early, when you’re not really that tired, you’ll end up just lying there; your mind will start thinking about something, your thoughts will race and before you know it, it’ll be way passed bed time and you’re a million miles from sleep. And we all hate that!

listening to a podcast you can walk into the land of nod with peace of mind. Just make sure you take a portable power bank.

DON’T FORGET EAR PLUGS: There’s 8 always one – the snores, tosses and turns or gets up at the crack of dawn. Be the master of your own sleep with the help of ear plugs.

9

BEAT THE MIDNIGHT MUNCHIES: Because you’re active all day your metabolism is likely going to be in overdrive.

And that could mean you wake up in the middle of the night desperate for a midnight snack. Keep some trail mix or a power bar close by.

10

PODCAST YOUR WAY TO SLEEP: To 7 calm you mind and not disturb your tent buddies with blinding head torch light, drift

OPEN THOSE VENTS: No, you won’t get cold with a little breeze. Those vents in your tent are there to help air circulate and can minimise the chance of condensation building up – which can actually make you cold. So open them up a little and let the fresh air in.

in to sleep with the help of a podcast. This is particularly handy if you’re nervous about what all those sounds could be outside the tent. By

Need to know: Got any tips for better sleeping in the outdoors? Email: editor@greatwalks.com.au

76 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU STAYING FIT

It takes a bit of training to summit Wales’ Ben Nevis.

Opposite: The Lake District is well signposted.

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UP AND ATOM Stuggling with too much couch time and middle age spread, Wayne Mullane changes his mindset to get fit and prepare for that next big walk.

WORDS_WAYNE MULLANE

BEFORE I took up hiking as a hobby, most evenings saw me pitched up in front of the TV, stuffing my face with snacks. Consequently, over the period of a few years, my belly had felt like a slowly inflating rubber ring. I knew I needed to shed a few pounds and stop myself from becoming near comatose after work every day, but dieting has always felt far too regimented to me – and, besides, I like the idea of being free to eat a pie if I want to. That left exercise as my only option.

Going out for a run or to the gym didn’t appeal as I’d become too self conscious of exercising in front of other people. Walking, however, gave me the impetus to exercise at my own pace and in my own way; it could be done fast or slow, and over any distance I wanted. Plus, it allowed me to be out and about, exercising in the fresh air while not having to experience the pressures of looking like a flapping fish being reeled in by an angler – which is exactly what my running style looks like.

Yes, walking suited me down to the ground.

A tight exercise regime or healthy lifestyle may be necessary for some, but personally, I needed to switch off once in a while, and – more importantly eat cake guilt-free.

Walk the talk

During 2016 and 2017, all I did was walk (with the addition of the occasional workout for Snowdon – Wales’ highest mountain, 1085m); short distances of a few miles once or twice a week were followed by six to 10 miles with my friend Robin on alternating weekends. At this stage, Robin had a similar approach to me and – by the time we did Snowdon in 2017 – this approach had definitely seen us through. However, we believed Ben Nevis (the UK’s highest mountain, 1345m) needed a little something extra.

Yes, we’d managed to build up ongoing levels of fitness, but now we were going higher than we’d ever been before and we knew we needed to respect the challenge by being a little more devoted to our health goals. When we’d been preparing for Scafell Pike (in the Lake District), Aaron had told me that if we were able to walk the equivalent of the ascent and descent on flat ground on a regular enough basis, we’d be fine. As the total round trip for Ben Nevis is about eight miles, that wouldn’t be a problem – and there’d be no harm in gaining that extra fitness to help sustain us in our undertaking.

78 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU STAYING FIT

Below: Next time you go for a bushwalk take some mates.

Right: Triumphant hikers on top of Ben Nevis.

“

So, by the start of 2018, Robin had hit the gym whilst Aaron and Robert remained committed to their jogging regime. I found myself in a state of ambiguity: on the one hand I wanted to exercise, but on the other I wasn’t sure how or where. Robin had given me a pep talk about going to the gym, saying that the best way to face my fear was simply to go there, but I wasn’t so sure. I put it off, then put it off some more.

With Robin’s words going round and round in my mind, I spent some time examining precisely why gyms and jogging didn’t cut it for me, and I came to the conclusion that it was precisely a case of others judging me.

The guys constantly told me not to worry about that and to focus on myself, but I just couldn’t help it – which was particularly strange as we all used to go jogging when we lived in Slough. Similarly, if I took up a team sport, that would open my mind to being compared to teammates. I thought it was stupid

ON THE ONE HAND I WANTED TO EXERCISE, BUT ON THE OTHER I WASN’T SURE HOW OR WHERE

”

for somebody my age to be so self-conscious – especially as it’s only ever to do with sport – and while it’s not exactly an overwhelming sensation, it’s simply how I am. I’d always thought that, as I aged, I’d become less inhibited about doing what I wanted to do, but that just didn’t seem to be the case. This was particularly strange as walking up mountains was, in part, about me challenging my fear of heights; why couldn’t I also challenge this dread I had concerning exercising in public?

Feeling your age

Maybe this was exactly what it was: an agerelated, self-contained, contradictory point of view. Or maybe, I pondered further, it was simply because these forms of exercise didn’t appeal to me. If you tell me I have to run a quarter of a mile, I’ll shut down; if you tell me I have to walk 15 miles, before you can say ‘physical exercise’ my boots will be on and I’ll be out the door.

So, I found myself in a quandary. As Robert and Aaron pounded the streets and parks and Robin pumped iron down at the gym, the lure of the sofa became attractive once again, particularly as January 2018 wore on. Regular walking had slowed down due to the colder weather, and although I toyed with the idea of buying weights and doing sit-ups and press-ups at home, the idea really didn’t appeal.

No, I needed something else. I needed something low budget and enjoyable.

Something I wanted to do and would actually do. It took me the best part of January to find a solution, and I can’t remember how or why I first decided to do it, but I started working out my own fitness programme. I borrowed a few ideas from exercise videos on YouTube, and soon I had my own regime in place that I could mix up with about fifteen or so different exercises to choose from. Plus, it was free (if you ignored my monthly broadband payment).

I started small: 15 or 20 minutes at first, building up to no more than thirty minutes at a time.

Then, as the weeks went by, I added new types of exercises and took others away, eventually buying a pair of ankle weights to boost my efforts. I used my home to suit my regime: I gripped the tops of door frames to stretch out; I did standing pressups against the kitchen worktops; and I pranced around the living room like an uncoordinated starfish as I stepped and jumped about.

Snackercise

As the routines varied in duration, I could quite happily complete a five or 10-minute workout some evenings and be happy with that – the important thing was that I remained committed. Finally, I’d found an answer that didn’t involve being in close proximity to judging eyes as I worked up a sweat. Roughly around the same time, Robin and I began

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to diet. Since hitting forty, I’d grown more outward than upwards, and now seemed as good a time as any to tackle that. Although, as I’ve said, I find it hard being restricted to tight regimens, which inevitably led me to start snacking heavily again. As February turned into March – and with our walking time being restricted by heavy downpours of snow – a new lean, mean Robin had put himself out there, whilst a fitter-slightly-less-fatter Wayne was now on display.

I was still battling between all-out exercise and all-out eating, living some kind of halfexistence as I tried to satisfy two extremes. For all the crisps, sandwiches, and chocolate I ate, I’d attempt to make up for it by doing an ultraworkout, but soon my body started telling me I was overdoing it. I’d leave longer gaps between workouts, even though I knew my efforts were at risk of coming undone. I didn’t want to give up exercising, though. I really enjoyed following exercise videos on YouTube and then incorporating them into my own routines; it engaged both my brain and my body, in all sorts of ways.

Regular exercise is well known to boost mood and I was keen to benefit from that. Robin, Robert, and Aaron had kept on exercising, battling their own fitness demons, and I knew I needed an extra incentive to get me through – at least until the snow cleared and I could commit to regular distance walking again.

“It’s all about your mindset, you know,” Robert told me one evening as he supped his pint.

“Okay,” I replied, a little uncertainly. I’d explained my predicament to him over afterwork drinks as we waited for Robin to join us one early March evening. We were in Reading again – we spend a lot of time there.

“Yeah,” Robert replied. “You feel guilty for eating more food, so you punish yourself with full-on exercise.”

“Go on,” I encouraged him.

“Eventually, you give up, because you find that trying to satisfy two complete opposites just doesn’t work,” he continued with a nod.

“So what do I do?”

“Like I said, change your mindset. You like exercising, and you also like snacks, yeah? So, exercise to snack.”

“Exercise to snack,” I repeated, and a moment of clarity engulfed me. As I said this over and over again in my mind, a smile began to form on my face. I could force myself through gruelling workouts with the promise of a pork pie or a fondant fancy at the end – and feel guilt-free to boot!

“Snackercise!” I exclaimed happily.

“Exactly. Just accept that what you’re already doing is okay and you’ll be fine. You’ll lose weight more slowly, but that doesn’t matter – so long as you’re okay with it.”

I was certainly okay with it; in fact, I celebrated my redefined moderately healthy

lifestyle with a swig of my highly calorific pint.

Really, I wouldn’t be doing anything different – I’d just have a fresh approach to motivate me. Plus, having a target like Ben Nevis to focus on gave me extra incentive to keep working out. Sure, the pounds didn’t exactly drop off, but I definitely became fitter as I occasionally increased my workouts each week to supplement all the walking.

It really is amazing how just a few simple words gave me that much-needed clarity while forcing away the indecisiveness that had been holding me back. Mindset certainly is a powerful thing. So, by the time the Ben Nevis weekend rolled around, I might have been a few pounds heavier than I’d planned at the start of the year, but I was fitter than I’d felt in years and more than ready for the challenge.

Adventure Dayze Overcoming Fears and Limitations to Trek Britain and Ireland’s Highest Points

ayne Mullane’s book Adventure Daze – Overcoming Fears and Limitations to Trek Britain and Ireland’s Highest Points is available at amazon.co.uk

W ay n e M u l l a n e

80 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU TRACK TESTED

Lowe Alpine Cholatse

TRACK TESTED TREATS T

Great Walks tries out some new gear on the trail.

If you’ve decided to downsize your bushwalking setup but aren’t willing to ditch all the comforts and go uberlight, you might want to take a look at this mid-volume offering. With some modern gear and judicious packing, you should be able to stuff a week’s worth of kit into the Cholatse – 42L at rest, 47L expanded.

When I first saw it I thought it was a small 60 litres, and that’s for 1.77kg, a reasonable weight for such a featurepacked product. But first, the carryology: Lowe’s Air Contour+ harness is a good ‘un. I had the Cholatse loaded up with about 10kg, but it honestly didn’t feel like more than 7kg. The padded hip belt/ shoulder straps and thermo-moulded back pad worked together to evaporate 30 percent of the weight.

On to the practical features, the Cholatse has most of what you’d expect nowadays. Think hydration sleeve, inner and outer lid pockets, trekking pole attachment system, rain cover. Of particular interest is the U-shaped front opening, which allows easy access to the body of the pack without fiddling with unclipping the lid etc. Another great feature are the hip belt pockets, which actually zip and unzip without the fabric bunching up and requiring a second hand to hold them taut, and that design is harder to achieve than you’d imagine.

RRP: $299.95-$349.95 Contact: Intertrek 02 94175755 or sales@intertrek.com.au Review: Dan Slater

Deuter Speed Lite 24 Deuter has been around a long time and over decades of R&D has perfected and tweaked all of its pack designs. Case-in-point: the Speed Lite series, stripped back to offer just what you need in a day pack without too many bells and whistles – a balance between lightness, carrying comfort and stability.

Having recently moved out of Sydney to the chi-chi country town of Berry I was keen to explore the area’s local walks and the Speed Lite 24 (770gm) was the right choice of day pack. First up, the harness system is well-constructed, with a V-shaped back panel to balance the weight of the pack onto the centre of your back. Some of the trails I took the pack on were steep and involved a bit of rock hopping, so having the pack centred and balanced made the walk far more pleasurable. Also, the accessory loops and attachments mean you can hang

an array of gear such as trekking poles, a helmet or even ice tools.

The shape and padding in the shoulder straps proved perfect for my near six-foot frame and the honeycomb foam and mesh back panel offered good ventilation. As for carrying capacity – I got everything and more inside this pack. As I was walking with my two kids I carried extra – a family-sized first aid kit, extra water, snacks and kids jackets, and there was still room for more. A nice touch is the printed emergency instructions inside the pack showing you what to do if you get lost, need to signal for help or how to perform CPR. The Deuter Speed Lite 24 offered everything I needed in a day pack and no doubt it’ll be clocking up the kays in the lovely trails around rural Berry.

RRP: $199.99 Website: deuter.com/au-en Review: Brent McKean

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HILLEBERG TURNS 50

PHOTO: LEO HOULDING

GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

BEHIND THE SCENES

TENT MAKER REACHES GOLD MILESTONE Great Walks learns a bit more about tentmaker Hilleberg as the brand turns 50.

WORDS_GREAT WALKS THIS year marks Hilleberg’s 50th year of making high quality bushwalking tents.

Founded in 1971 by Bo and Renate Hilleberg, Hilleberg is one of very few outdoor companies that has focused exclusively on only one category of product – tents and shelters – from its inception.

“Even when many outdoor companies began diversifying their product lines, we felt that specialising in one product category, and really doing that to the best of our abilities, was the best way for us,” says Bo. Hilleberg has not only remained steadfast in its specialisation, but also in continually to improve tent design. With their first tent, the company pioneered linked outer and inner tent construction, allowing for simultaneous pitching. In 1975, Hilleberg was the first to use silicone-coated fabrics in their outer tents.

“From the beginning we have always taken a function-first approach,” says Bo. “Choose

the best materials; make sure every detail has a purpose and that it performs as it should; and maximise the tent’s margin of safety, the ‘insurance’ we build into in our tents that helps protect from both unforeseen occurrences and user mistakes.”

Hilleberg started as a family-run company, and remains so today. Bo still leads product development and is the Chairman of the Board. Renate, who led the production team until 2010, still consults on prototyping and serves on the board. Their children, Rolf and Petra, literally grew up in tents – they did their first solo overnight trip at age 5 and 4 respectively – and remain an integral part of the company.

Rolf served as Managing Director of the European operation and continues to serve on the board, and Petra (picture) is the CEO of the Hilleberg Group, overseeing the entire concern, as well as President of both the European and US operations.

“Seeing my parents work together and build this amazing business has always been an inspiration for me,” Petra told Great Walks.

“I was 12 years old when I first told my dad that I wanted to sell tents in the USA.” We wondered if working in a family-run business can have its challenges especially if there is a clash of ideas.

“The business is built on a very solid foundation and we have worked with long term strategic plans since its inception,” says Petra. “I think that since I grew up with the business we have the same views and goals for the business, so there are very few disagreements.”

And how have they gone in these unpredictable days of Covid?

“We are lucky enough that no one in our team has fallen very ill and for the most part we have been able to continue working in a safe way. We are also lucky that we have very good relationships with our suppliers and that, in combination with the long term strategic planning and purchasing, we have so far not had any real delays in production.”

“That being said, it is a lot of juggling with supply chain delays and freight issues. We are also seeing an incredible demand for our products right now and are sold out of many models for quite some time. This is of course a good problem to have but it creates some challenges for sure.”

Need to know: hilleberg.com/eng

BY THE BOOK II GUIDEBOOKS & NATURE BOOKS

82 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

BY THE BOOK Check out these great nature books and guidebooks.

1

Wild Fathers, What Wild Animal Dads Teach Us About Fatherhood

Compared to motherhood, fatherhood can be a neglected topic, yet in many animal societies a father’s role plays a major part in ‘parenting’. This book delves into the fathers of the animal world and looks at the role dads play in various species, such as the seahorse, wolf, cobra, emperor penguin, lion, emu, and many more. There may be a trick or two we could learn from our animal counterparts in certain situations. A great read for animal lovers and a good insight for fathers, and soonto-be-dads. After all, father knows best right?

RRP: $32.99 au.newhollandpublishers.com

3

Beachcombing.

A Guide to Seashores of the Southern Hemisphere

Ever walked along the beach and wondered about the things the waves wash up? Beaches are our windows to the ocean and the objects we find on the beach tell stories about life, death and the processes in the ocean. This book explains what you find on beaches, the reasons these objects and organisms are there, and shows you how the coastlines of the Southern Hemisphere are interconnected. Filled with stunning photography, this is a beautiful book for the beach lover and ocean enthusiast, the perfect book to flick through after a long walk on the beach.

RRP: $27.99 publish.csiro.au

2

Flight of the Budgerigar

Many of us have, or have had a budgie, however many don’t know the fascinating and transformative past of the Australian Budgerigar.

The Budgerigar was a totem animal featured in legend, art, song, and ceremonies of the Warlpiri and Arrernte neighbours around Alice Springs, before being brought to London in 1840 by ornithologist John Gould. Their popularity made the Budgerigar one of Australia’s first mass exports. The story of exportation includes British queens and nobles, Japanese princes, Hollywood stars, British spies, and world leaders. This remarkable journey from the Dreamtime to the colonial live bird trade is a must-read.

RRP: $49.99 nla.gov.au

4

Chris Humfrey’s Awesome Australian Animals

ABC and Animal Planet TV zoologist Chris Humfrey brings you a fun and exciting hardback about 15 Aussie animal favourites.

From koalas to kookaburras, echidnas to possums, and pythons to dragons, each animal gets a two page spread full of fascinating facts and photos. Did you know that Koalas poop more than 200 times a day? That’s only one of the many interesting facts on offer! Have a phone handy and snap up the QR codes which link you to bonus videos. Definitely an interactive book the kids will enjoy.

RRP: $19.99 au.newhollandpublishers.com

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Australian Geographic, The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites in Australia

Sue Taylor is a keen birdwatcher and in this book she shares her personal selection of not ten, not fifty, but 100 of the best birdwatching sites within Australia. Each site was selected for either the large number of species or large number of special birds found in each location and narrates the effort she goes through in search for a particular species. Find out what bird frequents each area and when’s the best time to catch them, or just sit back and enjoy pages and pages of stunning photography. It’s the perfect gift for the feathered fanatic.

RRP: $39.99 booktopia.com.au

5

7

Day Trip Sydney: 52 Nature Adventures

If you’re in lockdown now is the time to plan your trip around Sydney.

Every adventure listed is located within 120km from the CBD so you can literally go from concrete-wallsto-waterfalls in a jiffy. This guide understands that an adventure doesn’t have to be wild to be wonderful, featuring urban parks and historical architecture to visit. It features handy maps, a guide on how to get there and what to expect when you’ve arrived. Going solo? Or are you looking for one the family or dog will enjoy? Take your pick and take your camera while you’re at it.

RRP: $34.99 thamesandhudson.com.au

6

Bondi to Manly Walk

This spectacular 80km track connects the iconic beaches of Bondi and Manly, and will have you winding through secluded bays, protected bushland and the glittering harbour city along the way. A must-have for visitors, the guidebook will equally surprise and delight the most familiar Sydneysiders, combining fascinating local and natural histories with clear instructions. Covering every bay, beach and headland between Bondi and Manly, day walkers can also choose from 12 highlighted short walks.

With maps, track notes, accommodation, detailed itineraries and information for families and dog walkers, this easy-to-use book has something for everyone.

RRP: $34.99 newsouthbooks.com.au

8 Naturalist on the Bibbulmun

This is a father and son’s journey on the Bibbulmun Track.

A 1000km world-class walking trail through southwestern WA with biodiversity so extensive it’s impossible to provide a comprehensive field guide. Mix in the fact that the author has expertise in ecology and evolutionary biology and has documented the wildlife found from November to January.

It’s a witness statement and call to arms. Author Leigh Simmons shows us the important role biodiversity plays in providing a stable ecosystem so we can see why we need to protect it for the next generation – so our sons can enjoy the Bibbulmun Track with their sons.

RRP: $39.99 uwap.uwa.edu.au

LIFE THROUGH THE LENS

84 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

MOUNT RORAIMA

MOUNT RORAIMA, VENEZUELA Mount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tabletop mountains in South America. It serves as the tripoint of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil, and lies on the Guiana Shield in the southeastern corner of Venezuela’s 30,000 sq km Canaima NP. And the hike to the top is one you’ll never forget!

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The trail is well marked but you do need a guide as the top of Roraima is a real maze and you would be unable to move around it without a guide. In addition, the top usually gets pretty cloudy, making it even more challenging.

Mount Roraima inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the famous novel The Lost World as its landscapes seem taken from another planet. If you get to see it with your own eyes, you’ll know what we’re talking about.

LIFE THROUGH THE LENS

86 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

MOUNT RORAIMA

The hike up Mount Roraima is one of the best trekking trips in Latin America. The trek crosses savannah, rivers and thick cloud forest. It offers stunning views and the opportunity to explore a unique eco-system on the top of the Roraima table mountain, a height of 2,700 m.

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LIFE THROUGH THE LENS

88 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

MOUNT RORAIMA

The tepuis (table top mountains) are the oldest exposed formations on the planet. The word tepui means ‘house of the gods’ in the native tongue of the Pemon, the local indigenous people. And standing on the top of Mount Roraima it certainly feels that where you are.

The 6-day return trek to the summit starts at Paratepui, a small Indigenous village in the Gran Sabana, a bumpy 2-hour ride from Santa Elena, the Venezuelan border town with Brazil where most hikers go to find a tour agency and stock up supplies.

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The trail to the summit requires a steep trek for a couple of hours through lush, beautiful cloud forest to the wall of the mountain, marked by a slope of huge boulders and a waterfall.

The trail rises along this natural stone ramp that runs from right to left through the jungle and up the side of the cliff face.

GUIDED GETAWAYS SOUTHERN OCEAN WALK

90 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Walking in Newland Head Conservation Park.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Barry Duykers of the Southern Ocean Walk loves the Heysen Trail’s coastal area so much he got married there!

WORDS_BARRY DUYKERS AS a young child I lived near the Adelaide foothills, and Brownhill Creek was within walking distance. My brothers and I would catch yabbies in the creek with a very sophisticated bit of kit consisting of a stick with a piece of string and a chunk of offcut from the local butcher tied to the end of it.

It was a love of natural environments that led me into the walking tour business. My wife and I were steadily being drawn into a corporate career path when we opted for a sea change in the early ‘90s. We established a nature-based holiday accommodation business in one of our state’s most beautiful parks, knowing that tours would be a logical extension.

We take our clients on what is arguably the most spectacular section of South Australia’s Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis to Victor Harbour, taking in some pretty amazing coastal scenery along the way. The walk includes seven beaches, two conservation parks and a permanent waterfall. My wife and I know this

part of the world very well as our love of this coastline goes back a long way. In fact, we were married here in 1994 and it has been our home as tourism operators ever since.

There are many highlights on the trip but one is when dolphins follow us along the trail and put on a performance catching waves and bailing out at the last minute to do it all over again. Without wanting to anthropomorphise this it’s as though they know we’re watching them. Based on feedback we’ve received, guests also really appreciate the personalised touch that comes with small group tours.

This part of the world offers an incredible diversity of landscapes and no two days are the same. One moment we are in dense sclerophyll forest and a few hours later we are walking on a remote ocean beach. What’s all the more remarkable is that all this is only 90 minutes from a capital city.

Of course people can do the walk on their own but there are major advantages to doing it guided. Firstly, our guides interpret the landscape, the flora, fauna and history of the area so that guests leave with a much better understanding of what they’ve seen and experienced. You’d have to do an awful lot

“

THE THREE-COURSE DINNERS ARE A GASTRONOMIC EXPERIENCE

”

of research to match that. Second, logistics.

We transfer guests to and from the trail each day, have refined the itinerary and know exactly when and where to stop. As one guest commented, it removes any decision fatigue.

Thirdly, the food is amazing. We pride ourselves on sourcing local ingredients and the threecourse dinners are a gastronomic experience.

The Heysen Trail should be on every Australian walker’s bucket list. What on mine?

Well here it’s the South Coast Track in Tasmania and overseas it’s New Zealand’s Milford Track.

Bushwalking equipment I’d never leave home without? (Apart from the obvious mandatory list) Cable ties. They are a great emergency repair kit and weigh nothing.

Need to know: southernoceanwalk.com.au

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GREAT WALKS CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

FOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES CONTACT BOBBY BUTLER PHONE: 02 9213 8265 | EMAIL: BOBBY BUTLER@YAFFA.COM.AU BUTLER@YAFFA COM AU

Tasmanian Guided Walks

Download a free Hiker’s Knee Prevention Training Program

Transfers to the Light to Light Walk Local up-to-date info and maps The only National Parks Licensed transfer service to the Light to Light Walk

Pack-free and light-pack walks available

Our Walks Maria Island South Coast Track Overland Track Freycinet Circuit

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BEN BOYD NATIONAL PARK, SAPPHIRE COAST, NSW

0429 961 047 or book online

info@tasmanianhikes.com.au www.tasmanianhikes.com.au

summitstrength.com.au/hikers-knee

TREKS

Phone 0400 882 742

YOUR BACKYARD OUR EXPERTISE

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WALKS TASMANIA Walk with as little as your water, lunch & camera Boutique accommodation Local Produce Tasmanian Wines included Wow Factors such as helicopters & cruises

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1300 783 303

KOKODATREKS.COM

Your Walking Specialists wanderingtheworld.com.au

TO FIND OUT MORE: www.lifesanadventure.com.au walks@lifesanadventure.com.au (02) 9975 4553

92 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

Closing the loop - the cliffs of Nelson Bay near Portland.

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GREAT MULTI-DAY WALKS GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK, VIC

SONG OF THE SOUTH

Guidebook author Warwick Sprawson shares highlights of the Great South West Walk, one of Victoria’s best but least known long-distance walks.

WORDS AND PHOTOS_WARWICK SPRAWSON

GREAT MULTI-DAY WALKS GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK, VIC

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TODAY THIS COAST IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BEST AREAS TO SEE WHALES

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HOW many long-distance hikes do you know where you’re more likely to encounter an echidna or koala than another person?

Where the track is flat and well-maintained?

Where you can kick back at night next to a campfire, and nearly the whole epic route is within a national park or other reserve? I can only think of one, the Great South West Walk (GSWW), a 251km two-week trek tucked away near Portland in the southwest corner of Victoria.

The track divides neatly into four equal and spectacular parts: the tall forests of the Cobboboonee, the tranquil Glenelg River, the isolated beaches of Discovery Bay, and the breathtaking cliffs and rocky capes west of Portland. It’s tough to winnow down the highlights of the walk, but here are 10 things to tempt you to pull your boots on.

Fascinating colonial history

As you leave the Portland Visitor Information Centre, the official start of the GSWW,

and follow the track north along the coast you will encounter reminder after reminder that Portland was Victoria’s first permanent European settlement. This includes a wide grassy area known as the Ploughed Field where Edward Henty established a potato crop in December 1834 – the first settler to turn a sod in Victoria – and the white pillar and red cap of Whalers Bluff Lighthouse. During the 1830s and 1840s, lookouts were posted on the bluff to alert whalers to nearby whales. Today this coast is one of Australia’s best areas to see whales, and Portland retains over 200 buildings dating from the 19th century.

The vast Cobboboonee

Seventeen kilometres from Portland, still on the first day of your hike, you’ll enter the shady depths of the Cobboboonee Forest.

The next three days will be beneath the Cobboboonee’s towering messmates, western peppermints and brown stringybarks, home to threatened species such as powerful

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Left: From Nelson it’s over the sand dunes to Discovery Bay. Below: Cubbys Camp beneath the messmates.

Below left: Koalas are abundant on Mt Richmond.

owls, yellow-bellied gliders and long-nosed potoroos. From where the GSWW enters the forest to the outskirts of Nelson – 100km away – you’ll hardly see a house or farm.

The first night on the track is spent at Cubby’s Camp, an open area beneath majestic messmates. As with every campsite on the GSWW, there’s a two-sided hut with a table and benches, rainwater tank, toilet and – best of all – fire pit with cooking plate.

The mighty Glenelg

On day four descend from the Cobooboonee Forest to meet the Glenelg River at Moleside Camp. The Glenelg is the largest river in south-west Victoria, forming in the Grampians and flowing for around 350km to Discovery Bay near Nelson. Known for millennia by the local Indigenous Gunditjmara people as Bocara, in 1836 Major Thomas Mitchell – the Surveyor General of the Colony of New South Wales – named the river after Baron Glenelg, the Colonial Secretary of the House

of Commons. Mitchell made four expeditions to explore new lands, including a March 1836 trek into present day Victoria. The Glenelg is a bird-watching hot spot, and it’s not uncommon to see rare species such as rufous bristlebirds and red-tailed black cockatoos.

Going coastal

After encountering the Glenelg River, the next three days are spent following the languid waterway towards the coast. The track gently tacks back and forth along the edge of the river, now more than 100m wide. As you approach Nelson the vegetation becomes dominated by coastal species such as coast beard-heath and coast sword-sedge, and there is a hint of sea breeze. This section provides majestic, unimpeded views over the quiet green-brown river and the towering limestone cliffs that bookend its curves. Before entering Nelson, the GSWW – perhaps surprisingly – plunges headlong into South Australia to trace a 4km arc through the state.

NEED TO KNOW The Great South West Walk guidebook published by Friends of the Great South West Walk is now available. greatsouthwestwalk.com.

GREAT MULTI-DAY WALKS GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK, VIC

96 | GREAT WALKS OCTOBER_NOVEMBER 2021 | WWW.GREATWALKS.COM.AU

WALK NOTES | GREAT SOUTH WEST WALK Time: 10-14 days | Length: 251km | Grade: medium Pattersons camp 8

Simson camp

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Battersbys camp

Gle

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Moleside camp

Fitzroy camp 4

Cobboboonee camp Monibeong camp

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Cut-out camp

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Discovery Bay Swan Lake camp The Great South West Walk winds through the diverse landscapes of Lower Glenelg NP, Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Cobboboonee NP and Cape Nelson State Park. Starting from the township of Portland in south-west Victoria, the walk takes you on an unforgettable journey across rugged cliffs carved by the Southern Ocean, over remote beaches, past ancient, pristine lakes and through majestic, tall forest.

Cubbys camp

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Mt Richmond T

The Springs ca

Relaxing in Nelson After 120km on the track, many hikers enjoy a rest day in lovely low-key Nelson. The town, population 190, is situated near the mouth of the Glenelg River, 5km from the South Australian border and 69km west of Portland.

Nelson has been a popular destination for fishermen since the 1850s, with the local hotel built in 1855. Rest up while enjoying one of the Nelson Kiosk’s scrumptious homemade pies, or, for those with more energy, catch a boat 15km up the Glenelg River to Princess Margaret Rose Cave, renowned for its stalactites and stalagmites.

The immense sweep of Discovery Bay After leaving Nelson, enter the Discovery Bay Coastal Park and cross over a sand dune to gain your first look at Discovery Bay. At 70km long, the beach stretches off into sea mist in either direction with Port MacDonnell, South Australia to your right, and Cape Bridgewater to your left – a destination you’ll reach in three more days. Having spent the last week or so

mp Trewalla camp

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Cape Bridgewater

amp Cape Nelson

beneath the forests inland, the sudden expanse and rush of sea air is exhilarating. This section of walk is about as remote as you can get in Victoria: it’s usually just you and the wild coast.

Crystal clear Lake Mombeong The first campsite along the coast is at Lake Mombeong. At an initial glance, the lake seems as vast as an inland sea, yet contains only pristine freshwater. At the edge of the lake, 300m from camp, there’s a secluded jetty where you can watch long-necked turtle, pygmy perch, galaxias and river blackfish browsing among the aquatic plants. From the jetty you can dive into the clear water, gulping down mouthfuls of the refreshingly cool liquid.

Mt Richmond’s wildflower paradise Mt Richmond National Park is an ecological gem, with over 500 plant species – 14 per cent of all indigenous plants in Victoria – packed into just 1733 hectares. The area is renowned for its bountiful koalas and snakes – keep an

eye out for both. On the lower slopes follow the GSWW past fields of grasstrees laced through with showy bossiaea. The track gently climbs through heathy woodland, the brown stringybarks growing shorter as the sand layer beneath grows thicker – a reminder that Mt Richmond is an extinct volcano covered in a layer of sand blown inland from Discovery Bay. Reach the summit of the mountain and pause to savour being one of the relatively few people to conquer the 224m peak from the coast to the summit.

Rugged Cape Bridgewater At Cape Bridgewater say goodbye to the inland forests and long beach walks – from here on it’s mostly brooding cliffs and rugged capes all the way to Portland. The track traces the fractured clifftops of the cape, the rock worn into fantastic spires and hollows, with sections so eroded that the landscape is almost Martian.

With the waves seething and sighing at the base of the cliffs, it makes for unforgettable hiking. Near the tip of Cape Bridgewater are two rock platforms, each hosting a different

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Above: Tranquility – the Glenelg River at Moleside Camp.

Below: The secret jetty at Lake Mombeong

seal species: Australian fur seals on the left and long-nosed fur seals (also known as New Zealand fur seals) on the right – the only mainland colony for either species.

Triumphal return to Portland

The last day on the track – the walk back into Portland – involves sensational views across the honeycomb-coloured cliffs of Nelson Bay. Echidnas love the area’s heathy vegetation and are commonly seen enroute. About 8km before Portland, take a short detour to a mysterious, white-tipped promontory of land: Point Danger. As you get closer, you’ll see that the pale colour is hundreds of nesting Australasian gannets. With prior arrangement with the Portland Visitor Information Centre, you can join a tour to see the gannets up close.

The birds are brilliant white with dark-tipped wings, a golden flush on the head and a pale blue-grey beak. Off the coast, the gannets plunge into the ocean at up to 100km/h in the pursuit of fish. Then it’s onwards along the GSWW towards town, in pursuit of your own feed and a well-earned rest.

PHOTO KAREN BUCKNER

WORDS OF WISDOM KATRINA ‘KIT KAT’ HEMINGWAY

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MORE THAN A FEELING Kit Kat reckons a bushwalk should be about sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

“ WORDS BY_KATRINA ‘KIT KAT’ HEMINGWAY ‘Kit Kat’ is a fundraiser and avid senior hiker who earned her trail name walking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019 with type 1 diabetes.

WHAT does my dog think when I mention the word W A L K? I get snuffles of contentment and pirouettes as soon as I grab the lead. A determined tug. An insistent sniff, every few feet. It is a dog’s job to smell his surroundings.

I beam with delight, looking at my four-legged friend’s joy in discovery.

I experience the same enthusiasm and joie de vivre when I go outdoors. Now more than ever, with the global COVID-19 pandemic changing everyone’s way of living, we must make the most of our local approved walks. Let’s engage the senses to make it the best form of exercise we can. Forget going overseas. What can you discover in your own backyard?

I can smell things. Approaching rain, ocean spray, a tropical frangipani, freshly mown lawn, sweat from a passing runner, boronia, ferns and mangrove.

I can see things. Distracted six-yearolds playing soccer at our local oval, a neighbour tending her garden, the face-masked queue at the local barista.

Away from suburbia, a gum’s bark riddled with scribbles from the larvae of a moth, an angophora’s far-reaching canopy, ancient aboriginal rock engravings, a white cockatoo’s extended yellow crest, and the clearest of water holes dappled with leaves.

I can hear things. A tooting horn at the local roundabout, a magpie’s lilting song, children’s laughter. Away from the crowds, the sound of a wave crashing inside a coastal cave, the loud melodic crack of an Eastern whipbird’s song and squalls on a cliff top’s edge.

I can taste things. The day’s first aromatic coffee, the first bite from a crunchy apple. In 2019 deep in Washington state’s wilderness, I ate tangy blueberries, huckleberries, salmonberries, and thimbleberries from the edge of the Pacific Crest Trail and drank pristine spring water.

I can touch things. A silky well-used dog lead, a traffic light’s slippery metallic pedestrian button, a cool, shaded sandstone wall. Further afield, dew-covered grass trees lining narrow bush tracks, the soft velvet touch of flannel flower

Explore the wilderness with all your senses.

USE EACH OUTING TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS

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petals, and I love squeezing the banksia bush candle’s distinctive brush. Its hairpin-shaped flowers have an irresistible spring to them.

A suburban street or local bushwalk is the perfect setting to connect with the natural world. Use each outing to practice mindfulness and try to live in the present. Put past and future distractions aside. A walk or hike, under COVID-19 restrictions, is the perfect excuse for valuable me-time. It is crucial for your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Maximise a walk’s potential by engaging the senses each time.

Focus on observing the world in which you live.

What wonderful experiences will you create for yourself and savour in your memory bank?

The smell of eucalyptus oil, a perfect reflection, an enthralling bird song, a refreshing gulp from a mountain stream or the springy touch of a rainforest’s mossy floor.

Be a dog. Bark out loud, jump riotously and yank that lead whenever you get the opportunity. Getting outdoors locally and connecting with people and nature is incredibly rewarding, healthy and satisfying. 2021 could end up being one cracker of a year.

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