Australian Hiker

I had two off-trail adventures today. The first was me missing a detour sign that cost me about 1km in extra distance by the time I was back on-track. The second was by choice with the trail being so overgrown it made sense to cross the creek early.

Wildlife wise I saw two Emus today and around 100 goats. I first saw about 20 goats that were grazing just off the creek – they bolted across to the other side and proceeded to make their way up the steep hill away from me. Then when I had gone a short distance further, I saw a very large number of goats grazing further up the left side of the creek and far enough away that I wasn’t a threat.

I had considered doing the extra 3-ish km to Wonoka campsite which is a privately run campsite to shorten the next day but my feet needed a rest and in all honesty, I’m glad I chose not to.

Just after I had turned out my light and settled into sleep another hiker turned up, dropped off by a local as he was road walking. He had started the Heysen as a section walk from the southern trailhead and loved it so much he kept on going.

Mayo Hut is an excellent hut being constructed of the local stone and around 10m x 6m in size. It has timber sleep platforms including a loft that would comfortably sleep around 10 people. It has two water tanks including the one attached to the outdoor toilet. Overall it has a great feel about it and while this is a bold statement, I think as far as huts go, this one is hard to beat.