Australian Hiker

No one plans to get lost or injured on a hike but every year our state and territory police forces, with support of organisations like the state emergency services, parks services as well as local volunteers, respond to incidents of lost or injured hikers. In many cases the outcomes of these incidents are just a minor inconvenience to all concerned but at the other end of the scale, there is occasionally the unfortunate loss of life.

In addition to the human outcomes, the resources of the organisations providing assistance are often stretched and taken away from other roles they perform. So how can you minimise potential issues on-trail and if you do become lost, what steps should you take to ensure you are found as quickly as possible?

An ounce of protection..........

There is an old saying that many of you will be aware of and that’s An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure – sadly, it just doesn’t quite translate into the metric system. Freak accidents, such as slipping and twisting an ankle or similar such accidents that prevent a hiker from being able to walk out, are outside of anyone’s control but there are some measures you can put in place to minimise issues occurring, and if by some chance they do occur, you can have systems in place to ensure the best outcomes.

Experience and fitness

Being outdoor in the Australian bush can be a challenge. How much of a challenge depends on a number of factors including your fitness and level of experience. A key consideration here is that while its good to challenge yourself, its also worth knowing your limitations.

Physically can you do the kilometres that you have planned, in the time that you have allowed? By all means push yourself but do it incrementally.

Experience wise some hikes are difficult, not just physically challenging but also mentally. If you think that a hike may be beyond your experience level then do it with someone more experienced that can do all the technical stuff such as navigation and so you can learn from them.

Going solo

The school of thought is that the minimum hiking group size should be four people. The idea here is that if someone gets injured then one person can stay with them and two people can go for help. In this scenario, it means that no person is left alone.

Having said that, I love, love, love solo hiking but with that comes a number of extra considerations. Extra planning, extra gear, and extra experience. While you should carry a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) on all bush-based hikes, this is particularly crucial when solo hiking.

My PLB is a satellite communication device that allows my family to contact me and also follow me via an online map that, depending on how I have set it up, will locate me with 2-20 minute increments.

To find out more about solo hiking go here.

Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB1, my PLB of choice

Garmin GPSMAP 66i Handheld Hiking GPS & Satellite. This device allows my family and friends to follow me via an online map as well as contact me via text messaging

Before you go

If you have followed us for a while you know that we ‘bang on’ about the importance of planning a hike. In addition to logistical considerations, planning is also about enjoyment and safety. As experienced as you are, there are steps you need to take for every hike to ensure you minimise any negative issues. These are:

1. Tell someone reliable where you’re going
   1. Let them know what trail/track you will be doing and provide specifics
      1. Fill out a trip intention form. NSW Parks Online Trip intention form is just one example. Other States and Territories have similar systems
      2. Notify your nominated person if your plans change
      3. Leave a printed copy in your vehicle
   2. If possible, share with them a map showing your proposed route and stopping points each day
   3. Specify how many people in your group
   4. Is there mobile phone coverage?
      1. The major phone networks now come with Satellite connectivity for those times when you’re ‘off grid’ that can be accessed in case of emergency
   5. If you are using a device such as some of the Garmin Satellite Communicators, there is two-way contact via text as well as the ability to follow the user in real time through the online mapping system
   6. Expected return time
      1. If you don’t return at the expected return time how long should they wait until they report you missing? In other words, when should they contact police to say ‘I think my friends are having issues’
      2. Time is of the essence so your nominated person needs to contact the police to let them know as soon as possible. Its important that they not hesitate on the basis of them not wanting to overreact
   7. Tell your nominated person you have returned safely.

Share a map of some type, even a downloaded one, to show what your plans are

Gear

Every time you go out-bush for a hike you will need a certain amount of gear. What you take will depend on:

• Where you are
• How remote are you
• The environment you are travelling in
• The weather forecast
• The duration of the hike
• Your own personal factors (e.g. fitness, medications etc).

It is no use carrying gear you don’t know how to use and by carry too much, all you’re doing is weighing yourself down.

To see what we carry on a hike go to the following links:

• Tim’s Day Hiking GearList
• Gill’s Day Hiking Gear List
• Tim’s Multi-Day Hiking List
• Gill’s Multi-Day Hiking Gear List
• First Aid on the Trail (including what’s in the First Aid Kit we carry)

Tim’s gear for a multi-day hike. He carries the same things on every hike and only swaps items out based on the prevailing weather conditions

Food and water

Food

Carry enough food for your planned trip but allow a bit extra as a ‘just in case’. It sounds obvious to say but choose food you like and don’t carry anything you haven’t eaten previously because you don’t want to find out on-trail that its totally unpalatable.

See what we carry food wise on a multi-day hiking trip here.

For a day hike you can be a bit more flexible but make sure you have enough food for the day and again allow some extra just in case.

Water

• For temperatures under 25 degrees Celcius, carry one litre water for every 10 km of hiking
• For temperatures over 25 degrees Celcius, carry one litre water for every hour of hiking.

Alternatively, carry a filter of some type to filter water on the trail, if there is any!

Food packed for an 11 day hike

Katadyn BeFree 600 ml water filter bottle

Safety apps that hikers should have on their phones

Below are some handy apps that hikers need on their phones. Click on the links to find out more about these apps:

• Bushfires Near Me
  • Essential when hiking particularly during the hotter months
• Emergency Plus App
  • Yes 000 works well but this app has everything you need in one spot including 000, SES, general police assistance, advice on performing CPR as well as latitude and longitude and What Three Words
• Peak Finder
  • Helps you to identify hills and mountains. If you are trying to work out where you are this, is a great app to have
• St Johns First Aid Responder
  • A handy app that provides key information in an emergency
• What Three Words
  • This apps provides you with your location, down to one square metre with the use of three words.

So you're lost

The best laid plans can, and do, go astray at times. If you find yourself in a situation where you really are lost here are the steps as recommended by the Victorian Police Department:

• Stay calm
  • Don’t act rashly when you realise you don’t know where you are
  • Calm yourself and think through what you need to do in a considered manner
• Stop and think
  • Where was the last place you were sure that you were on-trail?
• Re-check your navigation and map
  • This may be enough to prompt an understanding of where you are
• Re-trace your steps for a short distance to locate your last known point if possible
  • Don’t wander randomly
  • Set a distance to check
  • If you are still sure that you are lost, stay put
• Gain some height to assist in orientation
• Find shelter to stay warm and dry
• Stay in one place
• Attempt to make your position visible to land and air searchers
  • This might be a fire (if conditions allow) or bright clothing in an open area that can be seen by air searchers
• If you are in a group stay together, never separate
• Ration your food and water if necessary

If the above does not resolve your situation, or is not possible: 

• Call 000 and ask for Police
  • If you have mobile phone reception / satellite access on your mobile (not all phones have this function), then conserve the phone battery by only turning it on at agreed times
• Activate emergency communication device
  • If you have a PLB , Garmin InReach or similar, activate it
• Stay together
  • If you are hiking with others, do not separate
• Shelter
  • If hot, cold or tired, and before it gets dark, find or prepare shelter (e.g. shade, out of wind and rain, off the snow etc)
• Keep warm and dry
  • It can take a considerable time for rescuers to reach you
• Ration your food and water
  • Source local water if possible and if it is safe to do so, minimise movement to conserve energy
• Make your position visible to searchers
  • Bright clothing, equipment or branches set out in an open area, or stamp out an X or an arrow if in snow
• Light a fire
  • If you have the means and it is safe to do so, light a fire. Green leaves will create smoke
• Listen carefully
  • Listen for voices, shouts, whistles, engine noises, etc and loudly respond
• Distress signals
  • Give audible or visible signals if people or rescuers are nearby or aircraft are in the vicinity
    • Three consecutive signals at regular intervals are best (e.g. three shouts, whistles, flashes of a torch, waving bright items).

NOTE:  Help may take some time to arrive depending on your location and the prevailing weather condition.

Final thoughts

We all hope to never be lost in the bush and while some judicious planning and skills practice will help minimise this from occurring, it’s not a guarantee. The thing to remember is that if you have done your planning and have let someone reliable know what you are doing, then a search will occur in a timely fashion.

Keep in mind that in undertaking a search the searchers will go about looking for you in a logical fashion. If you followed the steps outlined above, and stay put, then you will assist them to find you in a relatively short period of time although from your perspective it may seem like it is taking ages. If you know you are lost and continue to move about then, more than likely, you will delay being found.

Hopefully you will never find yourself in this situation but if you do, knowing what to do will help greatly.

Government resources

• NSW Police Advice
• Victorian Police Advice
• NSW Parks Safety Advice 

Last updated

8 March 2025

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