On the trailDay 9
And now its over!
For those who have been following my journey on South Australia's Heysen Trail you will have noticed my radio silence over the past week. My last post on day 8 had me…
Read this entry →Australian Hiker / Trail journal
2026 Heysen Trail
Australia's longest dedicated hiking trail at over 1,100km in length
Follow the story, from the planning to the days on the trail.
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- Latest entry
- 6 Aug 2026
The latest chapter
And now its over!
For those who have been following my journey on South Australia's Heysen Trail you will have noticed my radio silence over the past week. My last post on day 8 had me arriving at Elm School Campsite on Wednesday evening after a very hard day walking up and…
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The journey journal
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- On the trailDay 8
Day 8 Mayo Hut to Elm School Campsite
Without a doubt this was the hardest day on this trip so far. Before I get into that, this trail continues to surprise with another day that was unexpected and different. The…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 7
Day 7 Red Range Campsite to Mayo Hut
Today I left Red Range campsite and made my way to Mayo Hut. Although it was only supposed to be 17.1km it was hard due to much of today being spent walking…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 6
Day 6 Wilpena Pound to Red Range Campsite
It's day six and I'm back on-trail just after 6:30am. Today was the longest day of the trip so far travelling just on 28km to Red Range Camp and as a result,…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 5
Day 5 Wilpena Pound rest day
My first rest day today and while I didn’t need it physically, my next section is 10 days to Quorn so I needed today to release the first of the on-trail podcasts.…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 4
Day 4 Yanyanna Hut to Wilpena Pound
Today saw me head the just over 22km to Wilpena Pound and even though I had only been walking for a few days, I am looking forward to a rest and to…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 3
Day 3 Aroona Campground to Yanyanna Hut
Today was an early start as I tried to get away at 7:00am and ended up leaving not long after. One hiker headed off before me and another after. A much cooler…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 2
Day 2 Today gets serious
Given how early I went to bed last night I slept in blocks until the alarm went off just before 5:45am. I am dressed and have packed away some of my gear.…
Read this entry → - On the trailDay 1
Day 1 And so it begins
Today is my final travel day and also where I start the Heysen Trail. After doing some social media early on I headed into town for breakfast and also to buy some…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -1
Day -1 Heysen Trail Travel day
Today is travel day! A 6:00am drop off at the Canberra airport; thanks Gill, before an uneventful plane flight to Adelaide. Normally I travel to Adelaide to visit friends and family at…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -2
Day -2 Boxes ticked
Yesterday was all about finalising the last few bits and pieces including putting together the remainder of the food for my trip; thank you Gill! All that remains today is to put…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -3
Day -3 All packed!
Due to the amount of travelling I've (we've) done over the years, packing has become an art form. Mind you it's not pretty as I’m more a ‘stuff it’ type of packer…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -4
Day -4 Trial Pack
Now I have all my gear and my first run of food sorted, it’s time to do a test pack to see if I can fit everything into my chosen pack. Whether…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -5
Day -5 Exploded Pack
Over the past few weeks I have been collecting all my hiking gear in one location for my upcoming Heysen Trail trip which Gill always loves as my collection location is the…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -6
Day -6 Food!
Yesterday evening was spent putting my food together for the first two sections for my upcoming trip on the Heysen Trail. I’ve, or I should say we've, done this enough times that…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -7
Day -7 A week to go
This time next week I will be leaving Port Augusta in the early afternoon on a private shuttle and arriving at the Heysen Trail northern trailhead at Parachilna at around 3:30 pm…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -8
Day -8 Concerns
Before starting a long distance hike, there are aways things that concern me. Strangely enough these concerns are rarely the same but instead are hike-specific and combined with how organised, or rather…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -14
Day -14 A Flurry of Activity
It's amazing how quickly a long distance hike creeps up on you. Most of the key organisation activity has already been done but I realised over the past few days that time…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -21
Day -21 Gear
While I have recovered well from my hip replacement operation in May 2025 I'm definitely walking more slowly than my peak of 2018 and have reflected on this in the time I…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -28
Day -28 Pack Training and Fitness
Having come off the Great South West Walk in early May I certainly feel that I have a good level of fitness using that 250km+ walk as a testing opportunity to see…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -35
Day -35 New Shoes
It doesn't take long for hikers to realise how important footwear is to hiking and while I put a lot of thought and consideration into every piece of gear I choose to…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -42
Day -42 Travel Direction and Navigation
Amongst the many decisions I needed to make in walking the 1200 km Heysen Trail is the direction of travel. There are so many reasons for starting either direction. From a planning…
Read this entry → - Before the trailDay -49
Day -49 Decision made/planning underway
As Australian long distance trails go the Heysen Trail is just that little bit different. While other trails will very strongly recommend you don’t hike in mid summer doing everything they can…
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