Australian Hiker

Operation Flinders is an Australian organisation that exists to provide young men and women who have been identified as being at risk, with demanding outdoor challenges and support. The aim of this organisation is to help participants develop their personal attitudes, self-esteem, motivation, teamwork and responsibility, so they may grow as valued members of the community. In today’s episode we ta...

Whether you are new to hiking or have been doing it for years, deciding on what walk you are going to do will depend on a number of factors. Surprisingly the answer you get when you work through these factors may differ each time you have to make this choice. While some of these factors cross over with general hiking planning there are also a number that are purely subjective. In this podcast epis...

In this episode we interview author Paul Barach about his epic journey on the 1200 km Shikoku Pilgrimage Trail in Japan. This was a trail I hadn't heard of until talking with Paul and reviewing his book Fighting Monks and Burning Mountains : Misadventures on a Buddhist Pilgrimage but now it’s firmly on my to-do list. This is a great episode that showcases this Japanese pilgrimage trail and provide...

The walk to Schlink Hut in Kosciuszko National Park (NSW) starts at the Guthega Power Station visitor car park. This is a great day walk or as an overnight option and because it contains a series of three alpine huts, you have the option of 'choosing your own adventure' to suit your skills and ability. This episode consists of a series of on-trail reviews recorded on our recent two day trip. To ge...

The human connection with animals is timeless. First as food, then as working partners that carried our loads, helped us hunt or managed and protected our herds, and then evolved into companions. Animals have become an integral part of our lives in one way or another so it’s not surprising many of us want to include them in our hiking activities. While taking domestic animals on hikes is much more...

When it comes to hiking there really is no ‘one way’ to get involved. Some people stick to shorter hikes that can be completed in a day or less. For others it may mean hiking that includes day hikes that expands out to those lasting multiple days, weeks or even months either as a solo or group activity. Even then there is a decision to make about whether you are doing all the organisation and logi...

Everyone has their own reason(s) for hiking; exercise, solitude and scenic views are just some. For many people photography also forms a key part of getting out bush. Sometimes this will be the main reason with the focus being to take photos of wildlife and sunrises. At other times it may be a minor reason with the odd photo being taken as a means of remembering the trip but for many its the lure...

At home we tend to take the availability of water for granted, we walk to the tap, the fridge, or if we are out and about the store, and drink as we need. When we are hiking, particularly in remote areas the availability of water becomes a more complex issue. For short hikes we may just carry a water bottle or we may wait until we get back to the car or trailhead to rehydrate. For overnight hikes...

In November of 2020 Tim commenced his journey on the 260 km Great North Walk which runs between the Australian east coast cities of Newcastle and Sydney. This journey ended up being a very short walk as he pulled the pin on this hike just prior to lunch on day 2 for reasons he discusses in this podcast episode. In this episode we provide an introduction to this trail, bring you recordings made on...

On 11 November 2020 Australian Hiker celebrated its fourth birthday on what has been a difficult year. In this episode we reflect on our past year, a difficult one, and where we are heading into the future. www.australianhiker.com.au  

It’s that time of the year again when you start to consider gifts for the special hiker in your life. In this article we focus on the best and brightest products including those released over the past year. Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean you have to spend up big, in fact you may not even have to spend any money at all. It’s best to avoid grand gestures unless the gift receiver has been r...

In 2016 well known research company, Roy Morgan, undertook a study on hiking (bushwalking) and unsurprisingly found that the proportions of Australians who participate on a regular basis was on the increase and in 2015 accounted for 27.3% of the population (more than 5.3 million Australians). From my perspective these figure are backed up by the increased number of people that we are seeing on the...

2020 is likely to be a memorable for so many reasons! I had planned to be walking the Australian Alps Walking Track in mid November but between the fires and COVID, this track is off the menu and likely to be so for the next few months. The term 'flogging a dead horse' comes to mind in my attempt to do this walk. As this podcast goes to air it's one month out and it's time to make a decision. In t...

Most hikers will have an injury or two that they have collected over their lifetimes but when this goes beyond being just a minor issue and becomes a permanent disability the ability to continue hiking can be greatly impacted, or in some cases not even an option.  In this week’s episode we interview hiker Jenny Woodhouse who talks about hiking whilst managing permanent spinal disability. www.austr...

Most of us we start life reasonably fit and healthy and as we get older we start to collect various injuries and illnesses along the way. In most cases we aren’t talking about major medical problems that are going to stop us from hiking altogether but rather issues that may only be minor niggles but either in isolation, or in combination, they injuries can become more of an issue making life just...

If you are in the armed services, you will be familiar with the Soldier On organisation. However, if you’ve never had family or friends in the military you may never have heard of them. Soldier On’s mission is to enable veterans and their families to thrive and they do this by offering a holistic and integrated set of services to Defence personnel, veterans and their families. While this may seem...

When we think about hiking we create a picture in our mind of what the day looks like and if there is an overnight stay involved the camp forms part of the picture. The thing we need to remember is that hiking is different for everyone and there is no right view of  the image we create. How we come to hiking and camping will generate this mental picture. Are we life long hiking enthusiasts that st...

Australian Hiker is all about walking and when Jono Lineen, author of the book Perfect Motion, contacted me a few months ago to talk to talk about doing a review for his book ‘Perfect Motion’ it not only made sense to review the book but also to interview him for the podcast as well. As a keen long distance hiker this book resonated with me in so many ways, particularly in the way that I feel when...

In our last podcast episode, episode 158 , we talked about snowshoeing in the Australian Alps. But for those that want to go a step further there are other options including skiing and snow camping. In this episode we catch up with Gary Tischer and find out about options for skiing, and snow camping away from the resorts. We talk about safety and logistics in the back country in general, including...

Hiking, bushwalking, whatever you want to call it is all about hiking outdoors in nature. While Australia doesn’t have the same sort of extreme winters as Europe and North America the Australian Alps are usually covered in snow and for many of us it means some of our favourite hiking destinations have gone to sleep and we need to look for other options. Buy why is that? Recently we tried snowshoei...

Physical preparation is a part of getting ready for any hike. For shorter easier hikes the training may be almost non existent while for longer and or more complex hikes you may spend weeks if not months preparing. Training for longer hikes involves many different physical aspects including cardio and weight training, as well as lots of walking/hiking both with and without a pack. In this podcast...

Over the past three years Australian Hiker has attended the annual Outdoor Retailer Australia Show. This show is a chance for Australia’s outdoor wholesalers and manufacturers to showcase their new and existing products to Australia’s outdoor retailers and allied media. Due to the pandemic, the show was cancelled for 2020 but rather than let the opportunity pass us by we managed to catch up with a...

Over the past three years Australian Hiker has attended the annual Outdoor Retailer Australia Show. This show is a chance for Australia’s outdoor wholesalers and manufacturers to showcase their new and existing products to Australia’s outdoor retailers and allied media. Due to the pandemic the show was cancelled for 2020 but rather than let the opportunity pass us by we managed to catch up with a...

Bungonia National Park is located in southern NSW near the inland city of Goulburn and is an easily accessible drive from both Sydney and Canberra. There are five main designated walking tracks located within the park and they all start from the short spine road that runs from the visitor centre, all within minutes of each other. This podcast episode consists of a series of recordings taken on the...

Peak bagging is the practice of climbing to the summit of a hill or mountain in an attempt to collect peaks in a particular region. I must admit that from my perspective the whole concept is just plain strange. My view on hiking is that I will follow the designated trail and if the trail goes over a summit, I will follow it but if it doesn’t, then there needs to be a really good reason to head up...