Real Trail Talk

Continuing with our look at the Bibbulmun Track, we move on to the Pemberton to Northcliffe section where you will find no shortage of Karri forest, farmland and waterways to keep you entertained. One of the more manageable sections at only three days, this section is perfect for a quick getaway or a long weekend. 

This week we are joined by the other half of The Life of Py, Caris, to discuss the Three Capes Track on the East Coast of Tasmania. This four day hike takes in some of the best coastal scenery in Tasmania and can be done in a variety of ways ranging from free day walks to self-guided public hut walks to the full luxury lodge option.

To conclude our two part series on Fitzgerald River National Park we are once again joined by Dr Erika Jacobson from Edgewalkers to discuss the western side of the park. A Unesco Biosphere reserve, Fitzgerald River is renowned for its incredible biodiversity and stunning beaches that rival the more famous Cape Le Grand National Park. The more isolated western side of the park is home to the best o...

This week we are joined by Dr. Erika Jacobson from Edgewalkers to discuss the east side of the spectacular Fitzgerald River National Park. A Unesco Biosphere reserved, Fitzgerald River is renowned for its incredible biodiversity and stunning beaches that rival the more famous Cape Le Grand National Park. For this first part of a two part mini-series, we discuss the walks on the eastern side of the...

This episode we are joined by Jamie Bennett from Outdoors WA to discuss Outdoors October and the various events that are taking place as part of this month long program. Jamie is one of the leading voices in the outdoors community, bringing people together and trying to get people outdoors and exploring the beautiful home we call Western Australia. To find out more about Outdoors October, visit th...

This week we are joined by Alissa to discuss one of Tasmania's Great Multi-Day Bushwalks, the Walls of Jerusalem . Home to some of the finest alpine scenery in Australia, the Walls of Jerusalem National Park lies within a core reserve of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and is recognised as one of the more pristine places in Australia.  This hike can be done as a choose your own advent...

Continuing on our Bibbulmun journey we pick up where we left off at Donnelly River Village and begin the first of the true experiences through the Karri forest. This lush and magical section is full of fungi, wildflowers, streams and the Donnelly River, which you will follow for a couple of the days. Feauturing some of the best campsites on the track, this is rated very highly for good reason. Fin...

We are joined this episode by Dr Erika Jacobson from Edgewalkers to discuss the 135km Cape to Cape Track in the beautiful south west region of Western Australia. Following the journey from north to south, we discuss each day and what to expect from one of the best multi-day trails in Australia. From long beach stretches to stunning Karri forest to a variety of wonderful wildflowers, this trail has...

Joining us for the first ever four person Real Trail Talk roundtable discussion is Bonny from Young Perth Hikers and Ben from Going Solo to chat about the old hiking term "Hike Your Own Hike". One of our longest podcasts ever, we dive into the topic with discussion points around our various experiences, gear choice, the reasons why we hike and also who we like to hike with. If you love your hiking...

This week we were lucky enough to be joined by Dave Willcox from Common Ground Trails to discuss what goes into trail building, the process to get trails planned, approved, funded and built along with how WA stacks up when it comes to trail planning and construction. This was a really fun chat as Dave has extensive knowledge of the trail industry and as an avid trail user himself, has a fantastic...

In our 20th Episode, special guest Michelle Ryan ( Walkingtwobytwo ) returns for an an extended overview of the  Balingup to Donnelly River Village  section of the Bibbulmun Track, talking about the transition to lush Jarrah and Karri forests. Includes discussion about Mark's third opinion on the Dwellingup to Collie section of the Bibbulmun and Michelle's newly released guidebook to the Cape to C...

We are joined once again by Alissa to discuss The Long Way's Better's adventure on the Overland Track in Tasmania. This world famous multi-day hike takes you through some true wilderness but with a touch of comfort along the way. Explore mountains, plains, waterfalls and temperate rainforest in one of the best hiking destinations in the world.  This episode is proudly brought to you by  Sudio , a...

With the peak Karijini National Park visitation period upon us, we are joined by Alissa (the other half of The Long Way's Better) to discuss what goes into a road trip up to Karijini National Park, the various hikes that you can do while you're there and what to expect in terms of accommodation, facilities and adventures.  If you're planning a trip to Karijini then this is essential listening as D...

Joining us for a return visit is Steve Sertis from the Bibbulmun Track Foundation to talk about the events calendar that the foundation runs, his latest trip to Nepal and also a few stories from his time as Lead Guide. It's always great to have Steve on the podcast and as you can tell by the length we had a fun time talking trails. This episode is proudly brought to you by  Sudio , a Swedish based...

With Donovan now safely back on Western Australian shores we discuss his three month stint exploring the Gondwana Ranforests of the Australia World Heritage Area in Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Joining us for the first time to provide a different viewpoint is the other half of The Long Way's Better , Alissa, who regales us with some great Donovan stories.  This episode is prou...

This episode Donovan interviews Mark about his 2008 travel adventure to Costa Rica that sparked his interest in hiking and confirmed his love of the outdoors. Partaking in a World Expeditions three week trip, hear about Mark's cross country "origin story" and all the trials and tribulations that came his way. 

We continue on the Bibbulmun Track discussion with the next town to town section, Collie to Balingup . Joining us in this episode is Lead Guide and Events Manager from the Bibbulmun Track Foundation to share his experiences and offer a counterpoint to Donovan's opinions. One of the shorter town to town sections, Collie to Balingup takes you through some regrowth Jarrah forest and you get to see so...

In this week's episode we have some fun discussing our dream trails both in Australia and Overseas. With no limit on money we pick five trails from each location and discuss why we selected our dream hikes. In the second half of the podcast we talk about our favourite hiking related movies and what makes us associate them with hiking (warning: spoiler warnings for all movies discussed).

Joining us in the studio for Episode 12 is fellow trail lover and enthusiast, Melina Mellino, Director of the Perth Trail Series trail running events to discuss trail running, being a trail visionary and what goes into running the Perth Trail Series. 

Donovan sits down to discuss his post Christmas adventures exploring the beautiful country of Vietnam and specifically his three day expedition on the Wild Tu Lan Cave Explorer . Taking in some of the best cave systems in the world combined with some tough jungle trekking, Donovan describes what it was like, how he fared and his experiences with Oxalis Adventures.

With the highly anticipated premiere of a documentary about the Bibbulmun Track and the people who use it we talk to the woman behind the project, Michelle Ryan from WalkingTwoByTwo about what went into making it and her love for the track. We also discuss the recent destruction of the Helena Campsite and the devastation of losing another campsite to bushfires.

Welcome to the first podcast of 2018 as we discuss some great tips for hiking in summer, how our 2017 hiking adventures went and what we both have planned for 2018. 

In Episode 8 we discuss the hiking trail network on Rottnest Island, the Wadjemup Bidi , answer some more questions that have come through on the email and talk about some Christmas present ideas that you can get hikers this holiday season.

In our seventh episode, we interview Rod Annear (the Assistant Director of Visitor Services at the Parks and Wildlife Service) and ask him about his Munda Biddi adventures, what happened to the proposed multi-day hike in Fitzgerald River National Park , his appearance on Karri FM radio and the future of trail development in Western Australia. 

In Episode Six, special guest Michelle Ryan ( Walkingtwobytwo ) joins us for an an extended overview of the Dwellingup to Collie  section of the Bibbulmun Track, talking about some of the section highlights, lowlights and burnt Jarrah forest in general.