Australian Hiker

On 11 November 2021 Australian Hiker celebrated its 5th birthday. When we started in 2016 we had no idea where we would be today. In this episode we reflect on our past year, and look at where we are heading over the coming year. We close this episode by answering the often asked question about how we got into hiking. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube  

It’s that time of the year again when you start to consider gifts for the special hiker in your life. In this podcast episode 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. In this podcast episode we discuss gift ideas in price categories with something to suit all budgets ranging from not spending money at all through to some big ticket items. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

There are estimated to be approximately 2,000,000 podcasts in existence however many of these are no longer in production. Many shows start with a flourish but peter out after around 7 episodes once their creators realise the amount of work involved in getting an episode to air. Reaching 200 episodes is a rarity, particularly for outdoor podcasts with only a rare handful lasting this long. In this episode we discuss where the Australian Hiker podcast has come from, where we are heading to, and what we have learned along the way. Both Gill and I would like to thank everyone for their support in making this podcast a long term success and look forward to the next 200 episodes! www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

For many hikers getting to the start of a hike typically requires a car ride either in your own vehicle that you return back to at the end of a hike, or a drop-off and pick up by friends or family. Other forms of public transport such as buses and trains may fit the bill depending on the options of getting to a trailhead. But what about when you travel interstate or overseas and need to transport yourself, and all your hiking gear, on a plane? Travelling by plane creates a whole new set of logistical issues that you need to consider to get both you and your luggage to the trailhead with a minimum of fuss. In this podcast episode we discuss considerations for hikes that require plane travel and provide tips to help you get the best out of not just your hike but the journey as well. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Y

Unless you camp in exactly the same location, with the same soils, and the same environmental conditions, it’s unlikely that you’ll get away with one particular type of tent peg for all your hiking needs. Choosing the right pegs and your tent should stay put in almost any conditions, chose the wrong pegs and you may find yourself shelterless at the most inconvenient times. In this podcast episode we look at a range of different tent pegs types used for hiking tents, talk about when to use them, and make suggestions based on what we use. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

Urban hiking is a self explanatory term which implies that instead of hiking in remote, or not so remote, bushland you instead take the opportunity to hike through your local urban areas. Depending on where you live this may be through totally built-up town or city infrastructure with hardly a tree or shrub in sight through to areas that include local parkland or if you are lucky enough, through areas that include adjacent bushland. But is this ‘real’ hiking or just a poor alternative? In this podcast we discuss some key considerations of urban hiking as well as identifying how to get the best out of your urban experience. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

The 80km Bondi to Manly Walk is one of Sydney's hidden gems that many people don't even know exist. In today's episode we catch up with author Tara Wells to chat about her new guidebook for this amazing trail The Bondi to Manly Walk : The Definitive Guidebook. This book will help those who are keen to plan and complete this walk. www.australianhiker.com.au Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

The Australian Hiker podcast turns five years old at the end of 2021 and is Australia's longest running and most downloaded hiking podcast. But what hiking and outdoor related podcasts does Australian Hiker listen to? In this episode we provide a brief overview of what's on Tim's podcast listening queue that covers a range of different styles. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

In this podcast episode we wrap up Tim's 2021 Tasmanian Trail trip and while it ended prematurely it provided me with a great overview of what's on offer outside of the very well known Tasmanian National Parks. In this episode we provide a wrap up of this trip and provide some suggestions about logistics and timing if you are keen to do this walk. To get the best out of this episode, follow along with our write up of the Tasmanian Trail to see images as well as detailed information.

This podcast episode consists of a series of recordings from Tim in his second week on the Tasmanian Trail. In addition to his on trail recordings Tim also discuss Trail towns.This podcast episode consists of a series of recordings from Tim in his second week on the Tasmanian Trail. www.australianhiker.com.au 

This podcast episode consists of a series of recordings from Tim in his first week of the Tasmanian Trail. It’s been an interesting and challenging week that has forced some route changes to due environmental conditions. Www.australianhiker.com.au

In February of this year I decided that my long distance hike for 2021 was going to be the 1200km south Australian Heysen Trail and part of my decision for bringing this trail forward a year was that I wanted a trail that was based in a single state and unlikely to be impacted my COVID related issues. It didn’t quite work out that was and as a result I had to pivot to another trail and my choice became the 480km Tasmanian trail. In this episode we discuss the trail itself, and my upcoming trip including my concerns and expectations. If everything goes to plan this will be the first in a series of 5 episodes including this episode, 3 from on trail, and 1 post trail episode. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

In 1820 Irish thief, Alexander Pearce, was sent to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) to serve a seven year sentence for stealing shoes and if the story ended here, it wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, but rather than just one of many similar stories. Where is becomes interesting is in 1822 when Pearce and seven other convicts escaped from their penal colony in western Tasmania and made their way eastwards  across some of the most rugged and inhospitable terrain in Tasmania in a break for freedom. Starvation pressed the party into a series of grim decisions including cannibalism with Pearce being the sole survivor of the group. In 2008, 6 hikers recreated this walk, covering 170km in 23 days on an amazing journey. This trip from Coal Head in Macquarie Harbour to Ouse, closely retraced the 1822 footsteps of Alexander Pearce across what is now the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. In today’s episode we catch up with one of those hikers, Paul Le Fevre, to find out about this unique journey and why he and

In today’s episode we talk with author Inga Simpson about her latest book and first children's book, The Book of Australian Trees. Trees tell stories about places and Australia has some of the tallest, oldest, fattest and most unusual trees in the world. As hikers, trees are our constant companions on many of our hikes. While this book is aimed at children, it will also please adults as well and makes a great coffee table book. www.australianhiker.com.au

For a second year in a row I was due to attend the Australian Outdoor Retailer Show in Melbourne only to have it cancelled by COVID. I still managed to catch up with a number of suppliers and manufacturers and in this podcast episode we find out about some new and exciting equipment releases as well as how Australian outdoor industry is going. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

Whether you walk trails only a few kilometres long or are into big trails many hundreds of kilometres in distance the next time you put feet to the ground spare a thought for how the trail gets there and manages to stay in such good condition. While the state governments play a role in both the construction and maintenance of trails much of the work is done by volunteers; those unsung hero's who quietly get on with the job so that we who hike them, can do so in a comfortable fashion. In this episode we talk to two trail volunteer groups about the role they play in proposing, building, and maintaining their respective trails. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube   Australian Hiker is a labour of love for Gill and Tim Savage and any money earned goes straight back into helping to make this blog better. Any supp

In episode 163 and 164 we discussed hiking with Injuries and disabilities but where does epilepsy fit into the mix given that around 3.5% of Australians will experience epilepsy at some point in their lives. In today’s episode we talk to Carol Ireland, the CEO of Epilepsy Action Australia about her organisation, the impact that epilepsy has on activities like hiking, and provide an overview of their upcoming fundraising hike on the Larapinta Trail that will take place from 16-22 August 2021. In addition, we will also be catching up with Nicole who participated in the Great Wall of China Hike for Epilepsy Action Australia in 2014. As someone with Epilepsy Nicole will be able to give us an upfront and personal insight of the considerations and management involved when undertaking a physical challenge such as hiking. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian

Backpacking, bushwalking, hiking, tramping, trekking, thru hiking, rambling… So many terms are used to describe getting outside with a pack on your back. Also, is it a track or is it a trail? Do you have tracking poles or trekking poles? Each term has its own connotation and depending on which country you come from (or which part of the country) you will find yourself gravitating more towards one term over another to describe what you are doing when you head out into nature. In this podcast episode we look more closely at the terms used to describe what we do when we head out in to nature and whether one term makes more sense than others. Does it really matter?www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube

Australia's alpine national parks consist of a series of eight National parks that run from the outskirts of Canberra in the north through NSW, and down into Victoria not far from the outskirts of Melbourne in the south. Most of these parks are physically connected and form a continuous pathway that the Australian Alps Walking Track runs through highlighting the best of what these parks have on offer. If you have spent much time wandering this alpine region then you will have come across one or more of the approximately 200 huts that dot the landscape and while the Australian Alps is home to this high concentration of huts other Australian states and territories also boast a range of these relicts from the past. In addition to the older huts there are now a range of newer, often ultra modern versions, cropping up in some of our best known outdoor recreation areas. In this podcast episode we look at the reason these huts came into existence, the function that they now serve, and importantly the etiquette invo

For many hikers getting out bush and going off grid is a means to get away from all the technology and the constant pinging of your mobile phone. If you aren’t connected for a few days does it really matter? If however you need to power various electronic devices on the trail the type and quantity of your power recharge needs is dictated by whether you can get away with just a single charge, a single set of batteries, or whether you need to have a back up option. In this podcast episode we provide a basic introduction into powering your hike as a hiker (as opposed to a car camper), and look at the pros and cons of the available options. www.australianhiker.com.au   Australian Hiker Social Media Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms Australian Hiker Facebook Australian Hiker Instagram Australian Hiker Twitter Australian Hiker Pintrest Australian Hiker Youtube