Our Hiking Blog

We love hiking at Wilsons Prom. We love the beaches, the fantastic views and the huge bolders and isolated inlets like Refuge Cove.

We have hiked “the Prom” several times in the last few years, but have not had a chance to put up a post on Our Hiking Blog. This will change in a couple of months when Frank heads off down there for a wander around over a long weekend.

Hiker overlooking Refuge Cove

Wilsons Promontory National Park is 200km east of Melbourne.  From the Parks Victoria website: Continue Reading…

Have you dreamed of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa?

How do you plan the climb? What gear, vaccinations, travel arrangements and planning do you need before you go?

Mount Kilimanjaro is considered the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, rising 19,341 ft  (5,895m) from base to summit and is one of the world’s most accessible high summits. i.e. you can “climb” to the summit, Uhuru Point, without being a technical “mountain climber”.

Our great mate Colin is heading off in a few days to do the climb. He has been kind enough to share all of his planning information, fitness program, trip plans, vaccination regime, gear and water purification ideas.

Maasai village with Mount Kilimanjaro backdrop

Continue Reading…

In this post we continue our interview series with interesting outdoors people from around the world.

We present to you Clayton Kessler, a Canadian back country man and outdoor blogger. Reading Clayton’s extensive answers brings to mind “boy’s own” adventures of growing up with a life of squirrel hunting, life on the “range”, building log cabins and exploring the fantastic central areas of Canada.

We hope you enjoy the picture Clayton paints of his life and adventures as he continues to enjoy the outdoors around 400km east from Vancouver, home of this year’s Winter Olympics.

How about a bit of background on yourself. Live where? Work where?

Thanks for asking. I will start from the beginning. Back when the Rockies were being built, I was born. Soon after my birth, my family moved to the Kootenay region of British Columbia in a small town called Nakusp. Many communities across Canada have names originating from a First Nations tongue, Nakusp – from the Sinixt or Okanagan language word “Neqo’sp” meaning “closed-in” or “safe” or as another translation puts it, (the bay behind the long point).

Nakusp is a remote community of 1500 folks situated on the shores of Arrow Lakes and cut off from the rest of the world by the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges. Continue Reading…

We love reading about historical characters who bushwalked in the “good old days”.

Their gear is fascinating, their clothes look so different to what we wear today, equipment such as tents and backpacks look heavy and not too waterproof.  They were tough  trail blazers who could improvise and live off the land.

When we think about the adventures they had, and the untouched wilderness they explored, it is with a touch of envy and a huge amount of admiration.

Jack Thwaites on Mt Arrowsmith, 1928

In this post we share some of the terrific images from the Jack Thwaites Bush Diaries website.  We take a particular emphasis on his gear, clothing and tent. Continue Reading…

Louisa Bay - A very special place

In this post, Mark shares his trip report on the South Coast Track in southern Tasmania.  The Track extends over 84km of very rough country from Melaleuca to Cockle Creek. It is situated in the South West National Park in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Click on this link to view a simple map by Parks Tasmania that shows where it is situated in the world.

The party consisted of Mark, John , Sue and Frank (yes us!).  This trip occurred  in February 2009 and it was our second trip into the area (but not the last).  Sue has also written up a trip report that we have not yet posted.  We did have a bit of an adventure on the way out,  you can read about us being caught between two flooded rivers on this same trip here.

We were reminded last night (over a few beers)  that Mark had sent Frank this report months ago.  He had overlooked it, and thought it was already posted.  So without further adieu we present Part One of Mark’s fantastic recollections of our hike from Melaleuca  to Cockle Creek – keep an eye out to see if we ALL finished….

Coxs Bight - where you first hit the beach

Day One

An early morning start with Frank and Sue picking us up in their car at 4.30 am Continue Reading…