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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 get the most out of this episode, open our written trail review here for more details and images.

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 common in the USA, this is also starting to become more common in Australia. In this podcast episode we look at the options for taking animals on the trail from an Australian perspective. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 of social media. In this episode we look at the negative impacts of social media and discuss ways in which we can minimise this. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 we can often carry what we need. The problem arises when we start to do multi-day hikes and it becomes impossible to carry all the water we need for multiple days because of the weight and the bulk. It’s at this stage we need to top up on water as we walk. This requires us to know how to find water which may not always be easy. In this episode we discuss hydration as hikers and then look at sourcing water when we are out hiking. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 1.5 days on the trail before discussing reasons for halting this hike. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 really specific with their request. Think of this from your perspective of getting an expensive gift you don’t really want. If you’re not sure, stick to small presents, or give gift vouchers.In the following 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.To get the most from this podcast go to https://australianhiker.com.au/advice/christmas-gift-ideas-for-hikers/ to see images and the links to the full reviews on the product that we have discussed.

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 trail and while many of the people may only hike every now and again this is definitely the Australian pastime, and one that people do throughout their lives.This podcast episode is aimed fairly and squarely at new hikers and is designed to provide a simple overview of the considerations to get 'out bush', in a manner that will hopefully increase your enjoyment, as well as reduce any anxiety/fears that you may have. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 this podcast episode we discuss the planning process for this walk, what I have decided to do and why, and what my November adventure now looks like. I am not alone in this process with so many hikers around Australia going through a similar experience. Is this you? www.australianhiker.com.au

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.australianhiker.com.au

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 that bit more difficult. In addition to these pre-existing issues we can also collect new ones when we hike. Dealing with these injuries can be a real learning curve but it’s worth being aware of what they are and how best to manage them, otherwise your enjoyment level will be greatly impacted.In this podcast episode we discuss the key considerations for hiking with pre-existing injuries as well as managing any new ones you pick up on the trail. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 to be an odd interview for a hiking podcast, you may be surprised to learn that one of the programs offered by Soldier On, March On, is all about doing hikes of varying lengths.In this week’s episode we catch up with Soldier On CEO, Ivan Slavich to find out about this organisation and their March On program. www.australianhiker.com.au 

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 started as part of a family activity? Are we new hikers who have only just started? Are we the occasional hiker who does an adventure every so often and wants to just turn up rather than doing any of the organising or planning? Or maybe we don’t fit into a single style of hiking and will choose our own adventure based on what we feel like.In this podcast we discuss what the common types of hiking/camping styles. Where do you fit? www.australianhiker.com.au

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 doing my big hikes. Perfect Motion was the culmination of his journey that was set in motion with the death of his younger brother, Gareth, eventually resulted in a 2700-kilometre solo trek across the Himalayas.In this episode we talk to Jono about the impacts of walking and find out more about his amazing background, his trip though the Himalayas, as well as discussing his book Perfect Motion. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 more than you every wanted to now about what to do with toilet waste in the snow! To round off this episode we catch back up with Bruce Easton from Wilderness Sports about options for getting a taster in backcountry. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 snowshoeing to see if this ‘walking option’ provided an alternative to hibernation for accessing the alpine regions during the colder months.This three part episode consists of a discussion on the basics of snowshoeing, a series of recordings we made on the day of our snowshoe tour, and finally  an interview with Bruce Easton, owner of Wilderness Sports in Jindabyne. For more information read our write up here.

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 we talk about the do’s and dont's of pack training to help you get the most out of your hike. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 number of suppliers for an update. This is the second episode in this series in which we bring you a further three interviews. As a follow up to our discussions with the various suppliers, in the coming year we will be reviewing that will be of interest to you. The first episode in this series, episode 155, was released last week. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 number of suppliers for an update. In this, the first of two episodes in this series, we bring you two interviews.In our next episode, episode 156, to be released next week, we will bring you our remaining interviews. As a follow up to our discussions with the various suppliers, in the coming year we will be undertaking a number of gear reviews that will be of interest to you. www.australianhiker.com.au

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 Red Track which as a walk under 6 km, ranks as one of the most physically demanding I have ever done; I've had 40 km days that have been easier. We talk about things to consider when hiking the Red Track before briefly touching on the other walks within the park. Read our written write ups on the Walks of Bungonia National Park Here