Last Updated Apr 16, 2024 The Grampians (Gariwerd National Park) is to Melbournians, what the Blue Mountains is to Sydney-siders: about 2 hours away and bursting with natural beauty and opportunities for adventure. The 164 km Grampians Peaks Trail showcases the best the area has to offer. It starts from Mount Zero Picnic Area in … Read more
Getting the message out Where I live in the Blue Mountains, (where much to the local’s dismay, is considered part of Greater Sydney), it doesn’t take long for mobile coverage to drop out along even the most popular bushwalking tracks and trails. The sharing/democratisation of information online has meant that so many more of us … Read more
Gear Review Sea to Summit is one of those gear companies I’ve always admired for their innovation in coming up with solutions to little problems that niggle outdoorsy folk like us. It’s almost as though they’ve got inside our heads and heard us when we imagine: “Geez, I wish there was a thing/widget/design for ‘x’ … Read more
In 2020 over 3.7 million people from Australia and overseas visited the Blue Mountains – The most visited National Park in New South Wales. They’re drawn to the dramatic clifftop views, deep valleys and diverse habitats that stretch over the 1 million hectares of this World Heritage sandstone plateaux, a landscape that is constantly being … Read more
Stories from Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad View on Zencastr Matt U’Brien’s story is powerful. During his 17-year policing career (mostly within the Blue Mountains Police Rescue Squad), he’s done literally hundreds of rescues and saved countless lives whilst risking his own. What’s unique about Matt, is that during this time he also found himself … Read more
Last Updated May 14, 2024 Rescued is a podcast of conversations with rescuers and those who’ve been rescued. It’s about the lessons we learn about ourselves, the paces we go and why – without judgement or shame – to help us have better adventures, manage risk and deal with the unexpected. Caro Ryan What happened? … Read more
Let’s face it: water is heavy. OK, so it’s not like mercury heavy (1 litre = 13.5 kg), but it’s still 1 litre = 1 kg. One of the golden rules in keeping our backpack weight down is to minimise the amount of time that we need to carry a lot of water. Apart from … Read more
In the great battle between two arch-rivals, (think Ford vs Holden, iOs vs Android or scrunch vs fold) where there doesn’t appear to be much between the two other than brand allegiance*, Finnish designed and made Suunto have released their latest sports watch, the Suunto 9 Peak and in doing so, continue to put the … Read more
Leave No Trace vs Minimal Impact Bushwalking The term Leave No Trace has become part of hiking lingo in the last couple of decades and although it is a trademarked brand name from the US, it’s now the short-hand way of referring to the ways we can tread lightly in the bush, ensuring that we … Read more
Well, if the last year or so has taught us anything about living through a pandemic, it’s the value of a great online shopping experience. And if I think about what can make an online click great, it comes down to confidence. Confidence that the platform is easy to use, secure and more than anything, … Read more
…and also carry a PLB. It’s pretty incredible the ways in which technology has changed the bush search and rescue (LandSAR) landscape in recent years. I’ve done quite a few reviews and articles that compare different satellite communication devices, such as a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), Garmin InReach or SPOT, but when it came to … Read more