The art of traditional map and compass navigation in an Australian context // Book The navigation training manual used by NSW Police Rescue Squad, NSW State Emergency Service and the NSW Volunteer Rescue Association. I’m delighted to share my love of map and compass navigation with hikers, bushwalkers and other outdoorsy types in my book, … Read more
Australia’s Ancient Lava Tubes It’s easy to think about a Queensland holiday in shades of blue and green. The vivid colours of ocean and jungle, where two World Heritage treasures meet in a classic postcard image, tells only one side of the diverse Queensland experience. It’s like eating the main course whilst missing out on … Read more
It seems like only yesterday (it was 1998) that Osprey Packs burst onto the Australian market. For the bird lovers amongst us, it was as though the regal Western Osprey, found in many parts of the world, merged with the Eastern Osprey (much more familiar to us Aussies) to create a powerful raptor force. Since … Read more
Welcome to my little corner of the web-o-sphere. If you’ve found yourself here, I am guessing it’s because you love getting out in the great outdoors for bushwalking, hiking and other adventures… or maybe you’re just getting started and need some tips, how-to’s and encouragement to give it a go. I’ve created this page as … Read more
The Great Trail – 24,000kms Canada The blade cut into the glass of the lake, creating only wake behind us. Gentle, geometric ripples ran out, uninterrupted to the shore, whilst our eager faces acted as figureheads, pushing into a breeze that only we created. Moving forward, the heavy silence was broken by unfamiliar sounds. A … Read more
Summer Walking I’m constantly surprised by the number of people who hit the Six Foot Track Facebook page in December. Every year (as an admin), I have to pop in a word of warning and explain to folk, ‘Seriously guys, Summer is not a great time to be doing this walk.’ Frankly, it’s too hot for … Read more
When I got approached by Cotswold Outdoor last year to do a gear review for them I was a bit curious, because as an Aussie, I was wondering why they’d want me to take a look at a product from the UK. Well, as everyone knows, the old Interweb and FaceTube not only makes the world … Read more
The three peaks (the lazy way) continues… the final slog As we crept into our tightly sealed sleeping bags (just in case snakey realised he left something behind), inches from the babbling brook of Kanangra Creek, we all tried to sleep with the knowledge that our bloody leader was going to wake us up at 5am to … Read more
There’s something wonderful about snuggling down into your sleeping bag at the end of an active day on the track. But for ages I used to struggle with cold feet keeping me awake. I’m talking numb, aching ice-blocks attached to the end of my legs, kind of cold. Even though the rest of me was … Read more
It goes without saying that at some time in our outdoors life, we will all have to deal with injury of one type or another. If you’re lucky, it won’t happen on a trip, requiring a rescue, however one of the issues that many of us have to face over time is over-use or recurrent … Read more
OK, if you’re a purist, one of those telemark gods or goddesses who move effortlessly downhill like the finest ballet dancers, you may want to look away now. This post is not for you. In fact, it may annoy or frustrate you. But here’s the thing… As a pretty confident Intermediate (blue*) parallel skier, I … Read more
So, here’s my tips for creating a bunch of happy campers aka The UNOFFICIAL list of Bushwalking or Hiking Etiquette: 1. Don’t be late For the leader who has planned out the walk, they may have calculated times for all sorts of things, including returning to cars/making camp by sunset or witnessing the once annual … Read more