Australian Hiker

Gill & Tim Savage Australian Hiker

Australian Hiker is Australia’s premier hiking podcast as well as providing a southern hemisphere view on overseas hiking. We are Australia’s longest running and most downloaded hiking podcast with regular episodes being released every two weeks covering gear and trail reviews, hiking practice, recipes and skills. Bonus episodes will be released at least once a month and include interviews from the trail as well as with relevant industry and allied professionals. Let us do all the research for you.

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20 episodes
Updated July 26

Episodes20

Newest first

July 26 · 1 hr 2 min
354 The Heysen Trail Section 1
In this podcast episode we bring you the first section of my on trail episode starting from the Northern trail head in Parachilna. The episode includes my travel days and the first 5 days of my journey on Australia's longest designated hiking trail. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
July 14 · 42 min
353 Heysen Trail Expectations
As this podcast goes to air I am just 8 days out from starting my journey on the Heysen Trail in South Australia. In this episode I talk about the trip planning and discuss my pre trip expectations, hesitations, and concerns! 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
July 7 · 49 min
352 Introduction to the Heysen Trail
It's the 7th of July, 2026, and in a few weeks’ time I’ll be commencing my southbound journey on South Australia’s Heysen Trail. This trail is Australia’s’ longest dedicated hiking trail spanning approximately 1200km from Parachilna in the north, to Cape Jarvis on the coastline in the south. It has everything I love about hiking from arid landscapes to a coastal connection and everything in between. In this podcast episode we talk with Neil Hendry to get an introduction to the trail and the role that the ‘Friends of the trail' plays. This is the first of 11 planned episodes with will include a number of episodes recorded on trail to relay what I am thinking and how I am feeling in 'real time' to hopefully help you out if you decide to walk this trail 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
June 23 · 44 min
351 Coast Track
The Coast Track is located in Royal National Park on the southern side of Sydney. This is a walk I have been trying to do for a number of years but for various reasons I could never quite make it! Recently Gill and I picked the perfect weather window and had a spectacular day doing this 27km walk in a single day. So much so, this walk will be added to our top 10 walk list in the next time we update. In this podcast episode we bring you a series of podcast recording undertaken on the day and in the final section talk more generally about the track, making recommendations on how to get the best of out 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
June 16 · 51 min
350 Portuguese Coastal Way
The Portuguese Camino spans 625km from Lisbon in Portugal to Santiago in Spain but rather than doing the full walk many people opt for the shorter 260km Portuguese Coastal Way running between Porto and Santiago and which takes most people 12 to 14 days. In this podcast episode we catch up with Canberra Based Hiker Mary Wiley-Smith who late last year undertook her own adventure on the Portuguese Coastal Way along with her friend Kylie. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
June 2 · 22 min
349 Walking Speed
In 2018 I undertook my first really long distance walk spending 35 days walking the 1000 km Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia. In preparation for this walk I spent the 18 months prior setting myself a number of physical challenges to see what I was physically capable of. The aim of these challenges wasn’t about breaking or setting records it was about working out how much annual leave I needed to take from my job and based on that, what I needed to achieve each day. This podcast episode discusses why you should know your walking speed and in addition, looks at the health implications of walking speed as we age. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
May 26 · 35 min
348 Hiking with a Hip replacement
Over the past seven years, after some failed hikes, some ever worsening issues with my right leg, and much not so subtle badgering from my wife Gill, I finally decided to see a specialist only to discover that I needed my right hip replaced. Now the reason for me releasing this podcast is that as an information driven individual I need all the facts that I can find and after searching the internet for ‘hiking with a hip replacement’ I found minimal hits and those that I did find has less information than I was after. In this podcast episode I take you through the process leading up to my operation and finishing 12 months later with the hope that it will help those of you in a similar situation. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
May 12 · 48 min
347 Great South West Walk Reality vs Expectations
In this final episode of our series on my journey on the Great South West Walk we look and at my pre-trip expectations and compare them to the reality of my on-trail experience. In addition will provide recommendations to assist you if you are planning on doing this trip yourself. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
May 5 · 42 min
346 Great South West Walk week 2 on trail
This podcast episode contains a series of recordings on my Great South West Walk starting from my return to the trail after my rest day In Nelson, and finishing on the final day of my trip on my return to Portland. Podcast episode 347 titled 'expectations vs reality' episode looks at my pre trip exceptions after the trip and compares them to the reality. In addition I offer suggestions on how I could have made this trip better. That episode is due for release on Tuesday 13 June. Enjoy! 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
April 26 · 1 hr 26 min
345-Great South West Walk week 1 on trail
This podcast episode contains a series of recordings starting from my travel day prior to my trip to the end of week 1. For the first two days there are multiple recordings and for the first time on one of our trips we will then be doing a single daily recording. Week two's episode is due for the second half of the trip is due for release on Tuesday 6 May, followed by our 'expectations vs reality' episode due for release on Tuesday 13 June. Enjoy! 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
April 14 · 21 min
344 Great South West Walk Expectations
As this podcast goes to air I am just a few days out from starting my journey on the Great South West Walk in southwest Victoria. In this episode I talk about the trip planning and discuss my pre trip expectations; and hesitations! 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
April 7 · 40 min
343 Volunteering in the remote Tasmanian coastal wilderness
Throughout Australia much of our wilderness areas and reserves are managed by the relevant government agencies and while to do the best they can with limited resources they also rely on the support of enthusiast volunteer groups and individuals to assist, often undertaking work that government is unable to. In today’s Episode we catch up with Jon and Justine from the Tasmanian Volunteer group Wilcare SPRATS (“Sea sPurge Remote Area TeamS”), SPRATS for short, who for the past 18 seasons have taken on the responsibility for managing invasive weeds growth on an 850km section of Tasmania’s’ wild and remote southern and Western coastlines which has seen a 98% reduction in the targeted weed species. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Vimeo Australian Hiker Youtube
March 24 · 31 min
342-I need a bigger bucket!
Recently I’ve come to realise that at some stage I may not be physically able to do every walk on my list and even though the plan is to do 3 long distance walks a year for the foreseeable future at some stage as I get older I’m eventually going to slow down. So quite arbitrarily I estimated that I have about 30 long distance walks left in me in addition to all the short walks. As such I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to start prioritising these walks just in case I don’t get to the end of the ever growing list. But as the title of this podcast says, “I need a bigger bucket as there are too many good walks, and not enough time to do them”! This podcast discusses what we look at when prioritising our walks and hopefully helps you with your own choices. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
March 10 · 15 min
341 - Australian Hiker, an update
On the 2nd March 2026 Australian Hiker has gone through a major change and in this short episode we want to update you, our listeners, with what this change is and where we are heading in the short to medium term. We are also seeking your input about what you would like to see. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
February 24 · 1 hr 3 min
340-Via Transilvanica
When you think about Transylvania the name Dracula comes to mind. But did you know that Transylvania was originally part of Hungry and only incorporated into Romania after World War one. More importantly Romania is home to the Via Transilvanica long distance hiking trail which was officially launched on the 8th of October 2022. At that time the trail was 1400km but at the time of this interview covers just on 1600km in distance. The aim of this trail was to give travellers the chance to discover various parts of Romania in quite a unique way - different regions with their history, people, culture, landmarks, and stories. On launching it was designed to be the trail that unites. In today’s episode we catch up with Alin, one of the team involved in creating this trail, along with Siobhan and Geoff, two Australian Hikers who undertook this walk to get different perspectives on this relatively unknown trail. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
February 17 · 35 min
339-How much should your hiking pack weigh?
The concept of pack weight for your hiking adventures is one of those topics that has the potential for heated debated when you get a group of hikers together. Everyone will have an opinion but this question is like asking ‘how long is a piece of string’? Which is just a way of saying that the answer is impossible without more specific information. In this podcast episode we look at the concept of pack weight and discuss considerations for determining what this means for you. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
February 3 · 47 min
338-West Highland Way
The 154km West highland way is one of Scotland’s best known hiking trails and in fact is listed as one of Scotland 'Great Trails'. Having said that if you aren’t familiar with hiking in the UK then you may know much about this trail. In this podcast episode we talk with Aussie hiker Susie Ashton-Davies about her 8 day 'end to end' trip undertaken in September of 2025. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
January 27 · 23 min
337-Hats for Hiking
Australia is a country of sun lovers; if we aren’t at the beach, we’re out bush, if we aren’t out bush, we are usually outside doing something if the weather is warm. As I write this article we are in the middle of a heatwave over much of Australia and with that some intense UV so I’m spending my time indoors, planning for upcoming hikes and putting together podcasts like this one. If however the conditions are with you and you are getting outside hiking, then you need to put some thought into sun protection, with head protection being on the top of the list. In this podcast episode we look at the main types of head protection available on the market and what you should consider when choosing that perfect hat for your outdoor adventure. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
January 20 · 53 min
336-Iceland Hidden Trails
Iceland is a destination that you don’t tend to hear too much about when it comes to hiking so when Aussie hiker Sarah Groves contacted me late last year, I was keen to find out more. Over a 12 day period Sarah and her group hiked 160 km on some of Iceland’s Hidden Trails. In this podcast episode we talk with Sarah about her Icelandic adventure. 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube
Dec 30, 2025 · 16 min
335-Land snorkelling
In early 2025 I came across the term Land snorkelling and it definitely piqued my curiosity about what it was because as a term its probably one that most hikers aren’t really familiar with, at least by name, even though they may be familiar with the practice. So what is Land snorkelling, what defines it and why should this form part of your hiking practice? 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 Threads Australian Hiker Youtube