As the walking season comes to a close Twilight Walks commence.

The first Twilight Walk is this Wednesday evening at Walkerville. Come along to check out the changes to the Torrens linear park near the city, or see it for the first time. Meet in Walkerville at 6pm. Optional pub dinner after. Register online here.

Next week’s walk is from Goodwood through the southern parklands – the Jacaranda trees are in flower. Register online here.

The rest of the Twilight Walks will be updated onto the website in the next week.

A warm weekend for End-to-End 4 on their first weekend away – though not the stinker that End-to-End 3 encountered – climbing Peters Hill north of Kapunda.

Based in Kapunda, we found on the Trail: long grass, black chuffs, a blue tongue lizard – though no snakes, long grass and the green, green vistas from Peters Hill. A group checked out Marschalls Hut for lunch while the others enjoyed higher views.

Our first group dinner was a great success with loads of great food put on by the ladies of the primary school, as they did for End-to-End 3. Many thanks to the ladies.

We thank Nick and Heather for their efforts this year in getting the group to Peters Hill. I suspect thanks also go to Jerry for his background support. Thanks also to all the leaders, and those that ensure we have safe and enjoyable walks.

Next year to Burra, and way beyond.

For more photos visit www.picasaweb.google.com/ralcock1

Every once in a while we appear in media. We would like to share an article that appeared in the recent Saturday Advertiser, 8/10/11, regarding our 25th anniversary and the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

Click here to view the article.

80 or so guests and members celebrated 25 years of volunteer service on the Heysen Trail with bushwalks, Irish jigs, koalas, all with the sun shining on our picnic.

Irish band ‘Inesheer’ provided the music, while red and white balloons on Karka Pavilion were the colourful backdrop to speeches (short ones!) by our President, Robert Alcock, Chief Executive of the Dept of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Alan Holmes, and guest speaker John Kenneally of radio 5AA.

A new Memorandum of Understanding between DENR and the Friends of the Heysen Trail was signed, then our Patron, Warren C Bonython AO, resplendent in his bright orange shirt and yellow short shorts, cut the birthday cake.

Many thanks go to the organisers, Jeanette Clarke and Chris Porter, for the well organised celebrationary day.

On Sunday, End-to-End 5 crossed Mount Lofty during a great day’s walking through some of the best of the Adelaide Hills.

Although overcast weather threatened the start of the walk, the group was sun drenched at Mount Lofty summit for the all-important group photograph. With the theme of this walk being ‘orange’, much of the group donned something of that colour. Our orange presence was evident to all spectators and other walkers we met along the trail with some interesting facial expressions displayed by those who are endowed with reliable colour perception skills.

Over almost two years the walkers have consolidated into a close-knit, supportive and capable walking team. Well done End-to-End 5ers! Visitors are always welcome to join us – you may even want to stay!