Walk the Yorke Official Opening 13 December 2015

The Friends of the Heysen Trail were represented at the successful opening to the Walk the Yorke at Port Vincent on Sunday 13 December 2015.

Around 70 walkers checked out four kilometres of the trail from Port Vincent wharf north to the Golf Club. At the Golf Club a large range of stalls and activities were crowded with locals and visitors before the opening by Rowan Ramsay MP at 12pm. There were many ARPA and Friends of the Heysen Trail members attending the walk.

Maps of the trail, including detailed section maps, are on the Visit Yorke Peninsula website.

The planning and construction was driven by the Yorke Peninsula Council Operations Manager, Stephen (Goldy) Goldsworthy. It was Goldy’s concept, and his passion and dedication that has delivered the project. Major funding came from an Australian Government Regional Development grant ($1.3m), plus the Yorke Peninsula Council ($1.3m) and the Government of South Australia ($900,000).

Almost 500km of trail, linking tracks and roads has been marked, trailhead signs are at all towns, plus walker crossing signs on the main roads. Shared Use signs indicate when walkers, bikes and cars are on the same road/track. Signs indicate where bikes and walkers separate. Bench seats installed and shelters with tanks constructed at strategic locations for multi-day treks. The section out of Port Wakefield towards Port Clinton follows the old trail formation. The walking trails vary from many kilometres of well formed gravel paths, to more challenging natural trail and beach walking along the south sections. For bushwalkers there seems to be a lot of road walking for an end to end trek, although the ARPA walkers have completed the full length over the past 3 years. Plenty of sections along the coast for short and day walks, with views of the ocean, along beaches and through coastal bush.

Goldy sees the Walk the Yorke as a work-in-progress, with the Council committed to maintenance, and local interest groups helping to keep the trail maintained. The plan is for upgrades and rerouting to improve the experience, to be done over time.

Checking out Other Sections – Port Clinton to Port Vincent

On Saturday as we checked out sections of the Walk the Yorke from Pt Clinton to Port Vincent.

Walk the Yorke from Port Clinton to Port Vincent (2) Walk the Yorke from Port Clinton to Port Vincent (3) Walk the Yorke from Port Clinton to Port Vincent (4) Walk the Yorke from Port Clinton to Port Vincent

Checking out Other Sections – South from Port Vincent

South from Port Vincent, Walk the Yorke Trail (2) South from Port Vincent, Walk the Yorke Trail (3) South from Port Vincent, Walk the Yorke Trail (4) South from Port Vincent, Walk the Yorke Trail

Seats made from recycled plastic, example at Port Julia. There are 40 of these seats that Stephen designed, and are installed along the walk. A lot of the posts and infrastructure utilises recycled plastic. Steel flexible posts, in yellow, are used as standard marker posts. Brown recycled plastic posts are also used for marker posts.

Christmas Closure – Open Monday 14th December – Online Sales Over Christmas

We previously advised that our office would be closed over the Christmas period, from Friday Dec 11th.

However the office will now be open on Monday Dec 14th as volunteers will be getting the new Trailwalker ready for distribution.

Therefore the new office closure date will be Tuesday Dec 15th. It will reopen on Tuesday 19th January 2016.

Last Chance – Heysen Trail 2016 Calendar

As a result, Monday Dec 14th will be your last chance to call into the office to purchase a copy of our new calendar. We will be open that day during our normal business hours of 10.30 am -2.30 pm.

Our new address is Suite 203, 2nd Floor Epworth Building, 33 Pirie Street, Adelaide.

After that you will still be able to order the calendar though our online shop: The sale price will remain at $15.00 per copy (plus postage & handling from $2.85).

Online Shop Sales over Christmas

While the office is closed, our online shop will remain open for business.

However, as many of our volunteers will be on holidays, it may take longer than normal to service orders. We will endeavour to despatch shop orders within 5 business days.

If you want to shop for last minute Christmas purchases we will process and despatch any orders received by midday Friday December 18th, on that day.

Pre-Order now – 2016 Heysen Trail Calendar

$15 per copy, available late November-early December

2016 Heysen Trail CalendarShowcasing photographs of South Australia’s iconic hiking trail – the 1,200km Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis at the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula to Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranges.

An A4 wall calendar, opening up to A3.

Photos submitted by Friends of the Heysen Trail members and Heysen Trail hikers.

Pre-order now for just $15 per copy. Postage from as little as $2.85. Available late November at $18 per copy. Available for delivery or pick-up in late November-early December.

Purchase online via our online store, or to place a pick-up order please order direct via the office (phone 08 8212 6299, Mon-Fri 10.30am – 2.30pm)
Please note moving office closure times: we are moving office Friday 20th November, we can be contacted by phone again from 10:30am next Tuesday 24th November. More details about our move.

We’re moving shop/office to Pirie Street, Adelaide – some closure dates

Shop/office location: Suite 203, Epworth Building, 33 Pirie St, Adelaide SA 5000We’re moving to:
Suite 203, 2nd Floor, Epworth Building
33 Pirie Street, Adelaide SA 5000

Our office will be closed this Friday 20th November. We will re-open for some business at our new premises on Monday 23rd November, and will be fully open on Tuesday 24th November (this is when our phone service will resume at the new premises). During this moving time the best way to contact us will be via email.

Apart from our address, all our other contact details remain the same.

Our new central location is in Pirie Street, adjacent to the Adelaide City Council offices.

Christmas Closure Dates

Our shop and office will also be closed over Christmas, from Friday 11th December. We will reopen on Tuesday 19th January 2016.

This Sunday 8th November – Morialta Centenary Picnic. 2 x Walks. Bid on Historic Images Auction

Morialta Centenary Picnic Sunday 8th November. 2 x Walks. Bid on Historic Images AuctionJoin in the community events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Morialta Conservation Park.

Free walks for the public to check out the Morialta Conservation Park.

  • 8:00am – 10:45am Friends of Heysen Trail guided walk into the higher areas of the park and back.
  • 9:00am – 10:45am Friends of Heysen Trail guided walk up around the top of First Falls, Second Falls and back.
  • Both walks are due back for the official program starting at 11am. 20 person limit to each walk.

11:00am Welcome to Country by Kaurna Elder Lewis O’Brien.

View all the day’s activities, including free face painting, slacklining, Bugs N Slugs, Violets, Ranger Talk.

Supported by us, the Friends of the Heysen Trail, Friends of Black Hill & Morialta and Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty.

Wednesday evening Twilight Walks begin this week

With the warmer weather and daylight savings, our Wednesday evening walks have started.

Check out some of the upcoming walks below, or download the full program.

Walks commence at 6pm, and are 1.5 to 2 hours in duration. Cost is $5 per walk, MultiWalk cards accepted. Often an optional dinner afterwards.

Register online or via the office.

Taverna Brompton

6pm Wed 4th November

An urban experience in Bowden – Brompton, a heritage tour, an excuse to sharpen the appetites. There are lots of interesting things happening in this hidden corner of Adelaide.

Anstey Hill – Tea Tree Gully

6pm Wed 11th November

A good walk up and down the hills face above Tea Tree Gully. Views across the suburbs. Historic ruins of Newmans Nursery (horseradish fame). Local scrub and quarries. Good walking with a couple of rough rocky sections – an eroded track. Optional after walk dinner at Thai restaurant.

German Club Walk

6pm Wed 18th November

Eastern parklands walk before and after dinner, from Dulwich to Flinders Street, Adelaide, stopping at the German Club for dinner. Trio of sausages, Roast Pork hock, Kassler Steak, Jägerbraten with red cabbage, Beef Roulade, Hearty German fare on the menu, under $20 main meal, excellent German beer.

Marino

6pm Wed 25th November

Enjoy panoramic coastal views along the sheer rugged cliff faces of the Marino boardwalk.

Fire Danger Season Brought Forward 2015/16

Fire Danger Season

Following above-average October temperatures, the dates for the 2015/2016 Fire Danger Season have been brought forward. The Heysen Trail is closed during these high risk times.

Fire Ban District Start Date End Date
Mount Lofty Ranges 1 December 17 November 2015    30 April 2016
Adelaide Metropolitan    1 December 17 November 2015    30 April 2016
Mid North 15 November 1 November 2015 30 April 2016
Flinders 1 November 2015 15 April 2016

Walkers are reminded to be extra vigilant of fire weather conditions in coming months. Check the Fire Danger Rating before setting out on a hike, monitor changing weather conditions, and always have a back-up plan. Download the CFS smartphone app and the Emergency+ smartphone app.

Find which Fire Ban District your planned hike is in on our Interactive Map, by turning on the Fire Ban Districts checkbox layer.

Some short sections of the Heysen Trail remain open year round, principally those sections not on private land. These sections include public roads, Conservation Parks and Reserves (closed on days of Total Fire Ban), Forests (closed on days of Total Fire Ban) and vacant land.

Bushwalk.com eMag Featuring South Australia’s Best Walks

Bushwalk.com eMag October edition cover - Best South Australian Walks featuring Friends of the Heysen Trail

The October edition of Bushwalk.com eMag is out – with a focus the best walks in South Australia. The articles include a profile on the Friends of the Heysen Trail.

Other SA articles include:

Other articles include:

Deep Creek Family Fun Day – 20 September 2015

Deep Creek Family Fun Day - 20 September 2015Head to South Australia’s most scenic bushland reserve for a free family open day at Deep Creek Conservation Park.

  • Gourmet food and wine stalls
  • Enjoy kids’ face painting and games
  • Meet baby animals from the Native Animal Network
  • Meet animals including koalas from Urimbirra Wildlife Park
  • Learn about macro invertebrates with kids’ Water Watch activities

Drop in and say hi at our stall!

Lavender Federation Trail meets the Heysen Trail, extending to Clare

Lavender Federation Trail meets the Heysen Trail, extending to Clare

The Lavender Federation Trail has been successful in gaining grant funding to extend the trail from its current trailhead at Eudunda onwards to Clare.

The 106km extension will be constructed over the next 18 months and will bring the trail to a total 320km length. The extension also includes an 8km Point Pass Loop Trail and a 7km Robertstown Spur Trail.

The trail extension will intersect the Heysen Trail at Webb Gab. A special event is in the planning for April 2016 to celebrate the crossing of the two long-distance trails. The event will be run between us, the Friends of the Heysen Trail, and SARTI (South Australian Recreation Trails Incorporated, the makers of the Lavender Federation Trail). The Lavender Federation Trail will also intersect with the Riesling Trail and Rattler Trails.