Year: 2016

Heysen Trail closure in Mt Brown & Dutchmans Stern Conservation Parks from Thursday 1st to Friday 9th September.

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dutchmansstern-sign-hero

The Dutchmans Stern and Mt Brown Conservation Parks will be closed from 6pm on Thursday 1 September 2016 until 6am on Friday 9 September 2016.

The purpose of the closure is to ensure the safety of the public during a pest control program within the parks during the period indicated.

The Heysen Trail passes through these parks, so you are warned not to attempt to enter them at those times.

The Mount Brown Conservation Park is located between Wilmington and Quorn:

  • Chapter 3, map 7 of the Northern Guidebook and
  • Mapheet 6C, Wirrabara Forest to Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park.

The Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park is just north of Quorn and can be found on the following maps

  • Chapter 4, map 2 of the Northern Guidebook and
  • Mapheets 6D, Wirrabara Forest to Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park and
    7A, Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park to Mernmerna Creek.

Signs will be placed at points where the Heysen Trail enters the parks during the closure.

Please direct any enquiries to Natural Resources, Northern & Yorke.

Walkers be warned – Bees!

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Bees love Canola

Now is the time you need to take caution when walking near flowering crops. We are now at the highest risk of being attacked by bees.

August to October sees canola crops come into full flower providing picturesque bright yellow fields. The flowers attract bees and the installation of commercial bee hives (clusters of white boxes). Bees don’t take kindly to any interference (intentional or not) and can attack en masse.

What you need to do:

  1. To reduce the risk, walkers are strongly advised to avoid walking between the bee hives and neighbouring canola crops in flower.
  2. If your walking trail passes a group of hives, take a wide berth away from them. If possible, stick to made tracks or walk along fencelines.  You should avoid walking through crops when off trail.
  3. If you have experienced reactions to bee stings, you are responsible for carrying appropriate medication. You should also advise your walk leader of any medical condition before you commence your walk.

Listen to Radio Interview with Ron Kandelaars on 891 ABC Adelaide, 13 July 2016

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Friends of the Heysen Trail ambassador, Ron Kandelaars, was interviewed today by Ian Henshke on 891 ABC Adelaide.

He discusses walking South Australia’s 1200 kilometre long Heysen Trail as a great bucket list item, and our organisation’s End-to-End Walking Program. He also interviews Katrina Gillespie who is walking the trail with her two teenage sons and husband together, to set aside their digital devices and walk the Heysen Trail together as a shared experience.

Listen to the interview on SoundCloud.

Volunteers Sought for Trail Development

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Much of the Heysen Trail infrastructure is now 30 years old.

The Friends Trail Development Committee have plans for many upgrades to both the trail and walker facilities. These plans include –

  1. Trail remarking and track work – a 3 year project commenced this year.
  2. Camp site facilities – toilets, water tanks and benches are planned for more sites.
  3. Hut upgrades to include benches, seats, painting etc.
  4. New huts are being considered at White Park; Simmons Hill; Cuddlee Creek and a Freemans hut replacement.
  5. Rebuilding the Waitpinga Beach sand ladder.

You can help

We need help to get these projects moving, both in the field and at our Cobbler Creek shed.

  • Waitpinga Beach walkway: We need a team to urgently undertake work on the sand ladder. The existing structure is in a dilapidated condition.
  • Cobbler Creek shed, Salisbury East. Urgent work is required to produce items needed for the campsites and huts. We propose to initially open the shed once a month, on a Tuesday from 9 am to 3 pm, for this work.

We would love to hear from anyone with time available and an interest in the trail to HELP us.

Contact us to discuss how you can help.

The trail needs us, please help.

Welcome to our new Ambassador: Ron Kandelaars

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Ron Kandelaars, ambassador of the Friends of the Heysen Trail

Ron Kandelaars, ambassador of the Friends of the Heysen Trail

We welcome Ron Kandelaars as our new Friends of the Heysen Trail Ambassador.

At the recent Walk for the Heysen event President Robert welcomed Ron into the role, and presented him with an Ambassador certificate. We all welcome Ron into the Friends family.

Since commencing his media career in the late 1970s, Ron has been involved in many roles, including:

  • A permanent two day a week reporter’s role with Channel Seven in Adelaide gathering stories across South Australia
  • A regular contributor of “Off The Beaten Track” radio segments on ABC 891 and the corporation’s South Australian regional radio network
  • Writer/producer/presenter with Channel Nine’s popular, long running, and multi-award winning travel program ‘Postcards’. In 2011, Ron was awarded South Australian of the Year (Tourism) in the Advantage SA South Australian of the Year Awards; and Outstanding Contribution by an Individual in the South Australian Tourism Awards
  • Public relations consultant for a variety of corporate and government clients working on both South Australian and national issues.

Heysen Trail restored to original route through Bundaleer Forest

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New toilet constructed at Curnows Hut

New toilet constructed at Curnows Hut

The temporary re-route put in place following the January 2013 Bundaleer Forest fire has been removed, and the Heysen Trail is now back on its original alignment. The trail has been re-marked.

In October 2015 Curnows Hut was reopened to walkers. Last week some of our volunteers installed a new toilet at the hut, as the original toilet was destroyed in the fire.

The “new” route returns to that shown on Map 1.4 of the Heysen Trail Northern Guidebook (May 2010 & April 2014 editions) and the Heysen Trail Mapsheet 5 – Spalding to Wirrabara Forest (August 2015).

Walk for the Heysen, inaugural fundraising event, 22nd May 2016 Mt Crawford Forest

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2016 Walk for the Heysen

2016 Walk for the Heysen

Sunday 22 May 2016 from 9.30 am
Fromm’s Farm, Mount Road, Mount Crawford

Please join us for the Warren Bonython Heysen Trail Foundation’s inaugural fundraising event.

Proceeds of the Foundation’s fund raising activities are currently used to support greening activities along the Heysen Trail and the restoration of fire damaged sections of the Trail.

There will be three loop walk options of:

  • 5 km
  • 8 km
  • 15 km

All walks depart from and arrive back to the Fromm’s Farm camp-site. Walks are designed to suit all ages and standards of walking fitness.

In keeping with the tradition of the Walk for Warren established by us, the theme for the day will be yellow and a prize consisting of a Heysen Trail merchandise pack to the value of $100 will offered for the best sartorial contribution on the day.

After the walk grab a sausage off the BBQ at the Fromm’s Farm camp-site. Or bring your picnic while enjoying some cool blues with “Deuces Wild”. Fromm’s Farm offers a Large shelter shed and a Picnic area with space to relax.

The cost of registration is $30 for adults, $5 for children and $50 for families.

Register Now

You may also choose to make a one-off donation to the Foundation through the Foundation’s cause page.

Please note that the Foundation’s application to be registered as an environmental charity is still pending and donations at this point in time are unfortunately not tax deductible.

Download brochure:

Walk for Heysen brochure