Year: 2017

The Great North Walk – May 2018.

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Directions for the walk in the Lane Cove National Park

The Great North Walk

Bookings for the Friend’s extended walk for 2018 open on February 1st 2018.

The route map.

 Join us as we walk the iconic 250 km trail from Sydney to Newcastle.

The Great North Walk is a wonderful trail following many tracks through a magnificent array of natural and urban environments.

Created in 1988, as an Australian Bicentennial project, the Great North Walk is rich in the history of New South Wales.  Follow the links for more information about the walk.

The Friends will be exploring this long-distance Trail over 17 days in May 2018.

You can find out more about this walk from Peter Solomon using the email link given in the walk description on the Friends walk calendar.

To secure accommodation, bookings need to be made early.  Make sure you don’t miss out on this great walk.

 

Friends Office will close this Friday for Christmas.

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The Friends will close our Office for the Christmas period at 2.30 pm this Friday,  December 15th 2017. Our volunteers have earned a good break, so we will reopen at 10.30 am on Monday 5th February 2018.

If you need to contact the Office (by email or telephone) over that period, it is unlikely that we will respond to your enquiry until we reopen. So we recommended that you refer to our website for any information you may need over the office closure.

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 undertake to despatch any orders received by midday on Tuesday December 19th, on that day.

The Heysen Trail is closed over the Fire Danger Season

Remember that the Heysen Trail is now closed for the Fire Danger Season. You can get more information about the trail closure here.

Register for Twilight walks

Although the office and the Heysen Trail are closed, don’t forget our Wednesday evening Twilight Walks. You can register for walks using our online Walks Calendar.

Merry Christmas!

The Office Volunteers wish all Friend’s members and supporters a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.

Time to get Raunchy again at the Friend’s End of Year Bash, BBQ & Band 2017

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Some of the Friend’s ‘Bashers’ at Karka last year.

The Friend’s End of Year Bash. Time to get Raunchy again!

The Friend’s End of Year BBQ, Band & Bash is on again at the Karka Pavillion, Belair National Park.  It all happens on Sunday 3 December, 12.00 – 4.30pm

Raunchy Sugar are returning as ‘The Band’, so this year don’t miss out. Get your End to End group or walking friends organised and be there.

Come along to Rock and Roll or maybe just relax  amongst the lush green surroundings of Karka.

The Friends will provide: Befores, BBQ meat and artisan bread.

BYO – wine, beer or soft  drink, Bring a Salad or Dessert to share.

Don’t forget a chair or rug,  glass, plates & cutlery.

Book early!  $20 per person.  No refunds!

Book at:  heysentrail.asn.au/invite     or via the office.

To assist with catering, bookings close on Friday December 1.

Park entry fees are waived for attending members and guests.

We will have Friend’s 2018 Calendars at the Bash for sale. If you’ve already ordered a copy for collection, you will be able to pick it there.

Remember the venue: Karka Pavilion, Belair National Park. Upper Sturt Road, Belair

The Friends 2018 Calendar ‘early bird offer’ ends this Friday.

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Hurry, order your copy of the Friends 2018 Calendar now.

The Friends 2018 Calendar pre-publication discounted price offer ends soon.

The presses are nearly ready to roll on the production of the 2018 Calendar.

Submit your order before midday on this coming Friday, November 3 and catch the pre-publication discount price of $15/copy.

After then limited numbers will be available at $18 each. Expected delivery date is late November 2017.

The Friends 2018 Calendar showcases our member’s photographs of South Australia’s long distance adventure hike. The 1,200km Heysen Trail extends from Cape Jervis at the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula to Parachilna Gorge in the Flinders Ranges.

The calendar is an A4 wall calendar, which opens up to A3 size.

Purchase it on line or contact the Friends Office.

Purchase online via our online store, or to place a ‘pick-up’ order direct via the office (phone 08 8212 6299, Mon-Fri 10.30am – 2.30pm).

For on-line store orders, postage to anywhere in Australia is $4.50/single copy.

Arrange to pick up your copy at the Office or the Friends End of Year Bash.

We plan to have copies available to pick up at the End of Year Bash, BBQ and Band at Belair National Park on Sunday December 3.

If you want to join us at the Bash, you can book at:  heysentrail.asn.au/invite    or via the office.

 

Heysen Trail reopened at the Jupiter Creek diggings.

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Heysen Trail walkers at the Jupiter Creek Gold Diggings in August 2015.

The Heysen Trail has returned to the normal route in the area of the Jupiter Creek Gold Diggings near Echunga.

In April 2017 access to the site was closed following an assessment of damage caused by storms last year. This resulted in a considerable amount of erosion and subsidence around the old mine shafts. In the interest of public safety the Government temporarily closed the Gold Diggings.

During the closure, access to the main carpark and the walking trail entry from the main road were fenced off. The Heysen Trail was rerouted to follow roads around the Jupiter Creek mine site.

The trail reverts to the original route but the underground tunnel is permanently closed

The fences have now been removed and our maintenance volunteers will finish remarking the original trail within the next few days.

However a main attraction at the site, the New Phoenix Adit underground tunnel has been deemed unsafe and is permanently closed to public access. After a geotechnical inspection of the stability of the tunnel and shaft,  it was closed in the best interest of public safety.

Keep up to date with the latest Heysen Trail reroutes

From time to time the trail route can be changed wither temporarily or permanently. You can keep abreast of changes by referring to the Trail re-route page on our website.

 

Our Twilight walks commence Wednesday November 1.

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As the walking season comes to a close, with the arrival of warmer evenings and daylight saving our Twilight Walks begin next  week. There is a 1.5-2 hour walk on Wednesday nights until March.

The full programme is listed on our walk calendar but here are the details for the first four walks:

  • Wed 1st Nov 6pm: Walkerville Linear Park. Check out the Torrens River linear park by walking into to the Zoo and return – time and length will be weather dependent. (maximum 2 hours) Optional dinner at the Sussex Hotel after.
View Walk
  • Wed 8th Nov 6pm: West Lakes. A 6kms walk around the southern lake at West Lakes followed by dinner nearby.
View Walk
  • Wed 15th Nov 6pm: Chambers Gully. A loop walk with a steady but not steep climb with views of Adelaide, Koalas and our native bushland.
View Walk
  • Wed 22nd Nov 6pm: Marino (not Merino). Yes there are merino sheep at Marino! We may even see them as we explore what Marino has to offer: secret gullies, cliff top paths, artworks, parks, lighthouse, amazing rocky beach and stunning city and sea views.
View Walk

Golden Boots passes now accepted for Twilight walks.

Walk fees are $5.00 ($1.00 for walkers under 18 years of age). Remember that Golden Boots passes are now accepted for Twilight walks.

Register online or via the office

If you don’t have a Golden Boots pass, you can purchase one when you register for the walk. Just click on the Golden Boots pass payment option.

Further details of our walks and walker registration can be found on our website at www.heysentrail.asn.au/walks/

The Friend’s Trail Maintenance Shed Open Day – Saturday November 25, 2017.

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Inside our Maintenance Shed at Cobbler Creek

Did you know the Friends of the Heysen Trail operates a Maintenance Shed at the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park?

Wondering what goes on behind the scenes of the Trail Development and Maintenance program?

Did you know we have a working partnership with the Work for the Dole scheme to produce toilets and platforms?

Come along to the Friend’s Shed Open Day

  • Find out more about the infrastructure and maintenance program.
  • Socialise with like-minded members, free BBQ and drinks on offer.

Details and how to register…

When       Saturday November 25 2017, 11.00am to 2.00pm.

Where    ‘The Shed’, Cobbler Creek Conservation Park, east of the intersection of Smith and Bridge Rds, Salisbury East.

All you need to bring is a chair and hat.  BBQ and drinks will be supplied

Register for the free event

We have work ready to do now:

By Christmas we will have 3 new toilets and 15 camping platforms ready to install at a range of locations along the trail.

  • Are you interested in helping with the installation project? You don’t need to be highly skilled, although some lifting work may be involved.
  • Would you like to be notified of future maintenance events ( i.e. weekday or weekend trail trips, our End to End Maintenance weekends and shed work days)? We have a range of work to be done including ‘lighter’ jobs such as pruning along the trail and painting huts.

Do you have home handy person/building skills?

Our Hut Maintenance Co-ordinator needs more assistance.

If you are a skilled home handyperson or tradesperson and are willing to participate in one or two maintenance trips per year with a small group, please put your name on the list below. Typical work includes carpentry, painting, roofing, plumbing, glazing and plastering.

If you can help in any of these areas, please let us know.

You can leave your name to enter your availability preferences and interests/skills and we will add you to our Maintenance Volunteers mailing list.

Join Mailing List

This is your chance to ‘give a bit back to the trail’.

Fire Danger Season and another prescribed burn restrict access to the Heysen Trail

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Early declaration of the of the Fire Danger season for the Mid North results in the closure of the Heysen Trail north of Tanunda from 1 November 2017

Walkers need to be be aware that the Fire Danger Season is nearly upon us. As a result, there are restrictions and the early closure of the Heysen Trail in some locations. A prescribed burn off at Little Mt Crawford today also restict walker access.

Early declaration of the the Fire Danger Season in the Mid North.

The Country Fire Service has announced the early declaration of the Fire Danger Season in the Mid North. For 2017 the date has been brought forward by 2 weeks and the season now commences on 1 November.

Further information on the Fire Danger Season Dates can be found on the CFS website. At this stage the dates have not yet been declared for the Mount Lofty Ranges region.

The Heysen Trail north of Tanunda will be closed from 1 November 2017

The commencement of the Fire Danger Season signals the closure of the Heysen Trail in a region for the year. This is a one of the  conditions of the access agreements negotiated with the owners of private property along the trail.

November 1 is also the declared date for the commencement of the Fire Danger Season for the Flinders region

As a result, the Heysen Trail north of Tanunda will be closed from November 1 2017.

There are some sections of the Heysen Trail that remain open to walkers during the Fire Danger Season – these are mainly where the trail traverses National and Conservation Parks and Forestry Reserves.

You can find a list of those sections here

However the trail also closes in these sections on days in which a Total Fire Ban has been declared.

Prescribed burn at Little Mt Crawford on October 24 will close the trail in that area for a week.

Forestry SA has announced a prescribed burn will be held today, October 24 2017, at Little Mt Crawford (in the Mount Lofty fire district).

Please note that the normal route of the Heysen Trail in the Little Mount Crawford/Fromm’s Farm area will be closed until further notice (possibly 1 week hence).

Forestry SA have installed signs in the area to divert walkers along Mount Road.

For any further information please contact the Forestry SA Ranger on duty during this time on telephone (08) 8521 1700.

Prescribed burn to cause temporary closure of the Heysen Trail and tracks in the Cleland Conservation Park

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Prescribed burn off will cause a temporary closure of the Heysen Trail in the Cleland Conservation Park.

Parts of the Heysen Trail and other tracks in the Cleland Conservation Park will be temporarily closed in the next couple of weeks. The Department of Environment Water & Natural Resources (DEWNR) will be conducting a prescribed burn in the area.

The timing of the prescribed burn and temporary closure will depend on suitable weather conditions. DEWNR have advised it may happen as early as today, Tuesday 10th October 2017. The burn off should happen before Monday 30th October.

The temporary closure area

The prescribed burn area includes several tracks that form part of the Heysen Trail, namely the Lodge Track and the Wine Shanty Track (eastwards through to the intersection with Nilee Track).

To ensure the safety of walkers, DEWNR are proposing to close these tracks to the public on the day of the burn and the following day.

DEWNR will redirect walkers walking in a northerly direction to use the Gurra Track out to Mt Lofty Summit Rd. Walkers will then take the Yerang Track to rejoin with Wine Shanty Track (and vice versa in the southerly direction).

The day after the burn walkers will be able to use the Nilee Track to rejoin the Wine Shanty Track.

DEWNR will endeavour to erect signs in the vicinity to re-direct walkers.

 

The Friends of the Heysen Trail 2018 calendar photos and orders.

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The Friends of the Heysen Trail 2018 calendar is currently being compiled and will soon be available.

Win a free calendar!

Submit some of your photos for the 2018 Calendar for a chance to win a free copy.

Photos need to be landscape shaped and meet minimum technical specifications. Generally a 7 mega pixel camera will suffice if on the highest image quality setting.

There is a maximum of four photos per person. If your photo is selected for inclusion in the calendar, you will receive a complimentary copy.

Closing date for contributions is this Sunday, October 15 2017.

Email your photos to heysentrail@gmail.com

Email size can be up to 25MB ( however your email provider may not allow emails of that size).

Order your copy now

You can now order copies of the Friends of the Heysen Trail 2018 calendar for the pre-publication price of $15.00

Get one for your wall at home or work or buy some as gifts for family and friends. We expect to have copies available for delivery by the end of November.

Order from our On-line shop for delivery by post.

By ordering the calendar from our On-line shop you can request postage to an address in Australia or overseas. Postage charges to any address within Australia (for a single copy) will be an additional $4.50.

Pick your copy from our Office or at the End of Year Bash.

You can also order the calendar from the Office.  Contact us either by phone or email.

If you can get into the office you can take delivery yourself. Alternatively, we expect to have the calendar available for pick up at our End of Year Bash at Belair National Park on Sunday December 3.

However, if you can’t pick up the calendar, the Office volunteers can also arrange to post it to you.