Year: 2021

Vale David Beaton 1942-2021

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David joined the Friends in 1996 about the time he retired from teaching. Within two years he had become entrenched in the office and become co-Membership Secretary in 1998, a post he held until 2009. At the same time, he joined the Walk Committee and started leading walks for the Friends.

The genesis of the End to End walk program

In 1999, at Walk Committee meeting, David suggested that, as we maintained the Trail, maybe we should also be facilitating our walking members to undertake the Trail, End to End.

As the first walk started in 2000, it was known as the Millenium Walk, however over time this has morphed into End-to-End One and then the End-to-End programme.

Consequently, he co-lead the first End to End, starting in 2000 and finishing in 2006 and then 2002, not happy with heading north, he started a southern trek from Parachilna south which he completed the next year.

The End to End walks have become extraordinarily popular as a result consequence of a simple suggestion, he made in 1999. The result so far is 15 groups and over 1,100 people introduced to hiking and the Heysen Trail.

David, the Administrator

Trail Maintenance

Trail Maintenance at Bridle Gap

David joined the Friend’s Council in 2003 and became Secretary in 2006, a position he held until 2008.

He was also a keen participant in maintenance, as Section Leader, strong, resilient, and resourceful and like many big men, quiet and thoughtful. His counsel was always considerate and considered.

In 2007, David was elected as an Honorary Member for his considerable contribution to the Friends.
In 2017, Walking SA bestowed on David a Special Recognition Award for his contribution to walking and the Friends.

Sections of the Heysen Trail in the Mt Lofty fire district now closed over the Fire Danger Season 2021/22

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Mt Lofty Fire Danger Season commences

With the commencement of the Fire Danger Season in the Mt Lofty Ranges Fire Ban District on December 1st 2021, many sections along the entire length of the Heysen Trail are now closed.

The closed sections of the trail, generally those on private property, will reopen during April/May 2022. The re-opening dates vary across the three Fire Ban Districts the trail passes through.

Much of the trail traverses private property. The viability of the Heysen Trail is dependent on the continuing co-operation of private landholders. Therefore the trail closures must be obeyed during this period.

Some sections of the trail remain open over the Fire Danger Season

During the declared Fire Danger Season some sections of the Heysen Trail remain open to walkers. They are principally the sections of the trail that are not on private land. These include public roads, National and Conservation Parks and Reserves, Forests and vacant land. The Fire Danger Season page of our website provides a list of Trail Sections Open Year Round

Please note that National, Conservation Parks and Reserves and Forests are closed on days of Total Fire Ban. The CFS publishes these bans, as does the Bureau of Meteorology. In addition, the media also broadcast weather reports including fire ban information.

If you want to walk on the trail, check which Fire District you will be in. The Fire Districts are listed on the Fire Danger Season page and shown on the Interactive Map on the Friends website.

Access to Heysen Trail huts is also restricted

Access to huts on the trail is also restricted. A number of the huts along the trail are on private property and are therefore not accessible to the public (including walkers) during the Fire Danger Season.

These are:

  • Marschalls Hut
  • Huppatz Hut
  • Hiskeys Hut
  • Catninga Hut
  • Mayo Hut

Huts in National and Conservation Parks are accessible during the Fire Danger Season, provided it is not a day of Extreme or Catastrophic fire danger.
Huts in Forest Reserves are closed from November 1 to April 30.

Walking the Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail

2021 is the first year that this newly declared walking trail, encompassing the Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis to Waitpinga and continuing on to Victor Harbor, is able to be hiked almost all year round.  Although the new hiker campsites are still under construction, the trail along the Wild South Coast Way may be walked on any day except those of  CFS declared catastrophic fire danger or other days declared by Parks to be closed.  For personal safety reasons, the Friends recommends days of extreme heat should be avoided.

Walkers must keep to the track and not stray, camp or light fires on private land.  Parks protocols for the fire danger season will apply.

The Friends Office Closure

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Office Closure

The Friends of the Heysen Trail office will close over the Christmas and New Year period at 2.30pm on Friday, December 10th 2021.

Office Volunteers will return for an Information Day on Monday, January 31st 2022 with normal office operations commencing the following day, Tuesday, February 1st 2022 from 10.30am.

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

The Heysen Trail 2022 calendars are ready for collection at the office. If you ordered one for pick up and haven’t yet done so, don’t forget to pick it up before the office closes.

Online Shop Sales

While the office is closed, the online shop will remain open for business and we will endeavour to despatch shop orders within 5 working days of being received. If you want to shop for last minute Christmas purchases, we undertake to dispatch any orders received by midday on Wednesday, December 15th on that day.

Please note that Australia Post has advised that for parcel delivery by Christmas (within Australia exc. WA / NT) the following timeframes will apply:

  • Send Parcel Post by Monday, 13th December 2021 (WA / NT – send by Wednesday, 8th December 2021)
  • Send Express Post by Monday, 20th December 2021 (WA / NT – send by Wednesday, 15th December 2021).

For Regular Post (cards / letters) within SA, send by Monday, 20th December 2021 (interstate – send by Thursday, 16th December 2021).

Walk Registrations

Although the office is closed you can still register for Summer and other walks online during the closure period.

Merry Christmas

The office Volunteers wish all members and supporters a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

2022 Heysen Trail Calendar available for immediate delivery.

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The Heysen Trail 2022 calendar will be in the Office on Friday November 19th and available for immediate pick up or delivery. We’ve again set a value price of $12/copy

If you have already sent us your order, our Office Volunteers will be making arrangements to post them out. Or if you’ve arranged to pick them up at the Office we will contact you to let you know they are available for collection.

Order your copy now – in time to send to family and friends for Christmas.

Get one for your wall at home or work or buy some as Christmas gifts for family and friends.

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 $4.80.

Pick your copy from our Office or at the Xmas Gathering at Pirate Life on Sunday November 28th.

You can also order the calendar for pick up from the Office.  Contact us either by phone or email.
If you can get into the Office you can take delivery yourself and save the cost of postage.

Alternatively, we will have the calendar available for pick up at our Xmas Gathering at Pirate Life on Sunday November 28th.

However, if you can’t pick up the calendar, the Office Volunteers can also arrange to have it posted to you or your gift recipient.

Our 2021-22 Summer walks commence this week.

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As the walking season has come to a close, the arrival of warmer evenings and daylight saving has heralded the beginning of our Summer Walks. These are generally a 1.5-2 hour evening walk most weeks until March. Some longer walks may be held during the day.

The full programme will soon be listed on our walk calendar but here are the details for the first five walks:

Friday 29th October, 6pm: Semaphore/West Lakes/Tennyson

This is a summer/sunset 10klm loop walk, taking in the views from the lake and hopefully the sunset from the Tennyson trail and viewing platform. Their will be an optional dinner at the Big Shed brewery after the walk.

View Walk

Wednesday 3rd November 6pm: Springfield-Waite

A suburban hike through leafy (but rather hilly) Springfield, skirting Carrick Hill and Waite Conservation Park with a smidge of the Yurrebilla Trail.

View Walk

Wednesday 10th November 6pm: Wirraparinga Loop

A walk along the 5km Wirraparinga Loop Trail in Brownhill Recreation Park, with a detour along the Springbank Trail. Optional dinner or a refreshment at nearby Edinburgh Hotel.

View Walk

Thursday 18th November 8am: Old Noarlunga Loop

A brisk morning wake up walk taking in the lower reaches of the Onkaparinga River and with a serious climb to deliver views across to the coast.

View Walk

Wednesday 24th November 6.00pm: Torrens Linear Park – Lockleys

This walk winds along the River Torrens linear path. An easy 6 km walk, with no hills. Enjoy the wildlife, reed beds and gum trees abundant with birdlife. There will be a post walk dinner at the nearby Lockleys Hotel.

View Walk

Walk fees

Pay with either option:

  • a Golden Boots pass, which are accepted for Twilight walks
  • Summer walk casual fees are $5.00 ($1.00 for walkers under 18 years of age)

Register on-line 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. A Golden Boots pass costs $75 and can be used on Summer, End to End and Trail Starter/Trailwalker walks for 12 months from the day of purchase.

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

Heysen Trail closure dates over the 2022-2023 Fire Danger Season

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The Country Fire Service  (CFS) has announced the dates for the 2022/23 Fire Danger Season.

Many sections of the Heysen Trail are closed during the Fire Danger Season. As the trail passes through several fire ban districts, the trail closures commence progressively from Tuesday November 1st.

Flinders District Fire Danger Season to commence on 1st November 2022.

The Flinders District covers the Heysen Trail north of Wirrabara.  The trail in this section includes Melrose, Wilmington, Quorn, Hawker, Wilpena Pound, the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park through to the northern end of the trail at Parachilna Gorge.

This section of the trail will be closed between November 1st 2022 and April 15th 2023.

Mid North District Fire Ban Season to start on 15th November 2022.

The Mid North District includes the trail between north of Tanunda  and south of Wirrabara. The Heysen Trail between these locations will close on November 15th 2021 and reopen on April 30 2022.

Mount Lofty Ranges Fire Ban Season to commence on 1st December 2022

The CFS has also announced the fire danger season for the Mt Lofty District will commence on 1st December 2022 and continue through until midnight on 30th April 2023.

As indicated above the Heysen Trail will reopen during April/May 2023. The re-opening dates vary across the three Fire Ban Districts the Trail passes through.

Some sections of the trail remain open over the Fire Danger Season

During the declared fire danger season some sections of the Heysen Trail remain open to walkers. They are principally the sections of the trail that are not on private land. These include public roads, Conservation Parks and Reserves, Forests and vacant land.

Please note that Conservation Parks and Reserves and Forests are closed on days of Total Fire Ban. The CFS publishes these bans, as does the Bureau of Meteorology. In addition, the media also broadcast weather reports including fire ban information.

If you want to walk on the trail, check which Fire District you will be in. The Fire Districts are listed on the Fire Danger Season page and shown on the Interactive Map on the Friends website.

Friends of the Heysen Trail 2022 calendar available for order now. Only $12!

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The Friends of the Heysen Trail 2022 calendar will be available soon.

Make sure you order your copies of the calendar early to get in on the low price of $12.00.

Get one for your wall at home or work or buy some as Christmas gifts for family and friends.

We expect to have copies available at the Office in mid 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. We will be posting out the first orders by the end of November.

Postage charges to any address within Australia (for a single copy) will be an additional $4.80.

Pre-order online now

Save postage  – pick your copy from our Office or the Christmas Gathering.

You can also order the calendar for pick up from the Office.  If you can get into the Office you can take delivery yourself – we will let you know when they’ve arrived..

If you are attending the Friends Christmas Gathering at Pirate Life, Port Adelaide on November 28th, you can also pick up your copy there.

To order a ‘pick up’ copy without paying postage, you need to phone the Office to order and pay.

Christmas Gathering 2021

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Come along and join in the fun at the Friends’ 2021 Christmas gathering at Port Adelaide’s Pirate Life Brewery.

  • Pirate Life Brewery, 18 Baker Street, Port Adelaide. View Interactive Map
  • 12pm to 4pm, Sunday 28th November 2021
  • Cost $56 per person plus $0.50c booking fee (includes all food served in a cocktail grazing style throughout the afternoon plus 2 drinks – soft, beer or wine)
  • Family and friends welcome

Bookings and payment for this event are via TryBooking, which enables tickets for Friends and family members to be purchased at the same time – https://www.trybooking.com/815457 

Hope to see you there!

Heysen Trail closure near the Buckaringa Sanctuary, 26th to 30th August and 7th to 11th October 2021

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The Buckaringa Sanctuary will be temporarily closed over 2 weekends in late August and mid-October 2021. As the Heysen Trail passes close to the sanctuary, we advise walkers to consider the closure if planning to walk in the area.

  • The planned closures are : 
  • Evening of Thursday 26 August to Morning of Monday 30 August
  • Evening of Thursday 7 October to Morning of Monday 11 October

 

The sanctuary is home to many Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies and is located between Quorn and Hawker. You can find it on map 6, chapter 4, of the Heysen Trail Northern Guidebook and on Sheet Map 7b – Dutchmans Stern Conservation Park to Mernmerna Creek.

The closure is because the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) will be undertaking feral animal control in the sanctuary.

AWC will place closure signs at all entry points to the sanctuary to warn walkers of the danger.

Walk the Heysen Trail with the Friends – from the Fleurieu Peninsula to Mt Lofty

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From the Fleurieu Peninsula to Mt Lofty

In early spring, the Friends of the Heysen Trail will be offering the opportunity to complete 6 consecutive sections along the Heysen Trail, starting from the little hamlet of Inman Valley through to Mt Lofty in the Cleland Conservation Park.

The walks commence on Monday August 30th and continue through to Sunday September 5th 2021.

Led by experienced walk leaders, these 6 walks will pass through the rolling environs of the Fleurieu Peninsula, a number of delightful conservation parks and picturesque forestry reserves into the southern reaches of the Adelaide Hills.

The walks culminate with a climb up to the summit of Mt Lofty and then down to the Cleland Wildlife Park.

What a great opportunity to complete six sections of the Heysen Trail in one hit!

You can find out more about the walks and register using this link to our website walk calendar Fleurieu to Mt Lofty walks.