AGM & other organisation meetings

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.

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

Walk the Yorke Official Opening 13 December 2015

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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.

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

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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.

Bushwalk.com eMag Featuring South Australia’s Best Walks

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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:

View full eMag

Welcoming our 1,000th Member

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Welcoming our 1,000th member, Rachel Faulkner, Friends of the Heysen TrailThe End-to-End 5 group caught up with the Friends’ 1,000th member, Rachel Faulkner, in Port Augusta earlier this month. Rachel lives in Whyalla and is a Trail Runner with her partner. Rachel explained that they joined the Friends as they enjoyed running the Heysen Trail. As the 1,000th member Rachel was presented Life Membership and a embroidered fleecy top by Julian Monfries, Secretary (and past President) of the Friends, representing the President.

Historic images of Morialta exhibition

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2015 will be 100 years since Morialta was declared a National Pleasure Resort on 15 July 1915.

The Friends of Black Hill and Morialta Inc with support from Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges are to deliver a number of public events in 2015 to celebrate the centenary of Morialta Conservation Park.

The Friends of the Heysen Trail have sponsored two images. All images are available through an online silent auction, open until November, and any proceeds we receive will go towards our work on the Heysen Trail.

Exhibition Schedule

Coventry Library, Stirling 3 – 13 March 2015
Cleland Wildlife Park 15 – 31 March 2015
The Summit Community Centre, Norton Summit 2 – 30 April 2015
Campbelltown Library 2 – 29 May 2015
Burnside Civic Centre Atrium 3 – 26 June 2015
Gumeracha Library 30 June – 30 July 2015
Tea Tree Gully Library 2 – 28 August 2015
The Long Gallery, St Peters Town Hall Complex 1 – 16 September 2015
The Long Gallery, St Peters Town Hall Complex 22 – 30 September 2015
Cleland Wildlife Park 2 – 31 October 2015
Read more at fobhm.org
Historic image of Morialta Exhibition 2015

Heroes of the Field – Heysen Trail & CFS Volunteer on Front Page of the Advertiser

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John Potter, volunteer with Cudlee Creek CFS and maintenance and construction volunteer on the Heysen TrailOne of our chief maintenance and construction volunteers is featured on the front page of today’s Advertiser. As well as volunteering on the Heysen Trail, John Potter is a volunteer with his local Cudlee Creek CFS, and is among an army of volunteers doing 12-hour shifts to protect life and property in the Adelaide Hills bushfire.