The Bundaleer Reservoir will be closed for feral animal control activity from July 28 to August 1. Signage will be displayed on site to redirect walkers around the closure.
Registrations to walk the Clare Valley Wine and Wilderness Trail in September are now open. Read more
Recent high tides and stormy weather has taken a toll on the Trail as it skirts Kings Beach.
FOHT volunteers are working on organising a re-route but in the meantime do take care as you cross that section of the trail.
Storm damage at Kings Beach
Storm damage at Kings Beach.
With the opening of the walk season upon us, we have updated the Heysen Trail gpx file to include all re-routes since the last version of the consolidated gpx file was released in February 2024.
The trail changes include five re-routes and a new spur trail:
The reroutes have been added to the downloadable GPX file (version 4.9 released 15/5/2025) and the Interactive Map as displayed on Friends of the Heysen Trail website.
You can find instructions for downloading the updated file onto your GPS unit on the Maps & GPS page.
The reroutes have had a very minor impact on the Heysen Trail Distances.
Please note the the revised gpx file does not include temporary reroutes such as :
Walkers are reminded that following recent improvements to our website, the Heysen Trail Walk Selector pages now include:
Friends of Heysen Trail members & supporters are invited to help celebrate completion of the Northern Trailhead Rejuvenation Project.
It’s very exciting to see The Friends’ bold vision become reality, especially as it is the biggest project our volunteers have ever initiated and funded.
The tired old stile and fencing are gone; deteriorating platforms are replaced by stone yarning circles and a vibrant archway with stone steps herald the start or finish point. Landscaping and clear parking bays transform the surrounds.
The celebration will officially open the Trailhead and unveil new signage and a plaque acknowledging the incredible support and donations that helped make this a reality.
Members please register your attendance via The Friends of Heysen Trail website walks & event program to help with catering. (Click here)
An aerial pest animal control program will mean the closure of sections of the Heysen Trail in the Mount Lofty Ranges from Monday 17th June to Sunday 30th June, 2024. The program will include forestry reserves, reservoir reserves, conservation parks and private properties, over native scrub, plantations, and farmland in the areas around Millbrook Reservoir, Para Wirra, Mount Crawford Forest and Kaiserstuhl.
The Heysen Trail and Heysen huts will be closed from Pewsey Vale/Kaiserstuhl in the north (GR 170 727 on Mapsheet 2D, Southern Guide Map 4.3) , south to Scotts and as far south as Millbrook (GR 014 442 on Mapsheet 2C, Southern Guide Map 3.7).
This represents the southern part of section 18, the whole of sections 17 through 16 and the northern portion of section 15.
For further information contact Theo Goldsworthy of PIRSA at Theo.Goldsworthy-Hess@sa.gov.au or phone 0461 284 454.
You can find further information on the Forestry SA page.
Caroona Creek Conservation Park : www.visitburra.com
An aerial pest control program will mean the Caroona Creek Conservation Park (Including Caroona Creek Campground), Mimbara Conservation Park and Hopkins Creek Conservation Park will be closed from 6.00 pm Tuesday 28th May to 6.00 pm on Sunday 2nd June, 2024. The closure will also extend to surrounding private land.
The Heysen Trail from Gerkie Gap (GR 113 250 on Mapsheet 3C, Southern Guide Map 5.5) all the way to Dares Hill Summit Road (GR 188 017 on Mapsheet 4B, Southern Guide Map 6.6.) will therefore be closed
This represents the whole of sections 23 through 28 of the trail.
If you have any enquiries about the Park Closure please contact the National Parks & Wildlife Service, Yorke & Mid North on (08) 8841 3400.
You can find further information on the Parks SA Alerts page.
The Heysen Trail is managed by a partnership comprising the Department of Environment and Water, the Friends of the Heysen Trail, ForestrySA, and SAWater.
As foreshadowed by the Heysen Trail 5 Year Plan, work has started to develop a best-practice governance model to give the Heysen Trail a continuing and successful future.
If you are a landowner or other stakeholder along the Trail please read this flier about consultation that will take place in the near future. We would love to have your input.
Neil Hendry,
President,
Friends of the Heysen Trail
The current trailhead
The proposed trailhead
Work will commence in early May.
The Friends of Heysen Trail initiated a rejuvenation of the now tired Trailhead that’s helped hikers cross the line for more than 30 years.
The new design will enhance the sense of starting or completing the 1200km adventure.
Read the full article in the latest Trailwalker. (Click here.)
This benefits everyone, whether you are new to the Trail or a long-term hiker & supporter.
Anyone who has or will enjoy the Trail is encouraged to donate to this exciting project. (Click here.)
The entire length of the Heysen Trail has now re-opened following the conclusion of the Fire Danger Season in the Mount Lofty Ranges and Mid North Fire Ban Districts.
The northern half of the trail, from Wirrabara, reopened on April 15 following the conclusion of the Fire Ban Season in the Flinders Ranges Fire Ban District.
The entire length will remain open until November 2024 when the Fire Danger Season is expected to begin.
View more information about how the Fire Danger Season affects the Heysen Trail.
View the CFS media release confirming the conclusion of the Fire Danger Season.
Latest update to the Heysen Trail gpx and Interactive MapWith the opening of the walk season approaching, we have updated the Heysen Trail gpx file to include all re-routes since the last version of the consolidated gpx file was released in August 2023.
The reroutes have been added to the downloadable GPX file (version 4.7 released 6/2/2024) and the Interactive Map as displayed on Friends of the Heysen Trail website.
You can find instructions for downloading the updated file onto your GPS unit on the Maps & GPS page.
The reroutes have had a very minor impact on the Heysen Trail Distances.
Please note the the revised gpx file does not include temporary reroutes such as :
Due to a major cost increase imposed on us by a third party supplier, we have been forced to review the manner in which we advise members and walkers of changes to the trail closure periods and updates to the website gpx files.
We have now suspended the issue of notifications to subscribers by email. We are examining alternative arrangements as part of our website review project. As an interim measure we will advise you of trail changes using our website banner alert/messaging system.
If you are not already aware, the banners appear at the top of every page of our website. As an example there is currently a banner in place to advise walkers of the closure of the trail over the Fire Danger Season. The headline notice includes a link to a website news item which provides further information.
Walkers are advised to that following recent improvements to our website, the Heysen Trail Walk Selector pages now include:
The next series of the Friends ‘End to End’ walks along the Heysen Trail is scheduled to commence from Cape Jervis on Sunday May 26th 2024.
Registrations can be made from 7.00am sharp on Monday March 25th 2024.
You can find out more information about the walk by reading the description in our walk calendar.
The End to End walk program section of our website provides further information about the ‘E2E’ program.
Registration is open to members of the Friends, so to save time, make sure you have created a membership account before registrations open. You will need to log into your account to register. You can then navigate to the walk page via the walks calendar.