Friends of the Heysen Trail walk calendar
The Friends of the Heysen Trail organise regular walks along the Heysen Trail for our members. Explore our upcoming walk events and find out how you can join in.
We run a year-round calendar of walk events
The Friends of the Heysen Trail lead walks along the Trail as well as in national parks and reserves elsewhere in South Australia and occasionally interstate.
All walks in the Friends of the Heysen Trail Walk Calendar are created, organised and run by the Friends, making it easy for hikers to get the most out of their Heysen Trail experience.
Here’s a quick guide to the different walks in the calendar:
End-to-End walks
The Friends’ End-to-End walks program covers the full length of the Trail and takes approximately sixty days, spread over five or six years.
Trail Walker
Walks generally take between five and six hours and you’ll need to be physically fit. These walks are usually scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays.
Trail Starter
Haven’t walked in a group before or want to enjoy a shorter walk? These three to four hour walks are usually scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays.
Trail Rambler
Occasionally we offer Trail Rambler walks for specialist events such as bird watching or historical walks. They are relatively short and informative and are suitable for people of all fitness levels.
Summer Walks
We offer shorter walks during the hotter summer months when much of the Trail is closed. These generally take 1.5 to two hours and are mostly held on Wednesday evenings, meeting at 6 pm, followed by a meal, close to Adelaide.
Extended Walks
These are multi-day walks, usually over a long weekend or a full week. The location and walk difficulty varies, with some walks being a few hours’ drive from Adelaide, others taking place interstate or overseas.
Events
Views Navigation
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Commencing near The Waterwheel Mill we follow a flat section of The Heysen Trial, next to the stone-lined millrace alongside…
Lead by Graham Bald
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This walk has two memorable hills guaranteed to clear the sinuses. The first one is Main Ridge Track in Black…
Lead by Richard Milosh
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The trail leads walkers through the rolling hills of the South Mt Lofty Ranges and sections of Mt Crawford Forest.…
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SATURDAY This re-routed walk continues to avoid the vast area burned during the Bangor fire. On the eastern side of…
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A lovely loop walk through mixtures of pine forest and native growth. The walk will take in parts of the…
Lead by Gregory Walker
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This pleasant but challenging walk incorporates parts of the Mawson Trail,Heysen Trail and Montecute Conservation Park. It follows valleys and…
Lead by Mary Cartland
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Climbing Mt Plantagenet and Mt Craig. Rugged ridge lines and mostly off track walking.
Lead by Simon Cameron
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Six days walking from Eyre Depot to Mayo Gorge. See Heysen Trail Book Northern Guide Maps 4.3 to 5.3. Start/finish…
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A ramble along a section of the Yurrebilla Trail in the southeastern foot-hills of Adelaide. Commencing above Carrick Hill the…
Lead by Graham Bald
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A pretty walk over pastures past Nangkita, then following undulating back roads before ascending Mt Magnificent for spectacular views over…
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SATURDAY 14 JUNE The trail continues along the Tothill Range, providing expansive views over surrounding farmland and Apoinga Lagoon. A…
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The Pioneer Women’s Trail follows the route taken by the women of Hahndorf carrying their produce to the markets at…
Lead by Peter Solomon
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Although relatively short, this section of the trail offers spectacular scenery, including a magnificent waterfall, as walkers follow narrow tracks…
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A pleasant walk in the Kersbrook forest for about 10km.The walk will take about 3.5hrs and will include a lunch…
Lead by Colin Edwards OAM
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There is a lot of satisfaction in becoming more involved in walking and the FOHT encourages walkers to become more…
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Step out for a ‘one way’ walk along the coast with a RAIL flavour. We commence with a commentary on…
Lead by Dom Henschke, David Roberts
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Depending on the weather, this walk will be more or less challenging with a number of steep up and down…
Lead by Richard Milosh
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This section combines several sections of Mt Crawford pine forest with the natural bushland of Warren Conservation Park and Little…
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Theme: “Le Tour de Burra” Access to Day 2 and 3 is difficult and wet-weather affected – be prepared for…
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This trail commences from one of the 19th century sandstone quarries around Mount Lofty. They provided the building blocks for…
Lead by Graham Bald
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This walk in the eastern end of the Deep Creek Conservation Park is a good introduction to one of our…
Lead by Julian Monfries
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SATURDAY This is a very long and difficult (but memorable) section of the Trail that starts with the ascent of…
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A great walk to test the skills, with several sharp undulations. See the best of the Black Hill Conservation Park…
Lead by Steve Clift
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This walk is a hard walk and you will need to be up to it. Start with a steady climb…
Lead by Neil Rivett
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Interesting mix of mining history, and a showcase of geology, bird life and native vegetation. interpretive signs show how the…
Lead by Christine Porter
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See one of the prettiest areas of the Adelaide Hills, so close to Adelaide. This is a loop walk around…
Lead by Steve Clift
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The dense native bushland of Kyeema Conservation Park, the plantations of Kuitpo Forest and pretty back roads make this a…
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SATURDAY 19 JULY Although primarily a long, flat, treeless walk, along dirt roads and road reserves, this section provides walkers…
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10km circuit walk from Blackwood to the flood control dam in Sturt Gorge. Includes a number of creek crossings (that…
Lead by Chris O'Brien
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The tracks leading up to Mt Misery are littered with the blanched remains of many walkers. Why don’t you join…
Lead by Richard Milosh
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A picturesque section highlighting the diversity of the Heysen Trail, walkers traverse native bushland, a long sandy beach, lush farmland…
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Theme: Christmas in July with a Secret Santa on Saturday night (max. value $10). Sat.26th: Today we start the zig-zag…
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A pleasant Sunday morning walk following the Yurrebilla Track from Norton Summit into Morialta Conservation Park. After dropping down to…
Lead by Alan Davis
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Lovely walk, initially along the Strathalbyn to Victor Harbor railway line and then along the old Sandergrove to Milang railway…
Lead by Chris Allen, Lucy Allen
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Initially following forest edges and roadsides, the trail then make its way up and over the pretty Wirra Wirra Peaks,…
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SATURDAY Starting with a tough climb out of Horrocks Pass to the ridge, the Trail traverses exposed, gibber littered hills…
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Starting from the car park we will ramble along bush tracks in a more remote area of the Park, before…
Lead by Kevin Liddiard
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This walk incorporates the quieter outlying tracks of Cleland Conservation Park with some very special not well known trails. The…
Lead by Mary Cartland
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Six days walking from Mayo Gorge to Parachilna. See Heysen Trail Northern Guide Maps 5.3 to 6.8.
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Easy 2-hour walk on the Shiraz Trail past picturesque vineyards in McLaren Vale, followed by a good coffee at the…
Lead by Peter Solomon
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Picturesque walk through gently undulating farmlands and the northern blocks of Kuitpo Forest. The trail passes through the historic Jupiter…
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SATURDAY 16 AUGUST This remote section of the Heysen Trail gives walkers their first introduction to the grazing lands beyond…
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A pleasant walk through parts of South Australia’s oldest park passing through Echo Tunnel, taking in the views at the…
Lead by Russell O'Brien
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following the trail of second creek to its source. Linear walk. A bus will take us to the confluence of…
Lead by Simon Cameron
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Picturesque farmland, unspoilt sandy beaches, rocky headlands and the chance to spot whales characterise this section of the Trail.
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To quote from the bible for serious walkers, “Push the Bush”: “this walk takes you along delightful trails in two…
Lead by Richard Milosh
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Theme for the weekend is Marrabel, (take this however you like- its’ history, what happens there, your choice, surprise us,)…
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Interesting walk looking at a variety of native trees, Tall sugar Gums, Young Red Gums, Pink Gums, Wattle. Walk approx.…
Lead by Christine Porter
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A loop walk combining several of the trails in the Onkaparinga National Park Upper Gorge. Trails include the Nature Trail,…
Lead by Dana Florea
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This is an easy section of trail that runs through the northern section of Mt Crawford forests and through the…
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Due to the road conditions the walk on 17 August had to be abandoned. In its place the group did…
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This walk follows narrow bush tracks through generally low woodlands containing an understory of native shrubs and a variety of…
Lead by Graham Bald
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This should be a lovely walk thru lots of native scrub with early spring flowers. The trail could be slippery…
Lead by John Potter
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SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER A steady climb to start the day takes walkers to the top of the range and views…
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September is the month to see rare coastal flora at its best. Some areas were bunt in the last few…
Lead by Robyn Quinn
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This is a walk of about 21 kms which follows the Heysen Trail via Cox Creek, Old Bridgewater Mill, Mount…
Lead by Richard Milosh
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This is a very pretty walk through the most populous section of the trail however it still feels like a…
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A lovely loop walk skirting Humbug scrub Conservation Park and then going into Para Wirra National Park. Using mainly fire…
Lead by Arrienne Wynen
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SATURDAY 20 SEPTEMBER Due to the bad road conditions this walk had to be abandoned on 17 August. This walk…
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Following a contour line along the western face of Mount Lofty this track then crosses the saddle north of Mount…
Lead by Graham Bald
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This trail walker will commence at the main entrance to Belair National Park passing through the park and exiting at…
Lead by Ben Wait
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One of the most spectacular sections of the Trail, walkers follow sandy tracks through the coastal scrub of Newland Head…
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Theme for the weekend: We will have a Scottish theme this weekend, as we will be walking through Greenock, which…
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A beautiful introductory walk for beginners of bush walking. The walk will commence along the Heysen Trail past the Bridgewater…
Lead by Carol Homewood
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This section takes walkers along back roads and road reserves past vineyards and wineries of the Barossa Valley, through the…
Want to host an event on the Trail?
For any organisations planning to run an event on the Trail, you’ll need to obtain approvals from the land owners affected or from the Department for Environment and Water.