Friends of the Heysen Trail

Glen Osmond
2015-01-28
A loop walk in the Mount Osmond Reserve incorporating part of the Pioneer Women’s Trail and Burnside Walking Trails.

This walk will give spectacular views of Adelaide City and suburbs.

Hallett Cove Conservation Park
2015-01-21

Chambers Gully
2015-01-14
A loop walk with a steady but not steep climb with views of Adelaide, koalas and our native bush land.

River Torrens Gilberton
2015-01-07
An easy 1.5 to 2 hr walk along the banks of the Torrens river to blow the cob webs away and to test out the swing bridge.

Followed by an optional meal or a drink afterwards at the Hackney Hotel.

Boxing Day Walk 6th Creek
2014-12-26
This classic post Christmas walk has been undertaken by a dedicated group of walkers for over 20 years.

Join them and others to burn off the excesses of Christmas Day and get rid of the left-overs with a shared lunch at the end. Bring you left-overs, a chair and you favourite beverage.

No need to register, just turn up.

Meeting – 8.15am, Sixth Creek ford on Valley Road, on the way to Montacute Cons Park off Corkscrew Road, (where the Heysen Trail joins Valley Road). Sthn Guide Book 3.6 – grid 957377.

Black Hill Conservation Park
2014-12-17
A circular walk around the lower slopes of Black Hill Conservation Park, if the weather is warm an alternate route will be taken.

Ambers Gully
2014-12-10
Good evening “bush” walk in the Black Hill CP. Rewarded with great views of the city and sunset. Previous years found kangaroos, koalas and echidna.

Begin on Ambers Gully track, around Sugar Loaves then down Ambers Gully walking trail. Total 2hr approx. First 50 min uphill, so a steady workout.

If hot, will go 45 min each way down Linear Park from the same starting point.

Meal after at Cafe Va Bene Campbelltown optional.

Fifth Creek
2014-12-03
A pleasant amble along 5th Creek, from its beginning at the Torrens to where we leave it at Black Hill.

End of Year Bash, BBQ + Band
2014-11-30
Come and see your President boogie to the tune of the foot-tapping Bogaduck Band at the beautiful Paxton Winery in McLaren Vale.

Sunday 30 November, 12-5pm

$20 per person

Befores, bbq and artisan bread provided. Wine for purchase by the bottle or glass, cash only, no BYO. Bring beer or soft drink, bring Salad or Dessert to share, chair or rug, plates & cutlery.

Paxton Winery

Lot 100 Wheaton Road, McLaren Vale

Sturt Gorge
2014-11-26
Meandering along a bush track following the creek, a few creek crossings. Uphill to see the views of the surrounding country and tea optional at Cafe Rimini, Blackwood.

North Adelaide
2014-11-19
A loop walk past some of the historic homes of North Adelaide, through the park lands and a short section of the Torrens river. An optional dinner at the Old Lion at completion of walk.

Inman Valley to Myponga
2014-11-16
Majestic gums line roadsides leading to the climb up Sugarloaf Hill where walkers are rewarded with spectacular rural views. The trail then leads into Myponga Conservation Park for more views and some testing undulations. Pretty farmland and quiet country roads complete this section.

Torrens Linear Park - Western End
2014-11-12
This walk takes us along the River Torrens linear path.

Montacute Heights To Cudlee Creek
2014-11-09
After an initial road walk, the trail makes a very long and steep descent to Sixth Creek before climbing again through Montacute Conservation Park and Mt Crawford Forest Reserve. A pleasant walk past the pretty private gardens along Holland Creek Road completes the section

Theme for this walk is Melbourne Cup.

Wild Dog Glen
2014-11-05
A walk into the hills above Mitcham.

Steep and challenging in parts

Kuitpo Forest
2014-10-26
An easy walk but quite long… mostly on tracks through the pine forest but with some sections through the bush.

Sturt Gorge for Wimps
2014-10-26
A walk many wimps may enjoy due mainly to its mixture of wild and tame scenery. We will walk along some of the trails along Sturt River and return to our starting point by way of a number of scenic reserves. As usual, walkers need to check the weather forecast and bring enough water, (about 2 Litres), and wear comfortable footwear with good thread. This walk is about 3 hours long and about 8 kms long.

So be a wimp and come along!

To Pewsey Vale, Mt Crawford
2014-10-25 - 2014-10-26
Theme for the Weekend: We will have a German theme this weekend as we walk in areas influenced by the first German Settlers, we pass by Bethany which was the first German settlement in the Barossa, and we also walk through the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park.

Sat.25th: After meandering the streets of Tanunda we have a long steady climb up to the lovely Kaiser Stuhl Conservation Park and some expansive views over the Barossa Valley. We enter Mount Crawford forest where logging operations will dictate which route we take to end up at Brownes Road.

Sun.24th: Our last walk of the year begins with undulating back roads and tracks through farming areas. Then its once again getting amongst the pines of Mount Crawford forest where the terrain gets steeper, finishing with some road walking back to the cars.

To Hamilton, Peters Hill, Based in Kapunda
2014-10-25 - 2014-10-26
Saturday 25th Oct 2014 Kapunda to Hamilton

A pleasant walk following backroads, tracks and fence lines through the undulating farmland of the Lower North.

Sunday 26th Oct 2014 Hamilton to Peters Hill

This section of the Trail follows backroads and road reserves of open scrubland, before a short walk up Peters Hill, where walkers are rewarded with pretty vistas over the farmlands of the lower Mid North

Tugwell Road to Inman Valley
2014-10-19
This section follows country roads, farm fencelines and attractive road reserves. Native orchids, grass trees, abundant birdlife and classic Fleurieu farmland views make this a walk to remember. Take time out to explore the church ruin and graveyard on Hancock Rd above Inman Valley.

In recognition of the green countryside that we are seeing during these walks the theme for this month will be ‘Green’.

Chapel Hill
2014-10-19
Chapel Hill sits roughly in the middle section of the Onkaparinga River National Park. The river flows from the Mt Bold Reservoir situated to the east outside the Park, in a westerly direction towards the sea. Extensive wine grapes are grown on the upper slopes outside the park. This walk will be done in a counter clockwise direction and will have a couple of river crossings as well a number of steep hills. It should be a satisfying sort of walk.

Chlorinator to Bundaleer Forest to Raeville. Based in Gladstone
2014-10-18 - 2014-10-19
SATURDAY 18 OCTOBER

Passing Bundaleer Reservoir and the permanently flowing Bundaleer Creek, the Trail joins the Bundaleer northern intake channel at the aqueduct. After leaving the channels at the weir it follows Never Never Creek past remnant Yacca forests and grazing land towards Bundaleer Forest.

SUNDAY 19 OCTOBER

This is diverse walk through native scrub, Bundaleer pine forest and farmland. The ridgetops and testing climbs reward walkers with spectacular panoramic views.

The Heysen Trail has been rerouted to avoid fire damage in Bundaleer Forest.

THEME – Convicts

ACCOMMODATION AT GLADSTONE GAOL – The Gaol has been booked for our group so there is no need to book directly with the Gaol. When registering for the walk please advise whether you will be staying at the Gaol. The cells in the gaol have 2 single beds and there are ample cells to have sole use of a cell if you wish. Cost per person is $20 p.n. byo bedding or $25 p.n. with bedding provided. Payment can be made on arrival.

NOTE – If you wish to walk on only one day, please contact the FOHT office to register for that day. The online registering system will only allow you to register for both walking days.

Cleland Conservation Park To Montacute Heights
2014-10-12
This is a very testing walk with many ups and downs that pass through the dense bushland of Cleland, Horsnell Gully and Morialta Conservation Parks and along roadsides, rewarding walkers with spectacular views over Adelaide and the Hills. Lunch with a famous South Australian.

Mylor to Mt George Conservation Park
2014-10-12
This is a pleasant loop walk incorporating parts of the Heysen Trail, Mt George Conservation Park and the Aldgate Valley Nature Walk.

Lunch will be on top of Mt George, hence the extended walk time.

Scott Creek
2014-10-12
Scott Creek is a lovely spot to walk any time of the year. However, it is at its best in Spring when plenty of native wildflowers are in bloom, including a number of orchids. On this walk, we will enjoy the serenity of this lovely park, take in some great views of the Adelaide Hills, and see how many different species of orchids we can find. There’s a nice spot for a picnic afterwards, for those interested, and an opportunity to explore the historic Almanda mine (bring a torch).

Cobbler Creek
2014-10-05
We will start on the Mai Tappa Hike, walking slowly uphill towards Golden Grove, crossing to the Babbler Hike, with views over the northern plains, then descending to pass under the Grove Way to the northern section of the Park. We will then join the Porosa Hike walking uphill for more great views, then return to the car park via Cobbler Creek.

Dutchmans Stern to Eyre Depot to Warren Gorge to Buckaringa Gorge
2014-10-04 - 2014-10-06
PLEASE NOTE: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO FORECAST HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE PT AUGUSTA/HAWKER AREA

IMPORTANT NOTE

This is a multi-day walk over the October long weekend. Registration requires payment of the usual walk fee (3 x $8, Golden Boots/Multiwalk card accepted) and the bus fee ($185). Registrants are invited to travel on the bus from Adelaide to Pt. Augusta and return. If you choose to drive your own vehicle to the base location (Pt. Augusta) the bus fee remains the same.

SATURDAY

This is a deceptively tough walk with a bit of everything – undulating fire tracks with spectacular views, a rocky gorge and a gibber strewn floodplain.

SUNDAY

After climbing back into the range, walkers enter Mount Arden Creek which winds its way northwards. The gradual climb up the winding creek bed with its waterfalls and rocky sections can make progress very slow.

MONDAY

After Mt Arden South campsite the trail leaves the creek to climb Mt Arden summit for spectacular 360 degree views. The trail then follows the ridgeline and a pretty creekline to exit at Buckaringa Gorge.

BASE LOCATION

Port Augusta (Big 4 Holiday Park)

THEME

On Monday we climb Mt Arden, named after Matthew Flinders’ great-grandmother. See The Life of Capt Matthew Flinders R.N. at http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00065.html

The theme is, therefore, the letter A.

Tanunda to Kapunda
2014-09-28
This section takes walkers along back roads and road reserves past vineyards and wineries of the Barossa Valley, through the small town of Greenock and into the cropping and grazing land of the Lower North. It is a long but mainly flat walk with only a few undulations. Pleasant vistas and changing seasonal colours make this a pretty walk

Mt George
2014-09-28
A beautiful introductory walk for beginners of bush walking. The walk will commence along the Heysen Trail past the Bridgewater historic water-wheel mill. The trail will then take us off the Heysen Trail into Mt George conservation Park to the summit of Mt George. This can be a popular destination for bushwalkers and birdwatchers. Mount George Conservation Park landscape ranges from wetlands to open forests with rocky outcrops. The park features a great variety of vegetation and spring flowers. In the park you will find pea flowers, ground-hugging correas and a variety of delightful native orchids. Wedge-tailed eagles may be seen circling the skies above the park, while superb blue wrens, red-browed finches, white-throated treecreepers and scarlet robins are often observed around the trees and shrubs. You may often see koala’s fast asleep in the Gums and you often hear Kookaburra’s having a laugh as we walk past.

At the summit we will take a morning Tea break whilst we enjoy the scenery. Then we will desend down to the Heysen Trail back upon our return to Bridgewater. For those interested a quick refreshment or lunch is at the Bridgewater Inn.

Hamilton to Kapunda to Tanunda. Based in Kapunda
2014-09-27 - 2014-09-28
Theme for the weekend: We will have a Scottish theme this weekend, as we will be walking through Greenock, which some call the Little Scotland of the Barossa.

A couple of long walks this weekend.

Sat.27 Sep: Lots of undulating farmland walking today, some through tall, ripening crops but intermingled with more backroads and some bitumen.

Sun.28 Sep: Starting in Kapunda, we travel the Mary McKillop Walk and other backroads before crossing more cropping and grazing land on the way to Greenock. A quite noticeable change in landuse to vineyards occurs as we enter the Barossa Valley. Pleasant vistas and changing seasonal colours make this a pretty walk.

Another value-added experience today: We will meet E2E7 on the trail today for a joint celebration (over lunch?).
