Animals are Cute, especially New Born Lambs
When hiking, please leave all livestock alone. Interfering with them, even with good intentions, may be detrimental.
When hiking, please leave all livestock alone. Interfering with them, even with good intentions, may be detrimental.
Volunteers have used walk fees to complete several recent Trail Development projects. Work was undertaken at the Hallett Railway Station & several campsites.
During this Sunday's Hiking Expo we'll be officially launching our Heysen Highlights book. 12noon at Main Oval, Belair National Park, launch by guest John Schutz, Chief Executive of Department for Environment and Water.
We were privileged at the December meeting of Council to have the opportunity to hear a presentation about Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from one of our members. Mark Waters completed the trail with E2E8 in August and worked within Reconciliation SA for eight years. The presentation initially arose from members of E2E8 asking questions about what Aboriginal country we cross as we walk along the trail. This led the group to decide to commence its walks with an Acknowledgement of Country. It seems awareness was growing among Friends as similar discussions had occurred during a couple of other E2E walks I joined last year. Mark took the initiative to write to the Friends about generating a broader discussion.
The Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, will be closed for several periods in February and March 2019. This will affect access to the Heysen Trail. Night time closures will also continue until the end of September 2019.
In this companion guide The Heysen Trail is broken into 58 sections, each comfortably walked in one day. For each day there is a overview of what to expect and what to look out for when hiking the Heysen Trail, this companion guide offers a wealth of discovery on every journey along the Trail, with no shortage of historical, geological and environmental highlights along the way. By explaining the historical context, of the Aboriginal people, European explorers and settlers and the development of the trail, walkers can enrich their experience of the trail and its landscape. Author Simon Cameron joined the Friends of the Heysen Trail in 2001, the same year that he started walking the Trail. He has never stopped walking it. As anyone who has had the joy of walking with Simon will known, there is so much to see and so much to discover along the Trail that there never will be a reason to stop. Buy on line for $39.95 plus postage from $13.05.
The southern gateway to South Australia’s iconic Heysen Trail is located at Cape Jervis. Unfortunately, the coastal strip is severely degraded due to soil erosion, the activity of off-road vehicles and infestation by invasive plant species. There is a need to remediate this area to provide an attractive and welcoming experience for walkers that highlights the natural attributes of this area. A 2007 study concluded that this area are of high conservation value and were also facing a high level of threat. The Warren Bonython Heysen Trail Foundation is prioritising this as a focus for their greening activity works and will allocate volunteer resources and grant funding, where successful, to facilitate the project.
Telowie Gorge Conservation Park and Napperby Block (Mount Remarkable National Park) will be closed from 6am Saturday, 24 November 2018 until 11.30pm Friday, 30 November 2018.
Heysen Trail walkers are well aware of the general principles related to walking which are captured by the expression “leave only footprints, take only photos”. Many sections of the trail traverse National and Conservation Parks. It is therefore a useful reminder that the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 includes regulations about activities in parks that the general public must comply with. Disregarding these regulations may result in park users being issued a fine.
The Friends will be installing 3 TRAFx infrared trail counters along key sections of the Heysen Trail. The devices count the number of trail uses giving us comprehensive data about trail use. The device is very compact with an unobtrusive design, which reduces risk of vandalism. They will be concealed to further prevent them being stolen or vandalised. It only uses standard AA alkaline batteries and has very long battery life.
The Heysen Trail through Buckaringa Sanctuary will be closed to walkers, Friday 15 June to Monday 18 June 2018 due to feral animal control.
Come along to the Open Day at the Maintenance Shed at the Cobbler Creek Recreation Park. Want to help us install new toilets and camping platforms?