Real Trail Talk

Joining us for the first ever four person Real Trail Talk roundtable discussion is Bonny from Young Perth Hikers and Ben from Going Solo to chat about the old hiking term "Hike Your Own Hike". One of our longest podcasts ever, we dive into the topic with discussion points around our various experiences, gear choice, the reasons why we hike and also who we like to hike with. If you love your hiking or want to hear things from a different perspective then brew up your favourite hot drink and strap yourself in for over an hour of us four going into the how's and why's of our hiking lives.

This week we were lucky enough to be joined by Dave Willcox from Common Ground Trails to discuss what goes into trail building, the process to get trails planned, approved, funded and built along with how WA stacks up when it comes to trail planning and construction. This was a really fun chat as Dave has extensive knowledge of the trail industry and as an avid trail user himself, has a fantastic insight into what is going on right now within the trail community.

In our 20th Episode, special guest Michelle Ryan (Walkingtwobytwo) returns for an an extended overview of the Balingup to Donnelly River Village section of the Bibbulmun Track, talking about the transition to lush Jarrah and Karri forests. Includes discussion about Mark's third opinion on the Dwellingup to Collie section of the Bibbulmun and Michelle's newly released guidebook to the Cape to Cape Track

We are joined once again by Alissa to discuss The Long Way's Better's adventure on the Overland Track in Tasmania. This world famous multi-day hike takes you through some true wilderness but with a touch of comfort along the way. Explore mountains, plains, waterfalls and temperate rainforest in one of the best hiking destinations in the world.  This episode is proudly brought to you by Sudio, a Swedish based headphone company wanting to revolutionize the way people see headphones, as not just a tech device but also an accessory. Currently, the headphones market can offer you one of two things: style or tech. Fashionable headphones tend to lack the proper sound quality, and high-tech variations are bulky and not design oriented. While emphasizing their modern, Scandinavian design, they also provide a product that matches the quality of even the highest rated headphones on the market for a fraction of the cost. They also provide free worldwide shipping.   Use the code TRAILTALK to receive 15% off your order a

With the peak Karijini National Park visitation period upon us, we are joined by Alissa (the other half of The Long Way's Better) to discuss what goes into a road trip up to Karijini National Park, the various hikes that you can do while you're there and what to expect in terms of accommodation, facilities and adventures.  If you're planning a trip to Karijini then this is essential listening as Don and Alissa talk about their experiences and what they thought of this iconic part of Western Australia, located in 1400km north of Perth. This episode is proudly brought to you by Sudio, a Swedish based headphone company wanting to revolutionize the way people see headphones, as not just a tech device but also an accessory. Currently, the headphones market can offer you one of two things: style or tech. Fashionable headphones tend to lack the proper sound quality, and high-tech variations are bulky and not design oriented. While emphasizing their modern, Scandinavian design, they also provide a product that matc

Joining us for a return visit is Steve Sertis from the Bibbulmun Track Foundation to talk about the events calendar that the foundation runs, his latest trip to Nepal and also a few stories from his time as Lead Guide. It's always great to have Steve on the podcast and as you can tell by the length we had a fun time talking trails. This episode is proudly brought to you by Sudio, a Swedish based headphone company wanting to revolutionize the way people see headphones, as not just a tech device but also an accessory. Currently, the headphones market can offer you one of two things: style or tech. Fashionable headphones tend to lack the proper sound quality, and high-tech variations are bulky and not design oriented. While emphasizing their modern, Scandinavian design, they also provide a product that matches the quality of even the highest rated headphones on the market for a fraction of the cost. They also provide free worldwide shipping.   Use the code TRAILTALK to receive 15% off your order and get yourse

With Donovan now safely back on Western Australian shores we discuss his three month stint exploring the Gondwana Ranforests of the Australia World Heritage Area in Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Joining us for the first time to provide a different viewpoint is the other half of The Long Way's Better, Alissa, who regales us with some great Donovan stories.  This episode is proudly brought to you by Sudio, a Swedish based headphone company wanting to revolutionize the way people see headphones, as not just a tech device but also an accessory. Currently, the headphones market can offer you one of two things: style or tech. Fashionable headphones tend to lack the proper sound quality, and high-tech variations are bulky and not design oriented. While emphasizing their modern, Scandinavian design, they also provide a product that matches the quality of even the highest rated headphones on the market for a fraction of the cost. They also provide free worldwide shipping.   Use the code TRAILTALK

This episode Donovan interviews Mark about his 2008 travel adventure to Costa Rica that sparked his interest in hiking and confirmed his love of the outdoors. Partaking in a World Expeditions three week trip, hear about Mark's cross country "origin story" and all the trials and tribulations that came his way. 

We continue on the Bibbulmun Track discussion with the next town to town section, Collie to Balingup. Joining us in this episode is Lead Guide and Events Manager from the Bibbulmun Track Foundation to share his experiences and offer a counterpoint to Donovan's opinions. One of the shorter town to town sections, Collie to Balingup takes you through some regrowth Jarrah forest and you get to see some of the first farmland areas on the track. 

In this week's episode we have some fun discussing our dream trails both in Australia and Overseas. With no limit on money we pick five trails from each location and discuss why we selected our dream hikes. In the second half of the podcast we talk about our favourite hiking related movies and what makes us associate them with hiking (warning: spoiler warnings for all movies discussed).

Joining us in the studio for Episode 12 is fellow trail lover and enthusiast, Melina Mellino, Director of the Perth Trail Series trail running events to discuss trail running, being a trail visionary and what goes into running the Perth Trail Series. 

Donovan sits down to discuss his post Christmas adventures exploring the beautiful country of Vietnam and specifically his three day expedition on the Wild Tu Lan Cave Explorer. Taking in some of the best cave systems in the world combined with some tough jungle trekking, Donovan describes what it was like, how he fared and his experiences with Oxalis Adventures.

With the highly anticipated premiere of a documentary about the Bibbulmun Track and the people who use it we talk to the woman behind the project, Michelle Ryan from WalkingTwoByTwo about what went into making it and her love for the track. We also discuss the recent destruction of the Helena Campsite and the devastation of losing another campsite to bushfires.

Welcome to the first podcast of 2018 as we discuss some great tips for hiking in summer, how our 2017 hiking adventures went and what we both have planned for 2018. 

In Episode 8 we discuss the hiking trail network on Rottnest Island, the Wadjemup Bidi, answer some more questions that have come through on the email and talk about some Christmas present ideas that you can get hikers this holiday season.

In our seventh episode, we interview Rod Annear (the Assistant Director of Visitor Services at the Parks and Wildlife Service) and ask him about his Munda Biddi adventures, what happened to the proposed multi-day hike in Fitzgerald River National Park, his appearance on Karri FM radio and the future of trail development in Western Australia. 

In Episode Six, special guest Michelle Ryan (Walkingtwobytwo) joins us for an an extended overview of the Dwellingup to Collie section of the Bibbulmun Track, talking about some of the section highlights, lowlights and burnt Jarrah forest in general.  

In Episode Five we provide an extended overview of the Darling Scarp section of the Bibbulmun Track from Kalamunda to Dwellingup, talking about some of the section highlights. 

In Episode Four we answer our first round of mailbag questions, discuss what we've been doing for Outdoors October and a recount of our unsuccessful attempt at the Stirling Ridge Walk.

In our third episode we discuss the magnificent walking in the Karri-dominated Southern Forests of Australia's South West, covering walks from Donnelly River Village, Pemberton, Quinninup, Northcliffe and Walpole.