Tim Severin – What a Guy!

WHAT a guy! Not many in modern times (save perhaps Thor Heyerdahl: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/kon-tiki-thor-heyerdahl/) have adventured like this chap, eg: The Brendan Voyage (1976–1977), The Sindbad Voyage (1980–1981), The Jason Voyage (1984), The Ulysses Voyage (1985), The China Voyage (May–November 1993), In Search of Moby Dick: Quest for the White Whale (1999): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Severin

Tim Severin – What a Guy! Read More »

Rail Trails

https://www.railtrails.org.au/ Our taxes have been busily at work creating these lately. There are now some really long ones http://www.murraytomountains.com.au/the-rail-trail/ http://www.greatvictorianrailtrail.com.au/ https://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/victoria/gippsland?view=trail&id=143 Some could be combined with an existing hiking trail to make an interesting loop walk, eg the George Bass Coastal Walk and the Bass Coast Rail Trail: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/352803/Park-note-George-Bass-Coastal-Walk.pdf & https://www.railtrails.org.au/index.php?option=com_railtrails&view=trail&id=203&Itemid=244

Rail Trails Read More »

Travels in a Donkey Trap by Daisy Baker:

    This is such a lovely book http://www.amazon.com/Travels-Donkey-Trap-Coronet-Books/dp/034020303X ‘A charming memoir. She shares memories of her past along with her “adventures” in the donkey cart. She looks back from 1970 to a slower time. We see 1970 as a very different time. What country road would accommodate a donkey cart these days – certainly extremely

Travels in a Donkey Trap by Daisy Baker: Read More »

Kon Tiki: Thor Heyerdahl

What an adventure it was: drifting across the entire Pacific Ocean to Polynesia on a balsa wood raft http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki_expedition . The doco Thor made http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki_%281950_film%29 won the Academy Award. The book was translated into 70 languages and sold 50 million copies. If you haven’t read it, you should, and its successors, and fellow adventurer Bengt

Kon Tiki: Thor Heyerdahl Read More »

South Coast track Fiordland NZ: Waitutu Forest Fiordland: Warm Air Pockets

One of the things which most surprised us about this beautiful forest was how warm generally it is – around 3-4C WARMER than nearby Invercargill, so very similar to Southern Victoria. I saw little difference between food growing in our hosts vegie garden at the Waitutu Lodge http://www.waitutu.co.nz/ than you would find here. We lived

South Coast track Fiordland NZ: Waitutu Forest Fiordland: Warm Air Pockets Read More »

South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Westie’s Hut: Topo Map Errors

Westies Hut, Price’s Harbour, Fiordland NZ. I have encountered this once or twice before (also with the Australian series): Westies Hut, at the end of the South Coast Track is marked in the WRONG position in the DOC and Linz topo maps. It is actually located at the WESTERN end of Price’s Harbour, as a

South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Westie’s Hut: Topo Map Errors Read More »

THRILLING TALES #6: New Zealand’s Remotest Family

A Life on Gorge River: http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/109338/life-bush-family-039beansprout039 Kindle edition: http://www.amazon.com.au/Life-On-Gorge-River-Zealands-ebook/dp/B004R1R4ZM Also see (his & hers versions) http://www.amazon.com.au/A-Wife-On-Gorge-River-ebook/dp/B009AL6FMC Above: the Long family home Gorge River South of Haast in remote Sth Westland Fiordland NZ. See: New Lives in the Wild – Ben Fogle: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/wbsy2/ben-fogle-new-lives-in-the-wild-episode-guide/ Series 1 Episode 3: ‘The adventurer travels to the west coast of New

THRILLING TALES #6: New Zealand’s Remotest Family Read More »