Australian Hiker is Australia’s premier hiking podcast as well as providing a southern hemisphere view on overseas hiking. We are Australia’s most downloaded hiking podcast with regular episodes being released every two weeks covering gear and trail reviews, hiking practice, recipes and skills. Bonus episodes will be released at least once a month and include interviews from the trail as well as with relevant industry and allied professionals. Let us do all the research for you.
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
AH 282-Valentines Day Hiking Ideas
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Tuesday Feb 06, 2024
Valentine's Day, while once considered just another American holiday, is now firmly entrenched in Australian culture. The day is usually associated with chocolate, flowers and dinner out, but is this just lazy romance? Why not change things up a bit by thinking outside the box and blending hiking with Valentine's Day for a romantic date out bush!
In this podcast episode we look at some of the considerations for combining hiking and romance. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
AH 280-Assumptions
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
Tuesday Jan 16, 2024
If you do longer hikes, particularly ones that involve going off marked trails or if you hike in unfamiliar areas, you may be required to make some assumptions. The problem with assuming is you don’t always get it right and as the old saying goes, if you assume you can end up making an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’.
In this podcast episode we go through a multi-day example and look at the positives and negatives of making assumptions when planning your hikes.
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
AH 277-Shakedown Hikes
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
The intent of a shakedown hike is to try out new gear or new processes prior to a trip so you can iron out any bugs, familiarise yourself with new systems, balance your pack so that it’s comfortable, and assess your fitness in terrain similar (or worse) than what you have planned. But how many of us ever do them and should we really bother?
In this podcast episode we look in detail why, and when you should do a shakedown hike. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
AH 275-Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Hikers 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
Tuesday Nov 21, 2023
It’s that time of the year when you start to consider gifts for that special hiker in your life. In previous years we have looked at the full gambit of Christmas gift options covering every price range including some very high-end options.
This year for the first time we focus on the lower end of the pricing range with gifts under $100, that fall into the 'stocking stuffer' category with something that everyone can afford. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
AH 274-Australian Hiker 7th Birthday
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
Tuesday Nov 14, 2023
On 11 November 2023 Australian Hiker celebrated its 7th birthday. In this episode we reflect on our past year, and look at where we are heading over the coming year. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
AH 264- Micro adventures
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
It’s August and for various reasons we’ve found ourselves having done less hikes than we usually would have so far into the year and believe me its not for lack of trying. While its easy for us to get out bush thats only because we live a few hundred meters away but due to both work and personal reasons we just haven’t had the opportunities to walk and review as many new hikes as we would like.
In this podcast episode we look at what micro adventures are and how they be used to get you out bush even when you don’t think you have the time. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
AH 263- Bathing on trail
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
If you are hiking for any length of time get used to not being as clean as you usually would like. Having said that you do need a level of cleanliness and while you do need to clean yourself all over from time to time, there is a focus on areas such as hands, the face, armpits and groin are areas that will need more regular cleaning.
In this podcast episode we discuss a simple option for keeping 'cleanish' on trail. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
AH 261- Best before
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Tuesday Jul 11, 2023
Most of us are very used to the concept of 'Use By Dates' or 'Best Before Dates' when we go shopping but many commercial outdoor foods also come with these labels. Due to COVID I ended up with a large number of 'out of date' meals and thought that I'd see how they went. Are these labels just cautionary recommendations or can you just ignore them?
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
AH 260-Night Owl or Rooster; what’s your sleeping pattern?
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
The old saying of ‘early to bed and early to rise’ originated over 6oo years ago at a time where making use of the daylight hours was particularly important in a largely rural society. While this saying is still relevant in agricultural circles today, it’s also applicable to many other aspects of our lives, including hiking.
Our sleep patterns are unique so this podcast episode looks at the are pros and cons to each type of sleep regime from a hiking perspective.
So what are you? Night owl? Rooster? Or a bit of both?
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
AH 258-Is age a barrier to hiking?
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Tuesday Jun 13, 2023
Australian life expectancy has changed over the last century. In 1900 the average life expectancy for an Australian male was around 55 whereas now it's just on 80 years (women enjoy an additional four years). As I get older I’m becoming increasingly annoyed at societal expectations about how I’m supposed to behave. So while aging does impact on our physical endeavours is it a barrier to hiking?
In this podcast episode we discuss the impacts of ageing on hiking. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
AH 248-Changing tastes in trail food
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
I've been hiking and camping for many years and I've found that my tastes in food have slowly but steadily evolved, changing bit by bit which is to be expected. Recently however my on-trail diet has gone through a revolution rather than evolution which has changed the way that I hike. In this podcast episode we look at what's changed in my diet and the impact this has had.
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
AH 244-Boots vs Trail Runners
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Without a doubt one of the the most common discussions I hear in hiking circles both on-trail as well as in online forums is what type of footwear should I be wearing?
In this podcast episode we look at options for hiking footwear to try to help narrow this debate and hopefully provide s starting point in particular for newer hikers.
So what type of footwear should you be wearing?
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
AH 243-Gaiters for hiking
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
When you start hiking you tend to have a picture in your mind about what a ‘hiker’ looks like. For many, the stereotype includes a broad brimmed hat, boots, kaki clothing, big pack, and of course, gaiters. By why do hikers use gaiters? They do more than just the obvious of 'snake protection'!
In this podcast episode we look at the types of gaiters available to hikers today and provide guidance on when you should consider wearing them.
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms at
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
AH 237-Choosing rain gear for hiking
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
Wednesday Nov 23, 2022
This podcast episode covers the key aspects of choosing rain gear for hiking. We deliberately haven’t gotten too carried away with the technical aspects because in all honesty, there’s so much technical information that you just don't need to know! So what do you need to know when choosing rain gear? Listen to find out
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
AH 236-Australian Hiker 6th Birthday
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
Tuesday Nov 15, 2022
On 11 November 2022 Australian Hiker celebrated its 6th birthday. For many of us the past few years has been one of disruption and as an overactive planner this has driven me up the wall sometimes. In this episode we reflect on our past year, and look at where we are heading over the coming year. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
AH 226-When times get tough; motivation on the trail
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
While many hikers worry about the physical aspects of longer multi-day/multi-week hikes perhaps the biggest issue for many is the mental aspect. Time with other hikers can be challenging let alone travelling by yourself and sometimes it's a struggle to maintain a degree of motivation that allows you to keep on hiking on those days when you just don't feel like it. So, how can you maintain a degree of motivation when you feel like calling it quits?
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
AH 225-Industry Interviews July 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Every year Australian Hiker touches base with suppliers, importers and manufacture of hiking equipment to find out what new and exciting products are on the market and well as to see how the industry is trending. In this years episode the pandemic is supposedly over but we are still doing these interviews virtually as we catch up with 4 of these suppliers.
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
AH 222-East Gippsland Rail Trail reality vs expectations
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
In this podcast episode I discuss my pre trip expectations for the East Gippsland Rail Trail versus the reality of the trip itself. In many cases the trip panned out as expected but with any outdoor adventure there are always things that ended up going differently than expected. www.australianhiker.com.au
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Episode 221-East Gippsland Rail Trail Interviews from the trail
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
In this podcast episode I bring you a series of on trail recordings from my four day trip on the East Gippsland Rail Trail. These recordings will provide you with an overview of my trip, how I was feeling and the things that I was seeing in real time as I progressed which will hopefully provide some insight into this very different hiking adventure. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms
Tuesday May 31, 2022
AH 220-East Gippsland Rail Trail here I come!
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
In mid 2022 when I found my chosen hiking trail for my mid year trip ended up being closed for longer than was planned I needed to pivot and find a new adventure. I was looking for a roughly 4-5 day, 100k trip and also one that I could get to without it being a travel nightmare. Rail Trails have always been on my bucket list but after spending a bit of time searching for a replacement trip I came up with the East Gippsland Rail Trail in eastern Victoria to suit my needs.
In this podcast episode, the first of three for this trail, we look at my expectations for this trip and discuss logistical issues prior to starting. Episode 221 will then bring you interviews from the trail and finally episode 222 with provide a final wrap up to see how my pre trip expectations and the actually reality of this trip matched up. www.australianhiker.com.au
Australian Hiker can also be found on our various social media platforms