Newbie prep for overland track

[Gangry]

Hi guys.
My wife and I are new to walking with packs.
We are doing the OT in December and would like to do a few two day (camp out overnight) walks.
Perhaps ~10km-15km each day.
This will help us get our track and pack fitness up for the OT.
We are located in Gawler so close for weekend walks would be best.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[tasadam]

G'day, welcome to the forum.
Where is Gawler? Oops, maps answered it for me, near Elizabeth in South Australia... No idea what you have over there, but a quick look at the map shows the Para Wirra recreational park, the Warren Conservation park, and the Mount Crawford forest reserve are all sort of close. Is there a management body (such as Parks & Wildlife Service) over there that might have info on these areas?

[tasadam]

For a longer drive, they look like some pretty big reserves over near the border...

[walkinTas]

My advice would be to pick yourself a gentle, flattish walk for your first outing. Some where with a two to three hour walk in. This will give you a good feel for your fitness with a pack on your back. You'll also get a good feel for how comfortable you pack is and how well pack it is. Stopping the night will give you some idea of how adequate you gear is and how good your provisioning is. Make adjustments based on what you discover. Do a couple of these short, easier walks if you feel you need to. Get the load right first - harness adjustments, packing, weight.

If all goes well, your second (or third) walk should be a bit longer and include a few steeper uphill sections. At least 20-25km return. You'll then have and idea of fitness and your ability to carry the gear you plan to take on the OT.

[Gangry]

Thanks Tasadam, will look further into it. Was already aware of those conservation prk, SA is a bit anal about camping in parks etc, but I guess we could do a few day walks with our packs. I have done a few two day walks, but my wife is a complete newbie.
The other reason for a two day overnight walk was to get used to the hiking tent and mats, and cooking with the Trangia.

I have done a two day, overnight walk in December about 2006, around cradle ( Dove lake, Little Horn, Artists pool and O/N at Scott Kilvert hut, next day joined the OT and walked north again, down to Lake Wilks and round the western side of Dove Lake). Was amazed (but prepared for) the sleet, howling icy wind and snow in December!

[Gangry]

Thanks WalkinTas. Sounds like a plan. My wife and I are in our mid 40's, both at a pretty good fitness level, but of course 40+ knees etc need some training with a pack! Cheers

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

Hi there!

A few bits of advice:

1. Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty summit and return is a great training walk for the OT. Start off by doing it and trying to get your times down under and hour for the ascent (less than 40 mins for the descent), and then start carrying packs and slowly loading them up. If you can haul a 20kg pack up and down this track, you will have more than the required fitness for the OT.
2. The Chambers Gully track to Mount Lofty summit & return is a good track to really start stretching the legs out. Same vertical climb, but over a longer distance - around 15km return I think, and a good representation of an "average" day on the OT.
3. Once you get your fitness up and can carry packs up Chamber's Gully, overnight trips would be next. Unfortunately, like you said, there aren't very many well known options. A few include the Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park, where you can camp/stay at a ForestrySA hut site and walk out the next day - probably not more than a half hour from Gawler. Same sort of trips can be done around Kuitpo forest, probably a 1.5-2 hour drive for you. Even longer trip would be down to Deep Creek Conservation Park and walk for a day, stay overnight (maybe at Eagle Waterhole) then hike back to the car.

Hope these are a few good options.

[Gangry]

Thanks for the info, we will investigate further.
Cheers,
Andy.

[freemandale]

Even though I am a South Aussie, much of my walking is done in Tassie - I am lucky enough to have family living there and a good reason to visit! I 'did' the OT last October, took the full seven days, with a couple of side trips. My sister and I went, just before season. The first few days were very cold, snowy, icy and wet! The last copuple of days were drier. We carried a tent the whole way but stayed in huts each night.

The hardest days were day one and two! Whichever track you take from Ronny Creek/ Dove Lake, it is UP! With a full pack, depending on weather conditions, this will be your hardest day. The trip up to Cradle Plateau with a full pack is hard.

I trained by walking locally ~10km+ per day, with a full pack- every day! Up hill and down. But I don't think anything comes close to the real thing. The weather conditions cannot be replicated. The gradient 'up' cannot be replicated. Marions Lookout (short but 'sweet', 2hrs?) cannot be replicated in SA. I have heard of others training for the OT, hiking up Mount Lofty. Perhaps that's the way!

I have walked up to Marions Lookout many times = sometimes challenging, always satisfying, always 'up'.

Up the steps at Alligator Gorge, with a full pack, 15kg+, would probably come close.

A couple of years ago my sister and I walked around Cradle via Scott Kilvert Hut - also good training!

However you train, it will be all worth while. The OT, even though it is now very busy, is an experience! A once in a life time 'must do'. Even though I have spent more time walking more isolated tracks, there is a degree of satisfaction having 'done' the OT. Your first day will be the hardest. You will love it!

Enjoy the experience; you will meet some great, interesting people. As you are only in your 40's it should be a breeze!

Hint - Don't carry more than you have to - if you think "Oh! I'll take that - it doesn't weigh much", you can probably do without it!
Work out your food. Cut down on packaging. Rubbish weighs a lot on the way home - so I heard!

Fit in spare socks (one pair!). You will have wet feet. Take ear plugs! There will be a snorer in the hut! You will not die from wet feet! Wet feet will cease to matter after day 1 1/2. Save one pair of spare,dry socks to wear at night. Wet in the morning, dry at night. Lack of sleep due to snorer will become debilitating after just one night!! Avoid all of us over mid 40's.

Enjoy! Both of you!
Enjoy your walk!

[walk2wineries]

Well, you are actually fairly close to bits of the Heysen trail which goes through the Barossa Valley. CHeckout their guidebook to arrange walks where you can camp.

While I agree that Deep Creek is lovely, you must cross Adelaide to get to any of those places and you may be better off heading North. Just because you wish to practice carrying your packs doesn't mean that a training walk need be uncomfortable; you could walk along the Reisling Trail with your packs and camp in a caravan park with flushing loos and showers. Crystal Brook is only 2 hours north from Gawler so you could hike in from either direction along the Heysen, again staying at a caravan park. Marginally further North, Mt Remarkable National park has good bush camping on the A1 side, (Mambray Creek) with a number of walks, or you could start from Melrose, staying at pub or caravan pk the night before if you wished.

Someone suggested to me today I should try Friends of the Heysen trail for weekend walks; said that their weekends (designed for end-to-enders doing it 2 days a fortnight) aren't limited to end-to-enders.

Enjoy

[walk2wineries]

PS yes I've done the OT but the easy way with Cradle Huts. Mount Remarkable is reasonable training - but you know, a lot of the Flinders walks aren't that far from main roads so its not unreasonable to get there Friday night & have the weekend. Really close to Adelaide you might consider the 3- day Yurebilla and that has LOTS of ups and downs; could always carry a pack but stay at a BnB... or contact me & we'll do a car shuttle.

[wildlight]

Howdy Gangry

Let me begin by saying I've done the OT about 12 or more times, even in winter. Almost all side trips at some stage, too. Every time I go to start the walk at Cradle, I wonder why I do it- and 10 minutes into it, I don't want it to ever end.

Am familiar with Waterfall Gully to Mt lofty summit in SA, and fully endorse South_Aussie_Hiker on this one being great for your training. I might add- that you'd want to get out on really bad weather days which will still be mild compared to Tassie!

Expect to get wet... and then some! Huts can be like a backpackers hostel on steroids, sights, sounds and smells all amplified- a very social experience.

For me- it's too social, I have always been a bit of a loner, or small groups individual.

Gangry, one very under-discussed point re the OT is this:

There is an almost obsessive "march out" by every hutter, every morning, to make the next hut "asap". It's enough to drive you mad- or should i say, it "can be". There are some sensational "not-with-everybody" camp areas, generally 30 mins apart, all on water. There are also alternate camping areas 10 or so minutes before and after most huts, which provide a teenager-free and animal-free zone. These provide superb camping. When the noise and foraging animals drive you made, there are much smarter alternatives. The animals are only crazy in the vicinity of the huts- 10 minutes on, and they're no problem.

Take spare camera batteries and memory. Don't miss the waterfalls on the Mersey River- no matter what the weather. In sunny conditions, best light for them is early early morning. If you score a couple of clear days for: (1) a trip up Ossa (water and bush camping on summit plateau) then go for it. And (2) -go up the Acropolis from Pine Valley if you can.

If time and budget permit, put you and Mrs into one of the double storey self contained cottage thingies at Lake St Clair on exit, at least for ONE night. There is excellent mobile coverage, and awesome food from the restaurant. The Derwent bridge hotel nearby caters for walkers too.

The boat trip gives you an easy bail out for the day- and if you miss the boat, they will for the cost of 6 tickets, run a special service " to order ". (2009 info).

If you are with telstra blue tick, you'll get service almost every day at high points, and if you tilt your head the right way, you'll pick up signal at Narcissus hut too.

It's a beautiful, feature filled walk, the first is the worse (hill), and every day brings wonder. Take some time and look around, try to bag over a mountain or two.

I use a cabbie to get me to and from my walks in tassie- the same bloke for 15 years. He costs about the equivalent of 2 coach fares, he looks after my luggage for me, brings it to my exit point, and I can call him for early/late transfers, he is available on a moments' notice for me. This has the advantage of me not being forced into a night in a motel on arrival in Tassie (missing coach)- and also enables a degree of cruisiness with time, stops and en route adventures. PM me for his number if interested. He is one in a million.

There is an incredible wealth of knowledge on this forum, and I have tried to look at some aspects which are not quite mainstream to help you with your OT trip.

Ask- or PM, happy to help.

Cheers

SafeSteps

WildLight

[Tortoise]

Great to hear that you and your wife are taking on new adventures like this!

As you've done some 2 day walks already, you probably know this, but i thought i'd mention it just in case. Packing your backpacks well can make all the difference in the world to energy, enjoyment etc. ie well balanced on both sides, not having heavy things like water bottles in a 'front' pocket if it pulls you back at all, not having heavy stuff right at the bottom or top of your pack. I've taken dozens of 'newbies' - some who didn't want help initially. Some of them struggled to the point of being ready to pull the plug, until we stopped and helped them repack. No problems after that.

While the first day of the Overland Track is definitely a Climb, I actually found Day 3 harder the first time I did it, because of the longer distance, the first time carrying a big pack. The hill up from Frog Flats to Pelion – a doddle in other circumstances – was much more of a challenge at the end of that day. Someone may be able give you some details of what i’m told is an excellent campsite at a much better distance between Waterfall Valley and Pelion than Windermere is.

I agree with Wildlight re the ‘obsessive march out’ phenomenon. While it’s good to make sure you’ve got plenty of time to get to the next campsite or hut, there seems to almost be a competition - how early can you arrive? I expect for some, it’s to get the ‘best’ spots in the hut/on the platforms. The walks i enjoyed the most included hours of exploring /photographing lovely places along the way, having cuppas when we felt like it, making the most of where we were.

Enjoy!

[wildlight]

The walks i enjoyed the most included hours of exploring /photographing lovely places along the way, having cuppas when we felt like it, making the most of where we were.

Go Tortoise!

What a cracker of an observation, it really says it all! Especially the last 7 words. With your consent, I will recite them to Mrs next time she complains...

SafeSteps

Wildlight

[Tortoise]

The walks i enjoyed the most included hours of exploring /photographing lovely places along the way, having cuppas when we felt like it, making the most of where we were.

What a cracker of an observation, it really says it all! Especially the last 7 words. With your consent, I will recite them to Mrs next time she complains...

I do recognise horses for courses, though.

I've realised that if i'm walking with people who aren't into photography, we need to come to a compromise - and there are lots of places i want to go back to with people who are, or who are very happy just 'being' there. For some, I guess the challenge (eg for a PB time or to beat someone else) is part of their enjoyment - but not everyone has to be drawn into that.

[freemandale]

If you can get to Mambray Creek and/ or Mt Remarkable/Alligator Gorge for a few days and 'do' an overnighter or two, that would be good training for the OT. There are some very steep up and down tracks; Pine track ( part of the Heysen) Woods Hill track, that are very challenging and require similar effort as the OT.

The OT requires stamina per day - might only be 8 km or might be 15 on an easy day. Each will take the same time. Underfoot is tricky. I have yet to find anything similar in SA in intensity. But I have enjoyed looking,