Tim chats with Explorer Elisha Donkin about her experience hiking the 1,200km Heysen Trail in South Australia. 

 

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There’s a thru-hiking buzz in the air and we’re hungry for more! We want to know what it’s like to live on the trail for days, weeks, sometimes months on end.

Elisha Donkin has been on the road living the van life, travelling the world and freelance writing (aka living the dream) for years. But before completing the Heysen Trail Elisha’s longest hike had been the 230km Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory, so she knew she was in for an experience like no other. 

Read more: Heysen Trail: What It’s Like Thru-Hiking Australia’s Longest Walking Trail

‘I spent a lot of time in the Flinders Ranges, and that’s probably when I first heard of the Heysen. I did a lot of day hikes, which kind of crossed over the main trail, and so I kept seeing the arrows and information on it.’

‘And then as I travelled around South Australia and got down to the coast I kept seeing the arrows and I thought, like I really need to come back and just do the whole thing. I think I just fell in love with the landscapes in South Australia and I thought doing the Heysen would just be the best way to see all of it.

So I made plans to go back the next year and that’s what I did. I went back last year to do it.’

 

 

Photo thanks to @elishadonkin