Real Trail Talk

We are joined by WA local Tilly Johnson (aka @tillyhikes) to talk about her 3000-kilometre hike across France on the Hexatrek. Chatting about everything from logistics, to food, to the people, it was great to sit down and hear all about Tilly's adventures.

Donovan and Mark discuss their 2025 adventures, highlights, lowlights, answer your questions, and run through the yearly topics.

We are joined by Expedition Leader, Ecologist, Hiker, and Mum, Dr Kate Grarock to discuss everything to do with hiking with kids. With Donovan and Kate both becoming parents in the last few years, we talk about the joys, challenges, funny moments, and all the considerations that go into hiking with small children.

Joining us in the studio to discuss all things native gardens are big time gardening enthusiasts, Angela from Studio Nikulinsky, and Christine from the ABC. In this episode we nerd out on what we enjoy about our own native gardens, what got us into native gardening, our favourite plants, challenges, heartbreak, and everything in-between.

We hope you enjoy this tangential discussion, and get inspired to plant your own native garden.

We made it to 100 episodes, and to celebrate we take a look back at the past eight years of the podcast, talk about the journey, our favourite moments, and then answer your questions.

Thank you to everyone that has listened to us ramble on about trails and hiking over the years, it really is appreciated when you reach out with questions, feedback or general comments.

It's that time again, where Donovan and Mark sit down and discuss their 2024 adventures, where they visited, what they did, and how they felt about the year. 

Visit The Long Ways Better here

Visit The Life of Py here

Donovan hiked a six day stretch of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) in 2024 between Kiandra and Kosciuszko, and we sit down to have a chat about the experience. 

From historic huts to stunning alpine terrain, there is plenty to enjoy along this hike, although Donovan did encounter some challenges that we discuss during the episode.

Donovan chats to Kevin Moss aka Goin Feral about the Australian Triple Crown, the Australian Alps Walking Trail (AAWT), Heysen Trail and Bibbulmun Track. Kevin completed all three trails in 2024, and discusses what makes them different, his experiences on all three, and how they compare.

After releasing his first book in 2023, Best Walks of South West WA, Mark has a follow-up book titled Best Walks of South Coast WA.

Covering the stunning walks between Walpole and Cape Arid, and everything in-between, there are 42 trails ranging from coastal hikes to mountain climbs.

Get your copy today by visiting Mark's Online Store, using the code RTT10 to get a further 10% off the new book. 

With a plethora of national parks and stunning scenery in the Northern Territory, we sit down and discuss the hiking options going from the north to the south.