We Are Explorers Podcast

In this week’s episode, hosts Tim & Amy answer all your ExplorerFest questions, go through their ins & outs for 2025, and discuss their upcoming adventures.

ExplorerFest is our first time venturing into the festival space, and in this episode, we unpack what makes ExplorerFest unique, and what kind of activities, workshops, and entertainment you can expect on the long weekend.

In the lead-up to the new year, the We Are Explorers team has been chatting ins & outs for 2025, as well as their next 12 months of adventure plans, and this episode includes a sneak peek of both.

Tune in for the last time in 2024 and we’ll chat in the new year!


In This Episode We Cover

• ExplorerFest – Everything you need to know
• Ins & Outs 2025
• Tim’s recent MTB crash
• 2025 adventure plans

 
Show notes

• Get Your ExplorerFest Tickets!
• 4 Insights From My First Climbing Project
  
  
  

Follow Along for More!
Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us continue to bring you the goods and uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes every second hump day.

Or check out the We Are Explorers Podcast page.

We Are Explorers Podcast host, Amy Fairall, chats with Jayden O’Neill (in person!), whose laundry list of titles includes We Are Explorers contributor, MOMENTS film category winner, and National Geographic Photo Instructor and Naturalist. By combining his knowledge from his bachelor’s degree in marine biology with the hard skills he’s learnt as a photographer and videographer, Jayden’s worked all over the world, from Antarctica to the Top End.

In this chat, we hear about Jayden’s career path so far, as well as stories from his adventures, one of which helped him take out the top film prize in our inaugural photo, video, and writing competition, MOMENTS. Jayden’s journey may not be a blueprint everyone can follow, but it’ll definitely inspire you to make decisions based on your passions.

In This Episode We Cover

• Working as a Marine Biologist in Antarctica
• Jayden’s passion for nature
• The importance of science communication
• Photography
• Storytelling
• Working with crocodiles
• Living in the Northern Territory
• The story of The Bleeding Assholes film
• Upcoming adventures

Check out Jayden’s winning adventure film, The Bleeding Assholes, from our inaugural photo, video, and writing comp, MOMENTS


Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us to continue bringing you the goods and to uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes every second hump day.

Or check out the We Are Explorers Podcast page.

Hosts Tim and Amy have been chatting all things spooky in the outdoors, with inspo and tales from our readers.

What’s the spookiest thing that’s happened to you on the trail? Maybe you’ve walked through spiderwebs before sunrise or dropped something valuable down a drop dunny. Hosts Tim and Amy deep dive their biggest outdoor nightmares come to life as well as some of our readers.

Listen on, if you dare…

In This Episode  We Cover:

• Household critters
• Dehydrating food
• Washing & Repairing expensive outdoor gear
• Outdoor horror stories

Show Notes: 

• Hiker Rescued After Hanging by Her Bare Feet For 7 Hours

Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us to continue bringing you the goods and to uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes every second hump day.

Dr Sheddy's story is one many people can relate to – finding out your career isn't exactly what you thought it'd be and trying to make sense of it all. But the way Sheddy found balance is pretty unique.

Leaving a veterinary clinic in Australia, she moved to China to save bears before buying a sailing boat in Panama. She now sails around Central America treating animals that'd never otherwise have access to care, and she does it all thanks to the support she gets online.

Listen to the episode to hear how she learnt to sail on her own boat, some of her wildest animal rescues, and what her future sailing vet adventures hold.

If you'd like to support Vet Tails, you can pledge a monthly donation to help Dr Sheddy keep up her work and follow along the sailing vet journey.

In This Episode We Cover

• Dr Sheddy's early career
• Learning to sail and upkeep a boat
• Living through Covid on the boat
• Access to resources
• How Dr Sheddy gets funding
• Work-life balance
• The online sailing community
• Interesting animal treatments
• How to support Vet Tails

Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us to continue bringing you the goods and to uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes every second hump day.

Or check out the We Are Explorers Podcast page.

After a huge call from our Assistant Editor that Jatz Tim Tams are better than the originals, we got to thinking – what weird and wonderful snacks do our audience take hiking? We threw the question out to you on Instagram and people came back with some pretty quirky answers.

Have a listen!

In This Episode The Hot Takes We Cover Are:

• Hiking snacks
• Overland Track
• Hiking nutrition
• Dehydrating meals
• Ready made meals – shout out to On Track Meals
• Trail Drinks

Show Notes: 

• Dehydrated Tex Mex rice
• On Track Meals review
• Radix Nutrition review
• Dehydrated and freeze dried hiking meals review

 
Aidan’s Skippy Jerky ‘Recipe’
We always winged it and it never failed:

• Cut your kangaroo fillets into thin strips.
• In a bowl, combine soy sauce and honey, or use teriyaki sauce (any marinate you like works really).
• Add in finely grated garlic and ginger. If you want, dry rubs of spices also work.
• Allow to marinate in a covered bowl for at least a few hours.
• Remove strips and let them drip, then add to the dehydrator and run for 24 hours.
• Keep checking for optimal firmness. This will depend on your dehydrator but you don’t want to completely dry out the jerky, it should be just a little soft.
• Try not to eat it all in the car on the way to the trailhead.

Enjoy this episode? Listen to the next Tim & Amy episode, it’s full of outdoor hot takes.
Or if you’re after something different, learn How Nature Saved Kane Ford’s Life.

Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us to continue bringing you the goods and to uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes every second hump day.

Please note! This article and podcast contain references to mental health and suicide.

This week Tim is joined by Kane Ford, a Movember ambassador, and founder and guide for Get Outside Australia. Kane opens up about the series of events that led to him quitting his corporate job, reconnecting with nature, and confronting his anxiety.

From growing up as a gay kid in a country town, to working a high-pressure corporate job, anxiety has been a constant throughout Kane’s life – but it wasn’t something he ever talked about. It took a series of panic attacks to force him to confront it and make a decision about his future.

While this episode won’t give you all the answers on how to find balance or deal with anxiety, it’ll explain how Kane is constantly working to find his own balance.

Kane’s also raising money as a Movember Ambassador! Check out his Mo Space to donate and follow @getoutside.australia to stay up to date with the epic hiking challenge he’s tackling this year as part of the fundraising!

In This Episode We Cover:

• • Kane’s early life
  • Feeling isolated in high school as a gay kid in a country town
  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • The importance of destigmatising conversations about mental health
  • Beginning Get Outside to share the power of the outdoors
  • Working with Movember
  • Checking in with others and yourself
  • How to improve the experience of the LGBTQIA+ in the outdoor community
  • The goal of Get Outside Australia

If you or anyone you know needs support, please reach out to:

• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us to continue bringing you the goods and to uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts with new episodes every second hump day.

We recently asked about your hot takes and controversial opinions on the outdoors. Tune in to find out which takes they agree with and which they think are just plain wrong. If you have an outdoor hot take you’ve been keeping from the world, now’s the time to let it out! Check out the original Instagram post and share your thoughts.


In This Episode The Hot Takes We Cover Are

• Jess Nehme thinks waterfalls are underwhelming
• Hiking Bec thinks 4WD shouldn’t be allowed to drive on beaches
• Kate Donald hates the beach
• Josh Fletcher thinks taking chairs on hikes is pointless – just sit on the ground
• Sarah Larcombe wants more walks to be wheelchair accessible
• Tim Ashelford thinks campfires in summer are unnecessary – unless you’re cooking on it
• Brooke Nolan and Elissa Ward think ultralight hiking is overrated
• @danielclarkephoto thinks ultralight hiking is worth it – trip dependent
• Mogely Tessa thinks camping is more effort than it’s worth
• Ben Dawson thinks bluebottles are absolutely absurd creatures and there’s no need for them
• Rhys John thinks the odd person taking a stone isn’t that bad
• Paul Fencaros wants to remove handrails and safety bars – people should be responsible for their own safety
• Caitlin Skye hates walking uphill – give her downhill any day
• Crisps on Tour/Anika Ebner asks how come everyone has forgotten to swim, filling all of the swimming holes in the Northern Territory with inflatables and pool noodles
• The Eastern Thredbo Village thinks cold water plunges are too cold
• @inthewildernessoz doesn’t want to hear how many steps you did, tell her about the adventure you did instead
• @littlechirpybird asks why people need music, podcasts or talking just for the sake of talking. When did people lose interest in the sounds of nature?

Follow Along for More!

Show us some love and subscribe wherever you get your audio fix. It helps us continue to bring you the goods and uncover the weird and wonderful adventure folk (that’s you!) who are doing inspiring things.

Find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes every second hump day.

Or check out the We Are Explorers Podcast page.

From studying spatial science at uni to being diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition that changed how he lives, Matt’s story is a tale of dealing with challenges as they come and turning passion and community into a career. Join We Are Explorers Podcast host, Tim Ashelford, as he chats with Matt about his personal journey and how it led him to founding Fractel.

They chat about the importance of community in building a brand, the challenges of creating sustainable products, and the difference between being tokenistic verses actually holding yourself accountable.

In This Episode We Cover

• Importance of sport in Matt’s life
• Matt’s early career
• Degenerative eye condition diagnoses
• Dealing with changes/challenges in life
• Getting back into running
• Starting Fractel
• Community and sustainability
• Working with and showcasing First Nations artists
• Upcoming work from Fractel

In this week’s episode, our hosts unpack how MOMENTS entries are going and the harmony between creativity and the outdoors. They yarn about outdoor sports in the Olympics, and how different this version of each sport is to the activities most of us know and love.

Finally, with a variety of articles catching the interest of our audience recently, they go deep into the stories that caused a stir!

In This Episode We Cover

• MOMENTS – photo, video, and writing competition
• Olympics – sport in a controlled environment
• Arc’teryx’s new ‘MO/GO’ pants
• Pros & cons of Tassie’s controversial ‘Next Iconic Walk’
• Fires in the bush – K’gari bushfire investigation
• PFCs in rain jackets – Your rain jacket is probably harming the planet
• 9 best 4WD tracks in Australia
• Junk sailing from Hobart to Sydney

Join We Are Explorers Podcast host, Tim Ashelford, as he learns how Cezary & Leo dreamt up this unique gap year, and what's gone down in the first six months. Joining the podcast from the Western Treatment Plant (yep, a sewage treatment farm that apparently has great spot bird watching), the pair are over 10,000km and 590 birds into their year-long adventure.

They've both deferred uni in favour of a wild adventure, combining their passion for birds, their bikes as a means of affordable transport, and a fundraising effort to build a school in East Timor.

In This Episode We Cover

• The 700+ bird species in Aus
• Getting into birding
• Why the pair chose to travel by bike
• Trip budget
• Bikepacking experience
• Fundraising for a school in East Timor
• Bird highlights
• Chasing the common redshank
• Characters on the road
• Bike setups
• Safety on the road
• What's next
• Spend it well – school in East Timor

Show Notes
Cezary and Leo are raising money for Spend It Well, a charity that builds schools in East Timor. You can follow along their journey via their joint Instagram @twobirderstwobikes.

Ready for an adventure of your own?
Follow We Are Explorers:
Website: https://weareexplorers.co/
Instagram: @we_are_explorers
Events Calendar: https://weareexplorers.co/events/list/

Enjoying the podcast? Why not subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss an ep. It helps us to continue bringing you epic adventure content!

Host: Tim Ashelford