Guest post by Luke Mills

History of pilgrimage

Luke Mills on the Aussie Camino

There are many different reasons why people travel – health; to broaden the mind by seeing other places and other cultures; for holidays; while working for multi- national companies; and for sport. People today, both young and old, are travellers. It is only within the last fifty or so years that the terms globe-trotters, and jet-setters have been coined. A pilgrimage has a different objective. It is a journey with a religious purpose, to visit holy or sacred places called shrines associated with a saint where people can feel near to the saint either through relics or miraculous stories.

It is as well to remember that Australia has no history of pilgrimage. Australia is not a country that people associate with pilgrimage, For pilgrimage to become part of the Church’s witness in a particular country one needs saints and a kindling of the desire to visit places associated with their lives. Although there are many Aboriginal sacred sites and Aborigines go “walkabout” to reach them that is not pilgrimage in the Christian sense when pilgrims are intent on honouring those who lived and died for the faith. There is no tradition of Christian pilgrimage in Australia as there is in countries such as Spain, France, ltaly and the Holy Land. With the canonisation of Mary MacKillop in 2008, the tradition of pilgrimage has begun to take root in Christian consciousness.

In April 2013 Luke Mills, Steven Murphy, Anthony Mills and Michael Dillon from St Francis Xavier College set out for the journey to where it all began. This was a first ever – there is no record that any other pilgrimage has ever been undertaken before from Portland, Victoria to Penola, South Australia.

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South Australia’s national parks feature a diverse range of trails allowing park visitors to immerse themselves in nature and explore the different landscapes across our state. Trails varying in length, surface, gradient and remoteness so it’s important that park visitors can choose a walk that best suits their level of fitness and walking experience.

Previously, trails in national parks have been classified under subjective descriptors such as Easy Walk, Moderate Hike, Hard Hike and Trek. The National Parks and Wildlife Service now adopt the Australian Walking Track Grading System which is based on the technical specifications of the Australian Standard Walking Tracks – Classification and Signage (AS2156.1-2001).

Under the system, walking trails are graded on a difficulty scale from grades one to five. You may have noticed these grades appearing on our trailhead signs and parks webpages.

A trail is graded according to its most difficult components the classification criteria. You may find that a trail will often have components which are easier than the trail’s final classification.

I hope this inspires you to go out and explore a new trail in our wonderful parks.

Australian walking track grading system
	Grade 1 No bushwalking experience required. Flat even surface with no steps or steep sections. Suitable for wheelchair users who have someone to assist them. Walks no greater than 5 km.
	Grade 2 No bushwalking experience required. The track is a hardened or compacted surface and may have a gentle hill section or sections and occasional steps. Walks no greater than 10 km.
	Grade 3 Suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Tracks may have short steep hill sections, a rough surface and many steps. Walks up to 20 km.
	Grade 4 Bushwalking experience reccommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. Directional signage may be limited.
	Grade 5 Recommended for very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills, including navigation and emergency first aid. Tracks are likely to be very rough, very steep and unmarked. Walks may be more than 20 km.

~ Matt Lang, Statewide Trails Officer, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia

Guest post by Chris Davies, Chair, Willunga Basin Trail Inc.

One of the Climbing Stiles being erected on the Willunga Basin Trail

My partner Zara and I have walked many miles in several countries and seen some wonderful sights. I have always been intrigued by the many and different approaches that have been taken to allow walkers access to or from the next paddock or enclosure, yet barred stock and other animals. Instantly recognizable in the landscape when seeking a way are the huge wooden A-frame ladders over high-wired deer fences in Scotland. Not always as discernable are the horizontal slabs jutting as steps from drystone dykes. In North Yorkshire, slender slots to squeeze through stone walls. And clever off-centre hinges that cause small heavy wooden gates to re-latch with a “clunk “behind you. The ubiquitous pole on the fence line, with two or three boards set through the fence as steps, is perhaps the simplest, cheapest, and most easy to use of all stiles, yet due to construction methods I have seen many in disrepair.

In South Australia, when crossing a typical wire fence at the beginning of the Little Kaiserstuhl walk near Tanunda, I was struck by how easy this stile was to climb, where one may use two hands for added safety and the simplicity of its design.

When we were deciding on a style of stile for the Willunga Basin Trail, I found that this Flinders Ranges Bush Walks Stile is approved by the South Australian Insurance Corporation. It was designed by Rob Marshall of the Walking Trails Support Group.

A phone call to Rob and we were on the way to a decision.

We had estimated that we would need at least 29 stiles, that they would need to be rugged due to the varied conditions and terrain in which they would be placed, and above all, safe to use. Ease of construction on site was also a factor. The fewer parts, the easier to assemble was the thought. Chats with an engineer in McLaren Vale eventually saw the production of 38 stiles, each having a single heavy duty pipe frame with 4mm thick walls, rounded step-ends for extra safety should a climber slip, and double galvanising for durability.

We have now placed 35 stiles on the trail.

If you asked our volunteers about how easy these climbing frames have been to erect, you may hear a few mumbles. Dedicated, happy and very loyal though they are, a trench big enough to take up to 380 kilograms of ready-mix concrete had to be dug for each of the 35. This was often into hard rocky clay that came out of the ground looking like dry wood chips, enough to test the patience and strength of even our stalwart volunteers. Throw in 33 degree heat or wind driven rain and you may start to wonder about “ease of construction”.

But the sight of a beautifully choreographed 4 person team, each member holding a corner of a two metre square tarpaulin, moving to the callers instructions, mixing up to seventeen  20 kilogram bags  of ready-mix concrete and then pouring it directly into that hard won trench, eases the aching bodies and doubtful minds. Another stile stands ready in place. They are simple, they are strong. They make climbing wire fences easy and are easily recognizable in the landscape.

Merv Jones talking about this family’s long association with the forestry department, with over four generations of service predominately in Second Valley Forest. Pictured with Simon Rothwell, Mayor Yankalilla District Council, just before officially opening the Jones Journey trail.

This morning we attended the official opening of two new trails in Second Valley Forest Reserve.

🥾 7km each
⏰ 2 hours each, circuit
🐕 multi-use, kids, dogs, bikes, hikers, trail runners and walkers welcome!
📍 Second Valley Forest

Wilampa Trail
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Jones Journey
Opened by and named after the Jones Family, who have had a long association with the forestry department, with over four generations of service predominately in Second Valley Forest.
go-walk.today/734

The official opening of the Jones Journey trail in Second Valley Forest Reserve on 9 December 2021. From left to right:
– Simon Rothwell, Mayor Yankalilla District Council.
– Merv and Janet Jones (and daughter Rachel far right). The trail is named after the Jones family who have a long and illustrious association with the forestry department, with over four generations of service predominately in Second Valley Forest.
– Jeremy Carter, Walking SA.
– Julian Speed, ForestrySA Chief Executive.

The two new trails are just north of Deep Creek National Park, and 20mins drive from Second Valley and Rapid Bay. Both trails start from a trailhead on Bedlam Flat Road, off Range Road.

Nice work Foresty SA and the District Council of Yankalilla! The trails are part of the council’s Tracks and Trails Strategic Plan.

On 28 October, we hosted a panel discussion on trails – trail building, trail maintenance, current and emerging trail projects, and how the walking community can help.

Our panel, hosted by Board member Ben Trewren, included Matt Lang from National Parks and Wildlife Service SA, Rachel Godoy from Forestry SA, Chris Bushel from South Australian Recreation Trails Inc (SARTI), and Chris Davies from the Willunga Basin Trail.

The panel discussion included projects underway or being planned, which we’ve outlined below.

Recent and Current Projects by National Parks and Wildlife Service SA

National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia is building new experiences, improvements and facilities across the state including world-class fossil and mountain-biking experiences, new multi-day walks, trails, roads, campgrounds, kayak launches and car parks.

Approximately $130m is being invested across the state as part of the Parks 2025 initiative, a strategy that aims to conserve our natural landscapes and wildlife, activate nature-based tourism, boost the state economy and strengthen local communities.

Belair National Park

An upgrade to the Playford Lake – Wood Duck Walk trail. The project will upgrade the trail to meet class 1 accessibility standards.

Kangaroo Island – Cape Willoughby upgrade and funding for multi-day trail

An upgrade of the Cape Willoughby visitor precinct will help to transform the tourism experience at the eastern end of Kangaroo Island.

The state’s oldest lighthouse is set to host the island’s newest tourism destination following the announcement of a $5 million project aimed at supporting and rejuvenating the visitor economy.

Jointly funded by the federal and state governments, the redesign and rollout of the Cape Willoughby visitor precinct has been made possible thanks to the purchase of an additional eight hectares of former private land.

The federal government will be providing $4m and the state government $1m towards the project.

Located in Cape Willoughby Conservation Park, the redesign will include upgrades to heritage accommodation and visitor facilities, a cafe and visitor centre, new walking trails and a spectacular cantilever viewing platform overlooking ‘Devil’s Kitchen’.

The new viewing platform will be set above a 10-metre chasm in the cliffs where waves break over the rocks below and provide visitors with stunning coastal views.

Part of the funding would be also be used to kick start a process to deliver a multi-day trail from Penneshaw to Cape Willoughby, which would be done in partnership with the Tourism Industry Council.

Wild South Coast Way on the Heysen Trail

The Wild South Coast Way is a project to upgrade 80km of the iconic Heysen Trail and connect the parks that run along the breathtaking southern coastline of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

• $6 million investment to create a new multi-day walking experience on the Fleurieu Peninsula, which will provide an economic boost to the region and better connect the parks along the state’s southern coastline.
• New walk-in campsites are currently being developed
• A new Goondooloo Ridge Trail and day visitor facility has recently been opened in Deep Creek National Park.

New National Park in Hindmarsh Valley

• The project will see $3 million invested to increase recreational experiences within a newly proclaimed national park on the Fleurieu Peninsula
• As part of this project there will be approximately 7km of existing tracks opened up for walking access, a new class 1 shared use trail built to a lookout over the valley and a new walking only trail will be constructed.

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

Upgrades to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden will include resurfacing of key trail and the establishment of a new wayfinding strategy to develop a series of promoted walking loops throughout the garden.

Southern Flinders – Gorges Walk

• The Gorges Walk trail network will create a new, iconic, multi-day hiking experience in the Southern Flinders Ranges, taking hikers through rugged gorges and up on to vantage points with spectacular views across the Spencer Gulf.
• A consultant has been engaged to develop the plan for the new walk.

Glenthorne National Park

Construction on the trail network within Glenthorne National Park is now commencing.

This will expand the current single 4.4km loop trail.

Opening of Reservoirs

• Continuing to work with SA Water to open reservoirs for public access and recreational use.
• Construction of Happy Valley Reservoir’s 20-kilometre trail network, car parks and a range of visitor facilities is now underway, ahead of the site’s planned opening in December this year.

Nilpena Ediacara National Park

• Scheduled to open in 2022, Nilpena Ediacara National Park is home to the world’s best example of Ediacaran fossils
• A new fossil experience will be opened to the public next year and we’ve recently completed a new trail which will allow visitors to walk out to the fossil beds

Kangaroo Island Bushfire Recovery

In additional to the Parks 2025 investment, National Parks and Wildlife Service have been progressing rebuilding of park facilities on Kangaroo Islands.

• We’re currently tendering for the rebuilding of campsites which will enable multi-day hikes on the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail to recommence
• The Remarkable Rocks boardwalk is nearing completion
• Rebuilding of the Platypus Walk in Flinders Chase will be starting next month
• Other fire affected trails across the island are currently being assessed for reopening

Recent and Current Projects by Forestry SA

Forestry SA will soon be opening two new 7km multi-use trail loops in Second Valley Forest. This is exciting because Second Valley Forest has never been opened for general public access before. The District Council of Yankalilla are installing a new carpark on the corner of Range Road and Bedlam Flat Road near new step-overs into the forest to access the trails. The trails follow fire breaks and tracks and meander between pine plantations and patches of native vegetation, providing beautiful views across towards Rapid Bay. An announcement will come soon on the official opening.

Forestry SA is currently auditing trails across the Mount Lofty Ranges region, with volunteers and rangers walking trail loops and checking signage and track conditions. The Mount Pleasant multi-use trail and Jenkins Scrub Walking Trail are currently being assessed.

We are working with SA Water and National Parks staff to effectively manage new walking trails which have recently been installed across all three land tenures in the South Para Reservoir area. This includes the Cattleyard Track – Para Wirra Link, Warren Tower Link and East Warren Reservoir Loop.

The multi-use Onkeeta Trail has been officially finished in Kuitpo Forest with trail head map plates installed next to a new step over and revamped carpark. This trail is currently closed due to harvesting operations but will reopen again very soon.

A section of the Willunga Basin Trail has been completed through the Mount Panorama area of Kuitpo Forest.

I’m currently working with the Friends of Heysen Trail to renovate Rossiter’s Hut in the southern Barossa’s Pewsey Vale block (Mount Crawford Forest). We’ll be working closely with volunteers to get in a contractor to complete works on the hut before the 2022 season walking season opens.

Recent and Current Projects by South Australian Recreation Trails Inc (SARTI)

SARTI has completed the 300km Lavender Cycling Trail – a variant of the walker’s Lavender Federation Trail designed for cyclists. A grant request has been submitted to mark trail.

They also undertook the project works to build two trails for the Clare and Gilbert Valley Council. The council has recently packaged six short walks to form the Clare Valley Short Walks, with two new trails marked by SARTI:

• Mintaro to Martindale Hall
• Watervale to Mount Horrocks Lookout

They were also involved in the Clare Valley Wine & Wilderness Trail. The trail showcases Clare Valley’s natural beauty & premium food and wine products. It will be a 100km loop of hiking and cycling trails. The trail will travel on a network of backroads, road reserves & private property. Sections 1 was opened in April 2021, and section 2 on 3 October. The last four sections will be completed by April 2022.

They have been helping a fledgling concept project to develop a trail around Kangaroo Island.

A short loop trail off the Lavender Federation Trail at Eden Valley has been developed.

They’ve been involved in interest in developing the Eudunda to Morgan disused rail corridor as a trail to link the Lavender Federation Trail and Lavender Cycling Trail at Eudunda to the Murray-Coorong Trail at Morgan.

The discussion included issues with developing trails:

• Lack of tradition of trails in Australia – unlike Europe. We seem to have obliterated any knowledge of indigenous trading routes.
• Issues of gaining insurance for trails not developed or adopted by the State Government.
• Nervousness and mind changing on behalf of landowners in granting access for trails.

With just 16km of trail yet to be signed, the 129km Willunga Basin Trail is on track foo completion by November.

Volunteers are continuing to work on trail establishment, recently completing the Kangarilla area (Sections 7 and 8).

We have brought the trail along Brooks Rd, and made a roadside path along part of Jackson Rd. Council contractors are to clear woody weeds on the edge of Bakers Gully Rd at the end of September and we will then make a safe path for walkers. Federal government funding has been achieved for a fence to separate walkers and cattle including bulls, between Kangarilla and Bone Gully Forest near Mt Panorama; this connection has long been sought by walking groups as well as the Willunga Basin Trail, for whom it is a vital link. We hope that it will be achieved by October.

Volunteers have been doing plantings and weed removal on many parts of the trail and will soon start a spring maintenance program to clear the established parts.

Much of the trail is being walked, including by groups. Friends of the Heysen Trail walked most of it earlier this year.

Visit www.wbt.org.au for more information including maps and descriptions of the sections which have been completed.

Murray River National Park is the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA Park of the Month for September 2019.

We’ve outlined the three walking trails in the park. Nearby there’s more of the Riverland and Murray River to experience on foot, and we’ve included some of the best ones below.

The Murray River National Park provides great opportunities for a variety of recreational activities such as walking, canoeing, bird watching and bush camping in a near natural environment. The park is divided into three separate areas: Katarapko (Winkie), Lyrup Flats (Lyrup) and Bulyong Island (Renmark). As these areas are separated by towns, visitors will need to ensure they familiarise themselves with maps of the region.

Walking Trails in the Murray River National Park

Other Great Walking Trails in the Riverland

Nearby there’s more of the Riverland and Murray River to experience on foot, and we’ve included some of the best ones below.

View from Patawarta Hill… should be Patawarta Mountain!

This article originally appeared in the Friends of the Heysen Trail Spring 2019 Trailwalker magazine, and is reproduced here with permission.

Jim McLean, in previous issues of Trailwalker ¹, has proposed starting the Heysen Trail from Kangaroo Island. Here he details his trek beyond the northern trailhead of the 1,200km Heysen Trail from Parachilna, walking 18 days to Mount Hopeless, in the northernmost Flinders Ranges.

In May 2012, I gloriously climbed the stile in Parachilna Gorge to complete the 1200kms of the Heysen Trail independently over 22 years. My companions and I looked at each other and said, ‘We shouldn’t stop here. Look what’s over the road!’

In the 1960s, Warren Bonython walked all the way to Mount Hopeless ², the unofficial northern extent of the Flinders Ranges. We should do the same!

Andrew McLean and and Jim McLean enjoying the view from atop Tam O’Shanter Hill

Plenty of groups have done it, we thought, as we eyed the remote and mysterious country beyond. Such expeditions are not for the inexperienced, unskilled or faint-hearted. We did not fit any of these categories, but we were getting on a bit. We were past carrying 20kg packs on our backs. So this story is an attempt at a solution for everyone, including our valued senior citizens.

Spreading the maps over the table revealed a possibility that, unfortunately, did not include the spectacular interior of the Gammon Ranges. We were thinking of bases in the sheep station country between Parachilna, the Gammons and Arkaroola. From there with the aid of 4WDs we could do the route in bits and pieces: day walks and one or two overnighters. We thought Freeling Heights difficult but unavoidable. You wouldn’t want to leave it out anyway.

As luck would have it there was an immediate spark of interest from my brother Andrew – a serious four-wheel driver and not so serious walker – offering transport and support for Robert Koehne, John Fuller and myself.

The base for an initial trip was Blinman Hut, the initiative of Keith and Lisa Slade of Moolooloo Station, built and fitted out for nomads like us. All country in this region is privately leased. Developing respect and good relationships is fairly straightforward but essential. If you wish to deviate from the publicly-accessible roads in the area you need permission from the landholders.

Setting off in June 2018, we quickly discovered driving to Moolooloo, chatting with Keith, and on to Blinman Hut, that it would take us longer than expected for drop-offs and pick-ups. Certainly our plan to get to Arkaroola this time round might have to be modified.

Blinman Hut was the perfect stay. Bore and rain water were on tap, the wood-fired stove warmed us in the evenings, and we had warm showers when we stoked up the elevated boiler outside. Andrew’s 4WD provided refrigerated storage and lighting inside the hut. We also were equipped with spacious tents for sleeping.

The promising but failed Nuccaleena Mine

A few planned warm-up excursions proved to be engaging and sobering. The promising but failed Nuccaleena Mine must have been exciting in its short life span. A lot of investment money was lost when it prematurely ran out of ore.

We searched without success for the Aboriginal rock art on Tam O’Shanter Hill, but got a great view from the top. We secured permission from the owner of Narrina Station to climb Patawarta and visit the historic Artimore sheep station. Like many features in the northern Flinders Ranges, Patawarta Hill is inappropriately and tritely named. (Bonython spends some time in his book on this point, citing examples like Dick’s Knob.) Patawarta Hill should be Patawarta Mountain! From the north it was not a difficult climb; a most rewarding walk and the best of panoramic views from the top.

The main business of our visit – following the Oratunga, Molkegna and Narrina creek lines, with some vehicular track on the connecting flats – was no less rewarding. It was the most pleasant ‘get-away-from-it-all’ country anyone could imagine.

The historic Artimore sheep station

We made it from the Trailhead at Parachilna Gorge to Narrina Homestead in four ‘day walks’. But by then we were spending so much time in drop-offs and pick-ups that we knew if we went any further we would have no time for walking.

Next time we will possibly have bases at Grindell’s Hut and Arkaroola, pushing on to the closest vehicular access below Freeling Heights. After that we would make our own base camps. The valley after Freeling sounds, from Bonython’s book, inviting and well worth aiming for on the way to Mount Hopeless.

I have an 18-day plan in spread-sheet format and a set of maps of a route from Parachilna Gorge to Mount Hopeless that I would be willing to share. Contact me via email on jamclean57@icloud.com if you are interested.