Media coverage

Aussie Trails Website Gets New Design and Enhanced Search Features

30 March 2022

Today I am excited to announce the launch of the all-new Trail Hiking Australia website, a completely redesigned and greatly improved site for the outdoor adventurer.

The Trail Hiking Australia website was first launched in 2015. From humble beginnings it has now grown to be one the most comprehensive and widely used trails websites in Australia. With more than 60,000 enthusiasts accessing the site each month, it has helped people rediscover the outdoors with everything from short walks to epic multi-day journeys.

Darren Edwards, founder of Trail Hiking Australia, developed the site to help others experience the many benefits being outdoors in nature can bring.  “A few years ago, my mental health really took a beating, it was being outdoors away from all the noise that made the difference to me. Hiking literally saved my lifeI started to think maybe hiking could help other people who are suffering as I was.  Not knowing how to help directly, I decided to build this website”.

The all-new Trail Hiking Australia site includes over 300 informative articles to help people get started, prepare for their adventure, keep safe, develop important skills, and above all, find great trails right across Australia.

The enhanced search functionality categorises all trails by destination, length, duration, style, and difficulty. Search for trails near you, by park or trail name or use the interactive map search to zoom, pan and rapidly filter trails to find the one you like. There really is something for everyone, including the ability to easily find all abilities trails.

You can create your own profile, save trails to custom lists, compare trails, upload photos and GPX files to existing listings, add new trails, or suggest an edit to existing info. An important safety feature is the introduction of a ‘trip intentions form’, allowing you to easily let someone know before you go and make it easier for people to find you if something goes wrong. The intentions form initiative was driven by Darren’s commitment to keep people safe and was informed through extensive consultation and call outs as an SES search and rescue volunteer.

What started as a private blog has evolved into a serious and reputable online resource for anyone looking for somewhere to walk, hike, run or ride. Trail Hiking Australia was not built for profit, it was built as a free community service by one guy who is passionate about the outdoors and dedicated to getting people out into nature safely.

I’ve received so many personal messages from people over the years, telling me how much my site and being in nature has helped then through challenging times. This makes the thousands of hours and money I’ve invested all worth it”, Darren said.

If you are into hiking, bushwalking, trail running, or mountain bike riding then head on over to www.trailhiking.com.au and check out the new site. With over 3,200 trails across Australia to hike, walk, run or ride, you’re sure to satisfy the adventurer within.


Keep it Wild Australia

14 June 2018

Are you passionate about the outdoors? Do you care about protecting our natural environment for future generations to enjoy? Please offer your support and help keep it wild.

I would love to say that Keep it Wild Australia is a team of people who are passionate about our natural environment but this is not the case.

My name is Darren Edwards and I love the outdoors, hiking in particular. I started hiking in order to escape from the real world for a while. To connect with nature, switch off from the hustle and bustle of life and disconnect from technology. The further I explored, the more I could see that the world I was trying to disconnect from was increasingly invading these natural spaces.

Recreationadventure tourismcommercialisation, extractive industries, all of these were having an impact on the spaces that I loved and all of them were taking away from the psychological benefits I received through spending time in nature.  I wondered how one person could make a difference. Where could I voice my concerns? How could I take action?

Keep it Wild Australia is an initiative I started in the hope that I can make a difference.

The threats to our wilderness range from littering to unchecked development and drilling in our nation’s wild places.

While wilderness designation provides the highest level of protection available to public lands, it does not provide sanctuary from threats that can diminish wilderness character. Although surveys exploring the trade-offs the public is willing to make for wilderness suggest that Australian’s are willing to accept higher costs for electricity, fuel, and other consumer products to protect wilderness, a variety of social, political and environmental forces both inside and outside wilderness can affect wilderness. The demand for economic development and a growing population exert significant pressures on our wilderness.

Many of these pressures are the same threats that other public lands face: Overuse, Technology, Fire Suppression, Invasive Species, Disease, Pollution, Lack of Public Awareness.

Whether it’s a financial contributionsigning a petitiontaking personal action or sharing messages with friends and family via social media, your time, actions and generosity will make a difference.

Join this community and share your stories using #keepitwildaust.

www.keepitwild.com.au

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Victoria’s new wilderness adventure: The Buller Huts Trail

02 December 2017

I am extremely excited to announce the launch of a newly designed mulit-day trek website for the outdoor adventurer. Victoria’s Iconic 96km, 7 Day, Alpine Trek.

The Buller Huts Trail

The Buller Huts Trail commences on Mount Buller, high in the Victorian Alps, at an altitude of just over 1660m and traverses some of Victoria’s most spectacular mountain summits. These include Mount Buller, The Bluff, Mount Eadley Stoney, Mount Lovick, Mount Magdala, Mount Howitt, Mount Buggery, Mount Speculation, Mount Koonika, The Monument and Mount Stirling.

The trail information and website has been passionately developed by outdoor enthusiast, Darren Edwards, founder of the free-to-use Australian trails site, www.trailhiking.com.au

“The Buller Huts Trail is your opportunity to experience the best of the Victorian Alps. Over seven days this 96km, grade 5, journey will lead you through a variety of natural landscapes including deep fern-lined gullies, steep and unrelenting spurs, rugged ridge lines, exhilarating mountain summits and spectacular cliff-top outlooks”, said Edwards

This is a hike for those who want to carry tents and the paraphernalia required for hardcore multi-day adventures. There are no cosy cabins, no showers at the end of the day and no one there to prepare a tasty meal after a long day hiking. This is a true adventure. The Buller Huts Trail is a serious grade 5 undertaking for well–prepared, self-reliant adventurers, with a good level of fitness and who understand the risks of walking in a remote alpine area. This is a trek not to be taken lightly.

“I love hiking, it is my passion and I want to make it easier for more Victorian’s and visitors to experience our unique, world class natural assets and enhance their time here through a range of recreational and tourism activities. This is the reason I developed the Trail Hiking Australia site, and this is the reason I have now developed the Buller Huts Trail resource”, said Edwards

The Buller Huts Trail website, www.bullerhutstrail.com.au contains detailed information on the overall experience, day-by-day itinerary, overview of the summits, guidance on how to be prepared for mulit-day hikes in alpine conditions and an overview of the historic high-country huts that are conveniently linked along the trail.

“I absolutely love the Victorian High Country and find nothing more grounding, relaxing and enjoyable than heading out into the alps with a pack on my back, leaving the world behind me. That’s why I hike, and it is for similar reasons that, so many others are heading out into the wilderness, to discover their next adventure. The Victorian Alps and the rugged remoteness of this region are the inspiration behind this amazing 96km, 7-day, grade 5 circuit trek that I am hoping will become an iconic Victorian trek.

I hope you enjoy the Buller Huts Trail”, said Edwards


Discover your next Adventure with Trail Hiking Australia

08 June 2016

We are very excited to announce the launch of a newly redesigned website for the outdoor adventurer. The site provides powerful tools so that anyone looking for trails throughout Victoria can filter based on destination, distance, duration, grade or a combination of these categories. Discover your next Adventure with Trail Hiking Australia.

A truly exciting feature is the ability for the community to search for hiking trails ‘Near Them’. Using this feature will display all trails that commence within a 50km radius of the user’s location.

Source: The Australian Running Calendar 


Trails website gets new design and new exciting features

08 June 2016

Discover your next Adventure with Trail Hiking Australia

We are very excited to announce the launch of a newly redesigned website for the outdoor adventurer. The site provides powerful tools so that anyone looking for trails throughout Victoria can filter based on destination, distance, duration, grade or a combination of these categories.

www.trailhiking.com.au arose out of the enthusiasm of a passionate adventurer, Darren Edwards, who is dedicated to the awareness, promotion, growth and long term sustainable survival of the Australian bushwalking and hiking communities. What started as a blog has turned into a serious online resource for the outdoor adventurer. “I wanted to produce information that would allow hikers, bushwalkers and trail runners to easily find a trail and head outdoors with the preparedness and knowledge to return safely.” Edwards Said.

www.trailhiking.com.au is a comprehensive, non-commercial, free-to-use online tool that provides the outdoor adventurer with detailed information on over 175 dedicated hiking trails throughout Victoria.

Before the launch of www.trailhiking.com.au it was challenging to find detailed web-based trail information. Most existing information was either published in print, could be found in various blogs or hidden within clubs with subscription services and membership fees. These resources often listed only a handful of the most popular trails, provided limited information regarding trails and their conditions, provided sketchy mud maps and offered limited planning tips and safety advice.

On www.trailhiking.com.au each hike includes trail overviews, key features, maps, GPX files and elevation profiles. Additionally, the site includes information relating to hike preparation, hiking gear, field tests, hike safety and navigation. This information will benefit anyone looking for their next adventure.

A truly exciting feature is the ability for the community to search for hiking trails ‘Near Them’. Using this feature will display all trails that commence within a 50km radius of the user’s location.

“I am especially proud of the new Near Me feature and the fact that my site hosts GPX files for most trails.: Edwards said. This allows the outdoor enthusiast to easily locate trails close by, travel to the trail head and confidently navigate the trail that lies ahead. “Returning safely from every adventure is foremost in my mind and the GPX files provide a valuable safety tool to be used as a backup to map and compass. I have received such a positive response to the GPX feature that I will continue to include files on every trail on the site.” Edwards said.

www.trailhiking.com.au is a non-commercial operation that has been developed and funded personally as a hobby by Darren Edwards. The site was launched publicly in 2015 and has quickly grown to be a leading source of trail and hike information in Victoria. With a growing reach into other states and engagement across the globe, www.trailhiking.com.au is working hard to attracts both domestic and international visitors to Victoria.

Online engagement at www.trailhiking.com.au is growing rapidly with the past three months attracting in excess of 29,000 users resulting in more than 244,000 page views. The Trail Hiking Australia Facebook page has attracted in excess 1,200 page likes with a weekly reach to approximately 9,000 passionate adventurers.

If you are new to hiking, visiting the state or looking for other adventurers to share your passion then head on over to www.trailhiking.com.au now. “There really is something for everyone. If you are new to hiking I offer advice on how to prepare yourself for hiking, fall in love with the environment and learn the skills to return safely. If you are more experienced, you will find trails that take you into the remotest areas of the state for a true adventure.” Edwards said.


Most comprehensive website for Victorian Hiking Trails

20 March 2016

I would like to introduce you to a new online resource, www.trailhiking.com.au

This site offers expanded, in-depth trail information on hike planning and trails throughout Victoria in a user-friendly format.

Hiking is my passion and Trail Hiking is my way of sharing this passion with fellow adventurers.

“Hiking is something I have always enjoyed. Over the past few years I have tracked every trip, taken photos of my hikes, written trail notes and now lead two large hiking groups so that I can share my passion with like-minded people. After chatting with fellow hikers, and through searching for new adventures for myself I realised how difficult it was to find useful information about hiking. As I have been busy recording all of my hikes I thought what better way to share my resource than to create a website for others to enjoy. As such, Trail Hiking was born”.

www.trailhiking.com.au currently offers detailed information on more than 180 hikes throughout Victoria, including trail descriptions, key features, pictures, maps, gpx files, elevation profiles and more. Additionally, the site is organised to make it easier for hikers to compare and choose trails that best suit their hiking preferences. Before the launch of www.trailhiking.com.au, hikers had difficulty finding detailed web-based trail information. Most existing sites list only a handful of the most popular trails, and provide only limited information without regard to individual hikers’ skill level or preferences.

With my site, hikers can search for trails based on location, trail grading, distance, or they can simply view an alphabetical listing. www.trailhiking.com.au hosts gpx files for all trails so that you can easily navigate the trail and to the trail head itself. This information will benefit any day or overnight hiker; including people looking for a short stroll to a nearby lake, to the long distance hiker looking to visit the Alpine National Park.

Currently the site provides detailed information on close to 170 hikes throughout Victoria and is expanding daily. Trail Hiking’s goal is to become the most comprehensive source for free information on hiking trails throughout Australia, including gear reviews, helpful tips and planning advice. In order to do this, I am seeking the support of the community to visit the site, review and comment on existing trails and submit their favourite trails and gpx files for inclusion on the site.

This is a non-commercial, community focussed project that I have developed in my spare time and the site has been and always will be free to use. I am hoping you can help to promote this site.

Visit www.trailhiking.com.au for more information.


New year – New walks

04 February 2016

New year, new walks, more good news for those walking in Victoria – a new website, Trail Hiking, has detailed information on over 170 hikes throughout the state. Darren and Julie Edwards are passionate about hiking and their website shares this with friends and fellow hikers.

They’ve been tracking their hikes for the past few years, writing trail notes and taking photos, and joining a few hiking groups to share their passion with like-minded people.

Extracted from Great Walks Magazine Feb-March 2016


New Website with Victorian Walking Tracks

04 February 2016

Trail Hiking is a website that provides detailed information on 157 hikes in Victoria, plus some walks in other states. Darren and Julie Edwards have been recording their hikes for the past few years, writing trail notes and taking photos. The website includes trail descriptions, key features, maps, gpx files, elevation profiles, and picture. Darren and Julie also ask the hiking community to submit their favourite trails and gpx files for inclusion.

Adapted from the Echuca Moama January 2016 newsletter

Extract from article published in Bushwalking Victoria’s February 2016 edition


Competition in online bushwalking resources heats up

22 January 2016

As you can see, the market for interactive track notes is starting to look quite busy, with a wide variety of content styles and business models supporting them. However, that isn’t stopping newcomers from trying their hand at the game.

Like Matt McClelland, Darren Edwards is a regular bushwalker (he prefers the term hiker) who was frustrated at the limited amount of information provided by the majority of websites. Specifically, Edwards was concerned that much of the track information (he uses the term trails) available was crafted for the tourism industry.

Edwards and his partner Julie, who had been recording the details of their walks for some time, decided to launch the website Trail Hiking. “With our website, hikers can search for trails based on location, hiking grading, distance, or they can simply view an alphabetical listing and map views. Trail Hiking hosts GPX files for all trails so that you can easily navigate the trail and to the trail head itself,” Edwards says.

Whether it’s the quality of information provided on more than 170 walks around the country, the’ interesting choice of the keywords ‘trail’ and ‘hike’ or (more likely) a combination of both, Edwards says his audience is growing steadily. “Our audience is growing daily and is currently in excess of 6,000 users and close to 30,000 page views on our website each month.” And this growth has led Edwards to making an interesting change in direction.

As a non-profit website, Trail Hiking has so far been funded by Edwards and content generated mainly by himself, his wife and a few friends. In order to get more funds and content quickly, the site is now turning to the crowd for support. “We’re now seeking the support of every outdoor adventurer  in order to include trails from every state of Australia. We want to encourage them to submit their hikes via our online form,” he explains. “And to further enhance the end user experience, we’re developing a native trail hiking app, complete with trail info, GPS navigation and recoding, compass, weather and so on.” This new project is budgeted to cost in excess of $30,000, which Edwards hopes to crowdfund via Kickstarter.

As a promising new initiative, Trail Hiking can be seen as a welcome addition to a space that seems to be lacking a truly independent, all-encompassing option for walkers who need comprehensive, ad-free information. On the other hand, it’s sheer ambitiousness, the inherent issues regarding crowdsourced funds and content, as well as the many competitors already in the market may well add up to an insurmountable challenge for the fledgling project. But that won’t stop Edwards from trying.

Extract from article on www.wild.com.au


Looking for Inspiration for areas to walk?

20 January 2016

Good news for those walking in Victoria – a new website, Trail Hiking, has detailed information on over 170 hikes throughout the state. Darren and Julie Edwards are passionate about hiking and their website shares this with friends and fellow hikers. They’ve been tracking their hikes for the past few years, writing trail notes and taking photos, and joining a few hiking groups to share their passion with like-minded people. “After chatting with fellow hikers, and through searching for new adventures for ourselves we realised how difficult it was to find useful information about hiking,” Darren says. “As we had been busy recording all of our hikes and thought what better way than to create a website for others to enjoy. As such, Trail Hiking was born.” The new website includes trail descriptions, key features, maps, gpx files, elevation profiles, pictures and more. Plus it’s organised to make it easier for hikers to choose and compare trails based on their preferences, location, grading distance – or they can view an alphabetical listing. They are also seeking the support of the hiking community to visit the site and submit their favourite trails and gpx files for inclusion.

For more information go to https://www.trailhiking.com.au/

Extracted from the Echuca Moama January 2016 newsletter


New website promotes Vic’s trails

07 December 2015

Good news for those walking in Victoria – a new website, Trail Hiking, has detailed information on over 170 hikes throughout the state.

Darren and Julie Edwards are passionate about hiking and their website shares this with friends and fellow hikers.

They’ve been tracking their hikes for the past few years, writing trail notes and taking photos, and joining a few hiking groups to share their passion with like-minded people.

“After chatting with fellow hikers, and through searching for new adventures for ourselves we realised how difficult it was to find useful information about hiking,” Darren says. “As we had been busy recording all of our hikes and thought what better way than to create a website for others to enjoy. As such, Trail Hiking was born.”

The new website includes trail descriptions, key features, maps, gpx files, elevation profiles, pictures and more. Plus it’s organised to make it easier for hikers to choose and compare trails based on their preferences, location, grading distance – or they can view an alphabetical listing.

They are also seeking the support of the hiking community to visit the site and submit their favourite trails and gpx files for inclusion. For more information click here.

VIEW ARTICLE AT GREAT WALKS >>


New Hiking Website for Victorian Hiking Trails

11 November 2013

Just in time for the warmer weather, a new web site, www.trailhiking.com.au offers expanded, in-depth trail information in a user-friendly format.

Hiking is Darren and Julie Edwards’ passion and Trail Hiking is their way of sharing this passion with friends and fellow hikers.

“Hiking is something we have both always enjoyed. Over the past few years we have tracked every trip, taken photos of our hikes, written trail notes and eventually joined a few hiking groups so that we could share our passion with like-minded people. After chatting with fellow hikers, and through searching for new adventures for ourselves we realised how difficult it was to find useful information about hiking. As we had been busy recording all of our hikes and thought what better way than to create a website for others to enjoy. As such, Trail Hiking was born” Darren Said.

www.trailhiking.com.au currently offers detailed information on more than 170 hikes throughout Victoria, including trail descriptions, key features, pictures, maps, gpx files, elevation profiles and more. Additionally, the site is organised to make it easier for hikers to compare and choose trails that best suit their hiking preferences. Before the launch of www.trailhiking.com.au, hikers had difficulty finding detailed web-based trail information. Most existing sites list only a handful of the most popular trails, and provide only limited information without regard to individual hikers’ skill level or preferences.

With this new website, hikers can search for trails based on location, hiking grading, distance, or they can simply view an alphabetical listing. www.trailhiking.com.au hosts gpx files for all trails so that you can easily navigate the trail and to the trail head itself. This information will benefit any day or overnight hiker; including people looking for a short stroll to a nearby lake, to the long distance hiker looking to visit the Alpine National Park, as well as hikes of varying lengths and difficulty in-between.

Currently the site provides detailed information on more than 150 hikes throughout Victoria and is expanding daily. Trail Hiking’s goal is to become the most comprehensive source for free information on hiking trails throughout Australia, including  gear reviews, helpful tips and planning advice. In order to do this Darren and Julie are seeking the support of the hiking community to visit the site, review trails and submit their favourite trails and gpx files for inclusion.