"Wait, what? You hiked the whole Heysen Trail? How did you survive?"
The question of supplies inevitably arises when discussing thru-hiking the Heysen Trail. Organising months worth of food and hiking essentials can be a complicated process. Everything from coordinating supply box deliveries, to calculating the life span of a fuel canister, to preparing, purchasing or dehydrating your meals needs consideration well before setting off on the trail. Your resupply method is highly personal and will largely depend on your walking pace, dietary requirements and hiking budget.
After coordinating my itinerary, I began organising supply boxes to be dropped and stored along the route. Pre-purchasing and delivering boxes full of toilet paper, fuel canisters, Heysen Trail maps and dehydrated food allowed me time, when I eventually arrived in each town, to concentrate on the important things like raiding pie warmers and locating the nearest parmy. Notwithstanding the box drops, I left enough room in my bag to stock up along the trail. You never know what you’ll crave after walking 100 kilometres.
Heysen Trail Resupply Plan (North to South)
Location |
Km to next food stop |
Overall
|
Resupply
|
My Box Drops |
Prairie Hotel (13.9km from Parachilna Gorge Trailhead)
The restaurant at the Prairie Hotel is the nearest food stop from the northern end of the Heysen Trail. |
65.53 | N/A | No | No |
Wilpena Pound
The IGA Xpress store at the Wilpena Pound Resort stocks a limited supply of food and essentials. Dining available in Captain Starlights Restaurant and Poddy Dodgers Bar & Bistro. |
67.73 | 65.53 | Limited | No |
Hawker (6.6km from the trail)
The Hawker Hotel Motel stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Hawker General Store stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
107.95 | 133.26 | Limited | Yes |
Quorn (2km from the trail)
The Austral Inn stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Various dining options available. The Quorn IGA stock a moderate supply of food and essentials. |
95.55 | 241.21 | Yes | Yes |
Wilmington (4km from the trail)
Limited dining options available. SJ & JA Wild stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
56.63 | 297.84 | Limited | No |
Melrose
The Mt Remarkable Hotel Motel stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Store 54 stock a moderate supply of food and essentials. |
88.62 | 336.76 | Yes | Yes |
Crystal Brook
The Crystal Brook Caravan Park stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Crystal Brook Foodland stock a moderate supply of food and essentials. |
80.18 | 425.38 | Yes | Yes |
Spalding
The Spalding Hotel (previously Barbed Wire Hotel) stored my box of hiking supplies. Limited dining options available. Spalding General Store stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
22.9 | 505.56 | Limited | Yes |
Georgetown
The Georgetown General Store stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
104.85 | 528.46 | Limited | No |
Burra
The Peppers Accommodation stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Oppy’s IGA stock a moderate supply of food and essentials. |
91.8 | 633.31 | Yes | Yes |
Marrabel
Unfortunately, dining is no longer available at The Marrabel Hotel. |
45.78 | 725.11 | No | No |
Kapunda
The Kapunda Tourist Park stored my box of hiking supplies. Various dining options available. Kapunda Foodworks stock a moderate supply of food and essentials. |
17.53 | 770.89 | Yes | No |
Greenock
Limited dining options available. Greenock General Store stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
12.40 | 788.42 | Limited | No |
Tanunda
A residential property stored my box of hiking supplies, however, numerous options should be available for box drops. Various dining options available. Tanunda Foodland stock an extensive supply of food and essentials. |
103.45 | 800.82 | Yes | Yes |
Norton Summit
Dining available at The Scenic Hotel. |
19.81 | 904.27 | No | No |
Woodhouse Activity Centre
Woodhouse Activity Centre stored my box of hiking supplies. |
4.17 | 924.08 | No | Yes |
Bridgewater
Various dining options available. Coles Bridgewater stock an extensive supply of food and essentials. |
6.88 | 928.25 | Yes | No |
Mylor
Mylor General Store stock a limited supply of food and essentials. |
65.26 | 935.13 | Limited | No |
Mt Compass (2km from the trail)
Various dining options available. Mount Compass IGA stock an extensive supply of food and essentials. |
23.45 | 1000.39 | Yes | No |
Heysen’s Rest Bed and Breakfast
Heysen’s Rest Bed and Breakfast stored my box of hiking supplies. |
13.64 | 1023.84 | No | Yes |
Inman Valley
Inman Valley General Store and Country Kitchen stock a limited supply of food and essentials; dining also available. |
89.88 | 1037.48 | Limited | No |
Cape Jervis
Dining available at Cape Jervis Tavern. |
N/A | 1127.36 | No | N/A |
Remember, this is only a guide.
As always, do your own research when planning to walk the Heysen Trail. The details in the above list were recorded for my journey from August to October, 2018. Distances, routes, prices, shop opening times and hotels willing to stockpile hikers’ supply boxes, can change suddenly. The Friends of the Heysen Trail feature an online Service Directory for anyone planning to hike the trail.
Support SA’s regional businesses.
Whenever you make a purchase along the trail, you are supporting a community that helps maintain the Heysen Trail. If a hotel stores your supply box, order a beer and a meal from the bar (I can personally recommend all chicken schnitzels on the trail). If you walk past a local general store, go in and buy a chocolate bar. Every small gesture helps sustain these often remote South Australian regions.