I’m Josh West… from the adventure blog Trekking West. See what I did there? Yeah, you’re clever like that.
My favourite feedback usually goes something like, “we saw that you’re a regular guy who did it, so we thought, well, we could do it too”. And they’re so very right! I’m just an ordinary dude who’d never camped solo before marching out on his first long-distance trail (okay, some might say ‘reckless dude’).
Otherwise, my well-worn story is similar to other long-haul adventurers you’ll find traipsing the globe.
1. Boy gets job. 2. Boy discovers travel. 3. Boy leaves job. 4. Boy travels.
The Blue Mountains, in Sydney’s northwest, is a great spot for revelations.
One year out of the rat race.
At the beginning of 2017, I left on-site employment to explore a digital nomad lifestyle and expand my horizons. I set myself the task to house-sit in every Australian state within the year. This ambition led me on an indirect route from Melbourne, to Brisbane, to Perth, to Adelaide, back to Melbourne, to Hobart and finally to Sydney; okay, so it wasn’t exactly straight, but I did it! From these first 365 days, I spent 221 house-sitting. This hot lap opened the possibilities of a permanent digital nomad lifestyle.
When I wasn’t cuddling cats or walking dogs, I road-tripped coastlines, visited sunlit islands, hiked formidable mountains, camped in sprawling National Parks and sucked the nectar from Australia’s stunning landscapes.
These Heysen Trail markers guided my way for two months.
Hiking the Heysen Trail
Over this first year, I fell in love with adventure and the benefits of letting my feet wander. I wanted to share these newfound insights and raise money for mental health. So, in 2018, I returned home to South Australia to hike the country’s longest marked trail, the 1,200-kilometre Heysen Trail. This was my first taste of long-distance hiking, recording daily journals and fundraising. The entire experience was transformative; I was hooked.
Climbing to the Cruz de Ferro in the Leónese highlands.
Camino de Santiago pilgrimage
Without realising, part way through the Heysen trail, my next adventure was anointed from on high. A chance meeting while washing my smalls at a suburban laundromat planted the seed of walking the sacred Camino pilgrimage. Some nine months later, in June 2019, I landed in Saint-Jean-pied-de-Port on the France-Spain border, ready to begin my first international long-distance trail.
Paddling my way into a Goolwa sunset at the Murry mouth.
Paddling the Murray River
Fresh from another transformative trail, I arrived back in Australia in 2020, scheming my next adventure. Unfortunately, COVID-19 slammed on the brakes, and the world’s plans changed. In 2022, after two years of setbacks, I needed to go big. In the same vein as my Heysen Trail hike, I set off on an epic 2,360-kilometre kayak trip along the world’s third-longest navigable waterway, the Murray River, with minimal paddling experience.
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March 28, 2017
Love this! Can’t wait to read all about your travel adventures and budget-conscious tips. Keep up the amazing work Josh!
October 2, 2017
Hell yeah! This blog is the sh**t!
August 14, 2018
Hey josh!
First of all congratulation on creating such an awesome blog. i wish you all the best for your coming trek.
October 6, 2018
Thanks Prabhakar, plenty more updates to come!
March 23, 2019
Hi Josh.. loved your Heysen Trail blog 🙂
The Bibbulmun and Heysen Trails are next on my play list!
Ten days ago I embarked on my house-sitting adventure, with the view to hike and explore Australia and New Zealand on foot and touring bike.
At nearly 59 years old I have cut loose from all moorings… just a PO Box and a few personal treasures stored in a friend’s shipping container.
Freelance casual work, volunteering, bartering and living in a frugal ‘freegan’ mode will be my challenge… and inspiration.
Your writing is a breath of fresh air … thank you 🙂
March 24, 2019
Hi Kirstin… glad to hear someone has read some of them 😉
I can highly recommend the Heysen Trail and I have some good friends that wax lyrical about the Bibbulmun. You’ve made some great choices! So much to see! The Camino is next on my list.
Wow. Go you good thing! You will love minimalism and house sitting once you find your groove. It took me a little while to feel settled after similarly packing my life into a couple of boxes, but I now relish the freedom as a result.
And thank you so much for the kind words. This blog really is a labour of love, so it’s motivating to hear that you’ve been able to take something from my writing. Very interested to hear how you progress in the coming months.
November 30, 2019
Hi Josh, Great website, I stumbled across it when researching the Heysen trail. Walking it has been on my mind for at least the last 5 years and given the years have started to creep up on my i figure its time to get serious. So I have finally set a date to start, first week August 2020. Like you I plan to hike North to South.The plethora of information you have to offer is amazing and beyond useful. I have done quite a bit of multi day hiking over the years but this will by far be the longest carrying a full pack, the thought is somewhat daunting at times but definitely what i need. I have always found hiking gives me the clarity i need at different times of my life, and no doubt this will be no different. I would love to read about your experiences house sitting, your writing style is a joy to read, thanks so much
December 11, 2019
Thank you so much for your lovely message, Dianne! I completely understand the drawn-out feeling of wanting to walk the Heysen and the apprehension associated with the enormity of the journey, but as soon as you step out onto the red dirt of the state’s mid-north it will become ‘normal’, or as close to normal as walking 1,200 km can be. After a week, your body will adjust. And, if your experience is like anybody else I’ve spoken with who has through-hiked the Heysen, you will be soon blown away by the generous country SA hospitality. In the meantime, there’s a Facebook Group called “Heysen Trail E2E Through Hiking” that has members who are planning to hike the Heysen Trail in the near future, as well as people who have completed the journey before. If you have an account on the platform, it’s worth giving it a look-see.