Our Guides

Brad Dean

Senior Guide and Operations

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trek, and what makes it special?
Kakadu Explorer. There’s no beating nine days exploring a remote part of the Arnhem Plateau. Cooking over fires, walking and swimming through wild landscapes cared for by Bininj/Mungguy people for thousands of years. It’s wilderness immersion at its best!

What do you love most about being a wilderness guide, and what do you hope guests take away?

I love seeing guests froth over the places we take them, but most of all, I love seeing them rediscover a sense of inner peace as they step away from the Matrix!

We humans spend far too much time trying to understand and explain the world, when I believe we’re simply meant to appreciate and experience it as it is. I find Trek trips allow this to happen.

What’s the one piece of outdoor gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without, and why?
Other than a lighter or my backup flint, because nobody likes cold food, I’d have to say my trusty headtorch!

Mitch Wilson

Senior Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
Frenchmans Cap. It’s got it all….stunning views, challenging terrain, pristine alpine lakes, constantly changing vegetation. It feels like a 2 week adventure packed into 5 days. The short, sharp scramble to the summit is worth it for the panorama deep into the mountains of the South West.

What hike/ wilderness (anywhere on the planet) would you really want to experience and why?
I’d love to go trail running in Chamonix, France. The mountains look amazing, the trails look phenomenal.

Number one piece of outdoor kit needed for your guiding to be bulletproof?
My gardening knee mat. Comes in handy for making any surface good to sit on. Makes sharp rocks soft, makes muddy and wet surfaces dry, makes cold spots warm. All this and it weighs next to nothing. Can highly recommend the small price tag for the comfort it adds to every trip.

Declan Hunn

Senior Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
In lutruwita/Tasmania the South Coast Track for its variability of terrain, the physical challenge and being able to walk through a culturally significant landscape. In the Northern Territory any of our Kakadu trips feel like a privilege to guide for the diversity of landscapes, waterways and cultural heritage found in these special places.

What do you love most about guiding and sharing these experiences with guests?

As a guide I love to see guests walk away with an increased appreciation of the natural and cultural values of the areas that they have visited. Often other forms of tourism is based around this quick approach of come in, see the highlights and then on to the next stop. Slowing down to walking pace, transitioning through a landscape and enjoying the journey is a process I love to share with guests.

Number one piece of outdoor kit needed for your guiding to be bulletproof?
A quality waterproof jacket to cut out wind, rain and snow!

Kenna Reid Clark

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
South Coast Track in SW Tassie is a close second but I’m gonna have to go with the Kakadu Explorer. Being out for an extended time with everything we need in our packs and no track to follow is pretty magic. I’ve been lucky to get out on a few seasons worth of Kakadu trips now and although we always find more amazing things up there it feels awesome to become familiar with such a wild place too.

What hike/ wilderness (anywhere on the planet) would you really want to experience and why?
How long is a piece of string…Off the top of my head I’d love to get over to Iceland and Norway to experience the stark landscapes, nordic culture and I’m a fan of the folklore too.

Number one piece of outdoor kit needed for your guiding to be bulletproof?
Well I don’t wear pants very often but I do have to say that my Mont Tempest Rainpants have been bloody bombproof and I love getting them out because it means we’re in some pretty wild and wooly weather. Gotta love the suspenders and they’re going strong after a good few years of guiding and personal missions.

Dan Keys

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
Purnululu / the Bungle Bungles still holds a special place for me. Camping deep in Piccaninny Gorge, waking beneath those towering sandstone walls and spending the day exploring is hard to beat. There’s adventure around every corner, but I love the quieter moments just as much.

What hike or wilderness, anywhere on the planet, would you really want to experience and why?
The Snowman Trek in Bhutan is a dream adventure. Remote valleys, spectacular mountain landscapes and meeting the people who call these places home – that’s my kind of journey. I’d love to take the time to explore this quieter corner of Bhutan.

What’s your number one piece of outdoor kit for making your guiding bulletproof?
After many years in the game, it would have to be my trusty Exped hiking pillow and bombproof Fresko coffee cup. But the old Leatherman is still always in my backpack!

Penny Dames

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?

It’s tough to choose because every trip we run is genuinely incredible but if I had to pick, I’d say the Larapinta Trail and the South Coast Track are my favourites. The Larapinta has this ancient, powerful energy. Walking the ridgelines of the West MacDonnell Ranges is always grounding and inspiring. The South Coast Track, it’s wild, remote, and raw. A true wilderness experience. Both push you, reward you, and leave you feeling deeply connected to country.

What hike or wilderness (anywhere on the planet) would you really want to experience and why?
I’d love to walk in Patagonia and the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. Patagonia’s vast landscapes and dramatic peaks are legendary, and the Drakensberg feels like a return to my roots, steep escarpments, rolling highlands, and wild weather. Both offer the kind of immersive wilderness experience that I love.

What’s your number one piece of outdoor kit needed to make your guiding bulletproof?
My trusty well loved backpack. It’s comfortable, reliable, and somehow always manages to fit just one more thing. It carries everything I need to make every trip safe, smooth, and unforgettable. It’s bombproof, comfortable, and fits like a part of me. Absolutely essential for days in the bush. Plus, it’s got a secret stash pocket for squirms because nothing fixes a tough climb or soggy socks like a hit of sugar and a good laugh.

Miranda Fazzalari

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trek, and what makes it special?
The 14-Day Larapinta End to End does it for me! There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the incredible landscapes of Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park than experiencing the Larapinta Trail from start to finish. Fourteen days of walking through ancient landscapes and sleeping beneath a brilliant night sky is something you’ll never forget.

What do you love most about being a wilderness guide, and what do you hope guests take away?
It’s a real privilege to help people step away from everyday life, spend time outdoors and connect with like-minded people. There’s something special about sharing these experiences in nature, and I hope guests leave feeling inspired, reconnected and with memories that stay with them long after the trek ends.

What’s the one piece of outdoor gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without, and why?
My hiking poles! They’re invaluable when tackling challenging terrain with a fully loaded pack. They provide support and balance, help reduce fatigue and are pretty handy for pointing out interesting things along the trail. I’d recommend them to all our guests!

Riley Hunt

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
16 Day End to End: To experience the Larapinta trail in its entirety is something special. It’s a rewarding challenge with everyday providing unique terrain, views and revealing another beautiful facet to Tjoritja. 16 days of good food and good company, what’s not to like.

What hike/ wilderness (anywhere on the planet) would you really want to experience and why?
Snowman (Bhutan): Having travelled the mountain country of Nepal and Northern India and enjoying the village to village hiking, I’m looking forward to covering some of the remote and wild eastern Himalayas along the Snowman Trek.

Number one piece of outdoor kit needed for your guiding to be bulletproof?
My Buff: Trusty, versatile, light and colourful. This simple cylindrical piece of fabric has provided me much comfort doubled over as a beanie substitute or neck warmer. Being versatile I’ve also found it handy as UV protection for the face and even used 2 as makeshift mitts from time to time. Rarely travel without.

Tori Nall

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trip and why?
End to End tours on the Larapinta have to be one of my favourites, if I had to pick! Seeing people develop an appreciation and understanding for the rugged terrain and complex history and culture has to be one of my top reasons I enjoy guiding. People fall in love with the simplicity of walking over a longer duration and become attached to what the red centre has to offer.

What hike/ wilderness (anywhere on the planet) would you really want to experience and why?
South Africa. Through guiding I’ve grown to appreciate rocks and what they tell us about the landscape, so I’d love to admire some old rocks and witness some beautiful wildlife while I’m over there!

Number one piece of outdoor kit needed for your guiding to be bulletproof?
My much loved and patched osprey backpack. It has a few squeaks from my adventures however it withstands the abuse I put it through!

Hayden Swioklo

Guide

What’s your favourite Trek Tours Australia experience?
The Tarkine Rainforest Expedition is a stellar trip. No tracks, just you and the crew exploring somewhere straight out of a Tolkien fairytale. The amount of water and greenery is enough to bring a tear to the eye of any fellow West Australian. The magic is worth that first bugger of a hill!

What do you love most about guiding, and what do you hope guests take away?
That’s a tough one. Either the salad wraps for lunch or watching how the bush brings us back to our natural state.

I hope guests leave with a real sense of reverence for the natural world. Living out of a pack for a week reminds us how simple life can be. Sometimes there’s nothing more important in the world than watching a sunset with a cup of tea.

What’s one piece of gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without?
My stripey woolly beanie that my auntie made me. You’ve got to look good, even out in the bush! Also, a decent head torch so I can find that beanie at all hours.

Frankie Sanders

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trek, and what makes it special?
I love our Kakadu expeditions. There’s something incredible about the remoteness, the sense of self-reliance and walking through ancient landscapes with such significant cultural history. Sleeping beneath a sky full of stars, cooking over a fire and swimming in pristine waterholes make these adventures even more special

 What do you love most about being a wilderness guide, and what do you hope guests take away?
I love exploring incredible places and sharing my knowledge of the animals, plants and birds we encounter. Most importantly, I want guests to feel safe, cared for and comfortable in the wilderness. If they leave with a greater appreciation for nature, and I’ve managed to turn a few into birdwatchers along the way, even better!

What’s the one piece of outdoor gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without, and why?
Just one? That’s impossible! It really depends on where I’m heading. Hot and dry, wet and cold, every wilderness adventure calls for different gear. One thing’s for sure, I definitely wouldn’t head into the wilderness with only one piece of equipment!

Sari Lehmann

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trek, and what makes it special?
My favourite is the Larapinta End to End! You get to appreciate every section of the trail and really notice how the changing seasons shape the landscape. I also love watching a little trail family form along the way. There’s something special about seeing a group of strangers become friends through a shared wilderness adventure.

What do you love most about being a wilderness guide, and what do you hope guests take away?
I love connecting people with nature and culture in wild places. When guests come along curious and eager to learn, it’s so much fun! I also get a lot of joy from helping people overcome challenges and discover a resilience they didn’t know they had. I hope everyone leaves with a sense of achievement, a greater curiosity about the natural world and the confidence to take on new adventures.

What’s the one piece of outdoor gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without, and why?
Oh, that’s a tough question! Safety equipment aside, it would have to be my binoculars. I keep bird lists for every trip, and I definitely don’t want to miss anything!

Emily Allen

Guide

What is your favourite Trek Tours Australia trek, and what makes it special?
I love the Larapinta End to End trips for the rhythm and routine you settle into along the trail. But the Walls of Jerusalem in Tassie will always hold a special place for me, as it was my very first experience hiking in Tasmania.

What do you love most about being a wilderness guide, and what do you hope guests take away?
I love helping people step away from their busy lives and get back to basics. There’s something really special about spending time outdoors, getting out of our heads and into our bodies. I hope guests leave feeling more connected to themselves, nature and the simple things in life.

What’s the one piece of outdoor gear you wouldn’t head into the wilderness without, and why?
Well, at least a few squares of toilet paper are always a good idea! But aside from that, I’d say my personal chocolate stash is probably the most essential bit of kit. And I guess headtorches are pretty handy too!