Approaching Uluru from the southGreg Donovan

Sometimes it feels as though every time we open the weekend travel supplements, there’s the announcement of another multi-day walk being planned for somewhere around Australia.

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Having spent nearly three years planning the 2014 Burke & Wills Trek, which followed in the footsteps of these explorers, I understand the massive amount of unseen work that goes into trips like this.

Although the 2014 Burke & Wills Trek was an enormous success in many ways, proving the hunger and enthusiasm that Australian Bushwalkers have for meaningful walking connections to our land, the epic scale of logistics, the 11 days duration and the remote location, meant that we simply didn’t get the numbers needed to run it again in 2015.

As much as the positive testimonials and “raving fans” we created in 2014 were good signs, after digging deep on the research, we realised that for a commercial walking trip to be a success, it needed to be easier for people to fit into busy lives.

Not being able to run the trek in 2015 was a huge disappointment, not only for those who had expressed an interest in joining the trek, but a personal disappointment to myself and our team having invested so much energy to bring it about.

Inevitably, this kind of disappointment caused a rethink. How could I continue to provide these remote, unique and meaningful experiences to walkers, whilst still meeting their needs of fitting around the busy lives (with limited annual leave) that so many of us lead?

The answer was to look to our heart. Not only the heart of Australia geographically, but also, the heart of our history.

Uluru represents many things to many people. As an iconic landform it can represent an image of Australia to overseas visitors that is quite different to what Aussies see.

For many of us, it is simply a bucket list destination, but for others, it is a graphic visual reminder of our ancient land and the people whose country we walk upon daily.

My background includes managing remote running events such as the Big Red Run, Anzac Day Challenge and the Big Red Bash music Festival in Birdsville, which rely on a collaborative approach with local communities, and a crack team of organisers. The Australian Government’s June 2015 announcement of looking for quality tourism opportunities in Kata-Tjuta National Park, seemed like a natural fit.

As someone who’s been drawn to trail running all my life, the act of the journey, of moving over the land at ground level has always been important to me. It’s about seeing the small detail, feeling the changes underfoot, breathing in the air and feeling a part of the world around me. Becoming one with the landscape, not just travelling through it.

The Big Uluru Trek has been on my mind for a few years and is my way of helping people feel these things for themselves in an amazing outback environment.

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The remoteness is only one part of what makes this trek unique. Spending time under the big blue sky with the Anagnu people, the traditional owners who have traversed this land for millennia will be an enriching cultural experience.

This relationship with the traditional owners and the importance of this whole trek being a fully consultative and collaborative process has been at the core of what we set out to achieve when developing this experience. This is one of the reasons that developing these types of walking experiences take time. This isn’t about simply a tourism product contributing to the local economy, but one that provides deep connection and meaning to those who tread lightly on it, hand in hand with those who own the land itself.

Some examples of what this has meant during the process of bringing the Big Uluru Trek to life are:

Access to lands that are otherwise off-limits. This is the only way to do this trip.

Working with traditional owners to better understand their culture and what the land means to them.

Surveying the trek route and campsites with traditional owners to ensure we respect culturally sensitive areas.

Looking at ways the local aboriginal community could derive meaningful benefits from the establishment of the Trek, and benefit from employment opportunities and learning new skills in the tourism area.

Typical Desert Campsite - Burke and Wills TrekRobyn Leeder

Typical wheel track type track taken by trekkers. Uluru in the distance.Greg Donovan

Desert trekkers during the 2014 Burke and Wills TrekRobyn Leeder

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