In November 2024 I will be tackling the Bicentennial National Trail, a 5330km trek running from Healesville just outside of Melbourne to Cooktown in Far North Queensland.

It is one of the longest trails in the world, running along almost the entire east coast of Australia. The last few years have been spent planning, learning and preparing for this absolutely massive undertaking. I plan to do this trip alone alongside my two horses Poppy and Dougie, meaning I will have to be completely self-reliant as I encounter the many challenges the trail will pose. Only 5 women have completed the National Trail solo on horseback since it opened in 1988, I plan to be number 6.

The trail itself follows a mixture of old stock routes, mail runs, historic coach routes and country roads. It winds its way through Victoria, ACT, New South Wales and Queensland crossing many state forests, private land and national parks, including the Victorian high country, Kosciusko and the Daintree to name a few. The trail gives a unique opportunity for slow travel, showcasing the beauty of the Australian landscape.

For this trip I have taken on two Standardbreds, an off the track gelding and a mare that wasn’t cut out for racing. I am so thrilled to be able to give both of them a second life training them for our trek together. When I got them, neither had been broken to saddle or ever ridden. Dougie had just finished racing the week before and still had his racing shoes on and Poppy had been sitting in a paddock and was very skittish from very little handling. While it has been a long road getting them ready for this trip, I couldn’t have asked for better horses.

I will be documenting our journey together as we embark on a once in a lifetime adventure, follow along and enjoy the ride.