Level of difficulty
Almost none of our walking is done on marked trails. Someone who has never done any off-track walking will probably find that they should rate each walk at the next higher level of difficulty.
A positive mental attitude is essential. A superfit person who is unhappy at leaving the comforts of civilisation behind will not cope as well as a moderately fit person who is prepared to enjoy the wilderness on its own terms.
Trips may reach the same average level of difficulty for different reasons. In arriving at an average level, we consider the climate, terrain, vegetation,
hours walked and necessary pack weight. Details are in the trip notes which can be downloaded via the links in the trip list.
0. Day pack only
- The climate, terrain, vegetation and hours walked can range anywhere from level 1 to level 5.
1. Easy
- Climate. Average daytime maximum temperature 18-25° C, moderate humidity, rain unlikely.
- Terrain. Mostly fairly flat. May include some soft sand, rock hopping and/or moderate climbs.
- Vegetation. Mostly fairly open with little thick grass, spinifex or scrub bashing.
- Hours. You generally walk 4-6 hours per day.
- Pack weight. Carry no more than four days food; tent or sleeping bag, not both. No need for cold weather gear. No need for more than one litre of water.
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2. Fairly easy
- Climate. Average daytime maximum temperature 26-29° C, moderate humidity, rain unlikely.
- Terrain. Mostly fairly flat but includes some soft sand, moderately rough terrain, rock hopping and/or moderate to steep climbs.
- Vegetation. Mostly fairly open with short stretches of thick grass, spinifex and/or scrub bashing.
- Hours. You generally walk 4-6 hours per day.
- Pack weight. Carry up to 7 days food; tent or sleeping bag, not both. No need for cold weather gear. You may need to carry two litres of water for short distances.
- Good average fitness should be enough.
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3. Moderately difficult
- Climate. Average daytime maximum temperature 30-32° C, moderate to medium humidity, rain possible but unlikely to rain often.
- Terrain. Mostly fairly flat but includes somewhat more soft sand, rough terrain, rock hopping and/or moderate climbs than level 2.
- Vegetation. Still mostly fairly open but there may be times when you have to push through thick grass, spinifex or other scrub for some hours.
- Hours. You generally walk 4-6 hours per day.
- Pack weight. Carry up to 11 days food. You might need both a tent and a sleeping bag, cold weather and/or rain gear. You may need to carry two litres of water some days.
- Somewhat above average fitness and/or good overnight bushwalking experience is recommended.
4. Relatively difficult
- Climate. Average daytime maximum temperature 33-35° C, fairly high humidity, rain probable.
- Terrain. Very rugged. Lots of soft sand, rock hopping, scrambling over boulders and/or steep climbs.
- Vegetation. You may have to push through thick grass, spinifex or other scrub for as much as a quarter of the trip.
- Hours. You have to walk 5-7 hours most days, possibly up to 8 hours on some days.
- Pack weight. Carry up to 14 days food. You might need both a tent and a sleeping bag, cold weather and/or rain gear. You may need to carry two to three litres of water most days.
- Above average fitness and/or extensive overnight bushwalking experience is recommended.
5. Our most difficult trips
- Climate. Average daytime maximum temperature over 35° C, very high humidity, rain probable.
- Terrain. Extremely rugged. Lots of soft sand, rock hopping, scrambling over boulders and/or steep climbs.
- Vegetation. You may have to push through thick grass, spinifex or other scrub for as much as a third of the trip.
- Hours. You have to walk 5-7 hours most days, possibly up to 8 hours on some days.
- Pack weight. Carry up to 14 days food. You might need both a tent and a sleeping bag, cold weather and/or rain gear. You may need to carry two to three litres of water most days.
- Not suited to beginners unless they are exceptionally fit.
Good news. None of our level four and five trips are level four or five in every respect. One or more factors are at a lower level. Details are in the trip notes.
Click the link below to download a printable version of this information.
Level of Difficulty PDF
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