A Donkey's Tail - Trek Australia with Wilderness Expeditions

Explore FNQ

Jul 28

“Donkeys can take up to 22% of their own body weight”

explained Tim as he loaded our donkey ‘Biscuit’ up with all our clothing for 3-days plus 2 tents, 2 stretcher beds and 2 chairs. I was just thankful it wasn’t me carrying the load before we set off on our 3-day Pack Donkey Trek Australia adventure.

The donkey's were fantastic in that they carried everything for us!!

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It’s hard not to get attached to your donkey. Not only are they carrying all your ‘luggage’ but they’re also such docile and placid creatures, not flighty like horses plus they're hardy, trekking over the rough terrain with ease. We were journeying through the back of Cairns near Herberton, following the Wild River. By the time we’d finished our trek Australia Wilderness Expedition I had a new found respect for donkeys.

Tim sharing some of his knowledge of the area

Donkey selfie

Picnic on the Wild River

Donkey love

Tim, our guide, knew all the donkey’s names and backgrounds (which is no mean feat considering he had 27 on his farm) and always made sure they took precedence at feed times. He also lived and breathed the landscape surrounding us. Pointing out flora and fauna, the hills and ranges nearby, and unusual rock formations and naming and explaining them all.

Thankfully Tim seemed to know where he was going!!

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Tim’s navigation skills were formidable. Where I saw never ending bush and long grass and cattle tracks that criss-crossed each other confusingly, he managed to take us on a direct line to our next waterhole.

Billy tea ready to go

Taking a dip in the Wild River

Filtering the water

A little bit of luxury in the bush

Our first stop was Bullock’s Crossing and Tim could tell us all the history of the area. A campfire was lit, billy put on the boil and then table and chairs came out with some wine and dips before dinner. Every night Tim would cook up a 3-course dinner on the campfire – fortunately we didn’t have to ration ourselves like normal wilderness expeditions.

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Thanks to the donkeys there was an element of luxury camping in the bush, despite the fact we had trekked into the spot purely on foot. Our second night was spent at a part of the Wild River called Pannikin Waterhole. It was a big expanse of sand resembling a beach and located on a bend of the river, with rapids at each end.

Sunset at Pannikers

Full cooked brekky

Tim leading the way

At the end of our trek Australia Wilderness Expedition it was hard not to have a new found respect for the donkeys, the animals that had been by our sides the whole way and carried our load over all sorts of terrain. If I could have taken one home with me I would have, and I’m sure my kids would have agreed……