Kaye and Paul Gilhooly are fans of a long walk.
The Hobart couple like the sort of walk that takes months, and have just completed another long-distance wander — a whopping 1,200 kilometres.
"We have travelled by bicycle, local trains and even the regional buses through various countries but these modes of transport were still too fast," Mrs Gilhooly said.
"Travelling on foot is slow, time-consuming and physical.
Before the pandemic hit, they had planned to choose a big overseas walk, after enjoying walking 2,200 kilometres from Canterbury to Rome in 2019.
Instead, they looked around Australia for a long walk.
"We looked at other walks in South Australia and it might make you laugh but we decided they weren't long enough," Mr Gilhooly said.
The Heysen Trail fitted the bill, with the 1,200-kilometre walk laying claim to being Australia's longest marked walking trail.
It runs through the Flinders Ranges to Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula, involving beaches, sea cliffs, rolling hills and dry countryside.
The pair set off in early May and walked north, and took 66 days to complete the trail, returning to Tasmania last month.
Making the decision the 'hardest part'
Mrs Gilhooly said you did not have to be retired or unemployed to take an extended holiday.
"We are neither. Paul runs his own business and I work three days a week," she said.
"We don't wish to wait until we retire and then perhaps not have the health to do them."
Mrs Gilhooly said making the decision to go on an adventure was the hardest part.
"Once this is done, we set a real date for when we will leave," she said.
"There is no doubt that organising your life for when you are away is an enormous job and can be just as much work as organising the actual trip, but this is part of the process.
"Realising your dreams doesn't come easy."
Mrs Gilhooly said she acknowledged that everyone's situation was different, and some challenges were more difficult to overcome than others.
"But, I am continually amazed how everything starts to fall into place after the decision is made and the date set," she said.
"You become more inventive and confident in your decisions."
Ant attack 'blow out'
The pair said they were frequently asked how they got along during the mammoth walk.
"We get on really well, we don't sweat the small stuff," Mrs Gilhooly said.
"We just have a way of working it out with each other, no blame or shame.
"You do get tired and stressed, and we did have one blowout, but not necessarily at each other."
It was a bull ants' nest that sparked the 'blowout' towards the end of the walk, which resulted in ants crawling up Mrs Gilhooly's legs.
They had a week of bad weather, with storms and even snow, and the terrain had been challenging.
"At this point, I just tipped over the edge, pent up energy exploded and I lost it," Mrs Gilhooly said.
Mr Gilhooly said to undertake a walk like the Heysen Trail, they had to rely heavily on each other.
"We had to carry up to a week's worth of food at a time," he said.
"We have to look out for each other all the time."
Organising the food was a huge logistical challenge, with the vegan pair cooking, weighing and vacuum-sealing all their meals in advance.
They gave a friend a mailing schedule, who posted meals to various small post offices throughout the walk.
Age no barrier
Mr and Mrs Gilhooly are 63 and 60, but said age was no barrier to undertaking the Heysen trail.
"When you do a long-distance walk, it's not really something you can train for," Mr Gilhooly said.
"We made sure we were at a reasonable level of fitness.
"You get fit as you go along, and we're careful and don't take unnecessary risks."
He said every step was important.
"Every step could be your last if you roll your ankle or something," he said.
Mrs Gilhooly said some days were harder than others on the trail.
"We walked about 20 kilometres a day, some days shorter and some days longer — about 30 kilometres," she said.
"Even some of the shorter days were very taxing."
Mrs Gilhooly said it was unrealistic to be at peak fitness before leaving for a walk.
She said long-distance walking could be hard on the body.
"I have osteoarthritis in my right knee so I go to my physio and have it checked out a few months before leaving," she said.
"He gives me exercises to strengthen my knees and legs, which I try to do daily.
"I also get him to check my backpack, walking poles and boots to check they are all in a good position."
Mrs Gilhooly said her feet had not been the same since their first long walk.
"I also go to the podiatrist and make sure my feet are in good condition and my boots are right," she said.
"A long walk is just one step at a time but you do have to do some training.
"Start small and build it up over several months."
