Objective & philosophy

Philosophy

Stay in the Present. Tomorrow does not exist yet.

During a bushwalking tour, living in the present comes naturally, unlike in our daily lives where we constantly ask ourselves “What’s next?”. In the bush, you can forget about this perpetual worry about the future and live in the moment.

Although it can be challenging to disconnect from modern life’s habits, fears, and expectations, it’s also quite simple to let go if you try. You just have to immerse yourself in the experience, whether it’s walking, eating, swimming, or admiring the scenery.

As you get to your tent to rest in the evening, instead of worrying about tomorrow, take a moment to reflect on what you have accomplished today. Remember and visualise the crystal clear waters you swam in, the breathtaking landscape you discovered from the top of a hill, the bush that welcomed your every step, the amazing meal you enjoyed. Embrace the little anxieties you overcame and fully immerse yourself in the satisfaction of having lived in the present moment.

My goal is to share the Australia I love.

In 1996 I began a series of walking and cycling trips that took me all over Australia, giving me a special knowledge of hard to get to places.
24 years later, I invite you to share the most beautiful sites discovered during these trips.
We start the “NoTraces adventure” with my favourite region: The Kimberley.
The first tours of NoTraces Bushwalking Australia are the Carr Boyd Ranges located near Lake Argyle in North Kimberley and the heart of Purnululu National Park on the border of the Tanami Desert.
The Carr Boyd Ranges are only known to the locals! We will explore the two distinct areas of the Carr Boyd Ranges, North and South. You will experience refreshing swims in tropical rivers, explore rugged gorges where only a few have tread and discover ancient rock art sites hidden from many for thousands of years.

Purnululu National Park is a popular site for tourists, but only a few venture further into the Piccaninny Gorge. We will go deep into the “Five Finger gorges” to explore the fascinating caves, wander through clear pools and marvel at towering cliffs.

Why NoTraces ?

The words “No Traces” underline our desire to protect the environment. It is not a fad but a holistic way of perceiving the world around us. The “Leave No Trace” philosophy consists in leaving only traces of our footprints.

We will have the chance to discover and camp in places forgotten not only by time but also and especially by the other “tour operators”, which means that wherever we go, we will be alone and we will also have the thrilling sense of being the first. Our philosophy is therefore to leave the site in good condition. We do not wash dishes in waterways, we do not use soaps or dishwashing products. Our goal is to avoid contamination and maintain the purity of the water for generations to come. In the morning, your guide will even remove the ashes from the wood fire to leave no lasting trace of our passage.
Leave No Trace!

Leave No Trace!

No Traces defines our outdoor philosophy. Below are our guidelines bases around minimising our impact in the cultural and  natural environments through which we pass. 

Cultural Environment

We respect Aboriginal art and other sites of cultural significance. It is important that we do not touch rock art, which can be damaged by the natural oils from human skin. We must not record the location of any art sites we see during the tour or disclose the location to anyone including on social media. On tours in Kakadu National Park we will ask you to sign their bushwalking agreement.

Natural Environment

When walking, we stay in a single line to minimize damage to plants underfoot. We leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as we find them. We also record non-native species on GPS and report sightings of them to appropriate sources. It’s very important to clean your boots before and after the walk to avoid transporting mud and biological matter, which may contain dieback fungal spores. To avoid damaging our wild places through your online presence, we ask you not to record and tag specific locations. Social media has created a lot of unexpected problems for the environment. Sharing GPS locations can lead to many people heading to an exact spot, more than it’s naturally able to deal with. It’s better to tag the national park you’re in and let people explore for themselves.

Toileting

You must dig a hole at least 20cm deep, 100m from water and cover it back up when you’re done.
You must pack out any sanitary pads and tampons because they don’t biodegrade. We discourage the use of wet wipes, if you do use them you must pack them out. We recommend recycled toilet paper, it breakdowns quicker and always use as little as possible. In some national parks, such as Purnululu, it is compulsory to pack out toilet paper and in this case NoTraces will provide disposal bags for your use. Check this video to learn about a similar technique:

Alternatively, using a bottle of water to clean after toileting is a great alternative to toilet paper.

Soap

We discourage the use of soaps on NoTraces tours because of their negative impact on waterways. There will be plenty of opportunities to swim and rinse-off as we travel throughout the day. Biodegradable soaps may be used well away from any water source (at least 50m). When we arrive at camp, the guide will designate areas for swimming and clothes rinsing to avoid contaminating drinking water.