The Origin of Hike and Seek

HIKE : From the end of 2013 I began to start hiking solo in the outdoors. Initially having started off by driving to a large number of locations, I added hiking into my repertoire to be able to access more places and vistas.

SEEK : Mid 2013 I began my journey of taking amateur photos and driving around Greater Sydney ‘seeking’ out new sights to see and stepping out of my comfort zone into the outdoors.

HIKE AND SEEK : On a fateful day on the 19th May 2014 I was on a solo trip to the Wollemi National Park to the Glow Worm Tunnel and other side trips. On this beautiful and tranquil hiking trip out to the National Park I was thinking to myself that the Glow Worms were playing a game of hide and seek with me. I had the sudden light bulb moment of combining the two aspects of hike and seek into ‘Hikeandseek’ as a play on ‘hide and seek’ and decided to use this as my alias and instagram handle from that point on.

Humble Beginnings

The Hike and Seek Story begins in mid 2013 one weekend when I had a sudden urge to set off on an impromptu solo overnight drive up to Newcastle from Sydney and back. Not long after giving up community sport due to a foot injury I had found myself with more free time on weekends. After initially looking for company to socialize and people to go on outings with I decided I wanted to make the most of my time and head out to experience the outdoors for myself.

 So it is on that otherwise ordinary road trip that I armed myself with my entry level Canon 600D camera and started the drive up north. A little while after crossing the Hawkesbury River I decided to turn off the GPS and drive up the rest of the way via an unfamiliar route and stop by any vistas or points of interest I would come across along the way. At that point in time I stumbled across Chittaway Point on the Central Coast which is situated around Tuggerah Lake. As I drove along Geoffrey Road adjacent to Ourimbah Creek I was met with a truly beautiful scene of a perfectly still Tuggerah Lakes reflecting the sky across its vast glassy body of water.

 Truly captivated by that surreal scene I took out the camera and started to walk around the banks capturing the delightful scenes around me. I also met a fisherman who was fishing around the mouth of Ourimbah Creek and I was intrigued by how at peace he was in that moment in time. I proceeded to make small talk with him and capture a shot of that moment too. This was a completely unforeseen moment of inspiration for me.

The most inconspicuous of beginnings lead to many trips from that point on and I started to incorporate more walks on short unmarked trails and visited lookouts that were visible on satellite view but not so obvious on the road.

 I adopted a strategy of reaching a target destination without a defined constraint on time and that has allowed me to visit many side trips along the way to that final destination on subsequent trips. To this day, I still plan days like this here and there when I head out often on my own to adventure.

Hike and Seek (and Instagram)

 In September 2013 I began my instagram journey and began with my first post which was of that Chittaway Point view 2 months earlier. For the most part of 2013 and 2014 I set off on solo walks almost every weekend and made a conscious decision to see as much of Australia as I could. I began sharing my trips on instagram and started making a small impression on the outdoor community in Sydney and became ‘Hikeandseek’ in May 2014. By late 2014 I had received many queries about my hiking adventures such as locations, hiking basics and recommendations. Coupled with this, many outdoor enthusiasts reached out to me to possibly go on walks together and I would guide them to such places. I had no idea how seriously I would end up taking hiking in the early stages, especially with the influence of instagram but it was truly an early blessing in disguise.

With these solo trips, I started travelling around Australia interstate on solo trips to try and discover ‘our own backyard’. As fascinating as international travel is I have always been drawn to the prospect of venturing our vast Australian landscape and learning more about our country. After visiting South Australia in 2018, it completed at least one visit to every state, with some states like Tasmania and Queensland more than 5 times each due to my fondness of hiking trails in those areas.

In 2015, I began officially guiding small groups (as a hobby) via instagram and other sources of social media to various walks in and around Greater Sydney. After experiencing the goodness of nature and outdoors over time I wanted to share more of this with other enthusiasts and also use this opportunity to learn from other’s journeys and experiences too. As I shared more of my experiences with others I gained more feedback on my performance as a budding guide and realized that I had a real passion for spending time in the outdoors, orienteering and sharing this experience with others. It is at this point in time I decided guiding was in the works for me.

 2016 was perhaps my biggest year in terms of growth as I focussed more time on growing ‘hikeandseek’ on instagram and taking large self-sufficient groups out on relaxed days of adventure and discovery around Greater Sydney. Most notably in 2016 I co-hosted an event that invited over 30 outdoor adventurers from Sydney and Newcastle on a social adventure day out on the Central Coast finding many local gems. I have been lucky to organize many such events since then and have had positive receptions on the events.

To the present day, I have furthered my experience in guiding in the outdoors, with first aid training whilst also working in a hospital setting, education and years of guiding on the field with the appropriate safety precautions adhered to and been able to share many memorable Hikeandseek moments with people.