A HISTORY OF ULTRA DISTANCE WALKING IN AUSTRALIA With Particular Emphasis on the contribution of the Australian Centurions Tim Erickson Australian Centurion Walkers Inc. Last Update: 9 July 2019 2 Table of Contents CENTURION ROLL OF HONOUR................................................................................................................................5 A HISTORY OF ULTRA DISTANCE WALKING IN AUSTRALIA..........................................................................7 EARLY COLONIAL EXPLOITS....................................................................................................................................8 EARLY ULTRA DISTANCE WALKING, 1896 – 1904..............................................................................................14 NSW LONG DISTANCE WALKS, 1926 – 1929...........................................................................................................17 VICTORIAN LONG DISTANCE WALKS, 1928 – 1932............................................................................................23 QUEENSLAND LONG DISTANCE WALKS IN THE 1920'S...................................................................................31 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LONG DISTANCE WALKS OF THE PERIOD................................................................32 1937 – AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CENTURION...............................................................................................................35 THE PERIOD 1947 – 1967..............................................................................................................................................38 NEW ZEALAND ULTRA WALKING COMES OF AGE..........................................................................................49 AND WHAT OF THE WOMEN....................................................................................................................................50 AUSTRALIA’S FIRST CENTURION...........................................................................................................................51 1971 - THE START OF THE MODERN ERA.............................................................................................................52 1972....................................................................................................................................................................................54 1973....................................................................................................................................................................................55 1975....................................................................................................................................................................................56 1976....................................................................................................................................................................................60 1977....................................................................................................................................................................................61 1978....................................................................................................................................................................................62 1979....................................................................................................................................................................................63 1980....................................................................................................................................................................................65 1981-1993...........................................................................................................................................................................66 1994....................................................................................................................................................................................69 1995....................................................................................................................................................................................72 1996....................................................................................................................................................................................73 1997....................................................................................................................................................................................77 1998....................................................................................................................................................................................80 1999....................................................................................................................................................................................83 2000....................................................................................................................................................................................87 2001....................................................................................................................................................................................91 2002....................................................................................................................................................................................95 2003....................................................................................................................................................................................99 2004..................................................................................................................................................................................104 2005..................................................................................................................................................................................109 2006..................................................................................................................................................................................115 2007..................................................................................................................................................................................122 2008..................................................................................................................................................................................130 3 2009..................................................................................................................................................................................135 2010..................................................................................................................................................................................142 2011..................................................................................................................................................................................149 2012..................................................................................................................................................................................156 2013..................................................................................................................................................................................169 2014..................................................................................................................................................................................180 2015..................................................................................................................................................................................187 2016..................................................................................................................................................................................194 2017..................................................................................................................................................................................200 2018..................................................................................................................................................................................205 2019..................................................................................................................................................................................210 4 CENTURION ROLL OF HONOUR 1 Gordon Smith 1938 20:58:09 2 Jack Webber 1971 22:43:53 3 Jim Gleeson 1971 18:33:58 4 Clarrie Jack 1971 20:39:45 5 Stuart Cooper 1971 21:36:53 6 Tim Thompson 1972 23:48:08 7 Dudley Pilkington 1972 23:29:00 8 Fred Redman 1973 22:59:00 9 Mike Porter 1975 21:45:47 10 Stan Jones 1975 22:04:59 11 Chris Clegg 1975 22:34:14 12 John Harris 1975 23:18:15 13 Tim Erickson 1976 22:10:27 14 Claude Martin 1977 22:42:53 15 Bill Dyer 1977 22:50:33 16 John Smith 1978 18:49:20 17 Ian Jack 1979 17:59:30 18 Terry O'Neil 1979 21:13:08 19 Bill Dillon 1979 20:51:06 20 Geoff (Buck) Peters 1980 23:34:10 21 Jim Turnbull 1986 23:38:53 22 George Audley 1988 23:28:48 23 Stan Miskin 1988 22:59:48 24 Peter Bennett 1994 19:42:54 25 Andrew Ludwig 1994 22:26:09 26 Ken Walters 1994 22:28:31 27 Carmela Carrassi 1996 23:44:22 28 Caleb Maybir 1996 23:34:20