Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

An 84-year-old Sydneysider has taken on the Walk the Yorke trail unassisted and completed all 500 kilometres in just 29 days, including seven rest days.

Don Andrews started in Port Wakefield on June 4 and walked along the eastern and western coasts of Yorke Peninsula via all 10 stages of the trail to arrive in Moonta Bay on July 2.

He carried his supplies, tent and bedding on his back, and camped along the trail most nights, interspersed with some overnight stays and rest days at caravan parks.

Supplies of dehydrated food were mailed to him and he collected them from post offices along the way.

Mr Andrews averaged 23km a day, and his final stint, from The Gap to Moonta Bay, was 31km.

Speaking the day after he completed the walk, Mr Andrews said he was feeling fine, apart from having sore calves.

“People might think doing 31km when you’re 84 is ridiculous but I certainly got a buzz when I finished the whole thing,” he said.

“The scenery is great and there are some beautiful beaches.

“The highlights were seeing the red cliffs around Ardrossan and Balgowan.

“All the people I met along the track and the managers of the caravan parks were most helpful.”

Mr Andrews said there was adequate water available to him in towns and from the tanks provided along the trail but people planning to undertake its entire length in summer should check with Yorke Peninsula Council first about water levels in the tanks.

A lifelong bushwalker, he keeps fit by walking four to five kilometres every day and has completed 55 designated walks around Australia.

They include South Australia’s 1200km Heysen Trail from Cape Jervis to Parachilna, which he completed in stages.

“I’m not going to do another one this long again,” Mr Andrews said.

He praised the scenic design of the trail, which was led by former Yorke Peninsula Council operations manager Stephen Goldsworthy.

The trail was officially opened 10 years ago and Mr Goldsworthy said most walkers who took on the entire length of the trail in one stint were assisted by support crew in vehicles.

“He (Mr Andrews) is one tough cookie,” he said.

“As far as I know, he is the oldest person to take on the entire trail unassisted.”

Mr Andrews was presented with a Walk the Yorke certificate of completion by current YPC operations manager Ian Yarrow at a dinner in Ardrossan on July 3.

Mr Goldsworthy said he would love to see Walk the Yorke become as well known as the Heysen Trail and for more people to enjoy its unique coastal scenery.

Friends of Walk the Yorke holds regular walks along sections of the trail and can be contacted on Facebook.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 8 July 2025.