3,000 kilometres solo: Nikki's journey along the National Trail
When I heard about Nikki and her National Trail Journey, I knew I had to share her story.
Rural Rays was made for people who love the outdoors — the farmers, the riders, the adventurers, who don't shy away from the sun but embrace it. Nikki is exactly that person — except she's taken it further than most of us could dream of…
Nikki, Simon & their six horses. Location: Gardens of Stone NP, overlooking Wolgan Valley, NSW.
Nikki is 33, Australian-Canadian, and currently somewhere in Queensland on horseback, riding Australia's National Trail — all 5,300 kilometres of it, from Melbourne to Cooktown.
It started with a random Google search. Nikki was looking up how to camp with horses when the National Trail came up. Riding from Melbourne to Cooktown? Impossible, she thought. But the idea of doing even parts of it? She couldn't shake it.
Life took her in other directions for a while; she met her husband Simon and the two of them spent years travelling Australia as tour guides. But the trail never left her mind.
“The longer I mulled it over, the more I wanted to do the whole thing.”
Eventually, they committed to hardest, but most spectacular part. They trucked their five horses to Healesville, outside Melbourne, and started riding home. In just over six months they made it to the Queensland border — a stretch that includes the Victorian High Country, where the elevation gain alone equals climbing Mount Everest twice.
Nikki’s packhorses: Split Ear, Scout & Denny (left to right).
What Keeps Nikki Going?
For Nikki it's not about the achievement — it's about refusing to let a dream quietly disappear. "It's easy to get caught up in what we're 'meant' to be doing," she says, "sometimes at the expense of our dreams." The trail, for her, is proof of what becomes possible when you stop waiting, pursue your dream and live without regrets.
When a second six-month window proved impossible to carve out together, Simon did something wonderful: he encouraged Nikki to chase down her dream and complete the trip to Cooktown.
While the full trail is an achievement in itself, it's the second half that truly sets her story apart. Accompanied only by three horses, Nikki is navigating vast distances, shifting landscapes, and the unpredictability of the Australian bush — solo. No support crew. No shortcuts.
“When you set out for the day, it’s just roads on a map — but what that actually looks like always keeps me guessing.”
The horses are at the heart of it. They're also her biggest stress — she has no backup if feed or water runs short, and everything depends on reading the country right. But she wouldn't have it any other way.
Georges Creek NSW.
Nikki and her horses cover 20–30 kilometres a day, camping with them at night. Some days they're exhausted, but most days, she says, the horses have the routine well and truly sorted and genuinely enjoy the changing scenery.
“Some of my favourite moments out here have been the unplanned ones... finding a beautiful spot and deciding we’re not going anywhere just yet.”
A highlight so far:
Riding up to the summit of Mount Howitt in the Victorian High Country — a scene straight out of The Man from Snowy River, she says.
Hours in the Saddle and Sun
She's covered 3,000 kilometres so far and has 2,300 still ahead through Queensland. Nikki anticipates her challenges from here on out will be the heat, sun and finding good feed for the horses.
This is where I feel a connection to Nikki's story… She wears jeans and a long-sleeved work shirt every day — sensible, practical, exactly what you'd expect. But hours and hours in the saddle, day after day, means every gap matters. The neck is one of the most exposed and most overlooked.
A little while ago I sent Nikki some Rural Rays neck scarves to give a go on the trail — and she didn't take long to report back.
“I’m already loving Zoe’s Rural Rays neck scarves to protect my neck from the sun through QLD. They are so well made and sit so nicely, I only wish I’d gotten some sooner!”
That kind of feedback means everything. This is exactly the person I had in mind when I designed them — someone for whom sun protection isn't a nice-to-have, it's part of their lifestyle.
Nikki wearing the Rural Rays Flower Shop neck scarf. Designed for long days outdoors. Sits neatly under a collar, moves with you, and keeps the Queensland sun off the skin that matters most.
I'm cheering Nikki on every kilometre of the way. If you're heading into long days outside — whether that's on the trail, in the paddock, or just going about your day — take a leaf from her book.
Nikki says it best. "For me this trip is about pursuing a dream and living without regrets. It's easy to get caught up in what we're 'meant' to be doing, sometimes at the expense of our dreams. This trip stretched my concept of what was possible, what I was capable of." Whatever your version of the National Trail looks like — go ride it.
You can follow Nikki's journey on Instagram @_awayawhile or Facebook Away Awhile: Horse trekking Australia’s longest trail
