Tristan
Co-founder

Tristan brings an eclectic range of experiences to Emu Trekkers. He has worked in the travel industry, as both an adventure tour guide and as a travel agent. He is also trained as a historian and an Australian lawyer, and has published in the area of international refugee law. Tristan co-founded Emu Trekkers due to his desire to combine his love of hiking with his ethos of giving back to those less fortunate. ​​

Rutty
Co-founder

Rutty is an Australian doctor currently training in paediatrics. She has worked helping children with their health in NGOs in different parts of the world. Rutty co-founded Emu Trekkers because she thought that there was a unique opportunity to show off Australia to visitors while at the same time raising funds and awareness to assist children in need. 


​Sandra
Guide and Administrative Officer

Sandra comes from a background of wilderness camping and canoeing on the rivers and lakes of the Canadian Shield. She spent 5 years trekking through South America, Europe, and Africa, and 2 years living in China before finally immigrating to Australia.  Sandra now enjoys nothing more than introducing friends, family and visitors to the uniqueness of the Australian bush.​

Manon
Guide

Manon is a Blue Mountains girl who loves spending her weekends climbing, canyoning, hiking or surfing. As a former full-time volunteer for Quetzaltrekkers, she has led groups on 6-day hikes through the remote mountain wilderness of Guatemala. After returning to Australia, she encountered Emu Trekkers starting up and excitedly jumped on board, knowing how rewarding it is to be a volunteer guide.

Chris
Guide

Born and raised in the Austrian Alps, Chris brings years of experience to Emu Trekkers. He has led tourist groups up volcanoes as a full-time volunteer guide with Quetzaltrekkers in Guatemala, and he has spent considerable time exploring the via ferratas and rock climbing in Europe. Now based in Sydney, Chris is completing a PhD in science and exploring the Australian bush with Emu Trekkers. If you ever need a bit of help on a steep ascent, Chris is the guy you want by your side.

Bonnie
Guide and Grants Officer

Bonnie is one of those people who wakes up in the morning and thinks, how can I make today awesome, for me and for others? Lawyer by day and adventurer by weekend, Bonnie loves to share her passion for the Australian outdoors while meeting people from around the world on Emu Trekkers tours. When she is not leading hikes in the Blue Mountains, you will probably find her cycle touring or teaching yoga.

Shannon
Guide and Marketing Officer

From Nepal to North Africa, from Belize to Bavaria! Our guide Shannon has hiked in more than 30 countries across the globe but loves nothing more than the national parks in her own backyard here in Sydney. Project Manager by day and adventurer by, well, weekend, Shannon loves to show off the amazing outdoors our city has to offer and is proud to be able to use her hiking (and marketing!) experience to support our cause. She's especially passionate about sharing the interesting history of our walks and loves a good yarn along the way!

Brad
Guide

A Sydney local, Brad developed a love of hiking and the outdoors on his travels through Europe, South America and South Africa. Attracted by the Emu Trekkers ethos, he loves providing a memorable experience to people visiting and exploring Australia. When he’s not out hiking or running ultra-trail marathons, he devotes his energy and skills to designing and delivering health and wellbeing programs for corporate clients via the Good Mood Dudes. He's also the BD Manager for the Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation.

Tadeh
Guide

Tadeh is a Sydney local that is passionate about the Great Outdoors, keeping our environment clean and maintaining access for future generations. He is a keen hiker and rock climber, who regularly ventures out to the Blue Mountains to explore new areas and face new challenges. He was born in Australia, is of Armenian descent and has travelled extensively around the world to learn about other cultures and understand their perspectives on life. 

Brooke
​​Guide and Business Development Officer

 Brooke has hiked everywhere from Patagonia to Peru and Slovakia to New Zealand. She moved to Sydney in late 2016 from the UK with one aim - to spend more time outside. She now spends every minute she can exploring the Aussie landscape and has completed some of Australia's most epic multi-day hikes. When she's not out exploring, Brooke works as a copywriter at a branding agency and as a freelance writer, sharing her adventures in print and online.  

Nic
Guide

People tend to look up to Nic as one of the few guides truly on the same level as the trees around him. Height aside, he is currently studying physics and space engineering at university, mixing in a bit of jazz trumpet in his spare time. Nic volunteers with Emu Trekkers so he can combine his love for the outdoors with a passion for helping and teaching others along the way. If you are looking for someone who can really explain why the Blue Mountains are blue, Nic is the one for the job.

Erryn
Guide

Erryn brings his excitement and knowledge for
​the Australian bush from his training as a conservationist, but also as an avid trekker and outdoors lover. He is motivated to share the history of Australia so that collective understanding and action can be taken to rehabilitate and sustain the Australian landscape. If Erryn isn’t working in your garden or trekking on a mountain, he’ll be busy working on his next piece of furniture.

Mitch
Guide

There is perhaps no guide around who could tell you more about the Australian coast line than Mitch. As a world expert in coastal erosion who has published in some of the top scientific publications, Mitch spends almost as much time examining whats going on at beaches as Kelly Slater. Mitch has a love of the Australian bush, and when he is not researching or lecturing in coastal engineering, loves to show off his backyard as a guide for Emu Trekkers.

Michelle
Guide and Social Media + Events Officer

Michelle joined Emu Trekkers after returning from Central America and discovering a new found appreciation for the beauty of her very own backyard, The Blue Mountains. Michelle has a passion for people, travel, hiking, photography and diving. She brings hiking experience from Iceland and Greenland, Nepal, Morocco, Italy, New Zealand and Australia and loves sharing her passions with other travellers. 

Brendan
Guide

Brendan loves trekking deep in the Australian wilderness from Frenchman’s Cap to the delightful Sydney Coast Track. Being fortunate to grow up by the Royal National Park, Brendan wants everyone to have to the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Brendan is currently studying Renewable Energy Engineering and Chinese language at university, and looks forward to chatting on the trail!

Jody
​​Media and PR Officer

 With more than 30 years experience as a journalist and PR practitioner, Jody is thrilled to be helping Emu Trekkers ‘spread the word’, combining her passions for the environment and the improvement of children’s literacy. As as 'soft adventurer', who is more at home outdoors than in, Jody spends her recreation time walking, cycling, snow skiing, camping, sailing and swimming (she’s even been known to practise yoga outdoors). 

Peter H
Guide

Some think of retirement as reinvention. After a long career in public service, Peter decided to guide for Emu Trekkers to pass on his knowledge and love for the bush and help kids in need at the same time. Brought up in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Peter has an incredible knowledge of the local history of the Manly area and Sydney, and loves to take others on the walking trails he calls home. In 2019, Peter received an Order of Australia for his service to the local community.

Nicolas
Guide

Nicolas was born and raised in the heart of the Andes Mountains. He came to Australia 9 years ago to complete a masters degree at UNSW and further his career in marketing, and while he was here he fell in love with Australia.
When Nicolas is not introducing visitors to the Blue Mountains, he can be found rescuing tourists from the surf at Bronte Beach where he volunteers with Surf Lifesaving Australia, or running across Mount Solitary in preparation for an ultra marathon.
​
Taylor
Guide
Originally from Oahu, Hawaii, being outdoors has always been a part of Taylor's life. As an art director and designer, she's been fortunate to work in some amazing cities, but has found Sydney to be a near-perfect medium between city life and an outdoor culture. Three years later, Taylor continues to take every opportunity to explore the Australian bush and still gets excited over a kangaroo sighting.

Bel
Guide

Bel joined Emu Trekkers to meet like minded outdoors enthusiasts and show-off the unique Sydney surrounds. Before coming to Sydney, she lived in Melbourne and Brisbane, so make sure you ask her the best places to travel in Australia. She is also an expert in the history of Australia. When she's not out tramping, you can find Bel pouring coffees, searching for the perfect sandwich, or rock climbing. Her hiking superpower is singing 90's hip hop - and that epic & infectious smile!

Mark
Guide

Mark was born and raised in Sydney and has walked extensively throughout the Sydney district and beyond. He loves sharing his wealth of knowledge of Sydney and its natural environment.
Mark believes that bush walking is more than just “getting to a destination to take a selfie”. Its about people, bush and the surprising things
​that happen on the track.

Melissa
Guide

Mel is one of our resident scientists. There is not much about our natural environmental world that Mel doesn't know (not her words - shes too humble) and she relishes the opportunity to be able to share this knowledge with others.
She joined Emu Trekkers because our values of 'giving back' align with her own. She loves to showcase Australia's unique environment to our domestic and international hikers as well as the opportunity to provide insights into our nation's past.
Linda
Guide
 Linda enjoys nothing more than being out in nature and exploring new hikes. She is passionate about promoting environmental conservation and building shared understanding to create a sustainable future. When not bike-riding, walking or trekking, Linda is a Well-being Coach as well as an avid gardener -  creating a haven for bees and insect-life.
Sarah
Guide
Sarah discovered her love of the outdoors in Australia and enjoys any excuse to escape city life. The Blue Mountains has always been a very special place for Sarah who feels lucky to show our hikers around whilst contributing to a great cause.
Melinda
Guide
After hiking all over the world,  Mel returned to Australia to explore and show off more of her own backyard. She has experience working in the tourism and not-for-profit sectors, and during the day organises workshops educating people about mental health. When she is not hiking,  she is drinking lots of coffee, reading, trying new yoga poses and studying fitness.

Leah
Guide

Leah is a social worker most of the time, and an adventurer for the rest. Her first love of the outdoors was hiking and she feels such a sense of gratefulness when walking for hours among the trees or when reaching the summit of a mountain. Leah feels the rhythm of the mountains and you will most often catch sight of her either shredding dirt on her pink mountain bike, or shredding powder in her pink snowboarding jacket.

​She absolutely loves lighthouses, tugboats, and the colour pink!
Peter L
Guide
​Peter has traveled the globe extensively, trekking, rock climbing and mountaineering in some the most spectacular places the world has to offer. 
​Recently settled in Sydney, one of his favourite past-times is to strap on his running shoes and hit the trails in the Blue Mountains. He loves to take visitors out on these same trails to show them the beauty and grandeur of the mountains and to talk about their history and the diverse range of plant and animal life that make their homes there.

Karen
Marketing Officer

Karen enjoys hiking and biking around the world, seeking out unique stories and experiences. Favourite memories include cooling off in pristine waterfalls deep in the Peruvian jungle and tracing the path of the Samurais through the breathtaking autumn hues of northern Japan. Karen is a Marketing and Comms Manager with extensive experience promoting Sydney and NSW tourism. Closer to home, she loves discovering Sydney’s many spectacular hidden coves and beaches or just Sunday strolls with her two rescue dogs around the local forests and reserves.

Chris
Guide

Chris loves walking, sailing, climbing, diving and conserving the Australian environment (and anywhere else in the world that time and money permit). After 30 years or so as an engineer and business entrepreneur, he is now retired and has sworn never to set foot in an office again!

David
Guide

After growing up in the Blue Mountains, David loves nothing better than to help give everyone the chance to experience the beauty and excitement of Sydney's hiking trails. Along with being an Emu Trekkers guide, David also spends his spare time as an executive member for two university clubs, helping to organise various outdoor activities like windsurfing, rock climbing, surfing and
​mountain biking.


​Hannah
Guide

Hannah is an adventurer at heart and has always loved travelling which is what brought her to Australia back in 2014. Originally from the UK, Hannah studied modern languages at university and then went on to live in Italy and South America before settling in beautiful Sydney. Hannah works as an English language teacher and in her free time is happiest when she is outside exploring the local area.

Emu Trekkers is currently recruiting for guides!​

Find out how you can get involved.
​ Emu Trekkers is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR).
ABN 82614391614.​​
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© Emu Trekkers - Hike Australia. Help Kids. 2023.