The trail can be traced back to 1947 however it was proposed in 1969 that a trail joining the Flinders and Mount Lofty Ranges be established. A long distance trail comittee was established and in 1978 it was first opened to the public. The bulk of the trail was developed between 79 and 1992 and is now a fantastic 1200km trek.
The trail was and is named after the great Australian artist Sir Hans Heysen. He is mostly known for his landscape art. He built a studio called The Cedars in Handorf where it still stands today as it was left when he died in 1968.
The friends of the Heysen Trail was established in 1986 and is a voluntary organisation that helps maintain the trail. They lead walks along the trail for all sorts of groups, schools and individuals. I guess they are going to become our friends pretty soon.
