Over the past 5 years, the research coming out on gut health have been fascinating. While we know that every organ interacts with and impacts other systems in our bodies, how it all works and where the gut fits into this picture has remained mysterious for most of medical history. Viome is working towards uncovering insights for us, so I used their gut health intelligence test kit as an experiment in early February 2025.

I’ve been wanting to write this review for the past 6 months, but waited patiently to retest before sharing public opinions. Glad I didn’t jump the gun. 6 months ago, I may have been Viome’s biggest fan and cheerleader in social conversations, and have not paid much attention to some red flags due to my subjective feelings and excitement about the space. My knowledge on longevity and HealthTech innovation has 10x-ed within the past 12 months, which has also rewarded me with a more critical and scientific lens to view products.

You may want to skip to certain sections that are relevant to you because I tend to write essays. To give you a shortcut, in this article, you will find…

• Backstory, gut microbiome science, and company info

• What I dislike about Viome

  • Including some snippets of my results and David’s results

  • Including Viome’s official response

• Thoughts of innovation

• What I like about Viome

• My goals & future experiments

• Final words

Backstory, Gut Microbiome Science, and Company Info

To bring everyone on the same page, Viome started as a gut health intelligence test kit provider, then extended itself to oral health, and jumped on the ‘biological age’ testing trend.

The company now has a partnership with Evvy (vaginal microbiome testing) led by Priyanka Jain, the daughter of Viome’s CEO. So, the family has taken on an ecosystem to specialise in the research and analysis of microbiomes that are not commonly studied, contributing to advancements in medical ‘mystery boxes’.

The gut health kit collects a stool sample, the oral health kit collects saliva, and the full body intelligence test collects stool, saliva and blood test. The results from the test kit are revealed in different categories (like ‘gut lining’, ‘TMA production’), given a score out of 100, and a ranking (attention, improve or maintain). These categories and scores are then used to produce a list of recommended foods and supplements, along with a list of foods to minimise and avoid (for the next 6-12 months).

This is a huge step into personalised nutrition. Personalised health has been the theme for longevity experts in 2023 - 2024, because everybody has slightly different needs. AI is making the transition into personalised medicine even sooner, and Viome takes advantage of this technology.

Let’s dive into the gut microbiome science.

The gut is another organ, just like the liver and kidneys, and the ‘gut microbiome’ includes all the bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea and eukaryotes that inhabit the human body.

• The gut is about 6.7–9.2 meters long, depending on the person’s weight (not height). Given the length, foods generally take 14 to 58 hours to move through one’s digestive tract (the average time being 28 hours).

• There are ~10x the number of microbial cells in the human gut than in the whole human body, totalling roughly 38 - 100 trillion microbes, and 1,000 - 5,000 different species.

• Women (before menopause) have a much higher variety of gut microbiome than men, and require a larger plant variety for a healthy diet. After menopause, the female gut microbiome starts to resemble the male gut microbiome. This is assumed to influence the “menopausal symptoms” like mood swings.

• Women need +25g and men need +35g of fibre a day. More recent research is suggesting a diet of 1 : 2.5 ratio (fibre : protein) for the most effective protein digestion and longevity. So, if you are consuming 120g of protein, this means consuming at least 48g of fibre a day. However, most people don’t consume more than 15g of fibre a day.

• It’s recommended to consume +30 different types of plant foods in your diet every week. This number includes herbs and spices.

• Individuals with the highest fibre consumption have a 22-23% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those with the lowest intake. A 10g increase in fiber per 1000 kcal corresponds to roughly 4.3 to 5.4 fewer years of biological aging for some individuals.

• Everyone’s microbiome is different, just like their fingerprint. Even identical twins are known to only share about 34% of the same gut microbes. Unrelated people share about 30%.

• Couples who live together tend to have more similar gut microbiomes than siblings. In fact, the longer a couple lives together, the more similar their gut microbiome becomes. This is largely driven by shared diets and intimacy. For example, a 10-second kiss can transfer about 80 million bacteria. Choose your partner wisely!

• The gut produces 95% of a person’s serotonin and 50% of their dopamine. The gut has its own nervous system (enteric nervous system) with neurons and neurotransmitters, allowing it to communicate with the brain, influencing mood and anxiety.

• 70% of the immune system resides in the gut. Your gut microbiome and the foods that travel through the gut influence (or “train”) your immune system in how it responds to irritants and disease.

• Key vitamins produced by the gut microbiome: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12 (in colon) and K2.

• Leaky gut is highly associated with chronic stress, PTSD and C-PTSD, due to the damage elevated cortisol levels cause to the gut lining. These profiles also commonly experience vitamin B deficiencies, especially B5 and B12 (for women). However, in most countries (including Australia), testing for certain B-vitamins, like B5, is not available and discouraged.

• Up to 40-50% of adults globally experience chronic, uncomfortable gut symptoms, like bloating, constipation and abdominal pain.

• Faecal Microbiota Transplantation can be used to treat certain diseases. However, individual experiences show that it comes with the risk of inheriting the “healthier” individual’s “unhealthy” traits. For example, one may cure their severe acne within weeks, but take on depression in return. Fascinating stuff! Due to the risks associated with this method, healthcare professionals currently only prescribe this method under controlled care to treat severe bacterial infections in the colon.

• Gut dysbiosis is linked to obesity, Type-2 diabetes, heart diseases, IBS, immune diseases and mental health diseases.

This brings me to Viome’s mission statement: “to digitize, decode, and decipher human biology for the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases and cancer.”

How? Well, by matching the trillions of microbial cells to different pathway activities and diseases. It’s the logic of, “X profile with groups of Y and Z always links to Type-2 diabetes.”

To access these insights…

1. Fill out their questionnaire that asks about specific symptoms (i.e. skin conditions, mental health conditions), including how much you poop and fart.

2. Collect your samples. For gut health intelligence tests (which is what we have done initially), this is only a stool sample. For full body intelligence tests (which is what we have done as a follow-up test), this is a stool, saliva and blood sample.

3. Ship the testing kit back to Viome’s lab in the US.

4. An AI model analyses the samples to produce “health zones” (individual scores for specific markers), “microbiome profile” (i.e. diversity, dysbiosis), and “recommendations” (foods and supplements). If you purchased the full body intelligence test, you will also receive a biological age and inflammaging score.

5. If you live in the US, you can purchase your custom supplements directly from Viome.

If you think there is a lot of pattern recognition and correlations going on, you are spot on. That’s how Viome operates. And that’s what most of the scientific research on gut health has been based on (along with some fancy trials of faecal transfers, changing diets to track changes in the gut, etc).

On one argument, Viome “must be” super precise and accurate, as there could be trillions of different combinations of microbiome a person has, some of which gut health specialists are newly discovering (i.e. the Tanzanian villagers who eat +100g of natively grown fibre a day). On the other hand, this is an extremely challenging space to operate in with “too many” combinations and possibilities to comprehend.

Side note: I won’t comment about the oral microbiome side of things. I know when to step down, and this isn’t my area of expertise… for now. Out of everything I have obsessed about in the longevity space, oral health is still on my list of things to research. All I know is that my dentist thinks my gums are very healthy, and I only have 1 filling from past carelessness (the average is 4.6 for people aged between 20 - 35). This space (how oral microbiome impacts the rest of the organs) is also very new, with lots of mysteries to still uncover.

The catch with Viome was their personalised recommendations. The world is a paradise when someone has all the answers for you. Eat exactly like this for longevity — how easy. What’s the other option? Keep guessing what your body needs? I mean, sure, it needs “whole foods”, but maybe it needs some whole foods more than others. It’s very tempting to know that you can crack the code, especially if you have the discipline, diligence and passion to follow through, as David & I did.

On top of that, there comes the very inspirational vision statement: “Imagine A World Where Illness Is Optional” — by Naveen Jain, the CEO of Viome.

I had a few things I wanted to work on and understand about my body early last year, so I thought, why not? And I wife-pressured David to purchase a separate kit too.

I had 2 main goals:

1. Find out which type of seafood was making me feel like sh*t.

   I love seafood. Most of the time, I experience no issues when I eat seafood. Occasionally, when I get a “seafood mix” with +4 types of seafood, I experience an intense stabbing pain and sweating for about 2 hours. We went to the hospital twice for it in the past. However, we could not figure out the mystery, so I stopped having seafood altogether.

   I knew that Viome is not an official food intolerance test kit, but I thought it could give me a rough idea. No harm trying.

2. Find out whether I could have an impact on my PMS symptoms by making my gut healthier.

   About 4 days before my period, I generally experience the standard PMS symptom package that 40% of women have: bloating, mood swings, food cravings, constipation, etc. It was never severe enough for me to seriously pursue in the past, but I did not want to have any sort of monthly discomfort. If I can fully eliminate it, why not pursue this?

David had one goal: improve mental clarity and sharpness. Fair. For most individuals, cognitive health begins to decline from age 30, with faster and more noticeable changes typically occurring from age 60. So, if there is an age one should get on top of their cognitive health, it should probably be NOW.

I normally start my review with the pros, but honestly, there isn’t a lot to say, and the pros do come with some “exceptions”. So, I’m leaving that to the end.

What I Dislike About Viome?

The app that never loads

There is a line that a product needs to cross for me to complain about the technology, and it’s quite a generous one for HealthTech companies — rarely happens. My patience with HealthTech companies when it comes to user experience comes from the fact that the accuracy of testing and science backing of the model matters the most (by far).

However, somehow, Viome crossed that line for David & I, multiple times. It took me over 50 minutes to complete their “5-minute questionnaire” due to how slow each question loaded and the constant crashes. The process was so painful that I aged during the process (pun intended), and for the first time ever, I was bothered enough to bother going to the Google Store and leave feedback. It still makes me feel bad, because I dislike complaining when there is a team of people working hard to improve an app. But the app just does not work half of the time. Maybe because we live in Australia and the US time zones with dev release crossover. But I hardly ever use the app now. Given up. And it seems like we are not the only ones. Sharing only 2 examples below.

Just use the desktop version.

Customer Service

I’ve had a few experiences with the customer support team, and if I was to put an adjective to describe my experience, it would be ‘sloppy.’

The US changed their tax laws for overseas imports and exports on the 29th of August. Unsurprisingly, living in Australia and having no connections in the US, I was not aware of this and what it meant for Viome parcels.

I tried to send my parcel to Viome mid-October via Australia Post. After a couple of weeks, my parcel was returned. The only explanation given was that other “biological and non-biological samples were also being sent back.” So, I wanted to reach out to the Viome’s team and explain the situation. Their customer support email was hidden, almost impossible to find. I had to explain the situation to the chatbot, which kept on telling me that this is my problem and Viome is not responsible for returned parcels. Then, I asked for the customer support email. Eventually, the chatbot gave me an email.

Between the 15th and the 22nd of October, we discussed the situation and what to do about it. Here is a snippet from the conversation:

“I can go ahead and process a free replacement kit for you if that works. Could you please confirm your shipping ZIP code and the month and day of birth so I can verify your account and set this up? When your kit gets to you and you’re ready to send it back, just give me a shout and I’ll walk you through the steps.”

I thought, “oh, that’s great. It seems like they are experimenting with a chatbot. They need to refine it, but my problem is resolved. Thanks, team.”

But my problem was not resolved.

On the 7th of November, I sent a follow-up:

“I just want to double check that another Viome parcel was sent to ………………………. AUSTRALIA? I did not receive anything (and usually parcels from Viome arrive pretty quick), so wanted to check with you.”

On the 11th of November, I received a very odd response, asking if I have the package on hand so they can look up the tracking number. Clearly, someone didn’t read my email properly. So, on the same day, I respond with:

“Not sure what you are referring to, sorry. I don’t have the package. That’s why I am following up. I didn’t receive an ID number.”

A day later, I realised that no one actually sent the parcel to me.

“I took a look at your account, and it looks like no new orders have been processed or shipped to you. The most recent order we have on file is the kit you sent back to us in October. Right now, we haven’t received those samples at our lab yet.”

So, I took a deep breath in and replied back with:

“We emailed each other about 4 weeks ago. My original parcel could not be shipped. So you replied with……………..[quoting].”

So, my parcel was sent on the 14th of October. It was a downer because I was so excited to send my results. It was also frustrating that someone forgot about a customer. I guess it was a human mistake. And maybe their support email platform does not show the interaction history (the same email thread). Felt sloppy to me.

Here’s the other thing: they never informed me that the root cause of the issue was US tax laws. So, we had the same issue, again. As a consumer, I didn’t know I was expected to read up on every country’s tax law updates for different sized parcels. Generally, I trust the company to explain the shipping process to me and the post office to ship my parcel appropriately. To my luck, both didn’t happen.

My parcel was held for a week in US customs because “Viome has to pay taxes,” said someone from DHL on the phone. I was quite confused, but the person on the phone was confident that Viome would know about this. So, my back-and-forth emails resumed. Here’s a summary:

• Viome’s stance: “When shipping test samples internationally to Viome’s lab, all customs duties, taxes, and related fees are the responsibility of the sender. Viome does not cover international shipping or customs-related costs, including duties and taxes.”

• DHL’s stance: “As discussed, Duties & Taxes are US government fees charged for items entering the country. Duties are the responsibility of the importer (receiver) when it comes to payment. Linked here is a guide explaining this in more detail. For that reason, we can’t accept a payment from you.” [referring to me, Doa]

• My stance: “I bought this test kit before the US tax laws changed. This isn’t a rule imposed by DHL. If it were, then I would have paid at the counter while shipping. No one mentioned this to me. I asked the lady on the phone if I could make the payment on Viome’s behalf, and she said, no. I can submit payment or transfer money to Viome, and Viome can pay the taxes, if that’s an option.”

This went around in circles for way too long. I wanted to pay. DHL would not accept payment from me, as they were not the ones demanding payment in the first place. Viome would not even try to help my situation and took the attitude of, “too much hassle, not my problem.”

So, how was this resolved?

I called up several people in DHL over a week, and a lovely customer support lady had a genius idea to create a “business profile” for me, so I can “appear” as the “importer.” She bent herself backwards to resolve my problem creatively, when Viome did not give a f*ck. Viome did not even explain my why this was happening, making the assumption that I am supposed to be on top of US tax laws, while this lady spent 30 minutes on the phone taking me through the changes that happened on the 29th of August. She also mentioned that their team has been trying to contact Viome to assist with this issue as well (and no one responded to them).

Kudos to DHL! They had no incentive to help me. But they still did.

This is when the Viome experience turned rotten and left a bad taste in my mouth. Sloppy? Seemed more like once you pay for their product, they don’t care.

I don’t mind slow service. I don’t mind when products or people hit restrictions or limits. I minded but also forgotten about the initial sloppiness (forgetting to ship the testing kit). But man… the attitude of, once you pay us, it’s your problem, is unacceptable.

And this attitude is across every part of their business decisions.

End-to-end of their product experience, from the marketing emails (vs the number of educational product emails) they send you, to their app experience, and business model (selling “personalised” supplements)… it feels like the finance and marketing department threw a coup and took over the product and customer support leadership. Everything screams out, “I want to sell you more, more, MORE!”

The “personalised” science

Yep, here I am, critiquing Viome’s model. I want to make a few things clear.

1. I am NOT criticising the research behind gut microbiome and how it impacts the rest of the human body. Absolutely not disputing scientific evidence.

2. I am criticising Viome’s model from a Product Manager’s perspective, based on clear inconsistencies, lack of transparency, and lack of acknowledgement from the wider scientific or medical community.

3. I do not want to pull the focus on my or my partner’s results, because my criticisms are irrelevant to our results.

I will first share my experience, then brainstorm potential explanations, and share Viome’s response. You be the judge.

• In February 2025, I was given a list of foods to avoid, minimise, enjoy and superfoods, along with a list of gut biotics and supplements. David did the same in March.

• We were determined to stay strict to all recommendations and keen to explore some new supplements. David and I had a supplement routine like Bryan Johnson’s for a while. Eventually, through trial and error, we refined our list of supplements into the “basics” + “specifics to cycle on and off.”

• My symptoms (bloating and sharp period cramps) disappeared. Those were self-reported in the questionnaire Viome gets you to fill out before the test. David somewhat achieved his goal of mental clarity too. However, this was mostly due to adopting a healthier diet and avoiding sugary foods/drinks on an empty stomach which used to give him a sharp blood sugar rise and drop.

• David completed the next round of tests after 4 months, purchasing the full health intelligence test. He religiously followed through all recommendations, except for ‘superfoods’ (about 70%, as he didn’t like the taste of apple vinegar, sauerkraut, etc). Results: he’s had slight improvements in certain areas, but almost all of his supplements changed, his ‘avoid’ list disappeared, and most of his ‘superfoods’ changed. This was a bit confusing. Viome claims that one must avoid a food in the avoid list for 6-12 months. So, how come it’s suggesting after 4 months to “enjoy” these foods (not even “minimise”)? In fact, lean beef even moved from avoid into the “superfood” list, with the suggestion to consume this food almost daily.

• I completed the next round of tests after 9 months, also purchasing the full health intelligence test. I religiously followed through the supplements and superfoods, and followed the ‘avoid’ list for 80% of the time. My results came back worse on many areas, stayed neutral in other areas, and only improved in a few areas. The shocking bit was that the specific markers for “leaky gut” worsened when Viome’s superfood and avoid list was all aimed at improving leaky gut. So, 9 months of effort for nothing? Some of my ‘superfoods’ and ‘avoids’ were flipped, which was quite concerning. So, by following Viome’s recommendations and regularly consuming artichoke, kefir, yoghurt and asparagus, etc, I successfully irritated my gut, and these became foods that I should ‘avoid’ for the next 6-12 months. How? On the flip side, buckwheat suddenly moved from avoid to superfoods, with no in-between recommendation of “make sure you slowly introduce buckwheat, as this was in your avoid list for the past 9 months.” The supplement list also changed significantly, with “tribulus” being introduced.

• Despite being completely suspicious of these recommendations, I tried to consume buckwheat 3 times since the results. Each time, I experienced bloating and sharp stomach cramps. I did not need to consume 605g of tribulus (as suggested) because I already know how that would impact me. Last year, I accidentally took David’s tribulus supplement (known to boost testosterone in men) in 250g for a week (mixed up our pills). Let me tell you something: that week was a nightmare. Sometimes, we look back and laugh about my behaviour during that week. Let’s say I’ve gotten a taste of what it’s like to be a 14-years-old boy… with full blast anger, “you wanna fight, you think you’re tough, I’m tougher” energy, “leave me alone dude” attitude, and a never-ending horny-ness. At one time, I got so angry after burning the eggs that I walked outside and hammered that pan on the grass until it broke off. Not kidding. David looked scared because I generally either feel happy, dreamy, bubbly, bouncy, sometimes sad, but very rarely, angry. Not something I wish to experience again. And Viome recommends 2.42x the dose. Not sure what to think. My mouth dropped open.

So… what do you make of this story?

I was very confused and concerned. There were a lot of questions circling through my head.

I needed answers. I was not ready to rule out Viome, and wanted to give them a chance, an opportunity to explain this before any I came up with my theories and conclusions.

So, I sent them an email. It’s long with a lot of questions — no accusations, I respect the team and the vision they are striving towards. 9 days later, I received a strong response. I really appreciate that.

Here are my thoughts and theories… and Viome’s responses

Viome’s recommendations are purely based on the questionnaire/survey (or heavily, >50%, influenced by it)

This could explain the sudden shifts between ‘avoids’ and ‘superfoods’.

Example: buckwheat moved from “avoid” (for leaky gut) to “superfood” (for mood) after I selected a mood-related goal, even though leaky gut indicators remain present.

A few other foods have also changed, following this logic (from my observations and deep-dives).

The downer is that it defeats the whole purpose of Viome. I mean, I could have asked ChatGPT, “recommended foods and supplements for female hormonal balance and mood.” It would have also handed me a generic risk.

Seems like others arrived at the same conclusion, too.

Viome’s response:

“Food recommendations are driven primarily by your health scores, which reflect gene expression activity across pathways. Self-reported goals do not override your biological data. Instead, the goals help highlight which pathways to prioritize and focus on when generating recommendations to support those specific outcomes.”

So, I guess we agree.

This comes down to subjective opinions, but I don’t see the value in following Viome’s recommendations any more than avoiding ultra-processed foods, refined sugars and carbs, and using my own AI model to ask advice based on specific health goals that I have.

Maybe I am being cynical, but I want to opt in for a model that identifies and prioritises what I need, rather than what I think I need (or what I want). It kind of kills the selling point for me.

Viome sample quality degrades over time (shipping & transit time impacts accuracy)

Viome’s response:

“Your sample remains stable for up to 30 days due to the preservatives used in the collection kits. There is no week-by-week degradation curve, and extended transit times do not meaningfully affect accuracy within that window.”

If there is no week-by-week degradation curve, then why have a “30 day” rule? Maybe the degradation curve starts after 30 days. I can accept that.

Viome’s recommendations and results are only accurate with full health intelligence tests (when a blood sample is also collected)

Maybe, the reason behind my markers getting worse, and the food and supplement recommendations list dramatically changing is due to the fact that the gut health intelligence test was never accurate to start off with. We assumed this may be the case after David’s results looked very different as well.

The idea that getting a full comprehensive test with more markers collected (blood AND stool) showing more accurate results makes sense.

The real danger is that you could be recommended foods and supplements that actually harm your gut and other organs. This really concerned me. Feels unethical to sell the gut health intelligence test (at least without clearly highlighting the risks associated with it) when data is not reliable?

Potentially, the recommendations could harm someone. Maybe that’s why my results have become worse over time — maybe Viome’s recommendations caused further harm to my gut.

However, how come neither the stool sample nor the blood sample could not pick up that certain foods/supplements were impacting me negatively — i.e. buckwheat and tribulus?

Viome’s response:

“Viome results are a snapshot of your biological needs at a specific moment in time. Your microbiome, cellular activity, and immune responses are highly dynamic…

In your case, this change is also influenced by the fact that you upgraded from Gut Health Intelligence to Full Body Intelligence. Your newer recommendations are no longer based on gut data alone. They now incorporate gut, oral, and cellular (blood) gene expression. As a result, a food that was previously beneficial for one system may be temporarily limited if another system now needs priority support.

For example, in the case of buckwheat, even if some gut lining indicators remain present, your updated data may show that its compounds now provide a stronger net benefit for pathways related to mood or neurotransmitter balance, while other foods are better suited to address gut lining support at this stage.

This is why recommendations can feel like a tradeoff, but they are designed to optimize your overall biological function rather than a single marker.

Gut Health Intelligence recommendations are not harmful. They are simply narrower in scope and may be refined once additional biological data becomes available through Full Body Intelligence.

Our recommendations do not guarantee that specific pathway scores will improve linearly, especially because the microbiome and immune system are influenced by many factors beyond food and supplements, including stress, sleep quality, illness, medications, and environmental changes.

It’s also not uncommon to see certain scores decline while symptoms improve. This can happen when the body is recalibrating... Fluctuations do not necessarily indicate regression. They often help guide the next phase of personalization, which is exactly why retesting is valuable.

Firstly, glad to hear that recommendations are not harmful. Makes me less concerned.

Secondly, I think this proves that the “recommendations” feature isn’t valuable.

The “avoids” list doesn’t contain foods that actually harm a biological system. If you choose to avoid those foods, you may optimise one aspect of your health. Emphasis on “may” because, depending on which test you purchase, what you should “avoid” will change. Also, because recommendations are a “tradeoff.” By avoiding certain foods, you are only “helping” one particular goal, while simultaneously not helping another goal. You can never win, never do the right thing for your health! There is no net positive. It’s net neutral, “which is exactly why retesting is valuable,” as Viome said. How convenient for the business!

It’s the attitude that every food is helping AND harmful to you, depending on the angle you choose to look at it — quite cynical (and vague), not a mindset I’d like to adopt with whole foods.

Thirdly, I am questioning the reliability of the model altogether.

• “Biological needs at a specific moment in time” — how specific? Monthly? Weekly? Daily?

• “Highly dynamic” — how dynamic?

• Hence why, “fluctuations don’t necessarily indicate regression” — how much fluctuations within what time frame? What is the point of testing?

“Viome does not evaluate individual biomarkers in isolation. Instead, we analyze gene expression patterns and map them to functional biological pathways.”

Which genes? The human genome has approximately 30,000 genes. Some resources suggest between 20,000 - 25,000 protein coding genes.

Worse is that some of these genes (expression) change on a daily basis! I’ve lost my head in research papers for a couple of hours, then took another hour on LLMs for a different opinion. Conclusion: “inputs (dietary change, stress, sleep, etc) can shift gut microbial gene expression within 24-72 hours.”

Viome mentioned that stress can also impact the test results. 2 weeks leading up to the test were a stressful time for me due to family conflict. But this week, I feel incredibly excited to head off for an amazing hike in Tasmania. So, did I suddenly become “biologically younger,” or did my leaky gut suddenly move from X score to Y score? Do you see how murky the waters get?

Given all that, and even for the sake of improving accuracy, how is Viome comfortable with collecting only 1 stool sample? See the section below for my elaboration on this topic.

Viome’s just trying to make money

I mean… they make their profits from supplement subscriptions (which are expensive). This is a common criticism the company receives. If I was a Product Manager at Viome, I would put a ton of focus into building customer trust, especially when the business model raises suspicions.

I think I can comfortably make the assumption that most of their customers don’t purchase their test more than once a year. Some of their customers may purchase their test 2x a year. Plenty of their customers never repeat the test. That’s the nature of how “testing” companies work. Repeat customers are very challenging. People who are into regular testing (like I am) will most likely follow this approach on comprehensive blood tests instead, where they can actually see their exact results.

As mentioned before, how convenient it is that fluctuations can happen regularly, so customers should purchase a test and keep updating their supplements frequently. Not to mention their recommended supplement list is both long and in very odd quantities, so individually purchasing them online is a huge hassle, especially if you have to update them every 4-6 months. You may as well open a local chemist.

Hypothetically, if a company were to constantly update the supplements recommendations list it would incentive customers to purchase an ongoing subscription to their supplements service. But it can’t be too bad, right? After all, the gut loves a bit of variety! (Deliberate sarcasm).

Model limitations: how is Viome comfortable with collecting only 1 stool sample?

Many clinical stool tests deliberately require 2–3 samples collected on different days for well-studied reasons.

1. Stool is highly heterogeneous. A single bowel movement is not biologically uniform. Different regions of the same stool can contain different microbial communities; gas-producing microbes may be unevenly distributed.

2. This often falls through the cracks, but day-to-day variability is also influenced by stool transit time, circadian rhythms, hormonal fluctuations, and the last meal.

Hence, some studies show that one’s ****gut microbiome composition can vary from day to day, especially at the gene expression level, which is what Viome focuses on.

Examples:

• Clinical parasitology guidelines often require 3 samples over 3 days because a single sample can miss up to 30–50% of detectable organisms.

• In 20 healthy Belgian women with daily sampling over 6 weeks (713 faecal samples)…

  • For 78% of genera, day-to-day absolute abundance variation was larger within a person than between people.

  • 72% of genera showed >10-fold shifts between consecutive daily samples.

Why is Viome asking for 1 sample? Here’s my suspicion: it’s a hassle. Some people experience regular constipation. Asking customers to collect 3 samples may be annoying for people. It’s a tradeoff — by simplifying the process, they are lowering the accuracy of understanding one’s biological needs. It’s also cheaper for Viome to only work with 1 stool sample.

Viome’s response was sure of their AI model’s accuracy. I believe them. But an AI model is only as accurate as the samples provided. And the gut microbiome result accuracy does not mean accuracy of “recommendations,” as there are quite a few people who point out that Viome can’t tell if someone is intolerant or allergic to certain foods. One example below.

Model limitations: how come Viome cannot recognise intolerances?

So, they are confident that they can recognise when a food causes inflammation in the gut, but they cannot recognise intolerance. How? I thought that when one consumes foods they are intolerant to, these foods will cause inflammation in the gut. So, theoretically, Viome should be able to pick up when foods are not good for the gut. Right?

I know they have labels to say that they are not a medical diagnosis tool and shouldn’t be taken as an allergy test. But I would assume that they can see to some extent whether a food or a supplement hurts the gut or not. It just makes sense!

So, how come they recommended tribulus as a supplement? How come buckwheat (which gives me sharp stomach cramps for hours) is my superfood? How come tomatoes moved from ‘avoid’ to ‘enjoy’ when they still make me bloated? There are other examples like this too. How come Viome’s AI model can’t tell?

Model limitations: I don’t think I was being compared against others of my age and gender

I suspected this after the dramatic contradictions between TruDiagnostic and Viome test results for energy pathways, mitochondrial health and oxidative stress. Guys, not to brag, but I’m 16 years old with my OMICm biological age (9 years younger on TruDiagnostic) for a reason. My energy pathways are like fireworks.

Something that I learned from the TruDiagnostic experience is that inflammation and oxidative stress change immensely from age 18 to 80. “High oxidative” stress for a 40-years-old could be “excellent” levels for an 18-years-old, due to the high (or appropriate) levels of compounds tracked in the person that play a critical role in cellular health.

I don’t expect the exact same results, and it’s not realistic to expect that either, given the differences in models. But my results across almost all fields were exact opposites of each other. So, I asked, “are results benchmarked against age/gender cohorts or the general Viome customer population?” Here is the response:

“Your results are benchmarked against a large internal reference cohort of over 600,000 samples analyzed to date, rather than narrow age or gender bands alone.”

I hate to be right. Viome is comparing apples to oranges. Of course, the male and female microbiome is different. There are also several studies showing postmenopausal microbiomes as less diverse, and more similar to men than the premenopausal microbiome (e.g. postmenopausal women have higher Bacteroides sp. Ga6A1, Prevotella marshii, Sutterella wadsworthensis, and lower Escherichia coli–Shigella spp., Akkermansia muciniphila, Parabacteroides johnsonii).

I wonder… Who are these +600,000 people? Mostly women or men? What age range are they in? What % are pregnant or breastfeeding as they completed the test? Are they overall on the healthier or unhealthier side (i.e. what % of their customers have +1 chronic diseases due to lifestyle factors)? Who was my data really benchmarked against?

This may explain why their supplements are recommended in very strange doses (i.e. not taking male/female, body size into account). Just 2 examples, so I don’t bore you:

• 605mg of tribulus for me? That was shocking, especially given how I reacted to 250mg.

• David was recommended the tiniest amount of ashwagandha, even for a woman. He’s a tall and big man. I’ve done a lot of research on ashwagandha for both of us as part of my “healing nervous system” protocol, and he has even tested out the recommended amount. The dose is too low. Maybe it’s “enough” to aid with one gut-related goal, but not enough for noticeable improvements.

Model limitations: biological age heavily relies on gut health

I had this suspicion due to the contradictory results from TruDiagnostic and Viome. I hypothesised that their model heavily relies on the stool sample (instead of blood tests, because this is their original area of speciality), and uses blood tests as an “extra” or “addition” to “complete the picture” — meaning, the blood test is only used when it’s not possible to view a pathway via the gut.

Here comes the truth:

“Viome’s BioAge and system scores are derived from functional gene expression across gut, oral, and blood samples, with significant input from microbiome activity. Other platforms, such as TruDiagnostic, rely more heavily on epigenetic or methylation-based markers from blood alone.”

Nothing wrong with that, but it needs to be made clear from the beginning. When a blood test is included in the testing kit, there is a certain assumption that comes from the customer.

While gut health is very important (and certainly a goal for me to work on over the next 3-5 years), I’m not interested in my “gut health age”. It’s a subjective opinion or a mindset (a certain way of viewing health) — I acknowledge that a lot of gut health research is based on correlations, and this is still a very new field — so, I view gut as one organ among many other organs, rather than the key determiner of mortality/biological age.

Again, nothing wrong with that, but want to share with my audience, so you are aware of Viome’s bias towards gut health.

Model limitations: questions around scientific backing, reliability and transparency

I don’t mind that Viome is not FDA-approved. But I expect full, end-to-end transparency and evidence of reliability, accuracy and science-backing. This is where Viome enters into the “dodgy” territory.

Here’s their response:

“Viome has conducted internal validation and repeatability studies, and our science is supported by peer-reviewed research. You can explore published studies and methodology in more detail at viome.com/publications.”

Yes, this link does show that Viome has peer-reviewed publications describing their RNA/metatranscriptomic* approaches and some clinical work. I tried to consume a lot of this content and used LLM to assist me.

But, almost all of this work is produced and validated by Viome (how convenient) AND it does not automatically validate the consumer-facing “health scores” + recommendation engine.

*Metatranscriptomics: study of the total RNA produced by microbial communities at a specific time. It reveals gene expression within microbes, their metabolic activities, and responses to environmental changes.

“Peer-reviewed research” ≠ “independently validated consumer product”.

Maybe the study is there, but I could not find a publicly available table to answer (and to share in my blog):

“If I do the test 3x back-to-back under controlled conditions, what’s my expected variance band?”

This is the question I sent to Viome. In retrospect, I should have also asked to see this table across shipping delays.

It seems like I am not the only one who noticed this. In fact, it seems like someone even tried to send multiple samples to Viome to run this test.

See 2 other researcher reviews from people smarter than me.

Exert from XCODE.life (screenshot):

Found a review on Wired recently.

“In reality, there is very little clarity to these “insights,” there’s almost no transparency behind the “health scores,” and the list of food recommendations is all over the place. If I were a cynic, I would think that Viome is making things deliberately obtuse so people get overwhelmed and just shell out for Viome’s wildly expensive “Precision Formulas” (i.e., supplements). I might be a cynic.

…

At this point, I was three layers deep, but Viome does not tell you in the app what it’s actually testing. We reached out to Viome, and Grant Antoine, a naturopathic doctor and the nutrition and clinical lead at Viome, responded that Viome uses RNA sequencing to decode the gene activity of mitochondrial proteins; the company does have its own research facility with its own proprietary sequencing methods. Antoine also pointed out that the raw data from RNA sequencing isn’t interpretable or useful without Viome’s AI-enabled bioinformatic analysis.

Without any numbers that I could double-check or run past any other experts, it was hard to trust these results.”

Interesting. I’m the sort of person who would get a 2nd opinion on most things relating to my health (i.e. go to see 2 specialists, if a surgery is required, maybe even 4 specialists).

If I was a product leader in Viome… in such a new field with lots of caution about longevity science, rather than trying to keep my model inside a black box so potential competitors don’t copy my secrets, I would try to optimise my product for transparency so I collect customer trust. This is especially important because to my knowledge, Viome is not selling their test kits to dieticians (as it’s not a medical diagnosis tool).

And there you have it. Mini essay on “cons” is over.

It’s such a shame because I’ve been a big fan of Viome for about 4-5 months last year. It’s also a bit embarrassing because I talked them up a lot in my social circle and now am tracing my steps back with the attitude of, “my mistake, don’t judge me.”

Thoughts of Innovation

Given how long my “what I dislike about Viome” section was, I will keep this short.

• Unfortunately, supplements are not shipping to many countries outside of the US. Would have been convenient for us to order directly from Viome. On the flip side, I discovered Bioniq (UK company), which does custom supplement mixtures.

• Despite not being able to ship supplements to Australia, I was able to go through their “upgraded” funnel to “purchase” the option with a subscription for supplements. I hope that’s a product mistake/accident. Just make sure you read their T&Cs and check that you will actually receive every component of the product to your address before you pay.

• Test Kit (collecting samples): would be nice to add an additional finger prick. It was very hard to collect blood for me. David did not struggle as much, but it was still challenging for him.

• Email comms are out of date (about 7 - 10 days after). Example: if my parcel arrives to Viome on the 2nd, I will receive an email on the 10th to inform me that my parcel arrived. Likewise, for when my results are available to view.

• The “recommendations” list should recognise the customer context/history and provide tips accordingly. Example: it would be nice to provide a tip to a customer on how they can slowly introduce broccoli to their diet as a “superfood” after avoiding this food completely for the past 6-12 months. That way, changes would not be shocking to the gut.

• Collaborations: it would really help their credibility to get out of their ecosystem and collaborate with external HealthTech businesses, gut health professionals, etc. Not longevity influencers they can pay — I do trust some of them, but again, it breaks trust when you pay someone to say nice things about your product.

• More thought-leadership: Viome strikes me as a company that is too marketing-heavy. I would like to see more thought-leadership and educational communication (and less promotional) by the company. I don’t want them to lead the market because they are the first one who entered into the space — that’s not a long-term strategy. Currently, they still exist in their own eco chamber.

• On Viome’s questionnaire, have an option to skip the “goals.” If recommendations are influenced by the goals a user selects, then I would not want to intervene with these results — I would like the option to skip this question or select “improve general health.”

What I Like About Viome

First Time Recommendations “Worked”

Now, this is going to sound contradictory. I went on and on about the faults and lack of transparency and potential risks (or ineffectiveness) of trusting Viome’s recommendations. Now, I’m saying that they actually work. What???

I think this goes back to an earlier comment I made: “the goals help highlight which pathways to prioritize and focus on when generating recommendations” (quoted from Viome’s response). So, it’s no surprise that when I faced some challenges with my gut health (during the first test) and filled out the questionnaire with noticeable symptoms in mind, the recommendations helped.

For full transparency, this is what worked.

• Bloating: especially leading up to my periods, I used to experience noticeable bloating. Sometimes, without an explanation, after dinners, I would bloat too. I was suspicious of tomatoes (which are a big part of the Mediterranean cuisine, my birthplace), white rice and gluten. Turns out, I should be avoiding those. I felt validated. No more issues ever since. Viome now reckons I can “enjoy” tomatoes, but I’m still limiting my consumption, as I feel like consuming a lot of tomatoes still cause the same issue.

• Constipation** leading up to periods: not sure if Viome’s recommendations really helped with this, but I know that eating more fibre did. I used to follow the standard guide for female adults: 25g of fibre a day. Guys, that’s the bare minimum. Your life will change if you consume more fibre, as long as you slowly introduce more fibre. There is a ton of scientific evidence for that, conducted in “healthy” individuals. I have slowly worked my way up to 40g of fibre a day last year. I experimented with 50g of fibre and realised that this is the threshold for how much fibre my body can handle, so eventually settled down for 45g of fibre (on average) every day. I also set a goal to track my water intake and increase my water intake, which greatly helped. So, not sure how much of the credit actually goes to Viome for this.

• Sharp and heavy period cramps that require a ton of pills: this was probably the 2nd biggest win after the bloating mystery. Viome introduced me to 2 herbal supplements, which were a game-changer. I later found out that these supplements were known in traditional herbal medicine for period cramps and regulating female hormones. Dandelion Root and Nettle Leaf. I would like to highly recommend these to everyone suffering from period cramps, because I have not taken period-related pills ever since May 2025, but… I am aware that everyone’s body is unique, so don’t want to take the responsibility of making recommendations. If you want to try, approach with caution.

• The unexplainable sharp stomach cramps with sweating and fever 2x a year: we already knew that this was due to a type of seafood, as it only happened when we cooked “seafood mix”. Viome suggested it could be scallops and clams. So, I tried every other type of seafood individually — I had the guts to do that — and all came out clean. Ever since, I never had scallops or clams, and I never experienced food reaction. However, within the questionnaire, I suggested my suspicions about seafood. So, maybe, they took a hint.

**Constipation means 1 day of not going to the bathroom properly. I have to clarify this because people generally think of constipation as not going to the bathroom for more than a couple of days (which is a BIG PROBLEM in my opinion).

AI-powered result analysis & hyper-personalisation

It’s a pro in theory. It definitely gives them an edge in the market. I am not convinced of the reliability of their recommendations. But it is convenient to receive a list of things to eat and avoid (if you don’t have time to do your own research).

I shared Viome’s response in my blog. Not for me. But maybe for you.

It’s very disappointing because I deeply believe in the idea of “personalised medicine.” However, this month, with some of my other research as well, I’ve been questioning the practical reality behind this idea. If you have the finances to get tested on a daily or a weekly basis on multiple different tests, you could constantly adjust your nutrition and supplements, like a product manager on edge. But if you don’t have a team of advisors and health professionals following your every step and testing you frequently, like some of the longevity influencers do, how accurate is “personalised” medicine when the frequency of data is far apart, like every 6 months? Or perhaps this again comes down to the reliability of each test (product).

Marketing, product packaging, discounts, vision & mission statements

As mentioned before, they have an excellent marketing team. Too good in my opinion. Great marketing strategies, seasonal discounts for affordable test kits (in comparison to other options in the market), modern slick design, and an inspiring and ambitious vision & mission statements. Loved their shiny test kit boxes that come with a card from Viome’s CEO. Promotional activities have been very well thought through. Good for Insta posts, if you’re into that.

My Goals & Future Experiments

I gave up. I surrender. Going to travel around the world for the next 6 months with a YOLO attitude eating Taiwanese fried chicken, spring rolls, taquitos, churros, philly cheesestakes, Crumbl cookies, and whatever else is in my YouTube feed.

Jokes.

Not the travel part, though. When this post goes live, I will be starting the most daring hike in Tasmania, then the 2nd most daring hike. There is a Turkish saying, “the world is a pan and we are the ladle, round and round we go.” That’s the plan.

During this time, and for the rest of the year, I am going back to the basics again — avoid clinically tested intolerances/allergies and eat a variety of seasonal whole foods.

In the past, I crafted my diet based on how well I knew my body. I wish I could offload this to Viome or another company. But given my track record of blood test results, it seems like when I was hands-on with my diet, I had pretty good health. What does being “hands-on” include?

• Comprehensive blood tests 2-4x a year (depending on my budget) to identify areas to work on. I aim for optimal results across everything, not the ‘averages’.

• Adopt a “leaky gut” diet for full protection and continue working on healing my nervous system. I sound like a broken record, but trauma is highly linked to leaky gut.

• Consume 45g of fibre a day. This amount is specific to my body after 12 months of testing, in proportion to daily protein amount.

• Drink an adequate amount of water every day.

• Eat a variety of foods (50 types of plants a week), adopting the rainbow-diet mindset.

• Avoid ultra-processed foods, refined sugar, refined carbs and artificial sweeteners.

• Try to source ‘organic’ options for certain heavily sprayed plants, or ‘wild’, ‘hormone-free’ etc, where/if my budget supports.

• Cap takeout and restaurant foods, especially after my long world trip.

Additionally, in London^, I am planning to get a proper food intolerance and leaky gut test done to identify foods to avoid. If anyone has any recommendations on this, please let me know!

Final Words

At the end of the day, ask yourselves, why do you want a gut health intelligence test? When I really thought through this question, I realised that there is a better product out there for every reason.

• There are clinically approved food intolerance tests that I can complete, provided by medical professionals.

• There are comprehensive blood tests I can purchase to track certain metrics.

• If I’m interested in my biological age, I’ll go with TruDiagnostic.

The use case for Viome is no longer there for me. Because after 12 months, despite still believing in the role gut microbiome plays in longevity, I learned that the gut likes variety.

To finish off, I highly support HealthTech businesses to be innovative and ambitious. I understand how many iterations are needed to perfect formulas and frameworks. However, certain HealthTech products carry a heavier risk and responsibility, hence my strict judgement on Viome. Hope they continue to grow and iterate. I’m curious to see how Viome’s products change over the next 3-5 years.

^Oops, did I mention London? I guess I have to share the news now. We won’t be coming back to Australia anytime soon. September onwards, keen to connect with fellow product people, HealthTech workers and longevity nerds in and around the UK. I’ll be applying for product roles as well. In the meantime, don’t expect to receive many articles from me. I’m planning to be very busy drinking coconuts near a waterfall.

All the images I use have been generated using deepai.org (the pop art generator). 🦸‍♀️

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Subscribe now

Share

See my other HealthTech product reviews below:

• Exploring Whoop & starting a major health experiment

• TruDiagnostic Review

• Neurode: Product Testing Experience

• Pulsetto Experiment: Vagal Nerve Stimulation to Improve HRV

If you haven’t done so, check out the trail overview before you dive in.

Day 1: Cockle Creek to South Cape Rivulet

11km, 4 hours

We were dropped off by the shuttle bus at 3 pm and had a late lunch (bread buns with ham & cheese) before our hike at 3.30 pm. The shuttle bus ride from Par Avion took about 2 hours.

We look too happy to be tortured for 7 days. LOL.

The trail was wet due to the consistent rain over the few weeks leading up to the hike. I had a ton of excitement and a bit of anxiety, as we hadn’t hiked for over 4 days before and only had day-hiking experience in the Tasmanian wilderness.

We were able to maintain a consistent pace throughout the track, which began with a forest walk, then some boardwalk in a rolling plain surrounded by alpine bush, and back into the forest.

I had an incident when a wasp flew into my shirt from the gap between my collar and neck and stung me three times. Lesson learned: put your collar up as you hike.

This photo was taken 4 days after the sting.

Going back into the forest section, we came across some mud and a bit of climbing. As we began the trail late, we pushed to arrive at the campsite before sunset through the ups and downs (rushing caused David’s calf to be hurt, so he wasn’t happy).

We eventually descended and walked along the beach. The old way curved to the left along the rocks (dodgy, as they get covered under water in high tide) and the new way curves to the right (much safer to follow).

The campsite is on the right before the inlet. Some spots are on sand, and some are on grass. It’s a lovely campsite with a pretty sunset view. We saw three pademelons at this campsite.

There is a long drop available. If you go up the inlet, it widens to a bigger creek, which is lovely to swim in. This is also where you can collect water. Dinner was the leftover bread rolls with ham & cheese.

Day 2: South Cape Rivulet to Granite Beach

9km, 10 hours

Hardest day on the trail (unless you love hiking through hip-deep mud).

Tip: start this day very early, so you won’t have to rush leading up to sunset.

The day begins with an inlet crossing.

Tip: check the tides before crossing the inlet. Not recommended to cross during heavy rain when the inlet is swollen and up to your chest, as strong currents are reported during such times. At low tide, the water should be around your ankles, so safe to cross with your hiking boots.

On that day, the high tide was at 4 am, and the low tide was at 7 pm. We were a bit of chicken to not cross at 8 am and get an early start, as the tides would have been ok then. We crossed at 10am instead. Freezing water woke me up. Low current. Butt-deep water for me (160cm) and thigh-deep for David (185cm).

First bit after the inlet crossing. 30 minutes before we encounter our mud adventure.

Not joking, this day was a nightmare. Very technical ascent through the rainforest with a ton of mud up to the knees. Slippery! Hiking poles saved us a few times from falling. Without the mud, the view was magical. Giant trees with roots extending downhill for metres and metres, rich shades of greenery growing over those roots, and fungus in unique colours. It was a scene from a fairytale, but we were sweating through our asses.

I tried to take pictures, but nothing could capture our struggle on this terrain. When the mud reached above the knees, it was raining on us and no longer safe to pull our cameras out.

Being short, I hated every time I came across another fallen log (chest height for me). I heard from the other women on the trail that they dropped their packs a lot, pushed and pulled their packs over some of the logs and tree roots. I was very stubborn to not take my bag off for the entire time so exhausted myself on the way up.

We were really hopeful that once we got over the ascent and reached the 3km flat section, we could take a break from the difficult terrain, have some lunch, and then start the descent. Little did we know that the standing puddles of mud were worse.

I can’t stress the psychological/mental element of hiking. It’s important to stay positive even when things don’t work out the way you hope.

Well, when I put my hiking pole in to test the depth of the mud and saw it almost disappear, the realisation kicked in. I felt sick with anxiety (as I didn’t know where I could put my foot) and disappointment. We also couldn’t have our full lunch or a good rest because mud and constant stop-start rain made it hard to put our bags down.

The next 3kms were a tragic comedy. It was horrible in the sense that stepping anywhere was extremely hard. Once you step into calf-deep mud, the suction of the mud on your foot is so strong that it’s an effort to lift your foot back up. Leeches were latching onto our legs.

Two steps - breathe - look around, test depth - leap - two steps - “sht!” “argh! crp!” - repeat the cycle.

I’ll call out that the Tasmanian National Parks put up a sign telling people to not avoid the mud, and step through it, as otherwise going around damages the plants. I’m not sure if they are aware that the mud was waist-deep in some sections and anything above knee height was impossible to step through. People have tried to go around the mud, bush-bashing, and widening the mud for their own safety. We were trying to follow their steps and laughing at ourselves. I guess some people pay for a mud bath - we got it for free. Tasmanian National Parks should really put boards through this section! Did I mention that gaiters are a must-have for this trail?

Being exhausted is one of the biggest risks for hikers on technical terrain. When exhausted, you lose focus and balance; that’s when the mistakes happen. I stepped into a mud pond up to my left thigh and it took David 10 minutes to rescue me.

First, he tried to pull me out, but the mud was so strong that it hurt my foot. Bad idea. Then he grabbed the mini shovel we brought for the bathroom matters and began to dig the mud around my foot. That worked (alternative use cases of the object). At that point (and knowing how late time was getting), I was on the verge of crying.

About 20 minutes later, after attempting to take another leap to a side trail, I slipped and fell into the mud pond sidewards. My body sank and my face remained outside — gave me a shock. That’s how I got a big bruise on my left arm. I panicked and tried wiggling myself out of the mud, which made me sink even more. I eventually unclipped my bag and David pulled me up. I was wet, cold, disgusting, shocked, confused and a little scared. I still had a sense of humour, so I laughed…and began crying. Yay SCT!

He was like, “young lady resting in the mud and crying, while I’m still working, shovelling the mud.”

Once the drama was over and we made it to the end of the flat section, we had a short break with some food. We were half-starved, hoping to arrive at camp for dinner.

Tip: for the difficult days of the trail, pack higher energy and some sugary food. It will cheer you up and help you push on.

Steep descent from there into Granite Beach, which wasn’t very hard and definitely not as muddy as what we’ve been through, but after the build-up of fatigue, it felt like a bad drag. We had minor slips (purely from exhaustion and losing focus) but no falls or anything serious.

Note: two days ago, a lady got airlifted out of this section after a fall and concussion. She was also fatigued and lost focus.

We arrived at the campsite around 8 pm, had quick dinners and laid down in the tent. My legs were aching from fighting off the constant suction of the muddy terrain. I genuinely doubted if we could finish this trail that night but no way we were going back on that trail. I was also anxious after hearing groups coming from Melaleuca talking about how bad the Iron Bounds was (even higher climb and “very muddy, slippery, took us 11 hours” etc etc).

Note: Iron Bounds is easier to tackle when going Northbound. The trail is nowhere close to being as muddy as this day, even after rainfall, which is what we experienced. The main challenge with Iron Bounds is the constant climb for half of the day. We were trained for uphills and climbing. But we were not ready for deep muddy terrain.

Tip: at this campsite, there is a waterfall to collect water and you can scramble down to the bottom for a lovely shower on the pebbles. It’s a great spot.

Day 3: Granite Beach to Osmiridium Beach

12kms, 7 hours

Scrambled down from the waterfall onto the pebbles (be careful here!), we began our day along the beach. Some nice forest walk afterwards. Definitely an easier day but yesterday’s fatigue carried on, so we moved slower than our usual pace.

After the forest, there is a rocky section descending to Surprise Bay with a rope. It was a bit of an abseiling, and then we crossed the inlet (ankle deep) and paused for lunch.

Gorgeous beach and seeing nobody around, I felt like we were on an isolated island or the Jurassic World. Beach walk and back into the forest.

Note: Surprise Bay seemed like a cute campsite. It would have been a nice spot to camp if we were able to push on.

Climbing up to the forest from the beach.

Heading towards the Osmiridium Beach, we came across a bit of boarded walk and a bit of mud (ankle and calf deep). It was not a difficult walk and mostly remained flat with some uphill sections. What made this section frustrating was the overgrowth. Cutty grass and spiky bush chest height and some even taller than me. The trail progressively got worse and worse, as we could not see where we were going, just pushing through the bush (even got off the trail a bit actually). Never thought it would be so tiring but the alpine bush is strong and we wrestled for an hour. At one point I said, “if we just stop here, no one would be able to see us within this bush; we could grow leaves and become a small tree ourselves.” I’m dramatic sometimes.

Tip: I really should not be saying this but saw two women on the trail with booty shorts. No. Please don’t. The bush really ruins your skin. Sunnies are highly recommended to protect your eyes.

Note: someone without hiking poles reported that there were a few muddy bits up to their upper thighs which they were not pleased to find out. We must have gone around them, used side trails, or skipped over.

There is a little bridge along this trail with a tiny stream of running water. It does not look like the best spot to collect water but you will need that water. We made the mistake of thinking the campsite would have a water source, but when we arrived, we realised it was stagnant and poor water. We had to use filtration.

Note: make sure you have enough water for the following day. During the 9km following the trail, there is no suitable place to collect water.

Osmiridium Beach campsite is quite nice. There is a junction where you’ll need to turn left, more bush bashing with challenging navigation, then into a forest, creek crossing (ankle deep) and there it is.

We were glad to arrive at 5.30 pm. It gave us time to chat with the other hikers on the trail, collect useful insights, share stories, take a walk down to the beach (can’t swim there due to blue bottle jellyfish — they’re nasty), put our feet up, have a warm long dinner and take a good night’s rest.

Day 4: Osmiridium Beach to Little Deadmans

15km, 10 hours (1 hour full lunch break and 45 minutes at the boat crossing)

We began our track with bush wrestling until we made our way back into the forest. This was a relief. Lots of ups and downs throughout the day, some within the green forest and some over sandy bits. There is a bridge somewhere in the middle with nice stairs (a pleasant surprise).

Note: the running water under this bridge is salty from the beach. We heard that if you walk up the stream you can collect fresh water. We tried to do that as we were really thirsty, but it’s quite up the stream (and the water was already at David’s knees), so we gave up.

Overall, it was not a difficult walk, but we were out of water (our mistake from the previous afternoon) and it was a warm day. We were sweating and very thirsty for 9 kms. We could not even eat due to the thirst.

Note: if you are not confident of your water sources, try to have an alternative dinner that does not include water for cooking. Some of the water sources on this trail are influenced by the rainfall. A few days of sunshine can dry up the small streams and a few days of rainfall can create multiple new streams along the way.

There were lots of logs to jump over, branches to duck down (David crawled under) and a few bits were confusing to navigate due to overgrowth.

We saw a baby Carpenter snake on one of the sandy lookouts. Being thirsty put me on autopilot, and I saw two footprints in the sand, so I followed them. A very steep sliding sand and found myself at the bottom of a non-existent trail. It took me ages to get back up. We found out later that another thirsty couple got lost down there before us as they were rushing towards the water source.

We came to the boat crossing with stories from people about how they were lucky to have somebody on the other side, or how there were two boats already on their side. We were not one of those ‘lucky’ people on the trail.

This is a section with 3 boats for hikers to row over to the other side. Two boats always have to be on one side and one boat on the other. Very rarely somebody does not follow this rule (i.e. probably during a storm when it may be unsafe to make two trips). In that case, you may need to swim. If you are in a hurry, it’s swimmable but only in very good conditions (sunny and low tide), otherwise wait until somebody else comes back from the other side.

If there are two boats at your side, then you just row one boat over. If there is only one boat at your side, you need to make a trip to the other side, then tie two boats together to row the other boat back to the other side. Then row yourself back over. There are life jackets and rowing spoons/oars/blades (whatever they are called that you row with).

Note: do NOT cross this section during a storm with high tide. It’s actually dangerous (strong currents occur) and rowing even in calm waters is quite hard. This is another section of the trail with prior drowning cases.

I think people don’t talk about this part of the trail enough. This was tough and frustrating. Rowing a wide boat is very different from rowing a single boat or kayaking. Also, this boat set-up was heavy and a bit dodge (i.e. handles kept on coming off). There was a bit of a current happening and it was low tide which did not help our situation. When it’s low tide, the boats are up on the sand and dragging them down to the water is hard.

I love kayaking and had the chance to do some weekend kayaking in the Northern Beaches for a few months. I was of no use in this situation. David did 95% of the work and I only added additional weight for him to pull. This was just a difficult old boat to row across. We spent about 45 minutes on this section.

Then came the 4km beach walk. Lovely! Long and easy. We raced to the end as we knew that there would be a water source available. Saw a few baby seagulls along the way which were so cute.

At the end, the beach and a water stream connect into an inlet. We both drank a litre of water in one go. This was a perfect spot to have lunch. We swam at the beach, set our camping chairs, had lunch and rested for an hour.

The hike to Little Deadmans was easy from there. You’ll step back in the forest and go over slight up and downs. In the swampy section, we saw a medium-sized tiger snake. It was more scared than us.

You’ll come across a few streams and creeks to cross where you can collect more water. They’re very pretty as short rest stops. One has a tight rope you can hold onto for balance.

You’ll come back out to a beach section and reach the campsite after walking on the pebbles. There is another stream there to collect water too.

It was a fine day and the dinner was yummy, but when we laid down in the tent, I was anxious about the following day, Iron Bounds. We’ve been asking every hiker we see along the way about their experience. The average completion time was 10-12 hours (one outlier of 9 hours, one outlier of 7 hours, and a few people who couldn’t complete the trail stayed overnight at the emergency campsites there). We heard some nasty things about the elevation, very steep climb, lots of mud, very watery and slippery and overall an absolute killer, especially when raining. That night it was raining heavily and I had a short cry from anxiety.

Day 5: Little Deadmans to Louise River (the Iron Bounds)

12.5km, 12 hours (900m ascend/descend)

Despite bringing a solar charger to this trip, the start-stop of rain and travelling in the forest didn’t allow us to charge properly. David’s phone was flat and my phone was at 30% in the morning.

We began the day with a forest stroll (about 2kms). Constant uphill but nothing steep. A hundred different logs to jump over or crawl under. Honestly, by Day 5, regular hurdles just become your norm.

A few streams to cross over. Lots of new streams appeared due to heavy rain. As you climb up, you’ll notice a lot of rocky sections which have become waterways for the rain. Some of these rocks and slippery to climb on, some are not. Best to check.

There were two bigger stream crossings which have turned into waterfalls. These became very slippery with the rain. I slipped and fell on my right arm (got my second bruise). If my bag wasn’t there to cushion me, that fall could have ended as a disaster. I crawled out of there. A lady in front of us slipped and fell on the second crossing.

From there, the ascent became steeper and more technical with tree roots and lots of tall rocks to climb on. This is difficult for a short person like me. I used a lot of my upper body strength. In some places, I felt like I was either doing weighted chin-ups or weighted rock climbing. For people with longer legs, you’d be expecting to do a lot of high-stretched lunges. Overall, the ascend was not muddy and definitely not as difficult as what the other people had told us (even with the constant showers during the day).

On this trail, we passed two emergency campsites (Lower Iron Bounds Campsite and Mid Iron Bounds Campsite). They seemed like ok spots to camp at (no water source though) with 2-3 tent spots. Maybe a good option for people going Southbound (or if you just want to tackle Iron Bounds in two halves). I understand that most people just want to get it over and done with.

This photo is a real representation of how we felt during the climb up.

As we got closer to the top, the trail became very narrow and rocky. We took a lot of rest as we climbed. It also got cold suddenly. I began having trouble completing fine motor actions with my fingers (but we were so focused on climbing that I just assumed it was from how strongly I was gripping the rocks and my hiking poles).

Tip: if you don’t have the best blood circulation, bring a glove for the Iron Bounds. We made the mistake of not packing any, as we did not consider frostbite to be an issue on this trail.

Note: lots of leeches along the way. David had to crawl around a lot, so he got the leeches on his face and neck.

By the time we got to the top and exited the rainforest (around 2.15-2.30 pm), the weather closed in and it got much colder. We walked outside and I was ready to throw my hands in the air to call it “we’re on top of the Iron Bounds!” But a few seconds later a powerful storm hit us. I bent halfway down with that hit, then fell on my knees.

The storm came in so suddenly and it slammed us to the ground. I could hardly lift my face up to find David. He was looking around so confused. Don’t underestimate this section under bad weather. It can get really dangerous.

Him: “Go back!”

Me: “I can’t!”

Him: “There is no trail here! I can’t see the way!”

My instincts were telling me that this was not a 5 minute storm. This may continue for the next few hours, or even longer. If we went back, I knew that we would have to camp there. We dragged our bodies towards each other. David lost his bag’s rain cover in the storm. I was close to losing my hiking poles (but they were tight around my wrists). We got on our hands and knees, then laid flat on the rocks. That section gave David a big bruise on his left arm and left hip (where he hit the ground from the storm).

Pinned down on rocks that dug into my skin and watching bits and pieces of the bush being blown away, the grey clouds above us and feeling the rain, my mind froze into silence. David said my name a few times to grab my attention, which is when I looked to my right.

Him: “Are you cold? Hold my hands.”

Me: “Hands! Hands! Argh hands!” He touched my hands and I cried out in pain. “No, no, hands, they hurt!”

Him: “Sh*t. Close your hands, Doa. Can you close your hands?”

I could not close my hands. They were doing a pathetic bend at most. He grabbed my hands to warm them, and I cried from the pain. We stayed there for about 10 minutes, and David tried to pull my focus so I didn’t just shout out single words, but speak in full sentences. Soon, we realised that this storm was not going to stop or even slow down, and we were running the risk of hypothermia or frostbite on my hands.

It took us a bit of an effort to go on our hands and knees again, then we dragged our bodies (half bent down, half crawled) on the trail to find an exit. The relief of entering the next rainforest! There was a bridge over a waterfall, and that’s where we stopped to catch our breath and slow down our heartbeats.

Tip: come on the trail with a potential number of emergency cases planned and what you would do in those situations. You don’t want to figure out what to do about frostbite when you are in the superficial frostbite stage.

My hands were swollen (red and white) in so much pain (burning warm) and they were not able to close. My core was also getting cold. David tried to force my fingers to close which resulted in another cry. About a few minutes of confusion and trying different things (my brain was not functioning properly, it was only thinking about the burn of my hands), David pulled out his socks and slid my hands inside the socks.

Note: the treatment for frostbite includes covering up the frozen area with clothing or body parts to rewarm. To prevent frostbite when you are getting cold, wiggle your toes and fingers. Don’t force heating by heat pads, pouring hot water and rubbing in later stages of frostbite. Try to not walk on frostbite feet/toes.

After my mittens, we had some lollies and waited for another 10-15 minutes. That’s when I felt like my brain was more aware (working) and my fingers were able to close halfway, which was enough to get a loose grip of the hiking poles. It was 3.30 pm.

We came across the last emergency campsite there. This was a very exposed and wet area with so much wind. I don’t recommend anyone to use this spot unless they absolutely have to.

A short walk through the rainforest led us to the descent. This is not a difficult descent. Some of it was boarded, some had rocks as stairs, and some were a bit sharper in descent with small rocks (which aren’t good for feet and ankles) but still not too difficult. However, it was very exposed, falling would have caused serious injuries in some sections and we were attacked by the strong winds and rain. I thought it was hail for a while; that’s how hard and forceful the raindrops were hitting us).

We were very wobbly and half-bent as we hiked down the descent. For the next few hours (which felt like forever), we were in a rhythm of ‘8 quick steps forward — duck & hold steady for 3 secs — check safety — push on.’ Somewhere along here my phone died too.

About halfway down, I was finally able to hold my hiking poles properly under the socks and my core was warmer. However, being thrown around by the wind and not using hiking poles properly on uneven grounds for a few hours gave me foot pain. My right foot was aching about 5/10 and as we continued with the descent, the ache continued rising to 6.5/10.

Rest stop about 2/3rd into the descent (where we could see our campsite in the horizon and were a bit sheltered from the wind) for 15 minutes. That’s when we had a good late lunch. Would have been about 5.30 pm. Seeing our campsite on the horizon, moving out of the strong winds and eating a bit of food made me feel much better. Foot ache went down to 4/10.

Tip: move your snacks and quick food into a pocket of your bag that’s very easy to access. On very challenging terrain and steep ascends/descents, it’s easy to ignore nutrition as you want to keep pushing. These are also the worst times to keep yourself starved of energy.

Just before our phones died. No pretty pictures — just a girl who’s smiling, soaked and grateful to get down the Iron Bounds with all of her fingers.

We slowed down as we got closer to our campsite to not aggravate my foot any further. It was a 7.10 am-7.15 pm day. Louise River Campsite is pretty, but a bit small/crammed and does not have good spots to put up your tent due to the tree roots. There are spots to camp on the other side of the river as well. Unfortunately, we didn’t cross the river that night because our energy was drained.

Tip: cross the river and camp on the other side for both Northbound and Southbound travellers. Cold water will feel nice on your legs at the end of a hard day. For Northbound travellers, the following day will have two other river deep crossings which take a long time, so it will be one less river to cross. For Southbound travellers, river crossings slow down everything and you really want to start your Iron Bounds day as early as you can without wasting any time.

Tip: it’s a good idea to either take a rest day, a short day, or a late start of your day after tackling the Iron Bounds.

Day 6: Louisa River to Freney Lagoon

18km, 8 hours (1 hour spent on river crossings)

We had a nice, slow morning, as we deserved. Hot breakfast for the first time on the trail. I’ll note that the night before, my right hand remained swollen, unable to complete fine motor movements well, and very sensitive with pins and needles. In the morning, I was able to make a fist again, but my hand was not 100% recovered.

Showers and mild winds throughout the day. We were on the trail at 10 am, crossing another freezing cold Louisa River. It was wide, up to my upper thighs, but not too challenging as there was a rope to hold onto.

Nice forest walk, then came the Louisa Creek. Strong current and waist-deep for me (probably due to the non-stop rains). There was a rope to hold onto, but it was over my head, making this crossing a bit more challenging.

Note: there was a sign on the other side of the creek that warns hikers to not cross if the water is above knee level. Another place for drowning incidents in the past. One of the hikers the day before lost her grip on the rope and got carried with the current 2 metres down. Her gear got all wet and she was very cold.

More forest walk and some boardwalk walk, then came the Faraday Creek crossing. At this point, I was sick of crossing rivers/creeks and being constantly cold. My right hand began experiencing issues with movement again, but this time, we were more careful about avoiding frostbite. Similar strong current and waist-deep water here, but the rope is easier to hold onto.

The rest of the walk was rolling hills, slight ups and downs through long tundra, some boardwalks and some rocky paths, which were so lovely. It felt like we got an ice bath treatment and an easier walk after the tough Iron Bounds day. The rocky path is exposed, and having wind and rain wasn’t great, but I suspect on a calm day, this walk would be fast and fun to push through.

Note: be careful on some of the boarded wooden sections that are underwater. They are very slippery. I heard of other hikers who had a bad fall on these bits.

From the Buoy Creek campsite, it’s mostly a beach walk. We found the Point Eric campsite as well and continued to the Freney Lagoon campsite. Nice campsite but a bit windy. The last 1km I was feeling my foot again to a 6/10 ache.

Day 7: Freney Lagoon to Melaleuca

12.5km, 5 hours (45 minutes lost from being lost on the trail)

We woke up at about 5.15 am and left at about 6 am (phones continued to be dead) so we could make it to our 10 am flight.

There were two issues with this ambitious plan though. Firstly, my foot began the day already at a 2/10 ache. Secondly, it was pouring rain with heavy winds which blocked our vision and we got lost on the beach by missing the red arrow sign on the pebbles.

When we finally got back on the trail, I was still extremely determined to race back to Melaleuca and ready to fight the weather conditions. This part of the track is actually very easy. It’s boarded (80%), tundra and rolling plains. However, about halfway through, the weather began to beat us down (at times making it difficult to balance and stand up). Walking really fast also tired out my foot very quickly, so 7km in and I was at a 5/10 ache.

We were forced to slow down dramatically when the pain got to 7.5/10. I was using the hiking poles as crutches to complete this track. We got in about 11 am soaked all the way through and cold. I was sad thinking that we missed the flight. However, on arrival, we were told that due to terrible weather, the flight was delayed to 3 pm and the following day’s flights were cancelled.

I cannot even describe the emotions going through me when I saw the Melaleuca signs. Suddenly, all my pain disappeared. I was incredibly relieved and happy.

Me: “Oh, we made it.”

Him: “Yeah, we’re here.”

Me: “How did we make it? How did we do this?”

Him: “I don’t know. You’re just a crazy girl who finds 7-day tracks to walk on.”

Me: “Oh…oh, we made it. Oh, I can’t believe it.”

Him: “I can’t believe anything that happened in the last 7 days. Feels like a dream.”

Me: “It’s over. They’re going to pick us up. We’re going to have a hotel bed tonight.”

We walked up to one of the Walker’s Huts and found two other cold hikers sheltering. We had some laughter, some chit-chat about the trail, shared learnings and waited for the 3 pm flight. I got inside my sleeping bag to warm up and had lunch. My foot was much better after the rest.

It was my first time in a small aircraft. Very cool. We enjoyed the scenic flight (wish I could take some photos) back to Hobart.

At Par Avion, we called a taxi to our motel, took a long shower and a hot bath. We ordered 2 double patty burgers, a large milkshake and 3 sides to share. I don’t think I ever ate this much in one go before. We demolished everything.

My hair after a week of tight braids.

Following Days in Hobart

We spent the 30th and 31st of December, and the 1st and morning of the 2nd of January in Hobart, mostly inside our motel, on the bed. We did some writing, reading, watching the tennis and Indiana Jones movies. We could not help but excessively talk about the hike and look through our pictures of the hike.

Drying our gear outside the motel room.

I took some short walks to test out the foot and booked a physio in case it’s something serious. We Ubered ourselves to cafes and restaurants. We had excessive hunger for the first 3 days after the hike. I was comfortably consuming double the amount of calories I usually have and still leaving the meals not feeling full.

Back in Sydney, my foot was only feeling about 1.5/10 and I could easily walk to the physio and navigate myself around the city. Overuse flexor hallucis brevis (left arch of my right foot) — nothing serious but need to take a week off from running (maybe two depending on how I feel).

Additional Thoughts

• Flights may be cancelled/delayed according to the weather conditions. Make sure you bring enough emergency food to cater for this situation.

• Talk to the other hikers on the trail. Don’t be shy. Trail conditions can change overnight, so asking people coming from the opposite side about what to expect and where to collect water can be very helpful.

• Be spontaneous. You are out in the nature. If the mother nature wants you to cross a river, do it. If the tide is up to your neck, then wait until it’s safe for you to cross. Drowning incidents have happened in the past and there are warning signs along the trail for it. Don’t force your perfect plan if the weather or trail conditions are not allowing you to proceed. There is nothing wrong with taking a rest day.

• Check yourself for leeches before going to sleep. You can remove leeches by holding them, twisting and pulling. If you light a match they will let go naturally.

• On most campsites, you’ll notice ropes hanging from branch to branch. You can use those ropes or tree branches to hang your wet clothes up.

• Do NOT rush. This trail involves steep descent, uneven ground and overgrowth. It’s either wet or muddy which creates slippery conditions. Move at a comfortable speed and get plenty of rest during the day, even if it means you arrive at the next campsite a little bit later than you had hoped.

• It’s very reasonable to take a rest day on the trail. It will help your body to recover, reduce the risk of injury and enjoy nature a bit more.

• You cannot take a gas canister on the plane to/from Melaleuca. You can purchase one from Par Avion. Plenty of people also left their full gas canisters with the rangers in Melaleuca if you want to take one.

• If you stay a day in Melaleuca, you can explore the Deny King Heritage Museum.

• At Melaleuca you can either camp or use one of the two walker’s huts (4 beds available in each). The walker’s huts will have a hiking logbook, magazines, books and sudoku.

• If you still have tons of energy after the hike, you can continue on to the Port Davey track (takes about 5 days going North). In that case, you may choose to rest at the walker’s hut for a day or two before your next hike. You can also get food dropped off by Par Avion to pick up in Melaleuca.

• Don’t make tight bookings around this hike (i.e. book your flight back to Sydney 1-2 days after the hike). We met with people who completed this track a day later than what they originally planned and weather conditions can really impact pick up / drop off from Melaleuca.

• If you are not from Tasmania and your hiking experience is limited to the other states, you might get a bit shocked. Make sure you study the trail very well before attempting.

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, drop a comment and I’ll reply.

Subscribe now

Share

Overview

• Length: 86km, one-way.

• Duration: 6 days (if you want to pace through), 7 days (most fit hikers follow this option), or 8 days (if you want/need to take a rest day).

• Seasonality: this hike is in an alpine region with rapid weather changes, and weather (rainfall) impacts the difficulty and safety of the hike (river crossings, depth of mud, etc.). Technically, you can complete this hike during November-March, but I would recommend aiming for a sunny and dry week. We hiked in late December.

• Grade: 5 (very tough!), considered to be in the top 10 (arguably the 6th) toughest long hikes in AU.

• Terrain: deep mud, waterways with running water, excessive overgrowth (with spiky plants), lots of fallen trees (logs to climb over), beach walk (with inlet crossings & peddles), steep ascend/descend in rainforest, rocks, river/creek crossings (on foot & via a rowing boat), and some boarded walk (beginning & end of the trail).

• Skills Required: scrambling, steep climbing, steep ascent, muddy terrain hikes, exposed high wind alpine hikes, and rowing a boat.

• Climate: Alpine climate (weather changes rapidly). Expect heavy rain and strong winds during the summer. When the sun is out, it feels about 20 degrees. Towards the top of the iron bounds, frostbite may become a risk.

• Animals on Trail: we came across cute pademelons, baby seagulls, red bellied parrots, pied oystercatchers along the beach, baby carpenter snake, tiger snake, wasps, a bunch of small harmless spiders, a lot of leeches and a lot of mozzies.

• HIGHLY recommend you bring PLD (personal locator device / emergency beacon), gaiters and hiking poles (for your safety). Most people would argue that you should not be doing this hike without those 3 items. Find our full gear list at the bottom of the page.

• Community Support: FB PAGE LINK & https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/tasmania/south-coast-track-full-walk

• Popularity: you can encounter between 4-12 people each day on the trail. There were two days that we encountered nobody.

• Accessibility: this is a point-to-point track. The Cockle Creek end (south) can be accessed by a shuttle mini bus (https://www.twe.travel/), and the Melaleuca end (north) can be accessed by a small airplane (https://www.paravion.com.au/). Both shuttle mini bus (2 hours drive) and airplane (1 hour flight) departs from Hobart. At Cockle Creek, you can camp. At Melaleuca, you can either camp or use one of the two walker’s huts (4 beds available in each). Going Southbound is the most popular option. However, going Northbound will be a bit easier to complete, so I would recommend that to first-timers.

Packing Guide

I would not strictly follow what we took on this trip. If we were to do it again, there would be a few adjustments we would make to this plan.

We double-packed a few of the toiletries, I took too many undies, we never had a fly issue (so the nets were useless), never used plastic cups, knives or plates, and a few other things which were ‘nice to haves’ and not that necessary. We also want to swap a few pieces of equipment to find lighter versions.

I am 160cm and weigh 49kg. In retrospect, going out with 15kg was too much for me (almost a third of my weight). Carrying a heavy pack contributes to exhaustion but also increases your risk of injury and foot overuse, which are annoying. Next time, I’ll be aiming for 12kg instead.

I did not unpack what was in our first aid kit, but next time we want to be taking less band aids (as we did not use any on this trip) and some strapping/sleeves in case of injury.

Missing items: gloves, Panadol, tape for repairing tent/blow-up things

Food Guide

I think we were spot on with this, except for the emergency pack. I really recommend that you carry a full day’s worth of emergency supplies. Don’t skimp on emergency food as we did. The South Coast Track can be the trail where you have to take a rest day. It could be from injury, exhaustion, or really bad weather conditions.

By giving you the info below, I feel that it will help you to do a comparison.

We both lost weight on the trail. To maintain our weights, we would have to carry much more weight, which we were not willing to do. Instead, we loaded up on carbs before the hike and treated ourselves after the hike.

My general maintenance at the time was 1500c (24 years old, 160cm, 49kg, 23.5% body fat), and David was at 1800c as an almost 35-year-old, about 185cm (on a calorie deficit, which was a part of his body composition plan for the year).

Each day, I aimed to eat about 1400c, and David aimed for about 1650c. He was ok eating less, as he said that he had a higher body fat % in comparison (male vs female).

Our total food weighed 10kg, which can certainly be optimised. I did some research after the hike and found alternative foods with higher calorie counts and lower weights. I’d also be bringing some electrolyte sachets on our next long hike, as I had some cramping in my foot along the way.

Breakfast: powdered smoothie packs from Backcountry Cuisine, different flavour each day. The best breakfast! They are so yummy, the mocha flavour helped my coffee withdrawal symptoms, 400c, gets some liquid in your mouth at the start of the day, and very light to carry.

• We both had one packet each: mocha, banana, mixed berry and chocolate flavours.

• This can also be a good lunch option.

• We tried Backcountry Cuisine’s cooked breakfast for one morning as well to add variety. It was very nice to have a warm breakfast one morning. It was more filling. It weighed more and took up more space in our bags. Cooking and cleaning in the morning takes time (although next time, I am planning to eat from the packet by shaping it into a bowl, rather than carrying a plate and a bowl). I wasn’t sold on it (won’t swap it for my smoothie). However, for a tough hike that’s 7 days long, I’ll buy it again to have variety on one morning (probably after the toughest day as a reward).

Lunch:

• I had a chief meat bar, cliff oat bar (250c) & about half dried fruit (mango/apple alternating).

• David had 1 chief meat bar, All Natural Bakery’s oat bar (430c) & about half fried fruit (mango/apple alternating).

• On days 5-7, we swapped dried fruit with lollies (1 pack snakes & 1 pack dinosaurs).

• I liked our lunches because I really miss the taste of meat on long hikes (and I think Chief bars are yummy). This lunch contains fibre, carbs, sugars and a fine amount of protein.

• David got sick of his oat bars after the first 4 days. They also weigh more.

Dinner: we shared Backcountry Cuisine’s gourmet meals. New flavour each night, they were delicious.

Emergency: 2 powdered smoothies, 2 tuna packets, dried apples.

Tips: Seal each day’s portion of food and mark it as “Day 1” etc. Bring a separate “no smell” seal bag for rubbish. You won’t have to hang your food off a branch to try to protect it from animals (mostly rats) stealing.

Training Guide

Training is a must, and there are a few reasons for it.

Training for safety is the most important reason, so you don’t get injured. Most people get this part right.

Training for enjoyment is more challenging to get right, and while it’s not a must, I view it as highly important. You really don’t want to be on a 7-day hike suffering every day, dragging your feet from point A to point B, exhausted. What is the point of being out in nature, exploring lands that most people don’t have access to, if you can’t even laugh, enjoy, and appreciate the beauty that you are within?

We train so we can enjoy every day on a hike. However, one year of training only got us to have fun on 2/7 days, be ok on 3/7 days and feel exhausted on 2/7 days. David’s calf was a bit off (no injury), and I left with a minor overuse injury on the right foot (healed with 1-2 weeks of rest - I began running again at week 3).

An observation I made on the trail was that almost everyone we’ve seen on the trail had more than 3 years of intense hiking experience.

Basics

Getting ‘hiking fit’ and building up experience in hiking can be underestimated by a regular fit person who goes to the gym and runs. I’ve seen half-marathon runners struggle with grade 4 hikes in Tasy. Trust me; hiking is different. Just like how you can’t grab a basketball player and throw them in a volleyball match without any training, you also can’t grab any generic fit person and throw them out on the South Coast Track.

For this track, we made sure to…

• Have done multiple multi-day hikes

• Have done at least one 4-5 day hike

• Can hike with a bag weight +2/+3kg heavier than your planned weight

• Have completed other Grade 5 hikes before (can be day-long ones)

• Can put up a tent, cook, and pack your bag under any condition; have a regular routine we know so well that we can do it in the dark, during a storm, when completely exhausted — under any condition.

• Strength training (upper body & lower body); I had 2 lower and 2 upper body days

  • For the first time, I believed that doing leg days in the gym wasn’t enough and felt proud of pushing myself for upper body days. This trail gets you to climb (over tree roots, giant logs and rocks), especially if you are my size.

• Cardiovascular training; I finished the year being able to run 10kms which was good (but the fitter you are, the more enjoyable this hike is going to be); I went on 4x 6km runs a week

• Mobility, balance & flexibility

  • About 25% of people I’ve seen on the trail had some form of strapping/bandaging/sleeves around their feet, ankles, calves or knees. Steep ascents are tiring, but steep, slippery, muddy descents can be dangerous and very uncomfortable for your joints/tendons

  • This part of the training isn’t very fun/cool, and it’s also one that a lot of people miss/underestimate, especially if they didn’t have many injuries before; I’ve been burned in the past, so now I have 2 short mobility & balance days per week and try to incorporate stretches as much as I can

Terrain

• Mud training; sounds funny, but please go find some knee-deep mud (or more) because the mud on the South Coast Track left us mildly traumatised (it’s a killer); unmaintained trails over a wet winter might be your best option.

• Ruined trails with lots of fallen logs; sounds funny again, but I’m sure that I jumped/climbed over 100 logs and crawled under countless times with a heavy pack; this is tiring, frustrating, and I felt like I was becoming a hurdler by the end of the track.

• Basic bouldering/clambering/scrambling; not as important, especially if you are tall, but having done a few scrambling trails will really help you.

• Steep ascents & descents.

• Grade 5 hikes; if possible, go to Tasmania (grading system is different in other states)

• Beach & pebble walking; while this is not difficult, I still recommend that you do a hike which involves these terrains

• This trail has a section where you have to row an old and very heavy boat multiple times; make sure you are comfortable with this

• This trail has multiple deep river crossings; make sure you are comfortable with this

Climate

• Alpine hiking; to get used to the sudden weather changes, heavy rain, heavy wind and the cold; go to a mountain (ideally go to Tasmania)

• Hiking & setting up the tent under heavy rain; it’ll suck if the first time you try to set up a tent is when you’re on the SCT

Please note that we were not experienced hikers while training for the SCT. We got serious about hiking at the start of 2023. Prior to that, I’ve never stepped inside a gym, never run before, played any team sports, or even got on monkey bars while growing up. Very unfit and uncoordinated background/history.

If you came from an active lifestyle, you may view my guide as ‘over the top’ — maybe you don’t need to train as much as we did.

Check out the SCT Walking Notes daily guide.

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, drop a comment, and I’ll reply.

Subscribe now

Share

What makes this North Star incredibly ambitious is my background in C-PTSD. Most research on improving HRV has been done on individuals with healthy upbringings and mild daily stresses. A few of these people have shared their stories online as “I doubled by HRV in only 6 months! From 60 to 120. You can do it too!” That is very impressive, but not so helpful for someone who didn’t have a healthy upbringing.

Having >50 HRV is not a low starting point. It shows enough resilience of the nervous system to safely try common practices like box breathing and ice baths. It also generally points to a ‘clear miss’ in a person’s daily routine — having an unhealthy habit. I’ve read articles and watched YouTube videos on terribly unfit young people who pick up the habit of running and dramatically improve their HRV within months. Or people who scroll all night on social media, surviving with 4 hours of sleep per night, finally allowing themselves to properly rest and improve their HRV. For some people, it’s about avoiding heavy exercise 2 hours before bedtime and eating KFC an hour before sleep. The fix is not easy, as changing lifestyles and habits are challenging, but it’s much more straightforward. At least, the risks and ambiguity are very low.

My challenge was never about alcohol, smoking, or letting go of the late-night party culture. It was the ambiguity of healing an injury one can’t even touch or see — a complex injury that our scientific knowledge struggles to unpack — a system that’s deeply integrated in the brain stem and amygdala, which has been pushed to the edge and is malfunctioning.

That requires reinventing the wheel.

Online forums about HRV written by people with C-PTSD are quite depressing. Anecdotal experiences reveal that this is almost an impossible mission. Most successful people start somewhere between 10-30 HRV and tend to only uplift their scores by 10-15 points from a decade of trying.

By running these experiments and playing scientist, I hope to help others on similar journeys. Maybe it’s naive, but if I can do it (someone with a suicidal background), others can do it too. We just need to figure out the right protocol for healing.

In this article, you will find…

• Why having a high HRV is important (and why this is a controversial topic)

• Experiments I ran & results

• Impacts of improving HRV on my life

• Future experiments

If you know someone who has gone through a similar journey or has expertise in improving HRV with a trauma background, I’d love to connect with them. Please reach out!

Note: as my articles are already really long, I will separate the “how to build your own protocol for improving autonomic nervous system health” to another day.

Why Having a High HRV is Important?

After diving into a rabbit hole of opinion articles about HRV and Reddit threads, I noticed a few things.

Improving HRV is quite a challenging and long-term process, even for people without mental health illnesses or trauma. It requires significant changes to one’s life routine, a lot of discipline and patience. The nervous system behaves in ways it’s been trained to do so, and rewiring is not easy.

Half of the internet voices full-heartedly believe that having a high HRV really matters for optimal health (including longevity experts), while the other half are sure that this is an irrelevant data point and completely related to your genetics. The classic, “I don’t know much about epigenetics, I’m not responsible for my health, because there is nothing I can do to improve my health, because I’m doomed by my parents.”

Note that I don’t fully disagree with the role our genes play in how high our HRV can go, but… I mostly disagree (thoughts elaborated later in this article). In short, HRV is somewhat similar to VO2Max. To be in the top 1%, you need exceptional fitness, health and genetics. But to have a ‘very good’ VO2Max, you just need to be fit (and not smoke).

I haven’t come across a single person who claimed the irrelevance of HRV via scientific research. This group either has a low HRV themselves or their child/partner has a low HRV. A little defensive from an offended crowd. At least most of the time, they admit (then dismiss) a very unhealthy habit that they have — something along the lines of, “yes, I don’t have the best sleep, like it’s very inconsistent and about 5 hours per night, but it’s not like that makes much of a difference anyway.” Despite that, this group also believes that they are “very healthy,” sometimes based on blood tests (that compare them to the wider population, including those with chronic diseases), and sometimes based on their feelings. Sounds familiar to the TruDiagnostic critics. It’s the “I feel healthy, therefore I am(!!!)” statement. Oh, I wish things were that simple; I would just feel my way through life. 🧘‍♀️

Let me explain what HRV is, and I’ll let you be the judge.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat. Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is the average beats per minute.

If you are wondering, hold on a sec, what do you mean by the variation and the average of my heart beats… your heart does not beat regularly, like… “bum - bum - bum - bum.” That only happens in movies. In real life, your heart beats more like… “da - bum —— da - bum —— da - bum —— da - bum.”

The exact changes in time between successive beats show the balance between your sympathetic (fight-flight) and parasympathetic (calm-rest-digest) systems. A healthy autonomic nervous system (ANS) will have a healthy balance/regulation between these two systems.

Depending on your condition, doctors can use HRV, MRI, Tilt Table Test, breathing tests and sweat tests to measure the health of your ANS.

First image shows trends over time (i.e. week), second image shows trends within a day.

✅ We have established that HRV is an indicator of the health of your autonomic nervous system.

A healthy nervous system is associated with…

• Better sleep quality:

  • You can find countless research papers and clinical trials on NIH, ScienceDirect and Frontiers to show the link between a healthy nervous system (high HRV) and high sleep quality (self-reported and tracked by wearables).

  • Better sleep quality will help reduce and avoid psychological stress and cognitive decline (memory, focus, response time, etc).

• Higher resilience to psychological challenges:

  • Having lower resilience and HRV is a significant risk factor for developing PTSD, even from generic adulting challenges.

  • People with lower resilience to psychological challenges are more reactive throughout the day, which makes maintaining healthy relationships challenging.

• Higher resilience to physical strain:

  • Athletes generally track their HRV to ensure they are not overtraining. Consistently running a very low HRV also increases the risk of injuries and overtraining, as the body finds it challenging to recover.

• Higher resilience of the immune system:

  • The risk of any immune disease is 58% higher for those with trauma and dysregulated nervous systems.

  • Chronic stress releases histamine, raises inflammation levels and suppressor T cell levels.

• Regulation of hormonal health:

  • Recent studies are revealing that both trauma and a dysregulated nervous system lower testosterone levels in men.

  • Consistent activation of the sympathetic and dorsal vagal systems can lead to loss of periods for women. This makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. When the body is trying hard to survive, why should it give birth to a baby?

  • Trauma patients have 37% higher chance of experiencing pregnancy complications — 41% higher chance of premature birth, and 27% higher chance of giving birth to a baby with low body weight.

• Healthy metabolism:

  • A dysregulated nervous system can cause insulin resistance, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

  • A dysregulated nervous system promotes fat storage (especially visceral fat). Our nervous systems function in a very similar way to how our great-grandparents’ nervous systems functioned in the Bronze Age. Yes, we haven’t changed much at all! So, it can’t tell the difference between the danger of starvation and divorce. Both are stressors, and both can lead to your body trying to brace itself for a harsh, hungry winter (by storing excess fat).

  • 30-40% of people with metabolic syndrome have dysregulated nervous systems.

• Healthy gut & digestion:

  • A dysregulated nervous system due to chronic stress changes the acid concentration in the stomach and the microbiome in the gut.

  • These changes in the gut microbiome often lead to IBS, leaky gut syndrome and other digestive problems.

• Healthy heart:

  • People with a dysregulated nervous system often show elevated cholesterol, C-reactive protein and RHR.

  • Phobic anxiety increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 70%. Panic disorder increases this risk by 50% and PTSD by 61%.

• Good cognitive health:

  • Trauma influences microglia, the brain’s immune system. When facing high trauma, the microglia eat the nerve endings instead of enhancing growth.

  • A dysregulated nervous system can result in poor memory, poor concentration, poor problem-solving skills, poor decision-making and poor emotional regulation.

Note: people with chronic health diseases (especially cardiovascular health), mental health illnesses, persistent immunity issues and trauma will have a lower HRV.

If you ask me, that’s pretty important stuff! While you don’t need to race with athletic young men and score over 200 HRV, maintaining a high HRV will benefit you a lot.

Here are two graphs showing what a healthy HRV chart looks like by age. To set the right expectations, a fit person’s HRV should be above the average on this chart.

The variance in HRV is not only caused by levels of fitness, stress, sleep quality and overall health. Genetics play some role in this as well. Some people will have a shockingly high HRV. It’s not uncommon on Whoop to see fit young men (generally team sport players or runners) with +200 HRV. However, if your HRV is well below the healthy range, I refuse to hide behind the “not my fault or responsibility, it’s my genes” line of defence.

Hope I cleared up why I am obsessed with tracking HRV, along with RHR. For me, it’s a key step in healing C-PTSD and improving my overall health and resilience.

To clarify (because someone asked me this at a longevity event), having traumatic experiences doesn’t always lead to a low HRV. As mentioned in a prior post, my partner also experienced some traumatic events as a child. He showed symptoms of trauma, worked on growing and becoming more resilient in his 20s. He has a very good RHR and HRV for his age.

In a prior article reviewing Pulsetto, I mentioned the difference between parasympathetic, sympathetic and dorsal vagal systems. The nervous system receives the most damage when it is consistently put through the dorsal vagal system and believes that it is stuck in danger (there is no escape, no hope). Not all traumatic experiences actively trigger that state. There is also emerging research illustrating the difference between how male and female bodies/biology handle stress.*

• The threshold for ‘damaging stress’ is higher for men than women (on average), meaning men tend to handle higher stress levels better.

• Damage to the male nervous system doesn’t cause as much damage to the other organ systems as it does to females. There is clear evidence showing links between trauma and poor gut health, cardiovascular diseases, elevated liver values, chronic pain, autoimmune diseases and cognitive decline for women. The results are less severe for men (except for cognitive health). I also acknowledge that comparing trauma is complex and challenging, so more research is needed for this topic.

• Women generally show a larger cortisol response to stress and lower pro-inflammatory cytokines in comparison to men. Women also have a lower baseline of cortisol concentration.

Adding on, our bodies are better at handling ‘one-time’ stressors, like running away from a bear in caveman times, instead of chronic, dragging stress (i.e. toxic career environments, constant poverty, taxes). Some also argue that the female mind and body are under constant stress without a break. Fair argument!

Examples; pregnancy and taking care of babies (the crying, poor sleep, physical labour etc), hormonal shifts (increase of stressors leading up to monthly periods and menopause), and taking up too much responsibility (children, domestic duties, career duties, etc).

Therefore, research suggests that women are 2x more likely to develop PTSD than men. Noting that an absence of a PTSD diagnosis doesn’t mean the individual was not negatively impacted by the traumatic event.

*Please don’t read the above as “women are weak or incapable.” The science shows a different stress response between the genders. Let’s not interpret “different” in a negative light.

Before I move on to the next section of this article, here are two useful videos from the Huberman Lab Podcast.

• Control Your Vagus Nerve to Improve Mood, Alertness & Neuroplasticity

• Simple Tool to Boost Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Experiments I Ran & Results

On my mission to quadruple my HRV, I documented all the things I tried this year.

Noting a few key events that happened prior to this year’s experiment, which have also positively influenced my HRV and sped up my recovery process.

• I had EMDR therapy for 3 months.

  • Anecdotal evidence from trauma patients suggests that EMDR can improve HRV by 10 points within 3 months.

  • In a randomised trial, EMDR significantly increased high‑frequency HRV (p = .003) and reduced low‑frequency HRV (p ≤ .001) immediately after treatment. The effects were maintained at 1 month and 3 month follow‑up sessions, indicating stronger parasympathetic tone and better autonomic balance. The positive results are consistent in other trials too.

  • If you are located in Sydney and looking for a clinical psychologist specialised in EMDR and C-PTSD, I highly recommend the Centered Life Psychology Clinic in Kogarah. The small clinic is run by Tala Mansour, who has done magic for me. It’s quite challenging to find a psychologist with C-PTSD and EMDR expertise, but once you find a match, the process really uplifts your life quality in many ways.

• I went no contact with my parents and low contact with some family members.

  • Anecdotal evidence by C-PTSD survivors and observant psychologists suggests that removal of nervous system triggers (i.e. toxic/dangerous environments, situations and people) significantly improves the autonomic balance and health of patients.

• In October, I organised my workout schedule for the week to have 2 back-to-back rest days. This has helped me boost my HRV and recovery fully from the physical strain. My prior routine was 2 workouts, 1 rest, 3 workouts, 1 rest.

On the 1st of August 2025, my average HRV was about 24, as it bounced between 19 to 29. This average was calculated during a period when I was taking a break from regular exercise. I cannot imagine what my HRV would have been like before EMDR and going no contact. Based on my research, a relatively healthy and active woman in their early 20s with C-PTSD that hasn’t been treated by a professional can expect a HRV between 8-20. That’s very scary. I began this journey ranking among 75-85 years old women, despite my level of fitness and overall health.

Experiments

Tracking Method: Whoop (RHR, HRV, sleep stress, sleep quality, daily stress) and daily mood.

Other Indicators: frequency of nightmares, regularity of periods and reactivity to stressors.

Note: I have travelled a fair amount while running these experiments. Travelling brought some irregularity and inconsistency in my daily schedule, which isn’t the perfect base for HRV experimentation. The nervous system is most comfortable in safe and predictable environments. That being said, I tried my best to maintain the same schedule almost every day and avoided major stressors.

Disclaimer: what works for me may not work for you.

Repeating Daily Affirmations

• Duration: 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks. Morning.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Slight increase in optimism and confidence. While it makes you feel good in the moment, it does not decrease stress when triggered.

• Conclusion: To set the right intentions for the day, it’s a good idea to do it in the morning, especially if morning prayers or gratitude aren’t already a part of the routine. Given my goal of building a protocol for improving HRV, this is no longer prioritised in my routine.

Guided Meditations

• Duration: 15 minutes, 3x a week over 2 weeks. Midday.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Difficulty completing the session due to rising heartbeat and stress response. Ended sessions about 5-7 minutes early with a heavy heart and throat ache, feeling of choking, and slight panic response. Whoop showed that I entered Zone 1. Nightmares.

• Conclusion: Unsuccessful.

  Some of my trauma memories link to nighttime events. So, my nervous system associated calm, quiet, still and dark (eyes closed) environments with an expectation of sudden danger. I suspect this triggers a stressful response during meditations.

  Later research and discussions during the Wanderlust Longevity Event led me to realise that what triggered an intense response was my persistence in avoiding a cry (forcing emotions). I was also recommended to start with 5 minute meditations to get my nervous system familiar with the practice before increasing durations to 15 minutes.

  I also concluded that this was an intermediate exercise, and I was a beginner with a very low HRV when I experimented with guided meditations.

Boxed Breathing

• Duration: 5 minutes, 3x over 2 weeks. Night.

• Impacts on HRV: Slight Dip (3-5 points).

• Other Impacts: Difficulty completing the session due to rapidly rising heartbeats and sharp stress response. Could not breathe longer than 2 minutes each time. Difficulty breathing, feeling of choking, and a heavy heart and throat ache. Panic response and slight confusion. Nightmares. Some forgotten/buried memories rose to the surface of consciousness. They were unpleasant. It made sense why my brain wanted to forget about them in the first place.

• Conclusion: Unsuccessful. Similar reasons as my response to ‘guided meditation’. I experimented with this too early; I would classify box breathing as an intermediate exercise.

Warm Bath

• Duration: 20 minutes. Tested on different weeks for 3x in total. Night.

• Impacts on HRV: Dip (5-7 points).

• Other Impacts: Faint, confused, dizzy. Took me about 15 minutes of lying on the bed and cooling down to feel ok.

• Conclusion: Unsuccessful. I was recommended to try sauna, but chose to start with a warm (not hot steaming) bath to test my response. I have low blood pressure, so that’s probably the cause of my response.

Restorative Yoga

• Duration: 15 minutes 3x a week for 3 weeks. Night.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Helps with flexibility and relaxing the muscles a bit.

• Conclusion: Impacts are very small and not worth the time for me.

Yoga

• Duration: 15 minutes 3x a week for 3 weeks. Morning.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Helps with flexibility a bit.

• Conclusion: Can complement a regular exercise routine. It’s good to get some movement in the body even on rest days, so I’m currently doing yoga once a week to aid recovery.

Float Therapy

• Duration: 50 minutes, 1x week for 4 weeks. Afternoon.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Deeply relaxing for the mind and body. My RHR did drop during the session, but not to outstanding levels. The float tank and sensory deprivation feel like disappearing into the space, which I find to be extremely peaceful. Others find this scary and claustrophobic. It’s a personal preference.

  Incredible for my hair and skin health. This is why I love going to the beach for a quick dip (something I should do more of). Salt does wonders for naturally curling my hair, smoothening my skin, and taking the oil from my forehead.

  Improving bodily awareness. As you float, it’s common to notice where the tension is in your body. Is there tightness in your neck? Do you have joint pain? Did your calves work out too much? The experience enhances the mind-body connection.

• Conclusion: Admitting that I should have probably attended float therapy multiple times a week to test its impact. I attended float therapy on my rest day (no exercise) to see if it would boost the recovery.

  The challenge with float therapy is the temperature for me. The temperature needs to be exact — not cold but not too warm, as I feel faint in warm baths — but most places have the temperature setting too warm for my comfort.

  Given the time commitment, accessibility challenges and costs associated with this therapy, I find this to be an expensive hair and skin care. However, it is a calming self-care activity, so I am more inclined to treat this like a massage session — once every 6 weeks, as a ‘treat yourself’ time.

Sound Healing

• Duration: 30 minutes, every 2nd day for 2 weeks. Midday.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect on its own. When coupled with NSDR, it enhanced the effectiveness of the practice by about 3 points.

• Other Impacts: Relaxing for the mind, builds my inner optimism, stabilises the mood within the first 30 minutes. Beyond 45 minutes, feeling slightly uncomfortable, fidgety and overstimulated.

• Conclusion: Incorporated this in my nightly NSDR routine for 15 minutes. On some days, I prefer to listen to sound healing tunes while working for 30 minutes.

  I need to make an effort to lie still for 10 minutes midday with sound healing to reset the mind. I also need to make a greater effort to strengthen my nighttime wind-down routine, as I would like to introduce sound healing while reading a book in bed for 20 minutes.

  In retrospect, the best practice for sound healing is not to move your body, but during my experiment, I continued to work on my blog. So, this probably was not a well-conducted experiment, even though the impacts are showing positive.

NSDR (Non Sleep Deep Rest) or Yoga Nidra

• Duration: 15 minutes, every night for 4 weeks. Night.

• Impacts on HRV: Built my average HRV by 10 points to 34. Over 4 weeks, I was able to hit my first all-time high HRV for 1 night at 53. I also hit 44 and 41 once.

  Instantly felt the difference after the first practice, and it blew my mind. My HRV improved over the first 3 weeks of the practice, then held steady. NSDR shields my nervous system from heavy strain, as my HRV does not dip dramatically after a heavy gym or running day — holds relatively stable throughout the week. When NSDR is not performed, a sharp dip in HRV is seen.

• Other Impacts: Reduces RHR by 5 points. Reduces nightly stress levels from medium-high to a steady low. When I began my journey of experimentation, my nightly stress levels were consistently high throughout the night, as if I were exercising all night. Since NSDR, my sleep stress rarely reaches to medium levels.

  Interesting note: during the first week of NSDR practise, I saw dreams with “nightmare” content, without feeling scared. Really graphic and scary content did not affect me because in those dreams, I felt detached from my body — i.e. people stabbing me, but it did not hurt. So, I strongly believe that NSDR helped me to process some trauma as well.

  Deeply relaxes the mind, and a sense of safety flows through the body. Helps falling asleep instantly — I may hold a record for sleep latency and sleep efficiency on some nights. Cools the body temperature.

  Over the last 2 months, regular practise of NSDR has improved my breathing — lung capacity and capability of performing breathing exercises for ‘relaxation’.

  Improved my bodily awareness, mind-muscle connection, daily mindfulness, and reduced chances of overtraining/injuries. Improved my emotional awareness — I can differentiate whether my muscles or my nervous system is tired.

• Conclusion: This is a must-have of my nightly routine, almost a non-negotiable.

  Best performed when lying on the ground (instead of a bed) in a dark and quiet room.

  I suspect this practice works for me due to the routine element of it. A body scan during NSDR is like a checklist — predictable, from head to toe. For this reason, unfortunately, the positive impacts of this practice are only seen after 1 specific yoga nidra recording. I have memorised the recording fully because if I try a new recording, then I don’t see the positive impacts (as it becomes unpredictable).

  

• This is an average NSDR session. Sometimes my min HR is 60, sometimes 56.

  Here is an example NSDR practise you can try at home.

  I found out about this on a Huberman Podcast (listen to “30 Minutes of This Feels Like 8 Hours of Sleep” for more info). Ever since, I’ve been wanting to reach out to express my gratitude. Need to do that.

Pulsetto Vagus Nerve Stimulation

• Duration: 2x a day, 5-10 minutes each session for 6 weeks. Morning and night.

• Modules: Sleep, stress and burnout.

• Impacts on HRV: Drop by 10 points. Negative impacts lasted for 6 weeks.

• Other Impacts: See my full review on Pulsetto. It’s been a disastrous experiment with lasting effects on my RHR, sleep quality and daily stress, which in retrospect I should have stopped much sooner.

• Conclusion: Caused injury to my nervous system. This is an advanced product for individuals with healthy backgrounds. Not willing to try this product again until my HRV triples from where I started.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

• Duration: 1 month, 3x a week for 50 mins, low pressure. 1 month, 3x a week for 90 mins, high pressure. Midday.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect. However, during sessions with high pressure, my RHR dropped to all-time-lows; I was able to activate my parasympathetic tone.

• Other Impacts: This is a very refreshing and calming experience.

  VO2Max improved from 49 to 51. I genuinely felt my breath capacity improve. After months of trying to run faster with very minimal improvement, I saw a dramatic improvement in my running speed. Running 10km at 1 hour 4 minutes became 54 minutes.

  Unusually fast recovery from straining exercises and an unusual increase in muscle mass and strength. Within 3 months, despite reducing the number of strength training days in the gym, I gained 1.85kg of muscle, which is shocking for a woman who is an intermediate gym goer. My previous best result was 600g in 3 months. At the start of the experiment, my pull-ups were 6 6 5 5 5 reps, and dips were 7 7 7 6 6 reps (bodyweight). I was at a plateau with my progress. By the end of this experiment, my pull-ups were 7 7 7 6 6, and dips were 9 9 9 9 8 (bodyweight).

  David got sick while I was running this experiment. I normally catch every flu he has within a few days and walk around sniffly, coughy and with a fever. My research led me to believe that HBOT recharges the immune system; it pumps more oxygen into our bodies, helping the good bacteria grow and fight off infections. This might be the first time that David suffered from a dragging flu for a week, and I was almost completely fine.

  These impacts align with wider scientific research. So, while it felt surprising, the results were expected.

  Conclusion: I’m in split minds about this.

  Initially, I chose this therapy to improve lung health. This was a focus area after TruDiagnostic results, and I had asthma during childhood. HBOT hit 2 goals at once for me. Depending on my next TruDiagnostic results and income, I may be keen to cycle HBOT — on 3 months and off 6 months next year.

  I felt (and was able to measure) a noticeable difference between HBOT on low vs high pressure. It’s disappointing that most clinics only offer low-pressure HBOT. The Orchard Richmond* in Richmond offered high pressure for 90 minutes, which was the most effective way of doing HBOT.

  Overall, there were two issues with this experiment.

  1. I kept falling asleep because the experience was so calming. That’s great! However, sleeping in the middle of the day disrupted my sleep at night. REM and deep sleep time were shortened, and I struggled to fall asleep. Even though I regularly activated my parasympathetic tone (which is a positive sign in theory), due to sleep disruption, my HRV did not improve.

  2. I was also recovering from the damage of Pulsetto at the time, which made it challenging to judge the effectiveness of this therapy. My HRV did not increase or decrease. Did HBOT cushion the negative impacts of Pulsetto? Or did it not have any direct impact on my HRV? We don’t know for sure.

  As it allowed me to enter into the parasympathetic system during the session, I am inclined to believe that this was somewhat a helpful therapy for improving HRV. However, it is time-consuming (90 minutes in the middle of the day when one is supposed to be most productive), and as David said, “a very expensive sleep and way to relax.”

  Given its impacts on recovering, growing muscles and strengthening the immune system, I’m very positive on HBOT when there are specific recovery reasons, like post-surgery. It probably does wonders for pro athletes. For my current income, which is pretty average, I will be more selective with my use of HBOT in the future.

The HBOT selfies! The screenshots are from Whoop during HBOT. You can clearly see how low my RHR gets and how dramatically my stress levels drop during each session.

Red Light Therapy

I started the HBOT experiment first, then added RLT after 3 weeks. I attended both therapies in The Orchard Richmond (Melbourne). This clinic offers a combination of yellow, red, green, blue*

• Duration: 5 weeks, 3x a week for 15 mins. Midday.

• Impacts on HRV: No effect.

• Other Impacts: Similar comments about speed of recovery from straining exercises, and improvements in muscle mass and strength.

  I have a tan mark on the left side of my forehead, which becomes apparent during spring and summer. I got this mark when I was about 3 years old after my grandmother poured perfume on my head and took me out under the sun for an hour (or until I began to complain from the burning discomfort). I haven’t tried any special therapies to remove that mark, as it hadn’t concerned me much. However, both David and I noticed that this mark became a bit faint over the course of 5 weeks. This is quite surprising, as we thought this mark was now permanent.

  Despite having quite a strong immune system, my skin has always struggled to heal from scars, ever since I was a young kid. What a coincidence that I slipped and fell on my bum while running the RLT experiment. A rock cut my skin and bruised the surface. Given how slow even mozzie bites fade from my skin (about 3-4 months), I wasn’t sure if red light could help me. After 2 weeks, the big red scar was completely gone.

  I mentioned on a LinkedIn post last month that in August, I found 3 random white hairs at the crown of my head. Well, I could not find a single white or grey hair on me ever since the RLT began. In fact, my hair grew noticeably fuller.

• Conclusion: It may be placebo, but I really felt my face glowing. The experience was short and relaxing — 15 minutes a day is very achievable.

  I’ve never had any challenges with pimples, acne, black spots or skin texture. However, I spoke to a few others attending the RLT sessions in the clinic who suffered from acne, and they said they’ve seen significant improvements from week 3. This aligns with external scientific research.

  Despite not improving my HRV, there is clear evidence for RLT’s impact on skin and muscles. I highly recommend it as a recovery tool for physical injuries, surgeries and scars, along with healing/aiding skin concerns. Keen to investigate a red light panel for our home next year (once we have some money saved up).

Ashwagandha

The daily recommended dose is 250-500mg. Some studies show benefits for 500-600mg. I chose to start with a very light dose due to my background. This is the starting dose that I recommend for people sharing a similar background until their bodies are used to the effects of the supplement.

• Duration: daily, 125mg

• Impacts on HRV: Improved by 10 points. The most impactful intervention/experiment I tried since EMDR and NSDR. I hit my personal best HRV and RHR multiple times — gives me a lot of hope.

• Other Impacts: Calmer, more balanced, grounded, mindful and optimistic during the day.

  During the first 10 days, my REM cycle shortened by 40 minutes and dropped to 1h 50mins. I had consistent and repetitive nightmares, which were tiring throughout the night. David noticed that I woke up with a scream in the middle of the night and shook a few times during the night. Despite this, my sleep stress remained very low, HRV improved and RHR lowered dramatically.

  After the first 10 days, my REM cycle increased back to 2h 10 minutes, which is still a bit lower than my prior average. I am no longer having intense nightmares, but rather mildly stressful, chaotic and uncomfortable dreams — there is improvement there. My HRV and RHR continue to improve.

  After my research and conversations with my psychologist, we hypothesise that the nightmares are a temporary impact due to an overly ‘relaxed’ state. The REM cycle serves the purpose of processing uncomfortable events during the day; it’s key to be psychologically stable and healthy. However, the REM cycle process events when it is ready. So, a feeling of ‘safety’, activating the parasympathetic tone, having a low RHR and a high HRV have an influence. As my HRV was used to bouncing between 20-37, a rapid increase to experiencing 50s was shocking to the system. My nervous system probably thought, “wow, we have never been this safe and resilient before. I’m ready to process my entire life’s trauma. I can handle anything!” Hence, the flood of nightmares. As my nervous system adjusted to the new HRV average and I did some work on the persistent themes behind the nightmares by journalling, the nightmares began to calm down.

  An average person is awake 30-55 minutes while sleeping. I have always been a deep sleeper, only awake for about 15 minutes on average per night (fluctuating between 10-20 minutes, depending on external noise, hormonal changes, etc). I began to fluctuate between 5-15 minutes of awake time per night.

• Conclusion: Ashwagandha was my medication to heal from the Pulsetto injury.

  Interesting to note that about 2.5 years ago, I tried ashwagandha (400mg) and rhodiola rosea as supplements at different times. Rhodiola rosea made me very panicky and irritated, almost manic. Ashwagandha made me feel a little sick and slightly anxious/uncomfortable. So, this was a pleasant surprise to me. In retrospect, I probably overloaded my body and overwhelmed my nervous system with a very high dose.

  I am interested in increasing the dose in the future, if my body adapts to the impacts of this dose. Currently, I am hesitant to increase the dose due to the nightmares. Over the past 5 months, I learned to not force/rush relaxation or the parasympathetic tone, but instead, gently nudge/guide and observe. This dose is already having a lot of impacts on me.

  I would like to observe the impacts of ashwagandha on my VO2Max over the next 2 months. There are several studies over the last 5 years concluding that supplementation can help improve VO2Max. A 2023 study found a 9.5% increase in VO2max in male participants and a 7% increase in female participants across an eight-week period when dosed with 600 mg per day.

*If you are based in Melbourne, meet with Symee, the owner of The Orchard Richmond in Richmond and Prahan. His longevity clinics have HBOT, RLT, hydrogen therapy, compression boots, infrared sauna, cold plunge, and sensory deprivation salt float tank.

What’s great about his clinic is the affordability and flexibility of his packages — any 10 therapies of your choice is a set price, and you receive additional benefits for being a member. Every other clinic I’ve found in Melbourne forces customers to buy ‘combo packs’ that involve sauna and cold plunge — i.e. 2x sauna, 2x cold plunge, 2x HBOT, 1 RLT for $XX — and individual purchases are outrageously expensive for my budget.

I’ve got to try hydrogen therapy in his clinic, which is known to support brain and lung health, and has anti-inflammatory effects. This is something I would like to pursue next year for lung and cognitive health.

I tried compression boots 2x a week for 3 weeks. Compression boots don’t impact HRV — I always knew that, but wanted to experiment for muscle recovery. While it is relaxing, I prefer to use a foam roller and massage gun to release muscular tension. Depending on my next TruDiagnostic test results, I may think about experimenting with compression boots specifically for lymphatic drainage effects.

I have also tried the infrared sauna & cold plunge combo. Despite the shock of the cold, this experience was quite calming. Symee recommends this for people with low blood pressure as an alternative to long sauna sessions. During the session, my RHR and stress response went low. I came out of the session feeling refreshed. I cannot report its impact on HRV as I don’t have enough data yet. However, this is something I may pursue as a future experiment.

Impacts of Improving HRV In My Life

In 5 months, I was able to move my average HRV from 24 to 44. That is 20 points of increase. At the start of my journey, my lowest was 19. So far, my highest has been 54.

Likewise, I was able to move my average RHR from 65 to 61. My highest was 72 on the first month of my journey and 76 during Pulsetto use. In December, my lowest has been 58.

This is a damn slow progress. But these are huge improvements! I must say that I’m quite proud.

There is still a long way to go to reach 94 HRV. But even doubling my HRV from its starting point had a lot of impacts in my life. This created new challenges for me to resolve.

Two weeks ago, David and I had a conversation about the changes in me. Sharing this personal conversation because it needs to be shared. Improving HRV is described as a very positive experience for people, but there is the other side of the coin that isn’t mentioned. In my case, this is called “post-traumatic growth.”

ME: I was fine when my maladaptive beliefs and behaviours faded away. That created a better version of me. But I’m not ready to let go of my good qualities. I don’t know who I am right now. I was this awesome person; what made me “me” isn’t there.

HIM: You feel like you are losing yourself.

ME: Yes. It’s concerning. This Doa hasn’t done anything in life. It was the other Doa who won the awards, rapidly progressed in her career, was very efficient with her time, began great healthy habits, pushed herself to reach places she thought she couldn’t.

HIM: But that doesn’t mean this new version of you can’t do these things. I think you are actually finding yourself.

ME: I’m indecisive, not as efficient, not remembering my daily checklist, my mornings fly away — that’s the worst part. I was so fast in the mornings. It’s like I don’t have the same drive.

HIM: This process is temporary. These new challenges are a great sign of progress; they are healthy to have. Every other person has these challenges. Most people don’t wake up at an ungodly time in a rush and get 10 things done within an hour. But they find ways to gain motivation in the morning. You’ll find your unique ways to feel motivated, focused, be assertive and do things without being driven by trauma.

So, what’s changed about me over the last 5 months?

You’ll probably notice that these changes are not negative at all! But major changes are never comfortable. It’s normal to feel a bit of grief every time you let go of something. So, I would like to reflect on what I am “exchanging” instead.

Morning rush, drive & motivation

I used to naturally wake up at about 5am with an elevated heartbeat, slight panic and rush, as if the world was ending if I wasn’t ready to go in 15 minutes. It led to very efficient mornings, when I would be done with gym, shower and brekkie by 8am, ready to start the day. Mornings were my most productive times with so much energy, motivation and drive to work. Absolutely no power stopped or slowed my morning routine. It could be storming and pouring rain outside; I would still be running my 10km via the same route on a Saturday. It made me feel powerful; I was “unstoppable.”

Now, I naturally wake up at about 5.50am with sunrise. I’m noticing the rays of the sun peak between the curtains, the sparkles of light dance through the air — it makes me smile. I roll for a cuddle. I feel grateful. I think about my day. Time slowed down and sped up at once. Or perhaps I slowed down. I feel my body through the motions of warming up, feeling ready, then departing. I get to work at 9am instead.

Why? Once the body gets used to calming down, it realises how healing this is. Rushing without an important reason feels odd and becomes challenging.

Exchanging: pace and efficiency with intention and mindfulness.

Daily plans

I used to naturally remember my daily plan hour by hour with all of its details. I was not just an over-planner, but also an unusually precise recaller of memories. There was very little surprise in my daily life, as all the decisions were made on Friday afternoon.

Now, I still plan for the week ahead on my Friday afternoons. But my plan is very high-level. I feel tired thinking in such detail, or so far out (i.e. why pick your food order from a cafe that you are planning to go to in 54 days?). Even if I plan for something, I genuinely forget. This is forcing me to make a lot of decisions on the spot, which is something I am adjusting to.

Why? Because over-planning and remembering everything with such detail was only necessary when I was on the edge (when getting things wrong meant catastrophe). When I felt safe in my heart, I didn’t need to “control” the uncontrollable for safety.

Exchanging: strong precise planning with agility and adaptability.

Bodily awareness

I used to feel the same every single day. If I felt tired, I thought I felt tired everywhere. I could not differentiate between having sore legs vs a tired nervous system. I was genuinely unaware of my body, which also contributed to my injuries.

As I entered into the parasympathetic tone regularly, my nervous system remembered how peace and calm felt. Now, I can literally say, “I have DOMs on my quads, but the rest of me is fine.” I notice when my heart beats faster. I notice when my nervous system is triggered and when it is tired.

Exchanging: going through the motions with awareness and intention.

Two personalities

I think most people have an “internal voice.” Or maybe a few. Well, I used to have 1 voice. She directed my life on every topic. She had the brutal, sarcastic, hard-to-please, tough love vibes with a clearly defined idea of what was right and wrong. She is the reason why I have a lot of healthy habits in my life. She is the reason why I have valuable relationships, some financial savings, and work success. I have so much respect for her. She may be tough, but she is the voice of reason.

Now, I have another internal voice. It’s a little annoying. She’s so bouncy, happy, excited, optimistic and impulsive. She gets distracted easily. And she notices things that 4 years old girls notice, like reindeer cake pops and butterfly wings. She popped out of nowhere. I never met her in my life. 🧚

Why? A part of my personality that should have been expressed was repressed and sh*t scared as a young child is now feeling safe to come out. My nervous system has healed enough to let her speak up.

Here’s the problem. Making decisions is now even harder. There is unnecessary internal conflict happening in my mind’s control centre on whether we should have salmon with black lentils, spices, herbs and three different types of greens OR a pink pavlova with sprinkles for dinner. Now, I need to practice discipline in a different way. I still love my healthy habits, but I also need to find a balance between the two voices in my head.

Exchanging: forceful discipline and ‘tough it out for success’ with prioritisation, playfulness, curiosity, optimism, a balanced and rich personality, and real discipline (getting things done even when Little Doa doesn’t find it fun).

Over-thinking & over-explaining. AND things don’t stress me so much anymore

Some examples…

• If I am unhappy about something, I feel more comfortable stating my dissatisfaction on the same day or a day after, rather than sitting on sour feelings.

• If someone misunderstands and judges me, it sounds like their problem. Communication is a two-way street.

• Rather than jumping to catastrophic conclusions, my brain is more inclined to think, “I’m sure it’s not that bad, this isn’t a horror movie, I’m sure we can find a solution.”

Exchanging: trying to control variables out of my control with acceptance and more space/energy in the brain to think about more important things in life.

Social media, clutter, too much noise, fast music, crowds and the chaos of the city are not very tempting (kind of tiring)

Clutter is no longer exciting. It’s tiring. Takes too much unnecessary space in the mind. Simple things make me happier. Wearing the same clothes is relaxing. Quiet is freeing. Empty space invites creativity and deep thoughts. Social media reels are too repetitive. I always valued insightful podcasts and documentaries, but now, I am intentionally choosing to give my precious time to only meaningful content.

Exchanging: rush and adrenaline spikes with simplicity and prioritisation, meaningful and valuable communication, and more space/energy in the brain to think about more important things in life.

I choose calm, peace and quiet. I notice more and more

Everything I achieved so far came from fire, storm and chaos. I thrived in places others were scared to go. I received awards at different times in my life for courage. I have always fought against something, pushed and forced my way through life.

That’s the startup world for product people, right? Work hard, force things to work, wear 8 different hats, go to the trenches, sweat, ship things fast, huge mission statements — fight for something!

But now I don’t feel like fighting. I want to think deeply, find strength and success through calm, peace, intention, curiosity and simplicity, and find a path through empathy and understanding. For the first time ever, I am noticing the finer details of life, the beauty of the present moment. I am noticing the shades of peach and cream on a tulip’s petals, how the ants march in organised lines on wheatgrass, how the clouds shift across the sky and collide. I finally see the beauty of stillness and want to dissolve in time. It’s like I’m on mushrooms or something.

I still love being a PM. I still desire to build products that leave impacts the life quality of others. I’m still passionate and find motivation in meaningful work. But without starting unnecessary fights.

Exchanging: extreme stamina, being the ‘hero’ and fighting for every win with clarity of thought, empathy, mindfulness, inner peace, resilience, simplicity, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness.

Future Experiments

I can already tell that next year is going to be challenging to improve my HRV. I am expecting some major events in my life which will have negative impacts on my nervous system — 2 week long hiking trip in a harsh Tasy climate with risk of physical injury, surgery, more frequent travelling (airplanes are the worst for HRV), seeing the soccer world cup (why does the matches have to happen at 8pm??? So bad for sleep!), 2 week horseback safari, and relocating to a new country. Lots of new and unpredictable events — not what a nervous system likes! However, my partner and I have a rare opportunity to live this experience, and we want to make the most of it before starting fresh.

I still have a list of experiments to run. Looking forward to trying the following…

• Blue-light blocking glasses

• No phones or laptops 60 minutes before bed (only reading allowed)

• Increasing ashwagandha dose to 240mg (once the regularity of nightmares is spaced out)

• Meditation (after consistently hitting >50 HRV)

• Oxyfit breathing trainer (if meditation goes well)

• Box breathing (if meditation goes well)

• Ice baths (advanced therapy, once consistently hitting >70 HRV)

Celebrating the end of 2025 with a picnic full of gratitude, love, peace, healthy food and drinks. I am hopeful and excited for the experiences of the upcoming year.

^Slow cooked green split peas, wild black rice, steamed kale, artichoke hearts, corn, asparagus, olives, capers, fresh sardine fillets, fresh parsley, fresh coriander, spring onion, sauerkraut, a touch of lime, cumin and pepper. Served with dandelion root tea.

All the images I use have been generated using deepai.org (the pop art generator). 🦸‍♀️

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Subscribe now

Share

Important: before purchasing any vagal nerve stimulation device, please do extensive research on the experiences of other users with similar backgrounds (i.e. goals and health concerns) and read this article. Stimulating the vagus nerve is a BIG deal and can be highly effective. Approach with caution, especially if you have a traumatic past.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did I scare you? Don’t worry; I’m ok and felt very excited to write this article. Long and full on, so if you wish to skip ahead, see my table of contents.

• Backstory

• Science Behind Pulsetto (and How it Works)

• What I Loved About Pulsetto

• What Frustrated Me About Pulsetto

• Thoughts of Innovation

• Should You Buy Pulsetto?

• Road to Recovery

Backstory

On my quest for uplifting HRV, I came across so many strategies and devices to experiment with, ranging from crystals to chants to magic carpets which send an electrical charge to your feet, and brain-stimulating, heart chakra-stimulating, vibrating tools to uplift your frequency of self-love — it’s a world of witchcraft out there! Despite being quite a spiritual person, I questioned my sanity a few times after seeing some suspicious tactics online.

I distinctly remember one morning when a YouTube sound recording was playing out ‘blessed frequencies’ as David (my partner) walked into the living room with his morning coffee.

…Soft female chants…

HIM: What is this strange sound?

ME: Frequencies.

HIM: What?

ME: It brings a state of calm and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.

HIM: It sounds disturbing.

VIDEO: Repeat after me.

HIM: Sounds like a cult.

VIDEO: I am vibrating at the frequency of love.

David almost choked on his coffee. The man coughed around for the next 3 minutes with a red face. The following few weeks, whenever he saw me wearing headphones, looking meditative, he asked, “are you vibrating?”

Jokes aside, there is a ton of pseudoscience when it comes to ‘healing the nervous system.’ It’s also very challenging to scientifically measure the impact of a lot of hypotheses about this topic. Think about it…what brings someone to a state of calm and safety may be different for another. Especially if you consider past traumatic experiences where everyday situations or items may have been associated with disturbing memories in the brain.

So, I knew that what works for me may not work for others (and vice versa), and I had to approach most things with a curious mind, even if they seem/sound a bit odd.

Pulsetto was a different case though. Years ago, I heard the company’s name mentioned on Bryan Johnson’s protocol and didn’t spend more than a minute thinking about it. During my extensive research, I came across the concept of ‘vagus nerve stimulation,’ which reminded me of the ‘polyvagal theory,’ and led me to investigate products in this field. There were a few, but it seemed like Pulsetto had the largest backing from scientific experiments, longevity experts, and customer reviews. So, I began my research.

Science Behind Pulsetto

Let’s start with the polyvagal theory.

A role of our nervous system is to respond to external stimuli, so we don’t die. The nervous system is the body’s communication network (via neurons), processing senses, feelings and coordinating ‘appropriate’ actions in our organs.

• Example from the caveman times: you see a bear (senses) —> you feel intense fear (feeling) —> you run for your life and scream to call help (appropriate action).

• Example from the modern man times: you see a cute girl approaching you (sense) —> you feel afraid to talk to her (feeling) —> you sweat, stutter and freeze (in….appropriate action???).

You get the point. If you’re wondering, how is this useful to the modern man, sometimes, it’s not. Most of us living in the Western world rarely face life-threatening situations that trigger us to enter the well-known ‘fight or flight’ state. But our nervous system still seeks to protect us from possible danger. It’s also not able to differentiate between ‘life-threatening’ situations and daily uncomfortable situations, hence the ‘bear’ in my earlier example became the ‘cute girl.’ Or public speaking for some people.

It’s fascinating that our nervous system sends signals to all of our organs; hence, the impacts of trauma or chronic stress can be measured on many organ systems.

• Example: as a woman, if you are in constant danger, why should you get pregnant? You can’t raise a baby when you may die soon. Hence, women with chronic stress and eating disorders tend to lose their periods.

• Example: in the small towns around the Mediterranean Sea, where people famously live over 100 years old, if you visit a doctor for chronic pain without any blood tests to provide a logical explanation, then you’ll most likely hear; “you just need to reeest and relaaaax, my friend. Go home and sleep, kiss your wife, hug your neighbour, and eat some biscotti. Don’t think too much! No good for you.”

While I am simplifying some things, it’s good to know examples of how the nervous system operates.

Unlike the common belief, we don’t just ‘fight or flight.’ We have evolved to function a bit more complex than that. Think of the polyvagal theory as ‘degrees of danger’ your body perceives to be in.

• Ventral Vagal System: this is hopefully most of your day, when you feel safe, calm, playful and curious. This is a specific branch of the parasympathetic nervous system. “I am present” is the key signal circulated around your body.

• Sympathetic System: fight with the threat, flight from the threat, or fawn to the threat. Fawn is similar to people pleasing. “I can overcome this threat” is the key signal circulated around your body. Hence, the three verbs involve an action.

• Dorsal Vagal System: freeze with the hope that the threat won’t harm you (kind of like ‘playing dead’), or faint. Sometimes, freeze can appear as extreme disassociation — not hearing, noticing, or seeing things around you — staring at a blank space with minimal movement. This is a straining state to be in, and the key signal circulated around your body is, “I can’t; there is no escape.” Imagine finding yourself in a room with a serial killer when you have no weapons to protect yourself — it’s hopelessness. Consistently entering this system damages organs.

See below for more details.

We have all experienced these 3 states several times in our lives. Unfortunately, some of us have experienced the extremities of the dorsal vagal system so much that their bodies have been trained to react in extreme ways even in standard day-to-day situations.

Yes, our nervous systems can be trained to react in specific states. Like our muscles, whichever system has been trained the most will be the strongest and overpower the other systems.

• Example: if your parasympathetic nervous system has been trained very well and it’s in a healthy balance with your sympathetic nervous system, you’ll most likely be quite resilient to life’s challenges. Most of the time, you won’t be very reactive to issues, but instead, observant, curious and with a problem-solving attitude. Being grounded would be your default, and your HRV would be quite high.

• Example: if your dorsal vagal system has been trained very well, your body’s default state would be to prepare for its death. When facing challenges, the body won’t try to engage the sympathetic nervous system; it won’t see the point in fighting, fawning or flight-ing. This includes physical challenges; people with chronic depression have a very difficult time building muscle and can easily get injured. These people generally have a very low HRV, somewhere between 10 - 30 (assuming they are relatively fit, have relatively healthy habits and are younger than 40).

Everyone knows one person in their workplace who is a constant people pleaser; their nervous system has been trained to associate saying ‘no’ with ‘danger.’ For some of us, that’s crazy to imagine and saying ‘no’ is a very natural reaction. While growing up, those people had their nervous systems trained differently. Our parents (mostly), school experiences, friends and the culture of the country we grew up in shape how our nervous system responds to different stimuli.

I hope you’re not feeling gloomy, because our nervous system can be retrained. Depending on your background, ice baths, therapy, box breathing, meditation, adaptive memory forming, and some other methods can assist with retraining how your nervous system responds to external stimuli. Pulsetto is one of these tools.

If I haven’t made it clear enough, having a healthy nervous system won’t just help you to enjoy life better; it will also help you to form healthy relationships with others, regulate your hormones, protect your immune system, avoid injuries and chronic pain. On the other hand, having an unhealthy nervous system will dramatically increase your speed of aging (from inner organs to how fast your hair whitens and falls), chances of chronic pain and disease. Important stuff!

How does Pulsetto work?

How does a device stimulate your nervous system?

Firstly, vagus nerve stimulation is not a new concept. In fact, humans have been practising vagus nerve stimulation techniques for centuries. The image below shows how accessible the vagus nerve is — connects from the brain stem (controls survival instincts/reflexes) and passes through our necks.

Some traditional ways to vibrate the vagus nerve:

• Chanting and humming (not like TS’ “Shake It Off,” but more like Mei-lan’s chants)

• Gargling

• Acupuncture

• Deep breathing

• Massaging the neck

• Cold exposure/ice baths

• Eye movements (hence, the effectiveness of EMDR as a therapy)

Pulsetto delivers electrical impulses to the vagus nerve in specific patterns to aid specific conditions like anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, chronic pain, and sleep challenges. These electrical impulses nudge or stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, so the user can enter a calm state. In the long run, by consistently activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the user will train and strengthen this system over the sympathetic nervous system for a healthier balance. This also leads to an increased HRV.

There is a lot of promising research to show which patterns of stimulation impact which condition, hence Pulsetto has ‘modules’ for anxiety, stress, burnout, chronic pain, sleep, inflammation and gut health. See the image below. That being said, most published studies in this field typically involve small samples (i.e. 20-50 people), short durations (i.e. 4 weeks) and subjective scales of results (i.e. asking users how they felt, rather than a numerical measure). Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation products (in general, not just Pulsetto) are learning a lot from their customers and iterating along the way. In short, this is a newly developing field.

86% of surveyed users reported feeling calmer and less stressed; Pulsetto reported that most daily users notice impacts after 2-4 weeks. A study published in October 2025 shows that 70.3% of participants experienced a reduction in symptoms after 4 weeks of use at over 5 intensity levels — anxiety reduced by 45.3% and sleep quality improved by 41%.

There are plenty of reviews you can find online highly recommending Pulsetto, including from people like Kayla Barnes, Dave Asprey, David Sinclair, Nick Engerer, etc — https://pulsetto.tech/pages/reviews. The product has been described as a biohacking tool with a shocking ability to improve HRV (doubling and tripling).

Are you convinced yet?

Broke the bank (seriously), but it was worth healing my nervous system.

The device looks like a choker that wraps around your neck. Each side has two metal half spheres that should contact each side of your neck after you apply some gel. Applying gel to your neck is quite important for you to feel the electrical stimulation (light tingling sensation). Make sure the label “Pulsetto” is facing upwards, the correct way, when you place it around your neck. I noticed that most people don’t place the product around their necks correctly, myself including.

Check this out to see how to wear Pulsetto correctly -

Pairing the device with the Pulsetto App is quite easy. You just need to turn Bluetooth on and press the button on the Pulsetto device until a green light comes on. On the App, when you select a specific session (i.e. anxiety), it will connect to the product.

Tip: wipe off the gel after using Pulsetto, if you don’t want to walk around looking like you are peeling off from a bad sunburn.

What I Loved & What Frustrated Me About Pulsetto

Loved…

1. Customer Support

While using Pulsetto, I engaged with two different customer support reps, and they have both been very helpful. Based on my interactions, I could tell that the team is small-knit and passionate about the product they are delivering. They really care about the problem space, are curious to hear customer stories and improve, transparent, and approach customers with kindness and compassion.

After 5 weeks of running the Pulsetto experiment, I reached out to the team to understand how to best use Pulsetto with a C-PTSD background. The team is based in Lithuania, and despite a huge timezone difference, they wanted to jump on a call to provide face-to-face support and listen to my experiences using the product.

We talked through how to use the product in detail, the different experiences users have depending on their backgrounds, other tools to improve HRV, and exchanged feedback. I really appreciated their time, support and knowledge. They are dealing with sensitive topics and receiving a traumatic story once in every while; it takes courage and empathy to thrive in this environment.

2. In-App Resources

Pulsetto is not just a vagal nerve stimulation device; it’s a product with a “mission to make relaxation, balance, and better health accessible to everyone” (quoted from their website).

The Pulsetto app has plenty of resources to achieve this mission.

• Users can note/monitor their moods, energy levels, sleep quality and symptoms (i.e. heart palpitations, irritability, mood swings).

• Users can select affirmations and meditations from a large album for a variety of purposes. They have different types of meditations, if you prefer something specific, like visualisation, body scan, walking meditation, etc.

• Users can find breathing exercises that range from energy and focus to assisting with asthma, hiccups, sleep, and resolving panic. They have really dived into the research of breathing. This is a very exciting and growing field, especially popularising in the longevity space, where we are discovering that our breathing patterns impact so much of our health.

• Users can complete a CNS Tap Test (tracking the speed of tapping on an object) to measure the readiness/alertness of their nervous system. This can be used to increase focus and optimise performance. While some benefit from calming the nervous system, others benefit from activating it, which gives them motivation and sharpness.

Resourceful, but a simple and easy-to-use app!

3. Research & Expansion

This company is iterating and growing month on month — literally, 🚀.

I am late for this review because some of the “improvements” I would have suggested are already live for users. I noticed this during the call with the support team too; they want to learn, understand their users and uplift the Pulsetto experience ASAP. I cannot imagine how much this agile team will grow in 12 months.

Most vagal nerve stimulation devices have been limited to ‘anxiety’ and ‘stress’ modules. Pulsetto is revolutionising how we view the vagus nerve by showing us how it connects to the rest of our organ systems. You can select ‘gut health’, ‘inflammation’, ‘chronic pain’, and ‘head pain’ as modules. Their breathing and meditation exercises focus on an even broader range to improve physical symptoms. I see a future where Pulsetto can aid in regulating female hormones (i.e. the periods that stop coming due to chronic stress and trauma), aid cardiovascular health (i.e. RHR, blood pressure, etc), reduce stomach acid problems, and almost anything that is linked to the nervous system. And I bet they are already on it!

They are conducting a lot of research studies and experiments, which you can follow on their website - https://pulsetto.tech/pages/ongoing-studies-and-trials

A month ago, there were 2 things I wanted to include under the “Thoughts of Innovation” section below, which the team has already delivered for its users.

Integrations with wearables: Whoop, Oura and Garmin, so you can see what vagus nerve stimulation does to your body in real time. I wish this was available when I was running the Pulsetto experiment. It would have helped me to assess Pulsetto’s impact sooner, rather than trying to rely on subjective feelings.

AI assistant: so you can ask specific questions about your concerns, goals and experiences using Pulsetto. Data collection HealthTech tools and wearables benefit a lot from an AI Coach or Assistant. They help users make sense of complex data, find suitable pathways to address concerns or reach personal goals, and track their progress.

4. Technology

I won’t dive into the stats and details here: Pulsetto works.

For the majority of the Pulsetto users, the effects are not placebo. If you have a wearable like Whoop or Oura, you can track its impacts on your RHR, HRV, sleep quality, daily stress levels, via your monthly cycles (if you’re a woman), via how many times you visit the bathroom a day, via how many (if any) pills are you taking to reduce chronic pain, and via the way you feel.

While there is a small percentage of people who don’t feel Pulsetto’s impact, for most users, including myself, the effects are very clear.

5. Nicely Designed

The device charges quickly and it’s battery life is very long. I only needed to charge it once a week, or every 10 days. It’s lightweight, small and very comfortable. I dropped it twice from clumsiness and it just bounced off the ground with no issues.

Frustrated…

1. Shipping

I am unsure what went wrong with their delivery process, but I’m assuming that the team doesn’t like displaying the “out of stock” button. The product took extremely long to arrive, and there was no communication about when the product would actually arrive. The communication that I received was several automated emails, which ensured that I would receive the product in 2-3 weeks — each email was a replica and didn’t provide an additional update on whether the product was dispatched, shipped, or where it is, etc.

So, after waiting for 3 weeks, as per the email, I doubled-checked that I was not scammed, then reached out to check if my parcel is coming, or if it was simply lost. That’s when I realised that this is a common issue; there are long Reddit threads bashing the company for their product shipping experience. They are probably under a lot of demand and don’t have enough stock to send. I just wish it had been communicated from the beginning. I don’t mind waiting, but I feel that waiting in suspense is a poor experience, which I ended up doing for 6 weeks.

However, with a lot of HealthTech products, I am paying for the technology and quality. I’d rather spend my money on a science-backed product (and wait for shipping) than one with exceptional end-to-end experience but is flimsy, fluffy and filled with fairytales. Hoping the company will improve in this area too.

2. Product-Led Comms

This is the danger field. From my perspective, this is a non-negotiable for a HealthTech company, as communication that is misunderstood, misled, or not delivered properly can have significant consequences. Writing and distributing product comms is also challenging in HealthTech — I understand that. How detailed, technical, visual, repetitive should a company want to be?

Firstly, most Pulsetto articles and communication provide generic info and focus on outcomes (i.e. how it helps others to heal). It’s a bit marketing-skewed. Most product-led comms are about the logistics (i.e. how to pair the device to the app).

I am assuming that most people purchase Pulsetto with a specific goal in mind, but I am not seeing educational guidance on specific issues. It’s almost like there is a ‘one size fits all’ approach with how to use Pulsetto, when there isn’t, evident by myself and by other users who have documented their experiences on Reddit.

Noting that these are most likely startup resource allocation and prioritisation challenges, not a lack of thought from the Pulsetto team.

Their comms also give the impression that everyone comes from a healthy background, and they are using Pulsetto to improve mild conditions. Details are unclear — i.e. what does “anxiety” mean? Is it safe to use Pulsetto during a panic attack (as an extreme version of anxiety)? What about autistic people who get overstimulated during a social event and experience anxiety? What about experiencing anxiety due to psychosis? Is it only good for people who have mild public speaking anxiety? Not to suggest that a fear of public speaking isn’t important to resolve, but my point is that most people with anxiety will assume that Pulsetto may help them, without understanding how Pulsetto defines anxiety, because that is not communicated to them. This is the same for their other modules — i.e. stress vs chronic stress vs post-traumatic stress disorder.

When these terms are undefined, people who may see harm from Pulsetto could try to use it, or they may follow the standard recommended approach (”above 5 intensity, ideally 7, twice a day”) when it doesn’t fit their purpose. Given how impactful stimulating the nervous system can be, they really need to have clear and easily accessible additional information on neurodivergence, mental health disorders, trauma-based disorders, addiction disorders, panic attacks, HRV lower than 25, etc. Even a ‘caution’ statement to highlight that the “recommended” approach is only for health(ier) individuals would be helpful. Or, when the user selects a module, like ‘anxiety’, there could be a pop-up to caution, “if you are experiencing a panic attack….”

Here comes the horror story…

As mentioned in my prior HealthTech/Longevity posts, I have a background of C-PTSD, which I have seen a clinical psychologist for. I am fully functioning in every way, and most people in my life have no idea about my background. The ones who know a bit about my story were shocked because I appeared “amazing, so strong, so confident,” etc. Clearly, these things can’t be seen from the outside.

After going through EMDR therapy and having some ‘off time,’ I was also convinced that I was 95% there (into becoming a fully healthy person). Even symptoms involving sleep quality and chronic pain were completely gone for a long time. Mid this year, all I wanted to resolve was regulating my hormones and avoiding the consistent injuries. After purchasing Whoop, I realised that my physical symptoms were linked to a damaged nervous system, which could be tracked by HRV.

Yes, I was the child who spent a quarter of their time in the dorsal vagal system, half of their time in the sympathetic system, and only a quarter of their time in the parasympathetic system. So, the ‘calming’ function of my body was very much undertrained, and my body knew how to die better than how to relax. It’s a bit disturbing, I know.

I purchased Pulsetto to reverse that. By activating my parasympathetic nervous system, I could train it, strengthen it, and balance my nervous system’s functions. This would mean an improved HRV. That was all in theory.

In practice, it worked. I followed Pulsetto’s instructions — used the appropriate intensity level and completed sessions twice a day. I followed the recommended instructions because I thought those recommendations would suit me (as in, this product was created for someone similar to myself). I thought I would be their ideal customer. Why would someone with no serious nervous system issues purchase this product, especially given the high cost? How many “longevity” followers are out there in this world, chasing for products to boost their health by <5%?

Pulsetto worked incredibly well with long-lasting effects. But…it did the exact opposite of what it was supposed to do.

• 2 weeks of the sleep module ruined my sleep.

  • REM dropped from 2 hours 40 mins to 1 hour 10 mins. Restorative sleep dropped from an average of 4 hours 45 mins to 3 hours 15 mins. I went through 2 weeks of consecutive nightmares, woke up in sweat and a beating heart, and had trouble going back to sleep. Since therapy, I only see generic nightmares once or twice a month, so this was shocking for me. I stopped the experiment, feeling confused.

• 1 week of the stress module pushed me to the edge.

  • I felt a bit reactive and irritated. I did not enjoy socialising and pulled away from people. But I didn’t see a major red flag. While I didn’t notice a dip in my HRV during this period, I noticed it flattened out and was not reaching anywhere near my historical max numbers on rest days. I stopped the experiment, feeling even more confused.

After digging every resource I could find, I decided that the ‘burnout’ module would be the most effective, as it is known to improve HRV and resilience.

• 2 weeks of the burnout module pushed me into self-harming thoughts.

  • It was certainly the most effective. Within 2 weeks, my nervous system travelled back in time and got to a place before I received psychological therapy. As if EMDR had never happened, my long-gone symptoms of C-PTSD came back. It happened so fast; I was in the dorsal vagal system frequently that I couldn’t realise what was happening to me and couldn’t communicate that I needed help. Self-awareness really diminishes in the dorsal vagal state. All I felt was that something was not right, or something was off, so I followed Pulsetto’s instructions again; it recommended that if my symptoms were to come back, I should start a session again. So, I did. Paranoia, confusion, shortness of breath, a growing desire to slice through the layers of my skin…

HIM: Doa. Doa! I’m here. I’m here, breathe. Look at me, I’m here. Hold my hand. That’s it. I’m here. It’s ok.

ME: I need help. Please help me. Help me.

I had a panic attack. After an hour, my partner and I had a chat and reflected on my experiences with Pulsetto. That’s when it all made sense; this product was harming me and my nervous system. Given how rapidly I was worsening, if I continued using the product, I could have tried to harm or kill myself in the next 2 weeks.

That’s serious stuff. That’s very scary. It’s dangerous for Pulsetto’s brand reputation and could have legal/regulatory implications, as I found no information on their website that this could be dangerous for people with C-PTSD or PTSD (which is shocking for a product that aims to heal and strengthen the nervous system).

My HRV crashed back down to 20s. Back to square one. All my hard work was wiped out. In retrospect, I forced it. I really wanted it to heal me and thought I found the magic pill. At the time, there was no information I could find online to suggest that this product could be harmful — not a single negative experience from a user.

More recently, I found another user on Reddit with this comment:

End of the horror story.

Other communication challenges involve the placement of the product. This is another common discussion point on Reddit. The person below was spot on; almost everyone I spoke with about Pulsetto was wondering the same things. Everyone’s necks have a slightly different thickness and length, which makes this a bit challenging too.

BTW: the guides mention that the gel should be the size of a pea, but I only felt the electrical stimulations when the gel was 3x the size of a pea.

Also, during the purchasing funnel, I don’t think it was communicated that buying Pulsetto gel was a must-have. When I selected the Pulsetto device, there was no pop-up or bold writing; “Are you a first-time user? Don’t forget to buy the gel. You must apply gel to use the product.” I met with quite a few frustrated people who had to find a gel after receiving the product.

3. Bright LED Light

Very small comment about the product design, but the bright green light that turns on once the device is turned on does not turn off. It keeps on shining bright green, even at night, when you are trying to use the ‘sleep’ module to fall asleep. Lights are not good when you are trying to fall asleep. I wish it dimmed down or turned off once a module began playing.

Thoughts of Innovation…

1. Onboarding Experience

Similar to the product-led comms, I thought the onboarding experience was quite high-levelled and generic. I wish it was more interactive and detailed. I couldn’t decide which module to select, because I wasn’t actively experiencing stress, anxiety, burnout, chronic pain, or sleep issues. What if you’re someone who just wants to become more resilient and improve their HRV? What if you are using this product to heal trauma? What if you desire more sharpness, motivation and focus during the day? These simple categories don’t fit into a lot of cases, and I strongly suspect that if one has a type of issue to work on, they will also experience other issues. For example, how many people with chronic pain ONLY have chronic pain (with no inflammation, gut issues, sleep issues, stress, etc)? I would argue that it’s almost none. Maybe from a stimulation perspective, it doesn’t matter which module you select, or where you start your exploration, but if so, this needs to be communicated clearly.

I expected a free-form textbox to write exactly what my concerns and goals were, along with describing my health history (i.e. did I try to commit suicide before, do I have a brain injury, eczema or acne on the neck, etc). Afterwards, I expected an ‘AI Assistant’ (or another technology, or someone from their support team, whatever is feasible) to respond with an example personalised plan that I can follow, what to expect (what is realistic for me), and some cautions (i.e. if you experience XYZ, stop immediately and contact us or your psychologist).

These responses may not be 100% accurate, but they will be more accurate than the generic advice that gets sent to everyone. This type of onboarding flow can also mitigate risks. Lastly, it can help them collect feedback on their ideal customer. Pulsetto is still a new product in the market with a growing global presence. I suspect their ‘main customer’ pool has changed throughout the last 4 years and will continue to change slightly.

2. App That Adjusts With User Feedback

Following an enhanced onboarding experience, I would love Pulsetto to collect regular feedback on how the user is impacted by the stimulations.

First step in achieving this could be… If the user is reporting distress, their heart rate and breathing rate are increasing during a Pulsetto session, then the App could send information back to the user to suggest lowering intensity, volume of stimulating sessions, changing to a different module, etc.

I believe Pulsetto is already moving towards this direction, as they have recently announced integrations with Whoop, Oura and Garmin, which track sleep quality metrics, stress response, breathing, HRV, RHR and recovery.*

A more advanced stage could be… Implementing real-time adjustments in stimulating sessions via collecting feedback in real time, based on a user’s biological responses.

*The current downside to this solution is that not every user has a Whoop, Oura or Garmin watch. This is a similar challenge with other HealthTech wearables; the industry is becoming a giant ecosystem, and to get the best out of their data, users feel the need to buy every product in the monopoly, without having the finances to do so. Not a criticism of Pulsetto; this is just the way the wider industry is heading towards, where living past 100 (a tier) or 120 (another tier) really shows your social status (unless you live in a small and isolated town with very minimal exposure to the modern foods, drinks, cleaning devices, clothes, cosmetics, etc).

3. Collaboration with Professionals

Despite the product not being FDA-approved, I think there is so much potential for Pulsetto to be recommended and/or monitored by professionals. I can see a world where Pulsetto collaborated with psychologists, psychiatrists, dieticians, sleep support professionals, and other healthcare professionals. By bringing a professional on board with your experiment, you can also reduce risks for getting harmed by a vagus stimulator — i.e. someone can help monitor your wellbeing.

I also wondered if Pulsetto could be used during certain therapies, like DBR or EMDR, to enhance its effects.

4. More Modules!

Adding more modules is very challenging, time-consuming, resource-consuming and risky work. I acknowledge that. I also see how quickly Pulsetto is growing and iterating, so no doubt they are already on their way to increasing the product’s capabilities.

Some suggestions: trauma module, sharpness/alertness module, overstimulation module, anger module, depression module, hormone regulation (or PMS) module, manic bipolar module, postpartum depression module, addiction module, etc.

I would also love to see research diving into different types of mental health disorders, brain injuries, dementia, Parkinson’s, and neurodivergence.

5. Continuous Monitoring

Imagine Pulsetto in a decade later. Like a blood glucose monitoring device that sticks on your arm, what if Pulsetto could be these lightweight little metal discs that stick on both sides of your neck, non-invasive and comfortable, monitoring your vagal nerve activity all day?

What if it collected real-time feedback from its users, noticed when the individual entered into panic, asked for permission to intervene, and gently began stimulating to calm the user? This could be incredible for resolving phobias and trigger-based trauma responses, improving focus and alertness, building daily resilience and overcoming daily challenges (i.e. public speaking, work conflict, etc).

Should You Buy Pulsetto?

Hope I did not cause too much fear, but I did want to send a warning, because I would have really appreciated it if I came across any information of this sort. So, by writing this article, I hope to be picked up by some AI model and feed alternative information and experience for future researchers.

It was very clear to me that Pulsetto worked extremely effectively and had medium-term lasting effects. For example, my sleep continued to be of poor quality for 2 months after ending the ‘sleep module’ experiment. 2 weeks of stimulation had impacts for 2 months.

Imagine how positive the impacts could have been if it were the other way around. So, given the amount of research that has gone into shaping Pulsetto, the user reviews, and the strong support from the longevity community, I still believe that for most users (with healthy backgrounds), the effects will be positive and lasting.

I would describe the ideal customer for Pulsetto to be a regular person with relatively healthy upbringing (maybe with some mild adversity) who is experiencing day-to-day mild stressors, like annoying boss, fear (not phobia) of public speaking, mild social discomfort, going through a break-up, preparing for exams, stressing about finances, stressing about parenthood, arguing with siblings, etc. I’m not discrediting these experiences, but referring to them as part of being human and experiencing life. We can’t expect to live with no challenges, and from the perspective of someone with heavy complex trauma, these are adversities to be grateful for, as they can even build your resilience, personality and confidence in the long run, especially if you can overcome them. So, if you are this person, then Pulsetto is probably the right fit for you.

I highly recommend planning carefully on how you will use Pulsetto, rather than blindly following generic recommendations. Test it out in low intensity for only once a day first, carefully track and monitor your wellbeing, then slowly increase your exposure.

I would be more cautious if you don’t have wearables or a reliable source of tracking your wellbeing, as in the moment, it may not be very easy to tell if your nervous system is getting strained. Likewise, if you are a woman starting new, it might be best to have your initial exposure after your monthly period, so you don’t confuse any pre-period mood swings or low mood with the impacts of Pulsetto.

I would be very cautious if you have a background (even if it was 5 years ago) of C-PTSD, PTSD, mental health disorders, addiction disorders, suicide, self-harming addictions, and neurodivergence. I would involve a psychologist in the process for close monitoring of your wellbeing. Additionally, if your HRV is consistently dipping lower than 25, be very cautious not to strain your nervous system.

After chatting with the Pulsetto team, I realised they were also discovering that others with C-PTSD and PTSD backgrounds have similar experiences to mine. Here were some recommendations I received on the call that are more specific to a traumatic background…

• Use lower intensity (1-2) and shorter sessions (5 minutes)

• Start with the sleep module, as that is the best-tolerated module

• Ensure that you are in an environment where you feel safe, and there is someone around who you view as loving, protective and safe

• Use either once a day or once every second day to get used to your nervous system getting stretched (like a muscle, you don’t want to overstretch by doing the splits if you have never even touched your toes before)

• Build up your resilience before using Pulsetto, which is more of an advanced device to strengthen the nervous system — an intermediary approach would be to do box breathing or meditations

  • In my case, I have not been able to successfully do box breathing, so in retrospect, I should have never purchased this device

• If you feel triggered, or if past traumatic memories, nightmares, behaviours, or thought-patterns repeat, stop immediately and take a break from using the device

Road to Recovery

After chatting with the Pulsetto support team, I reflected back on my experiences. I was most likely overstimulated by stretching a very weak nervous system too much, too soon. We don’t know how it brought up old memories, nightmares, reflexes and thought-patterns that were long gone with EMDR. Science isn’t there to explain all the mysteries of the brain stem yet. EMDR is so powerful that the patient does not need to consciously force themselves to feel or think in healthy ways — after each session, the new ways of existing come quite naturally. But here, we discovered that vagal nerve stimulation can be even more powerful.

Let me take some responsibility back. I should have been alarmed after the first experiment with the sleep module. I missed some signs in the beginning and assumed maybe my period was coming, and that’s why my mood was off. I defaulted to old ways of thinking when assessing the effectiveness of Pulsetto; the classic trauma-based thought pattern of “everyone is right, I am wrong, I am the problem, so I need to ignore my feelings and follow the plan that everyone else is following.” Even at the beginning, when I didn’t find an exact match (module) to my concerns, I should have simply reached out to the team to confirm that I can use this device before proceeding. Lastly, throughout this whole experiment, I should have kept my partner in the loop, talking about my feelings more, so he could keep a close eye out for me.

More is not better. I injured my nervous system over 5 weeks. I f*cked up and am still experiencing the impacts of this mild injury. What a disappointment and setback. But it was a risk I accepted when deciding to experiment with various tools to heal my nervous system. As mentioned in a prior post, tripling or quadrupling my HRV is a lifetime goal, not restricted to a 1-2 years of timeframe. My only regret is not recognising and stopping the experiment earlier.

Overall, it’s a bummer how complex C-PTSD is; as the name suggests, “complex post-traumatic stress disorder.” While there are tools coming available for anxiety and depression in the HealthTech industry, C-PTSD is a completely different type of (physical) injury that requires a unique method of care and resources. When experimenting with the wrong tool or methods, it can even re-traumatise you.

I also want to express gratitude for having a safe person who supports me to try new things. The reality is that most people with C-PTSD don’t have that to heal themselves and struggle immensely to even form friendships or have the finances to see a psychologist. For most people, there are layers and layers of damage which make it very difficult to heal, let alone experiment with cool gadgets like Pulsetto.

From Pulsetto’s perspective, there are so many test cases to mitigate health risk to their users. They are operating in a complicated and challenging space where prioritising resources can make significant impacts. C-PTSD is challenging even for clinical psychologists to aid, as each person’s nervous system and brain are uniquely wired based on their traumatic experiences and how they have interpreted those experiences as a child.

Pulsetto has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and as their customer base grows in size, they start to receive a larger variety of users. As a small start-up, sometimes, they are ahead of the learning curve. Other times, they learn via the experiences of their users and do their best to iterate fast. For example, they already kicked off studies involving people with PTSD. So, perhaps next year, I may receive more support from the product.

Lastly, as Nassim Taleb wrote, “individuals are designed to make errors for the greater good,” so “take a heroic route for the benefit of the collective…as narrowly or broadly defined as you want” (Antifragile). I’m grateful to have gone through this experience, learned some lessons, shared my feedback with the Pulsetto team, and shared my story with potential users.

The Pulsetto chapter is clearly closed for me. I am unsure when I will give this product a second chance. At the end of last week, my sleep quality had fully recovered from the damage. I predict I will fully recover from the other modules by the end of this year; I’ve seen a few promising signs already at the end of last week. This is currently what I am working towards.

There will be a Round 2: “The Husband Experiment.”

While I continue to recover, David will be experimenting with Pulsetto. Hoping he’ll remain sane and grounded; while he’s had some adverse childhood experiences, he hasn’t shown physical symptoms of trauma in the way that I had and has a very good HRV. He is one of the most resilient people I know. I will watch out for him to make sure he’s alright, and hopefully report sometime next year for a Part 2 of Pulsetto Review.

All the images I use have been generated using deepai.org (the pop art generator). 🦸‍♀️

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Subscribe now

Share

It’s a dark, complex thing in the clouds that some of us don’t want to deal with. We prefer to deal with what we can easily track and influence, hence the growing popularity of gyms, nutritional advice, and blood tests. Over the past 5 years, we’ve made enormous jumps in sleep tracking, genetics and epigenetics testing. In fact, the more we test and track our bodies, the more we understand that there is a connection between each organ, and once one system is disrupted in our biology, the rest follows in a domino effect.

It’s 2025, and we have even begun to work with artificial intelligence, imagining the future integrated with generative AI. Now, it’s time to (better) understand our intelligence — our brains. No matter how complex it is, we can no longer ignore our brains. The future will be a reflection of our brains.

The early 2010s marked the birth of Whoop, Oura and other similar wearable companies. A decade later, we have the privilege to experiment with and experience the products offered by companies like Pulsetto, InBrain Neuroelectronics, Flow, Neurovizr, Neurable, Precision Neuro, and Neurode. These companies have a few things in common:

• They aim to better understand and interact with our brains in a personalised and drug-free way, with the help of AI, so we can uplift our cognitive ability (whether via reducing stress, improving sleep quality, guiding our focus, or another way).

• They can impact our brain longevity, which means preventing (or delaying) the leading cause of death in Australia (dementia), either directly or indirectly.

• They recognise the impact of chronic stress and trauma on the brain.

• They are laying the foundation for a human-brain interface, which could have applications beyond our imagination.

• And almost all of them start with ‘Neuro’ (which makes a good tongue-twister and the job of their marketing department challenging).

In this post, I want to focus on an Australian-based start-up, Neurode.

Meet Neurode: a non-invasive, drug-free, personalised headband for managing ADHD symptoms, currently in clinical development and trials.

How does it work in simple terms?

The product is a light headband that stimulates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for higher-level cognitive functions (i.e planning, decision-making, problem-solving, working memory, impulse control and emotional regulation). It has sensors that detect when you lose focus and get distracted, which then trigger stimulation (so you can regain your focus).

The prefrontal cortex is also known as the brain’s “executive control centre,” as it allows one to complete complex tasks like switching between contexts, managing conflicting thoughts, conceptualising time, following through goals and decision-making. This part of the brain is unregulated (with weaker function or structure/size) for people with ADHD.

Some fun facts:

• There are 3 types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined.

• About 9.6% of school-age children aged 6 to 11 years and 13.6% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in America are estimated to have ADHD.

• 1 in 20 children in Australia is estimated to have ADHD. There is reported to be more than a million people (including adults) with diagnosable ADHD.

• In America, nearly two-thirds of children with ADHD have at least one other condition; 32.7% anxiety, 16.8% depression, 13.7% autism, 1.2% Tourette’s, and 45% a learning disorder.

• About 65% of ADHD cases diagnosed in childhood persist into adulthood.

• A relatively large number of ADHD diagnoses get re-diagnosed in adulthood as bipolar and borderline personality disorder.

• Studies suggest that people with ADHD are at least 1.5x more likely to develop substance abuse disorders.

• ADHD is irrelevant to a person’s IQ level.

• Increasing studies are finding links between gut microbiome imbalance and prevalence of ADHD — compositional differences of the types of bacteria in the gut may contribute to brain functioning differences and symptoms of ADHD. For example, Bacteriodes species that improve the integrity of the intestinal barrier were found in lower amounts in people with ADHD. Another example comes from an experiment where the gut microbiome of people with ADHD was transferred to mice, causing a change in behaviour and brain activity (which mimics ADHD symptoms).

Below is a scan that shows the difference between an ADHD and a non-ADHD brain during a group experiment. The participants went through an attention task called “go/no go.” The ADHD group showed diminished activation, while the non-ADHD group showed “increased activation in the following anatomical regions: bilateral on inferior frontal gyrus, insula, postcentral gyrus, putamen, caudate, thalamus, anterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, globus ballidus and inferior temporal gyrus.” Read the full study here. The activity in brain circuits is clearly visible and trackable.

Neurode uses fNIRS (Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy), which is a neuroimaging technique that measures hemodynamics (changes in blood oxygenation) in the brain using near-infrared light. This is an incredibly promising technology on its way to becoming a standard diagnostic tool for not just ADHD, but also for other neurodiversity and mental health disorders. Its accuracy in trials is mind-blowing; it can tell the differences between borderline personality disorder, bipolar, and manic personality disorder. It can tell schizophrenia and psychosis apart. These are similar and complex disorders that even psychologists can have a hard time diagnosing via talk therapy, hence the cases of misdiagnosis.

The stimulating technology is tRNS (transcranial random noise stimulation), which is a low-intensity alternating current with a randomised frequency applied to the scalp of the user. These random currents interfere with the brain’s existing electrical activity, which can help neurons to activate. Very exciting technology!

In case you are wondering for your non ADHD friend, yes, theoretically, this product would work for anyone needing to be nudged to concentrate more effectively. You don’t need to be diagnosed with ADHD to get the benefits.

Can you imagine how much more you could get out of your brain power if you were just a little sharper? Let me give you an example. I was a child who could add and subtract numbers up to 20 at age 2. But I failed year 1 and was told to repeat it, simply because I was too bored to complete the maths exams and lost track of time thinking about my LEGO robot, Elo. My mum used to complain that the concept of gravity took me until age 7 to learn. Almost every day, I would grab a cup of water, and by the time I walked into the living room (say, 2 metres), I would suddenly remember something exciting, throw my hands in the air, spilling all the liquid.

I felt like I discovered myself for the first time after taking ADHD medication. I distinctly remember the moment of sitting through my first exam after the pills; a wave of confidence, sharpness, intention and awareness of the world hit my brain. I remember the time passing beat by beat, instead of a long drag followed by a sudden rush and shock. I handed my test with certainty for the first time, not with embarrassment. I looked inside my teacher’s eyes and said, “I think I got full marks.” The little me felt her potential for the first time.

I think all of us, ADHD or not, need to have a moment in our lives when we feel in our hearts that we are so much more capable than we have ever imagined.

I’ve been following the journey of Neurode since 2023. I signed up for their waiting list ages ago and was a bit bummed to find out that they packed up their business and moved to the US. Unsurprising, and couldn’t blame their choice.

To summarise, the regulatory environment for HealthTech products in Australia is a major financial expense that costs a lot of resources, effort and time. Acknowledging that the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) ensures patient safety; we need regulations to trust the healthcare system. Not denying that. However, the effort is often unjustifiable when the market is too small, in comparison to the US. Jumping through too many hoops can also become a barrier for existing HealthTech companies to expand via innovation and experimentation. Additionally, funding for HealthTech startups in Australia is quite limited. If you’re interested, check out the Australian Medical Device Venture Investment Summary Report. There is a huge gap between how much funding has been out there for HealthTech companies and how much was needed for these companies to grow. The investment is also heavily skewed towards late-stage ventures, leaving start-ups underfunded. While these are the main reasons, there is one more challenge that I have to mention. HealthTech innovation in Australia is culturally not as supported as in the US or UK due to a fear/dislike of disrupting established workflows; the process of gaining trust and adoption from medical professionals faces a lot of resistance. If you are interested, another report you can read, which mentions these issues, is the Medical Research Commercialisation Landscape Report. As a founder, when you weigh the pros and cons, it makes more sense to scale your business idea overseas.

Anyway, I received an email from Neurode a month ago about a product test group in Sydney. I was really excited to have this experience, and I also wanted to sit through an attention test after almost 20 years. Time to time, a part of me had wondered if I really had ADHD, or if my symptoms could simply be justified by C-PTSD. Was it hyperactivity or hyper-vigilance? Was it inattention or disassociation? How come a few months after I began taking the ADHD pills, my behaviour has drastically changed, which led to a diagnosis of Tourette’s Syndrome? It’s totally possible to have both ADHD and C-PTSD, but there is a reason why C-PTSD is described as ‘acquired neurodivergence.’ Mysteries of the past. I already needed to get a Dexa Scan and see a friend, so I justified flying to Sydney for an overnight trip.

Here’s how the product testing went

3 participants booked the 6 pm session; I was one of them. The lights in the room were dimmed (which I found very comfortable for my eyes), so the person on duty could see the lights coming from the headband.

We wore the Neurode headbands and were asked to complete some attention challenges on a computer. We were given 2x 1-hour blocks (10 min break in between) to complete these challenges with a questionnaire at the start and end of each mini task/activity to check how I felt (i.e. how bored, tired, overwhelmed I was). We were informed that the Neurode headband would actively work as we were solving these challenges. So, supposedly, we would become better at completing each mini task towards the end of each session (i.e if the first 2 minutes were very hard, then the last 2 minutes would feel easier)?

What are these challenges?

Imagine a bunch of 2-5 minute games that ask you to switch between different tasks, remember sequences of letters/numbers, spot the difference in images, etc. See below for some examples.

I find these tasks to be interesting and fun at the beginning, and generally feel tired, frustrated and slightly overwhelmed after 30-45 minutes (depending on the type of challenge, so how difficult I perceive it to be). I have always wondered how a neurotypical person would perform during these tasks. Would they also feel frustrated? With what accuracy would they be able to complete such tasks?

This experience took me back to my childhood memories. Especially for 3 or 4 (from about 20 tasks), I felt like I was completely wasting my time — wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong…..for about 3 minutes. But the frustration wasn’t about being wrong; it was about the fact that a millisecond after each wrong answer, I knew that I had made a mistake that I never intended to make. It’s the feeling of, “d*mn, no, no I didn’t mean that, can we go back,” 80 times in a row. For example, I successfully clicked on every ‘3’ when I was supposed to click on every other number but 3. Or, I stared at a screen for 3 minutes to see which direction a pool of fish was moving towards, when I was full-heartedly certain that the fish were actually not moving anywhere. I swore and laughed at myself multiple times. A very humbling experience, especially because I had assumed I would have an easy time because my ADHD symptoms have been mostly long gone. By the end of the night, I felt that I could comfortably re-diagnose myself.

Some interesting observations

Did the Neurode headband improve my resilience?

The product aimed to enable better focus, but I couldn’t help noticing something very interesting, perhaps an alternative use case or benefit. At the start of each 1-hour block, our task was to meditate (breathe in stillness) for 5 minutes. I had very low confidence and felt uncomfortable starting these tasks, due to my prior negative experiences with meditation and box breathing.

A bit of a spoiler to a future article: as part of my ‘improving HRV experiments,’ I tried both meditation and box breathing. These are highly recommended strategies with a massive amount of research backing, to build resilience. However, with my C-PTSD background, I often had the opposite experience of ‘calm,’ resulting in panic and anxious crying within the first 2 minutes. As the experiment resulted poorly, I stopped these exercises and haven’t tried them since for almost 3 months.

For an unexplainable reason, I was alright for 5 minutes of breathing in stillness. It didn’t feel good. But it didn’t feel bad either. And Whoop did not show my heart rate peak on Zone 1 during this exercise either. Very interesting. Perhaps my efforts over the past 3 months to uplift my HRV have resulted in growing more resilient, hence I no longer react terribly to such exercises. Maybe. That’s one hypothesis.

However, another interesting thing happened later that night. Despite getting on an airplane, with 6 hours of sleep (to catch the early plane), eating from a restaurant, having a headache (from the exercises), eating a chocolate bar before bed time, not drinking enough water during a hot day, and sleeping late — all the behaviours which have proven to lower my HRV, even when done independently from each other — the next morning, my HRV remained the same in mid 30s. I actually had great restorative sleep. Yes, I still did my nightly NSDR, but there is no way that having this many negatively-impacting behaviours did not lower my HRV significantly.

Even more interesting, the following day, I also had 6 hours of sleep (unusually low amount for me) to catch the early plane and ate from a cafe, but my HRV remained steady for the 2nd time in a row. I even had a better sleep quality with over 5 hours of restorative sleep. This fascinated and left me with a lot of questions to ponder over.

Could Neurode improve nervous system resiliency (HRV)? Or, did it improve my sleep quality, which resulted in a good HRV? If the evidence holds up, could this become another use case for the product? There are not enough studies to show the link between ADHD and HRV, but we know that poor emotional regulation is a symptom of ADHD. Could there be a link?

The fit matters a lot!

As someone used to wearing accessories quite tightly, due to being uncomfortable with the feeling of something touching my skin (if it’s very tight, then the object becomes ‘one with my skin’ and stops rubbing, so I feel less uncomfortable), I wanted a snug fit around my head. After having a chat with a few people in the team, I realised that I’m the first person who complained about getting a headache from the headband.

I have to be honest: the headache began about 30 minutes into each 1-hour block and increased to an unbearable level, making it very difficult for me to complete the last task of each session. The headband was not necessarily uncomfortable — I didn’t feel anything compressing my head — so I didn’t suspect that the snug fit may have caused the headache. However, during the 2nd session, the person supervising asked me to wear it quite loose, and after doing so, some of my headache went away.

It seems like this is a niche problem, but my conclusion was that the fit of the headband matters a lot, and in this case, wearing it loose makes the experience more comfortable.

The person supervising also checked the angle of our headbands a few times to ensure that they’re positioned correctly. I had similar experiences with the Pulsetto team, where the customer support rep was very particular about the placement of the stimulating device on my neck to receive the best treatment. Seems to be a common theme with stimulating wearables. Not a criticism, but something to be careful of, as a user.

In the moment, it was hard to tell whether the device was actually helping

No surprises here. With any stimulating device, you need consistency — the brain is a muscle, and it needs to be regularly trained for improvements. I found out that most Neurode users report feeling results 3-8 weeks after regular use. The recommended amount is 20 minutes a day for +3 days a week.

So, while I would have loved to say Neurode helped me nail down each task like a neurotypical person, I could not tell whether the device was helping. My performance was based on the type of activity I had to complete — some were harder, while others were easier. There were only 2 tasks that I felt I performed better towards the end of the session (as in, during the first half, I felt lost, and during the second half, I began to respond better), but that could also be attributed to getting used to how the activity worked. So, to set the right expectations, don’t expect magic overnight (and probably not over 1 week either).

Lastly, a compliment I usually give to credible HealthTech companies is the amount of data and research they share with their users — transparency. Not a fan of high-level explanations, as in health, the specifics behind the ‘how’ a product works make the biggest difference; details and science-backed evidence are key to building trust. Love that Neurode already shares some of their scientific studies with their customers (despite being new in the market), and I would like to continue seeing that from them.

There is some very promising and interesting stuff being developed, which is taking us one step closer to understanding our brains. I was grateful to be a part of the product testing group for Neurode and keen to continue following this start-up’s journey as they grow and evolve. Neurode brings to the hands of consumers a technology that carries so much potential, and I believe managing ADHD is only the beginning.

It would be great to see psychologists recommending a product like Neurode to their ADHD patients, along with doing CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). When I was 6, the only option available was medication (or failing and repeating classes in a highly competitive country, Turkey, where kids are pressured into a race) — I did not even sit through CBT to talk through my challenges. We are living in times with so many more options, and we are privileged to have the opportunity to experiment with many tools to figure out the best way of living.

“Imagine what the world looks like when we understand how our brain works” — Neurode’s vision.

I can, but cannot fully imagine. Is understanding how our brains work a key to human evolution? If we can detect signals from our brains and provide signals back to alter their functioning, non-invasively, what else can we do? Are we coming to times when our brains don’t control us, but instead, interact and provide feedback (in a way that reaches our awareness)? How would that impact the way we store and utilise memories in our brains and the rest of our bodies? What would that mean for not just our cognitive health, but also our vision, hearing, nervous system and hormonal health? Will AI help us to evolve in an alien way that we’ve imagined over science fiction movies (say, telepathy)?

I am not stating or questioning anything novel or ground-breaking, but instead suggesting that we may be closer to a different way of existing than what we imagine now. Understanding our brains isn’t just about developing the next drug or preventing dementia, even though those could be revolutionary by themselves. This process — with the help of AI — can lead to a super-intelligent version of ourselves, starting with hyper self-awareness. And I can’t wait to see ourselves on this journey.

All the images I use have been generated using deepai.org (the pop art generator). 🦸‍♀️

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Subscribe now

Share

Approaching my 25th birthday (which still doesn’t feel real), I decided to put my experiments through a comprehensive test, which would reveal the ‘health status’ of my organs compared to those of others of my gender and age. Of course, I had to pick TruDiagnostic.

I have been really excited to write this review, even though the topic of health and longevity is very sensitive and triggering to some people. Let’s get started and keep our curious scientist hat on (and the judgemental hat off).

You may want to skip to certain sections that are relevant to you (because I tend to write essays). To give you a shortcut, in this article, you will find…

• Backstory (and company info)

• What I love about TruDiagnostic

• What would I love to see improve/change

• Common criticisms of TruDiagnostic

  • Including tips on getting the most accurate outcome of your TruDiagnostic test results

• My results & goals

• Additional links

Backstory

To bring everyone on the same page, TruDiagnostic is a US-based company that specialises in epigenetics and biological age testing. They have 2 main products.

1. TruAge Test

   Provides biological age score (OMICmAge) on a cellular level, organ systems age scores, telomere length info, pace of ageing (DunedinPACE), smoking & alcohol impact scores, grip & gait strength, immunity & inflammation info.

2. TruHealth Test

   Provides a comprehensive view into your body’s essential systems and nutrients via comparing your +105 biomarkers, +75 antioxidants, vitamins and fatty acids with others your age and gender.

You can also get a package option for a cheaper price. Both require blood samples, which you will need to collect by pricking your finger. See below for more details.

They also have many interesting peer-reviewed research publications and clinical trials if you are interested in reading more about longevity.

I knew about TruDiagnostic from my partner; he knew about the company from Bryan Johnson. This was back in early 2023. He got tested, came out 3 years older than his chronological age, and dug into solution mode. We were both fascinated by the report and insights, even though TruDiagnostic was a new company back then. In retrospect, their reports are way more useful and detailed now.

There were 2 reasons why I did not get tested back then. Firstly, I didn’t have the money to spend. Secondly, I didn’t think I would get much value out of the test when I was only 22. However, my excitement and impatience took over, so I made a note to get tested right before my 25th birthday.

How to purchase testing kits from Australia?

I purchased both tests from Chris Barnes. He is an epigenetic performance coach and the Australian partner for TruDiagnostic. The company no longer ships testing kits directly to Australian consumers. You will need to go to Chris Barnes Wellness website and send an email requesting a quote. The process is very easy. The plus side of ordering the kit via Chris is that he can help you to interpret your results and set achievable goals. He’s literally the expert in the field; I felt grateful to grab 30 minutes and bombard him with questions. He also sells a genetic testing kit, if you are interested in that.

Did I “train” (or prepped) for it?

Not really. Firstly, while I wouldn’t call myself very healthy (doing just the standard stuff, like regular exercise, eating lots of fruits, veggies and salmon, etc), I also never had major unhealthy habits (i.e. don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t do weekly/fortnightly takeouts, don’t use sauces and excessive sugars, don’t stay up late at night, etc). So I didn’t feel the need to put in a major effort to prep for a test. I also genuinely wanted to see how my current sustainable habits impacted me. My relatively healthy lifestyle was easy, affordable and fun for me. There are two caveats to that, though.

1. Unfortunately, in early 2024, C-PTSD really damaged my health. I won’t get into the details, but needed plenty of help to function well and desire life.

2. In 2025 (and kind of late 2024), longevity became my nerdy hobby. I swung to the opposite direction with the belief that holding a high quality of life is a must-have for being alive (as in… what is the point of living if it mostly consists of suffering?). This is what I wanted to strive towards; healthy habits meant self-care, self-love and self-respect. Hence, my longevity experiments began.

Did I have any expectations from the test?

I expected to learn about my body, the impact of my historical and more recent behaviours/routines/lifestyle choices. I expected to take away some action points and have health goals to work towards.

Besides that, I had no idea what to expect. C-PTSD is a chronic illness impacting multiple organs and systems of the body (unlike the common belief that it’s just “emotional stuff”). Evidence is growing to show the link between trauma and poor brain health, disrupted nervous system, disrupted hormonal health (including lack of, or irregular periods for women, something that I relate to), higher chances of cardiovascular disease, gut health issues, and respiratory problems (if the child has been exposed to smoke).

Trauma can also cause changes in DNA methylation (which alters how genes are expressed) and can even be passed down to future generations. In short, I would not have been surprised at all if I appeared older across most of my organs.

I have also spent the past 12 months having health and longevity conversations with people from various age groups and backgrounds (mostly non-health professionals). This was a part of my HealthTech research as a PM. Something that I learned throughout these conversations is that 90% of people (strongly) think that they are very healthy, just 1-2 steps away from Bryan Johnson, because (quoted) “what’s the point of life if I’m going to be an obsessive freak like him?” Bryan would laugh his ass off hearing that confident claim.

Hearing about the lifestyle and daily habits of most people, I could point to +3 reasons why they were not very healthy within 5-10 minutes. Most common reasons are regular alcohol consumption, poor sleep habits, lack of movement, over-consumption of takeout (and ultra-processed foods), and poor consumption of fibre and omega-3s. However, 90% of people are sure that they are only struggling with their health (i.e. chronic back pain, being overweight, digestion issues) because of their genetics (as in… there is nothing they can do about it).

It’s a very humbling experience to have these conversations — shocks me so much that over the past 6 months, my confidence in my health has dropped. I thought, we must all be deluding ourselves. I have instead started sharing, “I don’t think I am very healthy, but I am definitely doing my best to set healthy habits in my life and improve in sustainable ways.”

One advice I have for people wanting to take the TruDiagnostic test is to approach it with curiosity. Overconfidence, plus a lack of self-awareness, knowledge and responsibility is a recipe for disappointment. And for long-rage threads on Reddit, cursing the company (which some are hilariously childish). Also, keep in mind that the damage from a decade of an unhealthy lifestyle cannot be magically undone by 6 months of trying to be healthy to prep for the test. This isn’t a uni exam you can cram in the last few nights. Just setting the right expectations.

What I love about TruDiagnostic

Accuracy & reliability

This is the most important aspect for an epigenetic test, and TruDiagnostic is arguably the best international provider.

Research behind the 2nd and 3rd gen tests has been developed in partnership with Harvard, Yale and Duke. The company is leveraging the largest private DNA methylation database in the world and has been through rigorous tests for its reliability and accuracy in comparison to the standard blood test results.

Below shows the reliability of different biological ageing clocks. Testing reliability is simple; participants had to get tested using the same test multiple times, and if the results can be consistently replicated, the test is fairly reliable.

Note: some people left reviews online to point out that the reliability is off when the test is repeated in 1-2 months. In 1-2 months, someone can catch a virus (without even showing symptoms), be sleep deprived, have their period (for women with regular monthly cycles), go through additional stress, etc. Blood tests can vary within 1-2 months, or even 2 weeks, as well.

TruDiagnostic’s tests have accuracy because their algorithm is optimised to predict chronic disease and remaining years of life. We still don’t have a standardised ‘golden’ method for measuring biological age (i.e. is telomere length X% important, or X+5% important in predicting overall ageing).* The algorithm of ‘speed of ageing’ is designed based on correlations and the clinical trials scientists have done to date. Therefore, these tests have certain limitations and generally become more accurate as years pass and more research is conducted. However, measuring biological age based on mortality and disease prediction (which come from tracking DNA methylation**, epigenetic biomarkers, collected via blood test) logically makes the most sense.

*Note: TruDiagnostic tests show the telomere age separately, if you are curious.

**Note: DNA methylation is a complex thing to explain, but I’ll do my best. Methyl tags get influenced by environmental factors (i.e. stress, diet); they then influence how our genes are turned on and off (i.e. the gene for dementia or cardiovascular disease). We have thousands and thousands of genes, some are expressed and some are hidden; this is the study of epigenetics. The accumulation of certain methylation patterns is linked to the process of chronological ageing (or having an unhealthy lifestyle, which contributes to biological ageing) — this is now a predictable process for scientists due to the amount of data we have.

In such an important space that needs science backing, TruDiagnostic does not give you the ‘feel good happy talk’ vibes, handing out everyone a gold star for ‘being young.’ Unfortunately, the players in the ‘epigenetic test’ space have increased over the past few years, and some have damaged the credibility of the ‘biological age clocks.’ To be blunt about it, some products are a scam (or completely unscientific), unable to filter out noise in large data samples, showing everyone slightly younger (and fit people dramatically younger). This is where you hear stories like, “I’m 55 and my biological age is 19.” I don’t want to assume it’s intentional, as I’d like to believe that all PMs and scientists are trying to do their best. At the same time, consumers choose to engage with products that make them feel good — basic psychology. I have observed that even the healthiest people can find action areas to focus on from the TruDiagnostic test reports, as you are given results of over 105 biomarkers.

I’m not saying that they are perfect. But neither are standard blood tests; you can expect error rates between 1−6% for many common lab tests. If it helps, you can view the reports as a sign of ageing (or a sign of health) to take away health goals, rather than ‘your set in stone biological age’ (and honestly, it doesn’t matter whether you are 28.2 or 28.8 years old). Arguably, trends of ageing matter more.

For more information on the accuracy and reliability of biological age tests, refer to this page.

⁠Fast turnaround time

From the day I shipped my parcel (express shipping in Australia), it took 2-3 weeks for the results to arrive. They are speedy — won’t make you melt in anticipation.

For people who want to experiment in this space, fast results = quick pivots & iterations on your end = agile testing cycles. 😉

Also, the process was quite easy end-to-end. Completing the questionnaire was quick (even though I overthought each answer), the instructions were clear, and collecting the blood sample was easy (left a mini bruise on my finger afterwards).

You are compared to others of your age and gender

It’s sad to state this as a “pro,” but unfortunately, the blood tests we complete after a GP’s referral don’t compare us to other healthy individuals our age and gender (except for hormone-related or other gender-related tests).

Traditional health runs on a system of “one size fits all.” For example, the recommended fibre amount for everyone is 25g a day, whether you are old, young, 100kg man, 45kg teenage girl, the result is the same. Likewise, the “healthy range” we see on our pathology reports are given to everyone AND they are calculated based on the average of others who get tested in the same lab. That means, this data is influenced by people with chronic illness and people in their 70s (reminder, the average age of mortality for women in Australia is 82.5 years old). Hence, throughout the decades, the “healthy range” displayed in these reports has shifted (often towards a poorer outcome). For example, doctors currently expect lower testosterone levels for men and lower iron levels for women, and accept them as “normal” (or the average), in comparison to the levels expected in the 1990s. I’m not saying these ranges are wrong. I’m saying that they are averages, and average doesn’t mean optimal health outcome for you.

This is a very important point that I think the majority of the population doesn’t know.

This is why some people are shocked to see some of their blood results appearing to be poor in TruDiagnostic’s tests (when compared to others their age and gender), while in a standard lab test, they appear average (in the middle of the “healthy range” for everyone).

Speed of ageing

You will get to see not just how your historical lifestyle has impacted your organs, but also how your current lifestyle is impacting your speed of ageing.

DunedinPACE test is a reflection of how your recent health interventions are impacting your pace of ageing. This is a great way to test if you are heading towards the right direction with your daily habits. It applies an optimistic lens by revealing that you can take control of your health at almost any age.

Active involvement in the scientific research community & transparency

As someone nerdy about longevity (and without a medical background), one of my challenges is accessing information. So, I have a high appreciation of companies that are transparent with their clinical trials and other scientific research. You can read about the work TruDiagnostic is involved in via their website.

Knowledge + Consumer Effort = Empowerment. 🧠💪

Side note: I also ⁠love their involvement in the longevity research community overall.

Another note: I appreciate the ethical business practice they adopt when talking about other players in the longevity space. Their CEO, Matt Dawson, approaches all discussions with data, kindness and professionalism. I cannot stand companies in HealthTech with a marketing strategy of bashing each other up (without data backing, but with lots of unnecessary visuals of ‘hot gym girls’) to prove that their way of doing health is superior. Also, health is not directly correlated to a person’s sexiness; please don’t pick your HealthTech company based on it visuals.

Privacy and data collection

Another ethical business practice of TruDiagnostic is the respectful way they handle customer data. It is HIPAA compliant and doesn’t use third parties for testing or sharing customer data. You can also opt out of participating in TruDiagnostic’s research programs.

What I would love to see improve/change

Product does not have a slick user experience

If you are purchasing a test from TruDiagnostic, it’s because of their product’s quality (the science behind their testing), not because you love their user experience. Let me explain with some examples.

• I would have loved to receive an email; “your results have arrived”. Except, I found out about my results after thinking, “hasn’t it been 3 weeks? Why haven’t they let me know that my results are ready? Let me check this.” Throughout their experience, small helpful things like that are missing.

• Customers often have a lot of questions after seeing their results. If you are not as nerdy as I am and you don’t have a medical background, then you will most likely be wondering, “what does this marker mean, why is it important, so what should I do about it?” I also had a bunch of questions to dig up. This process is fun for me, but not sure if other customers have that much time.

Overall, they don’t provide a very engaging product experience. You can participate in the Rejuvenation Olympics after 3 tests (link is at the bottom of the article), but the product experience ends once you receive your reports. However, I really appreciate that the majority of TruDiagnostic’s resources are going towards uplifting their product quality (scientific research and perfecting their testing algorithms).

I think their target customers are nerdy into the longevity space, because their content is technical and scientific for an average person. Or maybe this is their way of remaining credible, which works for me. By the same token, I believe their product is inaccessible for the segment of customers who care about longevity (and will take actions to improve their health), but don’t have the time and/or deeper interest to do extensive research.

Side note: I imagine a future where the roles of some doctors shift into ‘longevity coaches’ and they work with patients examining reports like the one TruDiagnostic provides. Or maybe we’ll all visit longevity clinics for regular check-ups with these tests (as this becomes more affordable), and the idea of visiting the doctor becomes a big deal (i.e. for emergency purposes, black swan injuries). So, I wouldn’t be surprised if TruDiagnostic is planning a B2B strategy, rather than focusing on B2C initiatives.

Lack of personalised recommendations

Adding to the point above, while there are some ‘action points’ recommended for users to follow based on their epigenetic result in TruHealth Report, it wasn’t enough to put together a plan or a personalised longevity protocol. I expected more. Also, their recommendations in the TruAge Report are generic and given to all, rather than being based on your results.

I understand that the company is trying to upsell with personalised coaching (for an additional cost), but this option is unclear on their website. I would not have known that I could get coaching if I didn’t reach out to the company’s support team over email. Maybe this is a new path they are exploring and experimenting with. Despite doing a lot of research, I still found a 30-minute consultation with Chris Barnes to be helpful, so if you are based in Australia, reach out to him.

Side note: red wine is still under their generic recommendations (shocking!). I’ll happily argue with anyone on this topic. There are far healthier ways to get resveratrol than drinking neurotoxins. By the same token, baklava could be a longevity superfood too, because it contains pistachios (lutein and zeaxanthin), walnuts (omega-3s), and the sugar will give you a massive energy boost. 🥜 My Turkish genes are screaming, “go baklava!” 😋

Expensive

I don’t need to beat around the bush. Advanced longevity treatments are very expensive. Getting tested is also expensive. I can’t afford this test more than once a year. I wish I could!

That being said, getting your basics right in health (the main pillars) isn’t expensive. Sleep is free. You can get your cardio done outside on the streets. Meditation and box breathing don’t cost anything.

Being healthy doesn’t depend on purchasing an epigenetic test. However, the more you understand your body, the more precise you can get with your lifestyle choices. This is how I justify the cost. Health is one of my biggest priorities in life; I guess I’m boring.

Reports don’t actually show blood test results

The TruDiagnostic reports show percentages and how you compare against people your age and gender. This is a useful view and it was certainly interesting.

However, I expected to see the actual results (in numbers) of my blood tests. I was a bit disappointed and had to take additional tests to double-check my results (it cost me additional time and money).

Despite being a big fan of TruDiagnostic, I might explore other options that reveal my blood test results clearly (or alternate 2 companies/tests) — need to research this.

Fitness Report

I am really confused (and curious) about how the fitness report is calculated. It seems quite off for most people. This section is not very important (and takes up a small space in the wider report), as you can test the following in other ways (that are probably more reliable): ‘fit age,’ ‘grip strength,’ ‘gait speed’ and ‘VO2Max.’

My partner’s results appeared to be too low 2.5 years ago, when he was regularly going to the gym and running. My VO2Max is showing to be 46, but on Whoop, it’s showing to be 50. Not a huge difference (still very good), but it’s not the first time I’ve heard that TruDiagnostic underestimates the fitness markers for fit people.

Common criticisms of TruDiagnostic

Not a genetic test kit

Some people comment that the TruDiagnostic test reports are not useful because they do not provide a genetic test. I think both provide different views on your health, and what you purchase will depend on your interests/priorities.

Right now, I would rather know about how my organs are ageing, so I can take action steps to slow down ageing. However, I would be keen to purchase a genetic test kit in the future, as it would also provide interesting insights that I can use to further optimise my health.

Not FDA approved / “My GP doesn’t know about the test, therefore it’s not credible”

I understand the credibility FDA approvals give. I also understand that it takes years and a ton of money to get a product FDA-approved; it’s a huge hassle. If I were a Product Manager at TruDiagnostic (what a dream!), given how niche my audience is and the fact that my product is not a diagnostic test (meaning, it doesn’t require an FDA approval), not sure if I would spend my main resources trying to push for an FDA approval. In fact, I’m sure I would spend the time and money on continuing to develop my product’s quality in other ways.

As to the comment about GPs… just a reminder, your GP is not your longevity coach or a personal trainer — their job is not to improve your health, but rather to assess if you have a critical condition to be referred to a specialist. They are the middleman between hospitals/specialists and patients. They don’t need to understand how epigenetic tests work, the latest research on longevity science, how vitamin deficiencies impact each organ’s function, the connection between gut health and mood disorders/PMS/cognitive health, or how specific protocols can impact DNA methylation. GPs assess you against the norms (i.e. dying at age 80 and spending the last decade of your life taking 6 prescription pills with one or more chronic diseases — this is the norm of Australia, as to the stats in 2025). I’m not bashing GPs, but instead reminding you that there is a reason longevity clinics with quarterly consultations charge between $5000-$20,000 per year for membership.

Collecting dried blood

Hot take, very controversial topic to discuss. For someone without a medical background, fresh blood sounds more reliable than dried blood. By the same token, working with recent blood (24 hours old) is probably better than working with blood that’s 7 days old. I would love to hear an explanation from the TruDiagnostic team about this. My thoughts/research…

• Research conducted at Uppsala University (Sweden, 2017) revealed that the drying process had a “negligible effect on the protein level in the blood samples.” Some government-funded diagnostic tests also rely on collecting dried blood; the NSW Health website states that DBS tests are “close to 100% accuracy.” There is a lot of research you can find online about the accuracy of dried blood collection. Hence, some labs around the world are considering switching to dried blood collection, as the process is easier, more scalable and efficient.

• Collecting dried blood is still shown to be more accurate than collecting saliva, which is the method that a lot of other biological age testing companies rely on.

“Inaccuracy” of the blood test results

This generally goes along the lines of, “I tested my liver values a month ago, and my bilirubin was 12. On this test, it looks much higher. This test is so inaccurate!” I briefly touched on this under another point, but to summarise…

1. “Healthy ranges” for blood tests compare you to the average population (including people in their 70s). TruDiagnostic compares you to others of your age and gender. Maybe you thought your markers were good when compared to an unhealthy average.

2. Some blood test results vary month by month. I completed an experiment in 2023, getting blood samples to see my liver results 4x during the year, about a month apart. For some markers, I received different results each month. The fact that I was stressed and had the flu totally impacted the results.

3. TruDiagnostic is not basing your “organ age” on 1 value only. It’s trying to paint a big picture by considering a range of markers. Not all markers matter equally when judging someone’s health, and some markers can fluctuate month to month.

To get the most accurate outcome of your test results…

This is the advice from my AI longevity coach to avoid elevated inflammation markers. I would love to hear TruDiagnostic’s recommendations as well.

• Don’t test within 4 weeks of getting sick or injured.

• Don’t test within 6 weeks of having surgery (depending on the type/invasiveness of the operation).

• Don’t test after a strenuous workout; ideally, take 24-48 hours off from the gym/running before you test.

• Don’t test when you have seasonal allergies flaring up.

• Don’t test 5 days before and during the first 3-4 days of your period, depending on how long and how much you bleed (for women).

• Replicate the same testing conditions each time you test.

Questions about oddities in data

Not sure why people provide ridiculous examples; it might be due to the other biological ageing clocks that operate on ‘happy vibes’ and low-science. 2 common questions that get asked online;

1. “What if your biological age is 20 when you are 45? Do you have 60 more years to live?”

It’s almost impossible to appear at age 20 when you are 45 with TruDiagnostic. Throwing out exaggerated examples like this is unhelpful, as such cases exist in such rare amounts that they skew the overall data.

If a person were to exist like this, then there is absolutely nothing wild about living to 105 years old. There are people who have lived to 105 before. “In the US, 2021 records show that in a population of 336,996,624 people, there were 89,739 centenarians (a prevalence of 0.27%)…with 15% having no disease at 100.” In fact, “by 2050, nearly 3.7 million people are expected to live up to 100.”

I’m curious to see how data from TruDiagnostic will shape over the next 50 years, as more and more people will pass 100 years old.

2. “My biological age is 10 years older than my chronological age, but my parents died at 80. So, my genes are great, clearly. Are you saying that I’m going to die at 70?”

Not necessarily, when considering future medical advancements. Medicine is progressing; there are always means to keep someone alive. But it might show a very good indication of how much and how early you begin to suffer from a chronic illness.

Denial of data

Sadly, it seems like a lot of people are simply upset with having a biological age older than their chronological age. A lot of the criticisms I’ve heard and seen are from people with no scientific background, who correlate certain activities and appearances with “excellent” health. These go something along the lines of…

• “I can run 10km, clearly I’m not older than what I am, this is stupid!”

• “Everyone says that I look younger than my age and I am skinny, so I don’t have any health problems, not sure why this test would show that I’m 5 years older.”

• “How come my brain health is 7 years older? I got 95 in my ATAR, I’m smart, and I’m sure that I can perform well.”

My only comment is that it’s immature to blame the algorithm because you didn’t perform well (and this is not a performance; it’s a helpful tool for you to understand your body). This is equivalent to a teenager blaming their teacher for being mean to them because they didn’t get an A+ on their assessment task.

TruDiagnostic is a mirror pointing at your organs and historical behaviour. The company isn’t trying to shame anyone, but it seems like data can shatter one’s ego. We are all trying our best to be healthy, but sometimes we face barriers (and it’s not our fault), like not having access to scientific information, a lack of support from our environment, or being stuck in damaging situations.

Reading through Reddit threads and chatting with people as a PM has been an illuminating experience; we really don’t have much knowledge about our health. Social media confused us even more with unrealistic beauty standards. Traditional medicine wants to claim that blueberries and spinach are everyone’s “superfood,” when they disrupt some people’s gut microbiome and cause diarrhoea. For women, accessing information is even more challenging and being gaslighted is very frustrating (i.e. “not having your period for 6 months is ok”).

This post is getting really long, but people most commonly underestimate the impact of sleep, stress, gut health, hormones (i.e. having regular periods), hydration, and walking (not just weightlifting).

My results & goals

I’ll keep this section short; I don’t think anyone really cares about someone’s results. But it might be helpful if you are experiencing similar challenges. That being said, I am not a doctor (just someone who regularly researches, experiments and refines her routine to become healthier), nor an expert on your body, so don’t blindly follow what I do.

In hindsight, the results were kind of predictable. I have 3 main things to work on.

1. Hormonal health (my number 1 priority; almost 3 years older than my chronological age)

Not surprising at all, given how much disregulated nervous system (complex trauma) impacts the hormonal health of women. I have also been on a very high caloric restriction for many years (probably since I was 16, maybe even longer), which further damaged my hormones. There is a lot of research that proves slight caloric restriction as a longevity hack. I won’t go into the scientific details (it’s something that I believe in) — but, emphasis on the word, slight (not starvation). Lastly, I also used birth control pills for 18 months (between 2024-25), which didn’t help.

The biggest sign of poor hormonal health for me was the irregular periods. One of the biggest lies young women hear from their doctors is that it’s completely ok to not ovulate and not have their period. For some reason, we have come to believe that while men need their testosterone (although our standards for that dropped a lot, too), women don’t need their vital hormones to function properly. Very interesting. Very delusional belief.

Fun fact: having regular periods doesn’t mean you are ovulating each month.

Another fun fact: having poor hormonal health can lead to early menopause. Delaying menopause plays a huge role in the longevity journey of women. It’s one of the biggest differences in longevity protocols for men and women.

I’d highly recommend looking into some of Kayla Barnes’ podcasts for more information. Some links below…

• https://www.kaylabarnes.com/podcasts/endometriosis-with-dr-sasha-hakman

• https://www.timeline.com/blog/kayla-barnes-on-mitochondria-and-ovarian-longevity

• https://www.kaylabarnes.com/podcasts/exercise-and-fertility-with-dr-sasha-hakman

Here’s what I’m doing about it.

• Continue the experiments (and validated strategies) to heal my nervous system

• Come to a maintenance in daily calories (still working on it, but getting close)

• I stopped taking birth control pills to track my natural menstrual cycle

• Vitamin B5 supplementation (very strange, but I seem to have a deficiency in comparison to other women my age), as it’s linked to regulating hormones and menstrual cycles

• Red light therapy 3x a week for 15 minutes (there is a lot of anecdotal evidence and emerging research on how RLT supports hormonal health, modulates hormone levels for regulating periods and managing PMS symptoms, including cramping, so it’s worth a try)

2. Lung health (not too bad, just a few months older than my chronological age)

This was not surprising given how much 2nd hand smoking I’ve been exposed to growing up. I had asthma, and my dad wasn’t certain about the diagnosis until he tested the condition a few times. Istanbul was also a highly polluted city back in early 2000, before I moved to Sydney. Otherwise, I have never smoked in my life. Most of my smoke exposure was before I was 10. It’s very clear (and also sad) how impacts can last more than a decade after such exposure.

Here’s what I’m doing about it:

• HBOT 50min 2x a week + 90min 1x a week (high pressure)

• Taking marshmallow root and tinospora cordifolia extract as supplements

• Researching about mullein leaf extract for additional support

• Purchased an Oyxfit breath trainer. It’s on my list of health experiments for next year

To my knowledge, we never had a mould problem, but it’s always good to check. We already have an air purifier. Planning to purchase an air quality monitor as well (on my list of things to do for next year).

Other things to note (stuff I’m already doing); regular exercise (especially cardio) and lowering salt can reduce airway inflammation, and of course, the famous trio (antioxidants, vitamin C and fish oils) helps protect the lungs from damage.

3. Liver health (not too bad, just a few months older than my chronological age)

This is something more people should care about, as liver disease has increased 400% in the last 50 years (and the rates of diagnosis are still accelerating). What’s interesting is that the leading cause of liver disease is no longer alcohol.

My drinking history: I had a 10-glass-a-year limit on alcohol between 2018-2021 (about once every 2 months, 1-2 servings each time). This dropped to 8 servings between 2022-23, then to 5 servings in 2024, and 4 servings this year (had 2 so far and 98% sure that I won’t hit my limit).

I listened to a talk by Siggi Clavien last weekend and learned about the impact that stress/trauma, corn syrup, high fructose foods, preservatives, soft drinks and microplastics have on the liver. From this list, the item I really need to remove/manage is the unhealthy stress. I mentioned this before, but during 2023, when I ran a test to see my liver results 4 times, the months when I had elevated values were related to high stress. Here’s what I’m doing about it.

• Continue the experiments (and validated strategies) to heal my nervous system

• Taking milk thistle, turmeric, astragalus, dandelion root, artichoke leaf and bee pollen^ as supplements (I was never confident about my liver, so began taking those since early 2025, and have overall seen an improvement with my liver values)

• Researching ginseng supplementation for a future experiment

^ I just want to clarify the myth that bee pollen does NOT grow your boobs, girls. Sorry. I wish. But it’s great for other reasons.

I felt very proud overall. Last year and this year, I made changes to my diet and routines, which at times did not reflect the ‘social media ideals.’ I followed a personalised routine which I created based on data from my body and scientific research. It meant that I put on some weight (about 7kgs), slept at a time others called “not cool” and “unattractive,” drank a tea that was apparently “not feminine” because it “stunk,” and explained over and over why I prefer tart cherry juice over wine. I generally don’t care about judgments in social settings, but humans are visual creatures, so what poked my insecurities was actually the “online gym girls” with abs and glowing bodies (still not sure if it’s the lighting, or if they pour oil over their bodies) representing the epiphany of female health.

It was reassuring to see the rest of my results. I can’t lie; it’s very flattering to be biologically young. I felt really proud and 10x more motivated to continue the “self-care, self-respect and self-love” pathway. I’m also very excited to see David’s results back because he’s been on this journey with me for a while.

Suddenly, nothing mattered. Whether the outlines of my abs were showing, if I could do a 5kg or 10kg pull-up, if my nose appeared big from a side angle…nothing mattered. That day, I told my partner, “nothing is sexier than being healthy.” It’s true, and I wish more people felt that way. We put so much pressure on ourselves to look a certain way, so much effort to be “beautiful” (which is a one-dimensional, inflexible ideal that aims to clone women), and not enough money, time and effort into providing our bodies what we deserve (which is health).

Nothing is sexier than hiking through Tasmania with your partner at age 70, being able to rock and roll at age 80, making pottery or puzzles or baking at age 100. Nothing is sexier than vitality, kindness, and the joyful glow and excitement you carry through life.

ME: “I’m still not sure if this is real. Do you think their algorithm broke?”

HIM: “No, I knew it. That’s why I’ve been calling you a young lady all this time.”

ME (singing): “My name is Doa and I’m really glad to meet you. Hey, ooh, is this illegal? Hey, ooh, it feels illegal.”

HIM: “Ok, stop boasting. You’re such a health freak.” (Pause. Thinking…) “Though I think you’re actually legal.”

ME: “Maybe. Depends. Definitely not for marriage.”

HIM: “I guess I can call you a naughty girl and send you to your room if you talk back at me then.”

While I bounced around all day with a teen girl attitude (we joke that it’s from the excessive spermidine I have), the reality is, no one cares. I’m on this journey for myself, so there are only two people in the world I desire to make proud. And I think I achieved that.

Rejuvenation Olympics: a challenge one can participate in after completing three biological age tests within the last two years. TruDiagnostic has partnered with Bryan Johnson and Dr. Oliver Zolman to bring this ongoing longevity competition live.

TruAge Sample Report

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Share

Subscribe now

To bring everyone on the same page, Whoop is a wearable (band around your wrist) that tracks resting heart rate (RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), sleep data (i.e. REM, sleep stress, sleep debt, etc), skin temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen %, daily stress levels, exercise-related data (i.e. cardio zones, strain scores, etc), calories burned, daily steps, VO2Max, and a few other things. Based on this data, it also provides a Whoop Age (some form of biological age) and Speed of Ageing figures. You can also set an alarm to wake up via a silent vibrating band (instead of an annoyingly loud phone alarm).

In this article, you will find…

• Backstory

• What I Love about Whoop

• What Would I Love to See Improve/Change

• Should You Buy Whoop?

• My Results & Aiming for a North Star

Backstory

I bought Whoop 3 months ago. Up to that point, every part of my longevity research was going pretty good, according to my judgement and backed up by comprehensive blood test results. I was eating relatively healthy, going to the gym for strength training (building a very good amount of muscle), running, etc. But there was something I could not figure out. I felt that I could hack anything, except for injury prevention. Somehow, I was constantly getting injured without clear indicating signs. That might sound odd for some people, because with the number of injuries that I was getting a year, I could be taken as a pro athlete.

My partner made a comment about how the only thing that I don’t track is my sleep. He didn’t grab my attention much with that comment because I was waking up with so much energy, almost a rush, every morning. So, I assumed that I was sleeping very well. Ok, that was 25% of my reason. 15% was due to cost; wearables are expensive! To be fair, most HealthTech tools are not cheap, so I was already spending thousands of dollars every year towards my health. The remaining 60% was simply because I hated wearables — anything that made contact with my skin, including hats (took me years to get used to the feeling), sunnies, most creams, jewellery, and make-up. I often start out with the best intentions (such as seeing a beautiful bracelet and buying it), then get itchy, fidgety, out of focus, disrupted mood, and eventually give up. Knowing this doesn’t help to justify the cost of Whoop.

David was familiar with wearables, as he used to own an Oura ring (until he lost it). A few weeks later, he said, “Whoop has expanded a lot since I last checked. They’re tracking a lot more, targeting athletes.” That sparked my curiosity.

I read through the website and other people’s reviews online. To be honest, I didn’t do much of a product comparison between Whoop, Oura and Garmin. However, I researched why collecting additional data could be useful, and realised 4 things which further captured my interest.

• There is something called ‘overtraining syndrome.’

  • Sounds obvious, right? Of course, one can over train, and even healthy habits overly done can become unhealthy. I just assumed that the only people at risk of training too much were pro athletes. Given how much I pay attention to my health, it sounds like a dumb miss, but I always looked at movement from a ‘what can I do’ perspective, not ‘what not to do.’

• Under-eating, chronic stress and non-optimal sleep can also lead to overtraining.

• Sleep highly impacts cognitive and nervous system health in the long term.

  • In a 2021 research, Whoop found that “for every 45 minutes of sleep debt a person accrued, they had a 5-10% decrease in mental control the following day.”

  • Frontiers in Psychiatry 2018 review article revealed “the dynamic relationship that exists between sleep and symptoms [hallucinations and delusions], with reductions in sleep duration being directly followed by increases in psychotic symptom severity with a time lag of approximately 1 day… [This] has also been reported in individuals with no history of psychiatric illness.”

  • Huberman Lab podcast in 2023 with Gina Poe discussed the importance of REM sleep in therapy and even for daily stressors, “as it allows the emotional intensity of memories to be reduced without the influence of norepinephrine.”

  • JAMA Neurology 2023 article revealed that a 1.5% reduction in deep sleep per year for people over the age of 60 was associated with a 27% increase in the risk of dementia.

• It’s not just emotional stress that strains the nervous system, but also physical stress.

Side note: a product/solution to ‘join the dots’ via stitching together health data and acting as an independent longevity coach (powered by AI) is going to be increasingly difficult to execute in the HealthTech market. Every wearable or health-tracking solution seems to have recognised this opportunity and is moving in the direction of tracking health ‘holistically’, building an ecosystem, so their users don’t bounce off into other HealthTech products for varying purposes. Clever and expected. This is a space that I was originally interested in exploring and building an MVP.

In short, I decided to purchase Whoop and investigate my body in a new way. That’s how the Whoop exploration began. I was overly excited, slightly nervous, and had no idea what to expect.

What Do I Love About Whoop?

Note: I am a user AND a Product Manager. Don’t judge me if I use fancy product words — can’t help it sometimes.

An Onboarding Flow That Fuelled My Excitement

Whoop’s onboarding flow is an example for other PMs, especially for those who work in industries where the users are not the experts in the field. The onboarding experience is one of the best I’ve had; it’s exceptional at building a relationship with users over a 5-week period.

On Day 1, Whoop laid out a timeline and gave promises about when certain features would be ready to view. Whoop’s transparency set clear expectations, built trust, credibility, and anticipation to uncover hidden information (data points). This anticipation kept me hooked during the first 5 weeks.

As each feature unlocked, a new insight and information was revealed, like a mystery hunt. I got to learn something new about myself every week. The onboarding journey was clearly customer-centric and product led.

Being used to either very short onboarding experiences, or worse, ones that are marketing-driven (and will send you a promotional email every few days until you unsubscribe), Whoop impressed me.

Whoop Prioritises Education

Inside every section of the app, you can find small pieces of information relating to a metric. Most of the time, there will also be a video and a link (to a longer educational article) attached to it. I’m a curious and nerdy person when it comes to health, so I read through a lot of their content. Whoop explains the ‘how’ and ‘why’ really well. This is important for me to trust a HealthTech company and see them as credible, instead of a ‘happy talk, feel good vibes’ company (which sadly, some are in this booming industry).

For personalised questions, the Whoop Coach surpassed my expectations. Most AI chatbots tend to spit out generic advice. The Whoop Coach had access to my data, was transparent with its communication, and has a ‘can do’/problem solving attitude (just like a PT).

• Example: I asked where I could find HBOT, because I wanted to select it as my recovery activity. Whoop Coach said, while there isn’t an option under ‘activities’ for HBOT, I can log it via the ‘journal’ option.

• Example: I asked Whoop Coach’s help to understand my daily calories burned, as it seemed too low in the app. We collaborated to unpack how the app’s algorithm works, and discovered that it doesn’t factor body fat % into account (which causes the low calorie calculation). Whoop Coach then suggested an idea; it could share with me what the algorithm has as my BMR, so I can calculate the difference, as I had a BMR calculated based on my body fat % at a Dexa Scan place. We figured out a solution together, and I began to add 150 calories on top of the app’s calculation per day.

Lastly, when Whoop prioritises education, it’s empowering me to work with a wearable/HealthTech product like teammates and take responsibility for my wellbeing and goals. I really like that attitude.

Whoop Band is Comfortable (For Real)

That was a BIG relief for me. 60% of me was convinced that I wasted my money on a product that I was not able to wear.

As mentioned before, anything that contacts my skin (other than basic clothing items) makes me highly uncomfortable. I must admit, during the first week of wearing Whoop, I wasn’t very optimistic, because I woke up 4x with an aching wrist and pulled off the band. Then, I began to wear my band looser but higher up (above my wrist). That solved the issue. I am glad that the Whoop band is very comfortable during sleep, running and swimming. It’s soft and stretchy.

Note: I tighten the band a bit more before swimming, otherwise the water can loosen it.

I am also usually skeptical of ‘one size fits all’ products, as I can fit into children’s clothes (petite women’s problem). However, the Whoop band is very flexible and adjustable.

It Allows for Experimentation via Journalling

Whoop has a journalling section to record behaviours and detect their correlation to sleep and recovery scores. The journal section has a huge range of options, like the use of specific supplements, habitual behaviours, dietary changes, moods & stressors, and sleep environment. Being able to log factors that impact my well-being has several advantages.

• I became more self-aware and decided to change some of my habits

• I ran experiments to identify the impact of new habits

• I learned about different behaviours that others were doing, and felt curious to try some

It Knows When I’m On the Move

Whoop can auto-detect activities based on heart rate (most of the time). There were a few times when I forgot to select ‘hike’ or ‘run.’ Once my activity finished, Whoop sent a notification that an activity was detected. I would love to see their auto-detection improve for more accuracy.

It Acknowledges Physical Labor

We often think about exercise as a solo cardio activity, gym session, or a team sport. We often forget how tiring physical labour is. There is a big difference between working at a busy cafe as a waitress vs working from an office. Whoop acknowledges that via a large selection of ‘activities’ that one can select. Some of them are a bit weird, like chess, dedicated parenting, darts, DJ, driving, but hey, some people do these activities intensely, I guess.

Side note: given how many interesting activities one can log, I’m surprised there isn’t an option for cheeky late-night activities. 😏

However, reading Reddit threads on creative ways to log such activities was quite amusing. Ranges from yoga, to circus acts, to manual labour, to wrestling, to horseback riding …

It’s Fashionable

You can wear Whoop as a wrist band, bicep band, inside your sports bra and your training shorts. It comes in so many different colours. I’m quite tempted to get their Italian leather band (for fancy events) as a reward once I tick a major goal.

It Woke Me Up in the Most Beautiful Way

Never have I ever imagined to be woken up by a vibrating band. That is genius! I thought I would always have to jump out of the bed in shock, trying to find my phone in the dark to turn it off. Whoop alarms are awesome.

Slick User Experience

Navigating through the app is intuitive and easy. I can customise my dashboard to surface my priorities. The app surfaces helpful information. It’s fun to log into Whoop and check my dashboard. I really appreciate that.

Whoop is Becoming a Super HealthTech App

Integrations

Whoop connects with Cronometer (nutrition tracking product), Whitings (smart scale), Hyperice (recovery tools), Strava (running app), TrainingPeaks (training product with remote coaching), Apple Health and Health Connect.

Given the number of health tracking products in the market, one of our big problems as health-conscious consumers is gathering, organising and making sense of scattered pieces of data. This is a relatively new challenge, as historically, most of us struggled to access information and learn about our bodies — now, if one wishes to, they could be flooded with info. Integrations don’t fully resolve this problem, but it makes my life a bit easier. So, I appreciate it.

Advanced Labs

Some people complain about Whoop Age and Whoop Pace of Ageing because it views individuals through a limited set of information. You can be very athletic and have a consistent sleep schedule, but regularly consume ultra processed foods, be a candidate for skin cancer due to your obsession with tanning, drink alcohol every weekend, vape, etc. Advanced labs (blood markers) were the missing piece for a trustable Whoop Age result.

Advanced Labs have also been the missing piece for a ‘super app’. Whoop is increasingly becoming the go-to destination for a centralised health dataset, where in the future, doctors (including dieticians, longevity coaches and psychologists) can plug and view their patients through a holistic lens, factoring their lifestyle and habits into account.

When a company enters the ‘super app’ territory/classification, user retention increases because it becomes increasingly more convenient to solve all your problems (and keep all your data) in one reputable place. I’ve observed this happening even in situations when the core product is good, but some of its features as stand-alone services aren’t the best — it’s still more convenient to stick with the same company.

In short, this is quite a strategic move and I hope it works out well for them.

What Would I Love to See Improve/Change…

Having ‘Overtraining’ or ‘Injury’ Modes

I purchased Whoop to understand why I was consistently getting injured. By the time Whoop arrived to our house, I was sure that I was overtrained. I checked the boxes for ‘overtraining syndrome’ both mentally and physically. I expected Whoop to check on me during the onboarding flow to see if I am injured, overtrained, have trauma, expected to get a major surgery, etc — some question to set the right expectations. It didn’t. So, what happened?

First two nights Whoop gave me red recovery scores, flagged my unusually high heart rate and unusually low HRV, then quickly adapted, thinking that this is who I am. It saw unhealthy results as my norm and anything that showed to be a bit better than my unhealthy results were flagged to be ‘amazing recovery.’ It lowered the bar for me. I could not trust the recovery scores Whoop was giving me during the first month.

An adaptive algorithm is usually positive, but it can become a negative factor when it doesn’t take the full context (certain temporary situations) into account. As a user, I would like to be able to switch on and off a mode to indicate temporary situations, like injuries or surgeries. While I can select these options in the ‘journal,’ that does not impact the overall recovery scores.

Goal Setting to Connect With Actionable Insights

Whoop asked me about my goals during onboarding. I don’t remember what I selected. However, I remember…

1. I only had 3 options to choose from, and none of them particularly felt relatable to me. They were quite generic/vague.

2. Whoop did nothing about my goal. It didn’t try to coach me, gave me insights to achieve my goal, or checked on my progress. I guess when the goal options are so vague, there isn’t anything specific to work towards. I had an expectation for Whoop to guide me towards achieving my goals. There is a lot to unpack here, but this might look like suggesting certain bedtime routines, putting together a recovery plan, guiding with progressive overload for workouts, etc.

   Update Feb 26: a like-minded PM in Whoop has taken this idea and put it in action. You can now set much detailed goals with Whoop coach, receive guidance and check-ins to track progress.

   In that case, let me make a further suggestion, involving product design. I’d love to see this experience expand beyond just a chat bot.

Partnership/Collaboration with Psychologists

Within the first 4 weeks of using Whoop, I was reminded of my past once again. Unlike the common belief in out society, C-PTSD’s impacts are not restricted to emotional wellbeing and romantic relationship success. In fact, some of the physical symptoms of trauma can be life-long, hence why some countries describe it as a ‘chronic illness’.

For those who don’t know much about C-PTSD symptoms, here is a list of physical long-lasting effects: unusually elevated RHR, unusually low HRV, unusually high stress levels (especially during night), chronic pain (generally headaches, stomach cramps, tight jaw, throat and heart ache), and poor sleep performance (due to nightmares, broken sleep, and/or insomnia).

A way that I am using Whoop right now is to track C-PTSD symptoms. When I shared my Whoop data with my psychologist, she mentioned that this is enlightening information to see. While clinical psychologists and psychiatrists are taught about the physical symptoms of C-PTSD clients, it’s rare for them to get a view of actual data in real time. Most patients don’t go through the effort of purchasing a wearable like Whoop and sharing these insights.

I cannot be the only one getting this benefit out of Whoop.

• About 7-8% of people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Some quick Googling reveals…

• About 2-8% of people have C-PTSD. Note that research is lacking for the appropriate diagnosis of C-PTSD, as it is a newer diagnosis (when compared to PTSD).

• 30.5% people worldwide have been exposed to +4 traumatic events in their lifetime.

• An unusually low HRV is also seen in people with mental health disorders, including chronic depression and anxiety.

• Psychiatric disorders affect 21% of adults and 49.5% of adolescents in America.

• In 2020-21, 17% of Australians and 16.8% of Americans saw a health professional for their mental health. These %s have increased year on year.

I can connect the dots between recovering from trauma or a mental health illness, therapy/treatment sessions and Whoop insights. I believe both patients and clinical psychologists (or psychiatrists) can benefit from Whoop’s data to track progress.

Side note: I am still not able to rely on the recovery insights by Whoop, as I’m running a (successful) experiment to uplift my HRV, causing me to see high recovery scores on almost all days of the week. When I see a sudden drop in my HRV, it’s almost never related to my physical strain, but instead related to a triggering situation I’ve experienced during the day.

Side note: if Whoop gave me the option to write my goals (instead of using 3 generic options), I would include “reducing C-PTSD symptoms (specifically, reduce RHR, increase HRV, reduce sleep stress).”

The Calories Burned Count

Or shall I say, the calories burned not counted? I read an intense thread with over 2.5k views and many contributors about the sensitive ‘calories burned’ topic. Everyone on the thread needed to know their calorie count for a different reason — building muscle, loosing weight, toning, shredding, shrinking, bulking, pumping, you name it! I had a laugh about it, even though I am guilty (but not guilty) of being a calorie counter myself.

On this thread, people were comparing their calories burned numbers between different wearables, especially Whoop vs Oura / Garmin. It seems like some people receive a very similar result, while others receive quite a big difference.

By the way, if anyone calls me an obsessive tracker again, I will point to the number of people who own 2-3 wearables that literally track the same metrics just to calculate the average of every data point. I only own 4 devices to track different metrics. Only… 🫣

The two issues that I picked up which could be contributing to a miscalculation were…

1. Sometimes, Whoop doesn’t think I burn calories from about 8pm onwards. I understand that sleeping doesn’t require a lot of energy, but when I see that I burned 5 calories between 8pm to midnight, it makes me feel like a robot with a very efficient ‘energy saving’ mode on. Sometimes, it thinks I burned 20 calories, which isn’t much better either. Occasionally, it thinks I burned 100 calories. I am quite certain that even petite women burn between 30-60 calories while sleeping (and my bedtime is not 8pm).

2. Whoop’s understanding of my BMR is not based on body fat % — it’s based on an approximation of women my age, height and weight. Muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, therefore my BMR is actually 150 calories higher than what Whoop thinks it is. I drew to this conclusion after asking Whoop Coach what my BMR is, then comparing it to the BMR I have from Dexa Scans. To be super clear, on my “rest” days (when I still walk 10k steps), Whoop thinks I burn 1300 calories, when my BMR is 1359. 😬 It makes me wonder…are my organs doing ok?

Getting a bit more precise in this area will probably upset less people.

Also, I would really like to see a ‘hydration log’. There is an option in the journal, but I want a separate feature visible on the dashboard where I can click a ‘+’ sign every time I drink a glass of water. Drinking an adequate amount of water is so important for organ health and recovery from strenuous exercise. While we tend to put a lot of emphasis on food intake, I don’t think we do a good enough job to think about hydration. I struggle to drink enough water, so one of my monthly goals is to finish 1.5 bottles of water every day. Whoop could also find correlations between the amount of water someone drinks and their recovery. That would be interesting to see.

Journal Entry Correlations with Recovery Data

Entering in daily habits and behaviours to the Whoop journal is great — I already mentioned that. However, it is quite funny to see how the algorithm on ‘recovery insights’ work sometimes.

• Seeing that having a late night takeout improving my recovery score makes my eyes roll, when I know that it’s actually due to taking a rest day from the gym.

• Seeing that NSDR doesn’t make a difference in my recovery score is also quite surprising, as that is sadly the only activity which allows my heart rate to drop below 60, my stress scores to remain below 0.5, and my breathing to calm down. (Spoiler Alert for a future post).

I understand that there are a lot of variables Whoop needs to learn, so it goes through a phase of correlating any two variables that exist at the same time (i.e. the classic, ‘during summers, more people eat ice cream and there are more shark attacks’ correlation). Entering my third month of using Whoop, the ‘recovery insights’ have certainly improved, but it is still not great. Zooming out to the big picture, I am planning to be a Whoop user for many years, so this is not so much of an issue for me.

Personalised Plans

Joining the dots here, Whoop has access to our health metrics, physical activity routines, recovery routines, behavioural/lifestyle data, and our goals. Whoop Coach is cool and helpful when I have questions to ask. What if it was more proactive?

What if the Whoop Coach introduced itself to me during onboarding and asked if I am interested in a comprehensive coach who can give holistic advice that is personalised? I’d take it. Athletes with coaches may not. But I would.

What would I expect to see in return?

1. Whoop Coach to discuss my top 2 health goals.

2. Whoop Coach to ask/observe my lifestyle choices (i.e. can I afford to go to HBOT multiple times a week?) and my daily habits (i.e. despite having the best intentions for keeping a regular bedtime routine, am I always running late and building a sleep debt?).

3. Whoop Coach to provide achievable actions I can take to meet these goals. This doesn’t have to be a gym exercise routine, although I would be open to this too. This could look like a comprehensive recovery program (rest day routine). It can look like a more achievable bedtime routine and tips (i.e. set an alarm as a reminder to wind down before bed). Or stress management techniques.

4. Encouragement or feedback cycle, which can be an opportunity to change action points (i.e. “this isn’t working for me because of XYZ”).

With Whoop Advanced Labs, there could even be an opportunity to build personalised programs that factors blood tests into account (i.e. metabolic health, hormonal health, brain/cognitive health).

Update Feb 26: like my comment under “Goal Setting to Connect With Actionable Insights,” there has been a lot of progress in this concept, mostly via the chat bot feature (the “Whoop Coach”). Users can now also create their own health plans, which is great.

Some Awesome Features are Not Available in Australia

Blood Pressure Insights and Advanced Labs are not available in Australia.

It’s a bummer to see that most HealthTech companies I follow and would love to try out are not selling to Australia for a variety of reasons, including regulations. Also a bummer to see that similar companies don’t exist in Australia and some awesome local HealthTech startups are taking their business to the US. However, I totally understand why the founders would choose that pathway.

Update Feb 26: users outside of the US can now manually upload their blood test results into the app. Confessing that I haven’t explored this feature yet, but that’s only because I have my own locally-hosted AI Personal Assistant that I’m training in a ‘health domain’.

Device Syncing Challenges

While sleep is supposed to be auto-detected, I’ve had an ongoing issue with its consistency.

• During the first 3 weeks of wearing Whoop, almost every second day, my app’s screen would be frozen, showing the previous day’s results. I would refresh the page and see that it has synced to 5.32 am, but the rest of the screen would continue to show the previous day’s data. About 10 minutes later, it would refresh to the correct date, but would not show any sleep data. About 30 minutes later, I would receive a notification, “did you sleep?” Once I confirm, it would take another 10 minutes to process. This was a long and really annoying drag. I tried to redownload the app and update my phone, but nothing changed. I read that if the Whoop band is too loose, tracking can be lost, but my band was certainly not loose.

• Eventually, I began to enter my sleep duration manually, rather than waiting. The data synced much quicker. 2 weeks later, my problem was mostly resolved. Now, I only have an auto-detection issue once every 10 days. I researched this issue and it seems like for some people, Whoop can take a month to learn sleep behaviours. My partner didn’t have this issue. I guess I was the unlucky one.

Also, as a multi-day hiker, it sucks to know that I can’t take Whoop with me. Whoop collects and stores data for up to 3 days when WiFi is unavailable. But my multi-day hikes are hardcore (+7 days).

Updates Feb 26:

• Detection of ‘sleep’ AND ‘activity’ has improved so much. Very accurate over the past month, even when I am out of reception for multiple days.

• Whoop won my ❤️ after I completed the Western Arthur’s Traverse earlier this month. Whoop can now track and sync activity without any reception for 6 days! I received incredible data. Thank you, Whoop team!

Community Engagement

I was very excited to see a ‘community’ section and other Whoop user profiles. But I soon realised that the community section only allows for passive engagement. The idea of being a part of ‘Melbourne Whoop users’ or ‘Melbourne weightlifters’ is great in theory, but I can’t actually connect with anyone.

I would have liked to be able to ask questions in Whoop groups, share information, or say, “hey, anyone keen to join me on this cool hike that I found” in the ‘hiking group’ — something that makes me feel more connected.

Side note: I tried to host a Melbourne Whoop Enthusiasts Meetup group and only one person joined, so perhaps I am the only user who is keen to connect.

The Nitty Gritty Details on Activities

I tend to to use ‘other’ and ‘other — recovery’ more than I would like to. I would like to understand why certain recovery activities can only be logged within the ‘journal’ section, and not under ‘other — recovery.’ Below are some examples from my perspective. I appreciate that each person’s wish list would be different.

• Under ‘activities,’ I would like to see bouldering. When selecting ‘hiking,’ I would like to be able to enter in pack weight (as I train with weighted packs). When selecting ‘weightlifting,’ I would like to be able to select ‘band’ just like ‘dumbbells’ (i.e. banded hip thrusts), battle ropes (for waves and slams) and a larger variety of exercises (i.e. hip thrust pulses, reversed lunges, single leg calf raises).

• Under ‘other — recovery,’ I would like to see HBOT, float tank salt bath (or sensory deprivation tank), vagal nerve stimulation device, and red light therapy.

• Under ‘journal,’ I would like to see puzzles and colouring/painting by numbers.

Updates Feb 26: more activities and recoveries are getting added!

Should You Buy Whoop?

3 months ago, I would have said, YES YES YES!

That was before I received some judgement from others.

Yes, strangely, some people judge you for wearing wearables to track your health. We live in that sort of a world.

Who would have known that wearing Whoop made me an obsessive, eating disordered, exercise addicted, greedy (supposedly for wanting to be healthy) woman (according to some people)?

My learnings from discussing food trackers have been reaffirmed once again. Unfortunately, our society has become very sensitive with the topic of health. We have been burned by unrealistic body standards, faux diets, and our failures that came from unscientific information. Now, anything to do with ‘health’ triggers us.

It’s not all black and white, people! Observing your caloric intake doesn’t have to lead to an eating disorder. Noting down your exercise routine doesn’t need to lead to an exercise addiction. Trying to get better sleep scores doesn’t need to turn into a sleep obsession.

Data doesn’t drive us into madness. It’s how we interact with the data (our attitude) that does. I believe it is possible (and healthy) to approach data with curiosity, instead of criticism and judgement. But, that’s just my opinion.

No, Whoop is not for everyone. I believe some people should have never bought Whoop, nor an Oura ring, nor a Garmin watch.

Here is how you know if Whoop is right for you: answer these questions. ⬇️

What will you do with Whoop?

How do you envision your life to be once you see insights from Whoop? Are you ready to redo some aspects of your life, if necessary?

Everyone seems to love the idea of progress until they realise that it requires change.

Do you enjoy setting goals? How easy is it for you to bring change into your life? Are you the sort of person who can follow through a checklist or start a new habit? If so, when was the last time you actually did that with success?

Changing habits isn’t easy. Sometimes, it’s costly (to our time, money, energy, etc). Sometimes, forcing a change can be too stressful to be worth the effort.

But there is no point in seeing data if you are not going to do anything about it. Wearables are not cheap and they are not toys (even though I have a lot of fun with them). The real value in these products is turning insights into action and making progress with your health. If you are not willing to do that, Whoop is probably not the right product.

Side note: sometimes, it’s not us, but it’s the situation we are in. It’s really challenging to bring change to your life when there is already so much going on. One thing at a time — this is one of the key lessons I learned in 2025. Maybe, you won’t be getting a good night sleep because you have a 6 month old baby. Maybe you are burnt out, or going through grief, or a divorce, or another major life event. Maybe this year is not the right time, but next year is.

How do you handle failure? What’s your relationship with data?

Everyone seems to love the idea of data until it’s not what they expected.

3 days ago, Whoop’s social team posted, “Whoop is designed to give you context, not judgment.”

Data tends to mirror parts of ourselves back to us, especially personal data, such as health data. It sucks to try and incorporate a new habit that you thought would improve X, but after 2-3 months, it turned out to be a waste of time. I get it.

When you don’t achieve goals, do you feel shame? Or do you approach with curiosity and ask, “why didn’t this work, was it realistic, how could I have done this differently?”

As I’m interested in the HealthTech industry, I often engage in conversations with others about health data. I’m curious to understand people’s relationship with their health. These conversations led me to think that the type of people who avoid data are also the type of people who feel deep shame about not hitting certain marks/targets.

Someone I met at an AI event hit the spot with their explanation.

“I don’t use Whoop anymore. It’s so depressing. Always gives me a red recovery score. It makes me feel like I am always doing something wrong. And it’s so stressful. Every night used to be a rush because I had to have sleep consistency. Every morning used to be a rush because I had to either hit my step count, or Zone 2 or 3 or 4 cardio. It’s not realistic. Just another product that screams at your face, you suck.”

I felt their words in my heart. I wish this wasn’t their experience and they didn’t feel so bad about themselves. But if you resonate with this ex-user sentiment, then Whoop is not for you.

Do you have patience for progress?

I wish I could do body recomposition in a month and reach my ideal image. Except, it’s probably going to take me years, if I ever even reach an ‘ideal’ image.

I wish I could improve my VO2Max from 50 to 55 in 2 weeks. Except, it’s been 3 months and I only moved from 49 to 50.

I wish I could achieve the best version of myself in 2-3 months, like the other girls on YouTube do. Except, those videos were never real anyway. 🙄

If you want Whoop for quick wins, then you’re up for disappointment. It’s very rare to get quick wins when it comes to your health. Our bodies don’t dramatically change within a month. Even implementing new habits take time.

Whoop is a long-term tool for your long-term gains.

Do you get influenced by data a lot?

8 September 2025, on Huberman Podcast, Andrew talked about a Whoop experiment he was doing. This pulled my interest.

“I’m doing an experiment on myself where I measure my subjective feelings of rest and alertness and energy, and compare it to the data. And the only way to do that properly is to not glance at the data first thing in the morning. Because it just biases how you feel.

Our colleague, Alia Crum at Stanford has done some nice experiments where they tell people after a genuinely poor night’s sleep they got a great sleep, or they tell people after a great night’s sleep they got poor sleep. They showed them sleep score and gave some data — and it’s false data, basically. People’s levels of alertness, wellbeing, etc, are strongly biased by what they are told their sleep was like, as opposed to what it actually was like.

This is a big deal… These mindset effects are really powerful. So, I look at my sleep data once in every two or three days.”

So, I guess we all get influenced by data. However, if seeing a poor sleep or recovery score is going to ruin your day (emotionally), then you might want to (re)think about how to best use Whoop.

Currently, I don’t find this to have a negative impact on my life, because as I mentioned before, my recovery scores heavily depend on whether or not I engage in HRV uplifting techniques. So, I tend to get a lot of greens. Yay, me! In short, I have no other choice but to rely on my feelings.

My Results & Aiming for a North Star

Over the last 3 months, I uncovered 3 main insights (none involving sleep, as I’m quite good at that).

1. I was overtrained. And with a right knee (patella tendon) injury.

   Short to medium term goal: Rehab, safely and slowly getting back on track, factoring in points 2 and 3 below.

   Result: Success. I’m actually stronger than I was before. ✅

2. I was under-eating. In fact, based on the calories burned figures that Whoop has been providing me, I don’t think I ever adequately ate.

   This cleared up why I was randomly hypoglycaemic multiple times during the day. It also cleared up my consistent injuries.

   Medium-term goal: Gradually increase caloric intake to reach maintenance. Experiment with a blood glucose monitor to see if further intervention is required.

   Result: Getting there. Almost a success. This is the third month in a row that I have increased my caloric intake. I gained 2-2.5kg, which makes me uncomfortable for sure, but hopefully some of it is muscle. ✅

3. My nervous system was damaged from C-PTSD.

   My resting heart rate was concerningly high for my fitness level and age, at 72. My HRV scared me, as it was equivalent to that of people in their 70s, at 20s. I had 7 hours of high stress during my sleep (what on earth was I doing in my sleep).

   Let’s unpack what a low HRV means, as there are too many people commenting online that this metric does not matter. Below is general information, not necessarily any personal issues.

   • An increased risk of cardiovascular disease later on in life.

   • An unusually low HRV is a representation of a dysregulated nervous system.

   • A dysregulated nervous system is linked to damaged hormonal health and loss of periods (as the body doesn’t ovulate while perceiving constant danger).

   • Without a regulated nervous system, an individual cannot have consistent resilience. Stressful events can easily translate to trauma in the brain.

   • A dysregulated nervous system is linked to hypervigilence, difficulty concentrating during the day, and an inability to relax.

   • Without a healthy nervous system, recovery is very challenging, which increases the chances of physical injuries after strenuous workouts.

   • The immune system weakens over time, and the individual becomes more susceptible to illnesses/infections with a dysregulated nervous system.

   • Lastly, the nervous system connects the gut and the brain through the vagus nerve. I am quite certain that a dysregulation in this axis won’t do any good to either the brain or the gut.

   Long-term goal: Improve HRV. Simple, but really not that simple.

The North Star 🌟

How does one improve their HRV? Online forums about HRV written by people with C-PTSD are quite depressing. My extensive research wasn’t uplifting either.

• Improving HRV is hard for everyone.

• There are some information about how to improve HRV for healthy individuals with regular levels of daily stress (i.e. stress that comes from a challenging job).

• There is very minimal information about how to improve HRV for people with C-PTSD, and most comes from anecdotal experiences. The only widely accepted treatment for improving HRV is EMDR therapy, with an expected increase of about 10 points.

  • Given that I have already been through this (and can attest that it is the most effective and life-changing therapy one can receive), I cannot even imagine what my HRV was before therapy.

• Anecdotal experiences reveal that improving HRV with C-PTSD is almost an impossible mission. Most successful people start somewhere between 10-30 HRV and tend to only uplift their scores by 10-15 points from a decade of trying.

There isn’t enough research done on people with C-PTSD. While we know that repeated complex trauma experienced during childhood impacts DNA, the brain structure and functioning, hormonal health and different organ systems, most research is still observational.

Now, I’m on a mission impossible: I am determined to improve my HRV in a way that can become an example for others. My North Star is to match my peers, which means I have a lifetime to not double, not triple, but quadruple my HRV. Maybe that is mission impossible. But as I said, I have a lifetime to make it happen.

My exploration began on the 1st of August 2025. I am keen to try therapies, treatments, supplements and behavioural changes that range from simple adjustments to advanced routines. I’ll also note that I have already seen remarkable success and will be revealing a list of my experiments in the upcoming months.

So, if you know anyone who is going through a similar journey or has a trauma background, this and some of my future posts may be beneficial to them.

If you are also a researcher, I’d love to get in touch and exchange information.

Final Words

Whoop has been an enlightening product for me — one of the best purchases I made for my health. I would have never guessed that Whoop took me to the specific path I am on now. But life is full of surprises when one is curious to explore their opportunities.

To be honest, I would have probably been impressed by Oura or Garmin as well. But at the time of my purchase, I chose Whoop (the thought of wearing a ring felt worse than wearing a watch, Garmin’s website was too cluttered with choices, and I was too lazy to run a comparison analysis). And I’m glad it turned out that way.

If this post is helpful to you, it will probably help others too. Share with a colleague, and if you haven’t done so, subscribe.

Subscribe now

Share

We began exploring the outskirts of Melbourne to find a training hike before we attempt the WAT. Training hikes are supposed to replicate aspects of the trail we are aiming to do, but this is a bit challenging in our case.

That being said, if you know an exhausting trail with steep climbs on cliff edges and scrambling involved, please let us know. We’ve been recommended the Sugarloaf Peak hike, so we will be checking that out.

Given the elevation of the Western Arthurs Trail, we decided to improve our muscular endurance by climbing on A LOT of stairs with heavy packs. This was also recommended to us by a fellow hiker we met on the Rees-Dart trail. 1000 steps is undeniably A LOT of stairs.

Kokoda Memorial Track in Dandenong Ranges National Park is a great trail to train on, and we are not the only ones who think that. There is a massive car park at the bottom of the trail, and some spots to park before and after the car park (on the sides of the roads). However, on a sunny day, by 10 am, you will struggle to find parking.

If you don’t have a car, this trail is surprisingly easily accessible by public transport. Depending on where you live, expect to take a train and a bus.

David checking parking signs.

Note: if you are parking outside the main car park, watch for the signs. Some areas have free parking, while other areas have a ‘no parking’ sign. Don’t be fooled by others parking along the ‘no parking’ sections. We have seen officers issue fines to a row of cars on the weekends.

Once you park and walk to the memorial, you will notice 3 routes. Both Lyrebird Track Fitness Steps and the Kokoda Track are great to train on and lead to the same endpoint. The main difference between the tracks is the terrain, which impacts the muscle groups that are trained the most. We complete both trails back-to-back in about 2 hours.

Tip if you wish to follow a similar training routine:

• Hike the Lyrebird Track last if you want to focus on your calves.

• Hike the Kokoda Track last if you want to focus on your quads.

Either way, you can only come back via the Lyrebird Track because the Kokoda Track is quite narrow, busy and slippery.

Note: there are public toilets and a cafe to the left of the car park. There are picnic tables, BBQ areas and a kids’ playground section on the grassy area near the car park. Lovely place for a family day adventure, but dogs are not allowed.

Photos from the memorial. Quite detailed and interesting information if you’re curious.

Lyrebird Track

1.4km steep climb on alternating terrain — long sections of stone stairs and gravel dirt track. Wide trail with gaps between the trees to see views of the city as you climb. Stunning pictures can be captured during sunrise and sunset.

I usually dislike busy hiking areas, as I go on nature adventures to turn off the sounds around me. But seeing so many others training on this trail has kept me motivated and excited. Expect to find kookaburras, red parrots, green parrots, hikers with bags and poles, families wanting to get fitter (and wanting to tire out their hyperactive boys), inspiring old couples climbing with confidence, and some sulky person drenched in sweat (generally complaining). You will also notice trail runners. They impress me as they run up the stairs and leave my heart hanging in worry as they run down the gravel dirt track (in my opinion, it’s dodgy and risky to do that).

There are two ‘fitness blocks’ along the way with benches for push-ups, crunches, etc. I’ve seen more people resting and stretching on these blocks than people using them as exercise. I guess the trail is challenging enough.

At the top of the trail, you will find 5 water fountains to fill up your bottles and multiple benches to rest. It’s a lovely spot to have snacks, take pictures, and enjoy the rainforest.

Be very careful and take small steps when coming down this trail during wet weather. Light rain easily causes the terrain to get muddy and slippery, even on the stairs. We see someone slip every weekend. We also see that I slip every fortnight (very frustrating, but no bad falls, touch the wood). I probably need more grippy shoes.

Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (1000 Steps)

The 1.4km trail starts very innocently on a wide and uphill dirt track. You may wonder in the first 10 minutes, where are the stairs? Soon, you will see the ‘1000 Steps One Way’ sign. That’s when the real challenge begins.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of spaces to pull to the side and rest for the first 70% of the way. You may also want to step to the side as the human traffic queues up quite easily.

The last 30% is very steep, slippery, narrow and windy. The trail becomes a grind. Even on dry days, this track tends to get a little muddy and wet. Be careful on rainy days. There are handrails for assistance.

This trail is more blended into the rainforest and more adventurous, so it’s my favourite one in this area. It may leave you sweaty, but at the top, there is a sense of accomplishment and relief about climbing 1000 steps. That’s worth the journey.

Note: some patient hikers have actually counted the number of steps on this trail. While we’d like to think that we completed 1000 steps every weekend, it’s actually 780 steps.

Ramblers Walk to Kokoda Track

While recovering from my knee injury, I walked on this trail many times. It’s short, so one may assume that this is an easy trail, but expect a few steep sections and a lot of slippery mud. Your lower body stabilisers will be working hard, so it was perfect as a rehab walk.

At first, I thought this forest trail was quite confusing because there were a lot of turn-offs to side trails. These side trails are fun to explore and generally lead to picnic areas. If you stay on the track, you will pass a few large fallen trees, a pretty creek with some frogs hanging out, and eventually end up on the Kokoda Track.

The elevation is low, so this trail is less strenuous. Common to see trail runners and families with young children.

A suggestion at the end of your hike would be to stop by Lorna for a reward. That’s our favourite cafe near the trails (driving distance away). I am obsessed with the quality of their food.

The best carrot cake of my life (and I dislike carrot cake 98% of the time). Also the best rose and pistachio cake of my life (words cannot describe the soft, moist, rich and dense pistachio cake with light and rosy cream on top). Their breakfast menu is delicious, but the treats were the hits for me.

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Subscribe now

Living in Melbourne opened up doors for a bunch of new adventures and I’m keen to share those in the upcoming months. For now, let’s close off NSW with this final compilation post.

North

Killen Falls

1km return from the car park and Grade 3, not sure if this is really a hike, or just a steep track to a gorgeous picnic area. This waterfall is a 20-minutes drive from Ballina and has amazing views during sunrise and sunset. Unfortunately, it’s not suitable for swimming due to variable water quality. Parking is very limited, so arrive early.

Cape Byron Walking Track

4km easy loop around the Walgun Cape Byron State Conservation Area with 140m total elevation, you can either run or hike this. But make sure there is a phone with you to snap stunning landscape pictures. You’ll get the ocean, rainforest, and lighthouse views, and may even capture the shy echidnas.

It’s a very busy trail, but a wonderful one. Just remember to bring a scarf and a hat with you, even during summer, because there is a lot of wind on the trail.

Unicorn Falls Walking Track — Mt Jerusalem National Park

4.2km return, Grade 3, and only 1 hour drive from Byron Bay. Of course, this trail is very popular! The trail goes through a dense, rich green rainforest, over a lot of stairs (very well maintained), and leads to the magical Unicorn Falls. The name of the trail is a big hint — we had an ‘aahhh’ moment when we saw the colour of the waterfall. It’s uniquely bright and sparkling.

On this trail, I learned about ‘Shinrin-yoku’ (Japanese forest bathing) — “the practice of immersing oneself in nature to enhance physical and mental wellbeing.” There was an information sign in the rainforest to describe the scientific evidence behind how being present (mindful) in nature enhances emotional well-being. I was like, yes, that’s exactly why I do this every month. Nothing balances the waves in my heart and lays me at peace more. It’s directly competing with cuddling, which is the other calming activity I love.

Central NSW

Nattai National Park — Starlights Trail

We found this trail on All Trails and completed it at the end of May 2025, as a weekend adventure. We get tricked by the optimism of All Trails occasionally (which really turns our hike into an adventure), and this was one of those lucky times.

This is a “hard” out & back hike that’s 12.2km long, with 536m total elevation, and an estimated time of 4 hours, according to All Trails. Yes, we got lost because the trail markings were not great, which cost us 30 minutes. However, that trail was more like 16km (if not more) and 5 hours long (if you are fast). Just a warning, so you can come mentally and physically prepared, and allocate enough time (in case you have plans after the hike).

The trail starts from a car park (could fit 4-5 cars), and it was empty on a Sunday — don’t believe that this is a busy national park. I didn’t particularly think the trail was very hard, but it would make an excellent training route for the South Coast Track (* *hint hint**). It was up and down — mostly down towards Emmett’s Flat, then up as you head back to the car park — but the terrain was flat (no weird rocks, nothing slippery, etc). The condition of the trail, on the other hand, wasn’t great. Overgrown bush, fallen logs, trail along slopes (or cliffs) that you don’t want to slip off, etc — it was nostalgic, reminded us of the South Coast Track, where we already practised long lunges, hurdling and crawling techniques. Joking, it wasn’t that bad.

Keep your eyes on the map. Serious warning. The NSW National Parks website shows one trail, and All Trails shows 8 trails in this national park. I could not count how many side trails (they all looked the same) we passed on this route. I was frustrated as I hate checking the map every 5-10 minutes when I am out in nature. So…we got lost and completed 30 minutes of the Ahearn's Lookout Trail, then retraced our steps back.

There has been some landslides on the trail. The route was along a dry eucalyptus forest. We spotted some leeches and lots of colourful fungi (mostly yellow and orange). There are 4 or 5 crossings of the Nattai River — none of them were deep or challenging. There are rocks that you just step on to cross. About halfway towards Emmett’s Flat, the trail will start following the Nattai River.

You can camp at Emmett’s Flat. It’s very green there, which came off as a bit of a surprise after seeing brown bush throughout the whole trail. It’s a lovely place to pause for a lunch break.

The trail was really fun. I enjoy a challenging route and would come back to complete the other trails in this national park another day, noting that the documented distances may be quite off from reality.

More information — https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/starlights-trail

Deua National Park — Marble Arch and Big Hole Trail

The name captured my attention. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a marble arch and a big hole? This is a 12km out & back hike (total elevation of 408m) about 1.5 hours from Canberra. Despite the accessibility, it was completely remote. We did not even see cars while driving through the national park.

Ok, admitting that we completed this trail after the major bushfires, when half of the route was wrecked. But we made a few other visits during the following years and still saw no one.

The trail starts from the Berlang Campsite and Picnic Area. The first 2 kilometres are a constant climb; expect 120m elevation, so it’s not steep. The terrain is soil, leaves, some fallen logs, and a few small tree roots. The hike is through a dense forest, which was burnt when we were there.

At the 2km mark, when you stand at the highest point of the trail, you will see a wooden sign that says ‘Big Hole’ and grey fences, so you don’t fall in. There it is — a large hole that drops deep into the national park. It was very cool, a nice place to snap a picture.

Afterwards, you descend 50m (this one was steep), then hike on flat ground for the following 3km. You’ll cross a river or a creek multiple times. Small wooden bridges were supposed to connect these crossings, but they were heavily damaged by the fires. However, the waterways were mostly dried out when we were hiking, so we had no difficulty crossing.

Watch out for any fire trail intersections. You’ll come across two side trails, so don’t turn off; stay on track. How will you know if you are on track? You won’t (unless you have All Trails running on your phone), because there are no signs, pink ribbons, arrows, footprints, or any sign of life past the Big Hole. Yes, we got lost and walked around in circles for 45 minutes. This time, we actually got scared, because we began hiking in the afternoon, and everything looked the same. The same, skinny, burnt tree was everywhere in an abandoned and damaged forest.

Anyway, clearly we were able to retrace our steps. Keep an eye out for wombat holes. I even got to see the bottom of a wombat sticking out from a hole — cute. Shortly after the 2nd side trail, you’ll come across stairs and descend about 100m. Right at the bottom of the descent, behind the shrubbery and the Reedy Creek, is the Marble Arch.

Here are all the reasons why we did not actually go into the cave. This was a deep creek to cross. We thought it would come up to my thighs. We were running out of time and did not want to return in the dark. We were not really meant to be there in the first place (we were being naughty), and everywhere seemed to be ruined by the fires, so we couldn’t really tell if there was meant to be a bridge, if it was safe to just enter into creek, etc.

We retraced our steps. However, a few years later, the other hikers who dared to cross the creek convinced me that the cave experience on the other side was worth conquering the freezing waters. I heard that the trail conditions improved and the damage was repaired, so if you’re driving through Canberra, you may want to make a detour. This was a good hike.

More information — https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/marble-arch-and-big-hole-trail

David looking confused and realising that we are lost.

Abrahams Bosom, Marions Way, Coomie's and Wreck Walk — Abraham’s Bosoms Reserve (Jervis Bay Area)

If you’re passing through Jervis Bay, this is a quick and easy loop that you can check out. This 5km up and down loop takes you through Abraham’s Bosom Beach, Shell Beach, Wilson’s Beach, Lobster Bay, then back to the car park.

It’s a lovely beach walk, and I would recommend that you bring your swimmers along. You may suddenly get a strong desire to swim, especially when the weather is warm. It’s a dog-friendly walk too.

South

We went on a few road trips down the coast from Sydney, so the following hikes are all coastal.

Sandy Creek Loop Track — Bournda National Park

On the way down to Merimbula and Eden, you will find the beautiful Bournda National Park. The Sandy Creek Loop is the best trail you can take, and it’s only 6km long. We completed this in 2 hours, stopping along the way to admire the surrounding nature.

Well-maintained, up and down trail with lots of colourful mushrooms. The track passes through a forest and a beach, looking at the picturesque Bournda Lagoon and Sandy Beach. It was lovely. If you have the time, pause to complete this trail.

Beowa National Park

There is a lot to explore here! You must make this national park a stop on your road trip itinerary for a few days.

If our way ever crosses this national park again, we’ll be doing the Light to Light multi-day hike. We explored parts of it during our trip, and it’s worth coming back.

You must also bring swimmers! David and I are not the types of people who would go to a beach on a summer weekend, nap on the sand, dip in the water, and have drinks. His fair skin is not happy with the sun (gets burned easily), and my ears are not happy with the ocean (they ache easily). However, we swam TWICE every single day while exploring this national park. It was December, and there were so many hidden, tucked-away, lonely, little, shallow beaches that were warm, inviting and crystal clear. Yes, we swam with fish in warm, still water. What a dream!

We also loved the unique colours and shapes of the rocks in this area.

Side note: this national park used to be called Ben Boyd National Park. We were a bit confused as half of the road signs were pointing at Ben Boyd National Park, and the others were pointing at Beowa National Park. They’re referring to the same place.

• Pinnacles Loop Walking Track

This trail begins at Pinnacles Beach. It is literally a 1.1km loop (Grade 3), so it won’t take you more than 20 minutes. Highly recommend!

The trail takes you to 2 main lookouts to see a large hill (or a small mountain) with severe erosion, revealing two (or three, if your eyes are good) layers of colours on a sheer wall. Orange at the top (red gravel clay), cream in the middle, and white at the bottom, the Pinnacles is a natural artwork.

• Pambula River Walking Track (Pambula Inlet via Jiguma Nature Area)

There are multiple trails that cross the Pambula River. We completed the 3.5km out-and-back trail to Jiguma Beach and Barmouth North Beach.

Bring your swimsuits for this hike. There are plenty of secluded spots for a peaceful swim (or float). The sun dances off the ripples of the clear water and sparkles. It is a gorgeous sight!

• Haycock Point to Barmouth Beach Walking Track

6km out and back. This was a nice 2-hour coastal track. You can start this hike from either the Barmouth Beach carpark or Haycock Point picnic area.

We saw echidnas and large goannas in this area. I feel like there are two different types of goannas — the older, slow goanna with wise, thoughtful steps, and the manic, fast, younger goanna that runs up a tree as soon as they see a person.

• Terrace Beach via North Head Track

6.6km out and back and 170m elevation. This took us 2 hours, and most of it was through a sandy forest. It was nice but not very exciting.

The ocean views at the end were lovely, but if you are short on time, this trail can be skipped.

• Boyds Tower Walking Track

1km out and back, super easy walk on a platform, will lead you to the historical Boyd’s Tower and gorgeous scenery.

It’s coastal, sunny, windy, and a great location to watch whales. Highly recommend!

Hope this has inspired your next journey! There is a lot more to explore in NSW.

Note: the wildlife down south is not afraid of you. As the image on the bottom left shows, they are quite brave with their approach.

In the near future, expect our hiking posts to be about Victorian trails.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work

What is a “dark sky zone”?

Dark sky zones are spaces around the world with exceptional starry nights and a nocturnal environment. These parks are certified and protected for their scientific, natural, and cultural heritage. A lot of the conservation work is about controlling artificial lighting, so we can continue to admire the magical night sky with our naked eyes.

Fun fact: the Warrumbungle National Park is Australia’s first and only “dark sky park.”

Highly recommend camping under a sky of diamonds, or booking a stargazing tour in Coonabarabran. We were very lucky to be able to spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus with a telescope. The trick to seeing the night sky with clarity is turning off all devices. It’s also a trick to get a good night’s sleep, which we had plenty of in this national park.

Check out this nonprofit org for more info — https://darksky.org/

Where is Warrumbungle National Park?

“It’s in the middle of nowhere!” When I suggested going on this road trip, that was David’s response. Warrumbungle National Park (near Coonabarabran) is in central western NSW, a 6-hour drive from Sydney. We spent half an hour trying to pronounce the nearby town, Coonabarabran, and the name of the national park. David gave up.

The area is remote with not a lot of facilities around. The town has a Woolworths for groceries. Apart from that, there was an old petrol station (which closed quite early), a small pie shop opened in the morning (and they made bad coffee), and a small fried chicken shop (which seemed to be open on random days).

Camping is probably your best option. October to April (inclusive) gets quite hot! Nighttime temperatures drop a lot, though, so come prepared. Water is scarce in the national park. If you are camping, be careful with using your phones or other artificial lights after sunset.

Bluff Mountain Walking Track, General Info:

• Length: 17km loop.

• Duration: 1 day (7-9 hours, depending on your fitness level).

  • Note: there are camp sites on the way, and this trail intersects with a few lovely side trails, so I would recommend bringing your tent and taking 2-3 days exploring the national park.

• Grade: 4 (but at the time, it felt like Grade 5 to us).

• Terrain: rocky and some stairs during the first half of the trail. Grassy (bit of forest walk) and fire trail during the second half of the trail.

• Skills Required: steep climbing (maybe a bit of scrambling). Technical hike that requires balance, mobility and good fitness.

• Animals on Trail: butterflies, snakes and mountain goats.

• Highly recommend: you bring PLD (personal locator device/emergency beacon), +2L water per person, and additional food in case of an emergency.

• Popularity: popular trail for people of all ages (but not crowded, as everyone moves quite quickly).

Links: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/bluff-mountain-walking-track

Walker’s Notes

Warrumbungle National Park is gorgeous with giant, impressive mountains. No wonder it is a popular spot for hikers. It’s not just challenging, but also a very picturesque location to hike through. Pity that we were traumatised that day. Here comes the story.

We were originally prepared to do the Goulds Circuit walking track, which is an 8km loop. We began our hike from the Pincham Car Park. The trail is very well marked and maintained, and it is very popular, so you won’t get lost by entering the side trails.

It’s a constant climb (but not steep), and the terrain is very rocky. Close to the 1km mark, the trail intersects with another trail and starts to follow the Spirey Creek.

At 1.5km, the track splits to form a loop. That’s where we saw our first ‘track closure’ sign. We were a bit confused and didn’t understand whether it impacted our route or not. So we kept following the route. A kilometre later, we saw the signs again.

“Macha Tor closed.” It was so disappointing! I wanted to climb and see the Macha Tor. We were about a third of the way in, were not willing to retrace our steps back, and saw another sign that said, ‘Bluff Mountain walking track.’ It seemed to be a bigger version (loop) of our original plan.

HIM: Do we have enough water to go on for 2 more hours?

ME: Yeah. You reckon we could do 17km?

HIM: Yeah. I mean, we planned to do 8 already. We’re fast. We cover 4km an hour, give or take. Let’s have an adventure.

Note: to date, our longest ever hike was a Grade 3, 12km hike. David is the conservative one in this relationship, who usually prioritises safety and hardly ever has an excited, optimistic attitude towards changing our route on the day of the hike (especially when it comes to increasing our hiking duration or toughness). I was surprised to hear that from him. But I’m always up for a challenge, so I was not going to challenge back.

You guessed it right. This young and inexperienced couple had an adventure. It was an unforgettable day. Clearly, we made it out. But if you’re early in your hiking journey, don’t do what we did.

About 500m after the split off, we saw the Spirey View Lookout and continued with a steeper climb towards the Breadknife Gap. There were a few stairs on the way, which was a good idea, as the rocks are in uneven shapes with some erosion here and there.

This is a photographer’s dream. Breadknife Gap is literally a skinny gap between two thin and sharp rocks that reach to the sunlight. We couldn’t take pictures, as there was a line of hikers trying to get through. We climbed on stone stairs, through the crack between the rocks. Looking around reminded me of the Avatar world without the fluorescent colours (because it’s Australia and the countryside is very dry).

All around you, tall, steep rocks point up to the sky, merge into sunlight. Random blobs of bush stick out from the crinkly surfaces of the rocks. It’s dry and mysterious. Some parts of the trail make you climb, and others duck down (if you’re tall) — it’s adventurous. We could see the ‘wow’ expressions on the faces of other hikers.

The first peak is on Lugh’s Throne.

ME: What’s up with these cool names? I feel like we’re in an Indiana Jones movie.

HIM: I know, right? The landscape fits the scene, too.

It’s a small peak in comparison to the rest of the peaks on the trail. 950m elevation at the 5km mark, we were feeling strong and confident. At that point, you can spin your head back and see the Fish Knife, which is another pointy rock. Nobody on the trail was fancy enough to know what a fish knife looked like — it was hilarious to be a part of that conversation. But somehow, we all felt like that pointy rock resembled a fish knife. It just had that sort of look to it. It’s hard to describe.

There is a small descent along a trail that twists and curves, then your second climb will begin. This one is a steep ascent to a much taller peak. There were a few bits which required some scrambling (or huge lunges, depending on your height). The 1.8km route draws a few zigzags. 300m elevation at Freeguards Prospect will give you incredible views. This was the highlight of the trail.

There was a big, amazed smile on my face as I stood on the highest point. Clouds slid past in peace. There was a slight breeze in the air. The sun hit our skin and warmed us to a comfortable temperature. Were are so elevated that it felt like we were one with the mountain tops, floating with the clouds.

This is a perfect spot for lunch and snacks. We stopped there for a little bit, had some food and water, and took some pictures.

This peak was our 8km mark. This was also the point when we realised how difficult the trail was. Unfortunately, it was too late. We had 9km ahead to complete the circuit. Or we had 8km back to the Jeep, but the way back was dodgy (too steep to come down). The hikers coming from the other side reassured us that if we go ahead, the trail gets much easier. So we decided to go ahead.

The rest of the trail was on an easy descent. That was the good news. The bad news was that our water and food were already running out. The weather was hot and getting increasingly hotter.

10km mark — you’ll see a few back-to-back lookouts. Dow’s Lookout, Middle Spirey View, and Kurrajong Corner. The trail will then do a zigzag again, and the terrain will get grassy.

11.5km mark — you’ll see a grassy, small campground. If we had our tents with us, this would have been a great place to end the day. There is a trail split off here, but we didn’t know where it would take us, so we stuck to the route.

The rest of the way is a bit foresty with grass and soil as the main terrain. We passed two large rock formations on either side of us on the way to the next campground. We also passed a side trail that went to the Cathedral Arch. It was highly recommended by a passing hiker. But no way we were going to extend our journey any longer.

13km mark — Danu Campground. It’s another small grassy campsite. I wouldn’t recommend staying here. We took a break here, had one remaining lolly and the two last sips from our water bottles. I’m sure that I was emotionally broken by that point. I felt that the most I could possibly do under that hot sun was 2 more kilometres, not 4.

Then, we heard grumbling sounds from the ground. It got louder and turned into gallops banging on and bouncing off the ground. I looked up and suddenly took a few quick steps back in shock.

Wild mountain goats. Maybe 12 of them, galloping down, fierce and free, their thick, long coats brushing along the bush, riding a wave of wind. My heart paused for a second, as I realised that I could have gotten run over by a herd of mountain goats. Then I watch them move so elegantly down a steep hill (almost a cliff), and disappear behind the trees. I was amazed. It touched my heart.

ME: David, I think there is a mountain goat in my spirit.

HIM: Babe, you're struggling to finish this trail. Not sure if there is a mountain goat in your spirit.

ME: There is! I feel it. I want to gallop out of this trail like them.

David let out a heavy sigh. Lack of food = lack of patience and humour.

There is a side trail from the Danu Campground to climb to Mount Exmouth. We were also recommended to explore this side trail by a passing hiker. Noted for a future trip.

15km mark — Burbie Campground. The trail along here was honestly easy. It’s a flat, long walk with not many notable landmarks. Or perhaps I was so tired (dragging my legs behind) that I didn’t look around to notice anything. This stretch was painful. We slowed down a lot.

Moving ahead, the trail follows the Crooked Creek and the Burbie Creek. It is a bit wet and muddy as a fire trail. If we were there during winter, this part of the trail would leave your shoes soggy. We slowed down even further at this stretch, but kept hopeful to be almost at the finish line.

17km mark — Camp Wambelong. Not a single campsite here has water. This was the point when we realised that the trail ends here, but our Jeep was parked at the Pincham Car Park. So it is actually not a full loop! Can you imagine the anger and disappointment flushing through my body in that moment?

I was going faint. I had my first cry of the day. I’m surprised I lasted that long before a cry. So we waited for 10 minutes. The sun began to go down. We had no choice but to keep pushing forward.

2km of walking along the main road to reach the Jeep. I remember how curvy the road was. Utes were flying past, bringing waves of wind with them, causing me to sway and tremble each time. We saw a dead snake by the side of the road. We were cooked under that sun, shining in sweat. David was checking the printed map every 5 minutes.

HIM: One foot in front of the other. Come on, baby. It should be just around the corner now. I — I know, I said that before, but I think we’re close now.

Somewhere along this route, I tried to have a second cry but distinctly remember my body being too shocked to actually cry. My face was almost frozen to put out an emotion.

I don’t know why we didn’t hitchhike. Probably because the road was very curvy and the Utes were going too fast to pull over. David suggested imagining dinner, so we keep our minds occupied. However, we were 1 hour’s drive away from any food options. So I could only imagine what was already in the Jeep.

White bread, banana, peanut butter, snakes (lollies).

Random items that don’t go together. In David’s opinion, a banana sandwich is the best snack. I wasn’t born in Australia, so the concept of sandwiching bananas — carb-ing carbs — is very weird. It’s thick and heavy, strange for me to imagine. David used to say, “you just got to try it once, and then you will love the idea.” And I would shake my head.

15 minutes away from the Jeep, I intensely imagined a smooth and creamy peanut butter, smashed banana, and stretchy snakes sandwich, licking my lips. It felt like this was going to be the best meal of my life.

Technically, our hike turned out to be 19km for the day with each person having 1L of water, 3 lollies and 1 thick oat bar. Total 500 calories (breakfast was a handful of blueberries and 2 WeetBix, 8 for David). We were on the trail for 8.5 hours that day. When we reached the Jeep, I didn’t know if I should sleep or eat.

Since that day, our traditional ‘tough trail treat’ became a peanut butter, overly ripe banana, and snakes sandwich. It’s a symbol of survival — a special part of our hiking culture.

Hope I didn’t scare anyone off from attempting this trail. We were inexperienced hikers back then and made a dumb decision to push beyond our capabilities and resources, which we never repeated again.

Otherwise, this was an awesome hike. A lot of the hikers we met on the trail also concluded that this is the best hike they’ve done in NSW. I would really like to drive back to Coonabarabran and explore the whole area with tents on our backs.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Unfortunately, exploring the Blue Mountains has been quite challenging over the past 4 years, due to the fires, then the repeated floods, road closures, and damage done to the trails, etc, etc.

My favourite part about exploring the Blue Mountains is experiencing the clear transition from one world to the other. Somewhere along the hike, you suddenly realise that the temperature has dropped; there is a cool bite in the air, even during summer. You stop to put on your jacket and realise how all the colours in the forest have gotten richer, and how the trees are much taller, touching the clouds. That’s when you know that the nature walk is over; you have arrived at the depths of an ancient rainforest.

The Grand Canyon Walking Track

6.6km circuit, 310m total elevation, Grade 3 — we completed this hike in August 2022 and then regretted not coming back at night. Secret revealed; apparently, there are glowworms in the Grand Canyon at night! That would have been even more magical.

The hike is also beautiful during the day. It might be my favourite one. Hence, we took our sweet time stopping and admiring every 5-10 minutes, and completed the route in 2.5 hours.

I remember a continuous steep descent until we were fully buried in a rainforest. The temperature suddenly drops, so rug up. From a dry-looking landscape, we found ourselves among the rich shades of green very quickly. At the bottom of the canyon, when you look around, grey rocks reach to the sky and sparkle with drips of water running over their crinkly surface. What a sight!

We reached a shallow creek (or waterway) with stones to step over. Ferns behind us and mosses ahead, this place was quite inspiring. Surprisingly, the trail was not even busy. We saw 7 other people — two couples and a trio. I expected a busy day, given how much traffic the Blue Mountains gets most weekends.

On the way back up the canyon, we passed two wide overhanging rocks with waterways dripping down. I guess we could call them mini waterfalls. The water flowing down bounced off the ferns and rained on our heads.

Other than the glowworms, we later found out that there were side trails we could have taken, which would have led us to beautiful waterholes to swim in. Not sure we would have done that even if we knew at the time — Blue Mountains is pretty cold during September.

We also found out that the trail was meant to be much wetter (and even muddy in some sections). We must have been lucky to hike on relatively dry terrain.

The trail is very well-maintained with a defined pathway by wooden and stone steps and stairs. Highly recommend the experience!

More information - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/grand-canyon-track

Mount Hay Summit Walking Track

4.5km circuit, 175m elevation, Grade 5 — we completed this hike in August 2022. It was a short but surprisingly challenging hike (but I would still grade it 4). We spent almost 2 hours on the trail. I guess we weren’t very fit back then.

As the name of the trail suggests, it is a constant climb up to a peak, then a gradual descent back to the starting point. We anticipated the best views would be at the end, so we ‘saved’ our cameras, then realised that we could take better pictures on the way back. Views of the Grose Valley were very nice. Hiking this trail during sunrise or sunset would be fantastic.

Some of the terrain was small, crumbly rocks and dry soil, and the rest was stone stairs to climb on. Overall, the trail was well-maintained. There are enough signs to keep you on track as well. It was late September, and we could see some wildflowers starting to show — cute.

More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/mount-hay-summit-walking-track

Perrys Lookdown to Acacia Flat Campground

4km return, 568m elevation, Grade 4 — we completed this hike in August 2022 as well. I guess we couldn’t get enough of the Grose Valley, as this is an alternative trail to the Mount Hay Summit. Expect to see beautiful panoramic views — in my opinion, this trail has better views.

Parking and toilets are available at Perry’s Lookdown. Note: this is actually a good place for having a picnic. The first half of the trail is a constant steep descent. It’s a well-maintained trail through a dense gum forest with signs to keep you on track.

There is a campground a bit further on the trail; it’s called the Acacia Flat Campground (as the name of the trail says). Going down is never too hard (unless you have bad knees); it’s the climb back up which was tiring.

More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/perrys-lookdown-to-blue-gum-forest-walking-track

Wentworth Falls

1.5km return, Grade 3 — this is a rewarding trail that you can complete in 30 minutes.

You will go through Jamison’s Lookout, Wentworth Falls Lookout, Weeping Rock, and Fletcher’s Lookout, and have many opportunities to capture great pictures.

I remember a lot of stairs; this is a steep walk from the Wentworth Falls picnic area. I tried to find out how many stairs the trail involved, but couldn’t get an exact number. Based on research, it’s between 200-300 stairs, so having strong knees will ensure that you have a good experience on the trail.

There is a stone steps section in front of a large waterfall. My first hike in Australia was at age 10. Mum took a picture of me standing in front of that waterfall with arms wide open, a big smile, red glasses, and a bird feather stuck in my hair (my understanding of fashion back then was a little different). I remember feeling very adventurous and accomplished. Unfortunately, I lost that picture.

More information — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/wentworth-falls-track

Not sure why I only photographed the sky. 🙄

While there are a lot of hikes in the Blue Mountains, my ideal trip would include a variety of activities. Here are a few things that we’ve done.

Stayed at a Bed & Breakfast Cottage

We spent 3 peaceful nights in a historical cottage with large farmland. There were fruit trees, horses, cows, possums, chickens and two cats around. At night, the stars covered the sky, despite being so close to the city.

Abseiling

Sounds like an activity for kids, but I find abseiling quite fun and not physically tiring. However, most abseiling tours in the Blue Mountains are not very adventurous, so don’t expect to have the thrill of your life. The best part about it was the picturesque location; we saw some unique rock formations while abseiling.

Horse Riding

This was the day I found out that I was not assertive enough to control a horse. I was also unlucky to get an overly hungry horse, as all it wanted to do was to graze, not walk.

The tour was really fun. I would have preferred it to be longer in duration, even though 2 hours of riding was enough to make my hamstrings and glutes sore. It was an expensive tour, but we didn't have a lot of options to choose from.

Bygone Beauty’s Tea Garden

I heard that the Bygone Beauty’s Teapot Museum is home to the world’s largest private collection of teawares (more than 5,500 teapots from all over the world), and that it has very delicious scones. Despite not being a tea fan (I prefer coffee) and never having had the interest to visit a tea garden, I thought, why not?

The atmosphere was very old-fashioned — I liked the vibe. Scones, cream and strawberry jam were soft, pillowy, warm, lightly sweet with floral tones, and delicious. Mini layered cakes were lovely too. Everything tasted in a very traditional way (so it was not mind-blowing), but there was a beauty in the simplicity. It was comforting.

Yes, there were teapots and very artsy, delicate tea collections everywhere. They sparkled! It was interesting, but I wouldn’t go back. I was surprised to see a lot of jewellery (that you can buy) on display. The place was super crowded, so some people definitely carry a strong tea culture (or passion) in their hearts.

Saw the 3 Sisters

It’s an iconic view with cultural significance — highly recommend.

The walk is 0.8km long, but it may take you 30 minutes, by the time you get around the tourist groups, appreciate the view and take a picture. There may also be a waiting line to walk down the Giant Stairway to Honeymoon Bridge, especially during summer weekends. You may want to wake up early; watching the sunrise with that view will warm your heart.

Saw the Glowworms

This was a very cool and magical experience. It was my first time seeing glowworms — felt like a fairytale. I remember being very cold, so rug up. The fact that I experienced this in a small group made it special. However, the groups behind us were quite large, and I am not sure if it ruins the magic.

Later on, I’ve been on more adventurous glowworm tours in New Zealand and Tasmania. Those were a better experience because the tunnels (or caves) were much bigger, so I spent a longer time admiring and exploring.

Hope the Blue Mountains recover from all the damage it had over the past few years. There is still plenty to do there, so hope I’ve given some inspiration.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Subscribe now

Most of the national park is rocky and dry, with wildflowers that bloom during spring and small creeks that fill up after rain. Most of the terrain consists of small and crumbly rocks, which makes hiking tricky when it rains. During the summer, good sun protection is a must-have, as there isn’t a lot of shade.

Yes, you will find snakes, impressive cobwebs, large spiders (I mean it), leeches, butterflies, lots of little birds along some fire trails and some narrow forest paths. Some parts of the park are not well-maintained (or updated with accurate information online), as it does not get a lot of traffic.

Views of this national park are absolutely stunning online, but most parts are inaccessible unless you are travelling via a water vehicle. If you would like to capture the best views, I would recommend exploring this area in various ways, like a mix of hiking, camping, kayaking, and catching a water taxi, and some of the nearby suburbs, like the coastal drive through Church Point, Newport, Avalon Beach, Whale Beach, and Palm Beach.

For that reason, while the waterfronts are very popular, the rest of the national park is very isolated from the crowds. We did not see a single person on most of our hiking training days (for about 4-5 months). You will come across the occasional cyclist couple.

While it is time-consuming, parts of this national park are also accessible by ferry departing from Palm Beach if you don’t have a vehicle.

Lovett’s Pools & Elvina Waterfalls

3.2km return, moderately challenging trail with some elevation to climb up to the natural pools. While the trail is known to the locals, it is not accessible by foot, which allows it to remain a private spot. You would need to take a water taxi to drop off at Lovett’s Bay. We were very lucky to discover this trail on one of our weekend getaways.

There are 2 parts to this trail.

1. The Waterfall. From the drop-off point in Lovett’s Bay, take a right and walk 100m. You will reach a rocky section and wonder if you are lost. Keep travelling on the rocks and you will find the tall waterfall merging into the bay. Wonderful spot.

2. The Pools. From the drop-off point in Lovett’s Bay, we walked about 300m to the left and kept an eye out for a narrow bush trail on the right. We spent about 20 minutes trying to find the start of this trail. This trail is not marked, so it’s best to ask the locals. That’s what we ended up doing.

   The trail climbed up winding and narrow through the bush. We saw a naughty bush turkey (who has stolen someone’s thong) on our way. Once you are at the top, there will be a rocky section with a shallow pool. Keen walking because there will be a deeper rock pool once you reach the end.

   This is a spot one would want to paint. It is a spot one would want to play some music and have a romantic picnic. There was no one around. The water views were stunning. We loved it so much that we came back the day after.

The view I’m talking about.

The Basin Track and Mackerel Track

9.6km return, 340m total elevation, Grade 3 — we completed this hike in January 2023 and began from the Basin Campground. However, on the main road in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, you can pull your vehicle to the side and park.

From the Basin Campground, there is a short but steep climb back up (about 140m elevation). It was a very hot day. Our journey was on a fire trail with some covered and some exposed parts. Coming from the campground, if you continue to the main road, you’ll see the Basin Aboriginal Rock Art Site.

Or you could take the first right, then you’ll head towards the Mackerel Beach Track. It’s a 120m descent, then that much to climb back up. Some people say it’s worth it due to the views at the end. Honestly, the beach was closed (with warning signs) when we did the trail, so we retraced our steps, disappointed. The views were nice, but nothing special. A few months later, we found out that access via foot had been permanently closed.

Tired and disappointed

If you are hiking from the road, stopping at the Basin Campground for a picnic (and a short swim) is highly recommended.

More info here — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/the-basin-track-and-mackerel-track

Bairne Walking Track

9.7km return, 258m total elevation, Grade 3 — I have mixed feelings and complicated (action-packed) memories about this track, but I am aware that the trail has been much better maintained since 2023. We completed 2 versions of this trail — one in early December 2022 and the other in January 2023 (which was a bit of a survivor story).

The first time we attempted the trail, we were well-behaved and stuck exactly to the route on the map. Most of the journey was on a very exposed and dry fire trail. I don’t know why we were there during December, as it was extremely hot.

We parked on the side of the road. It’s pretty safe to leave your vehicle for a couple of hours. No one was around for the entire journey. But we came across some large spiders, a snake and bush turkeys. The trail had a slight climb up and down the whole time, but nothing exhausting.

The final points were nice — worth taking pictures.

The second time we attempted this trail, I made the mistake of assuming I knew the area (so we could go off exploring). We didn’t just make up a route to follow. On the map, there was a fire trail that led down to Portuguese Beach. I checked on Google Maps — the beach looked stunning. So I was confident.

This trail splits out to other small fire trails, two of which are noted on maps. That was an experience from an adventure movie — I need nothing more to say. It was like we were explorers in the 1700s, discovering new lands via a forest.

The standard Aussie bush turned into trees. The wide, dry, crumbly rocks turned into a very narrow, sandy forest. We were stepping over roots, ducking down, swinging our sticks around to not get caught in a giant cob web, and brushing off the sweat. Not a maintained trail at all. But, if you take a good camera with you, it’s possible to see disturbingly large spiders, some of which have colourful backs.

Not to mention, there is actually no foot access to the Portuguese Beach. Apparently, one had to kayak their way there. Lesson learned. My mistake. The trail ends on a cliff edge with views covered by skinny trees.

I remember that point very clearly because we finally found a rock to sit on and drink our water. But it was a rock with leeches, and after 5 minutes, I bounced up screaming, “leech, take it off, leech!” It was the first time I ever had a leech attach itself to me. Cute. I think that number is 7 now, so I’m much more used to this experience (and don’t bounce around screaming).

That day, we had to return to the Basin Campsite and catch the ferry to Palm Beach, where our Jeep was. We lost so much time bush bashing and drained our energy that we were worried about missing the ferry. I am unsure if this was an intelligent idea, but we decided not to trace our steps back. Instead, we decided to take the other side trail on the map that went to the Bonnie Doon Wharf. I think we were much more certain of this trail because it had a wharf at the endpoint. We also hoped to catch the ferry from there.

We hiked out of the 1km mess and began our 1.5km walk. Much better trail conditions, even though the route was still narrow. The last 500m were very exciting, as we could see the water. Despite the fact that this trail was also unmaintained, the views made up for it. Clear, sparkling waters with touches of turquoise filled my heart.

We did not get on the ferry from the Bonnie Doon Wharf. Apparently, the ferry comes once every 2 hours, and swimming across to the Basin Campsite would take a shorter time. I am not joking. That’s what we did.

The water was not too deep, manageable for walking if you are over 165cm. Calm, no waves, no tides, and warm water were wonderful after a tiring day. Be careful walking across; there are a few sharp rocks at the bottom (mostly safe though). I was a little unfortunate, as towards the end, I stepped down without looking and cut my foot.

There are showers at the Basin Campground. We washed off, dried ourselves with towels, and jumped on the ferry back to the Palm Beach.

Here is some more information about the trail (you’ll be able to see the side trails I mentioned on the map too) — https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/towlers-lookout-via-bairne-track-and-soldiers-point-trail

Salvation Loop

4km circuit, Grade 3 — easy and nice walk. It should take you a little bit over an hour. The trail is very exposed, like a fire trail with some bush around. The journey will get very hot during summer, and you may encounter snakes. I thought it was suitable for a trail run, if that’s what you are into.

If you have more time to explore, combine this with the Wallaroo walking track.

More info here — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/salvation-loop-trail

Wallaroo Walking Track

9km return, Grade 4 — fun walk with a nice view at the end. Most fire trails are quite boring, so ending it with water views is something that I’ll always appreciate.

This is an up-and-down rocky trail with a steep slope down towards Cowan Point. It is less exposed with some trees around. We have seen people on this trail in the past (must be due to the views).

I recommend bringing some snacks and having a short picnic at the end. You will reach a rocky overhang with lovely water views. Quite romantic!

More info here — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/wallaroo-walking-track

Topham Walking Track

3.7km return, Grade 4 — another fun walk, a shorter alternative to the Wallaroo Track, with nice views looking to Cowan Water at the end.

The trail has some narrow, windy sections with sandy terrain and some fire trail sections with rocky terrain. It is possible to come across snakes during the summer.

More info here — https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/topham-walking-track

Other Things To Do In The Area

As mentioned before, for the best experience and views of the national park, I recommend exploring in various ways and checking out the nearby suburbs.

Camping: The Basin Campground is the only place you can camp in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. This waterfront campground is totally worth spending a night (or more) in. Book via NSW National Parks website - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/the-basin-campground

The beach is sheltered (no waves) — perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddling. Fishing is allowed; we watched some families catch their dinner for the night. The facilities are great. There are picnic tables, barbecue areas, drinking water, showers, toilets, and even a small coffee vending machine (that was impressive). It’s a large grass area with +100 camping spots. Yes, it’s busy and very popular (so book in advance). Yes, it’s full of families.

While it is not accessible by car, you can drive to Palm Beach, park your car and catch the ferry. The ferry service was good. It’s easy to carry anything across. We saw families carrying over beers, bikes, balls, and fresh groceries to cook.

Expect to see lots of kookaburras, wallabies, echidnas and tall lizards (about 1.5m). The friendly lizards and wallabies will happily take your food, so don’t leave anything unattended outside.

Exploring around is not the easiest, as there is a steep climb you need to hike over first to get to the main road. Then you’ll need to find fire trails to explore.

AirBnBs: if you prefer a luxury trip, I will highly recommend the AirBnBs along the Scotland Island, Lovett Bay, Elvina Bay, Morning Bay, and Night Bay. Bring swimmers along too. These are inaccessible by car, but most AirBnB hosts will help you organise a water taxi (for some, this is included in the cost). It is quite a special experience to ride a water ferry to a secluded cabin along the water with lots of greenery, a 10-minute walk from the waterfall. It could be a perfect couple’s getaway.

Scotland Island: ferries depart from Church Point. Beautiful place to explore and walk through greenery. Kayaking and paddling are other popular activities.

Swimming: Palm Beach and Whale Beach have a few nice spots to swim. Surprisingly, they were not busy during the few times we visited.

Dining:

• Pasadena at Church Point: great views and entrees. We had zucchini flowers, some octopus and arancini, and I still remember it.

• Barrenjoey House: everything was delicious (we had the barramundi), including the sides, but I had the best pavlova of my life there. We also ordered an unforgettable merengue ice cream sandwich. The desserts were unique and creative versions of traditional sweets — and they pulled it off so well.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I ramped up my running routine quite fast during May and June, running 4x a week and doing a leg workout in the gym 2x a week. I enjoy running, love eating (hint hint), and wanted to have a great time during the race (instead of feeling miserable). So I saw no issues with working my legs 6x a week.

35 days ago (yes, I’m counting it), while on a 16km run at Centennial Park, I felt my right leg going numb and with a diagonal electrical (pins and needles) feeling, from the inside of my lower calf, to the outside of my upper quad. I was confused for a few minutes before I realised that the right knee did not want to bend at all. I was 8km in, and I walked back to the Jeep, thinking it might be a nerve issue. By the time we got home, I could not step on my right leg properly, the knee refused to bend, and I was silently freaking out.

Summary: inflamed right knee tendon (mild), overly stressed IT band and lower calf, and DOMs kicking in for the other leg muscles — all from overtraining. I could not even foam roll any part of my legs for the following 3 days, due to pain.

I was told that rest would be the best way of recovery for my situation. So for the next 2 weeks, I spent a lot of time in bed, going on light walks, massaging my leg with heat creams, eating very healthy for a speedy recovery, and trying to use the foam roller. The winter cold really didn’t help with joint stiffness.

It was very disappointing and unexpected, even though in retrospect, I can see why it happened. Running and training legs were a regular activity in my life, so on most mornings, I felt like a sulky slob. For most parts of the recovery, I also felt like my body failed me. Now I understand that I failed my body by not allowing it to rest and adapt appropriately.

If you have a patella tendon injury, feeling down, and are worried about recovery, it will get better with time (slow and steady). I documented my progress below.

• Day 0: mild patella tendon injury

• Day 2: can walk slowly

• Day 3: physio appointment for professional advice

• Day 7: could foam roll the legs (very painful and tight muscles)

• Day 11: 3.5km run (too early, bad decision, please don’t do that)

• Day 13: 3km easy hike (stopped after getting quite tired)

• Day 14: 6km hike with lots of stairs (stopped after getting quite tired)

• Day 19: aching/pains of the joint at night in bed disappeared (I blame the cold for that)

• Day 21: 4km run (felt very stiff for the first 1.5km, then relaxed afterwards — stopped after getting quite tired — 6.8min/km very slow)

• Day 22: introduced daily 5-10 minute cycling to help recovery, and I could foam roll the legs without a lot of pain

• Day 23: first lower body modified gym workout since injury (avoided step-ups, Bulgarian split squats, and barbell squats, reduced original weights by 40% — got bad DOMS afterwards)

• Day 25: 3.5km run (felt very stiff for the first 1km, then relaxed afterwards — stopped so I can run again on the weekend — 6.75min/km very slow)

• Day 26: lower body modified gym workout (avoided step-ups, Bulgarian split squats, and barbell squats, reduced original weights by 35% — got bad DOMS afterwards)

• Day 27: foam rolling the legs normally

• Day 28: 7km run (felt very stiff for the first 0.5km, then relaxed afterwards — stopped after getting quite tired — 6.7min/km very slow)

• Day 29: morning stiffness of the joint has (almost) disappeared

• Day 30: lower body modified gym workout (avoided step-ups, reduced original weights by 30%, introduced Bulgarian split squats again — no DOMS)

• Day 31: 4.5km run (felt great, but realised that my cardio endurance has regressed — 6.57min/km slow)

• Day 32: lower body modified gym workout (reduced original weights by 25% — no DOMS)

• Day 34: 7.3km run on an up and down route (good, but realised that my agility, turning corners, needs some work, and going up and down small hills tires my knee a lot, 6.56min/km slow)

I did not trust the process of healing for the first 3 weeks, and felt hopeless (emotionally crashed) on Day 13 and Day 14. But the progress is clear; that’s something to be proud of.

Even while injured, I have to be out in nature. Connecting with nature makes me happy. In my opinion, it’s important to feel positive and happy while recovering.

A few learnings (so you don’t do the dumb stuff that I do)…

• Progressive overload in running could look like increasing a kilometre a week, if you are focused on the distance. It does not look like suddenly adding a 4th day of running that’s 10km long (my mistake).

• One goal at a time. I tried to progress fast in both gym (resistance training) and running. Trying to build muscle and endurance in one training program was too much. 2 days of strength training and 4 days of running were also too much for someone who had only begun running 12 months ago.

• DOMS is not ok if it persists and doesn’t go away. It is not a sign that your workout program is working well, but instead, a sign of stress that needs to be resolved before your next workout. Having severe DOMS after every workout for months will eventually lead to injury.

• Muscles recover faster than tendons and joints. Just because you can lift heavier, doesn’t mean you immediately have to push harder and apply progressive overload. It’s ok to repeat some weeks with the same weight, reps and sets, to let the connective parts catch up.

• Overtraining will become a barrier to muscle growth. A lot of ‘muscle growth’ happens while we rest and adapt to the stress, so without appropriate rest, there won’t be appropriate adaptation and growth.

• There seem to be a lot of people on social media who could “run a marathon in a year.” It may or may not be true. But what I certainly don't know is the full story. Are they also going through a heavy resistance training gym workout for the legs 2-3x a week? Did they have an active background, play team sports, or run before? How did they “complete the marathon”? It's funny that when I ask some of the people I know, they mentioned they walked some of the track to catch their breath. Nothing wrong with that, but “complete” doesn't necessarily mean running it all the way with no stops. Did they go on holidays and take 2-3 weeks off from running during those 12 months of training? There are so many questions to ask to get the full picture of someone's training journey. Without knowing all of that, it's easy to think, why can't I do what others can do?

• I could run 7km after a patella tendon injury that happened less than a month ago. This time last year, I could only run 3km (really slowly). My ‘injury recovery self’ is so much better than ‘me a year ago’. Taking off 2-3 weeks pushed me back a lot; I won’t be able to do the half-marathon I planned in August. But I’m not starting this journey from 0km. My body is weak and strong, weird and incredible at the same time.

• This is the same for the gym. My “gentle” lower-body workout in the gym was equivalent to what would have exhausted me back in January this year. The body remembers. The body recovers much quicker than we think.

• My next training program has ‘rest days’ and ‘rest weeks’ built in. For the first time, I planned out specific days to rest. Excited to see how that impacts my progress until the end of the year.

Injuries cause the biggest setback. 3 weeks of rest (or not doing much) lost me 2 months of muscle gains and gave me 700g of fat, pushing my body fat percentage up to 24.6% (equivalent to 1.5 years ago). Seeing that on a DEXA scan gave me a shock. Not sure how much I’ll force building muscle moving forward (given how slow women progress with that anyway), but I’ll certainly focus on not getting injured.

Excited to see how I progress during the next month. Looking forward to building back my endurance and strength, and continuing my training journey for a half-marathon.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Subscribe now

Central Coast is a 1 hour 30 minutes drive for us (further than all of our other options), but it’s worth the drive. It’s surrounded by Brisbane Waters National Park, Bouddi National Park, Marramarra National Park, and Dharug National Park.

So, let’s explore.

Brisbane Waters National Park

This place is gorgeous and untouched (in comparison with other national parks around Sydney). Experiencing rainforest vibes near a big city is a privilege. If you need Grade 5 hikes for training, this may be the spot.

Wish we had spent more time exploring the full-day or overnight hikes in this national park. I heard they were lovely, but we never had the time.

Piles Creek Loop

This might be my favourite hike in Sydney (including trails within a 2-hour distance away from the city)! It’s surely in my top ‘5 hikes hikes in NSW’ list. That’s a bold statement, as I don’t put short trails on my favourites list.

Fun fact: half of this trail is actually a part of the ‘Great North Walk.’

It is such a fun loop. It’s short in distance but challenging — gets you to step on square stones and cylinder stones, go under hanging wet rocks with moss, hop from one large boulder to another, cross a bridge, climb up and down some steps, explore a rich green forest, and also some dry land. It’s a mix of everything. So adventurous!

Tip: pause and have some snacks after crossing the bridge, near Piles Creek. There is a campsite nearby.

It will test your mobility if you are carrying heavy packs for training or are recovering from a knee or ankle injury (in a good way).

I’m pretty sure this is actually 5km (unlike what the NSW National Parks website shows), Grade 5, and it took us approximately 2 hours with heavy packs. The trail starts from the carpark, at the Girrakool picnic area.

More info - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/piles-creek-loop

We don’t take pictures during our training days. Sucks to not be able to show the cool parts of this trail.

Girrakool loop track

Similar to the Piles Creek Loop, but shorter (2km), less challenging (Grade 3), with dryer landscape, and less adventurous overall. The trail starts from the carpark at Girrakool picnic area as well, so if you’ve got the time to cover 2 trails in 1 day, go for it.

We have seen groups run this trail, which was cool and inspiring for me. For 5 weeks, David and I did these 2 trails back to back, increasing the weights of our bags each weekend.

More info - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/girrakool-loop-track

Bouddi National Park

If you are into coastal walks, this is a beautiful place to explore with many trails to choose from. We had a lovely relaxing weekend getaway here. If it were summer, we would have brought our swimmers too, as the beaches looked very inviting.

Bonus: the trails are close to Killcare. If you’re coming from Sydney, you’ll drive past Woy Woy and Ettalong Beach. In my experience, it’s a privilege to be able to buy coffees or smoothies and walk through a national park sipping.

Box Head Track

3km return, Grade 3 — nice, short walk with scenic views, and opportunities to explore surrounding trails. If you have the time, I highly recommend also exploring Tallow Beach (there is a campground there) and Lobster Beach (access via the Flannel Flower).

Parking is a little tricky on busy days. At the end of Hawke Head Drive, there are spots for cars to pull to the side and park, but not a lot.

This is a forest walk with narrow and uneven terrain (a mix of tree roots, rocks, soil), but the overall elevation was not much. Slight steady climb towards the Box Head Lookout, which is a large rock you stand on at a pointy nose. You’ll be able to view Tallow Beach, Pearl Beach, and the Lion Island Nature Reserve from that point.

More info - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/box-head-track

Bouddi Coastal Walk

17km return, this is a long hike that stretches from Putty Beach to MacMasters Beach, through fern forests, coastal rocks and scenic lookouts from boarded platforms.

It’s very picturesque, up and down with lots of stairs, but not difficult (Grade 3), and very well maintained — perfect for a weekend chat and walk. Recommend exploring during sunrise or sunset for the best pictures.

Predictably, this is a popular trail for families, hikers, campers, people out for a picnic, and trail runners. Completing this route while running has been in my mind for a long time and in June, I was ready for a 17km run. Unfortunately, 2 weeks before our weekend getaway, I injured my right knee and overly stressed the IT Band. That was really disappointing. I love being out in nature (gives me the happy hormones), so I did what I could, which was to walk half of the trail while letting David run it. I must admit though, this is a very tough trail for running, as it has a lot of stairs.

I heard from the other hikers that seals on the rocks and echidnas between the bush have been spotted numerous times. I’ve seen a few small waterfalls and frogs hanging out nearby and a mischievous bush turkey digging around.

The exposed sections of the trail get windy and direct sunlight. There were plenty of picnic areas in the shade. Putty Beach and Little Beach on the trail have campgrounds (busy, must book in advance) if you would like to carry a tent.

I really enjoyed this trail. If we ever drive past Bouddi National Park again, I will make sure to run it. More info - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/bouddi-coastal-walk

And here is the trail runner

Marramarra National Park

Marramarra Ridge to Smugglers Ridge walking track

13km loop, Grade 4, good for a training hike if you’ve got heavy packs on, but otherwise, it’s got a lot of dry sections (resembles fire trails), which I found boring. Admittedly, the weather was very hot (on the unbearable side) that day, which may have influenced my judgement.

At the halfway mark, you’ll walk along Marramarra Creek, which is a nice spot to stop for snacks. There is a campsite there too.

More info - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/marramarra-ridge-to-smugglers-ridge-walking-track/map

Lol bit of a pathetic picture, but it belongs to the trail

Hope this has inspired your next journey! There is a lot to explore in Central Coast, NSW.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Barrington Tops National Park

Drive through the Barrington Tops National Park was magical — rich, green, dense, deep, and mystic. Some of the scenery belonged to a fantasy land and inspired me to write lots of poetry at the time. It’s incredible that such a beautiful place is only 3.5 hours drive from Sydney.

I wish we had spent more time here. Please stay here longer than what we did (which was about 2 days).

We stayed at the Gloucester River Campground. It was quite a large campground with toilets and BBQ facilities for cooking -- a popular choice for families.

Gloucester River Walking Track: this 2.5km loop began from our campsite — of course, we had to take a wonder. Yes, there is a river crossing, but it’s not difficult (just don’t attempt it during heavy rain). We got our feet wet a little and it was freezing, but fun. It’s a short, peaceful and scenic forest walk — took us 45 minutes (we snacked and took our time).

Apparently, you can swim in the river, and I remember seeing teenagers dip the bottom halves of their bodies. During April, it was painfully cold, so unless you desire icy baths, it may be best to bathe during summer. We also saw long-necked tortoises, which were so cute.

Lovely trail and campsite for families. For more info, check out - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/gloucester-river-walking-track

Sharpes Creek Walking Track: this is the bigger (4.5km) loop next to the Gloucester River walking track. Took us 1 hour 30 minutes. Why not?

We got to walk through an enchanted rainforest with green trees dressed in moss and ferns. There were 3 minor crossings of Sharpes Creek, which eventually connects back up to the Gloucester River. There was a water dragon lazing on a big wet rock along the shallow end of the creek. Bring a camera along; there is a lot of magic to capture on this hike.

Note: we didn’t mind the steep climb back on the road (and then walking back along the road), but most people return through the forest. Your choice.

For more info, check out - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/sharpes-creek-walking-track

Gloucester Tops Circuit: not far from our campground was this gorgeous 8km hike that connected Gloucester Falls Loop and the Antarctic Beech Forest Loop, as part of a larger loop. Essentially, we did 3 hikes in one go (2 hours and 45 minutes).

We don’t often see rainforests with old and wide trees that reach to the sky in Australia. I let out a few “wow”s on this journey and felt grateful. If you’re in the area, this is a must-do trail. Bring a camera along too.

The trail is narrow, slightly up and down, but not difficult. It’s well-marked with wooden signs that show ‘short walk’ and ‘long walk’. We made sure to check out every side trail on our way. It’s also relatively popular, so you’ll come across a few other people on the trail.

Expect to walk over rich brown soil, stones, rocks, wooden boards, a few small tree roots, and a few stairs — it’s a mix. If you find fungus fascinating like I do, then there are plenty of those on the trail as well. Most of the trail follows the Gloucester River and there are many little easy crossings (maybe 5-6). There are plenty of lookouts and picnic areas along the way.

For more info, check out - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/gloucester-tops-circuit

It’s a shame that we didn’t take many pictures while exploring. We were fully immersed in our hikes.

Lol, we were clearly surprised to see a van and a non 4WD car in front of us. At the campsite, the drivers also revealed that they were unsure how they would return back home if the rain continued.

Oxley Wild Rivers National Park

World Heritage-listed Oxley Wild Rivers National Park has fantastic scenery. You will find green forests, lots of waterfalls, and a fierce wild river, as the name suggests. If you have a 4WD drive, this can be a very adventurous place to explore.

We were there in early April for 5 days. It was cold and stormy every night, so make sure you rug up. We came across 3 other couples at campsites.

We stayed at Dangars Gorge Campground. This is quite an accessible campground with great views. It had picnic tables and toilets. I loved seeing grey kangaroos in the early morning.

Dangar’s Falls Walking Track: 0.6km return, Grade 2. If you’re staying at the Dangars Gorge Campground, this is a short, well-maintained and cute trail that you should explore. Very nice views of the falls, so bring a camera along too. More info - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/dangars-falls-walking-track

McDirtys Walking Track: 6km return, Grade 3. This is a longer walk to view the Dangars Falls (took us about 1 hour 30 minutes). Lots of lookouts on metal platforms with a mystique due to the misty atmosphere. It was not the best for taking pictures, but rather unique. The track was well-maintained, relatively flat, and even had handrails in a section. I recommend exploring this route. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/mcdirtys-walking-track

We also stayed in Riverside Campground. This was an adventure! NSW National Parks will warn and say “only accessible with a low-range 4WD” — do not go down to this campground unless you trust your vehicle and its tyres. Dodge in bad weather. Otherwise, it was a very cool, bumpy and scenic drive down a steep, curvy and narrow dirt track (with a rocky base) down to the Apsley River. Don’t try to walk it; the steep, slippery and rocky (crumbly) base of the ground is exhausting (unless you want a trail to test your knees).

Down near the Apsley River is peaceful. That was a beautiful, crystal clear river that glowed under sunlight. Standing in between tall, grey and bare mountains, you feel so small in this world. Exploring the river on foot was fun too. The ground is uneven with lots of small rocks, so be careful. There are spots to swim, especially when the river flows calmly. Yes, that’s what we did in freezing weather; it felt like an ice bath.

The campground is quite big and spreads along the river, so there would be a lot of privacy and space, even if the campground was full. The only downside is that it was difficult to pitch a tent at this campground, due to the rocky surfaces.

At night, the sky looks magical. This is a place you want to get lost for a couple of days — a very remote campsite with no reception (and as mentioned, challenging access). It can be an inspiration for painters, poets, musicians, and photographers. We set the campfire and warmed our hearts with a pot of comfort food.

Budds Mare to Riverside Walking Track: I don’t think we actually completed this track. We made up a route by travelling along the river and then climbing steeply through the forest. Dense with eucalyptus trees, moss and fungus. We spotted a few bush turkeys too. We only spent 3 hours on this trail (instead of completing it) because we lost our map (no internet connection), the trail was challenging, and we wanted to drive the Jeep out of the campground before the rains came.

The last place we stayed was the Wollomombi Campground. It was cheeky of us to not book this campground. Here is our excuse; we got worried about the approaching rains (rising river water and dirt track being too slippery for the Jeep to crawl back up), and left our campground a day early. On our way, we met other explorers who recommended us to check out the Wollomombi Campground and the nearby trails. So we did.

This is a spacious campground with toilets and fire pits. There is a picnic area with an info board, tables and BBQ facilities nearby.

Wollomombi Falls: about 4km out and back, well-maintained, up and down track with 3 main lookouts. This trail crosses the Chandler River (which connects with Wollomombi Falls) and Wollomombi River multiple times, before looking out to the falls. Your journey will end at the Chandler Falls Lookout seeing the Chandler River once more.

The terrain is a mix of narrow dirt tracks and metal platforms leading up to the lookouts. Aussie bush and large mountains. While the trail isn’t picturesque, the views from the lookouts are (although it was a little hard for me to see through the mist again).

Here is some more info and the map for the trail - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/wollomombi-falls

Chandler Lookout: David did not come on this trail, as he was tired and decided that he’d seen enough of the Chandler River. At first, I was a little confused when I saw the sign for this trail, as I thought we had already seen the Chandler Lookout. Turns out, there are many ways to view the falls. This trail actually heads in the opposite direction and goes through 3 different lookouts.

It is a 3km out and back, narrow, zigzag track that goes through the edges of a forest, looking out to the mighty mountains. With lots of small rocks and a few fallen trees, this route required a bit of scrambling. It was also really windy and exposed. The first half of the journey was a 200m descent, then I had to climb back up to return to the campsite.

I thought the journey was tough (but not too tough) and a little more adventurous (maybe because I was alone), although this was 2 years ago.

Here is some more info and the map for the trail - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/chandler-lookout

I added some of the Jeep driving videos below. They are a little deceptive though, as I filmed during the calmest moments when I didn’t need to hold on.

Glen Innes

This is a large town in between the Guy Fawkes River National Park, Gibraltar Range and Washpool National Parks, Nymboida National Park, Mann River Nature Reserve, and Kings Plains National Park. There is plenty of nature to explore around here and Glen Innes is also known for its annual Celtic festival (1-3 May).

• The Super Strawberry: a cute strawberry farm where you can purchase strawberry jam (and all of its varieties) and strawberry sauce, or snack on some scones/pavlova/sponge cake/ice cream with strawberries.

• The Local: nice cafe with lots of food options. We shared either their pancakes or the french toast a few years ago and enjoyed it.

• Sweetie Pie's Bake Shop: it’s won many awards over the past decade, so we had to try this place. They had a large variety of options with some fancy combinations of flavours. David liked these pies and gave them 8.5/10. I am not a fan of soft buttery crusts as they leave an oily feeling in my mouth afterwards (prefer crispy flakey crusts instead), so while the fillings were very delicious, I would give them 7.5/10.

Gibraltar Range and Washpool National Parks

This is a unique part of NSW that connects eucalypt forests, rainforests, waterfalls, wetlands and granite tors — home of the world heritage walk. It’s 45 minutes drive from Glen Innes and 7.5 hours drive from Sydney.

Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage Walk: the 4-day, 46km loop is the best way of seeing the different landscapes of both national parks. If you have multi-day hiking experience, this is not a difficult trail at all. Highly recommend! It was really fun with swimming spots, waterfalls and lovely campgrounds. Check out the Overview and Walker’s Notes.

Little Dandahra Creek Walking Track: this is the side trail we explored while completing the Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage Walk. This is a 13.4km return journey with almost 300m elevation gain. We completed this in about 3 hours and 45 minutes (returned under heavy rain). Access the map here - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/little-dandahra-creek-walking-track

You can park at the Platypus Picnic Area near the Gibraltar House (which you can rent out for comfy accommodation - https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/accommodation/gibraltar-house).

Most of the trail follows the beautiful Dandahra Creek and wildflowers. The terrain is relatively flat resembling a narrow and sandy fire trail. The trail has minor ups and downs and is easy to follow. In my previous post, I described this part of the journey as:

“This is a cute scenic walk that starts like a sandy dry fire trail but evolves into wetlands. We passed waterways and a big creek, which is apparently swimmable.”

This trail ends at the Mulligan’s Hut Campground. This is the biggest campsite in the national park and even has shower blocks. It’s popular with families (probably due to the swimming spots around).

On the way back, as it rained, the ground became mushy, muddy and soggy. It was much more fun to do this trail in sunny weather (as most trails are).

Tenterfield

We called this place the ‘Town of Thor’ (or the Town of Thunderstorms). It was windy all day long. Yes, we’ve only been here during winter, but the town is on a hill and the constant wind gave me a headache. Tenterfield is a cute town close to the Queensland border, Boonoo Boonoo National Park, Torrington State Conservation Area, Girraween National Park, Basket Swamp National Park, and Sundown National Park.

It’s got lots of shops, a gym, cafes (with a surprising amount of delicious gluten-free options) and an alternative health store. Some places that we checked out;

• Little Nook & Co: if you have a sweet tooth, their treats are delicious. I had one of the best gluten-free treats ever there (highly recommend their caramel slice and gingerbread overnight oats). Their Buddha or health bowls are great, but I recommend asking the salad sauce to come on the side or taken off completely (otherwise they drown the salad in sauce).

• The Courtyard Cafe: large, quiet and peaceful with power sockets (so very good to work from there), ok food (but they had a full menu of gluten-free options, so I was grateful), and burnt coffee.

Boonoo Boonoo National Park

About 30-minute drive from Tenterfield and very close to the Queensland border is this national park with trails that follow the Boonoo Boonoo River and falls. This place gets a lot of wind during winter, so rug up. If you’re exploring during summer, there are lovely swimming spots.

We saw some nice campgrounds here with firewood, picnic tables and toilets. However, there is snow in this area during winter, so make sure you have a suitable tent.

Boonoo Boonoo River Track: found on All Trails, this is a 13.4km return journey, which would take about 4 hours with a 15-minute picnic break and a few additional photo breaks. Access the map here - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/boonoo-boonoo-river-track

The hike starts from the Cypress Pine Campground. There are obvious trail markers and signs around to point you in the right direction. Follow them to the Platypus Hole Picnic Area, along the Boonoo Boonoo River. Most of the trail is on a slight downhill following this river, which makes it quite a pleasant journey.

There are a few split-offs to watch out for. The first one comes up within the first kilometre, splitting off to the right, which you can ignore by continuing straight. Immediately after, you’ll see the main road. Follow the bush trail that diverges off slightly to the left. The second main split-off is again to the right for the Mackays Walk, which the signs will show. Keep hiking ahead along the river.

Soon after, there are two small river crossings. Both look like rocky hills with streams of water flowing towards the river between the cracks, so very easy to cross. If there has been rain over the past few days, be careful of your foot placements, as some parts of the rocks are slippery with moss grown on them. This is a lovely spot to take pictures — green trees in the background, a deep flowing river and large rocks.

The terrain is relatively flat and goes through a green forest. David thought it was ok (and a bit interesting); I thought it was quite fun. Somewhere along this route, I remember seeing a large house on the other side of the river, built on a hill. It may be a non-camping accomodation option — looked pretty.

About 2km later, the famous Boonoo Boonoo Falls Lookout began to appear from the distance. First, you’ll see a bench to sit out with a skinny river flowing down as a waterfall. Keep going, as the trail will curve around and give you a much better view (and another bench to sit on). This is where we had our snack break, took pictures, and munched on some fruit and protein chips. The waterfall is much wider and taller, and bounces down over the rocks, feeding into the large river. It’s wild and worth admiring.

What makes this spot famous? The Australian bush poet and author, Banjo Paterson, proposed to his lover, Alice Walker, in front of this waterfall. He heard, “yes” and the spot became a romantic escape for other couples. Cute!

We retraced our steps back to the Jeep and realised that going uphill made the trail a little bit more challenging (we were no longer feeling so bouncy). But we carried out a long conversation and I lost myself dreaming away, so time quickly passed. If you are in the area, this is a nice trail to do.

Cockatoo Walk: found on All Trails, this is a 9.3km loop, which would approximately take about 2.5 hours to complete. Access the map here - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/cockatoo-walk

The trail starts from the Cypress Pine Campground. The first 2.5km is a constant uphill. There are obvious trail markers and signs around to point you at the right direction. Follow them along the river for the first 600m, then take a right to Casuarina Trail.

This is an easy fire trail that goes through a green forest. A few parts of the trail are ruined by fallen trees; just step over them (we weren't bothered). Here, we searched for a cockatoo with high hopes but did not see a single bird — a bit disappointing.

This fire trail joins a dirt road, and we took a right turn to continue our circuit. The dirt road goes on for almost 2km and it’s a bit boring. Eventually, you’ll see another right turn to Girder Trail back into the forest.

After about 1.5km, you’ll pass 2 river crossings. As mentioned before, both crossings are rocky hills with streams of water flowing towards the river between the cracks, so very easy to cross. Watch your foot placements, as some parts of the rocks are slippery with moss grown on them. Great spots to take landscape pictures and have a picnic.

About 300m later, the trail will join the Boonoo Boonoo Falls Road. At that point, you will know that you have travelled about 70% of the way. Take a left, then the first right. Soon, you will see Morgans Gully Picnic Area. The trail gets a bit windy afterwards and follows the river once again.

Eventually, the trail will join the Boonoo Boonoo Falls Road again for a short time, then split off left to the Cockatoo Walk, crossing the river. These river crossings have been the best parts of the trail. 500m later, we saw the Jeep again.

This wasn’t an exciting trail. But if you enjoy being in nature for a simple stroll and have the time, why not?

Torrington

This old mining town saw its peak popularity in the 1920s. It is home to the Torrington State Conservation Area and lots of Australian native animals.

Seriously, tall strong kangaroos were hanging out in the children’s playground when we were driving past. Goats were free doing their own thing. Quolls were hanging out near the info board. We saw more types of animals than humans in the village. It was quite cool.

Torrington State Conservation Area is a place to explore lots of short trails that lead you to unique views. Expect to see picturesque views (especially during sunrise and sunset), peaceful picnic areas, and granite formations that remind you of the Flintstones (which is a nice change from the standard Aussie bush you get to see in most national parks).

There are 3 short walking tracks; Mystery Face Walking Track, Ugly Falls Corner Walking Track, and the Thunderbolts Lookout Walking Track. I would recommend you explore all 3 if you have the time. They are well maintained, signposted and clear tracks, but a bit muddy during winter. While you are there, make sure to have a picnic break with the local geckos too.

Mystery Face Walking Track: 2.6km loop and Grade 3. This track can be done in 45 minutes if you want to take lots of pictures along the way. The large boulder which resembles a thoughtful old man from the side is worth capturing.

Ugly Falls Corner Walking Track: 3km return and Grade 4. This track can be completed in 1 hour with photo stops. Your journey will start on a fire trail, then expect some rock hopping and a creek crossing. Not sure why it was called the Ugly Falls — maybe because of the creek’s murky colour.

Thunderbolts Lookout: 2km return and Grade 3. It should only take 30 minutes to walk. How cool is that name? Initially, we were a bit sceptical due to the muddy fire trail (for the first 500m). Once we began to see the large boulders, I was very excited. This place is like an 8-years-old boy’s dream playground. A dark cave to go through, rocks to climb on, sticks to swing around, and a tall staircase which brings you up on a viewing platform. It was quite fun for us to explore and we enjoyed the lookout.

Road trips are so much fun! Hope this has inspired your next journey.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Tips:

• Routes to the beaches get very crowded during summer with families, so parking becomes challenging.

• During the whale and dolphin migration seasons, keep one eye out on the ocean. I spotted a few whales in the past.

• Some trails will be very windy, even in summer. Don’t wear loose items. Secure your hat tight around your head.

Wattamolla to the Eagle Head Rock

This has been our regular training route during 2023 with heavy packs, although we went further than Eagle Head Rock. Point-to-point, easy to remember, up and down, and with a gorgeous view of the ocean.

It’s a 9km out-and-back journey (takes 2h 45 mins - 3h 45 mins) with a 336m elevation gain. Here is the link to the All Trails map if you would like to check it out - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/wattamolla-to-eagle-rock

The trail starts from the Wattamolla car park. This was renovated a few years ago; it now has quite a large parking space, toilets, showers, water filling stations, BBQ stations and the lovely intersection of Wattamolla Beach and the waterfall. Highly recommend you to swim there if you haven’t done so before.

This might be one of the most popular trails of Royal National Park. It will have hikers, families, groups with picnic baskets and binoculars almost every weekend of the year. If the weather is right, there are a few picnic platforms along the route with lookouts (so I recommend you extend your journey a little longer).

Once you pass the toilets at Wattamolla, head towards an open grassy area. This is where the trail officially starts. The trail is very well maintained, with lots of manmade footpaths, like the stairs that you’ll climb on, after having a nice view of the beach (lovely spot for pictures).

Once at the top, you get to admire the orange, cream and white marbled (or layered) rock formations that are up and down (like waves). Most of the pathway will be on a metal platform which elevates you from the rocky terrain. During winter, the gaps and holes between the rocks fill up with water and small patches of moss appear.

As beautiful as this part of the walk is, there is a chance of being blown off by strong winds. Some days, it feels like you are walking against the will of nature up there, fighting with the winds. Over many weeks of hiking along this part of the national park, we came up with a handful of jokes.

• “Better zip up the rain jacket, or you might turn into a kite without a string.”

• “If we bring our bed sheet here and hold the corners, do you think we can fly straight back home?”

• “I think we’re only alive due to the chickpea cans inside our bags.”

We once saw a family attempting to conquer this part of the park during winter. Oh, no. The toddler had her first dose of lifetime trauma. She was so shocked that she could not step forward. She was wearing one of these bags with a leash and David said, “that’s what we need for you, or you’ll blow off here like her.”

Jokes aside, the section isn’t too long and the winds are seasonal. So just check the weather. The trail goes up and down most of the way and passes through some bush. This part has its own beauty, as we spotted many black cockatoos and different butterfly species in the past.

Heads up: “eagle head” rock does not really look like an eagle’s head. If you try to engage your imagination and observe the rock formation from a few different angles, you might understand the resemblance. But if you think that you’ll arrive somewhere and think, “oh, that’s the end point of the trail with the eagle head rock,” that is not going to happen.

You will actually have no idea that you came to the point, but will instead continue walking to a lookout (a viewing platform). On the left, you will see a pretty waterfall, and straight ahead, you will see the rock formation. That is technically the end of your hike.

I’ve seen people go back to the waterfall section, and sit around it with picnic blankets, food and a reading book. Such a lovely place to be!

Curra Moors Track

We discovered that this part of the Coastal Walk could be completed in a loop in August 2023 and came back for it a year later.

The trail is 9.7km long with a 300m elevation gain; expect to hike for about 3 hours (a few short stops for pictures along the way). I recommend starting your hike early as there are limited parking options. You can see on the map how this trail starts from the road - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/curra-moors-loop-track-2

There is construction work to maintain the trail — stairs are being put in. But it’s nothing new, to be honest; I feel like every time I walk through that part of the national park, there is some repair. It’s mostly because the soil (ground) gets muddy and mushy easily.

The first half of the trail (about 4.5km) is on a gradual downhill (about 195m). Expect a bit of mud until you reach the metal platforms along the coast and be careful to not slip after a rainy day. The stairs are light brown (greyish) bulky stones that are spaced out; they’re fun to walk on. Along this part of the trail, you can find echidnas (so cute!) and black cockatoos.

The Curra Moors fire trail will eventually lead you to the Coastal Track and the ocean views. As you come out, there will be a waterfall on your left and a viewing platform to stand on. This is where you can see the Eagle Head Rock, take pictures, have a snack, and try to spot a dolphin or a whale.

Take a right and continue your hike on metal platforms near short green shrub. Soon, you will see the Curra Brook forming into a pretty waterfall with two levels, then flowing down to the ocean. This is my favourite place to take pictures — on the iconic Curra Brook blocks (or stones). Blocks have been dropped along the water to allow people to step and cross to the other side. About 500m later, you’ll see a similar sight.

You’ll hike for about another 1.5km before the trail splits off. That’s the time to take a right turn and travel inland to complete the loop. The rest of the way back to the car park is slightly uphill. There are lovely seasonal wildflowers along this path too.

Figure 8 Pools

I bet most Sydney siders have seen the iconic picture of the Figure 8 Pools but had no idea that they could hike to it in the Royal National Park. It looks too exotic to exist in a big city. We had to discover this magical sight.

You can get to the Figure 8 Pools in a few different ways, but the easiest route starts from the Garrawarra Farm car park. It’s 6km out and back with about 260m elevation. If you can, enjoy the pools and take your time; this is not a walk you want to rush. Here is the map - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/figure-8-pools

Before I get into this trail, some warnings (sorry, I’m going to sound like a mum)…

• This is not a trail you can attempt just because it looks sunny outside. This is only a trail you can safely attempt if the tides are low. So check the tides.

• Even when the tides are “low”, surprise waves can come in, so pay attention and don’t walk too close to the edge.

• The rock formations are slippery, and have holes and cracks in them. A housemate who was daydreaming along the path tripped, slipped, and then crashed onto the rocks. Her partner helped her out because she was bleeding and got big bruises on her knees and arms. It was not the only time I heard that story.

• Check the map. We thought the turn-off was not very clear. There was a sign pointing right, but then all the other signs disappeared and somehow we still missed the turn-off.

The trail begins with a 200m descent. The first 1.5km is mostly down the stairs (metal footpath) through a green forest; the trail is very well-maintained. At dusk and dawn, there are possums, frogs and wallabies.

Been there, done it at both dusk and dawn.

Once you come out onto the Coastal Track route and see the ocean, there will be information signs showing the map of the national park, where the Figure 8 Pools are, and the nearby beach.

Take a right. You will soon (about 400m later) see a split off on a grassy area going down to a beach. This will lead you to Burning Palms Beach, which is where you want to head towards. You might come across surfers here as well.

The path leads to rock formations, which may not be intuitive to follow, but the natural pools are on the rocks. We came all the way up to the rock formations and realised that the tide was coming up. Urgh! We had to trace our steps back due to poor planning. It was really sad because these pools take you to a magical world.

The photos do not reflect the depth of those circular pools, nor how the sun leaves its glitters on the water's surface. Shades of blue and hints of green, depending on the time of day — this is totally worth the trip.

Palm Jungle Loop

The name captured us. Who doesn't want to hike through a palm jungle?

NSW National Park classifies this hike as a 10km long Grade 4 trail with 4-6 hours of suggested time. IMO this is more like a Grade 3 that you can complete in 3 hours if you want a nice walk with pictures.

Anyway, here is the map — https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/palm-jungle-loop-track — it also shows the way to the Figure 8 Pools but that’s just a detour.

We first completed this trail in 2022 when we were not fit, then reattempted the track after my knee injury (to see if my knees could handle the stairs), and one last time during the Coastal Track (just a section of it). While my body was not in good condition during any of the times we attempted this loop, I still enjoyed the scenery.

The loop starts from the Garrawarra Farm on a flat rocky fire trail with tall trees on each side. The first 3km is both easy and a bit boring. Then, the trail splits off (there is a sign, it’s obvious). If you continue straight, you’ll end up in Otford. Take a left and head down towards the coast.

Note: I am not sure if the construction work finished at this part of the trail. In August 2023, there were signs telling people to not continue down the path (which we ignored at our own risk). Check the NSW National Parks website for any warnings.

It’s a 200m descent from there over the next kilometre, most of it is on white-greyish blocks/stones forming stairs. We hiked down a beautiful dense green rainforest during sunrise and the views were stunning. Golden glows from the sun peeked through the large dark leaves of the trees. As we hiked further on, we could see patches of the ocean appearing.

Somewhere along the way, we also crossed a little creek flowing down. There was a cute little wooden bridge, so our feet didn’t get wet. Between the stairs, which were uneven (some with short and some with tall drops), there were patches of mud which was a bit slippery. I was unsure if it was due to the construction happening or not.

The trail continues on a metal platform along the coast and it’s quite flat. You’ll get to see the Burning Palm’s Beach. You might see some surfers or people jumping over the ocean waves there. If you want to make a kilometre detour, you can also check out the Figure 8 Pools (but make sure it’s low tide before exploring there). This is also a lovely spot to have snacks or a picnic.

The way back to the Garrawarra Farm car park is on a metal platform, up the stairs for almost a kilometre. The 200m elevation sucks if you have sore knees, calves or ankles, but for everyone else, it’s not a challenging climb. There are also plenty of places to pull to the side, rest, and admire the greenery.

This trail gets busy during a sunny day for a good reason. Highly recommend it for a day trip.

That’s the end of my ‘Exploring Royal National Park’ series. I absolutely love this place and feel grateful to live relatively close to it.

Questions: as always, if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

North-West

Getting back into a hiking routine in 2024 (after 2 months of rehab from my knee injury) involved a few weekends in Loftus, which is when I discovered the trails in this area. These trails are short and scenic, with flat terrain and gentle slopes, making them great for trail running, recovery/rehab hikes, and family day adventures. My ideal weekend would be to hike through 4 in one day, with a picnic break in the middle.

Kirawee Bushwalk

I found this hike on All Trails. It’s a 4km easy loop (takes 1-2 hours approximately) with a 90m elevation gain. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/kirrawee-bushwalk

The trail starts on Helena Street, next to Kirrawee Oval. We grabbed coffees from a local cafe beforehand. Start of this trail wasn’t very obvious; it looked like a generic sidewalk. After 5 minutes though, we found ourselves in a picturesque journey with wildflowers — pleasant surprise.

This is an easy route that crosses the Savilles Creek, diverges inland with a slight uphill, then circles back, following the river with a slight downhill. At the same time, the terrain is rocky with some tree roots, resembling a narrow fire trail.

I would carry your phone throughout this trail. The route wasn’t well-marked with some overgrown sections that we had to push through. We did not see anyone on the trail. However, we saw a shy echidna in the bush, which was the best part of our hike.

This was a nice and relaxing morning (I mean, I love being in nature).

Grays Point to Audley Loop

Another hike I found on All Trails. It’s a 5.6km easy loop (takes 1h 30 mins - 2h 30 mins approximately) with a 160m elevation gain. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/grays-point-to-audley-loop-via-hacking-river

The trail starts near the Grays Point Oval or the Grays Point Primary School. Fire trail like, rocky terrain. The route was quite flat in the first 500m, then had a 75m descent within the next 200m — perfect to test your knees after an injury (or train your joints if you want to wear weighted packs). However, I may not recommend it during heavy rain. The views were lovely, looking down to the Hacking River.

Once at the bottom of the slope, the terrain goes flat and follows the Hacking River for about a kilometre. We walked up to the Audley bridge, saw the kayakers and paddlers, the cockatoos, and the cafe on the other side of the river. Then, we began ascending on the Honeymoon Track (cute name).

This is a 105m climb (including some stairs) over approx. 1.5km to the Royal National Park Environmental Education Centre. Along this section, there are a few turns to side trails, so make sure you don’t diverge. Rest of the trail is flat.

Overall, this was a lovely picturesque hike and Audley is perfect for a picnic. Not sure why I did not come back to do this trail again.

Loftus Loop & Temptation Creek Loop

Two other loops I found on All Trails which intersect at the beginning. The big/outer loop on the map is the Loftus Loop which is 6km with an elevation gain of about 120m (doable in 1h 30 mins - 2h). The smaller loop (marked by the blue pen) is the Temptation Creek Loop which is 4.5km with an elevation gain of about 90m (doable in 1h 15 mins - 1h 45 mins). We completed both on the same day, as it was convenient for us.

Both trails start from the NPWS office at 159 Farnell Avenue. There is a car park there (and toilets). Despite exploring at 10 am on a weekend, we only saw two other people on the trail; they were riding their bikes.

I would describe both trails as easy bush walks with flat terrains (probably suitable for trail running), a few rocky sections here and there. Pay attention during the trail because there are bike routes that diverge off from the main path. Temptation Creek loop resembles a fire trail which sees a cute small creek (might be a bigger creek during winter).

Overall, Loftus Loop was not a scenic route, but Temptation Creek made up for it with the Bungoona lookout facing the Hacking River (recommend checking out at sunrise or sunset).

North-East

If completing the Coastal Track is on your hiking bucket list, then exploring the trails at this end of the Royal National Park would be a good place for training.

Some warnings:

• It will be windy, even in summer. Don’t wear loose items.

• The sun will burn your face, even in winter (and even if you have Mediterranean skin, like me).

• These trails may look flat and sandy, but they are not beach walks; I feel confused every time I see someone wandering with flip-flops.

• Routes to the beaches get very crowded during summer with families, so parking becomes challenging.

Tips:

• During the whale migration seasons, keep one eye out on the ocean. I spotted a few whales in the past.

• The ferry ride from Cronulla to Bundeena is quite nice. Ferry times run past 5 pm too. So depending on where you live, driving may not always be the best option.

• There is a cafe called Earth Thingz in Bundeena. I dreamt about their brownies but everything else I tried has been very delicious as well. Although…I only eat after a long hike, when I’m tired and very hungry, so…I may be biased.

• If you have time, it’s possible to complete the first two hikes on this list in one day.

• These routes are all great for trail running, especially during sunrise. It’s been on my wish list to come back for a long run.

Jibbon Head and Shelly Beach Loop

We discovered this route coincidentally while doing the Coastal Track. We were heading towards Bundeena and noticed that the trail split; the left turn was to the car park in Bundeena and the right turn was to Shelley Beach (on the Jibbon trail). Totally exhausted, we took the short cut out. Later on, we looked this trail up on All Trails and came back.

7.4km loop, 100m elevation total, expect to hike for about 2 hours. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/jibbon-head-and-shelly-beach-loop

If the name of the trail isn’t enough to give you the hint, prepare for a beachy walk (and a very busy one during good weather). If you are not time restricted and enjoy dipping in the beach, then don’t forget your swimmers (recommend Jibbon Beach).

On All Trails, the hike seems to start at the Bundeena ferry terminal. If you’re driving to Bundeena, you may want to officially start from the Loftus Street Reserve (Neil Street), or wherever the car park is.

This is a beautiful coastal walk with lovely beach views. It’s got a flat, sandy, dry and slightly rocky terrain. We have two different experiences on this trail; the first one with sore ankles (that sandy terrain was a nightmare), and the second one with strong ankles (super easy and fun).

The first landmark is Jibbon Beach (about 1.5km into the hike). There is a shortcut that connects this beach straight to Shelly Beach. However, this hike goes all around the coast, so if you stick to the trail, your next landmark will be Little Jibbon Beach. This is where you can see the rock carvings.

Shortly after is the Port Hacking Point. Yes, it’s beautiful for taking pictures, but also very windy. I felt like yelling out, “brace yourself, fellow hiker! Head down, lock in the arms, push forth!”

From that point, the trail begins to circle back, heading towards Shelley Beach. Narrow path with white sand and green bush around. There will be a split-off. As much as it’s tempting to head towards the coast with stunning ocean views, this trail heads further inland to complete the circuit.

There is a slight uphill (negligible) at this section, white sandy rocky ground again, and bush. If you’re lucky, there are seasonal pink flowers that bloom. Watch for your foot as small snakes are relatively common.

Eventually, you’ll come to the car park. There are toilets and water filling stations there. After a kilometre through the suburbia, you’ll complete the loop.

Overall, the rock formations you’ll pass on this trail are very cool. It’s like there were lots of bubbles of various sizes hidden inside the large rocks, and they exploded hundreds of thousands of years ago, leaving their fossils behind. There are lots of birds to spot. If you’re into bird photography, this is the spot to be.

Bundeena to Wedding Cake Rocks

The famous track to the Wedding Cake Rocks starts at the Royal National Park car park in Bundeena (where the information signs, toilets and water filling stations are).

5.6km out and back trail with an elevation gain of 180m, and an estimated time of 1h 45mins - 2h 15 mins (depending on how many photos you would like to take). https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/bundeena-to-wedding-cake-lookout

Easy and popular route that’s slightly up and down on sandy, dry and rocky terrain. As mentioned under the review of the Jibbon Head and Shelly beach Loop, the white sand is lovely (unless you have sore ankles), rock formations are cool, and the ocean views are stunning.

However, most people arrive expecting to see the white-coloured limestone called the Wedding Cake Rocks. They envision themselves sitting on the unique cuboid geographical formation 25m above sea level, and snapping iconic pictures.

Instead, you will encounter an emergency rescuer statue (in the shape of a poster) with a quote, “I hope we never meet.” It’s basically a warning sign, revealing how many people fall off these rocks and get saved (most die). Public access to the top of the Wedding Cake Rocks was closed off in 2015 by tall fences, after a geotechnical assessment. To put it simply, this rock formation is estimated to collapse into the ocean. However, some people still climb over the fence for Instagram/TikTok shots, hence why the additional warning signs.

In my opinion, watching whales during sunrise/sunset and capturing them with a camera is much more exciting on this trail. Don’t trip over a rock but keep an eye out on the ocean.

Again, watch out for the snakes during the initial part of the trail. The second half of the trail gets a lot of wind, so don’t carry loose items with you.

Beautiful trail! Even more beautiful if you can avoid crowds.

Bundeena Drive to Marley Walk

This is another trail that we discovered while doing the Coastal Track. 8.5km out and back trail with an elevation gain of 180m, and an estimated time of 2h 15 mins - 3h 15 mins. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/marley-beach-via-bundeena-drive

You can pack in your swimmers for this hike (some people do), but be prepared to battle with the ocean waves. Marley Beach is rough and windy. I have actually seen surfers carrying their boards on this trail. Seemed like too much effort before you even got to the waves, but I can also see the attraction for it.

On the way to Bundeena (the Bundeena Drive), there is a small but obvious parking space with an obvious hiking trail turning right. That's where the hike starts. This is not a very popular trail (in comparison to the other coastal hikes in the national park), so parking shouldn't be an issue (unless you pick a weekend during the summer school holidays).

Marley Trail is on a mostly flat, dry and sandy terrain (similar to a fire trail), like most other walks in the Northern part of the national park. It is a constant downhill through the bush (with pretty wildflowers and birds) until the coastal views.

The first landmark of the trail is about 2km in — Marley Creek. Cute, picturesque and rocky. About half a kilometre later, you’ll see a trail split off. We took a left onto the Little Marley Fire Trail, as that’s the quickest way to the beaches.

A kilometre later, you’ll reach the second stream crossing. I felt the winds blowing in at this point and got happy and bouncy. To my prediction, soon we saw the ocean — the most exciting point of the trail.

The footpath here becomes a metal platform. If you take a right turn, you'll head towards Little Marley Beach. If you take a left turn, you'll head towards Marley Beach. Your choice. Both are lovely beaches at an equal distance away. What's special about the Marley Beach is the amount of sand there. That sounds weird. Quoting from my Coastal Track post…

“Marley Beach is big with tall white sand dunes, wild ocean waves, seagulls exploring and seaweed washed up. It looked like an isolated planet.”

Wide, dense beach hit by the powerful ocean waves — and just the two of us — very impressive. I felt small standing there.

Even though the first time I stepped on this beach was painful (and caused an Achilles injury), this is a lovely trail to come back to.

That’s all for now. Part 3 will focus more on the coastal trails which will help you train for the Coastal Track in Royal National Park.

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

On inland trails, watch out for the leeches. The park is home to possums, wallabies, and a wide variety of bird and butterfly species. This is also a great place to play, ‘spot the fungus’ — I’ve seen very interesting types during our hiking adventures.

I realised that David and I completed almost all the hikes in the Royal National Park. So it's best to split this post into a few parts. This post (Part 1) will focus on the ‘inland’ hikes that are not on the well-known Coastal Track, especially the ones that start from the Waterfall Station.

Couranga Walking Track

Grade 3 - 10km return - suggested time is 3-5h by the NSW National Park website. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/couranga-walking-track

As it's a point-to-point track, you can either start from the Waterfall station car park, or the McKell Avenue. We completed this track twice starting from the Waterfall station end (recommended) in 2024 and starting from the other end in 2025. Yes, I normally don't complete a hike twice unless it's a training route. But we couldn't be bothered driving too far that weekend and I had already declared that this trail was my favourite at the Royal National Park.

During the first kilometre, the trail follows a narrow bush path then a fire trail, which is the beginning of the Uloola Track. Quite an easy and flat start which will eventually join the official start of the Couranga Track. You’ll notice the change immediately; the path will become narrow and you’ll be surrounded by dense bush.

We did not expect to find ourselves in a green forest. The landscape is unlike most Aussie bush trails. It was much more interesting. Expect overgrown bush, a wide variety of fungus, and to step or jump over some fallen logs.

Just as we got used to the environment, the trail descended steeply and the terrain became rougher. With the descent and the trees blocking the sun’s rays, I was feeling colder. Then, I had a beautiful realisation; we were heading towards a rainforest. This was a lovely surprise.

Rich rainforest, orange glows of the sun peaking through the leaves of tall trees, ferns surrounding your feet, a kookaburra singing, and a few wallabies skipping around — this is a spot to pull out your phones for the Instagram shot. Peace radiated through the forest.

After 1-2km on the damp dirt trail, we saw a creek. It looks small at first, but as you hike more, the creek widens; its gentle flow makes you want to take a dip. The trail moves away from the creek into the dense forest, then eventually, takes you back to an easy creek crossing. This is a very picturesque sight — another spot for an Instagram shot (or in my case, a Substack shot).

I remember bushbashing and a bit of a climb afterwards, all the way to the end of the trail. Strangely, this is a lesser-known track (perhaps a hidden gem), so don’t expect to encounter many other hikers. In 2024, we saw one other person on the trail, and in 2025, we saw nobody but spotted some footprints (possibly somebody completed the hike early morning). You may have a much higher chance of encountering leeches, so either bring a matchbox or be ready to pull them off your skin. David got 3 latching onto him and I pulled out one.

You’ll come out to a main road with a very small car park (fits 2 cars). There is a big log to sit on and have lunch or snacks at the end. We took 15 minutes of rest here and returned back to our starting point.

Uloola Walking Track

Grade 3 - 22km return - suggested time is 8h - 12h by the NSW National Park website. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/uloola-walking-track

As it's a point-to-point track, you can either start from the Waterfall station car park, or Audley (where the visitor centre is). I highly recommend starting from Waterfall station, so your halfway mark (lunch spot) can be at the cafe looking out to the Hacking River. This is a full-day trail, so you may want a treat in the middle.

During the first kilometre, the trail follows a narrow bush path, then a fire trail. Quite an easy and flat start which will eventually split off into two ways. Taking a right will lead you to the Couranga Track and taking a left will allow you to stay on the Uloola Track.

The fire trail continues for a while on a constant slow descent. Over time, the regular Aussie dry bush landscape becomes greener and more dense with wildflowers. Somewhere on this part of the trail, David came close to stepping on a medium-sized black snake. Watch your steps people.

At the 6km mark, you’ll see the Uloola Falls Bush Campground. This is quite a pretty picnic spot. I expected to see more people on the trail (only came across 2). I wish we had taken some pictures! Layers of silver rocks were stacked up, leaves poked between the cracks, and water gracefully fell onto Uloola Brook. If you have a good camera, bring it on this hike.

About 3km later, you’ll see a trail split. Towards the right is the Wattle Forest Track, so stay on the left. About a kilometre after that split-off starts your steep descent. 100m drop within 1km, all the way down to the Hacking River. This was an exciting section for me, especially because I could see the river from the distance. During this descent, you’ll come across another split off to your left; keep your eyes on the map and ignore any sharp left turns.

I love Audley. I’ve been down there for picnics, hikes and kayaking before. No matter how busy the place gets on a sunny weekend, I still love stepping on the green grass, taking a stroll under the tall trees and looking at the river.

To get to the food and smoothies, we crossed the bridge. The 30-minute stop was well-deserved and fully worth it. One mixed berry smoothie for me, one mango smoothie for David, and our remaining snacks to share were satisfactory.

Off we went on the trail again, retracing our steps back. I wouldn’t describe this trail as spectacular, but it’s a good one for hiking training and a rewarding one with a cafe at the halfway mark.

Forest Path

Grade 3 - 4.4km loop - suggested time is 1h - 1h 30 mins by the NSW National Park website. https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/forest-path

This circuit starts from the stone gates on Sir Bertram Stevens Drive. It is an easy, fun, short and beautiful hike through a rich and dense rainforest. Given how the national park is known for its coastal walks, this trail has a surprising scenery. If you have done the Couranga Trail, or read my notes on it, imagine this circuit to be a smaller/condensed version of that. So, hint; you might want to bring your camera on this journey.

Yes, this trail also has a lot of determined leeches (bring a matchbox or be prepared to pull them out of your skin). Yes, this trail also has spectacular picnic spots. I’d recommend saving your lunch/snacks to the Bola Creek picnic area; you'd have the pretty Bola Creek as a view.

If you’re hiking clockwise, the trail follows the Hacking River for the first half, then the Bola Creek during the second half. It’s quite up and down, but the elevation gained is so low that this trail would actually make a great spot for running (if it wasn’t so popular).

If you have more time to explore, I’d recommend checking out the other hikes nearby. Couranga Track would be a wonderful one if you’d like to continue with the rainforest scenery. This isn’t my 2nd favourite hike because it’s too crowded for my liking and not challenging enough to get me excited.

Karloo Walking Track

Grade 3 - 10.2km return - suggested time is 1h 30 mins - 2h 30 mins by the NSW National Park website.

• https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/karloo-walking-track-2 - linking All Trails so you can check out the other optional trails from the map

Optional to add an additional 3.4km (there and back) to check out the Olympic Pools. This is the trail we followed.

• https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/olympic-pools-via-karloo-pools

Optional to shorten the trail to 5km if you just want to swim in the Karloo Pools.

The trail starts from Heathcote train station car park, which is super handy if you don't have a car. There is a petrol station across the road, so we grabbed Gatorades before starting the hike. Given it was a sunny Saturday, there were quite a lot of cars parked around. This trail was definitely a busy one!

Quite an easy start to the trail with a 130m descent in the first 2.5km. This part of the national park has a lot of greenery and large grey flat rocks which may become slippery over multiple days of rain, but otherwise seem solid. The trail is not overgrown but also not ‘man-made’ with stairs and metal platforms — it’s nicely preserved in its natural shapes and forms — lovely to walk through.

After the descent, we crossed the Kangaroo Creek and saw the Karloo Pools. It was spread out with varying levels of depth, surrounded by rocks. The sun was glowing and the trees reflected their shades of green on the water, giving it a beautiful tone of colour. It looked like a fairy pond, a magical sight from an 1800s oil canvas or a children’s book. It just missed a picnic blanket and basket with fruits, and two caucasian children wearing long white dresses with laces and red ribbons to hold their braided blonde hairs. And a gentle background piano composition of the Nocturne in E Flat Major Op. 9. You get the picture.

Well, the pool had a few screaming kids running up and jumping in, splashing water around, parents who carried bottles of beer and chips with them treating themselves, a few young ladies trying to get a summer tan, and a couple making out intensely. And background music of pop music from a Bluetooth speaker of a group of young men. ‘Cause it’s the 21st century.

Anyway, people were having fun and on the way back, so did we (took a quick dip and had snacks). This is really a beautiful place to go for a swim and a picnic. A peaceful sight that I’ll remember.

Be careful with navigation here. There are 3 other trails leading to this rock pool, so it’s easy to get lost. When you face your back to the way you came from, take the 2nd exit. The 1st exit follows the Kangaroo Creek, so don’t follow that.

On the right path, we climbed 100m into the forest. The trail flattened out soon after and we had a nice view of the greenery. About a kilometre later we saw the Uloola Falls Bush Campground. As mentioned before, this is quite a pretty picnic spot with a waterfall view, and less busy than the Karloo Pools.

We retraced our steps back until the Karloo Pools, then took a right turn. This would have been the 3rd exit (or going straight) from the original way we came from. Sorry if that description is confusing; just check the map and it’ll make sense. This part of the trail follows bits and pieces of the Kangaroo Creek for 1.8km and gets progressively more challenging (definitely a grade 4).

The map does not actually lead you to the Olympic Pools, but only to some flat rock. You then have to take a left turn and follow the creek for about 10-15 minutes (with some rock hopping and bush bashing) until you have an ‘aha’ moment. It’s a large rectangular rock pool, which looks strange to exist so perfectly in nature, hence why the fancy name. This is where we had lunch. No one was around, so I guess this part of the trail was not popular.

The Olympic Pools could have been swimmable as well but it did not look as clear as the Karloo Pools water; it may have gotten more branches and mud mixed in due to the recent rains. I heard afterwards that if you complete this hike very early in the morning, you can spot the local platypus. Cute!

Overall, the trail was cut out in a way that one did not need to look out for markings (pink ribbons or arrows); the oncoming traffic also helped. We retraced our steps all the way back to the Jeep (with a short stop at the Karloo Pools for a dip). Highly recommend this hike. It was a lovely Saturday.

That’s all for now. Part 2 will focus on the trails between Loftus and Grays Point (North West of the Royal National Park).

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

The region has horse riding tours (very cool), quality places for wine and beer (though we don't drink anymore), kayaking routes (love that), mountain biking routes, plenty of cave tours (seasonal and very cool), thermal pools (highly recommend), and of course, lots of hiking trails. If you enjoy snow sports too, this is a 4 season outdoor adventure location for you.

There are nice camping options but the few we’ve tried were on very rocky ground for pitching a tent (we still made it work). Most, if not all, campsites have a long drop, excellent views of the night sky with glowing stars, and friendly furry visitors (we’ve seen quite a lot of wallabies). However, they are very crowded and seem to be done on a system of, first come first served.

Here are some places we explored over the last 3 years in Mt Kosciuszko.

Side note: due to the great condition of most of the trails in the region, I always thought it would be wonderful to complete them as trail runs. It's on my to-do list, along with a few other difficult day hikes.

On the road, trying to spot the emus.

Kosciuszko walk - Thredbo to Mount Kosciuszko

Grade 3 - 13km return - suggested time is 4 - 5 hours by the NSW National Park website.

This might be the most iconic hike in the region. It starts from the top of the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift. It was a lovely 15-minute ride. We completed it in late December 2022, when we were very unfit and inexperienced but very excited to get into this hiking business.

Very well-maintained trail with information signs, steel walking platforms most of the way and gradual/slight climb -- we could tell this was a touristy walk. The way to the summit was packed with domestic and overseas visitors of all ages. A beautiful day hike to do with young kids too.

The views are amazing. I love Alpine regions; they always have this harsh look, which is thrilling. Despite the fact that it was the middle of summer, we still saw large chunks of snow covering the tip of the mountains ahead. We even got to touch a bit of the snow piled up a the side of our trail. Something to note; watch your foot and don't slip.

Yes, it was cold. We were hiking quite fast (honestly did the whole trail in 3 hours, including our lunch break, and I swear we were unfit during that time) and the sun was shining so bright, but we still shivered. It was very windy too. The elevation plus the wind gave me an earache which was super annoying. Something to note; bring a beanie or something to cover the ears, and a light jacket or a windbreaker.

Despite all of that, the silly us got sunburnt. Seriously burnt. We were all wrapped up to avoid the cold and the wind, but our calves were exposed. We were red and spent some time in the bathtub afterwards. Ouch! Last thing to note; wear sunscreen and sunnies (it was very bright).

Going all the way to the summit was cool (that's where we had lunch), but it was not possible to grab good landscape pictures due to the crowd.

Overall, fun hike! It might be the 3rd best hike we’ve done in the region (only because it was overly crowded).

Rennix Walking Track

Grade 3 - 13km return - suggested time is 4h 30 min - 5h 30 min by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024. I remember downloading a bunch of songs on Spotify and playing them along the way. We also brought some snacks for a nice picnic at the halfway mark. That was an excellent idea — highly recommend.

It was quite dry with a mix of brown bush and long grass (a bit of a fire hazard we thought). Constant climb up to the Giant's Castle, which will get your heart beat up and body warm. We saw a black baby snake on the way, which was cute (in retrospect) but I still let out a short scream (my reflexes).

I didn't think the journey up was particularly beautiful. It was like a wide and curvy fire trail with lots of grass. However, towards the halfway mark, things got interesting. A bit of rocky and steep terrain got me excited. Soon after, we saw a Bouldering pathway up to the "Giant's Castle." I am not sure if we actually saw a "castle" so don't get your hopes high. However, we did see a lovely sunset view.

We saw nobody on the trail and completed it in 3 hours and 45 minutes, including an afternoon tea. Trails like this are gems because Mt Kosciuszko really gets packed with explorers.

Nice trail, peaceful, and good for a sunset picnic, but wouldn't do it again.

Pallaibo walking track

Grade 3 - 11km return - suggested time is 3 - 5 hours by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024. It was easy, fun and scenic — a lovely place for a picnic with a river view. We saw a family fishing by the river, so if you’re into that, might be a nice spot.

The track begins at the Sawpit Creek picnic area, so it joins up with the Sawpit walking track, which we completed after this hike. If you want to tick off multiple short hikes in a day, this is a good spot to drive to.

I remember seeing a variety of small birds and beautiful wildflowers throughout the trail, and later finding out that this was the go-to spot for wildlife photographers and bird watchers. We passed two small waterfalls as well.

The trail was through a well-maintained eucalyptus forest with mostly flat terrain. Might be a good one for trail running actually. We only encountered 2 other hikers on the trail and completed in 1 hour and 10 minutes, then had some lunchtime snacks before starting the next hike.

People we spoke to afterwards said that the hike was much better than what they expected. I would agree with that statement.

Sawpit walking track

Grade 3 - 2km loop - suggested time is 45 min - 1 hour 15 min by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024, after the Pallaibo track. Both tracks share a similar route in the beginning, then diverge off. It was short and not very interesting (maybe because we completed it after the Pallaibo track).

We completed it in 40 minutes. Might be a good one for trail running.

Waterfall walking track

Grade 3 - 6km loop - suggested time is 1h 30 min - 2h 30 min by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024, after the Pallaibo track and Sawpit track. At the start, we walked under a short tunnel (or a road). Graffiti - classic. Then, we headed straight into a eucalyptus forest with wildflowers.

The first half of the trail is a slight uphill walk, but well-maintained and relatively flat terrain. The waterfall is hidden behind the tall trees. But once you get close enough, you’ll step on a metal platform, then hear the peaceful sounds of the water crashing into the rocks and falling into a stream.

Fun fact that we learned after completing this trail. ⬇️

Scribbly Gum: “a native Australian eucalyptus tree which is easy to spot because of the distinctive markings along its smooth yellow-grey trunk. These zig-zag tracks or 'scribbles' are made by the moth grub as it tunnels between the old and new bark. Every year when the tree sheds the old bark, new markings are revealed.” (NSW National Parks website)

Overall, it was another fun, easy and scenic hike. We completed it in 40 minutes. Might be a good one for trail running as well. I wish we had taken some pictures!

Yarrangobilly Caves Thermal Pool walking track

Grade 4 - 1.4km return - suggested time is 30 min - 1 hour by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024. It was cold. This is an alpine region; we were wearing long sleeves, and yet, we somehow thought it was a good idea to swim. The word “thermal” must have captured our interest.

It was an easy drive to the tourist information centre, which was packed with people wanting to sign up for the cave tours. I don’t often say this, but the visitor centre was quite good with food options, lots of guides and information, tour packages, and nice souvenirs to buy. We bought a cave-shaped rock the size of my palm with purple crystal formations inside.

I get why this trail is rated as challenging; it’s a steep constant 0.7km downhill on rocky but relatively flat terrain (like a fire trail), then all the way back up. At the same time, it wasn’t really hard due to how short the distance was to the thermal pool. The trail resembled a mobility training route for the knees and ankles because my biggest fear was slipping and taking a tumble down to the pool.

I didn’t really know what to expect, as I haven’t been in many thermal pools before. But I did expect the pool to be reasonably hot. Well, it felt warm-ish, so I didn’t have difficulty getting into the water, given how cold the outside temperature was. But it certainly wasn’t an inviting hot tub. In fact, if you didn’t move around, after a while, you will feel cold. If it sounds like I’m complaining, I did enjoy the experience and thought it would be quite nice to come here during winter (if the walking track isn’t covered in rain, snow or ice).

The main pool is 20m long and 2.5m deep. There were four or five other people in the pool. The design was very nice, as the water flowed down (like a waterfall) into a children's pool. There was also a picnic area, changing rooms and bathrooms nearby. Lovely place to take your reading book, enjoy the sun and chill.

Admitting, I lied; we did not finish the trail. Instead, we saw a sign that read, “Yarrangobilly River Walking Track.” So after changing back into our clothes, we decided to continue and explore another track.

Yarrangobilly River walking track

Grade 3 - 3km loop - suggested time is 45 min - 1 hour 15 min by the NSW National Park website.

We completed this hike in March 2024, after taking a swim in the thermal pools. This was quite a picturesque hike, so we stopped along the way for pictures and spent the full hour exploring.

The first half of the trail followed the Yarrangobilly River. It had a calm flow and a glow from the sun’s rays. Despite how bright the day day, that water looked almost icy cold. My efforts of capturing the king parrots on camera were unsuccessful. They were beautiful but hidden between the leaves.

We then turned right and began a constant climb up a rocky terrain. This is where we came across 3 other hikers and noticed the Castle Cave walk. We walked around the large boulders, found a cave and poked our heads in as two curious people.

The trail joined the main road soon after and we walked for about another 10 minutes to find the Jeep. It was a short and lovely trail.

This might be the 2nd best hike we’ve done in the region (especially when combined with the thermal pools experience).

Guthega Trig, Consett Stephen Pass and Mount Tate Loop

Considered a “challenging” route by All Trails with an average time of 8 hours (no exact equivalent in NSW National Parks website) - 21.1km (although we extended it out to about 24km) - for more information and hiker review, see https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/new-south-wales/guthega-swing-bridge-loop

We completed this hike at the end of January 2025. It was the first hike after my foot injury which happened on the South Coast Track. I wanted to test my foot and build back the confidence. I picked a trail that follows parts of the Australia’s 15 Highest Peaks route and the Snowies Alpine Main Range walk. We saw plenty of people on the trail — some of them were runners (a good idea) and some were multi-day hikers.

The trail starts at the Guthega Day Car Park, which is a popular car park with many day hike options. Getting a car park is a bit tricky here, so you might want to arrive early. Definitely pack in water, a rain jacket (or something to shield from the wind), sunnies, sunscreen and some food.

The trail is cold and windy (alpine region), the landscape is dry, rocky and bushy, the terrain is up and down (would be challenging on a rainy day, about 475m elevation throughout the trail), the views are great (if it’s not too misty and cloudy) and it’s very bright with a high UV index (elevation).

We began the hike with a bit of a descend. Multiple trails split off, so we had to keep our eyes on the map during the first 15 minutes. Once we crossed the small flowing creek, we took the left turn and began our climb. We snacked on chocolate protein bars throughout the constant climb and saw some rocks to take pictures from.

Eventually we saw another split off at a very beautiful lookout to some pond or lake (that I could not figure out on the map) and tried to take some pictures in the mist.

We turned to the right again and continued our climb all the way to Mt Tate. The trail doesn’t actually goes to the summit of each mountain, but rather climbs quite high and circles around. It’s completely possible to make short side trips to each one of the summits though (shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes).

At the distance we could see Gills Knobs (another mountain peak). As we continued on a slight descend and said, hello, to the multi-day hikers, we came close to Mount David as well. There is a little climb towards Mt Anderson, and a bigger climb towards Mt Anton.

Watch the map and watch the trail carefully around here. Yes, we got lost, again. I feel like when we follow a trail from All Trails, we get lost about 40% of the time. I just don’t enjoy a hike when I obsessively check the map every 10 minutes (I’m not the best guide/leader), these trails are challenging in their nature and less defined (unmarked).

This time, our mistake was to follow the wrong markings. We actually diverged off into another trail which followed a wire fence with red markers, headed towards some other mountain (maybe Mt Twynam). The landscape changed a bit (we were seeing some boulders) and we were expecting to descend (instead we were still climbing).

So, after hiking for about 30 minutes, we decided to check the map. That’s when we realised we were headed to the wrong direction and bush bashed our way back to the correct trail, which took about the same time. Before the 2km struggle (which demotivated us), we decided to take a quick water and snack break. It was lunch time and we were feeling the hunger.

This is our, ‘got lost, but oh well, we do that a few times every year,’ look. Lost but happy.

Side note: that seemed like a remote but very interesting route to explore. If we had our overnight gear on, we may have gone out to see where is leads us.

Back onto the trail, we began our long descend and crossed two little bridge-like structures. That was a relief, as we were getting a little tired. However, I want to emphasise; this part of the trail is still not marked properly (and everywhere looks the same — bush and rocks).

The constant descend brought us to a different climate. It felt warmer, less windy, less exposed, a bit more wet, and with a larger variety of plants (greener, more flowers etc). We could hear the cars on the road from a distance, even though we could not see anything.

We crossed two bridges (one of them is called the Illawong Swing Bridge), which swung as we walked on them. That was fun. After the first bridge, we had our proper lunch break and had banana sandwiches, apples and a chief meat bar. Great views. The Snowy River seemed to have strong currents, a fierce flow and an icy look about it. However, we saw a few people with towels trying to dip their legs in from a more shallow-looking part of the river. That may be a brave choice by them.

We took a right turn and kept going inland, away from the river. The trail had lots of markers to signal the pathways around. The terrain got flatter and we eventually began walking on a metal platform, which is usually a sign for high traffic (or the end/beginning of a trail). We passed lots of medium-height trees and saw plenty of small birds. Lovely scenic walk. But after about 15 minutes, I got bored on the metal platforms, so jogged a bit of the way.

Eventually, we saw the Snowy River again. We were both pretty tired at that point and felt desperate to get back to the Jeep. When we saw the curvy and steep climb on a fire trail, we knew that we had less than a kilometre to go, but it still felt annoying (why make the last kilometre of a hike so tough).

Anyway, I think we finished the trail in 6 hours 45 minutes and returned to the Jeep very hungry. Campfire and food were prepared. One of our camp neighbours had music on. The sky had cleared up from the clouds. What else could we have wanted?

This was probably the best hike we’ve done in the region.

Camping at the Island Bend campground. This place had a lovely (and freezing) swimming spot about 15 minutes walk away (or it is possible to drive to it).

Lunch at Wild Brumby Distillery. I had a very memorable rocket, parmesan, prosciutto and pecorino salad here — very delicious. This is also a good spot to purchase some souvenirs/gifts, if you are into alcohol.

If you got some patience, a better camera and are camping, you can take much better pictures of the kangaroos and wallabies in the area than me. They do not shy away.

Questions: if you have any questions about my notes, leave a comment and I’ll reply.

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.