Absolute respect to anyone who has a crack at the AAWT Dom and especially through the Vic High Country end of it. It takes guts and solid resolve to work through the whole of the AAWT. Oh and just came across Toms Outdoors and some great videos. Great channel.
I will tell you hands down right now you will not meet many people in your life with a similar ability to conquer the mind as you have at the age you have. You've made it look quite easy and I'm sure it wasn't. You are a strong man.
Hi mate, nice to meet you last Saturday in Tumut. I did watch this when you posted. Great vid. I was confused because I thought you were from further south but yes I watch all RUclips clips on AAWT. There is a big future for your industry in guiding and supplying those heading to the Main Range and beyond. Cheers, Andrew Mills
Great meeting you as well! Well there you go haha, it’s probably been quite some time since you first watched it to be fair. Glad you enjoyed 🙌🏼 Be sure to catch up next time you’re in store. Cheers? Dom
You should be very proud of yourself Dom! The best part of you, is your down to earth nature! You're a good egg! And thanks for your time on the phone this afternoon talking backpacks and all things hiking!
That was really inspirational Dom - thanks very much! We did Walhalla to Hotham in Feb and bumped into you at Moroka Lodge in Hotham. We'te getting excited again coz we're restarting from Hotham next month and plan to go through to Tharwa. Cheers, Tony & Karen
Legends, glad you enjoyed watching! It was such a great stay at Moroka, thanks so much for helping me out with the maps. All the best for your next leg on the AAWT, very excited for you both!
Hi Dom, Anna told me about your epic hike and I must say you really are a very brave and tenacious to have completed such a primitive trail. Well done young man.
Good man! Some amazing footage and great shots you captured here. Anyone who's ever been out in nature for a period of time should recognize that you've picked it up very well here. Whimpi. Indonesia.
Thanks mate! Yeah that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? There are a million ways to hike the same track, I’ll likely hike it again later on and do it in a slower time for a different experience. I passed a 70yo in Vic hiking 30km a day, very inspiring!
Great recap for you of your journey 👍🏼 Crazy how you hadnt done many long distances before the walk, mental strength is important. Your a machine. Loved the motivation it gave me 🔥🙏🏻
It was a steeep learning curve but I’m so glad that I decided to do it. Now I’m planning for my next one which should be slightly smoother sailing🙌🏼😂 Thanks for watching!
das sind schöne aufnahmen und eine schöne ecke zum Wandern da lasse ich doch gerne mal einen Daumen und ein ABO hier. those are nice shots and a nice corner for hiking so I'd be happy to leave a thumb and an ABO here
Thanks so much man, glad you enjoyed! Most of the track is fine to navigate, and the tricky sections aren’t too difficult if you know what you’ll be up against. I made a post in the AAWT fb group when I finished my trip, it goes over the tricky sections in detail: facebook.com/groups/931225987016688/permalink/2210544139084860/?fs=e&s=cl Hope this helps!
What a mighty effort ! The video was well produced too. Thanks for taking the time to post it. I was going to buy another rod from TO for next season, but I think I might just find a good stick instead. 😉
What a lovely humble young man. I enjoyed watching the journey and seeing the beautiful scenery. What an awesome adventure. Well done! Great attitude. Thanks for sharing. ❤️
Luv it...luv it...LUV IT!!!! Congratulations and thank you for inspiring us all...How you found the energy to capture the story on video in the moment is amazing!!
This was awesome, thanks heaps for sharing. Super inspiring! Would love you to do a gear break down of what you took. Got my eye on that tent! Looks like you were super light weight which is the dream!
Wow what a fantastic achievement. Thanks for all your effects putting in a great what felt like a very real time view of your progress and journey. Absolutely loved it.
Well done, Tom. I didn’t realise that the 680km Australian Alpine Walking Track has segments through scrub where the track is unmarked and foliage hides the horizon and all landmarks, so the walker has to rely on his navigation skills and compass/GPS. And then to cap it off with 96km over the final 24 hours.
Well done Dominic - that's a hell of an edventure and a huge achievement, both physically and mentally! I have to add that I reckon this world could do with a lot more folk like you - thoughtful, adventurous, grateful, a loving son/grandson and clearly an all-round nice guy. 🙂 Thank you too to Tom's - this was a very lovely thing to watch with my wife. We are an avid hiking family and have done a lot of 4WD camping in that area with our kids. This has really whetted our appetite for getting out more than we do. Big cheers from Sydney - Dave and family
We really appreciate your lovely words! We are so proud and grateful to have Dom as part of our team of other incredible adventurous people. We have it so good here at Tom's! 💚
@@TomsOutdoors Thank you for your lovely response. Some years back we stopped at Tom's between camping at Wee Jasper and Geehi. Great shop and a beautiful part of the world! As for young Dom - I have 2 very outdoor oriented kids, both of whom are likely candidates for such an adventure in the future and no doubt he's a great role model for many others. Again - great stuff and many thanks. Dave
What a great documentary! Great storytelling, great filming! Thanks for reminding me what life is really about - something I tend to forget in daily life...
Nice one Dom. Thanks for sharing. I grew up in Brisbane, Australia but I have lived in Denmark for the last 30 years, so I love to watch content with the Aussie bush. Nice to see that you have nearly the same gear as I do too: HMG Ultamid 2, stuff sack pillow and so on. I prefer the Windrider packs. I have both the 2400 and 3400 sizes and I have used them for the last 7 years or so. Keep up the good work mate, cheers 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the film mate, thank you! I basically downloaded the AAWT GPX file from Australian Hiker’s website, and imported into a phone app called Gaia GPS which is my primary nav tool. I then cross referenced John Chapmans guidebook with the GPX file to iron out any inconsistencies and enter any recent track changes. I divided the track up into daily legs and uploaded the courses to my Garmin Instinct Solar watch which accounted for 90% of my daily nav. When I was really off course I would pull up the gps on my phone but otherwise that was the strategy. Also, each morning I would read over the guidebook for that day to get an overview which helped a lot. I had a compass and the maps in the guidebook if my phone and watch gps both failed. That’s what worked for me!
Thanks Tim! The footpad between The Nobs and Mt Clear was faint and seemingly non existent at times so keep a keen eye out for trail markers. Also, be sure to climb up and over High Cone and Square Top as the guidebook suggests. There is minor bush bashing involved but it avoids the worst of the fire regrowth on the original track👍🏼
@@dominicerbacher2326 Thanks so much man, that's really helpful. Another lady told me she took the lower track on New Years day and had horrendous bush bashing for hours. Heading out there this weekend so this is great to know, cheers!
Cheers Mick, glad you enjoyed the film! There are too many trails to choose from, but I'm leaning towards the Western Arthurs and Larapinta for this year.
@@mickbeckers Its an ancient art form that can be traced back to 2022AD, coined by Dominic Erbacher with ultralight odds against him. It consists of a guy line or para-cord and about 7-9 ft of tippet material with a fly on the bum end of it. Fishing a dry dropper is most effective as it's the easiest to cast and manage while giving you the best chance. Find a medium fast action stick with some stiffness down low and some flex towards the tip. This method is wildly underestimated and proves very productive for trout guides, die-hards, ultralight hikers and kooks alike! Hope this helped, and thanks to Dom for pioneering this past-time! You can see more here ruclips.net/video/1eanpZ4vORA/видео.html
So glad you enjoyed mate, thanks for watching! Hoping to hook into a few Tassie trails very soon and the Larapinta later this year, along with some bigger thru-hikes in the coming years. 🙌
Wow you have inspired me, I hike lots but I've never thought of making this my goal, I maybe 47 years old now but let's see if I can do this hike before I turn 60 😊 get video by the way
Hey Jack so glad you enjoyed! It was a HMG Ultamid 2 with the Half Mesh Insert. Really good setup! You can find my gear in the description of this video and a full gear video was just posted on this channel yesterday🤙🏼
Nice. I hope to solo the AAWT myself sometime in the next couple of years. Was there a piece of equipment you didn't think you'd use much but were glad of. One you left behind but wish you'd taken?
Thanks Chrys! Really good question too. I spent more time planning my gear than anything else and for that reason there was basically nothing I took that didn’t use except the PLB (which I’m glad I took but didn’t need to use!). The only thing I should have taken was maybe a backup water filter, mine clogged up a little early on because on the really dirty water and I needed a friend to deliver a replacement halfway through, would have been very inconvenient without their help. Always up for a chat if you need more specific info on the track/planning!
@@dominicerbacher2326 Dom - that was a cracking video of your trip, well done. thanks for taking the time to film it all and share it with us. It looks a pretty hard core adventure - whats next for you?
I filter most water sources with a Katadyn BeFree Water Filter to remove any waterborne diseases and sediment. If the water is crystal clear, I will just use purification tablets. You can find either of those here: www.tomsoutdoors.com.au/collections/filtration
Cheers David! Throughout the walk I actually had the capacity to carry 6L, which I did a few times. If I had kept these topped up the whole trip I would never have had water issues. Running out on multiple occasions was mostly due to lack of experience and poor judgement. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but I was trying to carry just enough to get to the next ‘reliable’ water source to save energy (over-carrying 5L/kg is pretty draining). That was the mindset anyway. Typically I carried 1-2 litres for a 10km leg to the next water source, but not enough in reserve…
Building resilience with every step, nicely done Dominic ✨👌
Absolute respect to anyone who has a crack at the AAWT Dom and especially through the Vic High Country end of it. It takes guts and solid resolve to work through the whole of the AAWT. Oh and just came across Toms Outdoors and some great videos. Great channel.
I will tell you hands down right now you will not meet many people in your life with a similar ability to conquer the mind as you have at the age you have. You've made it look quite easy and I'm sure it wasn't. You are a strong man.
Such an inspirational journey! You are an absolute legend! 👏
Great interview with Bushy on ABC Gippsland this morning. Really whetted the appetite to watch this amazing video story. Congrats to Dom and team.
Cheers Steve! Thanks for tuning in and making your way to the film. Will pass on your thanks to the rest of the team.
Absolutely amazing! Dom is such a charismatic young man and this is such a pleasure to watch.
That was so good mate. Solid effort and a bloody awesome achievement!
Thanks so much Scotty!! 🙌🏼
That's a huge adventure! Dom is a brave one. Great doc about a wonderful journey, I really enjoyed it a lot. Great work!
Thanks for following along Mario! Really appreciate it😁
Well done Dom, great effort and I enjoyed watching. Welcome to the catching trout on the AAWT club! I can't wait to do it again
It’s an honour to be a part of the club haha. Thanks so much for watching mate really glad you enjoyed!
Haha Ben knows a thing or 2 about a stick and a shoe lace! Both of you provided excellent videos and I hate you both but love you also!
Hi mate, nice to meet you last Saturday in Tumut. I did watch this when you posted. Great vid. I was confused because I thought you were from further south but yes I watch all RUclips clips on AAWT. There is a big future for your industry in guiding and supplying those heading to the Main Range and beyond. Cheers, Andrew Mills
Great meeting you as well!
Well there you go haha, it’s probably been quite some time since you first watched it to be fair. Glad you enjoyed 🙌🏼
Be sure to catch up next time you’re in store.
Cheers?
Dom
Love this story, everything about it is great. Well done Dom, so inspiring. Thanks Tom's for another brilliant flick.
Thanks so much!! Glad you got a kick out of it🙌🏼
Great editing of a great adventure - well done !
Thanks from myself and the Tom’s team Craig!
You should be very proud of yourself Dom! The best part of you, is your down to earth nature! You're a good egg! And thanks for your time on the phone this afternoon talking backpacks and all things hiking!
I enjoyed your commentary and amazing journey over a rough trail. I hope you are still doing some hiking as I know this is two years old.
When it starts with a quote from Heather Anderson you know it's gonna be great
She’s such an inspiration! Thanks for watching mate🙌🏼
Such a great watch - now on the bucket list for me!
What a great journey and thanks for videoing it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What a beautiful film, Dominic. You seem talented and tough with a really solid perspective about the world. Thank you very much.
That means a lot Eric thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed🙌🏼
That was really inspirational Dom - thanks very much! We did Walhalla to Hotham in Feb and bumped into you at Moroka Lodge in Hotham. We'te getting excited again coz we're restarting from Hotham next month and plan to go through to Tharwa. Cheers, Tony & Karen
Legends, glad you enjoyed watching! It was such a great stay at Moroka, thanks so much for helping me out with the maps.
All the best for your next leg on the AAWT, very excited for you both!
Wow this journey looks absolutely amazing, and such an achievement🤩
Great effort mate. Felt your pain, shared your triumphs
Hi Dom, Anna told me about your epic hike and I must say you really are a very brave and tenacious to have completed such a primitive trail. Well done young man.
Good man! Some amazing footage and great shots you captured here. Anyone who's ever been out in nature for a period of time should recognize that you've picked it up very well here. Whimpi. Indonesia.
Awesome video. What an amazing journey! Well done
Awesome effort,you completed it so quick. I seen a couple in their 70s at Cascade hut and they were on day 55.
Thanks mate! Yeah that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? There are a million ways to hike the same track, I’ll likely hike it again later on and do it in a slower time for a different experience. I passed a 70yo in Vic hiking 30km a day, very inspiring!
Great recap for you of your journey 👍🏼
Crazy how you hadnt done many long distances before the walk, mental strength is important.
Your a machine.
Loved the motivation it gave me 🔥🙏🏻
It was a steeep learning curve but I’m so glad that I decided to do it. Now I’m planning for my next one which should be slightly smoother sailing🙌🏼😂
Thanks for watching!
What an outstanding achievement!
das sind schöne aufnahmen und eine schöne ecke zum Wandern da lasse ich doch gerne mal einen Daumen und ein ABO hier. those are nice shots and a nice corner for hiking so I'd be happy to leave a thumb and an ABO here
Fantastic video Dom. Loved the beautiful land you captured in your photography. Your hike was amazing and inspiring.
Hey Garry, really appreciate your kind words! It’s easy to make the AAWT look good when the scenery is so nice!
Wow! What a beautiful video! Awesome effort Dom 👏
Thanks so much for sharing this bro! Absolutely Epic!! Incredible achievement!! 👏🏼👏🏼 Drawn to this for years. Concerned about “unmarked” sections 😁😁
Thanks so much man, glad you enjoyed! Most of the track is fine to navigate, and the tricky sections aren’t too difficult if you know what you’ll be up against. I made a post in the AAWT fb group when I finished my trip, it goes over the tricky sections in detail: facebook.com/groups/931225987016688/permalink/2210544139084860/?fs=e&s=cl
Hope this helps!
Well done and a inspiration to a person who would never of thought of doing something like this
Mate, this is absolutely incredible. Got the biggest smiles from seeing you find the light in dark situations.
Mate what an amazing achievement. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Fantastic effort and fantastic doco!
Glad you enjoyed, thanks!
What a mighty effort ! The video was well produced too. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
I was going to buy another rod from TO for next season, but I think I might just find a good stick instead. 😉
Thank you for your lovely words Graham! Maybe we need to start finding and selling good sticks instead of rods 🤔
What a lovely humble young man. I enjoyed watching the journey and seeing the beautiful scenery. What an awesome adventure. Well done! Great attitude. Thanks for sharing. ❤️
Luv it...luv it...LUV IT!!!! Congratulations and thank you for inspiring us all...How you found the energy to capture the story on video in the moment is amazing!!
This was awesome, thanks heaps for sharing. Super inspiring! Would love you to do a gear break down of what you took. Got my eye on that tent! Looks like you were super light weight which is the dream!
Glad you got something out of it Amber, thanks for watching! There is a link in the description which has gear info ☺️
Wow what a fantastic achievement. Thanks for all your effects putting in a great what felt like a very real time view of your progress and journey. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you for your kind words! ☺️
Hectic video.. Good on you bloke.... give us more of this!
Haha thanks! Better start planning the next one..
@@dominicerbacher2326 seriously mate that was awesome.... Encore!!!
Awesome trek Dom 👍👍inspirational and spiritual thanks for sharing your journey
Cheers Tony thanks so much!🙌🏼
Well done, Tom. I didn’t realise that the 680km Australian Alpine Walking Track has segments through scrub where the track is unmarked and foliage hides the horizon and all landmarks, so the walker has to rely on his navigation skills and compass/GPS. And then to cap it off with 96km over the final 24 hours.
Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video 🙌
Amazing achievement! You are such an inspiration!
Great work on Feb walk and the video. Inspiring to think what your future holds.
That was bloody awesome! Congrats on your adventure and achievement! 👍
Cheers Michael! So stoked you enjoyed🙌🏼
Well done Dominic - that's a hell of an edventure and a huge achievement, both physically and mentally! I have to add that I reckon this world could do with a lot more folk like you - thoughtful, adventurous, grateful, a loving son/grandson and clearly an all-round nice guy. 🙂
Thank you too to Tom's - this was a very lovely thing to watch with my wife. We are an avid hiking family and have done a lot of 4WD camping in that area with our kids. This has really whetted our appetite for getting out more than we do. Big cheers from Sydney - Dave and family
We really appreciate your lovely words! We are so proud and grateful to have Dom as part of our team of other incredible adventurous people. We have it so good here at Tom's! 💚
@@TomsOutdoors Thank you for your lovely response. Some years back we stopped at Tom's between camping at Wee Jasper and Geehi. Great shop and a beautiful part of the world! As for young Dom - I have 2 very outdoor oriented kids, both of whom are likely candidates for such an adventure in the future and no doubt he's a great role model for many others. Again - great stuff and many thanks. Dave
What a story, it's inspiring!
What a great documentary! Great storytelling, great filming! Thanks for reminding me what life is really about - something I tend to forget in daily life...
Cheers Nick!
Huge effort Dom! Well done
Thanks Josh!
Great story. Amazing footage.
Congratulations mate and thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks so much Brett, glad you enjoyed 💚
What a journey! Congrats mate
Loved it! Great documentary, well done Dom!
Thanks Sharon! 😊
You are a legend
Haha thanks for watching mate!
Wow well done for an amazing walk. I realy enjoyed your Story and the reflection afterward.....
great young man..!!!
Thanks Peter, I'll pass on your kind words to Dom! 😌
awesome hike, loved it
Amazing effort!
Dominic what an absolutely amazing experience mate well done.
So good 🤘🏻
Thankyou!!!
Nice one Dom. Thanks for sharing. I grew up in Brisbane, Australia but I have lived in Denmark for the last 30 years, so I love to watch content with the Aussie bush. Nice to see that you have nearly the same gear as I do too: HMG Ultamid 2, stuff sack pillow and so on. I prefer the Windrider packs. I have both the 2400 and 3400 sizes and I have used them for the last 7 years or so. Keep up the good work mate, cheers 🙂
Thanks for your comment Brian! 💚
Gosh that looks like England in the first shot. Thanks for the video.
Really Nice
Well done mate. Great effort!
Thanks mate!
This is amazing! Such an inspiration, well done sir 🫡
Cinematography is on point too, amazing work
Thank you for your kind words! 💚
This place is stunning my friend! Watching this just makes me feel fantastic.👌👌
Glad you enjoyed it!
Well done sir 😎🤙
Awesome work mate, very inspiring.
Cheers Steven, really appreciate it!
This is great mate. I love the high country. Def given you a subscribe.
Thank you! 😊
Bloody legend 🙏👍
Simply wow, mind over matter for sure, you need to have your shit together to do the AAWT
Inspired to consider walking the AAWT.
Well done Dom, awesome achievement. Can you tell me what Nav Equipment you used as I'm planning to do the track next year
Glad you enjoyed the film mate, thank you! I basically downloaded the AAWT GPX file from Australian Hiker’s website, and imported into a phone app called Gaia GPS which is my primary nav tool. I then cross referenced John Chapmans guidebook with the GPX file to iron out any inconsistencies and enter any recent track changes.
I divided the track up into daily legs and uploaded the courses to my Garmin Instinct Solar watch which accounted for 90% of my daily nav. When I was really off course I would pull up the gps on my phone but otherwise that was the strategy.
Also, each morning I would read over the guidebook for that day to get an overview which helped a lot.
I had a compass and the maps in the guidebook if my phone and watch gps both failed. That’s what worked for me!
Awesome video Dom. Curious, how was the trail condition between the knobs and Mt clear?
Thanks Tim! The footpad between The Nobs and Mt Clear was faint and seemingly non existent at times so keep a keen eye out for trail markers. Also, be sure to climb up and over High Cone and Square Top as the guidebook suggests. There is minor bush bashing involved but it avoids the worst of the fire regrowth on the original track👍🏼
@@dominicerbacher2326 Thanks so much man, that's really helpful. Another lady told me she took the lower track on New Years day and had horrendous bush bashing for hours. Heading out there this weekend so this is great to know, cheers!
Oh man, I just got to work! This will have to wait until this arvo 😂
Hopefully it'll be worth waiting for! 😅
Hope it was worth the wait😂🙌🏼
Epic trip mate congratulations 👏
Thanks Darryl🙌
One day could you possibly do a review of your gear what worked or didn’t and it durability?
Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks Darryl!
Look forward to it thanks 🙏
Awesome stuff! Great to watch and thanks for sharing. What's next?
Cheers Mick, glad you enjoyed the film! There are too many trails to choose from, but I'm leaning towards the Western Arthurs and Larapinta for this year.
@@TomsOutdoors can you share your stick fishing set up.
@@mickbeckers Its an ancient art form that can be traced back to 2022AD, coined by Dominic Erbacher with ultralight odds against him. It consists of a guy line or para-cord and about 7-9 ft of tippet material with a fly on the bum end of it. Fishing a dry dropper is most effective as it's the easiest to cast and manage while giving you the best chance. Find a medium fast action stick with some stiffness down low and some flex towards the tip. This method is wildly underestimated and proves very productive for trout guides, die-hards, ultralight hikers and kooks alike! Hope this helped, and thanks to Dom for pioneering this past-time! You can see more here ruclips.net/video/1eanpZ4vORA/видео.html
Awesome video man and great mindset! Do you have anything else in the plans for future I'm sure this made you want more 🏆🇦🇺
So glad you enjoyed mate, thanks for watching! Hoping to hook into a few Tassie trails very soon and the Larapinta later this year, along with some bigger thru-hikes in the coming years. 🙌
Wow you have inspired me, I hike lots but I've never thought of making this my goal, I maybe 47 years old now but let's see if I can do this hike before I turn 60 😊 get video by the way
Go for it! ✨
Hey mate, great video and excellent editing and production :) out of curiosity what tent did you use? You should do a gear/tips video
Hey Jack so glad you enjoyed! It was a HMG Ultamid 2 with the Half Mesh Insert. Really good setup! You can find my gear in the description of this video and a full gear video was just posted on this channel yesterday🤙🏼
What a fantastic and inspiring video. Your best yet.
Thank you!
Nice. I hope to solo the AAWT myself sometime in the next couple of years.
Was there a piece of equipment you didn't think you'd use much but were glad of.
One you left behind but wish you'd taken?
Thanks Chrys! Really good question too. I spent more time planning my gear than anything else and for that reason there was basically nothing I took that didn’t use except the PLB (which I’m glad I took but didn’t need to use!). The only thing I should have taken was maybe a backup water filter, mine clogged up a little early on because on the really dirty water and I needed a friend to deliver a replacement halfway through, would have been very inconvenient without their help.
Always up for a chat if you need more specific info on the track/planning!
@@dominicerbacher2326 Dom - that was a cracking video of your trip, well done. thanks for taking the time to film it all and share it with us. It looks a pretty hard core adventure - whats next for you?
How do you treat your water mate? do you treat for viruses in aus?
I filter most water sources with a Katadyn BeFree Water Filter to remove any waterborne diseases and sediment. If the water is crystal clear, I will just use purification tablets. You can find either of those here: www.tomsoutdoors.com.au/collections/filtration
fucken hell so good!!!
What shoes do you use on smooth surfaces?
Altra Olympus Trail Running Shoes 😊
This was a fantastic watch. Curious how many litres Dom was generally carrying / had capacity for when he reached those shortages.
Cheers David! Throughout the walk I actually had the capacity to carry 6L, which I did a few times. If I had kept these topped up the whole trip I would never have had water issues.
Running out on multiple occasions was mostly due to lack of experience and poor judgement. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but I was trying to carry just enough to get to the next ‘reliable’ water source to save energy (over-carrying 5L/kg is pretty draining). That was the mindset anyway.
Typically I carried 1-2 litres for a 10km leg to the next water source, but not enough in reserve…
Gutsy 😊
Take salt to remove leaches
Great adventure Dom, well done 👏 and what a way to finish!