AATS
Australian Alps Trek Support
TM
Vehicle Transfers / Heli-Support / Food Drops / Caching / Resupply / MTB Support / Evacs / Rescue Services
Australian Alps Trek Support offers a wide range of basic and specialised trek support services across the Australian Alps in Victoria, focusing on the Australian Alps Walking Track and many other multi-day treks across remote areas of the Victorian High Country.
Australian Alps Trek Support (AATS) is an extension of
Larapinta Trail Trek Support (LTTS) in the NT
We provide support services for hiking, trail running, MTB and emergency services
AATS SERVICES FOR 2024-2025
Emergency Resupplies
Emergency Caches
Tracking & Check Ins
Water Drops will be at the same locations as food drop points, though requests have come through for water drop only. Water drops will be done in 20lt Jerry batches. Water drops will be cached out bush at designated points. You MUST know how to use a GPS.
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EMERGENCY CACHES
As part of our service, we will place a number of seasonal emergency caches across the high country, that will have spare water, food, batteries, PLB's, power packs, emergency shelters, sleeping gear etc if things get spicy and desperate.
Basic, advanced and specialised hiking courses will be conducted out of Mansfield or in the Lake Eildon area starting from November 2024. Courses will be weekend and 7 days courses covering the full spectrum of hiking and trekking skills. Courses specifically designed to prepare you for the AAWT will also be conducted. These courses will run year round.
Food drops will be offered at locations across the Vic Alps, namely at locations to support the Australian Alps Walking Track and the McMillan Walking Track. Full list below. Food drops will be cached out bush at designated points. You MUST know how to use a GPS.​
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EMERGENCY EVACS
Pri 3 and less for emergency evacuations from areas due to medical issues, extreme weather, fire and other emergencies will be offered. This will be offered via vehicle or helicopter evacs. These are considered as short notice callouts. If you have a life-threatening situation call 000.
TRACKING & CHECK INS
We will offer to monitor all of our customers while they are out on the AAWT or MMWT and any other multi-day or extended walks. This also includes daily check-ins via SMS with customers and daily update /alert relays. Compulsory terms and conditions for booking with us are that at least one hiker will have a satellite messaging and tracking device during their trek. This is a safety element in case of injury, fires, storms etc
Transfers ( drop off's and pick-ups) across the Victorian High Country linking Mansfield, Walhalla, Omeo, Mitta Mitta, Mt Hotham and everything in between. See the detailed breakdown below. We can drop hikers off or pick them up anywhere there is reasonable vehicle access. Consider using existing transport services to main towns and resorts for cheaper options.
EMERGENCY RESUPPLY
Emergency resupply options will be available throughout the season for any lost or damaged gear replacements. Emergency supplies can be delivered via vehicle, helicopter or drones (under 5kg) direct to hikers, caching or existing food drop points.
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We offer a wide range of satellite and emergency communication devices you can hire for your trek which includes PLBs, trackers, SMS satellite messengers and more. See more below. We also supply commercial trek from form Radix, Strive and Backcountry plus fuel options from Jetboil and MSR.
AATS SERVICE AREA
AATS FAQs
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Who is AATS?Australian Alps Trek Support ( AATS) is a newly formed serviced established in November 2022 to support independent hikers in the Australian Alps of Victoria. AATS is a team of highly experienced professionals specialising in remote area trek support logistics, search and rescue, drone operations and training, all focused on the hiking and trekking. AATS is primarily focused on supporting hikers completing the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) but will offer its services for a wide range of other overnight, multi-day and extended day walks in the Victorian High Country. AATS is an extension of Larapinta Trail Trek Support ( LTTS), which services the world renowned Larapinta Trail in the NT. LTTS was formed in 2016 and is the no 1 provided of trek support services on the Larapinta Trail.
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Does AATS service the Australian Alps Walking Track?Yes. But at this stage we are only supporting the Victorian section of AAWT. We plan to open up services for the NSW and ACT in the 2024-2025 season onwards.
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How do I book my food drops for the AATS?Use the form on this website to submit an enquiry.
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I want to book food drops not shown on your list. Can I do that?Get in touch and let us know what locations you have in mind and we'll let you know whether we can do it.
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I want to book transfers to locations not shown on your list. Can I do that?Get in touch and let us know what you have mind and we'll see what we can do.
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How do I get my food and stuff to you for the food drop?Once you have made a booking, we will post you 2x XL (5kg) pre-paid satchels per container. You pack these satchels and post them back to us. They will then be placed into each resupply container as is. Note that each satchel is clearly marked with your name, relevant dates* and the location, so it will be very clear which satchel you need to pack for each drop. We can also do a local supermarket run in Mansfield if you want to buy water or other bulky items to put in your container.
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FAQs: How do you get my gear retrieval stuff back to me once I've finished my hike?You can either pick it up at our Mansfield depot or we will post it back to you. No charge either way.
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FAQs: What are some cheaper ways to get my food drops done?Food drops can be cheaper if a bunch of them are being done at the same time, even if the hikers are unknown to each other. We have pre-scheduled dates when resupply containers go out for placement in the field. If we have multiple resupplies being booked for these dates, the cost can be 30% cheaper for everyone who booked on for that day. We're working out the best way to display this online transparently but in the interim, give us a call to discuss and request and invite the AATW Food Drop Page in our Trailhead Portal . Here you can discuss options with other AATW hikers
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When do you need my food for the food drops?You need to get your food parcels back to us at least 3 weeks before your trek starts. This is non-negotiable. We need to make sure your food is received, packed and placed at least 10 days before you start your trek to make sure all loose ends are tied off; container placement is confirmed; and you received all the drop location info ( GPS, map, photo etc).
