Inspire: Tom Williams, 50 yrs of new routes & pushing passes

Presentation Details:

Tom will share stories from 5 decades of exploring steep places and pioneering new routes:

1970’s: Yodeller Range traverse, Butterbox pass and canyon explorations.

1980’s: The sea cliffs and other horror shows.

1990’s: Echo Point, the Katoomba cliffs and the characters that climb them. Plus a trip into the jungles of Borneo on a misguided quest for a magic mountain.

2000’s: Re-imagining the Kanangra deep and being lured across the ditch for new routes and traverses in Fiordland.

2010’s: Tense times in Greenland (and the problems with boats). A climbing apogee along the sandstone curtain and more Fiordland traverses (and realising that it’s the grass bluffs that are the most dangerous features).

2020’s: After the fire and through the floods, Reflections on searching and coming full circle.

Tom Williams grew up in the mountains with views across the Blue Labyrinth, relishing the exploration of the obscure. He yearned for what lay beyond those horizons, then happily found how one horizon leads inevitably to another. Married to Carole for 42 years, with whom he shares great pride in one daughter and one son plus two grandchildren. He ran ‘High Tops Equipment’ in the 1980’s, manufacturing backpacks and related gear, then worked as a paramedic for 25 years while building two houses and being a farmer. He has written about wilderness and Adventure for 40+ years. He is the recipient of international awards for adventure writing.

The Inspire Adventure Series is a monthly event designed to ignite your passion for the outdoors through captivating presentations by adventurers who share their experiences via multimedia slideshows. Beyond the presentation and Q&A session, there's an opportunity to connect with like-minded people, exchange ideas, and perhaps even find a partner for your next adventure.

We encourage you to bring along children and teenagers—we’d love to inspire the next generation of adventurers too. Join us for an evening of adventure, storytelling, and community.