About Us

The Adventure Gene was started from the belief that the best way to explore this earth is using your own two feet. Our mission is to enable outdoor journeys by sharing hard-fought knowledge and experience. With over 40,000km of experience, we strive to make your outdoor aspirations a reality.

Expand your outdoors!

Explore With Confidence: Our Money-Back Guarantee

Your safety and enjoyment are paramount. That’s why we guarantee that our guides are seasoned-experts who will ensure that you feel supported, informed, and secure every step of the way.

In the unlikely event that you don’t feel like you had this experience, we will give you a full refund.

Meet the team:

Tom Bartlett

Co-founder

Based in Canberra, Tom is an accomplished endurance athlete and hiking guide with over 20,000km of trails under his belt. He is no stranger to hiking up to 100km per day, and has speed records on the Australian Alps Walking Track, the Bibbulmun Track, and New Zealand’s 3000km Te Araroa.

He also has extensive winter experience skiing and snowshoeing in the Australian Alps. With Maddie, he has completed a 30-day full winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track.

Tom is our gear guru! He is responsible for making sure your pack is always as light as possible whilst maintaining our rigorous standards for safety and comfort.

Tom’s passion for the outdoors is matched by his extensive knowledge and dedication to helping others explore the world on foot. Whether hiking, running, skiing or cycling, Tom’s adventurous spirit and expertise ensure every journey is unforgettable.

Join Tom on a trip through the Australian Alps and fast-track your outdoor skills and knowledge.

Maddie Wait

Co-founder

Maddie is the fastest woman to have ever completed Te Araroa in New Zealand. On this hike, she set the overall self-supported fastest known time and bested previous efforts of supported female runners in the process.

She has a deep love for backcountry skiing, with her most recent alpine accomplishment being a full winter traverse of the Australian Alps Walking Track.

Maddie is our backcountry nutrition expert and master chef. As an elite endurance athlete, she is responsible for formulating and implementing our nutrition program, ensuring that you are properly fuelled on our expeditions. Maddie is always designing, creating, and testing new delicious, high-quality meals for our trips.

Born in Perth, Maddie moved to Canberra and discovered a love for the Snowy Mountains. With over 15,000km of hiking experience, Maddie’s enthusiasm and friendly nature encourage others to step outside of their comfort zone and grow in the outdoors.

Join Maddie on an adventure to build your confidence and discover your own strengths in the outdoors.

Ineka Voigt

Artist Guide

Based in Canberra, Ineka is a visual artist who finds her inspiration in the natural world. Her creative process begins outdoors (en plein air), where she captures her immediate surroundings through observational drawings, sketches, and small gouache paintings. These initial impressions then serve as the foundation for larger, more detailed oil paintings completed back in her studio. Her work frequently depicts the beauty of her local environment, with a focus on regional landscapes, flora and fauna.

After being introduced to the world of thru-hiking, Ineka found the perfect way to merge her two great passions: walking through the mountains and painting from nature. Ineka has facilitated dozens of creative workshops across Australia, and now leads our Paint & Hike trips as our dedicated artist guide.

Join Ineka on a Paint & Hike trip to spark your creativity in a wilderness environment!

Dan Mckinnon

Guide

Hailing from Mount Gambier, South Australia, Dan’s passion for the outdoors was forged during his time in the Australian Army, including three years in infantry. This experience, which included intensive jungle training in Malaysia, instilled a deep appreciation for navigating and thriving in challenging environments.

Dan is a seasoned long-distance hiker, having completed some of the world’s most renowned trails, including the Pacific Crest Trail, the Tour de Mont Blanc, and Sweden’s Kungsleden. While he has hiked all over the globe, Dan is always drawn back to the unique ruggedness of the Australian bush.

After recently returning from several months of hiking in Europe, he is excited to be back guiding in the Australian Alps. Dan’s military background and extensive global hiking experience give him a unique perspective on endurance, navigation, and appreciating the wild.

Join Dan for a trip to see the Australian wilderness through the eyes of a resilient and down-to-earth adventurer.

Bec Conroy

Guide

Originally from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Bec now lives on the NSW South Coast where she spends the majority of her time trail running and hiking.

Having studied Exercise Physiology at Sydney University, she brings a wealth of technical and lived experience to the team.

Bec is currently hiking the 4300km Pacific Crest Trail in the USA before returning to Australia to spend more time around the local mountains – and guide some trips of course!

Join Bec on an adventure and tap into her unique blend of technical knowledge and hiking experience.

Adventure Map & Timeline

Want to see where our co-founders have been? Here is an interactive map with all of Maddie and Tom’s personal trips & adventures! Below that, you can find the timeline of our hikes and rides to see when we completed them. Trips with images have corresponding articles, such as trip reports, track guides and gear lists. You can read about these by clicking the track name.

If you want to learn more about one of the tracks we have completed but not written about yet, let us know and we can help you out!

Jan/Feb 2024

Te Araroa FKT

New Zealand

Maddie and Tom (co-founders) set the self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Te Araroa, completing the 3030km trail in 54 days and 14h. This made Maddie the fastest female ever to have completed the trail.