What to eat

Lightweight dehydrated food is best. You can buy your own dehydrator and vacuum sealer, but a supermarket can provide almost everything you need. Portion food up in ziplock bags before you go, so you’re not carrying unnecessary packaging. Minimise plastic waste by bringing the bags home, washing and re-using them.

Breakfast

Quick oats: bag up each morning’s portion with milk powder. Add flax seeds or dried fruit for extra fibre

Tea bags or cappuccino sachets (these already have sugar and milk powder mixed in). Or take instant coffee bagged up in portions with milk powder

Lunch

Crackers (small ones so they don’t get crushed), wraps or mountain bread Shelf-stable (nonrefrigerated) soft cheese

such as Dairylea, Babybel or Laughing Cow brands

Shelf-stable meats such as jerky or salami sticks Peanut butter in a small plastic (i.e. lightweight) jar

Snacks

Muesli bars/ energy balls Scroggin: make your own using nuts, seeds, dried fruit and chocolate (pick hardshelled chocolates, such as M&Ms or Smarties, so they don’t melt in hot weather) Lollies

Electrolyte powder, to make up into a drink Dinner Instant noodles Instant soup/ miso soup packets Instant pasta and sauce Instant mashed potato Instant rice

Couscous with vegies Dehydrated vegies: tomatoes, peas, mushrooms Dried meat

Fish in foil sachets Olives in foil sachets Pre-grated parmesan cheese (should stay fresh on all but the hottest hikes)

Herbs, spices, stock cubes/powder in bags Premade backpacking meals (commercial or home-made)

The path to Moss Garden goes through a patch of remnant rainforest. Ferns and mosses surround a waterfall, and the water seeping from the rock walls is up to 10,000 years old.