LET’S START PLANNING

BRETT NEAGLE
CEO

Brett has always taken the path less travelled, having lived and worked overseas in Africa, India, Brazil and Europe. He had his first taste of walking in the Himalayas and the Andes on the Inca trail in the 80s and hasn’t stopped since. Prior to Auswalk, Brett worked as a counsellor for youth in the justice system. His love of exploring brought him back into the tourism industry where Brett grew Auswalk from offering a handful of Australian walks to now offering hundreds of walks all over the world. Brett’s favourite walk is always the last one he walked – recently he returned to Nepal and researching new trips in Japan, Croatia and Turkey.

TASH PORTER (THE REAL BOSS)
OPERATIONS MANAGER

Tash’s extensive experience in the travel and tourism industry, a passion for living a healthy lifestyle and her eye for detail makes her the perfect fit for Operations Manager at Auswalk. Tash leads the team of Destination Consultants, overseeing the entire process from enquiry to delivery. She works out the logistics of new walks and creates and maintains processes to ensure that everything runs smoothly in the office and out on the tracks for our walkers. Tash’s favourite walk is the Nakasendo in Japan, due to the beauty and simplicity of the countryside and the incredible cuisine. When not at Auswalk, travelling or cooking up a storm at home, you’ll often find Tash at hot pilates, seeing live music, watching a foreign film, or visiting the theatre.

PADDY SCOTT
HEAD OF SALES & MARKETING

A lifelong passion for walking was sparked at just eight years old during a trip to Nepal, a country Paddy has since returned to an incredible eleven times. This deep-seated love for exploration paved the way for a career spanning over 25 years in the travel industry. Beginning as a walking guide, Paddy led trips across the globe, accumulating a wealth of experience that includes visiting all seven continents and over 75 countries. This extensive first hand knowledge makes Paddy a natural fit as Auswalk's Head of Marketing, bringing a genuine understanding of what creates an unforgettable walking holiday. When not inspiring others to travel, Paddy loves to cook, trying out new recipes inspired by his global adventures.

ANNE BLOCKLEY
DELIVERY TEAM MANAGER

Anne provides invaluable training and support to our Destination Consultants to help them reach their full potential, as well as supporting the ongoing development of the business. She has owned businesses, has a couple of grown-up kids and has a real passion for customer care. A great lover of walking and being out in nature, the Auswalk Mont Blanc, Japan and the UK walks are all on her bucket list. With 10 trail marathons and numerous half marathons under her belt, alongside weekends spent mostly training, she's likely to conquer them in record breaking time and barely break into a sweat!

DAN GREEN
GROUP GUIDED MANAGER

Dan is a man of many talents having worked as a Arborist, conservation officer and as a Ski patroller combining this with guiding for several years and is highly experienced and knowledgeable. For the last few years he has taken on the full time role as Groups manager. His experience as a guide and attention to safety are second to none. He has also travelled the world and found his home in Australia more than 20 years ago, having been born in England. Outside of Auswalk he keeps fit, tries to get outside as much as possible and plays guitar when he can't.

JACKIE SEARS
GROUP-GUIDED COORDINATOR

Jackie is one of Auswalk’s Group Guided coordinators. In 2017 Jackie joined Auswalk swapping a 15 year career in the corporate finance world for her dynamic role organising all of the logistics and back of house arrangements for our Group Guided trips. Jackie has travelled extensively overseas, including working and living in the UK for many years. Equipped with her caravan, 2 kids and her husband, Jackie is now ticking off wild and wonderful destinations in Australia - her favourite being Kings Canyon Rim Walk in the NT. If you ever need an extra person for music trivia Jackie is your girl with an amazing ability to remember any and all song lyrics!

IAN LANDY
WALKING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

Ian has spent his life encouraging people to enjoy exercise and the great outdoors, having previously worked as an Outdoor Education Teacher and in Sports Administration. As an Auswalk Destination Consultant, he thrives by helping people to live out their walking dreams. He loves the Flinders Ranges walk with landscape like no other - amazing sunrises, geography and scenery. In his words, a true nature experience with little human impact. Ian's your man to talk about Flinders Island, the Great Alpine Walk, Mornington Peninsula, the Caminos, Coast to Coast, Mont Blanc and Queen Charlotte. Being an avid sports fan he will happily talk about that too!

KAREN SCHARNBOCK
WALKING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

Karen has worked in the travel industry for 16 years, selling every mode of transport from cruises to rail and now walking! She’s an avid traveller, having visited all 7 continents, including Antarctica. Karen has lived in the UK and Canada, where she picked up an interest in ice hockey. She’s also a big Collingwood supporter and hopes that admission doesn't scare off other AFL fans. Karen likes to combine her passion for travel with her love for live music — she once flew all the way to Ireland just to attend a concert!

KRISTYN WARD
WALKING HOLIDAY SPECIALIST

Kristyn comes to Auswalk with a wealth of experience in the travel and sales industry. She’s visited 38 countries and counting, often veering off the tourist path to explore “less trendy” regions like Morocco, Brunei and Borneo. Kristyn's favourite destination is Kerala in South India, where she spent a week working with baby goats on a farm. Wildlife plays a big part in where Kristyn chooses to travel — she sponsors animals that she's met across the world, from Orangutans in Borneo to Elephants in Thailand.

BELLA NOLAN
DESTINATION CONSULTANT

A customer service pro, Bella's worked in the specialty for 11 years, across hospitality, local government and travel/tourism. Working on both Domestic and International walks at Auswalk, Bella loves the challenge of creating a customer's perfect trip - and says it's like putting together pieces of a puzzle. Being born and bred on the Mornington Peninsula, its walk is very close to her heart with its nostalgic and homely feel - a spot you'll often find her enjoying beach walks with her pampered pooch Yuki, burning off all the calories from her baking! Bella's our guru for the Bibbulmun, Cape to Cape, Great Ocean Walk, Abel Tasman, Bay of Islands and Provence holidays amongst others!

PIPER DIXON
DESTINATION CONSULTANT

Piper is one of our Japan destination consultants, originally from New Zealand’s South Island. Piper spent two years living in Japan’s Yamagata prefecture teaching English before moving to Melbourne to work at Auswalk! Her top travel destination is, of course, Japan. Her favourite hidden gem is Yamadera Temple. A serene mountainside temple located at the top of 1,015 stairs! Piper also loves the vibrancy and fast-paced feel of big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. In her spare time, Piper loves watching documentaries, drinking coffee, trying different cuisines, listening to world music, and learning French!

JESSIE BURLEY
ACCOUNTS & DELIVERY TEAM

Jessie B found her way to Auswalk in 2022 and works in our Accounts Department and Delivery Team. Jessie’s favourite travel destination is Mexico. She loved exploring the bustling streets of Mexico City and visiting stunning coastal towns. Jessie’s favourite Auswalk is the Queen Charlotte Track, having completed it with her best friend and fellow Auswalk team member Jessie I in 2025. Her highlight was going for a swim after a day on the track. In her spare time, you’ll find Jessie at a hot pilates class or cooking with friends.

JESSIE INGERSON
JUNIOR PRODUCT MANAGER & DESTINATION CONSULTANT

Jessie is a Junior Product Manager and Nepal destination consultant here at Auswalk. She loves mountain walking because of the epic views along the way and the sense of accomplishment upon reaching the summit. Her favourite walk is the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal because of the incredible Nepalese culture and pristine landscapes. Jessie has just completed her business degree and is now exploring the world, discovering new walks, and climbing more mountains.

BEC ALLEN
DELIVERY TEAM

Bec is part of our delivery team, ensuring that Auswalkers have everything they need to navigate the trails. Bec has worked in the travel industry for 6 years now and is passionate about facilitating epic holidays! Her favourite place to travel is Switzerland because of the incredible mountain views and delicious food (hello chocolate and cheese!) Bec also loved connecting with her family heritage in Hungary and Poland. In her spare time, Bec likes to read, hang out with her dogs, and play netball.

MAIKA HARRIS
DESTINATION CONSULTANT

Maika grew up in the shadow of Mt Fuji and despite having lived in Australia for the past 10 years, still enjoys exploring Japan on a regular basis. With a background in tourism and finance, we're lucky to now have her applying her knowledge of Japan and its culture to our destinations. - naturally, she's the first point of contact when planning your Japanese adventure! She enjoys exploring old Japan with her favourite walk being the Nakasendo, describing it as showcasing the amazing serenity of Japan while exposing walkers to the stunning architecture of Japan's historic post towns, mixed with traditional temples and shrines. When not at work Maika enjoys cooking Japanese food and exploring Australia.

MONICA BUSCH
DESTINATION CONSULTANT

Born in Scotland, raised on the West Coast of Canada and now a dual Aussie Citizen, Monica was born to travel. With a career in the travel industry she has clocked up visits to a whopping 33 countries and still climbing. There are still so many places on her bucket list but with her time here at Auswalk as a Destination Consultant, she has now added our 3 Capes in Tassie, Dordogne in France and West Highlands Way to the list. With two of her 3 adult children now living in Darwin, a visit to the NT is always on the cards. When Monica is not travelling she is busy keeping herself fit with local walks, pickleball, yoga and pilates!

ASTRID WATT
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Astrid is part of our marketing communications team. She has worked in the travel industry for around 8 years, running all sorts of tours from wine tasting in the Yarra Valley to adventures in the Grampians/Gariwerd. As a passionate history buff, Astrid ran walking history tours of Melbourne’s CBD and produced a self-guided tour of State Library Victoria before joining Auswalk. Her favourite travel destination is the Scottish Highlands because of the incredible mountains, the adorable highland cows, and the abundance of castles.