About Me

Who am I?

My name is Fraser Darcy, I am 28 years old and live in Quorn, the unofficial capital of the Flinders Ranges. I have spent the last 10 years adventuring across most of South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Whether it’s a running race, ocean crossing in a kayak or climbing in a remote location I enjoy challenging myself to see what I am capable of. The Australian environment is the perfect place to do this and listed below are some of my proudest moments in my career so far.

Climbing

I have been climbing since 2010 and have spent most of my time in areas such as Mt. Arapiles in Victoria, the Adelaide Hills, the occasional trip to Tasmania and of course in the Flinders Ranges. Highlights during this period was several multi-pitch guiding trips with school students at Mt. Arapiles and ticking off Tasmania’s iconic wilderness climbs of Mt. Geryon, Frenchmans Cap and Federation Peak. I got bored of climbing the same routes in the Grade 16-22 range so spent 2020 and 2021 improving my capabilities which led to notable ascents of ‘But Holland is a Country’, ‘KPDM’, and several Redcliff classics all in the space of 12 months. I am a qualified single pitch guide with ACIA and you can find more about my climbing background on TheCrag.

Running

My original outdoor pursuit started as early as primary school when I was part of cross country teams and would imitate my older brother’s footy pre season training efforts. Over the years it has evolved into the one activity that I have dedicated most of my time and effort into than anything else. Running has challenged me at times but has overall made me a better and healthier person. My attention to training and doing my best has resulted in me becoming the Australian Mountain Running Champion (for 2023) and a 20-time race winner (including six marathon or longer races).

Sea Kayaking

Being a South Australian it was hard not to get involved with paddling some of Australia’s best coastline in my backyard. I was lucky enough to learn from one of SA’s top sea kayakers and be a part of a great network of people who were keen to explore the different islands around SA. One of the highlights of my sea kayaking career has been the Bass Strait journey I went on in 2015. Along with this particular journey, I have also ventured out to 40+ islands off the coast of Australia and have camped on at least half of them during expeditions. I also hold my Sea Kayaking Instructor Qualification with Paddle Australia.

Year	Trip	Number of Days
2015	Port Lincoln – Adelaide	6
2015	Bass Strait Crossing	13
2015	Investigator Strait Tour	10
2016	Circumnavigated Kangaroo Island	12
2018	Pearson Island	4
2018	East Coast of Tasmania Circuit (Maria and Schouten Island included)	6
2019	Neptune Island	5
2019	Lap of Tasman Peninsula	4

Skiing

I am a proficient Telemark skier with experience across the majority of Australian resorts and main touring areas in the Victorian Alps and NSW Main Range. I also completed two seasons at Perisher, NSW where I worked as a Mountain Safety Assistant in 2018 and then as a Ski Patroller in 2019, a season in which I won Rookie of The Year.

Bushwalking

Often neglected by ‘athletes’ in the outdoors, I have not fallen for this trap. Bushwalking is one of my favourite ways of experiencing a remote area for the first time because the speed of travel (slow) allows for a deeper connection to the land to be established and the opportunity to bring less experienced people along with me. My favourite trips have been with my Dad on iconic Tasmanian walks such as the South Coast Track and Frenchmans Cap as well as multiple walks throughout the Flinders Ranges. I am a qualified Advanced Bushwalk Leader with BLSA.

Sailing

With qualifications as a Dinghy Sailing Instructor (and as a result, Powerboat Handling) I have been fortunate to have worked on a variety of Dinghy’s in SA’s Lower Lakes region plus have experience sailing an Austral 24 in the Spencer Gulf.

Other

I am one of 6 in my immediate family, including a brother, two sisters and a loving Mum and Dad. Our family holidays when I was younger were probably the foundation for my appetite for doing regular trips. I also value my extended family and friends too and the lessons and support they provide!

I graduated with First Class Honours and top of my class for my Mechanical and Sports Engineering Degree from the University of Adelaide.

When I’m not focused on the outdoors I am also a mad sports fan (die hard fan of the Essendon Football Club) and enjoy keeping up to date with Australian’s competing in any sport around the world. Self-appointed as ABC Grandstand’s top listener.

Qualified in First Aid, Asthma and Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect training and am a holder of up-to date DHS Working With Children Check and Protective Practices certificate.