I'm a writer, and environmental advocate with a deep love for wild places. This has evolved from a childhood exploring the dry riverbeds of my family farm in North-West Victoria, to hiking, driving and exploring my way across Australia’s many beautiful, remote wild places.
In 2020, I co-founded For Wild Places, a non-profit that turns trail running into a powerful expression of sports activism, and today I work as the Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry’s, helping support climate justice campaigns in Australia. Based in Sydney, I’m just as likely to be found working from the tailgate of my trusty Landcruiser, pretending the background is in fact a filter.
When I’m not organising campaigns or building community around environmental protection, you’ll find me exploring remote trails, sipping an aeropress out of a chipped enamel mug, or musing about adventure, running and activism for Trail Run Mag or We Are Explorers.
If you’re interested in protecting nature, sports activism, collaborating with good people and taking collective action, then you are in the right place! I am on a mission to protect, celebrate and experience wild places and welcome you to join me.
I'm Hilary
An Australian environmentalist, outdoors woman and general jill of all trades. I judge the goodness of a day based on how much of it was spent outdoors. But yet, I spend most of my time indoors, connecting community and building movements to protect our remaining wild places. I want to live an extra ordinary life, and want you to be a part of it.
thanks for stopping by
About Hilary
I live in Sydney, on beautiful Gadigal Country, however Wadawurrung Country on Victoria’s Surf Coast feels like home. In March 2025 I moved interstate to work for Ben and Jerry’s as their Australian Activism Manager. I also run For Wild Places, a small not-for-profit, dedicated to empowering trail runners to become sports activists,
My love for our wild and biodiverse landscapes came from my upbringing in North Central Victoria, on our family’s broadacre sheep and wheat farm. As a teenager, I experienced the devastation and stress of the millennium drought. This has instilled in me a deep respect for nature, and an understanding of the connection between humans, climate, and the landscape.
The pandemic washed away an established career in design, revealing a clean slate of opportunity. Spurred by the 2019 election result, the Stop Adani protests and the Black Summer Fires, I made hte concious decision to pursue a life aligned with my values. In this time, I have co-founded FOr Wild Places, ran for State and Federal government, volunteered for hundreds of hours, given a TEDx talk and found fulfilling, impactful work with purpose-led people and brands.
I believe we can do life differently, and am trying to lead by example and live a life that embraces service, empathy and drive. I want to live an extra ordinary life - so as a woman, I need to be extraordinary. This goal is my mountain peak - an elusive destination I will spend years, if not decades, working towards. Even if I don’t make it, I know that positive change will come of it, and that alone would be worth it.
I’m forging a path that prioritises caring for people and planet in a way that is unapologetic.
Fulfilling a lifelong passion
for exploration and the environment, after many life experiences I am combining my three passions: sports activism, community and grassroots organising.
I do this through multiple streams of paid and unpaid work, with the latter being with Sarah Mansfield MP, Vitoria’s first regional Greens MP and with For Wild Places. I volunteer with For Wild Places, the Surf Coast Greens Branch, CFA and various other campaigns to protect our oceans, mountains and ecosystems.
I also love to use my love of writing and sharing experiences through print and digital platforms, including We Are Explorers, WILD Magazine, Trail Run Mag and my own social media platforms. I am also a proud values-based ambassador with Paddy Pallin, who supports my advocacy and outdoor endeavours.
I feel equally both motivated and incredibly anxious about the incredibly difficult challenges ahead of us. But the time to act is now, and I am eager to pursue opportunities that allow me to utilize my skills in organising, leadership, design and community building.
my inspiration / my inspiration / my inspiration
Let’s connecT
and create meaningful change together
Let’s collaborate to protect, celebrate and experience wild places - Whether it be through writing, podcasting, speaking, facilitating a workshop, going on a hike or simply getting a coffee.