Born and bred in Port Lincoln, a fifth generation ‘Port Lincolnite’ and direct descendant of Captain William Field Porter who brought the first settlers in 1839 Phil Porter is as local as one can be.
Showing a keen interest in exploring the outdoors from a very young age, Phil Porter was raised in the “good ol’ days ” when as young as 10 years old he would explore the National Parks and coastlines, camping solo for days and weeks at a time.
From this vast experience and freedom to discover the outdoors, arose a deep love of the region and Phil has become an expert in all things native, wild and wonderful.
With over 40 years of living and working with the adventurous life of bushwalking, SCUBA diving, surfing, sea kayaking, orienteering, camping, sailing, climbing and mountain biking, Phil’s travels have taken him to every corner of our superb coastline, in every season and under all weather conditions where he has explored and mapped almost every inch of our region’s National Parks and Wilderness areas.
A passion for conservation, wildlife rescue, astronomy, local history, geology and fauna and flora, created the ideal foundation for establishing multi award winning Wilderness Wanders where guests can not only experience Phil’s favourite wild and secret places but have the chance to learn what makes this amazing region tick. |
After opening for business on the 1st of December 2008, providing a fabulous choice of luxury 4wd and walking eco adventures, Phil and I have been delighted with the response to our new business. Wilderness Wanders was built from a passion of sharing the outdoors in luxury and style and in this short time has received the following significant acknowledgments:
April 2009
Runner Up In Travelling in Australia's 20 Best New Experiences Awards
September 2009
Noted as Number One Top Eco Break by Sunday Mail writer Christina Pfeiffer.
November 2009
Silver Medal recipient in the prestigious South Australian Tourism Awards 2009 as New Tourism Development
January 2010
Finalist The Australian Travel & Tourism Awards 2009
Best Adventure Tour Operator
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At the age of 21yrs Phil tragically fell 45 ft down a sheer rock face resulting in three severely crushed vertebrae and both feet and ankles broken into tiny fragments. Broken beyond repair, medics ordered total restriction on movement and Phil was hospitalised for 3 months until he was able to walk again on the self-mended bones.
With the first hint of the outdoors calling beyond the hospital walls, Phil returned to adventuring in spite of constant pain limiting his movement until his injuries left him deteriorated and bound for a wheel chair.
In 2004 Phil took a steep fall of a different kind, which resulted in our marriage, and the joining of our two families. After just ten days of wedded bliss, we unfortunately lost our home and property to a major bush fire leaving us with a renewed understanding of just how precious life is and a determination to follow our dreams.
Finally after several successful surgeries including spinal reconstruction, and fusions, Phil has been able to return to the life he loves of outdoor adventure and is able to share his extensive knowledge and passion for our beautiful and amazing world.
Our guests experience first hand Phil’s quietly understated intimate knowledge of the land and his ability to bring alive the true beauty of South Australia's best kept secrets.
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