I'm a wife, a mum of four and a grandma to a baby girl, but this "old girl" still loves an adventure.

So, when I was asked to do a multi-day hike somewhere I had never been before — Flinders Island, I said, Sure. Why not?

But then the trip drew closer, and I started to second-guess myself. Wondered if I was having a midlife crisis??!!  Well, maybe not a crisis so much as a re-examining of who I am and what I want for this next stage of my life.

Our trip had the maximum group size of 12 — we had three men and nine women. There were three couples (and two of those couples were friends) and there were two groups of friends each, leaving me and another lady as the true "solos" in the group. The other solo walker was from Cairns, and she was a solo walking trip veteran. She had done multiple walks as a solo traveller and she relished it.

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We all introduced ourselves upn meeting and I realised that I was the only one in the group who had not done a walking trip before. Oh oh! Was I going to be able to keep up?

With the seeds of doubt percolating in the back of my mind, we set off. On the first day, we walked for about two hours, and it seemed like everyone in the group talked to every other person along the way. It felt easy, friendly and welcoming.

The first hurdle — travelling solo — was jumped on day one!

I'm moderately fit (well I thought I was anyway) so the hikes that were flat were no problem for me. There were two mountain hikes — Mt Killiecrankie (cool name) and Mt Strzelecki (named after the Polish explorer who climbed to the summit in 1842). I found both those hikes challenging.

(Note to self — should have followed the guidance about training for this trip. Whoops!)

I actually loved the Mt Killiecrankie hike despite the fact that I was a tired walker at the end of the day. Firstly, there is joy in being outdoors all day and feeling physically weary from having pushed yourself. Secondly, the day was grey and the mist and fog made it eerily atmospheric.

Mt Killiecrankie is characterised by granite boulders of all enormous shapes and sizes. Some of the granite boulders have names like Old Man's Head and White Eyed Man. It became a running joke between our group to name some of the other boulders and to decide which animals they looked like.

Mt Strzelecki was a strenuous uphill hike. With gentle encouragement from the other walkers and our guides (and a fair bit of grunting and groaning from me), I made it to the Blue Seat, an elevation of 400 metres. That might not sound like much but, believe me, two hours of solid, uphill climbing is hard yakka!

Others in the group, including men and women in their mid 60s to 70s, climbed on. They were only stopped from reaching the summit (756 metres) by bad weather.

Part of me felt slightly embarrassed that people much older than me were far fitter, but most of me felt proud that I had managed to walk as far as I had. And, whilst the fit ones walked on towards the summit, I enjoyed a bonus couple of hours at Trousers Point Beach, which is just a gloriously beautiful beach.

Our guides (and one of our group, a lovely lady from Busselton) were excellent at spotting birds, animals and plants along our walks. My highlight were Bennett's wallabies — I saw one the first afternoon at camp (but he remained well hidden after that), some at Trousers Point Beach and heaps at the mouth of the North East River. I am always amazed at the sight of these beautiful Australian animals in their own home.

On every walk, there were stunning beaches we walked past, saw from above or walked along. White sand. Yellow sand. Sand with flecks of coloured minerals. Listerine green water. Blue water. Reef. Granite boulders with fiery red lichen on them. Coastal scrub in all layers of green.

It was a visual feast.

I'm not going to lie, I don't think I am a 'sleep in a swag under the stars, carry all my stuff on my back kind of girl' but this style of camping trip was bougie. More glamping than camping. More fun than hard graft.

The five nights of the walking trip were spent at an Eco Comfort Camp with a private strip of beach. Solos like me had a pod (aka fancy tent) to ourselves. The roomy pod had a transparent roof so you could lie in bed and stargaze.

There were clean, hot showers and toilets, an undercover dining area and a cosy reading room.

As for the food, we had a Camp Host, Ed, whose pride in his food was well-deserved. We ate like royalty — hot breakfasts to power up for the day ahead, cooked lunches to give us energy and three-course dinners. Lively conversation was the order of every night, discussing our feats that day or the day that was to come.

Freshly made cake was often produced for morning or afternoon tea breaks. A Whisky brownie at Jackson's Cove (a long, white, sandy beach) for morning tea is imprinted forever! There was also tea, coffee and snacks all day.

I had assumed that it would be all hands on deck to prep the meals, set the table and wash the dishes, but the Camp Team had all this covered. All we had to do was remember what time to meet for meals! No decision fatigue on this holiday.

A high bar was set with dinner on the first night — Flinders Island lamb, reared grazing on the abundant saltbush, followed by warm figs locally marinated in Port. Other highlights included: baked chicken wrapped in prosciutto and marbled Flinders Island sirloin. Lip-smacking!

All I can say is this style of camping suits me just fine, thank you very much!

The title of this walk by Tasmanian Expeditions is Flinders Island Walking Adventure in Comfort. Not only is the camp very comfortable, a van takes you from camp to the starting point of each day's walk and back to camp. And all meals and snacks are provided. Plus the washing up is done!

You only carry a day pack with whatever you want to carry — water and a rain jacket being probably the only essentials you need. And a camera!

Each walk is guided — one guide at the front and one at the rear. It was the first time to Flinders Island for one of our guides, Claire. She was an experienced guide and a Tasmanian, but she was wide-eyed seeing Flinders Island. Our other guide, Gracie, was also Tasmanian and a lover of Flinders Island. She was a wealth of knowledge about Flinders Island and Tasmania generally. Both women were also super encouraging to this novice walker.

This Tasmanian Expeditions trip has recently incorporated a visit to a local winery, Unavale Vineyard, owned by Barry and Cassie (and their three, friendly dogs). Barry hosted a wine tasting and vineyard tour, while Cassie organised a lunch amongst the vines, starring incredible Tasmanian produce.

This was our last group meal together. By now, we were all bonded with our walking accomplishments of the week. Conversation flowed happily.

So, what did I think?

Now that I'm a seasoned bush walker (ha ha!), I feel proud. Proud that I said yes to something outside my comfort zone. I feel physically fitter and stronger too.

I also feel emotionally stronger. I was alone all week, but I was never lonely. I was happy to talk when I felt like talking and not talk when I felt like not talking. By choice, I often walked contentedly, alone and silent, mindfully appreciating the natural beauty all around me.

For anyone who is nervous about travelling solo, I can only recommend trying a group tour. My experience was of a welcoming, encouraging and supportive group who were all grateful to be sharing such a special week and keen to spread their love of walking and of nature.

This adventure was good for me. Physically good for me to be outside and exercising but mentally good for me too. It was a fun adventure but it was restorative. It was a slice of peace in what can be a hectic life. A chance to clear my mind.

To return to my re-examining of who I am and what I want for this next stage of my life, I want to say yes to more opportunities that challenge me. I want to show my granddaughter that I can do anything (well, almost anything!) and, hopefully, to inspire her.

So, what's next? In the words of the famous Helen Reddy song, "I am woman, hear me roar!"

Where is Flinders Island?

Flinders Island is part of Tasmania. It is a 1,333 square kilometre island located in the Bass Strait, about 60 kilometres northeast of the Tasmanian mainland and about 200 kilometres south of Victoria.

On this trip with Tasmanian Expeditions, we flew to and from Launceston with Flinders Aviation in a light plane. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous on the flight over but, once we took off and the flight was smooth, I relaxed and marveled at the incredible views.

On the return trip from Flinders Island to Launceston, we took off from a different airfield where the runway was grass. What fun!

Gear I thought was essential:

Tasmanian Expeditions helpfully supplied a Gear List, including everything from outerwear to underwear and whether they were providing it or I had to provide it and whether it was essential or optional.

I thought these items, in particular, were essential:

• Mid-rise waterproof hiking boots. Mid-rise or mid-cut means they sit over the ankles, balancing agility with support. Comfortable, worn-in boots are the most important piece of equipment for a hike.

• A head torch (mine was rechargeable with a USB so no need to pack batteries). Essential for after-dark toilet visits.

• A waterproof jacket with a hood. A peaked hood is best to keep the rain off your face.

• 1 or 2 x 1 litre drink bottle/s

• Walking poles – I nearly didn't take these, but I am so glad I did. When I was tired, they helped me and they also assisted me with stability.

• Woollen socks protected my feet from blisters.

• Sports bras – comfy and supportive.

Leonie Jarrett was a guest of Tasmanian Expeditions. Leonie was also gifted some hiking gear from Mountain Designs (available from Anaconda). All opinions expressed in this story are her own. You can follow Leonie on Instagram @we_like_to_cruise_and_travel

Feature Image: Supplied.