A hunt club with no hunting — why people are drawn to this English pastime

Every fortnight during winter, a dedicated group don their best riding outfits and make their way to the Kangaroo Island Hunt Club.

But don’t be fooled by the club’s name — there’s no hunting.

Kangaroo Island is free of foxes, which were traditionally hunted in England using hounds to track down their scent.

So, with nothing to ‘hunt’, what is it about this club — and the many others around the country — that brings people back week upon week, year upon year?

As Nathan Trethewey, who was the 2024 “hunt master”, described, part of it is about celebrating tradition. 

“It’s our take on the traditional fox hunting sport from England and we modified it, we don’t have hounds and we don’t have foxes obviously,” he said.

“We have big enough properties to have the whole hunt on one property, and it’s basically a glorified follow the leader.

A special community

As well as the fun of the hunt, for Nathan it’s steeped in his family’s history — he’s been going since he was young and his parents are still riding in it in their 70s.

Even decades in, the allure of a challenging ride and a fun day out is what keeps him returning.

“We’re able to see beautiful properties on a weekly basis, take people, you know, onto farms that they would never get the opportunity to go on to otherwise,” he said.

“That’s coupled with horses and food and wine and a good time, so it’s pretty, pretty special.”

As well as riding uniforms and a hunt master, another Kangaroo Island Hunt Club tradition is nips of port for the group along their ride. 

While Kangaroo Island doesn’t, other clubs in Sydney and Tasmania still use hounds as part of the hunt, but instead train them on a pre-laid scent of roadkill or aniseed.  

Last winter the Island’s club celebrated its 50th season and among the group of regulars was conservationist Heidi Groffen.

Like Nathan, Heidi said the pull of the hunt club was the community that it offered, along with regular opportunities to test her riding chops.

“I really miss the hunt season when it’s summer,” she said.

“It is a real community-type event.”

And if you were wondering if her profession was an odd fit for a club with an origin in hunting game, Heidi isn’t phased.

“They’re hunting, traditionally, foxes and foxes in Australia are a pest, but in England, those foxes would be hunting some of their native species as well,” she said.

“That’s where it comes from. I have absolutely no issues with that.

“Obviously, we’re not hunting any species … really for us, it is just about riding and riding as a group, supporting each other and having a really great time.”

While Heidi spends her winter weekends with the riding group on different properties, her day job takes her to similar locations for a very different reason. 

Working with landholders

Heidi is a conservationist with Land for Wildlife, a national not-for-profit that works with landowners to educate them about native wildlife on their land.

“We work with private landholders who have beautiful bushland habitats … and we try and engage them to better understand what wildlife species are on their properties,” she told ABC iview’s Back Roads.

“And then help them control any threats that they might have.”

As well as working with the local community, Heidi’s work also involves educating the next generation about the importance of the native animals on the island.

“I think getting kids out of the classroom and into nature is always the best way to teach,” she said.

“And if we can show them species on [bush] cameras … it always makes them laugh and gives them that appreciation of the diversity of wildlife species that are here on Kangaroo Island.”

Stream the new season of Back Roads free on ABC iview or watch Thursdays at 8pm on ABC TV.