A Story of Breathtaking Beauty and Indomitable Spirit: Read our Review of Wild at Heart by Alienor le Gouvello

One woman, three wild horses, and 5,330 kilometres through the heart of Australia.

From the moment French-born Alienor le Gouvello encountered a pair of wild horses in the Australian outback, she was transfixed. Fiercely loved by some and considered a scourge by others, brumbies have a complicated place in Australian culture and history. Inspired to celebrate their character, Alienor tamed three brumbies and teamed up with them to conquer Australia’s longest trek, the Bicentennial National Trail.

Wild at Heart follows Alienor, her part dingo dog, and her horses on a three-year journey stretching an extraordinary 5,330 kilometres from Healesville in Victoria to Cooktown in tropical Far North Queensland. Through her travels across some of Australia’s most spectacular terrain, battling isolation and the elements, she built a profound bond with her horses and made life-changing discoveries where she least expected.

This is an incredibly inspiring memoir about a remarkable adventure. It’s been a while since a truly great travel adventure memoir hit the shelves – think Cheryl Strayed’s Wild. I’ll admit, these reads are my favourite. I travelled for 13 years, and have had some amazing experiences myself, such as walking Japan’s Kumano Kodo, but Alienor le Gouvello makes me look like I’m still on training wheels. She is mighty. Prior to tackling the Bicentennial National Trail – the longest walking trail in the world – she’d already trekked Mongolia on horseback and Siberia in a motorbike sidecar, among other adventures.

Written in French, and translated by Catherine de Saint Phalle, Wild at Heart is a riveting read about a remarkable woman. It would be a rare reader who is inspired to follow in her footsteps. This is armchair travel. It’s a tough journey and you’re with her every step of the way, through the pain, the exhaustion, a staph infection and debilitating Ross River fever, which landed her in hospital. So, while you won’t find me catching a brumby and walking the length of Australia, what this read does remind us to do is live fully. To hold tight to our dreams and make them happen.

Another impressive feature of this book is how she educates the reader about brumbies, their history, their inquisitive and big-hearted nature, and ultimately, the relationship humans can build with them. I’ve always been against the culling of Brumbies – yet another animal paying the price for human mismanagement – but have learnt a lot here about The Guy Fawkes Heritage Horse Association, formed by locals after the shocking aerial cull of 600 horses in the Guy Fawkes River National Park in 2000. “These horses have significant historical, military and cultural value. They are direct descendants of Australia’s wartime cavalry horses, known as Walers, and are the only group of Australian Wild Horse to have this proven heritage value.” GFHHA actively rehomes hundreds of Heritage Horses every year. This wonderful book is a homage to these horses and promotes recognition of their uniqueness.

Featuring stunning photography from world-renowned adventure photographer Cat Vinton, Wild at Heart is a quintessentially Australian story of breathtaking beauty and indomitable spirit. I was riveted from cover to cover, cheering for Alienor and her four-legged companions every blistering step of the way.