PAST Outdoors is a hiking, camping and travel retail store located between Sydney and Wollongong in Helensburgh NSW. We are a local, family owned and operated business that stock a carefully curated range of hiking and camping gear.
As trusted suppliers for emergency services, government, military and outdoor education groups, our extensive range is tailored to meet the needs of organisations, families and groups across the globe looking for expert advice for their next adventure.
Who We Are
Parker And Sons Trading (PAST) Pty Ltd was founded by Dave Parker (pictured below) in 2020, with the goal of getting more people into the outdoors and appreciating what nature has to offer in any season, weather or terrain.
Dave Parker, CEO & Founder
After almost 20 years conducting Special Operations in the Australian Army, and completing an MBA with Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at UNSW, Dave combines his experience of many years spent in the outdoors, with his passion for business and entrepreneurship. In doing this, PAST Outdoors was born to connect people nature, providing them with high quality gear and personalised service, creating comfort in a traditionally uncomfortable environment.
Drawing inspiration from his heritage of family members who were innovators and self-starters, Dave chose the trading name PAST to honour the previous generations of his family. Dave's grandfather, Arthur 'Digger' Parker, founded his first business making the famous concrete water tanks in his home town of Warnambool Victoria, Dave sought to keep the the family name alive and carrying on this rich history of innovation and creativity.
Allison Tomazin Parker, Head of MarComms
As a seasoned Marketing and Communications Manager, Alli’s unique and varied background in about 20 years of marketing and communications across a range of sectors including the textile, clothing and footwear industry, tech, e-commerce, not-for-profit, pharmaceutical and education industries across the Asia-Pacific region. She has a Post grad in International Community Development, BA major in Anthropology, Diploma in product development and business frontline management.
Alli values performance, innovation, and is passionate about executing high-converting, customer-satisfying marketing strategies that not only increases revenue but delight customers across the globe. As an AusActive registered personal trainer, yoga teacher and mat pilates instructor at MIND YOGA, Alli is passionate about all the good things: nature, nutrition, health & wellbeing and making sure all our customers feel welcome, both in store and online.
Kristine Radford, Assistant Store Manager
Before joining the team, Kristine was a regular customer—drawn to the quality gear and service that motivates you to do more. Getting into hiking without the knowledge of experienced people beside her, she knows firsthand how overwhelming the gear world can be and is passionate about making it easier for others to find their footing. With her background in retail, customer service, and appreciation for the outdoors, she brings warmth and experience while connecting people with the right gear and knowledge for their trips.
Whether she’s out in whoop whoop or travelling to a different country, her passion for hiking and genuine connections with others fuels her work. She loves nothing more than the solitude of the bush with her partner and taking her friends on new adventures. In store, she enjoys talking trails, finding new gear for the store, and helping others get outside with confidence.
Dan Scobie, Warehouse & Retail Assistant
As a passionate lover of the outdoors and all things two wheels, Dan has witnessed the growth of the business over 3 years. From humble beginnings in a small factory unit, to the new and improved retail mega store that is booming with activity, PAST Outdoors has supported Dan in his Mountain Bike racing endeavours achieving many gold medals. More recently, Dan won King of the Mountain at the Australian Mountain Bike Interschools championships fueled on PAST’s extensive nutritional range.
Dan is a respected member of the Helensburgh Off Road Cycle Club (HORCC) and enjoys all things outdoors, including hiking, camping, skiing, mountain biking and anything adventurous. Dan is passionate about customer service and delivering products on time for our customers with a smile!
What we do
Our experience in the outdoors and in conducting Special Operations, where the performance of personnel and equipment is essential to mission success, has driven our product selection, design and testing protocols.
We aspire to maintain quality control through ownership and control of our entire supply chain. We only use validated manufacturers and tested materials.
Our Hiking, Camping and Travel Retail Store
Our retail store is located in Helensburgh, NSW Australia - the stepping off point for adventuring in the The Royal National Park and about 50 minutes south of the Sydney CBD.
With an ever growing range of products, our friendly and experienced staff can guide you through any of our products and help get you on the path to adventure quicker, with clothing and equipment that is built to perform.
Visit our home page for our operating hours or call 1800 727 847.
