Simon was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He spent 14 years living and writing in Britain, mostly in London, though he lived for six years in Devon and travelled extensively throughout Britain, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In London, he immersed himself in volunteer work for The Royal Parks, The Gallipoli Association, London Legacy and Historic Royal Palaces. He was one of the original developers and leaders of the award-winning Garden History Tours at Kensington Palace, and has helped research and led several walks at Hampton Court Palace. He has also led walks for The Royal Parks in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and St James's Park.

Simon has written articles for The Australian Times, Wild magazine, The National Library of Australia News, The Royal Geographic Society of South Australia,The Trailwalker, The Tasmanian Historical Research Association, Tasmania: Forty Degrees South, The Tasmanian Tramp, Wartime (the journal of the Australian War Memorial) and London Legacy Newsletter.

His first book, Jack Thwaites: Tasmanian Bushwalker and Conservationist is a detailed biography of perhaps Tasmania's most famous and best-loved bushwalker. The book was published by Forty Degrees South in 2008 and was short listed for the Tasmanian Book Prize.

A second book, Rambles in Western Tasmania is a collection of newspaper articles written in the early years of the 20th Century by Charles Whitham. The book was edited by Simon and published by the Tasmanian Historical Research Association in 2010.

His third book, Frenchmans Cap—Story of a Mountain was published in 2012 by Interactive Publications in hardback, paperback and kindle editions. The book has sold steadily over the years in all formats and remains the definitive reference work on Frenchmans Cap. The book has been used and recommended as a reference source by the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service,

In 2016 he began fully updating and revising Frenchmans Cap, a long process which he completed in 2021. A limited and numbered edition of the revised book will be distributed to libraries and a handful of individuals, under the title Frenchmans Cap—story of an iconic Tasmanian mountain. A commercially available edition of the revised book is expected to be released sometime later.

All images © Simon Kleinig

REUNITED AFTER 50 YEARS

In July 2021 I picked up a message left on my facebook page by the son of a guy I was close friends with during my two years' National Service, between 1968 and 1970. Vince and I both served as conscripted riflemen with the 8th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment. We were good mates, and served in Malaya and Vietnam, sharing lots of good and bad times together. Vince got married within months of our discharge in April 1970 and I was best man at his wedding in Sydney. I returned to life in Adelaide and sadly we lost contact with each other. Over the years I tried repeatedly to find Vince, but always unsuccessfully. Eventually, Vince re-established our connection through his son. We have now exchanged emails and we two former brothers in arms are now eagerly looking forward to catching up in person when I return to Australia in early 2022.  We will be blowing the froth off at least a couple of beers, exchanging stories and catching up on a good deal of lost time. Life is full of surprises—some good, some not so good. This is the best news I have had for a very long time. It has been my experience that friendships forged in the military, tempered in the heat of battle, cannot be duplicated in civilian life. The depth of that friendship runs deep and endures.

Frenchmans Cap revision completed

A substantially revised and updated edition of the 2012 book Frenchmans Cap—Story of a Mountain was completed in May 2021. The revision took five years. The original book comprised 50,000 words. The revised book Frenchmans Cap—The Story of an iconic Tasmanian mountain, including footnotes and after editing, came in at 200,000 words. Produced by Hobart publisher FORTY SOUTH, the book is presented in lavish A4 format and contains a wealth of colour and monochrome photographs. A catalogue of maps, many produced specifically for this volume, supports and enhances the text. 

The new book contains several new chapters, and all existing chapters have been revised and updated, some significantly. An important addition is a chapter entitled "First footsteps", which explains the important and timeless contribution made by Aboriginal Tasmanians to the Frenchmans Cap region. The chapter on surveyor James Sprent has been added to significantly and new and important information incorporated, including the revelation of who made the first recorded ascent of Frenchmans Cap in 1853.

Frenchmans Cap—The Story of an iconic Tasmanian mountain has been produced in a very limited edition of only 250 copies, signed and numbered. It will be distributed to libraries, the Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service and walking clubs throughout Tasmania and mainland Australia, and to some libraries in the United Kingdom, including the British Library. A commercially available edition will be produced some time later.