This is an old revision of the document!
THE SYDNEY BUSHWALEER . A monthly Bulletin of matters of interest to the Sydney Bush Walkers, C/7.- Ingersoll Hall, 256 Crown St., Sydney.
or14-o
No. .162 MAY, 1948 . Price 6d. Annual subscriptions June1948 to Jan., 1949 3/4. -Editor: Alex Colley, .55 Kirri Production Asst; Peter Price billi Av., Milson'S. Pt. Sales and Subs: Betty Hurley Production and Business Manager:. Typiste: Jean Harvey d. Brian Harvey CONTENTS
Page
Editorial - Overdue 1 At Our April Meeting -2 Club Officers . 3', Social Notes for May 3 _Bendethera-or Bust, by “Skip” -4 Tyan peak and Capertee Valley, by M.G. 7 Lindsay, by A.L. Wyborn . -.9 , 11.. The Lake District, letter from Clare Kinsella News from Bill Horton. 12. Gossip - ' 12' Sand Ski-ing, by Bert Whillier 13 Kosciusko Shop-Shooting, letter from F:M. King .. 14. Dedication of Splendour Rock Yemorial, by Tam Moppetir. 15 'Federation Notes : , 17-. Paddy's:Advt.' 18 EDITORIAL Overdue No walker -could be .sure- that ho night not have made mistakes like those edmitted by-the leader ofthe official Easter trip to Bendethera Any walker who_leaves the beaten track has been: misplaced at times, a4nd only luck has prevented'some quite experienced patties-,fram being a day or two overdue.. Furthermore any leader who undertakes the organisation of such a difficult trip, a ,mid unselfishly nakes,—it a programme walk, deserves the thanks of members. Nevrthelesp-several.valuable lessons be learnt.; not .tom what did happen, but from what night have happened had Club orgat– isation.beenlax.- After threedays parents- were ,very worried and the news'had.just reached the press, ' Another day a nd parents would have.been'even more worried. :Police, not equipped for camp. .ing.in:theopentad have had to 'start searching; while local residents 'qoulklaavd joined in the search and lost valuable working -time.IThe'partf'“lOst,hikers!':would have been headline new. 2. The lessons to be learnt concern,. firstly, the individual-. He should know his map-reading and bushcraft before he is admitted as a member. When leading a walk through unfamiliar country he should get the best maps and inforration available. He should rake sure that all the party are capable of doing a hard walk. On the trip he should keep his head and keep the party together. In all these respects the leader of the Bendethera trip was beyond criticism. Only in one respect rn.ight he perhaps be criticised, and that is in the time allowed adequate for anybody who had been there before, but allowing little margin for error. This however is a matter of judgment, and many other walkers- night have .agreed with the leader that three days was enoi43h to do 40 miles in this countr But it is the Committee who can learn most from the incident. The.Committee should carefully test a prospectivefs knowledge of nap-reading, bushcraft _and first.-aid. It -should critically examine the walks programme, and, if there be any doubt about the difficulty of the walk or the sui tabilityof the. leader, it should make inquiries. After ,this incident it needs little imagination to realise what might have. hapPened if an incompetent leader went astray on a hard walk Walking after all is only a recreation and the Club owes a duty to parents, police, arid country people, who are the chief sufferers in a search, - \to' ensure that .S B.i. members. are 'competent in the bush. AT OUR 'APRIL YEETING. The President was in the Chair and there were about 55 members present. After the reading of the Federation Report several motions were passed. It was resolved no t the Club was opposed to the proposed amendment to the Federation Constitution permitting Associate Yerabers to vote; and Associate Ferriberg and Visitors to speak; to motions at Federation Yeetings. The ,`-`lub favoured the abolition of the Federation Public Relations Committee and instructed the delegates to ask I. Ron Compa.gnoni to wit13draw his .resignation from the post of Hon-. Secretary of' the Federation. Kath Hardy was elected delegate to the Federation Party Cornittee. It was resolved to donate the price.of two 'full-page blocks for tl?.e Bush- walker, Annual, the blocks to be selec,ted by the curator of the Club Album. A letter was read from Fir. Stan Livingstone, a past member Of the .Cap.p .Fire and Rucksack 'Club,. in.vihic:h he asked why a sick man had been left alone near 'Bendethera.:wbile Six young. strong men went. in search of help. . He arid a friend had done a walk through the same country during Easter and found. :nothing p ar ti cularly difficult If, 3. he said certain members of the Sydney Bush Walkers have not enough busimanship to find their way in a reasonable time, and are unabl,e to care for a ran who be sick in the bush, then they should only, go on camping expeditions to North Era. He concluded by expressing the hope that his letter would 'Ibring forth some saner thinking ariong_ leaders in the future. It was resolved to acquaint Mr, Livingstone with the facts. The meeting closed at 9.30 p.r.
CLUB OFFICERS.
- The following officers were appointed by the Cormittee at its April meeting ASSISTi1NT TREASURER: Meryl Watman ASSISTANT SOCIAL _SECRETARY: Jean Harvey ASSITANT YEFBERSHIP SECRETARY: June Winsbury SOCIAL .001-7,ITTEE: Eric Rowen, Bruce YcInnes, Fred Doutch,
- Jo Clayton, Herb Morris, Arthur Gilroy, Kevin Dean.
DUPLICATOR OPERATOR: Brian Harvey - ASSISTANT DUPLICATOR OPERATOR. Price - MAGAZINE SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS; Betty Hurley PROJECTIONIST:-.' - 'Arthur Gilroy rEYBER8IIIP SELECTION COWITTEE: Bill Hall and Ken Meadows, with power to co-opt other committee members. - SOCIAL 'NOTES FOR MAY.
On 21st May there will be a screening of excellent slides showing 'those parts, of -.Canada. of interest to walkers . They are the work of the late Arnold Reay, former mereber of C.M.W. A good night is assured. ” The dance on 16th April was such a great success that we have decided to have another on 28th.May. It will be a grand night I - excellent orchestra, east floor, g oo d prizes. So -lads, don your pumps, and gals, your' circular sl:drts, and be at the hop on Friday 28th. - -
P HO T GR A PH I.C.EX_H-I'BETI,ON.
_ j E 2 5 T -H. , The Social Qorimitt.ee wants your photographs, -mounted ready for exhibition, by 7 p.m. on june .25th. The Committee intends to have a coMpetent judge present, and a- prize will be awarded for the 'best p nut. Remember the date - JUNE 25TH.
4. BENDETHERA OR BUST. By
They ask the question kindly, consolingly, in the tone of voice they'd use to a nine year' old child. . They shake their heads wisely over' the indiscretions of the young.- .nWhat happened? 'I -they enquire solicitously. Darmit, it's most annoying. Once and for all here are the facts as they wereyritten. in my day-to-day diary. From henceforth I quote me, which -reeking . as it is with pathos, batho.s, and' fortitude. Will -tear.'at .your. heartstrings. , Before the beginning tlEre was a little matter of organisation which should have guaranteed the success of the trip. Since last October letters had been going forth and resulting in all kinds of inf orti-on. by way of replies. One of these was a newspaper slipping, vinta.ge, 1930.1 which described the route -vve should have taken and claimed the Bendethera Cave to be embellished vrith an elephant, a chandelier and an Ionic and a Doric column. A Mines Department report of 1903 rather tersely *mentioned curtains anc5 two immense columns, one of which is known as the -Pulpit, and completely ignores the elephant which is presumably a later acquisition. The newspaper article generally agreed with the route propounded by various people- I pumped, all of whom were enthusiastic, even if their memories were a bit dim. By courtesy of Victoria Barracks I made quite a creditable looking sketch map- of the area from aerial photographs. Here are the plain facts in the original phonetic
Friday 2613/48. Arrived Yoruya at, 0245 hours, caught' a taxi, . 1–e-a-aile–6-1 -rIver flats. Walked on to river - good, sweet, swift- flowing water. Found dryish places to sleep and were abed by 0430. Awoke 0730 hours. Away -0925. Beautiful clear sunny day. Flanigan (lives up on hillside between Burro., Creek and Dean River) uBendethera, seven hours- away-II,. Lovely! - lost an hour finding out Burra Creek :excellent. Followed it to abandoned orchard. Up the back of this the track starts - goes up, slowly, agonisingly up, for hours and hours quite recognizable but here and there barred by sapling and “suckers growthli.- So we. staggered up to Coondella in a thunderstorm at 1708 hours, 'still chanting the slogan 'Lunch at . Diamond CreekII, and sucti.ng wet_ off leaves and rocks. Diamond Creek' about 1815 hours. 1.40t, non-flat area I was- virecked. Gil brought me aspros and lemon drink - could only reward him with four sausages. Saturday 27/348. Gills' birthday. At 0730 we'upped. A bit misty r-e-s- of _blue floating in from .1\TE. Away at” 0930 hours followed track: for mile or more winding over heads of gullies. Finally' lost it. on spur before Coondella Creek “(granite). Bashed down spur to stream. Reconnoitred - sealed' to be satisfactory creeks downstream. At 1330 hours went back-upstream, -found two fences and a hut,' and a track. Didn't follow it, as_ compass check on creek quite satisf.a.ctory.: Passed. -junction'large creek and then lost all sense of pObition. .111.aded two riles 1ccmipass check every: 15. minutes ). Finally decided it about time . to Climb on to one ' , of' the ridges on left hand (climbed and climbed).Recogn.ized Coondella Trig - seemed to line Us. up- on one ridge only, so pushed on until dark. We seemed to be going in thp wrong direction -(0 ye Gods I-) Cue eked by compass - -reconnoitred climbed tree 7' di,dnit help much. Now 1800 hours,- so selected sane nice flat pieces of ground and tented. No_walter excefot 1,000? below. -Cloudy all 'day. (One day late at Bendethera -so far, .estimated -distance: covered this day .5 Sunda.7_2813/4 8.0- Wonderful, clear, _Ni. breeze.. . Up .0600,. away for mile. Bruce and I , 30' tree some– , thing big which' might b-e Bend.ethe-ra –Trig loomed ahead. and ridge we followed put us on to it. And what a climb On top we lunched - last Gilts water: Hope we.-getxsome tbnight.0an. see Moruya,.-Turoos Lakes 0oondella and Wart en. and., presumably, Be n.dethera Trigs . Good” leading ridge from here. Ifore.goes.- ,1400 hours. ,Tea- about 1800 , but Lord ,knows where.. out on Benaetb_pra Took wrong ridge- in ,brus Down. into - Followed it for -2 hours app rox.imately, -SE. Will IceeP on following 4-ill it ends - - 1,4'onda_y, Up0630, away 0930. Jo sun in valley .ye f. Ye-eh, waa:in kirting and -fall `r1. o-thib-;creekL 1230, Steadily changed direction toards W. Bendethera is again _ p rtad '2“y`or waterfalls -taken great' delight in tr6e.ferns and other 'vegeta tio Now .-.,stonker.ed -.cat op a., '2,5!—fall. From now on each rat ions his own. 'food. ,,,around d side of falls and came iback-Via-:tributary creek. For . 'twas very.rotigh -bars fis1atecr o8 e by arge “chocolat_e,. -.Yrnic'h easier; and, _creek ',started .having banks; Saw one ringbarked tree': Stopped -'1740 on bra Ckeni-ty, Tea : stew 'of nettles, t cinat o -soup cube' leraoli :and 'ba:rs,ley– ci.” and- 22 . _ . Tuesday ;.:00 3 4 Awoke -.; 0730: Brea1ast weetbix ar vitae et 1ewed , river, improving .' 'round2,:,ithh.Sr-'t.be.p.d,S,_, 'ad -sun,,'bck,.against.'alog,loo , ing atzard on` iagain'a't crop ei:lig..,;s,P*6at-;big1kends. Finally Ss tr. f,lat'in'.scrubby,timber. -'T t nettleand,: alali#'-'.-..stew…:yviti.-1::::w1;.ite '.sauce. Wednesday' 3118148: - Up 0800' hours. 33r6akfas .gra.ric se I,: YOrne Or:Aare xi' 1.7rpe3rrrilicarill Pa. eked and hours. - Sun :and clouds:Mercurochrome- for” soMe. 'Bull ants Pa:nici 'Plane :'– put- _bracken fire, -but ?plane too fast and low… _Further we-went; better the banks'. - man ts activity evident. -stopped,:),:und“).-11.9 hours. Jillaga. Creek, we think - -ate' mouady_ bread ,wi02. lama. – off:at 1430 hours along number good 'flats. > Two men busy _r_ingbarking ye 116 at us - and Rankin; Time' 1520 . hour “plane 'pilot - personal _friend.- Dropped hote y couldn't find ,%:pre sunably,oh.ly' to saY,–,,he..wouldntt _Walked on to homestead !..,had;,tea, damper - beautiful. - Thursday 1 4148 . da ybreak– bi Had ollay hot lemorr- f9r-brealcfast, but others' on damper and tea- -aga.in'ARankin. gave-, eight rabbit's to the ,.dogs.-) Rankinsadc11ed up vent .up, Con , past gLant poplar; :with groundsheet Ltitt2,1 out 4, mile before cave couldn't - inanage pa ck . Rankin took it.. Another Climb up_ liVit-;face.: of _valley through 'blue bush” o . only wild fig cave opening. :-. 'Only went in opening, - looked good. Good un iow. Up .aptir again and :left ,horse, The boys split up -my pack as -I_ lay; sweating like rad Rankin led us to foot of right spur up, - lt1nch_ at 1'2,00 hors, The others did rather. 1300 pushed off 'up spur a7erage slope 40 two rests - 1,-500 took I hour. At top rathe-r-,scrubby TN/ to a convenient spur to Shoaahaven.' Eventually .6,-6- Sunet reacthed the cleared' “lands . The others 'went on hoa ( tiagte st ed . the idea, Tr. n,gs, tone ) Phil and I followed - e ly Btt , the dark.er it got' the , ;colder
. .
. . .
it ,got and the f as Ler we went . Far away :tr., the dusk -a- hOtae.' stood in .a clump. of trees. We' made fo'r got: 0,.rk. Ve walked for riles. At last saw a fire 'w.k.-ki.t.;h. at one ti.io flared' brightl:y. Made for -this, but before we rsod 1 tJ-t; o a dseep..:ditch TUIr ofc;e
water, as Phil found out. Sp.w tor3hes flashing,.sq 'gave 'a ahout. Answered innedia te ly.-
.. _,.
. _ Our s tay/ .a. t' Grigg –.: Ts .ho-4.1.es toad., our trip back hf6the -Vf.a._ nail car,, .- bus. :and train, ' ,: and a “Sun”; reporter's ' car, the',af terY0,t13:,.Of. .. apolom.esli,;-legpulling' and what .:. have you –, – all these. thl,ne,s. would
.. . ._ . ,.. .
. . take. uP-, many thore pages - than the Editor or can. spare ..'…'111111 ch:.;ia P.b. 11 ,. - ,-. .. . . , . . .. -, very race :.-to r you. , . . Having thus., I hope,- exonerated myself in. the eyes Q critics, i t; now onl'yexnains- f or . time to rid op le of the habit of cadinOnishing-:us “Now', don't ,get 5411.. - 5
. . I .
TWENTY-FIRST,. ,BIRTHDAY -CELEBRATIONS:,.,…- The 21st ;Birthday' COmnitteei, Fal-T1a7111-Yera.C11.7t6-. 'make the following :re. cothinenda- tions. va. , That:;a_.:2.party- be held at :ihe.:.-DiatitOwAn' Ca fe , -8.30 ..,-, to 1 the .night of 'Friday' 15thOctober :( cos i3/6d: per.,, head ) . , followed by a party in-tI bush at Macqarie Fields. That the Club e these entertainments 'Go tthe extent oi - - That . a.ttendan:ee be by invitatIOn.:OnlY and that:go guests invited from other Clubs.' That all visitors -froin. 'other Clubs be 'welcomed at the .bliah 'party' a.rr3 that : tl'Ey be invited by circular. That . there be a. 'photographic show of Old.-events.and . That 411 'known old rrieinb'eriS- be circularised. e next nee ting a the contrAittee..wi 11 ,be on Ma.y; ?6th.: Gilroy will be 'pleased to hear from those tho know the whereabouts, of cad members, or., have id eas . His !phone number is :114407, .ext-. 321
TYAN PEAK AND CAPERTM VALLEY. 'tW MARACA T4 L. ,
kkoc.
, C.J:ira fir
VALK
, 1931; - visited the Capertee Valley, in the company. of . the late -Gordon
Smi th and wa-lke d. for scre - Miles the re, amid the :.rugged gra nd eu.r ' ofmighty sandstone walls.'-DoWnIbeyond the':1.1relbent
-
G 61.t.1 site of GlnDvis 'Shale; Oil
.,,, 61.4 Aocic,, t,4 -Works the -Yalley narrowed in ' VIS _considerably,. and presented
the ,appearance of ,a . gigantic.
canyon.- ,
Since -:',that -2first trip: the footprints of memory have not faded, -]and,-,-..during the lo
pr.].od of intervening - years, -the Writ ex.,,I,?:as'ApUrneyed along
cie of the. ranges ',in: the =
nei'ghborhloOd -i'::-.' sometimes.
domeljke nii5-untain. -rose 4.#;:llgiale'SiO'-,..bep:utli'.7 o
the mountain as an extinct volcanic -crat er ; and .:.'name-2 t-',Tayar:, Pic;but it is aOcall.y: known a s. :T /73..4-.,, Peak. -
_ In the early days of ast'.;century;,,.the _ aper ee
favorite aboriginal campi the-,?. Coiling of {-Hthe:4
man. it gra dtally . Changed to a grazing area.. Then came the _.cattie`: duffers, . an the stock owners, impatiently riding the range in'- search of their .missing cattle, found some;_of- the;,,'.:land,”, good and . settled ,on.'1,it Now, there is s ear ceacre which is nat taken
up by some enterprising ….”armerr:. t,Ortin.: his '-cattle tpn:twenty
thirty home.
Mr. .73oliathOn ,McLean, the oridinal grantee. - ard
Station, .:could -ride almost to . Bathurst ,:thr;Yugh )3is own ; p rOperty.
, .
It was in this country that a part. of 14 S.B.W. members
decided to go 'for. their 1948 -Easter- trip. We left-the,at'; Kandos in the - .early hours of Good. Friday:morning and 'met. the ..lorry driver, who was to transport .us down to the Capertdo,ValIey:
First point-of iliterest' on the road.; was-1.the',.-spectacUiar
,
poll ce .
Our lorry' driver took 'us 'beyond Glen Alice, along the .Umbielb.
Creek road, and thence uR a side creek- known' s _the Nile to Tom Grimshaw pr op-ert . about'29 ir4i les' ro -,:frora,-,-Zerridos
_
-
61.t.1 DA
't
/
kqi!
-
Route, a . N.44,11,4. blEWNE$- C..arnp'CS.
the ae cts.ble vall ey of his desire smiled-s irehlike him. Hundreds of feet' above the surrounding sandstone-tableland
al. one - and., on ea ch occasion,
Mt. Marsden, which is really:a ,spur of the, Main 'Div,iding. Re.
ending in an abrupt cliff face. .. Local legend says it is named after the bushranger Marsden, who jumped over on .-h14. horse,' escaping from
cornmenced.walking from this point, with Tyan Peak our first objective. A base..camp was first set up in a neighboring gully, and the water there seemedmore or less permanent, as beside the creek there wa.s.also -a well.
After a mid-day meal' we. started to climb the ridge to Tyan Peak wi thout _pa cks . At, the top . of the firSt steep pinch the conical mountain' was full in view, but in;the .ir.viediate foreground a peculiar: landscape. was seen., owing to the, weathering of the sandstone ri6ge :into boulders of .disintegration. 'Beyond that we climbed .a grassy ,slopg,and then a basalt scree slope, which we believe an unusual phenomenon in Australia.
. .
The _top of'. Tyan Peak was reached exactly two hours after leaving.'our bas,? .camp, and. the' view seeMe,d-to. be appreciated by every- - - one._ - No water .was obtainable “there .s o we consumed our own- pine- . apple- and tinned apple ..juice. By r.;u.ns.et we.) ?lade the. 2,500! descent to our camp' -site. again, and we retired early to our beds of' bracken.'
. Next day, ',Saturday, was .spent walking up .Umbiela Creek at a leisurely .pac.e,. again without packs, and-'at:one stage, eating figs and grapes in.-a -deserted or chard . In the afternoon. we._ wandered back to camp by wa`y.of.p.'sandStone . tableland, on the -eastern side. of Tyan-Peak,.-..and apparently the mountain may b-e climbed on that' side-: too
Sunday' was the Only 'stren.uott . day of our Easter trip, as we depa.rted-froM: our base .camp,.`and walked with packs along the levd1 bush road' to Glen Alice, and thence down 'the valley beyond fount Gundangaroo 'to Glen Davis township. The track along the petrol. pipe line was followed up a' long gully and over the range to the . liVolgan- River where., at sunset, ' a fairly level campsite was found. The party had coVered a.rniles for. the day, and most still had enough' energy to swim in the icy water of the .Wolgan.
- - _
Vronday Morning Was spent roaming. round the old works at Newnes, and after.,our _mid-day _ranch our car- transport arrived. -
' 'On the t ay in to 'Mt. Victoria the Wolgan Gap-road- was con-
spicuous by its steepness.- While the cars cooled Off at the top.
we walked over to the lookout, and gazed across a V alley with great broken masses of ffandstoile.. It is indeed the “Land -of Who Knows -Where. .
was&
ERA WORKING BEE. There were 32 'Present at the working bee on 21-17–.171.8-9— mostly workers.. Eighty posts eight feet long were cut or 'split and sunk 216” into- the ground to form a big corral' about 20 yards wide by 100 yards long, stretching across. the valley and about 20 yards up the hill. Trees (possibly eucalyptth on the
rising ground, arri paper barks, oaks or willows on the flat) will be planted to form a windbreak. The committee believe they can obtain. the necessary wire.to,,colnple.te the job.* -
-e
LINDSAY.. . By A.L. Wyborn.
The iourpose of this article is not only to give a story of our visit to Mount Lindsay, but to give Some details of the route.
We left the train at Dulbolla.arr3 met iv.rr. Lockhart of Rathdowney, who took Us by lorry about 12 miles to the Border Gate on the Macpherson Range. Frcm here the view of. Lindsay is most intriguing, but is unclimbable from this' end.
Following the border fence to the east, on the New South Wales side, we went first through open forest country and then through a patch of jungle and after crossing two .small creeklets (probably normally dry -) came to a right angle corner in. the fence. .The' - distance from the Border C.:I-ate to this spot would be approximately.,.. 14 miles and took forty minutes, the track being very muddy..'
The fence turns left (north) up an open grassy hill, while a: timber track leads straight ahead. This 'is the bet spot to start the climb, and is a suitable camp spot if the creeklet is flowing.
. Climbing through the fence,' which incidentallyis not the . actual border here (it being on the'top of Lindsay) we went straight up the steep grassy slope, with grass four feet high. Here a Kaputar slug twined round a pie de of stick brought memories of. the, Nand ewars, the vivid red edges .and diamond shape on. the back being most pronounced. Views were already. showing -up, notably _Glassy Mountain and Edinburgh. Castle.
Then we plunged into a fairly thick jungle, .still climbing, and reached the foot of the cliffs. on' the .th-outh east corner of the mountain. Time to- here from the fence, a little less than one hour.
There is . only, one way up, but as it looks 'fairly. difficult, I will give three signs:- a trodden down wire netting- fence, .a .tree ten yards further round with. large letters carved- on it, and a rotten stump of a , tree a few yards up, .about five feet high. and one- foot
six inches in 'diameter. y,
The surface during the climb consists of part rook and part soil, and we wore boots, much to the consternation of a party from' Brisbane we met earlier, who were climbing .in sandshoes. Looking back I am convinced boots with rubber on the soles would be best, as the heel is able to grip in any loose earth or pine needles, while the sole grips the rocks.. The cliff face. is close enough to ' vertical and the climbing consists of short traverses on small, ledges, with shrubs and grass to .hold on- to, followad by vertical ascents over rocks. The route-is fairly obvious, and it is worth remembering every grip for eating down.
There are many tricky .bits, -such- ae wedging: oneself up in a vertical corner of two rocks, -with. one foot way' out on a very fliMs'y tree; and quite often a -finger grip Of roCk or the root of apiece
of grass was the only thing to rely on.
9.
10.
The climb of about-five.hundmd. feet ta:kesan hoUr, 'proceeding carefull y with a party, and veers only about fifty yards to the .. east.
We then- found ourselves on a narrow jungle covered spur leading north for about two hundred yards, before camin.g to the final cliff face, which is not climbed. If one goes to the east about a quarter of a mile, a camping cave is reached by neans of a grassy ledge, -
Our route lay to the west following the cliff face for two hundred yards past dripping water until the face ended. Here we went up about one hundred feet into thick jungle and emerged on the west end of the mountain through small casuarinas on to a rocky point.; The view was verI good. Close below was the Border'Gate, while in a sweep we took in Glassy, Edinburgh Castle, North Obelisk, Bald Rock way over, Cluni_e,, Ernest., .Barney and .7aroon..
The highest point of Lindsay, 4,050i, is still some two hundred feet higher th.an. the casuarina point, and ig marked by a tree covered With initials, but from here there is no:view as the jungle is so thick, and for different views one has to go to the treacherous edge of tile jungle where the vertical cliffs fall like the walls of an impregnable castle.
. The way down was by the same route as we __came up, -but of course. much more difficult. Mere is that delightful -sense of uncertainty as one puts - a leg over the edge- and gropes for a toehold, while the forests below look ever so green and enticing-. We had no rope', but if a party was inexperienced, a piece twenty feet 'long would be a decided help at one 'point.
In conclusion, there is nothing about climbing Lindsay that bhould worry anyone with reasbriable nerves and good arms and legs.
ALTERA.T I MS TO 'WALKS PR.OGRAWE. The 'Working Bee 'a at .Bouddi has been
to 29th and 30th Tdray. -RUby Payne - Scott is walkto Splend our Rock oil April 28th,- 29th and 30th has consequently been .cancelled.
THE TRUSTEES -.OF BLIJEGUM F CREST want-assistance on May-22nd and 23rd CEEDairaTthree trees _across the river.
,
PHI' NIGHTS': -On Friday 16th July and Thursday 22nd July,: Gordon
farra-rY will be showing tiLrns of the Williams River and of the -
Goulburn River Valley at. Shell House, Margaret Street, at 8 p.m.
There Will be supper at 9.30 pm. . Tickets frbm Gordon in the Club room. -
.WALKING IN THE. LAKE ” DISTRICT.
Claire Kinsella writes: liHere am I in the centre of the Lake District with Nan. and Clare Prowse and a few hundred other walkers and cyclists. . I know perfectly well that ria.ny S.B.W. would have bounded frau Helvellyn to Langdale Pikes to Scanfell and Striding Edge, skipped from Windemere to.CoriSton towiestwater to Butter-
-e, taking Derwentwater..anr3.:Grasmere in their stride. In shbrt played merry hell with lake and hill and bog and beck; started early and returned late - but I, being what I am, have taken the countryside in more leisurely fashion and enjoyed it in ny own way. Grasmere is ,, I think, the loveliest spot, .rriainly be.cause the hones, whether sna1l cottage or: farm:. or' large mansion, all spen..to fit so . well into the countryside. All blialdings- are of greystone in'which there. is a rich, yellow rose shade giving a. mellowness . and warmth to . the stone. Often the norta r is -concealed so that the walls seen to be .unmortared, and the stones to lis one on the other in haphazard shapes and sizes. At present, because Spring is so early, the trees are all bare except for the larches, which are showing a pale fuzzy. green. Irve learned. to know a good many - the delicate silver .trunked birch is loveliest of :all, then. the great beech with long slender 'pointed buds, the ash withblack buds on- grey stems and the great chestnuts with huge fat bursting. buds. Daffodils are in bloom .everywhere beside the lake, beneath the trees, and
the .cottage gardes and the wide -gardens of the-big houses. I know the cottSfoot - like .a bright yellow. ,daisy, the. field daisy
itself whit e in the -green grass. where the lambs ..a.re dancing about:
after. their dirty grey' mothers, the celendine like. a -many petalled buttercup, and ..the wild violet with strangely spotted leaves 'and a.. flower like a sanall.nauve orchid. The birds too, are everywhere - the blackbird and the thrush, lots of chaffinches; who are very friendly, and on the grassy tops overlooking Langdale Valley we heard a lark singing.
W;a;ker-s here at this time of the year do not -carp out and, as there is no such joy as -a carp fire, or camp cooking, their packs - are like our .day packs..
On Good Friday we climbed up by track to Souruntil . we came to Easdale Tarn, bare and lovely among the bare 'hills. From here on to the top of Silver How the.way was on boggy owampy land and the path hard to find. I hated climbing but the view from the Op overlooking the Langdale Valley with Langdale Pikes and )1Vinderr4ere in the distance and Ellterwater (I think thatTs how they
went) was well worth it. We ate C5ar packed lunch of .cheese and –
corned beef sandwiches and nearly died of thirst. We .continued on to two more tarns,. then found' our own way down among the startled sheep to.Easdale valley again, where we each drank five cups of tea in a little old cottage where they gave us huge quantities of food . . and allowed me to bump my head on the massive oak rafters every-
tine I moved. Walking here is very different from at home, or rather the country is.”
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12.
NEgS FROM BILL HORTON: It Ts an ill strike that does nobody any good. Owing t -the'tally clerks T strike in Adelaide Bill had plenty of time to look round Adelaide and contact the Adelaide- Bush Walkers with whom' he did two weekend trips - one to the Murray and the other to the Onkaparinka. He describes the. two very, enjoyable weekends, made doubly so by the manner in which he was treated by the A.B.W . Invitations to Club. and private walks, as well as the Club Christnas.party and private parties - were too numero-u.s to rention, and made his short stay in_ Adelaide a very happ- y one.
From London Bill virrites that in four hours he walked to the Imperial Institute,- the Albert Hall, Kensington Gardens, Rotten Row, Hyd,e Park Corner, Constitution, Buckingham Palace, The Mall, St. Janes Palace, Wellington Barracks, Park Lane, the serpentine, Peter Pan,-,The Roun.d Pond in Kensington Gardens, and finished up in Queen Ts square where he started from A genuine tiger trip and a neat bit of rap and compass work.
At Easter Bill went to the Lakes District (Claire Kinsella“ was there at the same time). He writes: “I set out from Keswick to do a. round tour of the district. Three sunny days and one wet day was a record for the Lake District at Easter_ time, and it enabled me to see ipost of the sights, at their best, in a very short period.. In many ways the grass covered hills reminded me of the Kosciusko district. Walkers and 'climbers thronged the area in thousands and many- like me had no accommodation and spent the night in odd farm houses, barns, etc.; but even 'empty barns were hard to find and many slept in the open as the weather was quite mild”
GOSSIP,
Seen at the Show : A fair (or was it dark') –member of the
earnestly inspectingbedroom suites , with three 'stalwart. S.B.W's. .. Also an intrepid Bush Walker hopelessly lost near the :cocoa jungle. Last-seen. carrying out ..a- reccy in the vicinity of two chocolate_ blondes” - R. please note.
Garden Island switch over: A representative..-of a foreign power Feporfrrh-ifttrar7qe-E-1=nd electrical drawing office is :now drafting new look 'skirts which are designed to slay at -a glance.
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Bill Horton has done some interesting walks in England. ..1=tumour Ha-si-t-Tchre the best was the one he did roUnd Croydon aerodrome with a blonde. Nice .walking, Bill!
The echidna which appeared during the Era Working bee 'couldn 't show eiiiF$ any points._
“DonTt disobey me Dorman,P said th-e leader as he lowered Dorm on a rope head first over Splendour Rack. But Dorm knows . better. now. . On the Point Lookout Trip he proclaimed his independence - spent one night alone, far from themadding crowd.
13.
SAND SKI-ING
by Bert Whinier
Having often been as ked by various members of the Club for details of Sand.ski-ing, I have written this article.fbr those interested. Expert skiers find it good conditioning before going
to the snow, while beginners learn to handle their skis and learn the principles of turning and uphill climbing, thus saving time when on the snow. It is also quite a plegsant outing.
The Club has been fortunate in having obtained, through Tom Moppett, 60 lbs of ceresene wax, 'which is- the only wax so far found to b-e of much use on the sand. The wax bas neen allotted to the following members: Kevin Bradley, Claude Haynes, Frank Leyden, Bill Cosgrove, Len Scotland, Alex Colley, Tom Yoppett and nyself. quiries should be made so as to ensure that wax is available when a visit to the sand is contemplated.
The wax is applied with a hot flat iron, then left in the shade for a few minutes to harden. It is applied much more.thickly. than when waxing for the snow. An iron is usually available at the sand hill for re-waxing.
The best conditions for sand ski-ing are when the sand is dry and cold on the surface, with an,inoh or so under the surface wet and packed hard.
The best clothing is shorts or -swimming trunks and military, boots with grooves cut in the heels. As the boots receive considerable wear on the sa nd it is not advisable to wear expensive ones. Normal ski-ing clothing is too hot. As for the skis, as long a s they are kept well waxed there is no more wear than on the snow, less if anything. Broom sticks With a leather strap either tacked on or t hreaded through a hole do for sticks. .
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Almost every Sunday till late July or August there should be a.good chance of arranging sand ski-Ing for those interested. Cronulla sandhills have been the headquarters for some time, but,Lam. . watching developments on a hill at South Coogee where a' scoop is wirlv-, ing. The Cronulla sandhills a re about half an-hourfs walk: froth Cronulla railway -station.
At present there is no spare gear, s it is necessary for anyone going to have their own -ski sticks and boots, and the boots should be fitted to the binding beforehand. It is an advantage_ to have the ski already waxed. Later it might be possible to get, some spare ski for the use of those -who do not min them.
Frank Leyden, Bill Cosgrove and Len Scotland expect to go out fairly dften,' so those interested could contact thaM to see if anything is on.
14,
KOSCIUSKO SHEEP SHOOTING.-
National Fitness C.ouncil.writOs: “Sir, .
I wish to to exception to , two articles in your last “lb sue On Page 3 you report \that “the .National Fitness' .COuncil:obje.cted..” This is a mistake. as the objection cane from the. Youth Hostels
'Association. Further,- your -excuse that .you wrote 1.1a1lezed. reasont. because someone else said it -does not take th6 -responsibility from your magazine for accuracy of reporting and -rather points to the fact that you have been indulging 'in. the piab licat ion. of Unfound..ed., gossip when you could quite easily. have ' chocked up on it.
“My second .objection is -to the.” letter. on page, 15 printed over: the name– of Allen D. Strom. This 'letter ,is, nothing but a scurriI-. ous arra unwarranted attack on the Youth Hostels 11.Ssociati.on and most unworthy, of 'Mr.: Strom-for whom many Of .us had a high regard. Furthermore, it is full of inaccura.cis and I am -surprised ' again that you .s.houlc3 .allow it to .go to print without checking On the _statements:it contains or of allowing the Youth Hostels Association an opportunity to conmient, on it.
Strom starts off by referring to an alleed sheep'shooting incident and later, I think, deliberately infers that the Y.H.A. is connected with it. If any person can show any proof that merbers of the Y.H.A.have been guilty Of shooting sheep, not their oWn_property, or of damaging other people's proPerty,
the Y.H.A. Executive Committee will take strong action against the . offenders.'
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In answer to some of Mr. Strom s mis-statements or inferences, the Y.H.A. is not a bushwalking club and .is riot affiliated with the Federation of Bush Walking Clubs. The primary object of the Youth Hostels Assoaation is -to provide hostels_ for youlag p eople but Clause ?B .'of Our Con.stitution- is:,- To assist young persons to acquire a mom intimate hnowledgeyand love of the countryside and to promote' activities which will foster friendshiPs.and bring about' b.' better understanding among all members. To develop them 'mentally, physically, and socially and in. an environment that is conductive to good citizenship”.
“No busivalking test ,is necessary to join Y.H.A.. but Mr.Strom's statement that “anybody my enter without trial .and preaerlent” is a. deliberate misrepresentation and Mr. Strom knows - this quite well as he was connected with the Association for some time. All applicants must apply for- membership on a recognised form and agree, to abide by the rules set Out thereon. -Furthermore they must give the names of two sponsors and are not Y.H.A.. members until their application has been approved._
Mr. F.Y. K5-11.e; Chairma.n of the Youth Hostel Association of the
“Disciplinary- a.ction..can-be taken at any time 'against- members and in fact has been taken on three or foul', occasions.”
15.
The s tatement that great numbers of “no hop ers ” have sought -sanctuary.” in Y..1-1.A. is a direct insult to every Y.H.A. member both past and present and indirectly to practically every bushwalking club in New South Wales. We are proud of the fact . that great numbers of our members have graduated through..Y.H.A. into almost every -bushwalking Club in-liew South. Wales. We feel sure that those who have passed through our regular. “leader Ts training course” will hold their own against .mdst,
L;
IITaking all cir.curAstances into consideration .I. think that the Y.H.A. can fairly..expec.Qan apology from the liSydriey Bushwalker” for having published A.D. Stromts letter and -also' an 'apology from Mr. Strom himself.”
DEDICATION OF SPLEMOUR ROCK- MEMORIAL
15y Tom Moppett.
ANZAC D./. “
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On the Friday night a snail party camped: in the bush near the beginning of Narrow Neck. Before we went to sleep, every few minutes came the tramp of boots from the road as other parties
went by. And when we woke in the morning the tramp of boots started again - or perhaps it had been going on all night.
Saturday was a perfect day - clear, warm in the ,sun and cool in the shade. Just such a day as we had. hoped for. That night
we camped on the top of Merri Merrigal. There_wa.s.*a large camp at Mobbs Swarri_3, and early in the morning, in the half light, we passed three large groups of tents on the top of Dingo.
All the rocks at the end of Dingo around Splendour Rock were thick with'buwhwalkers, but c' till more were coming. The ceremony . was 'delayed until sunrise, about' 6:25 a.m. to allow everyone to join the group. A , list was passed round for signature, and 140 names were counted a very representative gathering of walkers,
The 'Service :6150-ilea with the. hymn. “0 God Our Help In Ages Past” led by members of the Y.H.A. Choir, accompanied on the violin by Roy Gaddlin. The Federation President, Stan Cattier, then briefly explained that we were there to dedicate the “Rock as a memorial
to bushwalkers who fe.11. in -the last War, both members of affiliated Clubs and unattached walkers: - He then read the na.Mes of those who. were known,. including Gordon Smith,- Gordon Mannell, Norm Sail, Reg., Hewitt, who were S.)3.1110s, and Charlie Roberts, pre-war. Federation Se' retary.
T)addy Pa llin: then Unveiled 'and dedicated the Memorial in
these words : behalf of thci Bushwalkers,, I (la- unveil and dedicate this tablet to the' greater Glory of God, and in memory' of these our brother Bushwalkers -who 'laid down their litre's in the. service of their Country”.
16.
The dedication was followed by a prayer and then Kiplingts Recessional was sung. Laurence Binyon ts well-known lines
“They- shall . not grow .old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them%
were recited by myself from the Rock. The National Anthem closed the service.
The service lasted only about fifteen minutes, but the . impressive silence broken only by the words of the service quietly but clearly spoken and the singing must have gripped' the 'feelings of everyone there. A cold morning had been expected, but the sky was overcast and the outlines of that magnificent panorama of ridges were slightly blurrer3, fitting in well with the atmosphere of the ga thering. I noticed more than one shiver slightly as we honoured and mourned-our fallen friends. A splash of red on the eastern horizon was the only touch of brilliance, perhaps suggesting, that we should remember them with colour, as they had lived.
-The plaque was set. right out on the edge of the Rock at the feet of anyone standing there looking out to Kanangra, BO that he would .1bOk down and read before turning away.
After the service everyone; took their turn to the Rock,..and then_ the crowd gradually disappeared dawn: oil. to the Cox by various routes , whi le others camps and breakfasts before wending their way back.
go ,out .on to some going' rettrned to .their
to civiiizationi
,
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COLOURED SLIDES OF TASMANIA. Frank Leyden, assisted by Bill TOFE-F6TeBITTEr= erriTtrualifie s for the os cars as a Clb.
, lecturer. There were well over a hundred in the Club room on Friday 30th April and the only vacant seats were in the front .-row. The slides and the comentary were carefully prepared and,Well.”',.co- - -ordinated, , and gave a most realistic impression of -the .sceniO beatity of Tasmania. Frank and party were lucky in picking some of ,Tasman-…. la's best weather, so fine that by the .end of the trip the.,views
- were 'obscured by smoke. It was a.n excellent preview for a:hyone thinking of a trip down there.
CLUB PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION: .At the -May monthly meeting,IlaY-Kirkby.
erirs71-6p-r-c515-crs-e-ThaT-Th e Club form a Photographic Section. . The. section would handle all Club .activities in any way rela4hg to photography.' In addition, it would be a .means of helping 'all photographers by means . of compariSon- of work, lectures, etc. He is of the opinion that people would be keen enough- to give one night a month to it and :knows of -a -very .:suitable. room .available on the . .fotwth Thursday of ea oh month..
FEDERA a ON NOTES
Brian Harvoy.
PUBLIC, RELATIONS COMMITTEE. This Club gave no tj,..,ce .-of mo ti on to
Fe-s-Cricr-t-iTa-t-E-O-tro-nr.C-airiled at the .March Meeting *hereby the Publi.c Relations Committee waS established.. .Following this; and. at the suggestion of the we moved that until. such time as the -
rescission motion be dealt with, all correspondence handled by the P.R.C. be first submitted to the.,E.?cecutive before transmission, which motion was adopted.. To ensure…full. functioning of the Federation,' a further motion Was…adopted that. the operations of the P.R.C. be Suspended until outcome of June meeting:, conseque.nt upon which the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Roar. Compagnoni,- withdrew his resignation tentatively. It is. to be hoped that the chaotic condition into which. the Federation. was thrown by the establishment of the Public . Re lat ioriS Committee on the impracticable lines as cons tituted will be a lesson to Clubs to refrain from submitting ill-considered
motions'. .
CONSERVATION BUEEA.U. Had nothing. to.-report since its functions were 7rOar Y-c-O-n-tro ife-rira-1: nature and affecting outside bodies' and. required “direct negotiations with outside bodies”; all of which were the responsibility- of the P.R.C. to whom all, matters -had, been referred since parch meeting. The President, however,. Wisely ruled that the Conservation Bureau and other Standing'COinthittees function as before.
C'0151FRLAND COUNTY COUNCIL. All walker-s are invited t, o.take IY.-aars-cii-s-sTiii=fhoposed-1.'Green Belt' aild tracks therein at
Building, .201 Castlereagh Street, at 8 p.m..: on 25th May. NATIONAL. TRUST, and Federat ion Jaave combined 'for a Ili 124:, night at Ere-615117.71Tratrette, Wyn.yard Square, at 8 p_.#. on Thursdays 17th .3-.1zne, 'llrhen colour films depicting the works.. conserved by the Trust in England will be screened.. Subscription, A:ncludingsupper, is 3/-. Book' early, with Federation Secretary. . BOUDDI NATURAL PARK. liWorking bee .and'Dedication of .Charles DIArcy Wolie-r-FirliemWilal. -Weekend .28/29/30 May.' . Federation has .nominated . Harry Virhaite' of Warrigals lu the :stead of Oliver' Wyndham as Trustee.
of the Park. .. . - SEARCH & RESCUE PRACTICE ill-EMEND. 14/15/16th May.T.,!!Seasrchers”
ror-rnTIMBUrTie-tifeerillP7ii;–rn:d 6 p on 14th Maj-..f orinstructioris.
KATOOMBA.;OBERON ROAD. We learn of a' proposed road via fs Glen, Ire-Cal.-Orig771nriaM=1. Range,- Oberon, and' onto Covira. Protest to
local authorities, being .forwarded. , . .
FOREST ADVISORY. COUNCIL requires a PU:bli city -Officer (so does the
IrOSCIUSKO.. - Hotel- Manger exempts Federation from “sheep shooting iricraTrit7 . and: wi welcome all wa. lker s'a”
1948 ANNUAL. Contributions close .on, 31st May. - manerr-AMMESCTIE LEVY. Clubs are asked. to condder a levy of 6d. FeVireWn-fire ThTeTibership list tO- create fund to provide fares for -searchers.
Sorry for snipping everything, -but space is limited - Ed.
TEES MONTH- IN THE BUSH.
The floral 'pageant never ceases. Even through“ the hard
months of sume.r when torrid sun and blasting winds threaten to shrivel up every delicate bloom, the 'everlasting put on a brave show and that hardy pea bush, the philota, is lighted up with orange yellow flowers. Now that the cool weather is.here however thee: is renewed activity in the bushlands. Those visitors from –another State, the Queensland wattle's., are already bursting into flower and that hardy. but fragrant native.i., the WoollSia2. i 5 covered with Street smelling flowers, Borb,nias are in bud and cream. :five corners (styphelia longifolia). are hanging out their da.intY flowers. This winter and .spri-ng should, be record years for tine .native flower. bearers.
ALUMINIUM BILLIES.
Parld7iiir—s-Eru-at type billies now in stock, 1,
30 and 4 pint billies, and 2 and 3 pint upright billies..
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STEEL .FRAME RUCKSACKS .
“Rover Lightweight” rucksack 4- pocket full. “BUshwa.lker”,”;:.,x,acksack
2:15:&1.
size 3: 5: Od 3: 10: 6d
S,LEEPING 'BAGS.
raY75r:Clavr-fillen 1st June .
Regret nb'4nail 'orders can be2accepted.
'Phone Orders after 10
DRIED VEGETABIES S. .
1.7rirmaties,xce'pt onions, l/6 d. per . Oni9d. per packet.
47'
C
PADDY PALLIN,
CAMP GEAR FOR WALKERS, 32'7. George tree. ,
SYDNEY.
!Phone BX3595 .
WHAT 1-11AS PADDY GOT?