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+====== The Sydney Bushwalker. ======
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+Established June 1931.
-THE SYDNEY BUSH WALKER'  Established June 1931
-fia
+A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to the Sydney Bush Walkers, Box 4476 G.P.O., Sydney, 2001. Club meetings are held every Wednesday evening from 7.30 pm at the Cahill Community Centre (Upper Hall), 34 Falcon Street, Crow's Nest.
-A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to The Sydney Bush Walkers, Box 4476 G.P.O., Sydney, 2001. Club meetings are held every Wednesday
-evening from 7.30 pm at the Cahill Community Centre (Upper Hall), 34 Falcon Street, Crow's Nest.
+----
-* * * * * * * * * *
-EDITOR: Ainslie Morris, 45 Austin Street, Lane Cove, 2066. Telephone 428,3178.
+|**Editor**|Ainslie Morris, 45 Austin Street, Lane Cove, 2066. Telephone 428,3178.|
-BUSINESS MANAGER: Bill Burke, 3 Coral Tree Drive, Carlingford, 2118. Telephone 871,1207.
+|**Business Manager**|Bill Burke, 3 Coral Tree Drive, Carlingford, 2118. Telephone 871,1207.|
-PRODUCTION MANAGER
+|**Production Manager & Artist**|Helen Gray.|
-& ARTIST: Helen Gray.
+|**Typist**|Kath Brown.|
-TYPIST: Kath Brown.
+|**Printers**|Phil Butt, Barry Wallace and Barbara Evans.|
-PRINTERS: Phil Butt, Barry Wallace and Barbara Evans.
-* * * * * * * * * *
+=== February, 1985 ===
-FEBRUARY, 1985.
-Page Rafting the Franklin by David Lewis 2
+===== In This Issue: =====
-College Plans Bushwalking Guides Course 5
-Advertisement - Eastwood Camping Centre 6
+| | |Page|
-All You Need to Know About Bushwalking Paul Sharp 7
+|Page Rafting the Franklin|David Lewis| 2|
-The Country With a Human Face - Part 2 Wal Liddle 8
+|College Plans Bushwalking Guides Course| | 5|
-In Retrospect Bill Gamble 10
+|All You Need to Know About Bushwalking|Paul Sharp| 7|
-The Annual General Meeting & The Annual Reunion 12
+|The Country With a Human Face - Part 2|Wal Liddle| 8|
-"You Should Enjoy This Next Bit ..." Tony Cunneen 13
+|In Retrospect|Bill Gamble|10|
-St. John Ambulance First Aid Certificate Course 14
+|The Annual General Meeting & The Annual Reunion| |12|
-STOP PRESS:
+|"You Should Enjoy This Next Bit ..."|Tony Cunneen|13|
-Obituary - Myles Dunphy 0.B.E. 15
+|St. John Ambulance First Aid Certificate Course| |14|
-**********
+|Stop Press: Obituary - Myles Dunphy O.B.E.| |15|
-C.
- Page 2 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER February, 1985.
+===== Advertisements: =====
-RAFTING THE FRANKLIN.
+| |Page|
+|Eastwood Camping Centre| 6|
+----
+===== Rafting The Franklin. =====
 by David Lewis.
 Two years ago, very few people would have been aware of the Franklin River's existence. Today, it must surely be Australia's best known river. Rafting the Franklin is reputed to be a dangerous activity but as an issue, the Franklin has taken a far greater toll amongst politicians - many of whom have probably never ventured within a hundred kilometres of its rushing waters.
 After only a short time in the political arena, the Franklin claimed two governments, as the issue changed first the Tasmanian State Government and then played a significant part in changing the Federal Government. The movement which formed to preserve this unique wild river swelled beyond anyone's imagination. Their cause won the strong support of vast numbers of Australians - most of whom gave their support in the knowledge that they would never directly experience the Franklin's rugged beauty.
-Anyone who has been to south-west Tasmania will know that the region is characterised by contrasts and erratic weather. If anything is definite, it's rain; those who venture into the south-west can be sure
-that at some time in their trip it must rain. The Roaring Forties bring to Tasmania's central highlands a climate of frequent rain, snow and sudden storms at all times of the year.
+Anyone who has been to south-west Tasmania will know that the region is characterised by contrasts and erratic weather. If anything is definite, it's rain; those who venture into the south-west can be sure that at some time in their trip it must rain. The Roaring Forties bring to Tasmania's central highlands a climate of frequent rain, snow and sudden storms at all times of the year.
 Draining from the lakes of the central highlands the Franklin River begins its 125 kilometre journey south towards its confluence with the Gordon River. Over its course, the Franklin passes through the world's largest remaining temperate rain forest and through one of its most spectacular ravines.
-There are no rivers like the Franklin left in Australia. Indeed, there are very few like it in the world. There are no towns or houses by its banks; there are no farms with domestic animals grazing nearby; no drains empty into it and, apart from the Lyell Highway, which crosses its upper reaches, no roads or railway lines .anywhere near it.
+There are no rivers like the Franklin left in Australia. Indeed, there are very few like it in the world. There are no towns or houses by its banks; there are no farms with domestic animals grazing nearby; no drains empty into it and, apart from the Lyell Highway, which crosses its upper reaches, no roads or railway lines anywhere near it.
 Yet the rafter can hardly begrudge the existence of the highway crossing, as it is from here that access can be gained to the river.
-The journey down the Franklin commences where the Lyell Highway crosses the Collingwood River, the Collingwood being a substantial tributary of the Franklin. It was here that our party of seven set about packing, water-proofing and shock-proofing three weeks' of equipment and supplies. A trip of this kind takes many months of organisation and preparation as all manner of contingencies must be accommodated. It is
-a trade-off, however, as the more you take, the more you reduce the buoyancy and manoeuvrability of the inflatable rubber raft on which you rely to get you to the other end of the river.
+The journey down the Franklin commences where the Lyell Highway crosses the Collingwood River, the Collingwood being a substantial tributary of the Franklin. It was here that our party of seven set about packing, water-proofing and shock-proofing three weeks' of equipment and supplies. A trip of this kind takes many months of organisation and preparation as all manner of contingencies must be accommodated. It is a trade-off, however, as the more you take, the more you reduce the buoyancy and manoeuvrability of the inflatable rubber raft on which you rely to get you to the other end of the river.
-This was my second journey down the Franklin (and my fourth trip
-into south-west 'Tasmania in as many years) but, nevertheless, preparations on this occasion proved to be just as demanding as before. Each member of the group made a paddle from aluminium tubing and marine ply covered with a thin protective layer of fibreglass. Three weeks' of dehydrated
+This was my second journey down the Franklin (and my fourth trip into south-west Tasmania in as many years) but, nevertheless, preparations on this occasion proved to be just as demanding as before. Each member of the group made a paddle from aluminium tubing and marine ply covered with a thin protective layer of fibreglass. Three weeks' of dehydrated foods had to be individually packed and water-proofed by copious layers of plastic bags. Recipes for trips of this type depend upon the imagination with which one can combine various dried vegetables with rice, lentils or pasta. The alternative is pre-packaged freeze-dried meals which have much the same impact on the digestive system as would a stick of gelignite. Meals are supplemented mainly by nuts, cheese, dried fruits, biscuits, and chocolate. (It is astonishing how quickly the demand for chocolate rises to a point where it becomes virtually inelastic against all other substances.)
-foods had to be individually packed and water-proofed by copious layers of plastic bags. Recipes for trips of this type depend upon the imagination with which one can combine various dried vegetables with rice, lentils or pasta. The alternative is pre-packaged freeze-dried meals which have much the same impact on the digestive system as would a stick of gelignite. Meals are supplemented mainly by nuts, cheese, dried
-February, 1985. THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER Page 3.
+Once food, clothing, raft repair kit, people repair kit and numerous other miscellaneous pieces of equipment have been assembled, the task is then to compress them, and their numerous layers of plastic coating, into a water-proof home brew barrel and a ruck sack. If there are any leaks you can be sure that the river will find them. All is then secured to the raft and coverd by a spray sheet. The rafter then applies his own protective coating; a wet suit, a buoyancy vest and a canoeing helmet. (For anyone who contemplates the journey down the Franklin, there is an excellent publication available from the Wilderness Society entitled "Notes for Franklin River rafters and bushwalkers" which provides the definitive tourist guide for coping with a trip down the river.)
-fruits, biscuits, and chocolate. (It is astonishing how quickly the demand for chocolate rises to a point where it becomes virtually inelastic against all other substances.)
-Once food, clothing, raft repair kit, people repair kit and numerous other miscellaneous pieces of equipment have been assembled, the task is then to compress them, and their numerous layers of plastic coating, into a water-proof home brew barrel and a ruck sack. If there are any leaks you can be sure that the river will find them. All is then secured to the raft and coverd by a spray sheet. The rafter then applies his own protective coating; a wet suit, a buoyancy vest and a canoeing helmet. (For anyone who contemplates the journey down the Franklin, there is an excellent publication available from the Wilderness Society entitled "NOTES FOR FRANKLIN RIVER RAFTERS AND BUSHWALKERS" which provides the definitive tourist guide for coping with a trip down the river.)
 The trip takes around 14 days to complete but this can vary considerably according to weather conditions. The slightest rain can flood the river's narrow ravines and leave parties stranded for many days. Water levels must be monitored religiously.
-Upon setting out, the rafter immediately disappears into a wilderness of green and misty valleys, canopied by the dense rainforest which crowds the Franklin's banks. There are rapids from the first stroke of the -paddle and these give but a small taste of what is to come. For the uninitiated, the Collingwood provides a good introduction to the art of riding rapids as the river becomes progressively more challenging. A rafter soon becomes adept at dodging mid-stream boulders and logs. (Sometimes it seems there are as many logs in the river as beside it.)
- However, the river is a great equaliser and all rafters meet the challenge with mixed success; the last fatality on the Franklin was the drowning of a professional guide and yet the majority of people who have travelled the river have had no previous rafting experience.
+Upon setting out, the rafter immediately disappears into a wilderness of green and misty valleys, canopied by the dense rainforest which crowds the Franklin's banks. There are rapids from the first stroke of the paddle and these give but a small taste of what is to come. For the uninitiated, the Collingwood provides a good introduction to the art of riding rapids as the river becomes progressively more challenging. A rafter soon becomes adept at dodging mid-stream boulders and logs. (Sometimes it seems there are as many logs in the river as beside it.) However, the river is a great equaliser and all rafters meet the challenge with mixed success; the last fatality on the Franklin was the drowning of a professional guide and yet the majority of people who have travelled the river have had no previous rafting experience.
-Prior to 1976, only two parties 7 eight people - had successfully travelled the Franklin; although, in the aarly 1800s, many convicts sent on logging expeditions from the penal settlement on Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour must have been well acquainted with the Franklin's lowest reaches. The first successful expedition over the Franklin's full length was in canoes in 1958; it was that party's third attempt. They were not followed until 1970 when another glIbup of four made the trip on wooden rafts and inner tubes. In 1976, a total of seven people travelled down the Franklin - among them was BOb Brown. Over the next seven years, the Franklin lost its low profile. Whilst the river was under threat, thousands made the journey each summer. BUt to each rafter, knowledge of those numbers has little effect on what is always a very individual experience.
-After three days on the river, our party reached the Irenabyss (which means 'chasm of peace'). Here sheer cliffs rise up a hundred metres,above the river to frame a narrow piece of sky. At this point, the Franklin is about five metres wide. Water moves slowly through this narrow channel (except after rain when precisely the opposite occurs). The foam from the rapids upstream swirls calmly on its surface. The rafter is left with the impression that the ravine must be as deep as it
+Prior to 1976, only two parties - eight people - had successfully travelled the Franklin; although, in the early 1800s, many convicts sent on logging expeditions from the penal settlement on Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour must have been well acquainted with the Franklin's lowest reaches. The first successful expedition over the Franklin's full length was in canoes in 1958; it was that party's third attempt. They were not followed until 1970 when another group of four made the trip on wooden rafts and inner tubes. In 1976, a total of seven people travelled down the Franklin - among them was Bob Brown. Over the next seven years, the Franklin lost its low profile. Whilst the river was under threat, thousands made the journey each summer. But to each rafter, knowledge of those numbers has little effect on what is always a very individual experience.
-is high. It is hard to comprehend just how much water is flowing past with each passing second. For 10 or 15 metres above the water level the cliffs show no sign of vegetation, having been regularly scoured by floods.
-In the course of our first three days on the Franklin, the cliffs
+After three days on the river, our party reached the Irenabyss (which means 'chasm of peace'). Here sheer cliffs rise up a hundred metres above the river to frame a narrow piece of sky. At this point, the Franklin is about five metres wide. Water moves slowly through this narrow channel (except after rain when precisely the opposite occurs). The foam from the rapids upstream swirls calmly on its surface. The rafter is left with the impression that the ravine must be as deep as it is high. It is hard to comprehend just how much water is flowing past with each passing second. For 10 or 15 metres above the water level the cliffs show no sign of vegetation, having been regularly scoured by floods.
-that flanked us had grown - or, more correctly, we had dropped. The roar
-Page 4 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER February, 1985.
+In the course of our first three days on the Franklin, the cliffs that flanked us had grown - or, more correctly, we had dropped. The roar of rapids provided a constant reminder that the river was dropping into an ever deepening series of ravines - each one more spectacular than the last - as it carved its way through Tasmania's western ranges. By and large, our party had been successful in making its way through the rapids. So far, we had had only one puncture among the seven rafts; unfortunately, its postition, near the join in an air tank, made it difficult to plug completely and so periodically this raft needed some pumping.
-of rapids provided a constant reminder that the river was dropping intb an ever deepening series of ravines - each one more spectacular than the last - as it carved its way through Tasmania's western ranges. By and large, our party had been successful in making its way through the rapids. So far, we had had only one puncture among the seven rafts; unfortunately, its postition, near the join in an air tank, made it difficult to plug completely and so periodically this raft needed some pumping.
-Each rapid, where the path is difficult or obscured, must be scouted before a decision is made as to how it would be best negotiated. This process invariably involves much rock climbing and scrambling through
+Each rapid, where the path is difficult or obscured, must be scouted before a decision is made as to how it would be best negotiated. This process invariably involves much rock climbing and scrambling through thick vegetation before a suitable vantage point can be reached. Then the deliberations begin as each member of the party attempts to predict where the river will take him and the potential pitfalls that such a course might present. Early in the trip, this process takes some time as the Franklin gives most rafters considerable cause for hesitation. But, of necessity, everyone soon learns how to assess a rapid. Usually, one of the more reckless of the party announces that he will 'give it a go' and the others reserve judgment until they see how he fares. The alternative to shooting a rapid is portaging. This often necessitates unpacking all gear from the raft, deflating it and humping the same over some fairly demanding obstacles before joining the river again. Often, safety necessitates portaging, but this is never an attractive option; it is certainly easier having a raft carry you than your having to carry it. In high water some rapids can take up to a day to portage.
-thick vegetation before a suitable vantage point can be reached. Then the deliberations begin as each member of the party attempts to predict where the river will take him and the potential pitfalls that such a course might present. Early in the trip, this process takes some time as the Franklin
-gives most rafters considerable cause for hesitation. But, of necessity, everyone soon learns how to assess a rapid. Usually, one of the more reckless of the party announces that he will 'give it a go' and the others reserve judgment until they see how he fares. The alternative to shooting a rapid is portaging. This often necessitates unpacking all gear from the raft, deflating it and humping the same over some fairly demanding
+From the Irenabyss, the river opens out slightly and the rapids appear less daunting as the rafter has become more adept at manoeuvring his bobbing yellow craft. This is grand river rafting country. There are no major portages to dampen the exhilaration generated as you glide through the rushing waters. The 25 kilometres to the Great Ravine is easily covered in two days.
-obstacles before joining the river again. Often, safety necessitates portaging, but this is never an attractive option; it is certainly easier having a raft carry you than your having to carry it. In high water some rapids can take up to a day to portage.
-From the Irenabyss, the river opens out slightly and the rapids appear less daunting as the rafter has become more adept at manoeuvring his bobbing yellow craft. This is grand river rafting country. There are no major portages to dampen the exhilaration generated as you glide through
+The Great Ravine is the most spectacular of the Franklin's gorges. It is impossible for any photograph to do it justice. Over the centuries, the river has cut a passage through the rock that is now 700 metres deep. From water level, the cliffs appear to soar to infinity and make the sky seem insignificant. The ravine is punctuated by four huge rapids. They are aptly named: the Churn, the Coruscades, Thunderrush and the Cauldron. All demand full or partial portage. They drop like four giant steps and divide the ravine into five long reaches - each of a grandeur that would compete with that of New Zealand's Milford Sound. The Great Ravine is 10 kilometres long and takes two to three days to negotitate in good weather. After rain, progress is impossible.
-. the rushing waters. The 25 kilometres to the Great Ravine is easily covered in two days.
-The Great Ravine is the most spectacular of the Franklin's gorges.
-It is impossible for any photograph to do it justice. Over the centuries, the river has cut a passage through the rock that is now 700 metres deep. From water level, the cliffs appear to soar to infinity and make the sky seem insignificant. The ravine is punctuated by four huge rapids. They are aptly named: the Churn, the Coruscades, Thunderrush and the Cauldron. All demand full or partial portage. They drop like four giant steps and divide the ravine into five long reaches - each of a grandeur that would compete with that of New Zealand's Milford Sound. The Great Ravine is 10 kilometres long and takes two to three days to negotitate in good
-weather. After rain, progress is impossible.
 The Great Ravine is followed by two more long gorges before the last major rapid, Newlands Cascades, is reached. Newlands Cascades is a rapid that sends every rafter's adrenalin pumping. The river narrows into a 300 metre chute of foaming water containing six drops, each of about two metres. Skilful paddling will see a rafter through in about 30 seconds. It is quite a sensation.
-After Newlands Cascades, the Franklin opens out. The low banks are crowded with foliage. The river widens and slows down as it moves more sedately amongst towering beech and blackwoods and the more stunted huon pines that surround it. The banks are lined with forests of huge tree ferns. Thirty-metre limestone cliffs, while less grandiose than what has
-- gone before, nevertheless possess a haunting charm.
+After Newlands Cascades, the Franklin opens out. The low banks are crowded with foliage. The river widens and slows down as it moves more sedately amongst towering beech and blackwoods and the more stunted huon pines that surround it. The banks are lined with forests of huge tree ferns. Thirty-metre limestone cliffs, while less grandiose than what has gone before, nevertheless possess a haunting charm.
 Here we relaxed and drifted with the current. There was an eerie feeling - as though we had left something behind. It was the silence. For 10 days we had been accompanied by the inescapable roaring of rapids.
-. February, 1985. THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER Page 5
 Now at last the river was tranquil.
 The lower reaches of the Franklin are characterised by their serenity. A party will spend two or three days here before reaching the Gordon and there will board the Denison Star - a tourist launch which will carry them over the last leg of the journey through Macquarie Harbour to Strahan, a fishing village on Tasmania's west coast.
 In the afterglow, the words of Wilderness Society patron Yehudi Menuhin are worth reflecting upon:-
-"We will not be judged in thefuture by our Gross National Product,
-we will not be judged even by our excursions to the moon, we will be judged by whether we have left this world habitable. The most wonderful things in the world have been achieved without the hand of man."
+"We will not be judged in the future by our Gross National Product, we will not be judged even by our excursions to the moon, we will be judged by whether we have left this world habitable. The most wonderful things in the world have been achieved without the hand of man."
-* * * * * * * * * *
+----
 COLLEGE PLANS BUSHWALKING GUIDES COURSE.
 (From The Blue Mountains Gazette, 19 December, 1984)