Established June 1931 G vALLeLA A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to The Sydney Bush Walkers Incorporated, Box 4476 GPO, Sydney, 2001. Club,meetings are held every Wednesday evening from 7.45 pm at the Ella Community Centre, 58a Dalhousie Street, Haberfield (next door to the Post'Office). Prospective members and visitors are invited to visit the Club any Wednesday. (However, the Centre will not be open on 26th September or 3rd October - please note.) EDITOR Morag Ryder, Box 347 P. Gladesville, 2111 Telephbne 809 4241 PRODUCTION MANAGER Helen Gray TYPIST Kath Brown ILLUSTRATOR Morag Ryder PRINTERS Kenn Clacher, Les Powell, Barrie Murdoch & Margaret Niven AUGUST - 1990 At the Half Way Mark Getting High in Colorado Condolences - Kevin Dean, Judy Redfern New Members Liloing Down the Guy Fawkes River - Part 3 Walking in the Top End (Northern Territory & Western Australia) - Part 4 The July General Meeting Conservation Wriggle, Wriggle, Wriggle…. Confederation of B/walking Clubs NSW Annual General Meeting Social Notes for September Club Closed….on 26 September * * * * * Advertisements Eastwood Camping Centre 'WilliSrs.Walkabouts Blackheath Taxis & Tourist Services Page Bill Holland 2 Jeff Niven 3 3 3 Michele Morgan 4 Jan Mohandas 7 Barry Wallace 10 Morag Ryder 12 Jim Brown 13 14 Greta Davis 14 14 6 11 12 AT THE HALF WAY 'MARK by Bill Holland We are now helf way through what was, traditionally, the Club year I guess it still is despite recent changes to the financial year to assist the book-keepers. The September General Meeting remains the half-yearly meeting. It has always been rather special, not always peaceful, but still “interesting”. In, past.years W8 had printer purchases, new constitution, insurance, archiving proposals, 60th Anniversary planning, relocation of premises and other sometimes contentious matters to liven things up at the September meeting. Will this year be the exception? The only way to find out is to come to the September General Meeting. halfway. through 'the' year for your-committee. Time you had a progress report. You know. that:we are a quiet bunch of people,. working.like little beavers to get things done.. So, what has occupied us to date? First of all, Coolana. Participation in the Annual Reunion and other activities at Coolana has fallen off dramat- . icall}, in recent years. This is a shame as we have had lots of fun at Coolana in the past, so what has happened to keep people away from Coolana? There is no easy answer. Ticks remain a problem on the river flat, weed infestation is increasing and maintenance work is required. To solve this problem the committee has appointed Ian Debert to lead a Coolana sub-committee, primarily to attend to maintenance but also to make recommendations on the future use of Coolana. Ian would welcome your suggestions and more than welcome some of your time to assist his group in once more restoring Coolana as the Club's home camping ground. Support for conservation of our wilderness and other natural areas always has been an important part of the Club's activities. The Conservation Secretary is elected to the committee at the Annual General Meeting. Investment funds are specifically set aside for conservation with the budgeted expenditure for donations this year set at $2,000. Our very active Conservation Secretary has been asked to make recommendations to the committee on how we should manage our conservation funds and him) projects for assistance should be selected. We expect to put these recommendations to the September General Meeting. Generally, the fluctuating levels of participation in the Club's activities remains a worry. It could be due to the weather, the clubroom location, or perhaps the changing lifestyle of our members. On the brighter side, it is pleasing to see the increase in the number of new and prospective members. This trend is encouraging as new entries to the Club are the best assurance of a healthy future. The Walks Program has had a lot of attention.- Recent changes to the program'have received favourable comment but our Walks Secretary,. or as he prefers it, Walks Caordinatdr,- would like to have more leaders coming forward to adequately fill the program. WRiting this reminds me to ask the question: 'Why does the Club persist with the term' “secretary” for many committee positions? It's a bit old-fashioned. Shouldn't we change to Membership Officer, Walks Coordinator, Social Activities Coordinator, etc. Think about it. - THE PRESIDENT August 1990 Y14P01.- !inW0.1.14.101. Flagg GETTING ffiGli IN COLORADO by Jeff Niven “A severe high altitude pulmonary bede06, You are very sick and will have to leave immediately for a lower altitude, or go onto oxygen and stay-in bed, preferably in hospital.” That was the Doctor's 'prognosis of my condition recently, at the end of my second day: of skiing in Aspen, Colorado. Fortunately, after 3 days in bed hooked up to an oxygen converter along with medication, my symptoms eased, and 1 was nearly back to normal, although yery.weak and ,4 kg lighter. It was one of those “It couldn't happen to me” situations, but it was real,and fortunately didn't ruin my holiday, but it Could have. So with several trips planned.for6BW,Jrjemb.ers this year. which are going to high altitude areas, I.feIt it appropriate topass on some.hard earned, first hand knowledge on,the.effects 'of high altitude.-
'High altitude can be anything above 5,280 feet elevation. At high altitude everyone. is affected to some degree. The effects vary among individuals and cover a variety of symptoms. The two main differences between,the high altitude ,environment and sea level are - decreased oxygen density and decreased humidity, or moisture content, in the surrounding air For example at an elevation of 8,000 feet to-10,000 feet the oxygen is approximately 40-45 per dent less dense (creating the feeling of “insufficient oxygen”) and the humidity is 50-80 per,cent.lower than at sea level. The symptoms that a sudden change in altitude can produce are:- nausea, insomnia, diarrhoea; restlessness,' Sh'ortnesa of breath and air hunger. Palpitations (fast heart beat), 'headache, riasal congestion, coughing, increased flatulence, easy fatigue and intolerance to eXertion also may be experienced. If the high altitude sickness progresses, More Shortness of breath and increased coughing and oedema (fluid accumulation in the longs) may occur, requiring, as in my case, medical attention and possible hospitalization. The initial complaints, if not severe, should disappear as your body adjusts to the lowered oxygen content and dryness. This may take anything from a few days to a few weeks, the important thing is to not overdo. Eat lightly, for the first 46 to 72 hours, avoid alcohol (it aggrevates high altitude Syndrome), most of all keep physical exertion to a minimum onthe first day or two. Anyone over 35 planning strenuous, exercise at high altitutde should check tiiith their Doctor. Keeping up liquid intake is essential, and if any of the above symptoms appear, resting is recommended. . Obviously, the SBW trips will be fun as to allow plenty of time for acclimatization, but it's wise to be aware of what high altitude syndrome is about. By the way, in my case, I flew from Sydney to.Aspen 7,800 feet and skied at 11,800 feet the next day. Not that high, you might say, but rest assured one can become dangerously ill even at that altitude. * * * a * * * * CONDOLENCES from the Club Club members were sad to hear of the deaths recently of two members who walked with the Club in years gone by. KEVIN DEAN died at 64 last July of a heart attack. Kevin walked for many years with the Club and did many trenuouS trips. JUDY REDFERN (nee Wagg) died after illness. She-walked with the Club for a few years in the 1950s. NEW MEMBERS Please add the following names to your List of Members:- IHLE.,. Barry - 36 Vernon Street;. Turramurra 2074 Phone 449 1983 MANES, Tony.- 39 Cooriengah Heights-Road, Engadine 2233 520 0266 ROBINSON, David - 31 Kingswood Road, Engadine 2233 520 6920 Page 4 The Sydney Bushwalker August.1990 LILOING DOWN THE GUY: FAWKES RIVER BOB KING'S CHRISTMAS TRIP- 1989 Part Three. by Michele Morgan 1521102YAL-Rr-11 A new 'decade is begun. The day is magical - sunny, hot and flies everywhere. There is a mist rising over the river in the early morning and a few ducks float past. We all go swimming - very refreshing. Mike eats his damper, black and crunchy on the outside, delightful and perfect on the inside, so he tells us. use says it's great too, and that she will let Mike bake all future dampers - hmmm. The day is already unbearably hot and we all have a second swim before moving off at 9.50 am. Trudge, trudge, trudge along the river; beside the oh, so inviting mud-coloured Water. We are sometimes walking through grass up to our shoulders and sometimes only to our knees. A hot, sweaty, sticky, scratchy day. Only a little bit burther and at 10.55 am we reach our destination, a bridge. We dump our packs and head into the river for another swim, upstream from the dead, rotting cow in midstream. There is quite a strong current here, so we have to swim hard or end up at The Cow. 'This is an extended early lunch swim. We are all frolicking round in the water naked (eat your heart out, Les) except for Ilse who is standing elegantly naked in the sun to dry off - and a car passes over the bridge (EEK- real civilisation!) and doesn't even see us! After getting out we dry off and Mike lights a fire to make Ilse her half-gallon caffeine hit for lunch. We head back to our packs under the shady trees for a picnic lunch, use and Mike on their bright yellow ground Sheet, a colour with much appeal to every fly for miles - not a single fly on me. Mike and Ilse discuss the merits of each other's dampers, as remains of both are still left to sample. Mike says his is best and Ilse just keeps right on sampling both, especially the bits on which Mike has already put spreads. We pack up, gather water and hide our packs in the long grass. We have a 10-12 km walk to Mike's car along a dusty, hot road, and have to come back this way, so why bother carrying the packs - still loaded with helmets, lilos, buoyancy vests and several wet suits. We have all dreamed of ways of getting out of carrying the lilos which were meant to carry us, and burning has often been discussed. Come to think of it, I can't see Mike or use's, not can I see their buoyancy vests - Mike did stay up late playing round with the fire last night, hmmm. Bob thinks it is going to take us three hours to walk to the car. It is really hot, the hottest day so far, very, very hot, and glary tool We start off by going up a fairly steep hill, it just seems to keep on going up, up, up. There are trees on each side of the road, protected from us by barbed wire fences, so we trudge on in the direct sunlight. We are actually moving quite fast without our packs and just eating up the kms. Mike looks set to break into a run any second now, he is really moving (horse to water - oops - man to air- conditioning syndrome). We stop twice in the shade to drink water. A car zooms past, empty save driver, but it doesn't stop. Perhaps put off by four “crazy” people walking along the road, two of whom are carrying empty wineskins - and it's New Year's Day! mmm… that blacksbit was rather(1 crunchy…. A'(( - N t Yeah, you've just eaten 0 eaten two blowies :) and a march fly… 0- 41..1111M.M11.- ) August 1990 The Sydney Bushwalker Page 5 We discuss the fact that surprisingly we have seen no snakes, evidently we have all been thinking but not talking about them, not tempting fate, battling along in what should have been ,perfect conditions and environment - lucky eh' Especially with Joan Rigby's snakebite saga ti eh in our minds:- e finish off the last of our water at a rest stop under some shady gum trees, with the farm where Mike's car is parked in clear view. We reach the car, fill our water bottles, turn up ,the air, conditioning (which does an admirable job of spreading the aroma of my cowpat scented shoo), and Mike zooms on back to the bridge where we swam and left our packs and keeps, - gping We all scream, he turns around and goes back. We load our packs into the car, Mike .*,sill.complaining madly about how bad my (now plastic bag incarcerated) shoes smell, we Zoom ;oft the wrong way - turn around and,zoom off the right way. , - e'stop for ice-creams at [bar General Store and the girl slaps four “Cheap Thrills” brand parigle pops on the counter arid says that's all 'there is, !if3 much for the 8-foot model Cornett() outside! So we make do. We sit eating them at the wobbly table inside the shop surrounded by antique Minor cordial bottles and other long forgotten, mainly unlabelled, shelved items, then depart. On to Armidale, to Bob's folks new “town” house and Bob's car. We go inside, check out the new. place, look in horror at our faces in the mirror (except Bob, who is impressed by his wild unshaven Indiana Jones look), note with dismay the “Out of Order” sign on the loo (not a bush in sight), but are reassured when Bob says it's OK, there's another. Now composed and comforted, we all lie down and pore over the maps - where we did and didn't get to this trip. Making plans for where we're going this time next year.- well, we have to check out the rest of the river, don't we? As the number is limited, and four places are already filled for next year, you'd better contact Bob (H) 412 3337 as soon as possible to ensure your presence on the continuation, same time, further down the river, next Boximg-Day. One last memory. Stopping for ice-creams, cool drinks and petrol at-Cessnock, we walk into the shop and there in the fridge in front of us is a refrigerated person - extraordinary! This tall, skinny guy is standing in the cool drinks freezer to escape the heat, with the door just about closed, except for his feet sticking out the bottom. The petrol pump/garage attendant! SOME TIPS THAT WE ALL THINK EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE LILOISTS: 1. Don't use the straight five-tube type lilo - very unstable compared to all other lilos. Mike, and-on a previous trip Dave McIntosh, had trouble with this'style lilo. (See sketches below.) Carry spare plugs! 2. Carry large amounts of lilo patch material (e.g. at the very least 2 foot x 2 foot per person) and lots of fix-it glue (we recommend “KWIK-GRIP”). Bob took a 100 ml tin and Michele took 5 x 25 ml tubes (we could have used much more) 'loth were effective, but the tin's lid must be put on tightly, and if, used often tin contents can dry up and go hard; and one of Michele's tubes sprang a leak, which glued the other tubes together and half of it was lost. . Ensure that pack is not too heavy and not longer than your lilo is wide. 4F It it it * DON'T FORGET BUSHWALKERS BALL - Petersham Town Hall, Friday 21st September. Tickets from John Porter, Deborah Shapira & Kay Chan. QLD QBB 1\ Butter Concentrate NSW Skeping Bags J & H, Mont, Romans Rainwear Mont, J & H, Superior Day Packs High Tops, Summit Gear Bonwick Caving Ladders Holeproof Undies Socks Trailblazer Hats DB tuff Canyon bags TAS. Blundstone Boots EASTWOOD CAMPING CENTRE 3 Trelawney St (PO Box 131) Eastwood NSW 2122 NT Beef Jer WA Wilderness Equipment Backpacks Goretex Clothing ,/ Cycle Panniers ACT National Maps Rossi ,gpts F1'ild rs Baby Carriers Vic Outgear Backpacks Accessories Feathertop Wool Shirts Giant Trees Dried meals SA August 1990 The Sydney Bushwalker Page 7 Walking in the Top End (The Northern Territory and Western Australia) : Keep River, Bungle Bungle and Kakadu National Parks: May-June 1989 - Part IV: Kakadu NP - Twin Falls Gorge to UpP Falls (Fourth Week; 28th May to 3rd June 1989) Jan Mo Sunday 28th May The second half of the walk in Kalcadu commenced below the escarpment that morning. Our party guided by Chris Cox and Kim Brennan left the campsite near. Twin -falls at 7.15 am and headed towards Surprise falls in the west. We walked along grassy plains not too far away from the escarpment, at about 300 degrees bearing. On the way we saw a large goanna running away. There was a nice breeze that mornin,g which made us all feel very comfortable. We found water in tvvo very small creeks during the 9 km walk that morning and then approached a gully in a southerly direction to get to the top of the escarpment. Bats were flying above us. When, we reached the gully at 10.30 am, luckily that small creek also had water. We found some shade and stopped for morning tea in the gully. On a hot day ,one could easily drink 5 litres of water in Kakadu. After a while we boulder hopped up the gully to the top of the escarpment, about 200 metres high a.nd had a long rest. From a nearby high point we were able to see Jim Jim falls with the aid of binoculars. , We left at 1230 pm and walked southwest to get to Surprise falls. At about 130 pm we had lunch at a shaded. spot beside some high rocks. Meanwhile Kim left to locate Surprise falls alone with his map and compass and came back by 2.30 pm. The party left the lunch spot at 3.00 pm. After, about 10 minutes, travelling towards south, a piece of dry wood penetrated Neil's Volley shoes and pierced into the sole of his foot. After first aid procedures, we walked for 1 km further to the south, travelled west for about 03 ;km and then turned north again to walk through open areas. In order to get to Surprise falls it was necessary to go, around a deep gorge. We reached Surprise falls at about 4.00 pm. The views from there were spectacular. Everyone jumped into the crystal clear pools. Some went down the beautiful gully, below Surprise falls. We hacl a pleasant evening and after dinner, everyone disappeared to sleep by 9,00 pm. It was a relatively hard day, walking about 15 km. Mondav,29th Max19: It was cool that morning and we left at 8.00 am. Travelling west, after 3 km we came to a monsoon forest with large magnificent trees and plenty of shade. There were flowers all around us. So many different kinds of birds as well. At about 10.00 am, after walking towards west for about 5 km, we reached the start of the major tributory of Coolpin creek on our left, flowing handas towards south. We had a brief stop to have some water and continued on at about 210 degrees bearing. We were walking in broken rock areas. After another km, it was flat grassy area for a while and stopped- for morning break at 1030 am near a creek flowing north. Everywhere there were orange flowered Eucalyptus and red flowered Gravillea. Neil and Rob were suffering a bit with foot problems and Chris looked after, them well. We left after morning break at about 11.00 am. Travelling west, we reached another creek at noon. We walked downstream along the creek for 0.5 km and stopped for a swim. That creek was flowing towards west. So many different kinds of birds were flying about, including a group of red ringed parrots. After we left the swimming spot at 1230 pm we saw the second buffalo for this trip, crossing the creek. It was limping. The creek was becoming bigger as we were following it downstream and there were a number of beutiful pools. At one of the waterholes we saw a large goanna. We continued on further through a miniature gorge, stopped for lunch at 1.30 pm and rested until 3.00 pm. After walking downstream through a number “of small cascading waterfalls, we left the packs in the shade under rocks and wandered off to look at the large waterfall (about 150 metres) and the enormous gorge below. Russell had named that area the *Graveside gorge” for nearby there are aboriginal sacred grave sites. That waterfall was as big as the Jim Jim falls but had no name. Fabulous views of the large waterfall and the gorge from the high points on both sides of the creek. That waterfall was very impressive.. There was a large rockpool below. The gorge certainly looked unspoiled. The sunset from where we camped was stunningly. beautiful. We stayed around the fire until 10.00 pm. Tuesday, 30th May 89: We left the campsite and the creek at 8.00 am. In the morning the sunrise provided colourful appearance in the skyline. After walking for 1.5 km on top of the escarpment at about 200 degrees bearing, we reached a small creek with water. Everyone had plenty to drink and had a long break to enjoy the surrounding areas. Neil was still recovering from his foot injury. We only had to go about 5 km and should get there for lunch and enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Walking for 2.5 kin at 260 degrees bearing we stopped near a rocky outcrop, surrounded by a large number of huge Allysoncarpia trees and with plenty of shade for morning break at page ti ne nyoney busnwaiKer mugust IdbU 9.30 am. That morning it was cool and very pleasant to sit around. We 'left at 10.00 am, went up a number of rocky tops ' and :Continued on at 260 degrees bearing. After negotiating a spur about 100 metres high, we reached our destination at 11.00 am. An excellefitcanTing area adjacent to a beautiful large pool. We all Went SWimining. We had early lunch at noon under a temporary shade put up with tentflys. After that everyone started relaxing under the shade and near the pool. At 3.00 pm we all went up the gorge to. enjoy the fabulous cascading waterfalls. Then we slowly walked back and reached the camp' spot at about 4.30 pm. That was an am7ingly beautiful part 'of Kakadu. Peter played his harmonica that evening. Everyone was asleep by 8.30,pm. Wednesday. 89: We left the. campsite at - 7.45, am and walked downstream along the creek at 280 degrees bearing for 1 km to reach the main creek hi the Graveside area;-' Walking 'another 200 metres upstream along the Main creek, we could see the tide creek we were aiming for On the opposite side. We crossed :the major creek at the junction and walked upstream along the Minor side creek mostly on our left for about 2 km.. We could' see many palm trees with multiple branches,: called Gronophyllum palms all along that creek. Russell had named that area the “ Gronophyllum”- area. We stopped at 9.00 am near 'a beautiful' pod. A number of the walkers jumped in, others sat under the shade. That morning it was Cool (15 degrees) and comfortabie. We left at 9.30 am. After *alldng for about fkm on our left, we crossed over and walked on the right for 500 metres. Then, there was awerynarrow chasm' with a series of large. pools; We'had to scramble up on the right a fair, bit to reach a rock platform above a large - waterfall. We staYed in the shade of a rockwall and had morning tea. There were Swimniing holes above the waterfall as- well Everyone went- for. either a swim or a 'clip. We left that spot around 1:1.00 am. We had to pick up a particular side creek to go south and stay on the correctroute. After another 500 metres,
Kimv picked up., the - correct side creek. Then we headed towards a jiinction of two creeks and reached there after about 1 km. Walking upstream along the creek on our right for another 400 Metres we reached our destination for lunch; a waterfall marked in the map.- There were a number of large Tools nearby. Everyone went sWimming. After an hour's break fOr lunch we left at 1.30 pm. Kim's plan was to walk upstream about- 1 km, leave that creek' and go cross c.ountry, towards a tributory of Barramundi creek.: Water bottles were filled before leaving the creek: We left the creek and proceeded uphill at 220 - degrees bearing and the first 1 km was a bit difficult. On many occasions we had to go around high rocky areas: Kim's navigation was excellent. We saw a flowing creek on theway and everyone had a drink. Then it was walking through flat area, without rocks, but with speargrass, not too tall, but still bearing the -sharp seeds. The seeds went into shirts, backpacks, socks and shorts. After about 3 km we stopped to remove some of the annoying seeds. The bearing was still 220 degrees. We stopped for a rest after doing ''about '4 kin for 20 minutes. Time was 3.30 pm. Then we continued on and saw the two small creeks marked in the map. Still 220 degrees bearing. That , eventually took us to a major tributory of Barramundi creek, with plenty of water. Walking on our right high above the gully and a waterfall, the side to negotiate down was very steep and full of loose rocks. Kim found a way down the slope with rocks and thick bush. We all got down to the pool below that waterfall into a delightful rainforest with large trees around and a pool for swimming. The water was pretty cool and only the hardy ones went in. Meanwhile Kim went further downstream,. ' without his pack, to look for a negotiable route through that gully. He came back and said that there was another waterfall and a pool further below; and that the packs would have to be 'Hoed across and the -'walkers would have to do a compulsory swim across that pool, about 30 metres across. We did that and everyone by that-time was truly exhausted; that was a long and hard day. About 500 metres downstream we found a good campsite. Time was 5.15 pm. By 6.00 pm we had put the tents up, firewood collected,. clothes washed, fire started and the first. cups of tea commenced. Chris said that the next day only 6 km to go. Everyone liked to hear that and stayed till 9.30 pm that night around the campfire. Thursday,lst June 89: Most of us slept in. Slow start for the day. Breakfasted and left at 9.15 am. After we left that campsite, we walked at a bearing of 220 degrees downstream along the creek on our left. We walked for 1 km to reach Barramundi creek, then upstream along Barramundi creek for 1 km and stopped at 9.45 am. After 20 minutes we left, but stopped soon for morning tea at 10.30 am. Quite a bit of walking through thick speargra.ss. The high cliffs could be seen on our left, about 500 metres to 1 km away. Otherwise the whole area looked flat. From where we were sitting for morning tea, we could see the clifflines coming closer to the Barramundi creek. After half an hour we continued on to reach the campsite near- a waterfall, in Barramundi creek and reached there at 12.15 pm. On the way to Barramundi falls, we saw red tailed black cockatoos, along the Barramundi creek. We also saw several mud holes used by buffalos recently. There was a beautiful pool under that waterfall, above which was a small but beautiful gorge. The area around the pool was a large open area with so many large and magnificent Allysoncarpia trees which provided plenty of shade. Everyone enjoyed August 1990 The Sydney I3ushwalker Page 9 swimming in that pool. We only walked for 6.5 km that day. The rest of the day we spent around the camp, swimming and lying around, having conversations and simply being lazy. By 1.00 pm it was time for lunch. Then everyone did their own thing. Chris, Kim and Sue went up the waterfall, rockclirribing. Kim came back with a small goanna which he took back up the waterfall afterwards. Later on Jim and Jo also climbed up the waterfall (about 10 metres high) and went to the next waterfall above. Many went for several swims, liloing and snorkeling. Bill went fir a solo walk around the gorge. Peter played his harmonica in the evening. Long session of singing before going to sleep. Friday. Plan for the day was to cover 11 km from Barramundi creek to Waterfall creek. In the pool adjacent to the campsite Kim saw a freshwater crocodile that morning. From the camping spot we left at 8.20 am. We headed towards the hills to our right (while facing the falls) and went up (about 150 metres,: climb) south, about 500 metres away. Excellent views from there. We could see the waterfalls creek and areas in the direction of UDP falls from there. While we waited at a lookout point, Chris went alone and located a particular gully which she and Russell found on a previous trip to go down south to reach Waterfall creek. We then left as a group at 120 degrees bearing towards that gully. After about 200 metres, we started the descent, along a thy side creek with boulders and got down to Waterfall creek at 1030 am. We had water to drink from the creek below and headed downstream. Around 10.45 am we came to a rocky area with extensive artwork under so many rocks. Men, women, kangaroos, crocodiles and so many other items. They appeared to be very old paintings. We stopped further downstream under a huge rock with plenty of shade at 11.30 am for swimming. Where we were sitting, the water was flowing down a break in the rock. Chris, Kim, Jim, Rob, Judy and Sue Went down through a dark chasm and then a tunnel below and went a long way before coming out, about 50 metres downstream. Kim brought a geko back for us to see and a couple of others saw a snake in the dark chasm down below. Just before we got to that spot, we saw a dead snake on a flat rock, about a metre long with light yellow colour and brown stripes (possibly a tree snake). After lunch we left that spot at 1.30 pm. On our way downstream we saw more aboriginal paintings nearby. Then we walked through waterfall creek gorge with big boulders. At about 2.00 pm we went to a cave on our right with some of the best and well preserved aboriginal paintings - men and women, the serpent, several hands and so on in the gorge itself. We continued to walk downstream and reached an open area by 3.00 pm. Jo went for a swim and saw a fresh water crocodile. While walking on the open area we saw several buffalos. That afternoon the temperature went above 30 degrees. After 6.5 km we stopped to camp on the western side in a rocky area with a few fiat sandy spots adjacent to a large pool for swimming. After early dinner everyone went off to sleep by 8.30 pm. 3atiIrday. 3rd June 89: Last day of the trip. That morning we left at about 8.30 am. When breakfast was over, I thanked both Kim and Chris for their effort in taking care of the group and for their navigational skill. We had camped about 3 km short of the UDP falls. We walked on the western side of the creek for 500 metres and crossed over where we could find a sandy bank. We walked at times along Buffalo tracks - other times we walked along rocky areas. Crossed several side creeks and reached UDP falls after walking for 3 km on the eastern side. At times it was difficult walking through thick bush. We reached UDP falls by 10.00 am. We stopped just at the top of UDP falls, for enjoying the views while eating some scroggin. Kim left early to go to Darwin via Pine creek. Sue and Bill went with him early. The rest of the party left at 11.15 am. The bus was waiting for us at the UDP falls car park. We boarded the bus which then had to go and pick up the members of the other party finishing the walk at Coolpin gorge. The second party guided by Andrew finished the walk the evening before and walked to South Alligator river and had camped there. Rob and Neil had composed a song about every participant and the guides, which they sang in the bus on our way back to Darwin. Every member of that party of 26 returned home with a feeling of great achievement. Russell Willis, Andrew Griffiths, Kim Brennan and Chris Cox deserved our gratitude in making the trips to the Northern territory and WA a great success. Note: The previous parts of this article appeared in the following SBW magazines before: Part I: September 1989 Part II: November 1989 Part III: March 1990 An excellent article on ICakadu can be read in the current issue (Number 19, July-September 1990) of the Australian Geographic magazine with a detailed map of the area. It can only. be purchased directly from the publisher. 11.104.11.0MILMI.IOMMANAM. ADVANCE NOTICE: Jan Mohandas is planning to take another party to Kakadu NP for a fortnight's walk in May/June 1991. If you are Interested, please contact Jan. 872-2315 (II); 516-7640 (W). Page 10 The Sydney Bushwalker August 1990 THE JULY GENERAL MEETING by Barry Wallace It was all a matter of the gong having the st-st-stutters, or was it Bill's short-short term memory. Whatever, the meeting began at 2006 and 2007 and there were just about 15 people present,'Counting Bill twice, that is. There were apologies from Bob and Geoff Niven, Fran Holland, Jan Mohandas, Carol Bruce, Patrick James, Greta Davis, Kenn Ciacher and, delivered in person as she exited stage rear, from Deborah Shapira. There were no new members for welcome but a sharp-eyed Barbara Bruce, sitting in as secretary in Patrick's absence, spotted one as yet unwelcomed new member, Vincent Smith, who was duly hauled before the meeting and welcomed with badge and some fumbling, Correspondence was next. There was an invitation to the F.B.W. Annual General Meeting, a letter from the A.C.F. advising us of a change in their address, from David Rostron notifying - the Club of his Central Australian walk for insurance purposes, from Warwick Blayden- asking again for permission to access the Club's old minute books for research purposes, a letter to Warwick confirming that that would be O.K., letters to M.W,W.C. and F.B.W. advising them of the availability of back copies of their magazines from the estate of Marion Ellis, to George Lauder accepting his resignation, to Ian Debert confirming his appointment as chairman of a Coplana Sub-committee, and a letter to the N.P.W.S. advising of our opposition to the proposed routing of a sewer lihe through Bouddi National Park. A little later in the meeting we discovered a couple of letters which had earlier been overlooked. These were from the Threatened Species Network and from a group concerned with urban tree preservation. I'M not sure I understood what either of thee was about. The Treasurer reported that we have earned $10,519.00, spent $7,045.00, and closed with a balance of $3,473.00. The Walks Report began at the weekend Of 15,16,17 June with Wayne Steele's Byangee Walls trip. This was variously reported as “a tough walk”, and “a grand walk”, and seems to have involved the use of ropes in one or two places. Of the other walks that weekend there were no , reports, but just for the record they were George Mawer's Glenbrook to Glenbtook via Xanuka Brook, Vio Lewin's, Woronora area test walk and Ralph Penglis'e Sydney Harbour N.P. trip. June 22,2344 Saw the NSW V.R.A. Rogain competition at Yalwal. There were 15 teams, with a group from S.B.W;'coming in second. They all seem to claim: ,(a) It wasn't a competition. (b) They all enjoyed it. The 12 starters on Jan Mohandas's Cloudmaker/Paralyser trip encountered sleet and snow on the Sunday afternoon and returned to the cars a,tetch ate. Don Finch cancelled his Boyd Plateau walk and although Jim Percy's “100 person (sic)” cave trip went, there were no details. Which is marginally better than Alan Mewett's Muogomarra Nature Reserve walk and Wendy Lippiatt's Waterfall to Waterfall trip, for both of which there were no details. Maurie Bloom's mapping instructional over the weekend of 29,30 June, 1 July Was relocated toBelanglo State Forest to escape the worst of the icy blast which obtained over those couple of weeks. Mpurie used the Orienteering AccociatiOn's course to conduct intensive map reading and navigation exercises for the 6 prospectives who attended. 'George 'lifter's Budawangs test walk had 11 starters, went to. program, was a top walk, and encountered sleet and snow on the Sunday afternoon. Of the day walks, Greta Davis reported 16 on her Bundeena to Otford test walk and Eddie Giacomel had 6 on his Benowie Track walk. The following weekend, 6,7,8 July saw Bill Holland cancel his Nattai River walk and Ian Debert cancel his Megalong Valley trip. Both these walkS had been scheduled as Saturday . starts. Jo Van Sommers extended her Lawson to Hazelbrook walk for the more keen of the 22 -people who attended, they did nine waterfalls rather. than the puny seven which appeared on the program. There was no report of Nancye Alderson's Lower Blue Mountains Historical walk. Kenn Clacher reported on the cross-country ski trip scheduled for that. weekend. It seems the snow was good. They needed chains to get to Bullocks Flat. Other than that there were no details, but it did bring the Walks Report to a close. The Social Secretary's advance notice.. of the Club auction brought forth a motion that the proceeds go,to, the Conservation Fund. This was duly passed. Muyet. lou The 5ydney Bushwalker The Conservation Secretary reported on a number of potential development sites which overlook national parks. There is also a rumour that there may be a plan to release keys to gates on the access roads into Wollemi N.P. to the 4WD fraternity. The Conservation Secretary will-write to Tim Moore to enquire further. There is an enquiry underway into Power Lines in NSW but the reporting period is rather short. There is growing concern at the pre-emptive actions being taken by certain commercial operators who run trips into natural areas. Such matters as the installation of permanent belays in canyons and track clearing and marking were mentioned. There will be an 5 & R exercise over the weekend of 20,21 October and a First Aid course over the following weekend. General Business saw the withdrawal of motions related to the establishment and operation of a Conservation Fund. The committee has resolved that the Conservation Secretary examine the various options and report to the committee. A motion was passed that all interest earned by the Conservation Fund during 1989 be reinvested in the Conservation Fund. The meeting was also advised that we will not proceed with the purchase of a collating machine. It seems the machine did not perform well under the normal conditions of use. The committee will review progress to date with the propoSed Club Song Book. ' Then it was merely a matter of the announcements and the meeting closed at 2121. KAICADU - Kimberley Leave your winter worries behind while you explore one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Australia. Step out of the vehicle and walk back into a land that time forgot. Trails are non-existent. The only signs of man are rock paintings done tens, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Flowers line the banks as you make your way along clear treams, stopping for yet another swim when a pool is just too inviting to resist. Gorges and waterfalls add to the beauty of this wondrous land. Short sleeves suffice by day. At night, you sit quietly around the campfire before snuggling down in your sleeping bag under a blanket of stars. “ From the rugged escarpment of Kakadu to the rounded domes and deep gorges of the Bungles, Willis's Walkabouts has something to suit every bushwalker. Willis's Walkabouts offers extended bushwalking trips thtoughout Kakadu and 111 f, the test of the NT, the Kimberley, and even overseas to Alaska and the Yukon *e. and South America. can 12 Carrington Street Millner, NT 0810 Phone: (089) 85 2134 Write for the full 1990 program. Page 12 The Sydney Bushwalker August 1990. CONSERVATION By MORAG RYDBR A Change of Tune…. A Change of Heart? Lately, our State Premier has been making a lot of soothing noises to the conservationists. Even nodding in agreement to their demands for less pollution and re-aforestation. Sweetly agreeing to abide by Federal Government decisions on mining, national parks and foresty. Recently however, he made a statement which really does warrant your consideration. Always.desperate for more funds; it seems he is now convinced that the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority could produce 'enough electricity to supply N.S.W, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia'. REALLY? Does that mean, for the last 40 years the SMA has been.allowing zillions of megawatts of available power go to.waste? Or does it mean that Mr. G. intends to build lots more dams, power stations and associated infrastructure in the Koskiusko National Park? Umm….didn't we go through all this a few years ago in Tasmania? The situation sounds positively fascinating, folks. Watch this space. ..V.o. fraope.t. FoLKs, Fog 7-1) 1211p1D, To oft 0 F kosi<105K0 quft-Tic PARK - - 15S Li/siker, VoMis, t.aITH RAI l'iTel:LN ATI OM 49 sTRAMA RP REsOpioNevep..ti isLAml BLACKHEATH TAXIS & TOURIST SERVICES 10 & 10 SEATER MINI BUS TAXI 047-87 8366 KANANGRA BOYD UPPER BLUE MOUNTAINS . SIX FOOT TRACK PICK UP ANYWHERE FOR START- OR FINISH OF YOUR WALK - BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT Share the Fare Competitive Rates muyuu-a.pou 3yoney ousnwalKer WRIGGLE, WRIGGLE, WRIGGLE … by Jim Brown At the June. General Meeting, I listened attentively as Deborah Shapira recounted the events of the walk she had led over the June Holiday week-end, from Glen Davis via Capertee River, Wolgan River, Newnes and Pipeline Pass back to Glen Davis. There was a mentien of rivers being rather swollen, and of difficulties with quicksand. “Fortunately,” said Deborah, “there was always someone at hand to haul out anyone Who looked like getting stuck deep in the sand”. Ah, yes, I thought, that would avoid the necessity for using the “wriggle system”. Which I had to do a couple of times, once on the Capertee and once further down on the Colo, when -I was tackling solo walks with no-one to haul me out. So, just in case anyone should get into difficulties with quicksand when there isn't anyone near to lend the helping hand, this was my experience.
As a general rule, the deepest one is likely to sink into soft sands in our local rivers is about thigh-deep. In extreme cases, almost up to both hips. Usually, too,-the area of soft sand is not extensive, and is often immediately upstream of boulders or fallen trees which have allowed a pile of the lighter sand to become trapped above them. The trouble is, of course, that it becomes very exhausting to haul one leg out (which makes the other leg go in deeper) and then in one short step go in deep again. The first time I struck this condition was on the Capertee, about five kilometres above the Wolgan/Colo junction. On what looked an easy, shallow crossing, I found I was going hip-deep both legs, and the effort of dragging a leg out was quite exhausting. Standing and gasping, with water almost upto the groin, though the water itself was only eight or ten centimetres deep, I managed to 'work out that if I could bring more body surface than the soles of my feet into contact with the loose bottom, I couldn't sink so far. First I took off my watch (I reckoned that if I survived I'd need to know the time as I walked back to Glen Davis) and stowed it in a shirt pocket…. later, fearing the pocket would get wet, I transferred the watch strap to hold in my mouth. Then leaned forward until my body up to the. bottom of the rib cage was resting on the river bed. I didn't sink far, and found I could free first one leg, then the other. With added “surface” of both thighs on the bottom of the stream, it was a simple matter to wriggle forward, snake-fashion, until I found firmer sem! in the bed of the river, stood up and waded out. Of course, clothes were not only.saturated but covered with gritty sand:. I tried to wash it out, but by the time I reached Glen Davis the next morning,swith the pass to Newnes still to'be done, I was a sorry case of chafe from navel down to the thighs and between 'them. But was I down-hearted? Not on your life. I was delighted at discovering a new technique, but made the proviso that it may not work if there was water about half a metre deep flowing over the quicksand. I recall that, despite my discomfort, I was still exulting as I tackled the Pipeline Pass. Having exhausted all the melodies I could remember from “Marriage of Figaro” I began to hum, croon, mutter - and gasp as the gradient steepened - what I could recall of the Winterreise songs. Then said sternly “Shut up, you haven't got enough wind…, anyway, it isn't a Winter Journey, it's September. Hey, it would have been a bit cold doing the snake act if it had been June or July, though.” x* * * * * * * * We really will have to move, there are the strangest people around here…. Page 14 The Sydney Bushwalker -August 1990 THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Confederation of Boshwalking Clubs NSW The following Office Beaters were elected for the coming year:- President Senior Vice-President It Junior Secretary Treasurer Conservation Officer 5 & R Officer .Tracks & Access Publicity Officer Auditor Public Officer Gordon Lee John Porter Gary Philpott Bob Cavill (a Minutes Secretary will be co-opted to 'help) Rose Maxwell Roger Lembit Keith Maxwell Phil Venn - 7 Ian Cox Jim Callaway Annual Affiliation Fees: These were Set at $3.00 per member. This sum will include the levy for Public Liability Insurance 4 SOCIAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER by Greta Davis Committee Meeting Half-yearly General Meeting Slides and talk about the ANDES by Gerhardt Leitner. CLUBROOM CLOSED (The Ella Community Centre take two weeks holiday, so the Clubroom will also be closed 3/10/90) 5th September 12th' 19th I/ 26th THE BUSHWALKERS' BATTERY by Morag Ryder So your torch expired half-way through dinner on the last trip. Winter days are short and one often reaches camp just before dark. This means good batteries are essential and the June issue of 'Choice' had some advice on the subject. Although NiCad batteries can be re-charged, the actual hours-of-life per charge is no better than the cheap Zinc Carbon type. Alkalines are best when you have to drain a battery for long periods. They can last up to 7 times longer than Zinc Carbon. Best performers were (1st) Tandy's Enercell 23-552 and (2nd) Eveready's Energiser E91. You'll be happy to know that neither were the most expensive. CONVENIENT PROTEIN Unflavoured gelatine is 88% animal protein. A tablespoonful equals the dry-weight of protein in a large steak. Almost tasteless, gelatine can be added to a variety of foods, muesli, soup or stewed fruit with rice. Worth considering for longer trips in warm weather, when most animal proteins very quickly go 'off'. CLUB CLOSED..-. on SEPTEMBER 26 1990