Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- 199301 [2016/09/26 12:38] – tyreless
+++ 199301 [2016/09/27 10:48] – tyreless
@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 ----
+=====Croajingolon National Park.=====
-Croajingolon
-National Park
 by Stuart Brooks
-Croajingolong is a relatively new National Park, amalgathating several smaller ones and some additional areas to form a continuous strip from Cape Howe to Bemm River, except for the Mallacoota township section. We planned to walk the length of the park., This was mainly Alan's idea, as he wished
-to be able to comment on a plan of management for the park soon to be released in draft. form. As a leading light in the "Friends of Croajingolong" he felt some input was imece8sary to ensure protection of some sensitive areas.
-There are'fOui large inlets to cross and a number of smaller ones.
-Out plan was to walk from Mallacoota to Cape Howe and return (3 OW', then from Bemm River to Mallacoota (8 days). Our first hurdle, the Mallacoota Inlet, was solved by engaging the services of the local boat hire business
-(Mr. Rankin). He ferried us across and promised to pick us up at-the same
-spot in a couple of days.
-Lake Barracoota is a large freshwater lake about 8 km from Mallacoota and 1 km inland. Bounded inland by forests and shorewards by immense sand dunes it proved a 'pleasant enough site for a camp for two nights. It is a
-km walk along beaches to Cape Howe. A year or so before we had-stood under Cape Howe obelisk with Somebushwalker friends from Hobart after a walk through Nadgee - we now felt we had'"done" Cape Howe.
-The next section Of our walk started from Bemm River. We had left a car at Mallacoota (outside the Police Station) and stayed overnight at "Cosy Nook", a fishermens retreat run by Di and Don. Don had agreed to ferry
-us across Sydenham:Inlet - our second major obstacle, so long as we were ready to leave by 7.00 am. This proved no trouble as every fisherman
-staying at "Cosy N6o0, took it on himself to knock on our cabin door, starting at first light (5A0 am)., So by 8,00 am we were on our way along the long, long beach to Tabobn Inlet - our third large obstacle..
-Soft sand, 8-day packs and enough water, for the day made for slow going. There are usually a few boats on Tamboon Inlet as it is a popular fishing spot. Today'was no exception. An obliging couple on a day's sailing gave
-.us a lift over, saving a long swim, or a short but precarious wade across th e-mouth.
-Our first-campsite was about 3 km further on at Clinton Rocks CrRek - plenty of fresh Water and a grassy flat, just what we needed. Next day was a bit more varied - a few kilometres of rocky Shore, about 7 km of beach, a' bush track across Cape Everard, which picked up the road from the Point Hicks lighthouse.. This led around to the N.P. camp on the Thurra River.
-Being a weekencLit was fairly busy but is so laid out that campers don't intrude on each other. We found a spot close to the day area which is equipped with tables and fireplaces, and right on the bank of the river. The river is fresh, and about 70 metres wide but is very shallow on a sandy bottom.
-The next day was a "lay day" -.but Alan had arranged an inspection of the lighthouse. "This is one of 'many lighthouses being de-commissioned by the Commonwealth so its future is uncertain.. It is a beautiful and historic place and the "Friends" hope it will become part of the Park and hence protected from vandalism and decay. We spent several hours here with the keeper exploring the lighthouse and its attendant buildings and hearing a lot of its history.
-On the walk back we decided to have an early dinner in Heti of lunch,
-C_
-Xt.
-To Eden;
-Mapping Information
-The fotiouring sheets in the 1:100.000 AUSLIG (formerly NAIMAP)iertes which provide even greater detail, are available at
-outlets for AUSLIG.
-Eden. 8823.
-Malli000ta. 8822;
-a Cann. 8722
-A walk along a moderately steep 'track to Genoa Peak rewards - you wah magnificent views of
-_. the coast and ranges. ?icnic
-laciklies are available.
-Orbost
-and Melbourne
-Croajingolong National Park
-;11
--
+Croajingolong is a relatively new National Park, amalgamating several smaller ones and some additional areas to form a continuous strip from Cape Howe to Bemm River, except for the Mallacoota township section. We planned to walk the length of the park. This was mainly Alan's idea, as he wished to be able to comment on a plan of management for the park soon to be released in draft. form. As a leading light in the "Friends of Croajingolong" he felt some input was imecessary to ensure protection of some sensitive areas.
-) r
-Princes Highway
-,
+There are four large inlets to cross and a number of smaller ones. Our plan was to walk from Mallacoota to Cape Howe and return (3 days), then from Bemm River to Mallacoota (8 days). Our first hurdle, the Mallacoota Inlet, was solved by engaging the services of the local boat hire business (Mr. Rankin). He ferried us across and promised to pick us up at the same spot in a couple of days.
-Bemm aiver 441- -
-To-
-Ct.
-ww..,
-Sydennam Inlet
-Sydenham Inlet is quite-shallow and suitable only for small --. boats There is good fishing
-near the entrance. Most of the Inlet is outside the Park. You can camp at Bemm River. where good facilities are provided
-Ternbooit Inkit t
-Access to Tamboon Inlet gained by two roads. both outside the Park_ This picturesque estuary can only be seen by boat There is a launching ramp at Furnell Landing. The settlement at Tamboon South is private properly: owners rights should be respected.
- Camping is available on Peach Tree Creek. at the end of Fisherman's Track.
-Lighthouse \
-/ Point Hicks
-Point Hicks lighthouse Reserve is under Commonwealth control. There are picnic facilities for day visitors in the carneine area near the Reserve.
-Seated Road
-There are campgrounds at the mouths of the Thum' and Mueller Rivers with pit toilels. Fireplaces and picnic tables are provided at Thuvra.
-13 CO ill
-eiDrinking Wider
-Fishing
-.15
-Remote arid serene, WIngsn Inlet is accessible by private vehicles. Fresh water, camping sites, pi toilets, fireplaces and picnic tables are provided. Attractions include abundant wildlife. walking tracks, estuary fishing and beautiful surrounds. ' The toad is not suitable for caravans.
-11110113111111
-.13111111111
-to.-
-TuBaberpe
-. GADO* . MAW 1
-Wane
-lighthouse
-About 560 km east ol
-Melbourne. Mallacoota is a scenic spot for family holidays. Activities such as swimming. fishing. boating.-bushwalking. beachcombing and picnicking are all popular. Opportunities to see wildlife. bottron land and water. are excellenl. Camping. hotel arid motel accommodation
- is available in Matiacoola township.
-There are a number of picnic areas around the Inlet -Many are accessible by boat only.
-Seeathreti r brochure "Discovenng Mattacoota Inter for details of this ea
-Utile Herne Head
-Attractions at Shipwreck Creek 6. include camping. swimming and businvalking.
-LEGEND
-Camping gp -toilets
-Point Hicks has been the Subled of much debate_ It is famous for being the first land sighted by Lieutenant Zachary Hicks on Captain James Cook's tourney along the east coast of Australia in 1770 However the point recorded in the ships diary. lace on rnapi is actually in 50 fathoms of water and 12 nautical miles from the coast
-  Unsealed Road Walking
- jNational Park pa Fireplace
- -Tables Canoeing 0 2 4 6
-1=1 1
-(1 Conservation & 12 Boat Launching Swimming IN Nature walk
-la Environment
-eripire4 Efthirek ii.Dern. I./1:
-   Kilometres
-   G/6146
-a
-Cann River
-voingarTInlef-
-'
+Lake Barracoota is a large freshwater lake about 8 km from Mallacoota and 1 km inland. Bounded inland by forests and shorewards by immense sand dunes it proved a pleasant enough site for a camp for two nights. It is a 10 km walk along beaches to Cape Howe. A year or so before we had stood under Cape Howe obelisk with some bushwalker friends from Hobart after a walk through Nadgee - we now felt we had "done" Cape Howe.
- To Borntiela and Centernt
-,
-Alfred National Park
-PAGE 6 . - THE SYDNEY *BUSHWALKER JANUARY 1993
-then press onto the Mueller River campsite (about 3 km) to cut down the length of next day's walk to Wingan Inlet. Mueller River campsite is primitive - a few sites on the grass behind the dunes on the edge of the inlet. ' There is no fresh water here and no open fires are permitted. The mouth of the river was closed so we crossed with ease early next morning.
-The next day brought more beaches and rocky headlands culminating
-in a cut track through the thick and scrubby bush behind Rare Head. There is a cut track Out to the trig on Rame Head (about 2 km)., well worth the visit. Wingan. Inlet has another very pleasant N.P. camp areaset about
-km in from th'e mouth of the inlet. it is reached from the beach along a long board walk through swamps and ti-tea scrub. Being 'a weekday there were few car campers around, and all were inconspicuous ,because of the thick forest and the well-planned layout. There is a large grassy area for walkers with abundant fresh water from 'a spring. We planned a lay day here, both to explore the mouth Of the inlet for , possible'place to cross, aid to walk some of the "tourise'foot tracks through the rainforest and
-_
-magnificent dunes around the inlet.
-We had completed our walks and fOU:nd.'a feasible way across the inlet
-(involving a 50 metre swim) and' wete on our I4ay'back to..caMp when we heard a'pleasant sound - the put-put Of an outboard motor. ' One ofithe car campers.
+The next section of our walk started from Bemm River. We had left a car at Mallacoota (outside the Police Station) and stayed overnight at "Cosy Nook", a fishermens retreat run by Di and Don. Don had agreed to ferry us across Sydenham Inlet - our second major obstacle, so long as we were ready to leave by 7.00 am. This proved no trouble as every fisherman staying at "Cosy Nook" took it on himself to knock on our cabin door, starting at first light (5.00 am). So by 8,00 am we were on our way along the long, long beach to Tamboon Inlet - our third large obstacle.
+Soft sand, 8-day packs and enough water for the day made for slow going. There are usually a few boats on Tamboon Inlet as it is a popular fishing spot. Today was no exception. An obliging couple on a day's sailing gave us a lift over, saving a long swim, or a short but precarious wade across the mouth.
+Our first campsite was about 3 km further on at Clinton Rocks Creek - plenty of fresh water and a grassy flat, just what we needed. Next day was a bit more varied - a few kilometres of rocky shore, about 7 km of beach, a bush track across Cape Everard, which picked up the road from the Point Hicks lighthouse. This led around to the N.P. camp on the Thurra River. Being a weekend it was fairly busy but is so laid out that campers don't intrude on each other. We found a spot close to the day area which is equipped with tables and fireplaces, and right on the bank of the river. The river is fresh, and about 70 metres wide but is very shallow on a sandy bottom.
+The next day was a "lay day" - but Alan had arranged an inspection of the lighthouse. This is one of many lighthouses being de-commissioned by the Commonwealth so its future is uncertain. It is a beautiful and historic place and the "Friends" hope it will become part of the Park and hence protected from vandalism and decay. We spent several hours here with the keeper exploring the lighthouse and its attendant buildings and hearing a lot of its history.
+On the walk back we decided to have an early dinner in lieu of lunch, then press onto the Mueller River campsite (about 3 km) to cut down the length of next day's walk to Wingan Inlet. Mueller River campsite is primitive - a few sites on the grass behind the dunes on the edge of the inlet. There is no fresh water here and no open fires are permitted. The mouth of the river was closed so we crossed with ease early next morning.
+The next day brought more beaches and rocky headlands culminating in a cut track through the thick and scrubby bush behind Rame Head. There is a cut track out to the trig on Rame Head (about 2 km), well worth the visit. Wingan Inlet has another very pleasant N.P. camp area set about 2 km in from the mouth of the inlet. it is reached from the beach along a long board walk through swamps and ti-tea scrub. Being a weekday there were few car campers around, and all were inconspicuous because of the thick forest and the well-planned layout. There is a large grassy area for walkers with abundant fresh water from a spring. We planned a lay day here, both to explore the mouth Of the inlet for possible place to cross, and to walk some of the "tourist" foot tracks through the rainforest and magnificent dunes around the inlet.
+We had completed our walks and found a feasible way across the inlet (involving a 50 metre swim) and were on our way back to camp when we heard a pleasant sound - the put-put of an outboard motor. One of the car campers had brought his car-topper in to do a little fishing on the inlet. He agreed to ferry us over - one by one, early next morning, so we had a pleasant afternoon around camp washing, preparing dinner and discouraging the numerous large, over-fed goannas prowling the campsites for handouts. With their 2-inch scimitar claws they make you rather nervous as they lumber within inches of the very fragile (and expensive) nylon tents in search of tid-bits.
+From Wingham Inlet on, the route is mostly inland along little-used dual tracks winding through forest and across moors covered in wildflowers, an agreeable change from soft sand. We had lunch where the track hits the coast about 14 km on, at a spot behind a little beach backed by high rock walls and a gushing cataract. As it was only a few "k" on to our campsite at Benedore River, we indulged ourselves with a long lunch, a plunge in the sea and a shower under the waterfall. Alan had been luring us along with tales of the breath-taking campsite on the Benedore River. When we eventually found it, it proved almost all he said - except it had no fresh water as the inlet here is very brackish. We were only saved by Harry having left his glasses at our lunch spot. As he had to go back to retrieve them we pressed all our empty water containers on him, starting dinner with the water we had with us.
+Onwards the track leads through forest and moor again. There is a 3 km diversion out to the trig on Little Rame Head which offers extensive views along the coast and our first glimpses of Mallacoota. On to the N.P. camp area at Shipwreck Creek for our last camp.
+We again occupied the day area with its table and fireplace and were joined by a young couple on a day trip from Mallacoota. We were soon coercing Harry to go back into Mallacoota with them to pick up his car and save us a long roadbash on the morrow. He returned with more than his car - some cold cans and a bottle of rough red to celebrate our last cmapfire.
+With time on our hands we spent the next morning exploring the coast around the mouth of Shipwreck Creek, a fascinating area for rock lovers, botanists and beach combers.
-had brought his car-topper in to do a little: fishing on the inlet. He "agreed t,pferry us over - one by one, early next morning, so we had a pleasant afternoon around camp washing, 1)eparing dinner and discouraging the numerous large, over-fed goannas prowling the campsites for handouts. With their 2-inch scimitar claws they make you rather nervous as they lumber within inches of the very fragile (and expensive) nylon tents in search of tid-bits.
-.`
-From Wingham Inlet on, the:route is mostly inland along little-used dual tracks winding through forest and across moors covered in wildfloviers, an agreeable change from soft sand.. We had lunch where the track hit S the coast about ,14 km'on, at a spot behind-a little beach backed by high rock. walls and a gushing'cataract.. As-it was only a few "k" on to our campsite at Benedore River, we indulged ourselves with a long lunch, a plunge in the sea and a shower under the waterfall. : Alan had been luring us along with tales of the breath-taking campsite on the Benedore , When we eventually found it, it proved almost allhe said - except it had no fresh water as the inlet here is very brackish. We were only Saved by Harry having left his glasses at our lunch spot: As he had to go back to retrieve them we pressed all our empty water containers on him, starting' dinner with the water we had with-us.
-Onwards -the track leads through forest and moor again. There is a
-km diversion out to the trig on Little Rame Head which offers extensive views along the coast and our first glimpses of Mallacoota. On to the N.P. camp area at Shipwreck Creek for our, last camp.
-We again occupied the day area withits-table and fireplace and were joined by a,young 'couple on a day trip from Mallacoota. We were soon coercing Harry to go back into Mallacocta with them to pick up his car and save us a long roadbash on the morrow. He returned with more than his car some cold cans and a bottle of rough red to celebrate our last cmapfire.
-With time on our hands we spent the next morning exploring the coast ,around the mouth of Shipwreck Creek, a fascinating area for rock lovers, botanists and beach combers.
 And so back to Bemm River and Cosy Nook - with Alan reasonably happy with the results of our eleven-day trek.
-* * * * * *.* * * * *
-JANUARY 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE/
+----
-Conse rvat ion
-A  4
+=====Conservation.=====
-THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS SENT TO CLUB MEMBER, GLADYS ROBERTS
-Postal Address
+===The following letter was sent to club member, Gladys Roberts.===
-Box 4476 G.P.O.
- SYDNEY 2001
+The Sydney Bush Walkers. Postal Address Box 4476 G.P.O. Sydney 2001.
 rd December 1992
 Dear Gladys,
-I am pleased to tell you that at last night's Committee Meeting the Treasurer, Erith Hamilton, told us that she had received a cheque for $930 from the Australian Conseryation Foundation. This represented your donation, less their commission of 7%.
-The Committee was very appreciative of your gift. They asked me to convey this to yon and decided to add $70 from Club funds - to it and place it in the Club's Conservation Fund. It will then be invested in a government security which should yield some $80 a year' for a long time to come. The interest from the fund is used to promote conservation. Last year $130 was presented to Tim Moore to establish the Wilderness Fund, $300 was given to the Colong Foundation for Wilderness (of which I am Hon. Sec.), $200 given to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Committee and $100 to the NorthEast Forest Alliance.
+I am pleased to tell you that at last night's Committee Meeting the Treasurer, Erith Hamilton, told us that she had received a cheque for $930 from the Australian Conservation Foundation. This represented your donation, less their commission of 7%.
-Joe Turner opened the Conservation Fund with a donation of $500 some years ago. The Committee hopes your gift will inspire others to tollow,
-I believe 'a :donation to the Club's' Conservation Fund is the. most effective way of ensuring the money will be spent on preserving what isleft of the bush.
+The Committee was very appreciative of your gift. They asked me to convey this to you and decided to add $70 from Club funds to it and place it in the Club's Conservation Fund. It will then be invested in a government security which should yield some $80 a year for a long time to come. The interest from the fund is used to promote conservation. Last year $130 was presented to Tim Moore to establish the Wilderness Fund, $300 was given to the Colong Foundation for Wilderness (of which I am Hon. Sec.), $200 given to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Committee and $100 to the North-East Forest Alliance.
- ,
-.14r
+Joe Turner opened the Conservation Fund with a donation of $500 some years ago. The Committee hopes your gift will inspire others to follow.
-,
-- Pr
+I believe a donation to the Club's Conservation Fund is the most effective way of ensuring the money will be spent on preserving what is left of the bush.
-Yours sincerely;
-A. G. COLLEY OAM,
+Yours sincerely,
--1011. Conservation ,Secretary.
-EARTH WIND FIRE RAIN
+A. G. Colley OAM,
-GORE-TEX VALUE
- THE BARCOO. $249 The Tanami Barcoo
+Hon. Conservation Secretary.
-jacket is now available at
-all Paddy Palk stores. At $249.00 it represents outstanding value for money for a fully - featured Gore-Tex rainshell.
+----
-The Barcoo passed with flying colours the stringent tests carried out by
-W.L. Gore as part of their Guaranteed To Keep You Dry
+=====How I Joined The  S.B.W.=====
- programme.
-The Barcoo is mid thigh length and features seamfree shoulders, a waterproof front closure, external drawcord and 2 large volume pockets.
-Available in Red and Mid Blue
-THE PADDY PALLIN CLUB Back in June we launched The Paddy Pallin Club in order to stay in touch with regular customers. For an annual subscription of $10-00 members receive a host of benefits including a special Club members discount or. their purchases, special rates on adventure activities as well as exclusive trips for Club members. Members receive a newsletter full of outdoor tips, product news, competitions, information on new offers etc.
-To join simply pick up a brochure in your local Paddy Pallin store or telephone 008 805398 TO1 FREE.
-THE TIKA CORONET
-FOR TRAVELLING BUSHWALKERS. You're off on some lengthy travels that could involve some bushwalking along the way? If so the Tika Coronet ($389) could be the pack for you. It has both a top loading and front opening facility, a
-comfortable 2 size adjustable harness system that can be
-zipped away for avoiding the airport baggage chewerl The
-front pocket zips off and coriVeril , to d daypack. A fine pack for ,1; those travelling to Europe but stopping off in
-Nepal on the way home to trek around Annapurna.
-THE ADVENTURE FIRST AID KIT A while ago
-some Paddy Pailin staff were tentbound in a storm on the Main Range. As a means
-of relieving the boredom they began comparing personal First Aid kits.
-Noticing a number of similarities in what they had ended up with over the-years, the idea of developing a specific Adventure Kit came about. A week or so later we were meeting with St John Ambulance and many months later the joint Paddy Pallin/St John Ambulance Adventure First Aid Kit was born: The kit is packed in a brightly
-coloured, flexible, multi pocketed PVC pouch sealed with weatherproof press zips.
-Apart from the
- 'medical' contents, the kit
-orsO contains o
-laminated First Aid Booklet, Casualty Record cards, a notebook on pencil and printed information on -Hypothermia and Emergency contact numbers. $69.95
-FADDY PAWN ::41DVERS THE 05(INTRYI
-All 400+ products in our Catalogue or any other item of outdoor
-equipment can be sent anywhere. So if you can't make ii to o Paddy Rollin store call Toll Free 008 805398 For a copy of The Paddy Rollin Catalogue and full details on our Mail Order Operation
-EXPANSION AND FACELIFT FOR CANBERRA STORE
-By the time you read
-. this the painters and carpet fitters will have left and our - Canberra more :will be lookiha bigger, and brighter. So next time, you're in the National
-Capital call in. ..
-. Sydney Miranda Canberra Jindabyne Melbourne Box Hill Adelaide Perth
-Hobart Launceston Mail Order
-DON'T BAG THE ENVIRONMENT
-,000 BAGS SAVED! A big thank you to all our customers for the tremendous support you have given the above scheme whereby every time you elect not to take a bag for your purchases Paddy Rollin donates 10 cents to a charity. In the first 6 . months of this year we were able to donate $800.00 to the Wilderness Society and $836.00 to a range of charities local to each store. That equates to some 16000 bags not going into precious landfill, less energy being used because we need to order, less bags. Thanks to you, everyone
-benefits.
-NEW INTEGRAL OFFERINGS Drytech, the fabric that revolutionized the Boywear market, has two more garments in the range.
-The cycle short style Techshorts are obviously ideal for cycling but also well suited to canoeing or bushwalking with the stretch of the Drytech Jersey. fabric
- accommodciting the most movements. Available in Blue and Red ar$35.95
-For those who prefer short sleeves we've chopped them off the old favourite, the Techcrew, to give the Techshirt with a price of $35.95
-elcome to Issue 1 of the Update, our way of letting you know the latest developments in products and activities available at your local Paddy Pallin store.
-"-GORETEr
-THE LEADERS IN ADVENTURE
-Kent St NSW 2000
-Kingsway NSW 2228
-Lonsdale St Braddon ACT'2601 Kosciusko Rd NSW 2627. 360 Little Bourke St ViC 3000 8 Market St VIC 3128
-Rundle St SA 5000
-/891 Hay St WA 6000 76 Elizabeth St TAS 7000 59 Brisbane St TAS 7250 360 Little Bourke St VIC 3000
-Ph 02 2642685
-Ph 02 5256829 Ph 06 2573883 Ph 064 562922
-Ph 03 6704845
-Ph 03 8988596
-Ph 08 2323155
-Ph 09 3212666
-Ph 002 310777
-Ph 003 314240
-Toll Free 008 805398
-(Melbourne Residents Ph 03 6709485) Fax 03 670 4622
-JANUARY 19-93 TH4 SYDN.tY 13,USiMALICZ1( PAGE 9
-HOW I JOINED THE S.B.W.
 by Puffing Billy
-PART 1: 'MOUNT SOLITARY - THE GREAT FRUSTRATION
-Like many of the contemporaries of the- late great Christopher Columbus, I
-knew that theworld was flat. So did everyone else, born and reared on the endless plains of South Auatralia. Eicepting, that is, the cliffs, alOng-the Riirer Murray, some of which were a staggering 30 metres high.
- And perpendicular, to boot. South Australians came hundreds of kilometres to view those awesome precipices. Still do.
-Thus enducated and aged eighteen. in the by-gone age of steam, I ventured to the veryend of the known world, namely to the fabled metropolis of Sydney, and there began my working life. Two years later I nostalgically' decided to make a Christmas visit to my State of nativity; but I was daunted by a worrisome thought: what to say when,as a returning world travellerI was asked, "What do you think of the Blue Mountains?" And I should. have to confess that I had never seen them: I could see the incredulity on their faces and hear their Shocked voices as they responded, "But they're almost in Sydney!"
-I'could not face the shame; I had to see the Blue Mountains first. So
-I visited a railway ticket window to enquire the minimum cost of a return to'Katoomba. "Seven and six," replied the ticket man.
-"S;g-Seven and s-s'-six," I s-stammered in ,shock, for that was almost a year's Savings. By the time I paid my board and fares to work, I had 25 cents per week to cover clothes, text books and chasing girls.
-But I had to see those mountains, so there was only one thing for it From :my'-ader brother when he joined the army, I had inherited a tapered-frame 1-oath-racing bicycle of ultra-modern design. Three gears, no less. Thus a Friday afternoon came when I mounted the saddle after work, with some sandwiches and clothing in a make-shift haversack on my back and a flimsy blanket roll'on the handlebars.
-As I passed Penrith in the very last light of the evening afterglow, huge black clouds began massing above the western horizon, looming larger and blacker as the darkness got darker. I peddled towards the menacing storms,
-frantically searching for some shelter as I had no storm clothes. But then, the awesome truth struck me. They were not clouds; I was looking fair and :square at the Blue Mountains, towering above me. My adrenalin gland went directly into overdrive
-Now'you,who are veterans of the_up-and-down world may well scoff at my reaction to the gentle slopes of Lapstone Hill; but, please remember:,-, my previous altitude record had been those cliffs of the River Murray.
-Tv say that I was excited would only begin to describe my state. Indeed, I was atop Lapstone Hill and looking back in awe at the blinking sparklets of distant Sydney (which'stopped at Parramatta in those days) before I realised that my legs were tired from the uphill push, while my mouth devoured the first-of my kindly landlady's sandwiches, my eyes devoured the panorama of fairy lights below. Wow! Now I could tell an enthralling tale even if I went no further.'
-,
-But Katoomba lay 'somewhere in the rising dark ahead; I had to go on. Reaching Lawson at about 10.30, I slept in the shed of the school. My parents were both teachers, so the prospect of being roused out by the local
-PAGE 1.0 THE' SY-1)N.EYFIUSHWALKER JANUARY 1993
-headmaster held no terrors for me - I knew the placatory formulae.
-Next morning at about 6.30 I topped the rise at Leura and was almost stunned by the view southwards, down Leura Valley to the cliffs of Mount Solitary
-and King's Tableland, though the names were as yet unknown to me. 'Enthralled in the iolden-light of morning,I could notsee the slopes of the Jamieson Valley and evefything. that I could; see beyond the Leura,foreground was vertical - Plumb-bobHvertical. ,Perpendipular. Everything - the whole scene. Not a'horizontal anywhere. And the puniness of those.Murray'River cliffs was indelibly' Impressed on my
-In that one moment, I became a captive and, trite though it may soUnd, my life has never, been the same since. Racing on to Katoomba,. I asked the mandatory, "Where to find the Three Sisters?" However; before proceeding thdnce, I had to attend to a necessity. The glimpse from 'Leura had shown me that there were no roads out there; no towns, no houses, even: It was like
+===Part 1: Mount Solitary - The Great Frustration.===
-the. ogen, eMpty spaces aroundi us at home; but vertical. I knew now that no five minute gawk from Echo Point could satisfy me; I would need some sort of victuals for an overnight,sortie'into the country I had seen. Thus, I bought a half-loaf of bread and two lamb chops in Lurline Street.
-Goggling at the view from Echo Point, I soon became aware of/frustration. The scene was tantalisingly incomplete. To my right, the cliffs of, Narrow Neck (I now knew the names from a free locality map) formed _a barrier beyond which I could not see, while similarly to the left King's Tableland barred the view. These, however,still left a wide vista of verticality to the front;- but this vista was the cliffs of Mount Solitary, totally blocking the view of who knows what perpendicular enthralments beyond. I just had to see them.
+Like many of the contemporaries of the late great Christopher Columbus, I knew that the world was flat. So did everyone else, born and reared on the endless plains of South Auatralia. Excepting, that is, the cliffs along the Riirer Murray, some of which were a staggering 30 metres high. And perpendicular, to boot. South Australians came hundreds of kilometres to view those awesome precipices. Still do.
-Hiding the bike in the bush, I walked as far west as Orphan Rock. No success - - Solitary was unmOving. I started walking down Federal Pass (too poor for 5c on the Scenic RailWay).and, never having descended into the very bowels of the earth before, I waSAialf expecting Old Nick to raise his head to claim me
-as his own. However, the track flattened out at last and I found myself . wandering along with the Three Sisters in view and' ever more vertically above me.
+Thus enducated and aged eighteen in the by-gone age of steam, I ventured to the very end of the known world, namely to the fabled metropolis of Sydney, and there began my working life. Two years later I nostalgically decided to make a Christmas visit to my State of nativity; but I was daunted by a worrisome thought: what to say when, as a returning world traveller, I was asked, "What do you think of the Blue Mountains?" And I should have to confess that I had never seen them: I could see the incredulity on their faces and hear their shocked voices as they responded, "But they're almost in Sydney!"
-Around midday I stopped by a stream for a brew-up in my jam-tin billy, supplemented by grilled chop sandwiches. On unwrapping the meat, I found it somewhat mobile. Unworried, I washed the wildlife off in the stream. This, remember, was before the days of local refrigeration, when the Coolgardie safe was state-of-the-art technology. Correction; terms like technology and state-of-the-art had not entered the lexicon, the hype 'merchants still confining their talents to religion. Just as modern, also, was the newspaper in which the butcher had wrapped my chops. Not until decades later did the do-gooders warn me that it harboured animalcules more dangerous than my 200-metre fall on Mount French, New Zealand, the survival of which started my now-unshakable belief in supernatural intervention, despite many friends' claims that the Great Architect of the mountains would never haVe intervened on my bahalf
-By late afternoon I had breasted Leura _Cascades, looking back over my shoulder to see if any new vistas, were opening, but alas, the vista was unchanging - Mount Solitary and more Mount Solitary..
+I could not face the shame; I had to see the Blue Mountains first. So I visited a railway ticket window to enquire the minimum cost of a return to Katoomba. "Seven and six," replied the ticket man.
-I could new ramble on about my subsequent adventures that weekend', such as my return to Sydney, through 40.plus heat with 7 punctures to be mended-,along the way, followed by three days in bed with heat stroke; but that would not be really pertinent to the conclusion to which I am proceeding.
-JANUARY 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER 'PAGE 11
+"S-s-seven and s-s-six," I s-stammered in shock, for that was almost a year's savings. By the time I paid my board and fares to work, I had 25 cents per week to cover clothes, text books and chasing girls.
-Arrived back in Sydney after regaling my. Adelaide friends with tales of Blue Mountains escapades thatzadkuthe.:afbregaiii Columbus appear like a cut- lunch Charlie, I Was still piqued because inwardly I knew that I had not seen the Blue Mountains, , All I.had seen was frustrating Mount Solitary.
+But I __had__ to see those mountains, so there was only one thing for it. From my older brother when he joined the army, I had inherited a tapered-frame road-racing bicycle of ultra-modern design. Three gears, no less. Thus a Friday afternoon came when I mounted the saddle after work, with some sandwiches and clothing in a make-shift haversack on my back and a flimsy blanket roll on the handlebars.
+As I passed Penrith in the very last light of the evening afterglow, huge black clouds began massing above the western horizon, looming larger and blacker as the darkness got darker. I peddled towards the menacing storms, frantically searching for some shelter as I had no storm clothes. But then, the awesome truth struck me. They were not clouds; I was looking fair and square at the Blue Mountains, towering above me. My adrenalin gland went directly into overdrive.
+Now, youwho are veterans of the up-and-down world may well scoff at my reaction to the gentle slopes of Lapstone Hill; but, please remember, my previous altitude record had been those cliffs of the River Murray.
+Tv say that I was excited would only begin to describe my state. Indeed, I was atop Lapstone Hill and looking back in awe at the blinking sparklets of distant Sydney (which stopped at Parramatta in those days) before I realised that my legs were tired from the uphill push, while my mouth devoured the first of my kindly landlady's sandwiches, my eyes devoured the panorama of fairy lights below. Wow! Now I could tell an enthralling tale even if I went no further.
+But Katoomba lay somewhere in the rising dark ahead; I had to go on. Reaching Lawson at about 10.30, I slept in the shed of the school. My parents were both teachers, so the prospect of being roused out by the local headmaster held no terrors for me - I knew the placatory formulae.
+Next morning at about 6.30 I topped the rise at Leura and was almost stunned by the view southwards, down Leura Valley to the cliffs of Mount Solitary and King's Tableland, though the names were as yet unknown to me. Enthralled in the golden-light of morning, I could not see the slopes of the Jamieson Valley and everything that I could see beyond the Leura foreground was vertical. Plumb-bob vertical. Perpendipular. Everything - the whole scene. Not a horizontal anywhere. And the puniness of those Murray River cliffs was indelibly impressed on my mind.
+In that one moment, I became a captive and, trite though it may sound, my life has never been the same since. Racing on to Katoomba, I asked the mandatory, "Where to find the Three Sisters?" However; before proceeding thence, I had to attend to a necessity. The glimpse from Leura had shown me that there were no roads out there; no towns, no houses, even. It was like the open, empty spaces around us at home; but vertical. I knew now that no five minute gawk from Echo Point could satisfy me; I would need some sort of victuals for an overnight sortie into the country I had seen. Thus, I bought a half-loaf of bread and two lamb chops in Lurline Street.
+Goggling at the view from Echo Point, I soon became aware of a frustration. The scene was tantalisingly incomplete. To my right, the cliffs of, Narrow Neck (I now knew the names from a free locality map) formed a barrier beyond which I could not see, while similarly to the left King's Tableland barred the view. These, however, still left a wide vista of verticality to the front; but this vista was the cliffs of Mount Solitary, totally blocking the view of who knows what perpendicular enthralments beyond. I just had to see them.
+Hiding the bike in the bush, I walked as far west as Orphan Rock. No success - Solitary was unmoving. I started walking down Federal Pass (too poor for 5c on the Scenic Railway) and, never having descended into the very bowels of the earth before, I was half expecting Old Nick to raise his head to claim me as his own. However, the track flattened out at last and I found myself wandering along with the Three Sisters in view and ever more vertically above me.
+Around midday I stopped by a stream for a brew-up in my jam-tin billy, supplemented by grilled chop sandwiches. On unwrapping the meat, I found it somewhat mobile. Unworried, I washed the wildlife off in the stream. This, remember, was before the days of local refrigeration, when the Coolgardie safe was state-of-the-art technology. Correction; terms like technology and state-of-the-art had not entered the lexicon, the hype merchants still confining their talents to religion. Just as modern, also, was the newspaper in which the butcher had wrapped my chops. Not until decades later did the do-gooders warn me that it harboured animalcules more dangerous than my 200-metre fall on Mount French, New Zealand, the survival of which started my now-unshakable belief in supernatural intervention, despite many friends' claims that the Great Architect of the mountains would never have intervened on my behalf.
+By late afternoon I had breasted Leura Cascades, looking back over my shoulder to see if any new vistas were opening; but alas, the vista was unchanging - Mount Solitary and more Mount Solitary.
+I could new ramble on about my subsequent adventures that weekend, such as my return to Sydney, through 40° plus heat with 7 punctures to be mended along the way, followed by three days in bed with heat stroke; but that would not be really pertinent to the conclusion to which I am proceeding.
+Arrived back in Sydney after regaling my Adelaide friends with tales of Blue Mountains escapades that made the aforesaid Columbus appear like a cut-lunch Charlie. I Was still piqued because inwardly I knew that I had not seen the Blue Mountains. All I had seen was frustrating Mount Solitary.
 "How do I get to see what lies behind it?" I asked my Sydney friends ad nauseam.
-"You have to join the bush walkers," they replied with equal nauseam. Thus the die was cast.,
-***#!**********, , END PART ONE.
+"You have to join the bush walkers," they replied with equal nauseam. Thus the die was cast.
-THE NSW NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVICE sent the following letter to the Club's Walks Secretary, Bill Holland:-
-Dear.Mr Holland,
+End of Part One.
-Occasionally =members of bushwalking clubs may experience difficulties because organised walks may have been planned on lands managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service without a full understanding of the Service's local key rules which govern such activities.
+----
+=====Letter from National Parks and Wildlife Service.=====
+The National Parks and Wildlife Service sent the following letter to the Club's Walks Secretary, Bill Holland:-
+Dear Mr Holland,
+Occasionally members of bushwalking clubs may experience difficulties because organised walks may have been planned on lands managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service without a full understanding of the Service's local key rules which govern such activities.
 I refer specifically to Nadgee Nature Reserve, a popular walking location, on the far south coast of NSW.
 Although Nadgee is not a declared wilderness area, much of it has effectively been managed as wilderness, and certain rules have been in place for many years to help protect its natural state.
 Bushwalking (ie backpacking) is by permit only with a maximum of twenty (20) walkers permitted at any one time in the Reserve. That is, if twenty walkers are in the Reserve no other walkers would normally be permitted during the same period.
 We try to eneourage small walking groups (say 7 or 8) rather than large groups (say 15 to 20) as, from past experience, several small groups tend to have less adverse impact on the area than large groups. It also provides the opportunity for individuals or other small groups to use the Reserve at the same time rather than the Reserve being dominated by a large single group to the exclusion of others.
 Bookings must be in advance and are taken no more than three months before the proposed walk. This should give any walk co-ordinator ample time to plan ahead. Walk co-ordinators should not expect Service staff to make special dispensation to their group if the Reserve is already fully booked.
-In all cases walk co-ordinators should contact this office beforefinalising Plans.
+In all cases walk co-ordinators should contact this office __before__ finalising plans.
 I would be grateful if you could make this information available to all of your club's members, preferably by printing this letter in your club's newsletter.
-Yours faithfully, K. R. Margus,
-Superintendent - Eden Disirict.
+Yours faithfully,
+K. R. Margus, Superintendent - Eden Disirict.
+----
 PAGE 12 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER JANUARY - 993
 THE STONE'BRIDGE