SBW Magazine & History Project

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{{size>200%|**THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER**}} FEBRUARY 2001 Print Post Approved PP 235723/01270

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The Sydney Bushwalker is a monthly bulletin of matters of interest to members of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. PO Box 431 Milsons Point 1565. To advertise in this magazine, please contact the Business Manager.

The Sydney Bush Walkers Incorporated was founded in 1927. Club meetings are held every Wednesday evening at 8 pm at Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, 16 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli (near Milsons Point Railway Station). Visitors and prospective members are welcome any Wednesday.

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<center>FEBRUARY 2001 – Issue No. 795</center>

1. Editorial. State of SBW  
2. Notice of AGM  
3. Notice of Reunion  
4. February General Meeting _(reported by Barry Wallace)_  
5. The Bush is not a Rubbish Dump _(by Joan Rigby)_  
6. Biodiversity Study Planned. Notice  
7. GPS Information Evening. Notice  
8. Growth & Renewal of the SBW _(by Kay Chan)_  
9. SBW Committee member Duties Listed  
10. Notice of Motion for the AGM _(by Eddy Giacomel)_  
11. Re-energising the Energetic _(by Bill Holland)_  
12. Sydney Bushwalker Index. Assistance required  
13. Why Not More Cycling _(by Brian Holden)_  
14. Kosci Christmas 2000 _(by Jo Van Sommers)_  
15. SBW Social Program  
16. Vale Geoff Grace  
17. A Damp Walk _(by Chris Dowling)_  
18. A Walk to Wallabadah _(by Pat Harrison)_

ADVERTISERS

• Alpsport (front cover)
• Eastwood Camping Centre 11
• Paddy Pallin (Back cover)
• Wilderness Transit 14
• Willis's Walkabouts 7

The Sydney Bushwalker magazine is printed on recycled paper.

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I consider that our club is in very good shape even though it may be suffering the temporary malaise that many walking clubs and youth groups are currently experiencing. Isolated incidents which have upset some members can easily be talked into 'patterns of behaviour' by campfire gossip. The best way to influence outcomes in the club is to participate. Every committee in any organisation consists of people who may have different views and all decisions are by consensus. Everybody has a say and strong personalities have to put up strong arguments to sway the committee.

It may be worthwhile to repeat what Eddy Giacomel said in his article, 'Reflections', in the January 2000 issue:

“While discussion of an issue is important, it is no substitute for action. Those that remain dissatisfied should note that the SBW is not there to satisfy you but it is there for you to provide a means to satisfy yourself.

We need to focus (and act!) on issues in a manner that is constructive, not adversarial. We are not going to entice newer members to participate by elevating the temperature of club politics.

Anyone with suggestions for the club should consider who is going to do the work. Volunteers won't buy the argument that it is a good idea but you don't want to do it and therefore they should.

We can adapt the quote from John F Kennedy to suit SBW – think not what your club can do for you, think what you can do for your club. SBW needs your action, not only your discussions. Your assistance is required in filling committee and other positions at the AGM.”

If it is not possible for you to serve on the committee this year at least attend the March AGM and help to elect your committee. Ed.

The Annual General Meeting of the Sydney Bushwalking Club Inc will be held on March 14th. At this meeting the new club committee will be elected. All positions will be declared vacant so now is your opportunity to help shape the future of our club in the 21st Century. Why not nominate for a position on that committee? The duties of each committee position are outlined in this magazine and are fully described in a handbook held by our New Members Secretary, which can be viewed at the clubroom. Please think seriously about it and at least be sure to attend the meeting on March 14th to help elect your committee for 2001.

THE OCCUPANTS OF THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS WILL NOT BE RENOMINATING AT THE AGM

• EDITOR
• NEW MEMBER SECRETARY
• TREASURER
• ONE GENERAL COMMITTEE POSITION
• VICE PRESIDENT

COOLANA MARCH 17TH – 18TH ALL MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL SBW REUNION AT COOLANA TO SOCIALIZE AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INAUGURATION OF THE PRESIDENT. REFER TO THE AUTUMN PROGRAM FOR FULL DETAILS Contacts: Patrick James 9904 1515 / Bill Holland 9484 6636

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_reported by Barry Wallace_

The meeting began at around 20:04 hours, with the president in the chair and some 15 or so members present. There were apologies from Gretel Woodward, Roger Treagus, Jim Callaway and Edith Baker.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and accepted as correct. There were no matters arising.

Correspondence included letters to George Mawer regarding a proposal to collect data on club activities and to Confederation querying a rapidly growing mismatch between their budget and expenditures. Apart from several commercial entreaties we also received a notice from Bushwalkers Wilderness Search and Rescue providing information on a future training weekend.

The treasurer was away overseas (Tasmania) so no treasurer's report was available to this meeting.

The walks reports, presented by Carol, began with Wilf Hilder leading a party of 8 on his midweek Daylight Saving Walk from Athol Bight to Kirribilli on what turned out to be a rather warm afternoon.

Over the weekend of 15–17 December Ian Wolfe's canyon trip went well with the rescue of a possum from one of the canyons as a bonus. Jim Callaway deferred his walk in The Royal to the following weekend.

There was no report for Geoff Dowsett's South Coast Odyssey walk scheduled for the Sunday but Ralph Penglis had a party of 6 and several swims to report for his Rose Bay to Watsons Head and return trip that day.

… _(full walks report continues in same style)_

Conservation report indicated that Peta Seaton, NSW shadow minister for the environment, has indicated a wish to open a dialogue on the coalition's environmental policy at the last election.

The Confederation expects to issue its calendar for next year this month.

There was no general business, so after the announcements the meeting closed at 21:04.

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from Joan Rigby

Once Bushwalkers observed the old rule of 'Burn, Bash and Bury all your rubbish and your Tins': but as intrusions into, and perceptions of, wilderness changed, a sterner creed was needed and a Club poet summed this up with the lines:

“The tins you carry in your pack
Are not so heavy going back.
Though rubbish is a bore to hump
The Bush is not a rubbish dump.”

Perhaps we should now declare that “Neither is Coolana”.

Members and their friends visiting Coolana should be as aware of their needs as when on a Club walking trip. You do not expect to find items that 'might be useful' scattered around the bush routes. Neither when visiting Coolana should you expect to find there the basic items of your weekend pack. Therefore leaving unwanted odds and ends in the belief that 'it might be useful' is no different from leaving plastic, tins and personal items scattered across your favourite Wilderness area.

Certainly, regular users do maintain some basic (or private) extras - candles, matches, toilet paper, and mosquito coils - which other visitors may use if necessary, and there is maintenance stuff in various places. A reasonable stock of kindling and firewood for the next arrival is always welcome, BUT: Empty plastic bottles, foam, and cardboard boxes, plastic items - from cracked plates to empty food containers, well-used rags and pot-scourers and masses of weekend newspapers, (especially the glossy magazines) are unsightly, unwanted and possibly dangerous. We all appreciate the usable chairs and the rickety tables and we would like to improve on the current collection - but not with damaged items even your local recycle facility would refuse.

When the Big Shed was built in the late 1970's we had experienced one bush fire sweeping through Coolana. Rules then were that, to protect the Shed during future fires, flammable liquids, mattresses, paper etc. should not be left as fuel to feed a fire around the shed.

Wood piled against the outside walls, excessive amounts of dry leaves and other kindling near the Shed entrance and leaves on the roof, all increase the risk of burning out our Shed.

Please protect our Shed and Coolana from the risk of damage from fire by following the Simple precept set out above.

Joan Rigby

The NPA has formed an action group to carry out a biodiversity study on 'Natural Areas' land in Beacon Hill. The intention is to develop the land as part of a corridor through adjacent Crown and Sydney Water land and Red Hill Park, to link to Garigal NP and eventually to hand the land to the NP&WLS. The Action Group is seeking assistance from interested conservationists to carry out this study that will be mostly funded by government grants. The SBW is a shareholder in 'Natural Areas' and our representative Don Brooks has requested any interested members to contact him on 9807 1657.

Wed February 28th

Our social Secretary Andrew Vilder has arranged a GPS explanatory evening. Come along and learn what you can do with a GPS on that extended walk you are planning. A GPS can put a new perspective on planning and leading an extended walk, making it a new high-tech experience.

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from Kay Chan

I read with interest the article and commentary reporting on the discussion on “Growth, Renewal and Re-energising a Mature Organisation” led by Elyssebeth Leigh at our clubrooms on the 28th of November. From the comments made, it appears that we don't communicate enough!

I was inspired to write following my disappointment at learning that the trial of the amended prospective membership period and qualifying test walks had been withdrawn. I supported this trial, as I believed there was a need for an extended prospective membership period in today's environment. This is due to a changed leisure time environment from that which existed in 1927. Factors such as the extension of business and trading hours resulting in altered work patterns, changed gender roles and the single parent phenomena have all impacted on the amount of weekend leisure time available to pursue bushwalking. I also believed that the added weekend test walk would give equal emphasis to both day and weekend walking.

I am unclear of the reasons for the withdrawal of this trial. Was it because our club constitution does not permit trials or because incorporated institutions cannot conduct trials? If it should be the former, I would like to propose, at the forthcoming AGM, an amendment to our club constitution to allow for the running of trials. Trials present an ideal opportunity to evaluate proposed changes in action, prior to permanently altering the constitution.

At the meeting led by Elyssebeth, the issues of the focus of the club and its direction or objectives for the future were raised. When I raised this question on walks in the past, I received many diverse responses. Clearly, our membership has many different views, however to move in a particular direction we need to pull together!

It was also mentioned at the gathering that SBW was a club engaging in both day and weekend walking. This has raised some questions in my mind.

Are we aiming at a membership that participates in both day and weekend walking? Once a member we are clearly free to walk as we like, however does the club, and its membership, actively encourage or discourage members to participate in both activities?

I have observed that many prospective members join with the intention of participating exclusively in day walks, and suffer the obligatory weekend test walk to obtain membership. While my personal preference is for weekend walking, I have no objections to members participating exclusively in their preferred activity. What concerns me is the number of ill prepared prospective members whose first ever overnight-walk is a test walk. For some, a preparatory easy overnight-walk was one overnight-walk too many. If day walking is an acceptable activity of the club, why force prospective members to do one overnight-walk at all? Does this “encourage” participation in weekend walking. If it was hell for them you know the answer!

This leads me to question whether the existing qualifying structure is serving our best interests. Perhaps a tiered structure of day and weekend walking membership may serve us better. The extension of the prospective membership period, the additional overnight-walk for qualifying, whether easy or test: and the retention of a small stock of overnight hiking equipment for hire to members may be other ways to encourage weekend walking. One couple recently advised me that they outlaid over $200 to hire equipment for a weekend trip. This must surely be a deterrent. Members may have other suggestions.

With respect to the comment on participation in the running of the club, may I suggest the encouragement of “understudy roles? Interested members could learn about the running of the club in a supporting role and simultaneously ease the burden for the official office bearer. This in itself may act as an inducement for members to take office.

Finally, editorial provided statistics on participation by age for the Coast and Mountain Walkers club (CMW). Does SBW have data of this nature, or of the activity of its membership?

Well, I have said my bit. I am interested in your comments and views, as well as those of our membership at large.

Kay Chan

Editor's Note: This letter was addressed to the general committee, as well as to the editor, and will be considered at the next committee meeting. The following comments are mine only. Ed.

• The trial was temporarily withdrawn because it involved a change to the club constitution which can only occur at an AGM. This will occur at the next AGM in March 2001.
• This would result in two types of membership or it could possibly cause leaders problems by having 'members' on their extended walks who had never participated in that type of walk before. The modified test walk regime proposed would ensure that prospectives would benefit from their first overnight walk which experience would assist on their second overnight test walk before becoming full members.
• The position of General Committee member already exists for just that purpose see page 8 for details. Committee meetings are also always advertised as open to observers.
• The club has not accumulated those statistics to date. Ed.

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Monday 26 March - Friday 30th March 2000 DAY WALKS, TENNIS, MINI GOLF, SWIMMING ETC

Once again we have booked cabins at Currawong Beach. Enjoy the facilities, the activities and, of course, every night a happy hour or two. Cost will be in the vicinity of $60 for 4 nights (5 days) or book in just for a day or two. Enjoy the day walks on the West Head Peninsula. Food groups may be organised as this has been so successful on previous occasions.

Reserve your place by sending me a deposit of $20 ASAP. Bill Holland 9484 6636

17th/18th February Please note that Ian Debert will not be available for the programmed Kangaroo Valley Canoe trip from Tallowa Dam. The canoe trip will still proceed to join Bill Holland and his walk-in party at the five star campsite on the Kangaroo River but will be under the leadership of Pamela Irving 9977 4403. Canoe hire may be arranged with pick-up at the dam.

On January 14th Belinda McKenzie broke the fibula of her right leg on a Bush Club walk in Kangaroo creek. Belinda thought that she had only sprained her ankle and pushed on.

As Alan Mewett reports in the Bush Club Newsletter. “Belinda is now plastered, in the medical sense, and is recuperating under her mother's care.”

Get well soon Belinda.

EUREKA 'BIKE & HIKE' TENT. Almost new. Weight 1.8kg, with fly. Bargain at half price - $165 ono. Please phone Ione Dean for details 9997 3731.

PACK - MACPAC TORRE 80 litre Near new - $295 Margaret Rozea 9521 5997

Members are invited to assist with the collating of the February magazine, the walks program and the annual report, at the Holland's home at Westleigh on Thursday February 15th from 6pm. Contact Fran Holland beforehand for details on 9484 6636.

One collapsible black LEKI walking stick with luminous red tag attached. Last seen resting peacefully by the track in the Mt. Jagungal area on Dec 28th 2000. May have accompanied other walkers to Round Mountain Car park. Sadly missed. Phone 9555 1800 or email anthea@michaelis.net

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The SBW Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday March 14th 2001.

All positions become vacant but as stated earlier the people occupying the following positions have advised that they will not be standing for re-election.

• Vice President
• Treasurer
• New Members Secretary
• Editor

Many club members may hesitate to take up club committee positions because they are unsure of what is involved so here is a summary of the duties of most positions.

A handbook giving the full details and responsibilities of all committee positions is held by the New Members secretary, and is available for perusal at the clubrooms. If more detail is required then all present and past incumbents would be happy to provide it.

Most committee positions involve attendance at committee meetings on the first Wednesday of most months and others may also involve attendance at the monthly general meetings.

President Chairs general and committee meetings. Represents the SBW at functions such as funerals etc. Focuses on the broader issues that are not encompassed by other committee positions.

Vice President Shares president's duties and acts as locum if the president is not available.

Public Officer. Responsible for club's compliance with all legal and statutory requirements. Submits appropriate forms to various government departments. Holder of club's two 'Common Seal' stamps.

Treasurer Keeps ongoing financial accounts. Pays regular and occasional accounts. Presents monthly financial report at each committee and general meeting. Presents the annual budget to committee and general meeting and proposes any change to subscriptions for the next financial year. Attends committee and general meetings.

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Secretary Attends general and committee meetings to record and to read the minutes. Processes incoming and outgoing correspondence. Arranges the General Meeting agenda.

Walks Secretary Compiles a walks program each quarter. Presents the program for approval to the committee. Encourages walk leaders to lead interesting walks. Compiles and gives walk reports at monthly meetings. Bill Capon has compiled a comprehensive record of all overnight SBW walks from 1949-1999 as a source of information for walk leaders.

Social Secretary Obtains interesting speakers for club meetings from within and without the club. Organises club social nights. Arranges catering for club meetings and club functions such as the annual Xmas party.

Membership Secretary Maintains clubs membership data base (Dbase3/4) Arranges printing of club magazine mailing labels. Provides annual club membership list for printing. Provides annual list of unfinancial members to the committee. Attends committee meetings.

New Members' Secretary. Answers enquiries from possible members at club rooms. Advises prospective members and provides them with literature and application forms. Receives their subscription and supplies their particulars to Membership Secretary. Introduces them to members at club meetings. Obtains details of club walks carried out by prospectives and obtains signatures for them from supporting members. Introduces them to the committee when their application is completed. Attends committee meetings as required.

Conservation Secretary Liaises with conservation bodies and government organizations. Keeps club aware of conservation issues. Monitors NPWLS Plans of Management and prepare submissions. Sends out letters to the Government etc re conservation issues as required. Attends meetings with other conservation organizations. Promotes club's Conservation Fund and recommends donations by SBW to appropriate conservation organizations. Keeps conservation correspondence records.

Editor Solicits articles from members. Liaises with business manager re advertisements. Compiles magazine, editing articles and inserting advertisements where necessary. Supplies an original magazine, less covers, cover advertisements and full-page advertisements, prepared on the club's laser printer to club printing team for printing. Requires access to an IBM PC preferably with 'Word' word processing program. Attends committee meetings. (Note. The club does not own a computer or any publishing software.)

General Committee Member Attends committee meetings to represent the broad interests of club members. A good position for a member who would like to 'learn the ropes'.

Confederation Delegates Represent SBW at monthly Confederation meetings. Reports to committee and general meetings on Confederation matters relevant to the SBW and its members. Presents SBW concerns to Confederation.

Business Manager Does not have to attend committee meetings. Solicits advertisements from likely advertisers. Liaises with Editor re adverts. Liaises with treasurer re payment for adverts.

Production Manager Does not normally attend committee meetings. Arranges for printing of magazine cover, and any other special documents such as inserts, walks programs, annual reports, mailing labels.

Printers (4 Positions) Print club magazine each month on club printer. (Currently located in Alex Colley's garage.) Print Annual membership lists and other end of year documents.

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A MOTION ON NOTICE FOR THE MARCH 2001 AGM by Eddy Giacomel

On Tuesday November 28th last year Elyssebeth Leigh conducted an information and discussion evening for club members. The subject was 'Growth, renewal, and re-energizing a mature organization'. I am pleased to advise that Elyssebeth has offered to assist the club by reviewing its management structure. I have thus put a motion on notice for the AGM so that club members can decide whether to accept the offer.

The intention is to hold two discussion evenings to discuss the management structure with interested members. After these two evenings the club can decide whether to proceed further, however, to proceed further will require fees to be negotiated. For this process to produce a successful outcome it will be necessary for a significant number of members to participate, it cannot operate as a spectator activity. However I am aware that in a volunteer organisation members may not be able to participate or be welcoming of additional duties imposed on them. Hence the format will not require the participation of any member who would prefer not to participate.

The motion is quite open in that it does not refer to a report. The process of examining the club's management structure is somewhat exploratory and it is not possible at this stage to anticipate the outcome. I believe that the management structure of an organisation has a direct bearing on its performance and I hope that members will accept this offer to have a professional in the field of management assist the club.

*Reported in the December and January magazines.*

To be moved by: Eddy Giacomel Seconded by: Peter Dalton.

Preamble Elyssebeth Leigh has offered to assist in a review of the management structure of the club. The offer is to conduct two discussion evenings with the club at the Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre (KNC) to which all members are invited to attend. These evenings will be separate from the normal Wednesday night club meetings. Tuesday April 3rd and Tuesday May 1st are suitable dates considering the delivery of the club's magazine and the availability of rooms at the KNC. However these dates will need to be confirmed and advised to members with the magazine deliveries in March and April. One objective of the discussions on these two evenings will be to discuss the question “Where do we go from here (Will this process continue)?” Elyssebeth will be available for further assistance, however any assistance beyond the first two evenings will incur a fee (to be negotiated). The first two discussions evenings will not incur any fees from Elyssebeth nor will there be any obligation for SBW to proceed beyond the first two evenings. The only costs for the first two discussion evenings will be the room rental of $44 per night, i.e. $88 total. The motion below refers to the first two discussion evenings only.

THE MOTION That the club accept the offer made by Elyssebeth Leigh to assist a review of the management structure of the club as noted in the preamble above.

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by Bill Holland

Eddy has sent me an advance copy of his magazine article and his proposal that the Club engages the services of a management consultant to discuss “growth, renewal, and re-energizing a mature organization”. Now I'm a bit younger than the Club and maybe I need some renewal and re-energising (forget the growth part!) but I'm puzzled by the assumed need for the Club to seek professional guidance in this matter.

The club seems energetic enough. The Walks Programmes show a very busy and active year. We now have an average of two Saturday, three Sunday and one or two weekend walks every week plus each weekend includes a non-walking activity such as socialising at Coolana. There is also the mid week walking group. Most weeks have a mid week day walk. Also, the group has arranged some excellent extended outings such as a visit to Lord Howe Island, extended stays at interesting locations, even a four day boat trip on Myall Lakes.

I looked back to compare the last year's Winter Programme with 1990. Last year had more walks (75 compared with 64) and more variety. However, weekend walks and ski trips seem to be less popular now; 24 scheduled this winter, 36 in 1990. The numbers participating on weekend walks are down with fewer members able to make a weekend commitment.

This year over the Christmas/New year period the Club had five extended walks (six or more days) including two in Tasmania, plus several private walks. Nearly one hundred members were walking with the club on extended walks and others were on day walks.

The social programme looks fine but I must admit some nights (particularly general meeting nights) are poorly attended. Sometimes the weather is blamed; too cold, too wet but I suspect that a reality check would suggest that many people are finishing work later and home is more attractive than the Club room. Other nights are well attended. Perhaps it is the speaker, the nature of the slide show or the appeal of the topic that warrants investigation.

I don't think that the Committee needs re-energising. After all, we met every month last year and our President saw fit to add four or five special meetings. We all felt a little worn out but revived over Christmas.

Some time ago I commenced compiling an index of all published Sydney Bushwalker Magazines but was forced to postpone the project due to a shortage of time.

I am now seeking assistance to re-commence the project.

I envisage that several members will each assemble the magazine indexes of several years in a common format and these indexes will be combined in one master index. The index will be made available on disk to the State Library and to any member who wishes a copy.

I commenced the index using Dbase IV but it could be transferred to any compatible program.

Alex Colley has a complete set of Sydney Bushwalker magazines and would be keen to co-operate.

Reading the early magazines whilst compiling the index is a very interesting experience which is one reason why I have not progressed very far.

Would interested people please contact me to discuss how the project could best be arranged.

Ray Hookway. Editor

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by Brian Holden.

It surprises me that more people are not participating in those few bicycle rides that are on the SBW program. Cycling adds another dimension (although the choice of routes to ride is smaller than that of tracks to walk). I know that if cycling is introduced to most people, then they will come to like it. As with bushwalking, getting the right introduction is the key. If you have not considered cycling due to you not having been on a hike since you were a kid, then consider the following:

1. Cars are not left in the bush to be broken into but at a railway station, shopping centre etc.
2. Morning tea can be arranged to be a cappuccino in a real coffee shop.
3. Lunch can be arranged to be a monster burger that is munched into, sitting in a nearby park.
4. No pack pulling your shoulders off.
5. The nicest people ride bikes.

I will now briefly describe four extended rides I have done this year.

April. I saw Perth by bike over a period of a week. The city has plenty of cycle ways and the land is generally flat. In a hired car I would not have seen a fraction as much as I did. Vision is unobstructed and the bike can be stopped almost immediately at a point of interest. I took the bike over to Rottnest Island where it is the only form of transport.

September. I saw Adelaide and the Adelaide hills over a period of two weeks. The city is set up for bikes and is flat. Once again a hired car or bus or train would have given me nothing like the holiday that I had. One great thing about Adelaide is that you do not drive to the start of a ride as one would in Sydney, but ride from your residence to it.

October. Canberra is supposed to have 300km of cycle ways. They go everywhere and every park and place of interest is covered. I spent four days there.

November. I rode from Jindabyne to Albury over four days experiencing some of our best scenery. I was apprehensive about this ride as it would be on major roads. What a joy to experience almost no traffic except in the last 15km coming into Albury. Lots of ups and downs - but as with walking, the fitter one is the more the recreation can provide. The cars were moved in stages behind us with stays in Jindabyne (cabin), Khancoban (cabin), Corryong (cabin), Walwa (pub) and Albury (YHA). Cheap beds and cheap meals all the way.

To sum up: cycling adds another dimension to one's physical activity and, rather than drifting into a sedentary life, could be a handy standby when the motivation to rough it on extended walks and do the same old thing on Sunday walks diminishes. While the cost of bushwalking equipment has steadily risen, the price of quality bikes over the past few years has plummeted.

Members may have seen the letter from SBW member Catherine Mullane, in the Herald on January 27th, regarding a helicopter evacuation of the party leader from South West Tasmania after a bad accident. The unfortunate leader was Owen Kimberley and Owen has written the story and it will be published in the March magazine.

An EPIRB was used and rescue arrived within 2hrs due to 2 Satellites passing within 3 minutes confirming the position accurately!!

Copy for publishing in the SBW magazine should be received by the editor by the second Monday of each month. The deadline for last-minute urgent items is the second Wednesday of each month as the magazine is usually printed on the following Thursday. Copy can be sent to me by email at rraymond@ozemail.com.au or on a 3 1/2” PC floppy or as plain copy using any common word processing program. Ed.

Page 15

Or 'Our Raincoats Never Got Wet' by Jo Van Sommers

Party Members: Anthea, Carol, Jo, Rosemary and Jim.

At one stage close to Christmas it seemed there would be not a single SBW programmed overnight walk in the Kosci NP between Christmas and New Year, traditionally a favourite time for extended walks. Maurice Smith had had to cancel his planned walk, but Carol Lubbers rang Jim and talked him into taking it over. There were four starters on Maurice's list, none with transport. We picked up a couple more at the Club Christmas party, making a good size group of four men, four women. The party spirit might have been doing the talking, for all three other men dropped out, two at extremely short notice. But the women were not deterred. Anthea even offered to hire a car to get herself and a passenger down to Round Mountain. In the end this wasn't necessary, but the right spirit was there for a prospective member who had only arrived back in Australia on the day we met her.

What's wrong with the Club? Not enough prospectives with this sort of enthusiasm and too few members doing overnight walks. Does age matter?

We had a week of fabulous weather - warm sunshine, cool breezes, cold nights (good for sleeping) and very refreshing cold mornings. Our raincoats remained rolled up at the bottom of our packs. The stars blazed, the wildflowers were giving a peak performance, the birds, especially in the lower altitudes, were splendid. It was Christmas at Kosci like it used to be, except most of the old faces were missing. At one stage, musing on her blistered feet, Jo counted twelve women who used to share with her this pleasure of backpacking but were no longer doing so. At least this got her up that long last hill out of the Tumut.

Jim had a wonderful time with his new toys the GPS, the route plotted by computer, the altitude watch. If we strayed off the intended route by the merest metre, I for one was not aware of it. Jim varied Maurice's route by doing it in reverse, covering the Round Mountain fire-trail section first and finding a pleasant spot in the trees downhill for the first night's camp.

Like Fazeley and Ray (see Jan 2001 report) we enjoyed seeing all the old landmarks. I decided to mind the packs (is this an unique Australian euphemism?) while the rest of the party ran up Jagungal from the saddle. They reported wonderfully clear views. We camped at our old favourite spot at the foot of Jagungal. Two exhausted young men, one limping, turned up much later and asked us, camping where two creeks were clearly forming, if there was any water around? We advised them to go over the Jagungal saddle for the quickest route out to Round Mountain, but what they really wanted was fire-trails. They were behind schedule because all the fire-trails had been going the wrong way!

Next day we arrived early at Tarn Bluff tarn and snagged a choice spot tucked in among the rocks, with a view of the water and out of the wind. Parties kept arriving during the afternoon - this spot must be in many guidebooks - and took up inferior positions in the wind or a long way from the water. There were people everywhere. Even the shallow water of the tarn is very cold, and this year the rushes and reeds seemed to have encroached on the edges and the waters were muddy. I remember with joy, soaking myself in the clear warm brown waters of the past.

We had the usual discussion about which was Cup and Saucer and whether it really looked like a Cup and Saucer from any angle. Actually, for a mere five of us, we managed long discussions about everything really, around our friendly little campfire. Our pure friends in the wind, fireless, were slapping themselves in a determined fashion and went to bed early.

Next day we arrived near Cesjacks hut at lunchtime, and would have had lunch there except we didn't see it in the trees. It deserves its reputation for being hard to find. As we moved across the large snow-poled basin past Cesjacks, a whirly-whirly started in the trees on top of the hill. We heard it before we saw it. It shook the trees violently, swirled and eddied in a narrow band across the long grass, then stirred up trouble in the trees on the lower slope. As quickly as it had come, it was gone, leaving the air as warm and still as it was before, and no trace of its passing. It's a mysterious place.

Page 16

We camped that night in another mysterious place, near the site of the old Jaanga hut. No one could find a trace of it, although we used an existing fireplace in a clearing. Carol was sleeping with her tent open so she could enjoy the night skies, and others got up every night just to enjoy the stars. Every morning we had woken to white frosts, frozen water in the billies and ridges of ice along the tops of the tents, but this night a mist came in so thick that we moved slowly in a silent spooky half world.

We pushed on to Digger's Creek, via Mackeys Hut, with the sun rapidly burning off the mist and raising the temperature. We camped in a beautiful shady spot, with an old fallen tree to sit on, and were entertained by a pair of Nankeen kestrels hovering in mid-air then diving with shrill piping straight into the grasses.

New Year's Eve was very quiet. The “girls” were determined that we were going to have black sticky rice for dessert if we had to stay up until midnight! As older members will know, New Year's Eve is 9pm on bushwalks, especially when there is still quite a way to go. We had the pud. about 10 p.m. and it was terrific! Rosemary, on her return sent us a packet in the remote Blue Mountains where such exotic delicacies are unknown.

We covered quite a lot of distance the next day with our light packs. Jim fell into the Doubtful River just to make sure. We eventually found a grassy flat along the steep-sided Tumut, hurled our hot bodies into its cool pools and set up camp. For once I was glad to see the sun slip early behind the western rise.

On the last day, the remarkable weather continued. We read a plaintive tale in the Round Mt. Hut about a lone walker in May who had come in from Mt. Selwyn (where he left his car but told no-one his route) been stranded by snow and no-one had come to rescue him, as there were no cars in the Round Mt. carpark. There were still about 15 cars there when we got back there before lunch. No problems with the cars, no snow, rain, sleet, ice; no incidents, no-one lost, stolen or strayed - truly a good portent for Ray's New Millennium.

The Round Mountain car park logbook reported a recent car break in and there was broken glass littering the ground so don't leave visible valuables in cars. Ed.

==== NSW WILDERNESS TRANSIT ====
BUS TO
JENOLAN CAVES. KANANGRA WALLS.
YERRANDERIE GHOST TOWN
STARLIGHTS TRACK. BUNGONIA CAVES.
WOG WOG. NERRIGA
Departs from Sydney's Campbelltown Railway Station
Via Penrith, Katoomba & Blackheath for
Kanangra Walls Mon & Wed at 11am. Frid at 7am
Returns 4pm Mon, Wed, Frid.
Via Starlights, Mittagong & Marulan for
Wog Wog-Nerriga Tues. & Thurs & Sun at 11am
Returns 4 pm Tues, Thurs, Sun.
Yerranderie Ghost Town first Saturday in each
month, returns Sun at 1 pm (any Friday min 6)
Group booking discounts or charter service
Tel 0246 832 344 Mob 0428 832 344
www.wildernesstransit.com.au

==== NSW WILDERNESS TRANSIT ====
EASTER BUS
To Monolith Valley Tracks Departs Thurs 12th 6pm
for WOG WOG & NERRIGA Returns Mon 16th 4pm
To Blue Mountain Tracks Departs Frid 13th 7am
via Penrith for Jenolan Caves, Kanangra Walls and Yerranderie
Returns Mon 16th from Yerranderie 12noon. Kanangra Walls 5pm
Returns Tues 17th from Kanangra Walls 5pm
Tel 0246 832 344 Mob 0428 832 344

Page 17

*Refer to the Summer walks program for full details*

FEBRUARY

• Wed 14th 8pm General Meeting & walks report.
• Wed 21st 8pm SBW Annual Photo Competition* * Wed 28th 8pm GPS presentation by Silva or Magellan The new social program will be published with the new Autumn walks program. Do you have any suggestions for future Social Programs? If so please contact the new Social Secretary. ==== MARCH ARTICLES ==== * Walking in the Sierra Nevadas by Ian Wolfe * A Tale of Two Nomads. by Ian Debert * Learning to lead walks painlessly by Maureen Carter * A practical lesson in the use of an EPIRB. by Owen Kimberley ==== FUTURE ARTICLES ==== * Walking in Cazorla National Park by Ian Wolfe * Walking in Barrossa Gorge by Ian Wolfe ==== BASIC BUSH NAVIGATION ==== A TWO DAY TRAINING COURSE FOR MEMBERS AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS Don't forget Ian Rannard's Bush Navigation course to be run on March 7th and 10th. Refer to the 'BACK PAGE' of the club's summer walks program for full details. ==== VALE GEOFF GRACE ==== SBW member Geoff Grace died on January 22nd after a long battle with cancer. Geoff joined the SBW in 1986 and was an active walker specialising in longer walks such as Bill Capon's Hilltop to Kanangra, the Ettrema Traverse and Wilf Hilder's Sydney to Lithgow series, writing up the walks for the magazine. Geoff, a Community activist and a staunch environmentalist, was very active in many areas and was a prolific letter writer. Sheila Swain, a fellow activist who wrote his obituary in the Herald, stated that “Geoff believed passionately that each of us has a responsibility as a caretaker of this land to work towards a society that protects its life support system”. Geoff was a hands-on bush regenerator and in 1989 established 'Friends of Boronia Park' to preserve one of the most valuable bushland remnants in Sydney. A section of Boronia Park is to be named after him. A list of all of Geoff's causes and interest would possibly fill pages and would include: The fight for Kelly's Bush, The third runway protests and the Botany Bay National Park. He was also a member of 'Australians for an Ecologically Sustainable Population'. Geoff's wife Reta shared in all of Geoff's activities and in 1981 was selected as Hunter Hill's Citizen of the Year. I am certain that the sympathy of all club members is extended to Reta, their two children and the three grandchildren. There are too few people like Geoff Grace and he will be greatly missed. —- Page 18 ==== A DAMP WALK ==== Sat Nov 18th 2000. by Chris Dowling After days of rain in Sydney seven brave souls (Pam, Pamela, Sally, Rudolf, Barry, Phil & Chris; 4 members & 3 prospectives) set off in light drizzle on a walk from Springwood to Glenbrook via Magdala & Glenbrook Creeks. The day that followed showed that you can still have an enjoyable walk even when conditions are less than perfect. Parts of the track alongside Magdala Creek were not unlike the creek itself. The light drizzle soon became a heavy drizzle. Just downstream from the little clearing at the junction with the track from Faulconbridge the rocks were mostly awash. At this point the leader gave another warning about the dangers of slipping on slippery rocks; seconds later he knocked his left shin doing exactly that. Not surprisingly the water level in Glenbrook creek was higher than normal; it was obvious from debris marks that it had been even higher in recent days. As we made our way along Glenbrook Creek there were some creeklets which the writer had not even noticed before but on this day were too wide to jump across and were knee-deep when you stepped into them. The higher than normal water level forced “up and around” detours. The swimming spots along Glenbrook Creek were much admired; however we were already wet enough without getting into them. As wet as we were, our thoughts were with those on the overnight walk in Morton NP. When we arrived at the usual crossing place downstream from the Duckhole (near the bottom of the St. Helena fire trail) it was unrecognisable because it was somewhere in the middle of a raging rapid. We back-tracked to the Duckhole and proceeded to cross at the sandbar. The leader was concerned that a member might get swept away by the current in the hip-deep water; (prospectives are expendable) however everyone crossed without incident. On the track leading up from the Duckhole there was a lot of water making it's way down to the Duckhole. After the walk the bus shelter outside Glenbrook station was the trendy place in which to change into dry clothes. We were deeply concerned that we may have lost some weight during this walk so we then adjourned to a café/restaurant in Glenbrook to correct that state of affairs. Everyone on this walk retained his/her sense of humour in spite of the rain & more than a couple of leeches. I'm not sure if we are mad but it probably does help. > ==== KAKADU, KIMBERLEY, RED CENTRE, ==== > Bushwalking Slide Show > Presented by Russell Willis > See what makes northern bushwalking so special. > * Spectacular scenery - 20 000 years of rock art > * Clear, tropical pools, perfect for swimming, pure enough to drink > * Predictable weather and light packs > * Walk for days or weeks without seeing anyone other than your walking companions > * Some of the world's least disturbed ecosystems > > SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE CANADIAN ARCTIC > Find out about our recent dog sled trip across Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. > > Willis's Walkabouts - established 1986, the most experienced bushwalking tour operator in the Northern Territory. > Thursday March 1st at 7.45pm > McMahons Point Community Centre > 165 Blues Point Road North Sydney > ==== IT'S A BOY ==== > TO JAN MCLEAN AND ROGER TREAGUS ON 1ST FEBRUARY A BABY BOY TO BE CALLED LACHLAN (7LB 5 OZ ON THE OLD SCALE). > MOTHER AND BABY DOING WELL AND FATHER OVERWHELMED. > LIFE, SCHOOL AND HIS FIRST TEST WALK ARE ALL AHEAD OF HIM. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR SUPPORT. ROGER —- Page 19 ==== WALK TO WALLABADAH ==== by Pat Harrison Pat Harrison was an SBW Walk Secretary in the late 60s and led many interesting walks himself. This report of a private walk was first published in the January 1970 Sydney Bushwalker. It is reprinted with the hope that it may inspire some club members to perhaps look further afield when planning a walk. We all have our share of nostalgic yearnings. I think perhaps I have more than my share of the commodity. The hunger for well remembered places was strong upon me and, in 1963, I conceived the idea of traversing the Liverpool Range a part of the Great Dividing Range, from Murrurundi to Crawney Mountain and then dropping down into the headwaters of Quirindi Creek and following that creek to Wallabadah and the road to Quirindi. The distance along the range would be about twenty miles to the headwaters of Quirindi Creek then about eleven to Wallabadah and another ten to Quirindi. The general altitude of this section of the Liverpool Range is around 4000ft and the course of the walk would involve climbing 8000 ft. Seeking a suitable companion I asked Bruce Vote at the coffee shop after a club meeting whether he would come. He didn't say yes nor yet a definite no so that I thought he would not be able to come. It was a very pleasant surprise when I received a telegram at Quirindi on Wednesday which read: “Arriving Thursday pm”. He really arrived Wednesday night and slept under the bridge across the Jacob-and-Joseph Creek because he was reluctant to disturb us late at night. He was duly rebuked. We left Quirindi at noon on Thursday and had no trouble finding a lift to where the New England Highway crosses the Liverpool Range about three miles north of Murrurundi. Our altitude here was 2200ft and the weather wasn't at all promising as we went through a locked gate and along a jeep track to Mt. Helen, distant to the east about four miles and involving a climb of 1800ft to its crest at 4002ft. The cloud was low but it was a very scenic walk along a comparatively narrow range with extensive views to Murrurundi and the upper Hunter Valley on our right while on the left the western side the view stretched away across the Breeza Plains and beyond to some humps on the horizon which were probably the Warrumbungles. When we reached Mt Helen we were well and truly in the mist and found our way down the end by compass to the saddle 800ft below. Once down to the 350ft level we were in the clear again, below the cloud and in country which has generally been cleared of timber. There was a lush growth of grass, even to an untrained eye the best cattle country you could find. When we reached the saddle we began to think about camp for the night-and whether we would have to use any of the two quarts of water we had been carrying. The saddle led northwards to another feature (3607ft) and when we reached it we found the left-hand ground sloped uniformly but that the range still went northward to a higher feature (3894ft). However the ground to the right, to the east, sloped for several hundred feet and then formed a high plateau. This treeless plateau was quite extensive and from a distance looked swampy. After crossing this high valley we eventually found water by sound. We could not see the stream but could hear its gurgle beneath the bracken and the grass. There was fish-back fern covering a little runnel with a pure, determined flow. Camp was made immediately in the long grass nearby and by great good fortune we found enough wood for our needs. The mist swirled and boiled around the crest of the range and always seemed about to descend and close in on us. It never did. From our tent during the night we could see the winking lights of cars on the highway near Blandford. Our camp was on one of the headwaters of Whoolahans Creek. We started at 8.45 on Friday and sidled round the unnamed feature (3894ft) to the saddle connecting it to Mt. Temi (4111ft). Mt. Temi, is shaped like a great flathead fish of which our saddle was the start of the tail. The 550ft climb from the saddle was simple enough a narrow rock ridge of basalt chunks with thorn bushes and nettle for stimulation. The crest of Temi is flat and clear. In addition to the far ranging views of the previous day we could now see a very interesting formation to the north-east in the valley of Warland's Creek. This formation, Wallabadah Rocks rises straight up from the floor of the valley for 1000ft and more than half of this height is sheer. Wallabadah.Rocks in appearance is a split rock very similar in appearance to Belougery Split Rock in the 'Bungles'. It has the same reddish colour as Belougery. It remained with us as an impressive sight for the rest of the day as we made a half circle around it along the range. There are trees at the base and there appear to be bushes on top. —- Page 20 There was a steep 850ft descent off the northern end of Temi to a broad clear saddle and from the saddle a climb up to another unnamed feature (3690ft), the southern side of which was dotted with several small tarns. In the swampy ground they appeared as pools among the reeds. We now knew that our main worry, water, had been unnecessary and this was further confirmed at lunchtime on Lagoon Mountain (3432ft) where there is another of these natural tarns. Directly west of Lagoon Mountain through another 450' saddle was another scenic formation - Loder's Peak (3450ft) which dropped away very steeply on its southern side. The continuous ups and down along this range were soon to end, for after making an abrupt change of direction to the east at Lagoon Mountain we dropped down 900ft, climbed up the same height to another unnamed peak, took our last look at Wallabadah Rocks which were now directly south of us at their closest point to our walk, and then headed due north down a beautiful long ridge to make camp at 4.20 near the headwaters of Quirindi Creek and just above its junction with Splitters Creek. Here and there on the hillside as we came down this ridge could be seen ring-barked trees whose brown dead leaves gave an attractive autumnal appearance as they shone golden in the afternoon sun. Anyone who has walked with only one companion and camped far away in new country will know how satisfying were the camps of this night and the previous night. In my case I had the added pleasure, after many years, of being near the source of the stream upon whose banks twenty miles downstream I first saw the light of day nearly half a century ago. On Saturday morning we set out at 8.20 with one pack between us and took the long ridge on the western side of Splitters Creek (Lands Map Quirindi B1:31680) Ref.960890 and completed the 2600ft climb to Crawney Mountain-(4736ft) at 10.15 arriving there with Bruce's hat filled with mushrooms he had gathered on the way. It was unfortunate that above the 4000ft level the range was covered in a thick mist, blocking the splendid panorama of more than twenty miles to Nundle and Quirindi. From Crawney Mountain there are three water-sheds: one to the north-east and the beautiful Peel River which in turn finds its way to the Namoi, one to the south-east to the equally beautiful Isis River which feeds the Hunter and the third westwards down the valley of Quirindi Creek which winds its way past Casuarinas, green flats, pleasant farms and fruitful soil and on through Wallabadah and Quirindi, around 'Whoda Thought It Hill' and across the Breeza Plain to lose itself in the Mooki River. We followed the range southwards from Crawney down a 500ft saddle and across a peak, very rocky and narrow, and descended by the Reference-994894 which brought us back to the tent by a complete circle. This is a splendid walk. Coming down the narrow spine of Peak 4,686ft it was fascinating to see the mist swirling on the Isis River while the other side was clear. Rain-had begun to fall as we reached camp, but by Bruce's effort we were soon eating mushrooms fried in butter. There are three or four settlers along this creek between our camp and Wallabadah and consequently there is a road of sorts, a true bush road which did nothing to spoil our day. And what better way to prepare for the ten mile road bash from Wallabadah to Quirindi than downing a couple of glasses in an old country pub while the rain drummed down outside. Bruce and I are both purists - at opposite ends of the spectrum. He doesn't like to walk on roads, I like to walk anywhere and everywhere. A mile from Wallabadah, tea overdue, a truck came along and to Bruce's obvious delight would not move unless we were on board. There are excellent maps of the area including those by the Lands Dept in a scale of two inches to the mile. We used the Quirindi 'B' and 'D' sheets. Although the winter is the best time to walk in these ranges, snow falls on the high-ground and there are hard frosts through mid-winter. ==== NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO ADDRESS AND/OR PHONE NUMBERS ==== The club membership list is maintained by the membership secretary Barry Wallace and the 2001 list will be printed in February/March. Please note that if you are not currently financial your name will be removed from the new 2001 list. —- Page 21 > {{size>150%|**The Leaders in Adventure**}} > {{size>150%|**since 1930**}} > > Ever since Paddy Pallin began making his gear in his back room, Paddy Pallin has led the way in manufacturing and selling a range of quality products for fellow bushwalkers. We understand that walkers need lightweight, functional equipment which will perform in all kinds of conditions, so if you want the best products and the best advice, come in and see us. > > WE SPECIALISE IN:**

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And if you are just starting out, or perhaps trying something new, we have a range of equipment for hire at competitive prices.

For a free catalogue, drop into your nearest store, or call (02) 9524 1385.

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