SBW Magazine & History Project

JULY 2003 Print Post Approved PP 235723/01270

THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER is the monthly bulletin of matters of interest to members of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. PO Box 431 Milsons Point 1565.

Our Club was formed in 1927 for the purpose of bringing bushwalkers together; enabling them to appreciate the great outdoors; establishing a regard for conservation and promoting social activities.

The Club's main activity is bushwalking but includes other activities such as cycling, canoeing and social events.

Our Walks Programme (published quarterly) features day walks on most Saturdays and Sundays, some mid week walks and overnight weekend walks.

Extended walks are organised in areas such as Lamington, Snowy Mountains etc as well as interstate.

Our meetings are held every third Wednesday evening at 8 pm at Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, 16 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli (near Milsons Point Railway Station).

Visitors and prospective members are welcome. General Enquiries: Phone 0500 500 729

SBW Website www.sbw.org.au

Members are welcome to contact the following officers with questions on Club management and other matters.

• President: Rosemary MacDougal

9428 5668 (h) rmacdougal@bigpond.com

• Treasurer: Maurice Smith

9587 6325 (h) or mauricethewalker@ihug.com.au

• Members Secretary: Pam Morrison

0418 463 923 or at pamm@unsw.edu.au

• Vice President: Wilf Hilder

9587 8912

• New Members Secretary: Heike Krausse

For prospective membership enquiries phone 9998 0587 and leave a message

The Sydney Bushwalker: First Edition July 1931 Official publication of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc.

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Alpsport Since 1985 1045 Victoria Rd West Ryde NSW 2114 Tel: 9858 5844 alpsport@optusnet.com.au

Six Foot Track in a Day! Saturday 23rd August sees this 46km Katoomba to Jenolan Caves SBW classic walk

Coming Social Events:

• 20th August - Indoor Rock Climbing

Here's a great opportunity to have fun and face a challenge. Join us at 8 pm at the Climbfit Gym Unit 4/12 Frederick Street St Leonards.

New SBW Website now open (see Page 6 of original PDF)

The Club Phone Contact will be a recorded message (see Contact The Committee section above)

Some of you have asked about the outcome of the Committee's debate over the Kosciuszko National Park plan of management review. The minutes for the July meeting record that the discussion highlighted that balancing conservation and access objectives in the park is a very complex matter. The Committee's opinion was that it was not useful to make a policy confined to the issues raised by the Colong Foundation. It was also recognised that Wilf Hilder was charged with the job of representing bushwalkers' interests across the board, and that SBW should not attempt to direct his stance on every issue considered in the Community Forum. The club will try to form a view on the draft plan once it is released.

Our Webmaster, with the assistance of various others has succeeded in getting our new web page to the starting post and it was launched on Friday 5 July. It looks terrific and really promotes our club very well. This is important as a large number of newcomers to the club do so through the net. Thank you to all who have contributed and a big thank you to Matthew Bruce who did our first web site. It will be an evolving process and some spots are still “under construction” as they say.

Unfortunately, we have not had any response to our entreaties for helpers to “person” our 'phone service'. Therefore, we will revert to the answering service only.

The Committee noted the Editor's comments in his editorial that there were only 2 easy walks on the current program (excluding mid week walks). It appeared that there were about 12 easy or easy/medium walks including two introductory walks lead by walks secretary, which the Committee considered, fulfilled our needs. However, anyone wanting to lead an easy walk (or for that matter any kind of walk) will be gratefully accepted by the Committee.

See you on the track Rosemary MacDougal

We were saddened to hear that Ben Esgate had passed away on the 19th June in his 90th year. Ben joined SBW in October 1959 and was active in the Club for many years.

He leaves behind his wife, Lillian, three daughters and memories that his many friends will share.

June has seen the members' annual subscriptions flow slow down. This month has seen several donations for the Coolana Fund, following on from Don Finch's recent article. My life as Treasurer has been reasonably quiet; however, as we are in our walking season I've been able to spend some time in the bush, what a relief. Set out below are the figures for June.

Please send in your annual subscription payments and return the renewal notice form as well. Maurice Smith - Treasurer

If your magazine label has the words “SUBS NOW DUE” it means that our Treasurer has not received your membership renewal payment. So make sure that you are not struck off the membership list because you haven't renewed your subscription. Make that payment now. Please return your personalised subscription form with your payment.

If you have paid in the past few weeks then it is likely that our hard working Treasurer had not received your payment at the time the magazine labels were printed (early in July). On the other hand, if you believe that you paid some time ago, drop the Treasurer a line to advise the details of your payment and he can check the payment records.

We seem to have lost contact with David Song whose magazines are being returned. If you know David's current address please advise Pam Morrison, our Membership Secretary.

If you have changed your address or phone number recently, please advise:

• Members: Pam Morrison
• Prospectives: Heike Krausse

The advice should be in writing directed to the Club's postal address. This will ensure that our records show your current address and prevent delay in receiving the magazine each month.

It's always sad to record the passing of old members and this month we have a tribute to the memory of one of our earliest members, Enid Rigby who passed away in May aged 96 years. Also, we note the passing of Ben Esgate for whom a tribute will appear next month.

Whilst your Editor has the opportunity to present his opinion in this section of the magazine, it is also pleasing to see others taking the time and effort to make their opinions known. The three letters on Page 5 (of original PDF) are very welcome and I would like to see more members making their thoughts available to our readers.

This becomes even more important as we advance towards September and the half-yearly General Meeting. The Committee needs your feedback on the changes made to Club management and your reactions to the cut-back in meeting nights.

And it need not be negative. Positive feedback is very welcome to those who made changes to our activities in order to lift member participation.

This month we have a crowded issue with many articles coming in, making my task much easier. As well as the walks reports and other regular features we have an article introducing the new SBW web site, Maurice Smith reports on planned changes to the constitution, Kenn Clacher contributes an article on lightweight bushwalking and Heike Krausse adds a lighter note to the skinny dipping debate.

Bill Holland

Copy for publishing in the SBW magazine should be received by the editor by the end of the first week of each month. Letters stating your viewpoint on matters of interest are most welcome. Please send your submission in by mail (preferably typed), on floppy disc, by fax or by email addressed to The Editor. Telephone: 9484 6636 Email: billholl@hotkey.net.au Fax: 9980 5476 (phone 9484 6636 first)

Many thanks for all the wonderful and creative ideas sent to us by SBW members. We had over 100 suggested names and the prize of a long weekend at Berrara and a bottle of champagne in the fridge went to SBW member Ray Kidd for suggesting Lakewoods. However, David was quite taken with calling our place Glan y mor, which is Welsh for sea shore. I did not argue!! Happy walking Maureen.

The Prime Minister's office has announced a list of recipients of the Centenary of Federation medals. The Sydney Bush Walkers Club is proud that John Noble, Nancy Pallin and Sev Sternhell have received this award.

John has been active as a bush regenerator, helping to remove privet and lantana from Beecroft Reserve as long ago as thirty years. He has been a founding member of the Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust and its Parks Subcommittee and he took part in the preparation of the Trust's first Plan of Management in 1976. He was an original member of the Union of Lane Cove Valley Conservationists representing the Civic Trust. His work for the bush and for the community has been recognised by his being made a life member of the Beecroft Cheltenham Civic Trust.

For the last ten years John has been involved with research for the Australian Museum and has photographed / identified 5000 different species of spiders, some of which are newly discovered.

In June 1999, the book Red Hill Observatory Park - Its History and Regeneration was written by John. In it he describes his long association with this triangular park situated at the junction of Pennant Hills and Beecroft Roads. This park supported a forest described as Blue Gum High Forest. In Observatory Park John opposed the frequent mowing and when he commenced regeneration work in 1989 there was a steady increase in native species. John also supervised the building of a section of the Great North Walk between De Burgh's Bridge and Thornleigh. Congratulations John for your enduring contribution to conservation and the environment.

Nancy has been recognised for her valued work in the conservation of flying foxes, in particular her long term involvement with Kur-ing-gai Bat Conservation Society. She has sought in many ways to heighten public awareness of flying foxes as pollinators of eucalypt forests and their important role as dispersers of rainforest seeds over long distances.

Nancy has appeared as a teacher / presenter at courses such as those conducted by the Barren Grounds Bird Observatory. One such course was Bats and Bat People where she demonstrated the intricate behaviour and importance to the environment of microbats. Nancy has presented talks and demonstrations to many organisations including children's playgroups, schools and Rotary organisations. Congratulations Nancy from all SBW members.

Sev modestly claims that he received his medal simply because he was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences (FAA). A brief look at Sev's extensive achievements in the field of Australian chemistry (including five years on the Chemistry Panel of the Australian Research Council with two years as its Chairman) and his record of service to the Sydney University (Professor and Head of Organic Chemistry 1977-1998, Foundation Chairman of The Committee of Graduate Studies), shows that the medal was well deserved.

But most of us know Sev from his bushwalking with the Club and his mania for trekking in Nepal to which he had made nine expeditions so far (mostly led by himself). He also is known as a teller of “dubious” jokes.

Congratulations Sev!

We have had some interesting letters lately on the subject of nudity on bushwalks. I would like to start a new correspondence on a matter that I feel is of much greater concern to all SBW members.

Unfortunately, my walking career was cut short by a bone marrow cancer that permanently damaged my spine. Up until that time I was a fairly active walker and attender at club functions. I particularly liked the social gatherings and the opportunity to chin-wag with fellow members on Wednesday nights. I did not attend every monthly meeting but still managed to get to a fair few where I caught up with old friends and met new ones.

I also had a chance to express my opinion on decisions made by the committee. I had a say in the running of the club.

With one fell stroke of the pen this is all gone now. SBW is run completely by the committee. Yes, we can attend one or two meetings each year and have our say but this does not constitute a lively democracy.

I belong to other organisations and they all have monthly general meetings to provide a format for membership discussion. I want this for the SBW.

Some members have said “We are a walking, not a social club”. I say that we are both. SBW has had a long and happy tradition of social get-togethers and I resent the fact that this is no more.

There must be others who feel as I do and I invite these people to write to the Editor and voice their opinions. Let's kick off a movement to restore our social and general meetings.

John Poleson

Reading the Winter Social Program I was surprised and disappointed to find this annual event was not on the program. As a long-standing member, I enjoyed socialising and catching up with walking friends who would come into our Clubrooms from far and wide to celebrate the winter solstice. This event had become a tradition for many years, and was always very well attended.

As we only have one social night a month - it's getting harder to “interact socially” especially when functions are held away from our cosy clubrooms - some at a considerable cost, which are not necessarily related to walking and not suitable for our ageing membership.

Please share your thoughts and comments. Denise Shaw

I note our Editor's lament that there are only 2 easy walks (excluding weekday walks) in our current program. I counted 12 easy or easy/medium walks including 2 special introductory walks that will be lead by our walks secretary.

Each of the walks that I have identified seems to me to be appropriate for newcomers to our club. As we all know you do not undertake bushwalking to get fit. I would have thought that as an example, an easy/medium walk of 16 kms with no significant ups and downs is one that ought to be within the capabilities of all those who aspire to become a member of the club. Rosemary MacDougal

Your Editor admits he may have been a little harsh in his editorial last month but there were only two walks graded as “easy” in the period June - August and we recommend that new members start with an “easy” walk.

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Tel 0246 832 344 Mob 0428 832 344 www.wildernesstransit.com.au

Over the past several months, a new Web site for our club has been in development. By the time you read this, the new Web site will have gone “live”.

The Web site is an important asset to the club. Not only is it designed to attract new members to our club but also to attract members from other clubs. Many people nowadays use the Web to find organizations that support their interests. In many cases, the Web site will be their first contact with our club. Having an attractive, up-to-date and functional Web site says a lot about us as a club.

The new Web site contains useful information about our club, up and coming events, photographs taken on walks and even sections on what to look for when purchasing equipment.

Leaders of walks are encouraged to use the new Walks planner to book walks so that similar walks in similar areas don't all occur at the same time in the Walks program. This will help the club provide a more varied Walks program to its members.

The Walks planner is only supported by Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher and requires Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook express to be installed so it can send the form. If you are not using these applications, please create a form similar to the form below in your Email application. Replace the italic text with the details of your walk and send it to the Web master at webmaster@sbw.org.au.

Please add the following walk to the Walks planner

Leader: <<your first name and surname>>
Date: <<month and date of walk>>
Duration: <<Saturday, Sunday, Overnight,
3 days, 4 days, etc>>
Area: <<name of national park or
reserve>>
Difficulty: <<Easy, Easy/Medium, Medium,
Medium/Hard, Hard>>

If the above information is correct,
please send this Email.

Your walk will be added to the planner in the next website update period.

A Web Master is a conduit for information. Their task is to format content and place it on the site. They also provide information to interested parties on what is and isn't feasible. What a Web Master doesn't do is determine what goes on the site or provide content for the site.

Do you have technical writing or programming skills in Web site implementation? If so, we are looking for another Web master. This person will be trained to take over the role should anything happen to our existing Web master.

Please email any expressions of interest to the Web master at webmaster@sbw.org.au.

It is planned to update the Web site on a weekly basis so that it contains the latest information for our members. A new Web site sub-committee will be formed to determine changes and new additions to the site. If you wish to be part of this dynamic team, we are looking for interested members.

Are you an ideas person? Do you have skills on how to market our Web site to a wider audience? If so, we would like to hear from you.

Please Email any expressions of interest to the Web master at webmaster@sbw.org.au.

We would also like to hear your opinions on the new Web site, both positive and negative. What do you like about it, what don't you like, did you find it intuitive to use, if not which page could be revised, is there something that could be added to enhance the site even further, etc. Please let the Web master know your thoughts. All suggestions and criticisms will be passed on to the Web site sub-committee for their consideration.

A special thank you must go to members and non-members outside the club's committee for the considerable time and effort they have given to the production of the new Web site.

I would personally like to thank Gail Crichton and her co-worker Dat Hong who designed the site. Gail and Dat have been working tirelessly away in the background coming up with ideas and designs for the new site. Dat, although not a member of the club, is a professional Web designer and has donated his design to the club.

Also, I would personally like to thank Ron Watters for his contributions to the Web site. Ron has spent many hours documenting some of his walks for other leaders to try.

And last but not least, my thanks to Patrick McNaught, Tony Manes and Steve Smith who have provided many of the great photographs that exist in the photo gallery (over 200 in fact!). John Bradnam (Web Master)

During June an effort to bring the cobblers' pegs in the mowing area under control is showing some results. The plants are now quite small and have been mowed twice; just as the flowers were developing and just before seed was set. Spraying of the plants would be best right now.

The weed pit was burnt as were several piles of weeds and seeds on the flat. Several trees that had fallen over were cut up into manageable pieces. Take care when camping as there are still many trees that are dead and dying and could fall at any time. After the recent rain Coolana and the Kangaroo Valley look terrific.

The NPWS fox control officer has been active during the month, all baits are accounted for and if not taken in 24 hours they are removed. Don Finch

Shirley Dean, Gretel Woodward and Hilary Walker will be at Coolana on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th July for bush regeneration activities. They would love you to join them for a pleasant couple of days.

The next maintenance weekend is on 29th 30th August: Come and join Don Finch and others for a weekend of light work and socializing around the evening campfire. Phone Don on 9452 3749.

It's great to announce that we have received some donations for the Coolana Fund (see below) ranging from $100 to $1,000 dollars. Many thanks to those who have donated.

Dot Butler, and others, started the Coolana Fund over thirty years ago when Council rates were much lower than they are today. It would be great if we could add to these funds to ensure that Coolana does not become a burden to the Club. Your donation to The Coolana Fund would be welcome and used for the purpose for which it was donated.

The Red Centre

Our trips go to wonderful places you might never find if you went on your own.

You certainly wouldn't see them with another tour operator.

Watarrka. Nothing I have experienced in central Australia gives you the experience of EVERY major habitat - arid and rock ranges, desert dunes, riverine, gorge and oasis. This trip has all of them in one walk. (You can find a report one of our clients wrote about last year's Watarrka walk on our website.)

West Macdonnells. Deep rugged gorges with permanent waterholes and spectacular views. Our walks include the only nearly permanent creek in the region.

Feeling safe. No worries about world politics or change rates or any of the other hassles you might find if you went overseas. The weather is normally near perfect, crisp, clear days and cool to cold nights in winter, hot to warm days and cool nights in spring.

Want more information? Visit our website or ask for a brochure and trip notes. www.bushwalkingholidays.com.au

A KAKADU RED CENTRE KIMBE Willis's Walkabouts 12 Carrington St Millner NT 0810 Email: walkabout@ais.net.au Phone: (08) 8985 2134 Fax: (08) 8985 2355

27.12.07 – 27.05.03 Founding and Life Member Sydney Bush Walkers

Enid Joyce Rigby was born on 27th December 1907, the eldest of the four children of Ross and Alice Greenacre. She was followed by Olive (Polly), Eric and Laurel (Laurie) some 13 years later.

Ross Greenacre had come from a farming background in the Camden area and even though he became a tea merchant, he remained at heart a man of the land. He had a great love of horses, maintaining a sulky for business and pleasure in the early days and teaching all his children to ride.

Ross sold tea to customers all over Sydney and as far afield as Camden and Burragorang, then a beautiful valley of farms and she-oaks, guarded by the great cliffs of the Southern Blue Mountains. Over the years he had become acquainted with many of the Burragorang families; in particular the Maxwells with whom the Greenacres stayed from time to time. It was this connection, combined with the love of horses, which was destined to have a great impact on Enid's life.

In January 1921, Ross Greenacre and Mick Maxwell took Enid and Polly on a two-week horseriding trip from Middle Burragorang to Jenolan Caves via Scott's Main Range, Gingra Range, Kanangra Walls, Boyd Plateau and return.

It was a landmark experience, which both Polly and Enid always remembered very clearly. There was the long haul up Gingra Range, after which they wound around underneath the cliffs on the eastern side of Kanangra Tops until they came to the Dance Floor Cave and The Defile. They camped at Whalan's Hut, where Enid recalled ice in the water bags in the morning.

On their return down Gingra they experienced heavy rain and there was concern about crossing the Kowmung before it rose. They hurried down and crossed successfully but Enid's legs were stained red for many weeks afterwards from the rain soaked leather leggings she was wearing.

When the mail car arrived from Yerranderie to take them on to Camden, Enid and Polly found two very disreputable young men in the back. They didn't like the look of them much but later that day, while waiting at Camden Station, they asked the two scruffy individuals if they could keep an eye on their luggage for a while. They were in fact, none other than Alan Rigby and his cousin Jack Gillespie who had just finished an epic walk down Hollanders and Kowmung Rivers, finishing at Yerranderie.

The luggage was minded, the train arrived at Camden and the two young men were forgotten.

A little after this time Enid began her training as a commercial artist at the Richardson Studio in Bond Street, Sydney. After a couple of years, a young senior artist was employed by Richardson and, after a short time he made himself known to Enid as one of the two walkers who shared the mail car from Burragorang.

Alan, then aged 23, had met Myles Dunphy in about 1920 through lectures about “mountain trailing” as Myles called it then, which Myles gave at The Sydney Technical College. Alan, who was a keen cyclist, took up “trailing” with great enthusiasm and joined the Mountain Trails Club (MTC) in 1923. He was by then a talented commercial artist having just left the Mogini Studio where he had been trained.

Propitiously, one of their first outings together was a day walk in the Royal National Park and as she recounted “…we walked down Carrington Drive. It was a wide, shady bush track and of course I wore low heels and a silk dress…”.

From this small beginning, Alan and Enid took to each other and, after Enid completed her art apprenticeship, they went into a business partnership of their own. Enid's specialty was fashion art, doing work for retail advertising and catalogues for department stores such as McCathies, Winns, and Curzons, all now long gone. They both worked hard to make the business a success and within a few years, they had a thriving commercial art studio which they continued in partnership for the next 30 years.

Perhaps because of her experiences as a young girl in Burragorang, Enid took to bushwalking at once. Enid's sister Polly was often a walking companion as was Walter Tarr, or 'Tarro' who, while very much older, was a friend from Alan's boyhood days in Auburn. He was of course, a much loved and highly eccentric member of the SBW whose memory will be clear to many SBW's to this day.

In the late 1920s, the sport of bushwalking was gaining great popularity amongst both men and women. It was an informal, adventurous pastime requiring little money and providing immense rewards. The 1920s was a time when women were demanding equality and so naturally they wanted to share in this new adventure.

As a result, in 1927 there had been a series of letters exchanged in the “Sydney Sun” newspaper between Jack Debert, Jessie Scott and Myles Dunphy concerning the desirability of the formation of a mixed walking club, the MTC being open to men only.

On the 13th August 1927, there was an informal meeting of the MTC, which included several non-club members and the issue was fully discussed. During the next MTC meeting, on 21st August, Alan Rigby moved that a new club be formed “here and now” and the motion was carried. Subsequently, it was named “The Sydney Bush Walkers” and so the term 'bushwalking' was introduced, although the word had come into use a short time prior to the Club beginnings.

Alan and Enid became foundation members of the new club, as did Enid's sister Polly as well as a number of the MTC members and many other unaffiliated walkers, with Jack Debert as the first Club president.

In 1931 husband Alan had been instrumental with others, in starting the campaign to save the Blue Gum Forest from the threat of the axe. In 1932, after a long and exhausting fund raising campaign on the part of the SBW, the MTC, the Wildlife Preservation Society and other bodies and individuals, the Blue Gum Forest was notified as a Reserve for Public Recreation. This was widely held to be the first campaign of that type in NSW and the progenitor of many more.

In a very hot December 1932, Alan and Enid were married and spent their honeymoon on a 10-day walk down the Cox's River. They returned home, repacked and then immediately set off on another trip down the Nattai River. They were true enthusiasts, to say the least!

By the early 1940s Alan and Enid had started a family, the eldest, Roger, born in 1942, Byron in 1944 and Jeff in 1948. With the pressures of child rearing, home building and business, bushwalking became less frequent although enjoyment of the bush was an integral part of their lives at their home in Warrawee, set amongst the remnant forest giants of the high ridge of the North Shore.

During the 1950s, as the boys grew up, Alan began to walk more often, usually with Ray Doyle and Dick Higgin both of the MTC (Ray Doyle having been a foundation member in 1914). One by one, as the boys grew more capable, they joined him.

The family's return to bushwalking was complete when Alan and Enid joined the National Parks Association (NPA) and, in the early 1960s, re-joined the SBW. Enid went on many NPA walks, which had a strong family orientation, and she enjoyed many walks and reunions with the SBW, although by this time unlike Alan, she was not interested in strenuous bushwalking adventures.

Then, in July 1966, while leading an NPA party to take photographs of the Church Creek Caves for use in the growing Colong limestone mining dispute, Alan died of a massive heart attack on Armour's Range. This event was a great shock to the family and a terrible blow for Enid to lose her partner of over forty years. However, despite this she faced the future with great energy and supreme optimism that was the hallmark of this phase of her life.

Enid remained active in the NPA for many years as the Social Secretary. She was one of those who held $1.00 shares in APCM and made the journey to Melbourne for the Annual General Meeting in order to protest about the proposed limestone mining in the Colong area. She attended SBW meetings and reunions and became an early member of the Dungalla Club.

She also still enjoyed the very old contacts with the MTC members and their wives and families whose ranks were thinning as the years went by but still, until 1985, with Myles as the much loved patriarch.

In the late 1960s she was able to climb Mount Warning, but by the early 1970s her pack carrying days were over. In her later years she loved to be in the bush and was always stirred by memories of earlier times with Alan striding along beside her. There were indelible images of the Nattai, Lacy's Creek, the Cox's River, the Wollondilly, Era and Burning Palms. In 1992 at the age of 85 she once again stood in the Blue Gum Forest after being flown there by the NPWS helicopter along with a number of other old-timers, for the 60th anniversary of the notification of the forest as a reserve.

As her great age claimed more and more of her physical abilities, all these memories seemed to become increasingly vivid to her and through it all, Enid remained happy and optimistic. Her end came on 27th May 2003 in her 96th year when she slipped away surrounded by her three sons, and their families. It was a peaceful, gentle end, which thoroughly befitted her long and interesting life.

Jeff Rigby - June 2003

by David Trinder

After recent droughts in some parts of the state and heavy rain in other parts some high profile, non-scientific, well-intentioned people suggested we turn the rivers back inland and pay for it by selling Telstra. That may not have been the right answer but the statement did trigger a debate. To tackle the whole question of water management in Australia, Government set up the Wentworth Group of scientists. These are some thoughts of a member of this group, Professor Peter Cullen who is also a former CEO of the Co-operative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology.

Australians are starting to understand that living in this country with its scarce and highly variable rainfall requires better water management. Many dams have been built resulting in wealth for a limited number of people. These people buy water at well below cost from a highly inefficient irrigation system that causes much environmental degradation. Some water reforms have been implemented recently, they provide economic benefits but environmental benefits have been far less obvious.

Peter Cullen has a vision for a vibrant rural Australia with healthy rural towns, a doubling of GDP from irrigation and at the same time halving the water taken from our rivers. He sees communities from non-irrigated areas living with the climate without going through hardship or causing damage to the environment. He suggests five changes that should be addressed:

• Improvements in farm water use efficiency
• Re-allocation of water to efficient high value irrigation
• Return of water from irrigation to ensure survival of rivers and floodplains
• Integration of management of surface runoff, river water and ground water
• Tight coupling between catchment planning and water planning.

Water from the Murray-Darling Basin is being overused and a large amount should be returned to the river to restore it to health. To solve this and the other river problems water access has to be separated from land title and re-allocated to efficient high value irrigation.

We are only now learning how to measure river health. The Murray-Darling for example, has almost constant algal blooms, a dramatic loss of native fish and birds and the loss of hundreds of thousands of mature red gums; this would be a sign of a river and flood plain in a desperate condition. Professor Cullen believes that governments should co-operate to assist farmers to upgrade their irrigation technology and subsequently reduce their water allocation, thereby doubling their GDP and halving their water use. He also believes that inefficient and ageing irrigation systems should be closed. Some areas need extensive reforestation to avoid dry land salinity, this will have the effect of reducing river flows.

The National Land and Water Resources Audit indicates that we have degraded most of the rivers in Australia. We know that it costs between 10 and 100 times more to repair a system than to protect it from damage. It is urgent that we protect the rivers that are not now damaged from the development pressures that they are under. Governments need to commit $100 million per year and they should ensure that this money is spent on returning water to the rivers and upgrading irrigation systems.

These are tough challenges for government and the communities, mistakes from the past need to be corrected as well as managing the ongoing water availability.

- National Parks Journal of June 2003

The NPWS and Coonabarabran Resource Committee will be holding an Open/Discovery Weekend in the internationally recognised Macquarie Marshes wetland on 4th and 5th October (Long weekend). During the weekend NPWS staff and local community members will conduct guided walks through river redgums and lagoon areas. Numbers will be limited so booking is essential. Phone Margaret Garnsey 02 6824 2097. or Sue Jones 02 6824 2097.

Whether it's bush walking, mountaineering, cross-country skiing, trekking or travel, a pack is your best friend or worst enemy. Why? Because you depend on the agility and comfort that your pack provides.

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• Hip-belt secures directly to the aluminium frame-stays for direct load transfer.
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• Dual aluminium frame-stays adjusted and reinserted in seconds.

The Mont Moto-Active™ adjustable harness system is deceptively simple, fast to adjust and easy to fit. Available in three sizes and featuring interchangeable harness components, a truly “best fit” is possible, and “best fit” means a truly comfortable carry.

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eastwood camping centre 3 Trelawney Street Eastwood. Phone: 02 9858 3833. All packs personally fitted by our experienced Staff. Equipping you to enjoy the Australian and World environment.

by Kenn Clacher

Are you avoiding weekend walks because you dread the thought of carrying 20kg of gear around the whole weekend? Do you find it difficult reducing the weight of your weekend pack below that? If so, read on.

One of the participants on a walk on the recent Easter break carted an 18kg pack around, after making strenuous efforts to reduce its weight at the leader's suggestion. This prompted me to see what I actually carry in my pack on such walks, and to prove that it is easy to have a pack weight below 10kg for an ordinary weekend walk, and still be safe and comfortable.

So, on the following weekend, for a three-day walk in the Ettrema area, I listed and weighed every item I put in my pack to find out what I actually carry and how much it weighs. Here it is.

The whole lot came to 11.5kg, but I didn't even carry that much. Because I was carrying the fly and all the happy hour and evening meals for two, as well as around 1kg of leader's gear (GPS, EPIRB, rope etc) Edith carried my sleeping mat and the billies. This reduced the weight of my pack to 10.7kg. It also meant that Edith was carrying around 8.5kg for a three-day walk. The advantage of this arrangement is that I was able to fit all my gear into a 40 litre pack that weighs less than 1.3kg, while Edith carried the lighter, bulkier gear in a bigger and slightly heavier (when empty) pack.

For an ordinary participant on a two-day weekend walk, your pack can be even lighter. A by-product is that the gear is cheaper too! There is no need for around 1kg of leader's stuff and generally only two maps are required. Scaling down the number of meals to one breakfast, one dinner and two lunches results in around 1.75kg of food (still a bit much at 850g per day for three meals) and one billy is enough. This brings the weight down to 8.5kg for a weekend walk! For a summer walk, the 500g of thermals, gloves etc can be left at home, bringing the weight down to 8.0kg. And that's not even trying hard to cut down the weight.

If one actually makes an effort to go light, obvious means of reducing weight include forgetting the fresh fruit (take dried if you can't do without it), lighter sleeping bag (one with a sleeve on the bottom for the sleeping mat), lighter torch (LED type), share the fly and billy, leave out the pegs for the fly and use sticks or rocks instead, take a cape groundsheet in summer and forget the parka, etc. Above all, don't take anything that is not essential!

Some may think this is all too spartan, depriving one of the necessities that make overnight walks or camping bearable. Some may even think it dangerously short of what is needed. To that I can only say that I am very comfortable with this gear, and that one is far more susceptible to falling, injury, misadventure or exhaustion when carrying a 20kg pack than carrying a 10kg pack.

Some will be more sensitive to cold than I am and may need more warm clothes. If so, remember the layering principle and take several light layers than one or two heavy ones. This will provide equivalent warmth for less weight and bulk. Remember too that lightweight thermals, balaclava and gloves can be far more effective in keeping you warm than a heavy and bulky jumper.

A notable feature of this list is the use of a fly rather than a tent. For those who shudder at the thought of sleeping under a fly, I can only suggest that it is not as bad as you may think. Indeed, after a while you, like me, may even prefer the openness of a fly, or of no tent at all, to the cramped confines of a tent. If you are worried about insects, a 50g pack of insect repellent is more convenient than an extra 2kg of tentage. There are occasions when more substantial tents are needed, but weekend walks around Sydney are not usually them.

Using these guidelines you too can waltz around on your next weekend walk looking fit, strong and tough. Let others labour up the hills and stumble clumsily over the rocks while you glide about effortlessly carrying a pack half the weight of your companions.

A couple of weeks after this walk I went on a 3-day walk, not as leader, without my trusty porter. How to avoid carrying a larger, heavier pack? I took a Thermarest (900 grams) instead of a closed cell mat (270 grams) and was able to squeeze it all into my 40 litre pack. This saved an extra 1kg or so in pack weight, at the cost of an extra 630 grams in sleeping mat weight, but a small pack is much easier to carry through scrub and on rocky ground than a big pack that weighs about the same. My total pack weight at the start of the walk was just over 9kg.

by Maurice Smith

For club members who follow the magazine closely and who have an excellent memory you will recall some months ago that a sub-committee was established to review our constitution. This article is to update members on our progress to date.

The sub-committee consists of Rosemary MacDougal, Wilf Hilder, Pam Morrison, Leigh McClintock and me. It has met four times so far and we have progressed through a word by word, sentence by sentence, rule by rule review of every part of the constitution. So far we have generated lots of comments, raised lots of suggestions, answered most of our own questions, and as would be expected, have not always agreed among ourselves.

Apart from the 2002 changes relating to prospective members qualifying for membership, the club's constitution has been substantially unchanged since the late 1980s, when the NSW Associations Incorporation Act was enacted and the constitution was modified to comply with that Act. Some parts of the constitution reflect the practices of the club from well before the late 1980s changes. So it is fair to say that the time is certainly ripe for a thorough review of the constitution. Some parts of the constitution are just not relevant any more.

While some members would regard a constitutional review as exciting as watching paint drying, the SBW constitution is like that of the constitution of Australia. It sets out why we exist, how we will manage our affairs, the rights and obligations of our members, and so on. Without a current and relevant constitution we are bound to struggle to comply with the “letter of the law”.

The sub-committee has identified many parts of the constitution that would merit an update. Some of the desirable changes are merely procedural; for example, references to the NSW Government department responsible for administering the Act under which our club is incorporated. For those of you interested in such arcane matters, it is the Department of Fair Trading which administers the Associations Incorporation Act. Another procedural item is that in some places the form completed by a prospective member who wishes to achieve full membership is called an “application form” and in another section it is called a “nomination form”.

Other possible changes are more than procedural. In the months to come details of recommended changes will be published. We expect that there will be many more months before our work will be complete. It is one of those tasks that cannot be rushed, but needs to be done.

In case you are wondering, we will not recommend any changes to the process to be met by a prospective member to qualify for full membership.

We are now at the point where we are just about to start drafting the preliminary changes to the current constitution. From there the sub-committee members will then debate the draft and re-draft that version and so on until we are satisfied that the changes meet the objectives. After that we will start to advise members of the details of the proposed changes so that when the time comes to vote on them there will be no surprises.

by Barry Wallace Period 15th May to 5th June.

As indicated at the close of last month's notes there are a few walks reports to cover prior to the beginning of the nominal period. These began on 8th May 03 with Wilf leading a midweek walk on the Thursday. The party of 6 enjoyed sunny conditions with no wind. Wilf is still trying to work out just what they should have done had they encountered the “person of interest” whom the three police officers were seeking when they forbade the party to climb the track branch to McComb Hill in Manly Warringah Memorial Park. Wilf also observed that the police officers were young; but I think most of us will understand the deeper meaning of this statement.

There does not seem to be a report for Maurice Smith's weekend walk over 10, 11 May in Morton National Park. Of the day walks that weekend Gail Crichton led a party of 16 on her Saturday qualifying walk out from Carlons Farm in great weather, and Kay Chan had 9 starters on her Sunday walk from Megalong Crossing to the Cox River and return. Weather conditions here were also beautiful despite a generally pessimistic forecast. There was also comment about a gate along the track having broken hinges. To my memory this has been the case for some years with significant numbers of people safely negotiating the gate until someone in this party came close to injury. We may need to revise Kenn's list of hazards yet again.

The real walks reports for the period commence here with Jim Rivers canceling his mystery route walk To Glen Davis Trig due to adverse weather conditions and a lack of starters. Mark Patteson's somewhat rearranged Saturday walk appears to have gone from Govett's Leap to Victoria Falls, presumably as a car swap. The surfaces on which the 8 starters traveled were rendered treacherous due to an earlier shower of rain. This also served to bring out the leeches along the Grose River. All of this was compensated to some extent by the display of an impressive amount of water coming over Victoria Falls. Roger Treagus led a party of 9 on a Sunday bicycle trip from Wentworth Falls rail station to Glenbrook rail station in mild and overcast conditions. The volume of water in the creeks along the way added interest.

Bill Capon's extended weekend walk out from Nullo Mountain from 23rd to 26th May attracted 14 starters. The weather was good, with just a few drops of rain, but this was more than compensated by the magnificent sunsets and morning views, in some cases as far as the Liverpool Range. Bill says a few people were enthusiastic about the trip. Wilf Hilder's re-enactment of Marie Byles' trip from Patonga to Newcastle, scheduled for the weekend of 24, 25 May was deferred due to a lack of starters. Saturday saw Tony Crichton leading a party of 14 on his walk out from Mountain Lagoon. The weather was variable but they were lucky enough to be under the roof of the shelter shed on the Colo having lunch when the only heavy shower of the day came along. It seems they were accompanied throughout by a local Husky/Alsatian cross dog, though I see no sign of a signature for this participant. There is no report for a bicycle trip the same day out from Turramurra into Ku-Ring-Gai National Park. Errol Sheedy and the party of 7 on his Sunday walk in the Royal from Kirrawee to Sutherland had very wet conditions with knee-deep water in some places. Similar weather prevailed for the party of 14 out on Maurice Smith's trip around Narrow Neck the same day.

The weekend of May 31, June 1 saw Patrick James with a party of 16 out in fine weather on his Saturday walk from Springwood to Blaxland via the bush. Roger Treagus led a party of 11 on his walk along the Barren Grounds escarpment with a little route finding help from a local landowner. They returned to the cars at around 1800 in what was described as gathering darkness. Nigel Weaver also had a walk that day, from Girrakool to Wondabyne. The party of 4 enjoyed perfect conditions on what turned out to be an easy walk with great views.

Wilf led a midweek walk on Thursday 5th June from Beecroft to Hornsby with a party of 4. Conditions were wet underfoot but there was only one ten minute shower during the walk. All of which brings these walks notes to an end.

Shirley Dean has obtained a “Paddy Pallin Golden Tan” tent and would like someone to give her the recipe for waterproofing the tent. Please contact Shirley on 9810 4268.

John Keenlyside advises that his new address details are: PO Box 580, Hornsby 1630. Telephone 02 9476 125.

by Pat Austin

Those of us who took the trouble to drive all the way to the magnificent Warrumbungles during the ANZAC break were justly rewarded for our efforts. It was a long drive - a good 6 hours to Coonabarabran from Sydney, and then a bit more into the national park, but it was worth making.

We met at park headquarters at 2pm on ANZAC Day - Paul & Linda Haynes, Andrew Craig, Kazuyo Takeda, Frances & Georges Bertrand, John Young, Geoff and Mariana Colman and Leigh McClintock.

Leigh decided we'd do a “little” walk around Belougery Split Rock, one of the park's most distinctive peaks with its dual summits standing at around 700 metres. To the prospectives among us, it looked quite daunting. To get there we walked off track for about 30 minutes before joining the main track up and most of us made it to the top - scrambling up the almost perpendicular lava dome, hauling ourselves along a chain, over slippery steps and up a ladder. When we arrived at the peak, the 360 degree views of the park were spectacular, with Grand High Tops visible in the distance.

We stayed at Pincham car camp on Friday. In the morning we packed our gear on our backs - minus the tents - and took off, confident in the knowledge we had Balor Hut booked that night.

At the last minute, Leigh reversed the walk, adding into Saturday the steep climb to Mt Exmouth (via West Spirey Creek). We lumbered up the hill until reaching Ogma saddle where we hid our packs (only to be reminded of the time when Paul, Linda, Bill Holland and co. had their packs stolen doing exactly the same thing a few years ago ….very comforting).

As we wound our way up the mountain, we passed stand after stand of fabulous looking grass trees, their fat, black, charcoal covered trunks looking very impressive against the green, spiky tips. In fact, the recent rains had turned the whole area very green.

The path itself was quite varied, going from expensive clay pavers, to wide dirt track, to narrow stony track, to rubble, to sharp granite scree. In some parts it felt like walking on ball bearings and at one such point Frances was unlucky enough to tumble over the cliff, fortunately being halted by a scrubby bush. But the higher we climbed, the better the path became, steady and gradual, and when finally we reached the top, the views from Exmouth were magnificent. Suddenly it all felt very satisfying and well worth the effort, especially as we watched the wedge tailed eagles soaring on the wind.

But the climb was not without incident and about half way up, Mariana slammed the bridge of her nose on a rock but carried on bravely, and is now a firm believer in Nurofen gel's magical properties.

When we arrived at Balor Hut that afternoon, we were concerned to find it chained and padlocked - it appeared as though the Coonabarabran Bushwalkers, who were there the night before, had forgotten to leave us the key! Thankfully, Georges discovered the chain was only resting and not locked.

Next to the hut there was a small hill which gave access to wonderful views of Belougery Spire and the Breadknife, one of the park's most famous landmarks. Like a high, narrow, stone wall, it seemed strange that this gravity-defying long ridge of rock was able to stand at all.

On Sunday morning we set off down the hill (well, down according to Leigh) taking the long path around Spirey Creek and via Gould's Circuit up to Macha Tor…which is another great spot for being able to appreciate the vastness of the entire surroundings and for really great views of the park's sensational volcanic outcrops. After that, it was back to Pincham, the cars and home. If I could, I'd go back tomorrow. Pat Austin

Nine of us set out from Kurnell to walk through some bush and then along cliff tops to Cape Bailey. We had a whale of a time. First it was just a couple of whales, surging along just under water, surfacing to blow water then one “leapt” clearly visible out of the water. You could hear the crowd of whale watchers gasp in unison.

Our party walked on and we saw two more. Lunch was further along the cliff tops just past Cape Bailey looking out over the cliff edge to the surging waves below. Just before moving on the arms went out, pointing “over there…look!” and we saw a pod of whales; “three, four! No there's another that makes five” moving along together less than 50 metres from our cliff.

Later, back at the whale viewing platform we saw the score board: “256 whales this season, 11 humpback whales today”. The walk was great but the whales made the day. Bill Holland

by Sue and Michael Arnott

At Easter we stood atop Pantoney's Crown and gazed across at an endless escarpment. “That's Mount Dawson” announced Carol and Wendy. “Oliver's going on the June Long Weekend.”

So that's how we ended up at the bar of the Lithgow Workman's Club on the evening of Friday June 6th, looking round for someone - anyone - who looked even remotely like a bushwalker. And finally, beyond the billiard-cue toting locals we found Oliver, Jim and Col about to tuck into a huge roast dinner; so we followed suit, as did Ken and Edith, who arrived shortly afterwards.

Leaving one car at our proposed exit point, we camped the night close to the road just short of Newnes, and woke next morning to find Kay, Tony and Carol who had arrived in the dead of night after a slow trip from Sydney.

On Saturday we left the remaining cars at the campsite of Newnes, beautiful in the early morning light but already rapidly filling up with tents. We followed the Little Capertee Creek all morning, clambering over logs and under branches and avoiding amorous vegetation while getting used to the feel of a weekend pack (which some of us hadn't carried for quite some time!) At lunchtime we collected water at a grotto before the final short climb into our campsite in the caves just short of Mount Dawson. Strong winds blew in some threatening clouds but soon whisked them off again, and we sat in rock armchairs (with medicinal alcohol at hand) to enjoy sunset over Pantoney's.

By Sunday morning the wind had dropped. In warm sunshine we followed the ridge around to Collett Gap, taking in spectacular views across sandstone weathered into intricate pagodas, and out to the escarpments beyond. To the west of Mount Dawson we came across a brand new fire trail heading down the hill into the Capertee Valley. Tony set off to follow it in an easterly direction and fifteen minutes later he was back, reporting that it led to a helipad. As far as we could see it headed on down the hill into the Capertee Valley.

From Collett Gap we headed for the cliffs on the eastern side of Woolpack Gap, where, even with two GPS and several compasses, we ended up finding a “different” way down. A slot more northerly than the “favourite” but which we squeezed through a la Winnie the Pooh. A short scrub bash south brought us to our camp, up on the nose of the narrow ridge between the sides of the gap, at the junction of two creek beds thick with bracken. Water was a few hundred metres away, clean and plentiful in a pool fed by a trickle. The night was clear and cold, our campfire bright and warm!

On Monday we hauled straight up the western side of the gap heading for Hughes Defile which was much easier to get across than it looked on the map. Then we found ourselves in a “slot” which was more like a cave formed by a huge tor collapsed at 45 degrees onto its neighbour. This led to the pièce de résistance - a ledge in the cliff on the side of Blue Rock Gap where we munched morning tea looking straight out at Pantoney's Crown.

From here we climbed out of the gap proper, skirted Mount Davidson, and then stopped for lunch. “Welcome to the original Garden of Stone!” said Carol as we sat on a rock platform scattered with hundreds of lumps of darker sandstone, remnants of an overlying layer that has been undercut.

From McLean's Pass we followed the ridge – more tricky navigation to find the slot through the cliff line and some fairly hairy climbing when we did! A final GPS/compass reckoning turned out not to be necessary as our brilliant leader had navigated us within fifty metres of the shuffle car and moments later there it was at the side of the road, covered in dust from passing Newnes campers, grumpy but otherwise intact.

Another huge feast at the Lithgow Workies and we were set to face the traffic home.

We feel privileged to have witnessed such wonders for the price of a few (!) scratches. Thank you, Oliver, for your awesome navigation, and all our fellow “Bushies” for their great company. Leader: Oliver Crawford Participants: Jim Rivers, Col Atkinson, Sue and Michael Arnott, Carol Lubbers, Kay Chan, Tony Manes, Kenn Clacher, Edith Baker.

The Closing date for the Spring Walks Programme was Friday 18th July. However, Peter may accept your late entry - but don't delay. See Page 6 (of original PDF) for instructions on using the Walks Planner.

by Roger Treagus

This walk series began 2 weeks after the Sydney Olympic Games Closing Ceremony on a ridge of the Great Dividing Range near Crookwell. That is where the Wollondilly River rises. That's is where we started walking downstream, in stages on occasional weekends through from October 2000 right through to 2003.

Each stage has had its memories and each stage has been different. The walk has gone via Goulburn, the Wollondilly Canyon, Goodman's Ford, Lake Burragorang, Yerranderie, Katoomba, Glenbrook, Windsor and Sackville. From Canyonleigh Wilf Hilder has explored the country east and south of the river right down to the mouth while I have explored the country north and west of the river. We have walked, bicycled and canoed. We have met many interesting locals and have camped in some wonderful locations. The stories of the people and places that we have passed would fill a book. That is my intention.

So now the finish line is getting closer with only 5 stages to go of my side of the river. Wilf Hilder's series on the other side of the river has been impeded by the long term closure of Marra Marra National Park. He may complete these stages when the park re-opens. I invite members and prospectives to join these final stages. Most of the ground walked has either not been or rarely been on any SBW program. In August Stage 11 will be walked from Warragamba Dam to Lapstone following the impressive Nepean Gorge. Then in October we will be walking the northern bank of the river from Sackville to Wiseman's Ferry where the Hawkesbury flows through its impressive forested estuary. Then in November comes the final 2 day walk from Wiseman's Ferry to Mt White camping at Mangrove Creek on a friend's riverside property where a welcoming Saturday night banquet is in the offing. We will be taking an unusual route down the river avoiding most roads and civilisation, through Dharug abd Popran National Parks.

The final 2 stages are still in the planning but are likely to be run in January and February, firstly from Mount White to Brooklyn and the second stage from Brooklyn to the actual mouth of the Hawkesbury at Elanor Bluffs where a beachside finishing ceremony is planned including being ferried back to Brooklyn by boats.

All of these walks will have demonstrated the feasibility of the establishment of a long distance walking track down the Wollondilly/Nepean/Hawkesbury system. The bushwalkers would have done their bit. It will then need the political will of the planners and decision makers to make it happen.

Look in the Spring and Summer programs for the dates of these last stages and take the opportunity to be in on it as they are “one-off” walks and may not be run again. Look in the November issue of Australian Geographic Magazine to see a big article on the Hawkesbury including the Great River Walk.

Roger Treagus

There is a group of members with time available to participate in mid-week activities. If you have time during the week or can take leave from work please join us.

The current Winter Walks Programme shows the following mid-week day walk:

• Tues 29th July: Mt Bouddi - Little Beach - Maitland Bay. A wonderful section of scenic bushland and coastline.

As the winter weather is most uninviting our planning for extended mid-week activities is mainly directed to the last few months of this year.

First of all, a four day camp at Deep Pass is now planned for September, probably about the last week. This has been put off a couple of times due to fire and bad weather but now September seems a good time to resurrect this idea.

Next we have the cottage stay in New England National Park scheduled for the last week in October. Finally, we hope to book the very popular beachside cottage at Berrara Beach in November. This has always been a popular event offering cycling, bush and beach walking, swimming and canoeing in picturesque surroundings.

Somewhere in the planning we may be able to add a cycling weekend at Robyn's farm near Bathurst. Also, there appears to be interest in a houseboat on the Hawkesbury or a repeat of our successful Myall Lakes activity.

Would you like to suggest or lead a midweek activity? The Spring Walks Programme is now being prepared and Peter Love would welcome an extra walk or two or three.

Phone Bill Holland on 9484 6636 or email billholl@hotkey.net.au

Leaders; Please send your Walk Reports (participation forms) promptly to: The Walks Secretary - The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. Box 431 Milsons Point NSW 1565

A Tale Of Easter Escapades In The Care Of Carol L

Day 1: 'Twas a campsite of singular peacefulness and quiet. An amphitheatre of beautiful clifflined bush. Astonishingly free of wildlife (If one doesn't count the “girlie” mags in the cliff recesses) this perhaps due to drought or the reverberating yell of “WOMBAT”!!! on arrival from Rob that may have had them hiding in fear and trembling until our departure.

Bob's serenades “Elizabethan” on the recorder somewhat more melodious and his descant warbles will be an interesting addition methinks to the lyrebirds repertoire.

Day 2: Pantoney's was crowned in perfect autumnal weather, thankfully as the number of lightning struck trees were startlingly numerous. After a sturdy climbing challenge we had splendid views of the valley and escarpments around…and of filthy weather elsewhere. Margaret did a fine Sugar Queen impersonation with her sack wrapped to protect from the spinifex, also used as a toboggan option down the side ridge.

Some technical difficulties with the rockscrambling for some and a tricky angle off the ridge meant we practiced our night vision skills and played at being glow worms.

Tony H despite expecting reconstructive knee surgery in a few weeks (going private I expect, elseways give him leeway and save the get-well cards for a year or two) “knock-kneed” the pace down the duskly lit and deepening creekbed stretch of the walk when we stalked where the “wild things are”. (Two of the company independently swear to seeing an extra walker not of our party accompanying.)

Spirits were revived at The Local where the Capertee lads got their thrills of the week (perhaps their lifetimes) when Vicki of the “what colour crop top is she wearing today?” notoriety did an impromptu strip (but still quite decently covered!!) in the pub. Cheers and whistles from all assembled and nay was that even a blush from a tender country lad? (Well his cheeks reddened whether from embarrassment or being quite overcome by these forward city girls I'm not quite sure).

Jan played the galloping gourmand sampling the delights of the extensive menu available Meat pie for entree followed by a meat pie… (“Chips are off luv” as were the steaks, hamburgers, lasagne, fisherman's basket etc).

We relaxed pyre glowing, spotting the constellations all sensibilities wondrous and enlightened. After our long hard grubby day her 1/2 pint jug of red clutched firmly in hand Carol L gave us her “ABC's of bathing in the bush” and musings on the single life, frightening Karl (our token toy boy) into locking his tent in fear of having his modesty taken by marauding maids. (Singing round the campfire?.. Oh no I had his guitar locked in my boot!).

Wendy and Sue were privy to a cold bush shower but we weren't privy to Wendy or Sue as Mike hastily erected a modesty shield. Sue did inform us however of the benefits of “closed pores”.

Day 3: Started in a lather of sweat. Of all those liquor-filled-eggeater drivers passing the one car in the entourage stopped by the cops happened to be the one where the center seatbelt could not be sorted, on a double demerits weekend thank the heavens for the concealing capabilities of a pack-on-lap. We were perspiring… and the walk hadn't even commenced…

A historic amble around Mt Airlie where eagles soar and the desolate ruins of a mining town past are being laid bare for 4 wheeled tourists.

Carol B had the fossil nose and found an Autumnal selection of perfectly preserved imprints of leaves in shale.

Day 4: Saw us walking Evans Crown where the sticky of feet toured the towering tors, mystical and magnificent.

Despite a surprising lack of bunnies in the area a fabulously good time and far too many an Easter egg was had by all.

Heike Krausse

Sunday 31st August: A walk only possible at this time of the year. Water taxi from Brooklyn to Milsons Passage then through Muogamarra to Brooklyn. Limit 10.

Sunday 3rd August: Waterfall to Wollongong, return by train. A scenic ride through the Royal NP then a coastal ride to Wollongong.

Refer to the Winter Walks Programme for full details of the above activities.

by Heike Krausse

This month's comment a little light hearted ditty prompted by the lively debate over the “Bushwalkers cossie”. The practice of some to enter water recreationally when out on walk a la bushwalkers cossie/skinny dipping/nude swimming is not a subject I mention routinely at New Members evening.

My personal opinion is that Gerhard Ruhl's letter in the June magazine “covers” it well and should be the last word on the matter…Tact, Tolerance and Respect whatever your individual persuasion on the choice of swimming apparel or for that matter any other potentially controversial difference in opinion/behaviour be it religious, personal, political, sex-partner preference or whatever…

Early Bushies-Without-Cossies had a few more concerns to contend with than merely putting someone's sensibilities out. Discovered in an ancient typed carbon-copied document titled The Sydney Bushwalkers Club Songs (Yes, I am still busy secreting all modern editions found for use as firelighters…) and apparently sung (please don't) to the tune of The Teddy Bears (Bares?) Picnic.

If you go sunning on Era's sands, you'd better go in disguise,
There's Bobbies out there with telescopes and frightfully powerful eyes.
They're specially trained for crawling on sand
And spying on people who dress in what's banned
If you don't look out, they'll catch you red-hand
I warn you!
Chorus: So don't let them catch you bare
Remember if you do the penalty is severe
Bobbies looking at you through telescopes
Lurking on your lair
So-o-o don't let them catch you bare
It's not so very long ago, in terms of years not days,
That two of our most respected ones the penalty had to pay
For lying there in a natural state,
Absorbing the sun unaware of their fate.
When up crept the Bobbies-Escape?-No! Too late.
I warn you!
They hauled them up before a court and charged them with a vice.
The judge opined that nude sunbathing was not exactly nice.
But on the quiet, just entre nous…
He whispered softly “I do it too”
“But don't tell the policemen lest trouble ensue.”
I warn you!
[Don Matthews 1955]

A little bit of club history there for you also…. One of the culprits as I'm sure many will have suspected being Dot Butler.

Last month several new members were inadvertently left out of last month's welcome so they have been added to this month's.

Please welcome on your next walk: Simon Tedeschi, Maureen Rogers, Michele Hannon, Alan Maskell, George Marciniak, Angelika Hofbede, Florian Dirscherl, Min Je Eom, Judy Kim, Amelia Bailey, Rujira Chaisua, Mia Sherwood, Anne Stewart, Stephen Smith, Fiona Ronge, Rick Angel, Avis Wacks, Mark Hnatjuk, Marianne Smith, Judy McQuire, Philip Worledge and Stephen Byrne.

Striding on into full membership are: Cecily Fremaux and Kate Radcliffe.

The club now has a small pool of weekend walking equipment available for hire. The rates for weekly hire are:

(For hygiene reasons you must provide and use your own sleeping bag liner) Equivalent refundable deposit required. Contact: Geoff McIntosh 9419 4619

• September 15th to 22nd (six days walking)

Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin 140 kms.

• September 25th to Oct 5th (nine days walking)

Bibbulmun Track Northcliffe to Walpole 142 kms.

• October 5th to 14th (eight days walking)

Bibbulmun Track Walpole to Denmark 125 kms.

• October 14th to 20th (five days walking)

Bibbulmun Track Denmark to Albany 90 kms.

The walks feature coastal scenery, wildflowers, Indian Ocean sunsets, tall Karri forests and wildflowers.

We also plan to hire a car in Albany after the last walk for a few days for day walks in the Stirling Ranges and Fitzgerald River National Parks.

The starting and finishing points for all the walks can be accessed by Westrail coaches from Perth. The dates include a day either side for travel to and from Perth.

More details will be included in the Spring walks program. Contact: Paul McCann 67726156 after 6 pm.

Hi Guys,

Woo Hooo - Winter is well underway! The thermals are getting a jolly good outing and all the snow enthusiasts are salivating at the evening snow reports.

Speaking of reports, the first “Wine n Walks” evening went down well with Aldo from Vintage Cellars Neutral Bay giving us loads of great info on wine tasting and Pamela Irving's slides from the Heysen Trail in SA proved to be stunning.

This month we're all going to be donning our thermals and heading out for a cooking demo (with-a-difference!) in the outdoors. Love to see you at that one.

Now here's the big plug for August's social activity… Indoor Rock Climbing! Trust me… this is for everyone. Male or Female, Tall or Short, Young or Wise. For $22 you'll get the boots, harness and instruction to have you scaling walls in no time at all and ClimbFit in St. Leonards is the best Rock Climbing gym in Sydney (or so I think!). It's quite safe and believe it or not, is not based so much on sheer physical strength, but good planning, thinking ahead and good technique. So why not come along and give it a go? We'll have room for maximum 40 people and as there was a good turnout for this last year, probably best to put your name down with me by calling and leaving a message on 0412 304 071 or emailing me at: justshootme@ozemail.com.au Have a great winter guys… see you on the track. Cheers Caro

PS: The Annual Confederation Bush Dance is coming up on Friday 19 September, Petersham Town Hall from 8pm. Cost is $25 family and $15 single. Caro Ryan

Peaceful cottage available in bush setting, on the coast at Berrara (45 minutes south of Nowra). Swimming; bush walking; mountain biking; canoeing; etc. Cottage sleeps 8 comfortably. Tariff from $95 per night and $400 per week. Bushwalkers discounts apply. Phone 4441 2121.

An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

“Dear Bubba,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.

Love, Dad”

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

“Dear Dad,
For heaven's sake, dad, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the BODIES.

Love, Bubba”

At 4 am. the next morning, FBI agents and local police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologised to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

“Dear Dad,
Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
Love Bubba.”

It's a sunny morning in the Big Forest and the 3 Bear family is just waking up. Baby Bear goes downstairs and sits in his small chair at the table. He looks into his small bowl. It is empty! “Who's been eating my porridge?” he squeaks.
Daddy Bear arrives at the table and sits in his big chair. He is also empty! “Who's been eating my porridge?” he roars.

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and screams, “For goodness's sake, how many times do we have to go through this?
I haven't made the porridge yet!!”

Members' contributions to this magazine are very welcome. Send in your interesting stories of recent walks, letters, notices, jokes etc by mail (preferably typed), on floppy disc, by fax or by email addressed to The Editor. Email: billholl@hotkey.net.au Fax: 9980 5476 (phone 9484 6636 first)

“We have to use with skill what simple equipment we can carry on our backs to achieve shelter, prepare food and have a night's rest?” Paddy Pallin, 1900-1991

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