Dorothy Butler The Barefoot Bushwalker 1911 - 2008 THIS TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY BUTLER HAS BEEN COLLECTED OVER MANY YEARS AND CONTAINS ALL STORIES SHE WROTE FOR “THE BUSHWALKER” MAGAZINE/NEWSLETTER SINCE 1934. SHE DIED IN FRANKLIN WHILE LIVING WITH HER DAUGHTER RONA. Dorothy Butler has encouraged many Australians, who, without her leadership encouragement and sense of adventure, would never have ventured into the bush, to explore and climb. In 1988 Dot was awarded the Australian Geographic’s Award of Excellence. The stories in this issue appeared in The Bush Walker Annual and The Bushwalker Annual over a number of years. Her book "The Barefoot Bushwalker" should be read by all bushwalkers.

CONTENTS DOROTHY BUTLER THE BAREFOOT BUSHWALKER 1911 - 2008 ...... 4

THE ROCKS ARE HER FRIENDS ...... 7

THE FIRST ASCENT OF BELOURGERY

SPLIT ROCK** - ...... 11

FREE GASTRONOMICAL JOYS ...... 19

A GLORIOUS FAILURE ...... 20

THE UNCONQUERED HEIGHTS OF ...... 20

ARETHUSA FALLS ...... 20

TO THE HIGH HILLS...... 26

GOOD CLIMBING ...... 29

MOUNTAIN MEMORIES...... 33

DECEMBER IN THE GRAMPIANS ...... 37

A WINTER HOLIDAY IN TASMANIA ...... 44 DOROTHY BUTLER (1911-2008 ) Bush walker, Mountaineer and Conservationist 1911 Born in Sydney 1916-1921 Primary education, mainly at Homebush School 1922-1926 Attended Sydney Girls High School 1927 Attended Stott and Hoare’s Business College; joined Bondi Icebergs and Bondi Beach Acrobatic Team *1931 Joined the Sydney Bush Walkers Club 1933-35 Completed physiotherapy course under auspices of Australian Mas- sage Association at Sydney University 1936 First to climb **Belourgy Spire in the Warrumbungles 1937 Climbed in New Zealand 1939 Worked at Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children and its Collaroy Rehabilitation Centre during the polio epidemic 1939-1941 Worked and climbed in New Zealand. Became a mountain guide 1943 Married bush walker and economist Ira Butler. They had 4 children 1956 Established the Australian branch of the New Zealand Alpine Club 1962 Member of Bushwalkers Search and Rescue 1969 Organized the Australian Andean Expedition to Peru 1969-1970 Climbed, cycled, walked in Peru, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Spain, Nepal, Cambodia 1970 Started fund for victims of the Peruvian earthquake. It ran for 20 years 1972 Climbed in Switzerland and Norway 1973 Husband, Ira, died of a heart attack 1977 Visited Galapagos Islands as field assistant to her son-in-law 1988 Awarded Australian Geographic Society’s Gold Medallion for ‘Adventurer of the Year’ 1991 Autobiography The barefoot bush walker published by ABC Books 2004 Living in a nursing home in Franklin, Tasmania, where her daughter Rona and family live *According to SBW records she joined on the 4th November 1932 ** Now know as Crater Bluff. Dorothy Butler was the fourth of surprised when it was suggested that five children of Isadora (Goff) and she put on long pants (if she had no Frank Alfred English, a traveling skirt), or a cop would pull her up! salesman in pharmaceutical products Throughout her life she always who was seldom home and had walked, climbed and cycled barefoot disappeared by the time Dorothy was and wearing only shorts and shirt eleven. He taught his young children whenever possible. She celebrated her the Greek alphabet, and considered 21st birthday by cycling to Mt Dorothy to be the best of the brood. Their Kosciusko, camping out on the way. mother developed their love of litera- In 1931 she was one of the first ture and poetry. The children were women to join the Sydney Bush encouraged them to fend for them- Walkers, where she became a member selves and solve their own problems. of the first high-powered bushwalking Shortly after her birth, when the group called ‘The Tigers’, a title family moved to Brisbane, Dorothy earned after an epic 3 day walk of 75 first showed her flair for the original miles, climbing 9000 feet in the and unconventional when suffering unmapped and trackless Blue Moun- from measles (an infectious disease) tains. The Tigers, with their frequent she was smuggled aboard the ship far-ranging walks, were able to disguised as a brown paper parcel! provide Miles Dunphy (the ‘father’ of No gender distinctions were made bushwalking and conservation) with in her family, which enabled Dorothy, invaluable information for the map of an inveterate tomboy from an early the Blue Mountains he was making. age, to join her brothers in their She was also a regular "Bondi Iceberg" extensive explorations of each new Through their association with the suburb during the family’s frequent Club, Dorothy and (See moves. These numerous excursions Fact File) became lifelong friends. developed in Dorothy a keen sense of Marie was an experienced mountain- adventure and a passionate love of eer, having climbed in New Zealand, nature which moulded the rest of her Scotland, Canada and Norway and life. At school she was a clever student with Dorothy, formed part of the first and talented in all fields of sport. group to climb the Warrumbungles With money earned in her first job Crater Bluff in 1936. as a stenographer, Dorothy, who *Dorothy also founded and edited never saw being a woman as an the Sydney Bush Walkers Magazine to obstacle to any undertaking, cycled which she was a significant contribu- around Tasmania on her own, bare- tor. She wrote with humour and foot and wearing shorts. Immune to warmth, and often ended her contri- the stares of the locals, she was very butions with a poem of her own. A climbing trip to New Zealand in Sydney Bush Walkers’ many conser- 1937 began a love affair with its vation projects which resulted in the magnificent mountains which lasted creation of various Reserves for Public for rest of her life. Dorothy was Recreation. She assisted her friend accepted as a member of the prestig- Marie Byles in having Bouddi offi- ious New Zealand Alpine Club, and cially declared a National Park, and in 1956 was instrumental in gaining worked with the Colong Committee permission for an Australian Section. (the oldest National Wilderness Having worked as a mountain guide Society in Australia) in the Save the in the Mt Cook National Park, Rainforest Campaign and the creation Dorothy trained members in moun- of the Blue Mountains National Park. taineering, climbing, river crossing Over many years she has been in- and safety, and, each Christmas for volved with Lake Pedder in Tasmania, the next 25 years took a group to New the Daintree, Kakadu and the Myall Zealand for an adventurous and Lakes National Park. rapturous (for Dorothy at least!) 6 With her infectious enthusiasm for weeks in the mountains! By 1968 the life, Dorothy Butler has never failed to club had a pool of very competent live up to her motto: Energy begets climbers so she organised an expedi- energy and in doing so has shown that tion to the in Peru, where the with self confidence and courage there group spent 3 months climbing and is nothing that a woman cannot do. winning the trust and friendship of Sources the villagers. After a severe earthquake in the region in 1970, Dorothy set up Sydney Bush Walkers Club Maga- and administered a permanent relief zine, 1930-to date fund which was still providing money Butler, D Two years with the Sydney 20 years later. Bush Walkers 1955-56 Dorothy was undeterred by the Butler, D The barefoot bush walker arrivals of 4 children, who began their (autobiography) Australian Broad- bushwalking careers as babies and casting Commission 1991 grew up to be as self reliant and Manuscripts in the Records of the adventurous as their mother, sharing Sydney Bush Walkers Collection 1930- her passionate love of nature. 2000 Mitchell Library Sydney As an early conservationist in the Direct communication with Rona 1930’s she helped set up the Rangers Pettigrew, her daughter League to develop public awareness © Jessie Street National Women’s and promote protection of native Library (August 2004) plants, birds and animals, and was * No mention of Dot’s name either in the body involved in setting up Volunteer of Magazine or in the editorial section of Bushfire Brigades. She worked for the magazine can be found. Dot joined SBW in 1932 a few years after the mag was born. THE ROCKS ARE HER FRIENDS by Gillian Coote and published in The But when I turned into her driveway I Australian Geographic was confronted with a blaze of native plants flannel flowers, eriostemon and grevillea under a canopy of Sydney blue gums. Not a clipped lawn in sight! Dot appeared, nut- brown, barefoot, wearing shorts and wielding a spade. She was prepar- ing her vegetable gardens for the spring sowing, as I found when I followed her to a huge mound of compost, which she spaded into a wheelbar- row and vigorously began to dig into the soil while we talked. We were already surrounded by her giant and luxuriant winter vegetables, ex- ploding with vitality - just like Dot. IT'S not often you meet somebody When I got to know this fountain of much older with whom you feel an wisdom, generosity and positive instant rapport. But that's how it was energy better I doubted if she had ever when I first met Dot Butler, who is 30 in her lifetime rested as long as a years my senior, yet now, at the age of month! She has a confident spirit born 77, stronger and fitter than I am, and of a deep harmony with life, a radiant AG's 1988 Adventurer of the Year. smile and a beautiful face, lives That meeting was five years ago at simply - working for or sending her home in the treelined suburb of money to good causes, feeding her Wahroonga, on Sydney's North Shore, ducks, walking with old mates from where many of the gardens are grand the Sydney Bush Walkers. She rides and formal, befitting the residences. her bike to the shops. And why not? Dot has never taken much notice of "all our childhood entertainment was what society might expect of her. climbing - brick kilns, chimneys, "Eccentricity is just being ahead of telegraph poles - anything off the your time;' she laughed during our horizontal, and always barefoot of most recent chat while sitting on her course". veranda, her bare legs tanned and So Dot the fearless child became the muscular. At 5 a.m. next day she fearless adult who delighted in would be driving herself to Brisbane walking and climbing. While doing a to celebrate her 77th birthday with her Sydney University course to qualify as daughter Rona and grandchildren a physiotherapist, she would run to

Dot on Bondi Beach (she’s on top) and help build their mudbrick house. her classes from Circular Quay, taking En route she would call on her son well under an hour. Wade* and drop off some secondhand But her main passion was doors and windows. Accidents bushwalking and as an early member claimed the lives of her other son and of the Sydney Bush Walkers she daughter (Wendy drowned while became a member of "The Tigers", one cascading with university friends in of only two women among a select the Blue Mountains, and Norman group of gung-ho walkers who loved from a taipan bite). Dot's husband marathon weekend walks, often died in 1972. covering 150 kilometres. Dot walked Born Dorothy English in Sydney, barefoot, of course! Her physiotherapy one of five children, Dot recalls that experience convinced her that shoes can ruin womens posture - and she *Wade also was lost in the Tasmanian bush abandons them at every opportunity. in 1997. After an extensive search by authourites and a private search by Dick "I always felt at one with the rock , " Smith, no trace of him was found. she told me. "Rocks are my friends and I caressed them as I climbed. They condemnation of the head guide by told me what I could and couldn't do. climbing in his sandshoes. "He'll People who climb in boots and come to no good," the guide predicted overalls are cutting themselves off of the young Edmund Hillary!) "There from that contact." was also a guide there who used to

In 1936 Dot and the late Dr Eric take tourist parties up the Franz Josef Dark, leading climber and Glacier," Dot recalled. "He would give bushwalkcr, made the first ascent of them a regular spiel to the effect that ... the difficult Crater Bluff in 'This glacier comes down from 9000 Warrumbungle National Park., As feet to sea-level, it has 3672 crevasses was her habit, Dot climbed in the lead, and there's an Australian down every taking up the rope and finding one of them!' something to tie it to: they had no "Unfortunately it was true that pitons, or rock bolts. In re-creating this Australians would get into trouble, famous climb for a film, Dot was because they had no experience of played by her daughter Rona and Dr crevasse country. But I felt ashamed, Dark by Wade, both experienced and dreamed of the day I'd go back to climbers. Dot climbed up with the film Australia and start a crew - nimble and sure. I was left far school to teach Australian climbers below, somewhat shaken. about safety." From 1939 Dot spent almost three After the war, Dot began her school years in New Zealand, where her by founding the Australian section of work as a guide in the Mt Cook the New Zealand Alpine Club. Crack National Park was an important climbers from the New Zealand club influence on her later activities. (She offered their services, and crevasse recalls with wry amusement one keen rescue was part of the course. For young visitor who provoked the nearly 30 years Dot took parties of selves late-night challenges such as young climbers to New Zealand each scaling city buildings or finding their Christmas. "Today when I look at all way through the underground sewers. the young people who are climbing When Dot began bushwalking the Andes and the Himalayas, and nearly 60 years ago it was in its even in Antarctica, I can often say, infancy as an organised pursuit - 'Well, some of those are my boys'," Dot usually thought of as exercise for said. Mt Dot in New Zealand's eccentrics. Southland National Park is named "There were empty spaces on the after her. map," Dot said, "and we would fill Dot married Ira Butler, a fellow them in. I'd write them up in the bushwalker, in Australia during the Sydney Bushwalker and this encour- war. He had been posted to Mel- aged many others to take up the bourne and proposed by letter. Unable adventurous life. Now I think the to get a seat on an interstate train, Dot future for Australians will be in rode her bike to to marry regeneration. We have to try to repair him. On her return journey she rode the damage we've done to the country. from Melbourne to on the NSW border before she could get a seat. She estimates she cycled 32,000 km during the war. In 1968 Dot took a crash course in Spanish and became organiser and a member of the nine-strong Australian Andean Expedition, which in 1969 made 27 different ascents (13 of them firsts) of 19 mountains in Peru's Cordillera Vilcabamba. Ira's work with the Reserve Bank took him overseas, and Dot accompa- nied him when she could, shedding hats, gloves and sometimes shoes to climb at every opportunity. She has climbed in the Himalayas and the Alps, canoed 640 km down the Yukon River in Canada, and cycled through Ireland, Spain and Cambodia. She says she would like to cycle through China. Her least-documented (for obvious reasons) climbs have been over the arch of the - as a member of a high-spirited group calling themselves the "Night Climbers of Sydney", who set them- THE FIRST ASCENT OF BELOURGERY SPLIT ROCK* - WARRUMBUNGLES

Crater Bluff - Warrumbungle NP - photo Colin Wood they are merely plateaux fissured by By Dot English deep gullies—inverted peaks if you from The Bushwalker Annual 1936 like—quite an upside-down arrange- ment. Australia is a land of paradoxes. When you realise that these discon- Our magpies are not magpies, nor our certing facts are continually being pee-wees pee-wees, nor even our dinned into the brain by every would- wagtails wagtails; and during Parlia- be ornithological, political and mentary elections each aspiring geological expert, it is small wonder member of the Opposition hastens to that one comes at last to believe them. assure us that the Honourable Mem- So it is a pleasant surprise to discover bers of the House are not honourable. that rising 2,500 feet from the plains of Having had our childhood faith the flat western slopes, some 200 miles shattered in so many directions, it will north west of Sydney, loom the come as no shock to be told that our Warrumbungle Ranges, whose mountains are not mountains, that summits, although only 4,000 feet high, can be definitely termed moun- *This peak is now know as Crater Bluff, and tains in the true sense of the word, not to be confused with Split Rock overlooking some of them being stark, rocky peaks, what now is a picnic area or Belourgery rising naked above the forest lands. Spire. They are very arid mountains, for cold, pale dawn, while the stars still the streams seldom flow except when snapped in the quiet heavens, "Time in flood, and the so-called "springs" to get up!" are generally merely seeps of water Then there was Mr. Paszek (pro- which collect in rocky basins, utilised nounced "Parshek"). We called him by the eagles as bathrooms, and Pan ("a" as in half). He was Polish, consequently not particularly inviting and had spent much of his youth to mountaineers. climbing in the Dolomites and the Still, arid or not, they are moun- Swiss Alps, as a tains, and our party of six had made member of the its way towards them via Gilgandra Tatra Mountain- and Tooraweanah (two of us being eering Club. Pan kindly driven out from Gilgandra by was a beautiful the father of our Club member, Evelyn thing, with lean, Higinbotham), and pitched camp on a picturesque figure clearing at the foot of the western face surmounted by a of Split Rock, whose sheer, trachyte silver halo of hair walls towered 1,500 feet or more above and with long, artistic our tents, which, by the way, were fingers. situated a ten minutes' walk from the Suzaiine Reichard nearest "spring." was an added attraction This mountain, one of the few to the landscape, with remaining unclimbed peaks in this powder-blue shorts, soft, land of ours, was to be the victim of clear skin and baby our serious attack, and it had on the dimples in her legs. What whole, quite formidable opponents. she may have lacked in There was Dr. Eric Dark, valiant climbing technique, she President and sole survivor of the made up in perseverance. Katoomba Suicide Club, whose When I explain that her father members considered it a recreation to is an Alsatian, you can trace the origin crawl up and down the decayed, of this trait. sandstone faces of the Blue Mountain Concerning Frank Preeguard, he cliffs, in such precarious spots as no- openly and honestly made no claim to one without suicidal tendencies being a climber. His presence in the would ever dream of attempting. party was justified by the fact that he Next comes Marie Byles, who can was a photographer, and also, inci- claim to her credit numerous virgin dentally, a walking Baedeker of the peaks scaled in other lands, having locality. "What's that peak over there?" mountaineered in Scotland, Norway, asks someone, pointing out a faint, Canada and New Zealand. All these blue smudge on the horizon, crowded achievements were, however, merely a by numerous other faint smudges; and background as far as I was concerned; forthwith Frank gives its name and to me she was a voice crying in the history, past, present and to come. Since we are becoming personal, it vigilance. would perhaps be as well to bring Before attempting the Split Rock, myself into the picture. As the Society we circumambulated it numerous page of the "Warrunbungle Weekly" times and surveyed it from all angles, put it: "She work a ducky little pair of bringing the spy glasses to bear on shorts, cutely fashioned from the dust- such spots as seemed to offer likely cover of a taxi, picked up one night in foot and hand holds to the summit. Hyde Park, dyed khaki, artistically Until you have rock-climbed, you slashed and gored, and patched on have no idea how deceptive heights the seat." can be. What look like reasonable This depicts only my outward steps when viewed from below, turn appearance; inwardly I came armed in out to be huge blocks 15 or 20 feet the knowledge that I had been the best high, quite impossible to surmount. of our gang as kids in climbing trees, We tackled the northern face first, telegraph poles, flagpoles, railway and spent half a day in reaching a embankments, excavation works, spot about a quarter way up, which underground sewer-holes, brick-kiln we finally had to abandon as imprac- chimneys and sea cliffs, and strong in ticable. Failure? Perhaps—but you the faith that "Nothing is Impossible." weren't there to see the place for I could go on for hours telling you yourself, so how can you judge us? of the members of the party, but that's The next day Doc., Pan and I, after not what I'm here for. I have to tell you lengthy deliberation and ponderous how we climbed the Split Rock, so calculation, cast a vote in favour of the enough! western face. The first two days we did a little Although this is by far the greatest test climbing up the Bluff and the height, the slope of the rocks seemed Needle, so as to get used to the feeling to be in our favour, being compara- of being roped together. Believe me, at tively free from the overhangs which first it didn't appeal to me in the spoilt our chances on the south and slightest, this being inescapably east faces. tethered to one end of a rope, and thereby having my fate linked, willy- We waited till about 10 o'clock for nilly, to that of whatever reckless or the sun to rise sufficiently to warm the careless brother climber might be on atmosphere, for our experience on the the other end. I was as suspicious as a shady side of the Needle, in the chill cat whenever I noticed my partner on of the late afternoon, had taught us the rope contemplating a risky climb; that it is only adding an extra handi- you bet I was thinking of my own cap to try to climb in a refrigerated safety as much as his. However, as a atmosphere on cold rocks, with an icy knowledge of the prowess of my wind trying to whip you off your partners increased, I became more or perch, and your fingers so stiff and less reconciled to being tied up to blue with the cold that it takes fully a them, but a comparatively restful minute to straighten them out after mind was only the result of eternal relinquishing one grasp for another. Setting out with 200 feet of rope, we sticks; and always the huge eagles, found the first five or six hundred feet wheeling aloft, surveying us from easy—a "walk-up" as we say in their untamed heights with fierce, professional circles—and we hardly contemptuous eyes. If they chose to had to use the rope at all. But having attack us as we clung like limpets to reached that height, it then became that stark rock face, we knew who necessary to traverse sideways before would come off best. we could continue our upward climb. About two thirds of the distance We had agreed that when there were across vertical up and down climbs to be brought done, I was to lead the way, being the us to a most ape-like, and when it was a narrow question of sideways traverses the slit in the Doc. would go first on the rope, as he rock face, was a specialist in this form of pro- not more gression. Accordingly we took up our than a positions, with the Doc. leading me in foot wide, the middle and Pan on the other end. into Now, Pan had reached that age of which I discretion when a man knows his wedged limitations, and after a good look at the lower the place we intended to cross, told us part of to go on alone, as he didn't think he my anatomy while I collected my wanted to go any further. So he waited breath, the Doc. meanwhile draping there, on one end of the 100 foot rope, himself over a jutting piece of loose while we two of lesser caution set out rock, which, in contrast to the dizzy to traverse a very dangerous 200 feet ledges just passed, was as safe as the of cliff face. Bank of England. If I took as long to tell you about it Here we stuck, body half attached as it took to do it, you would be and half free, like exploring leeches, reading for hours. Inch by inch we while we took in the next stretch of edged along, clinging to scarcely our journey and discussed our pros- perceptible ledges of grey, lichen- pects. Could we go on, or ought we covered rock, feeling our way in those call it a day? I don't places where we couldn't turn to see for fear of upsetting our balance by a know what the Doe's thoughts on fraction of an inch, pausing now and the subject were, but mine were "I'm then on some relatively safe ledge to damned if I'm going back the way draw a deep breath, for the suspense we've come!" I would have preferred kept us so tense we hardly dared to to take a flying leap into space, in the breathe, and then on again, high hope of gliding gracefully down to the above the giant Eucalyptus which, in base of the mountain, rather than the valley below, appeared to our retrace my steps along those hair- wide-open eyes no bigger than match raising ledges. We must have perched there for a laugh that was meant to be reassur- quarter of an hour. The sun was ing, but which sounded more like the shining on us, and it was so nice and uneasy laugh a man gives when he is warm that I didn't care if we never pretending he isn't afraid; so after I went on. However, the Doc., who has had belayed our life line over an the true spirit of a mountaineer, soon embossed knob an inch or so high, the tired of ignoble inaction and was Doc. traversed across and was soon eager to be off again. As I happened to by my side. be somewhat in front, it was decided "Would you like me to go first?" he that I should now lead the way, for it asked. You might be inclined would have been risky to attempt to pass this over lightly as changing places on the rope, so being just an ordinary accordingly I set off along the verticle example of masculine wall of rock, clinging to what faint chivalry, but believe me, it markings I could, while the Doc. held meant more to me than I can the rope belayed around his wretched ever express. The true loose boulder. I can't say I went any heroism of a man's character more carefully because of the fact that shows itself when life is at the boulder was loose—having stake. Doubtless I would already reached the limit of utmost have gone on if this outlet had not caution —but I knew perfectly well been offered me, but if so I swear I that if I slipped, my sudden weight on would not be here now to tell the tale. the rope would dislodge the rock and It was necessary to change places Doc., and that we should accompany on the rope, otherwise it would not it, with a wild crash, into the valley have run through the belay, so we below. crouched on a couple of ledges along Even as I'm writing this, my heart is which even a lizard would have going thump, thump, thump, my thought twice about passing, while breath is trembling and I'm biting we carefully untied the few knots furiously at my finger nails. I wouldn't which lay between us and the Hereaf- mind betting there are a few more ter, and swapped places. Let it be pints of adrenalin coursing through known, to my eternal discredit, that I the system than normally. had privately thought I was the better With infinite caution, I proceeded climber of the two, but when the Doc., to a bulging shoulder of rock which without a moment's hesitation, had been blocking our further view. prepared to round that corner, I knew What lay on the other side would all the humiliation of pricked self- determine whether we went on or not. conceit. I flattened on to it and peered round Crouching there, with my back the corner, with bulging eyes, while turned, the ledge being too narrow to the Doc. called, with suppressed reverse my position, swearing softly excitement, "What about it? Can you under my breath, and with my little go on?" finger clutching frantically the stem of "Oh, yes, it's easy," said I with a a struggling piece of mountain vegeta- tion, hardly as thick as a lead pencil, I ourselves if we fell on them. Still, even screwed my head over my shoulder if we were not borne up by unseen and glued my eyes on the rope, hands before hitting the bottom, we sinuously sliding over the belay. would be soon after, so what did it My companion had spread eagled matter anyhow? himself over the surface of a huge However, all this expenditure of mass of overhanging rock, grey with thought was unnecessary, for I soon loose, dry lichen, and was clawing his heard a voice calling from the other way over with finger nails and toes, side that there was an excellent ledge like a cat trying to take a corner at full there, and all was well. It didn't take speed on a polished floor. many moments for me to reach his He is out of sight now over the top. side;—a rope around the waist, held What lies on the other side? God by a comrade with a cool head and a knows. There may be a sheer drop steady hand, plus the knowledge that away. If so, this is the end—that little there is a safe haven round the bend, knob of rock won't stand the strain of gives one amazing confidence. a sudden jerk. Be strong, little rock, be The remaining hundreds of feet to strong! the summit were so easy in compari- Is there anything more discourag- son that they can be dismissed with ing than the deceit of a friend? Al- brief mention. We were now on a though it was such a frail support to broad highway several yards wide, depend upon, we were relying on that overgrown with vegetation and little rock, and right at the critical bearing some quite tall eucalyptus, up moment, it let our rope slip off. one of which we climbed to the next level. There were a few more craggy Novelists tell us that when people ledges to crawl round, and the dry are facing utter destruction, they pray course of a waterfall to climb up, or begin a review of their lives—no polished to a black smoothness, but doubt a hurried collecting together of not so slippery as it looked, being their good qualities so as to have them honeycombed with innumerable small at their finger tips when St. Peter calls pit marks. for reasons why they should not be forever damned. I cannot claim any We were making for that wide split such experiences. It would appear in the mountain side which gives the that we fear death till it is almost upon rock its name. This was soon reached, us, and then we become quite calm; and gazing through it, what a sight after all, it would be a great adventure met our eager eyes! A huge, hollow to die. The first shock over in a second, crater, luxuriously carpeted with thick I pictured us dropping down through green grass, knee deep in which one the hot, scented air, which blew cool lone silver-barked tree stood like a in our faces in our swift descent. The guardian sentinel. Rising till they lost tree-covered slopes far below looked themselves in the blue heaven, were a so soft and cushiony that it was dozen or so magnificent, rugged peaks ridiculous to think we would hurt whose heaped, stratified grandeur made one think that so the Earth's matter to climb up it, holding on to the ferns. While resting by a. tumbled avalanche of the sharp, igneous rock, I found, growing in a thimbleful of earth, a cluster of delicately-marked toadstools—such dainty, pretty, fairy things; they seemed too little to be left alone in that vast, forbidding, prehistoric crater. I would tell Pan The Bread Knife - Warrumbungle NP 1975 about them and he photo Colin Wood would come up in the morning and look after them, and then surface must have appeared to the they wouldn't feel lonely or frightened eyes of our prehistoric forebears. To any more. Pan spoke their language think that we were, without doubt, the and understood them, as he under- first people to set foot in that place stood what the birds said. It was he which had lain undisturbed for so who heard the music of the night, and many millions of years in ageless saw the little fairy folk among the trees silence under the hot summer sun, or in the moonlight, peeping curiously reverberating to the hollow crash and from the dusky shadows at the red roar of thunder pealing through its glow of our camp fire. They might vaults! We felt we had obtained a have come over to talk to us if we had glimpse of some far away, dimly- asked them, but they are very shy and remembered period in the days when don't come unless they are asked. the world was young. Here conies the Doc., and off we go Flowing round the bases of these again on our upward climb. Our jagged peaks swept a glacier-like river excitement increased as we ap- of miniature tree ferns, which ex- proached the top, and at length we tended in thick, glossy green forma- skipped out into the bright sunlight tion for some 800 feet right from the and knew we had achieved our goal. summit as far down as the entrance to We stood on a narrow, grass-grown the cleft. This solved our problem as to rim, rough with piled rocks, among how we were to reach the top. Al- which grew a few small bushes. though the glacier fell almost verti- Buzzing around these were a number cally in places, it was quite a simple of golden wasps with glittering wings. "You're high up in the world, little climbed a point of rock a yard or so ones." higher than the one we were on. Here Sitting on a heap of rocks, munch- we erected a cairn of stones, for all ing chocolate and dates, we felt like true mountaineers thus leave their knights of old surveying our wide mark on virgin peaks conquered. domain from the turrets and battle- Some five minutes later, when we ments of our castle. Extending to the turned our attention to the fire once far horizon in all directions stretched more, we found it had assumed much a wrinkled sea of green. Far away a larger proportions—in fact it had bluer line marked the beginning of the spread to such an extent that we were Pilliga scrub of the far west. Close now cut off by the flames and had to about us the varied peaks of the perch, marooned, on top of our cairn Warrumbungle Range displayed their till the blaze died down. Even then it bizarre, distinctive shapes, and was necessary to wait some time overhead was a sky as brightly blue as longer for the heat to leave the ashes, the shallows of the sea on a blue day. as I didn't know how invulnerable the Floating on this, fairy islands of cloud hide on my bare feet (I always climb lay over the plains in ever increasing bare-footed) might be to red-hot circles; but the eagles which, earlier in embers. It would have looked funny to the day, had watched our laborious the gods who watch over the doings of efforts to reach the heights to which man if the Doc. had had to piggyback they soared so effortlessly, were me over the glowing embers and nowhere to be seen. smoke along that narrow rim of mountain top; but luckily it wasn't The Doc. had a box of matches in necessary. his pocket, which gave us the inspira- tion to light a fire in the hope that the The sun was now westering, so we folk in the township of Tooraweena, made haste to descend, as we didn't some ten miles away would see it and quite know how or where we were rejoice with us, and also to set the going to get down. I own I felt a bit minds of the others of our party at rest, uneasy as I thought of those traverses, for none of them knew how we had now in the cold shade, with nothing progressed since we had left Pan, at all to recommend them and every- hours ago, with the 100 foot rope, to thing to condemn them. We slid down see himself down to our base camp as the green glacier as down a slippery best he could. dip, and gained much amusement thereby. The Doc. slid on his seat and I So we set fire to a heaped pile of dry went head first, as my pants, already grass and sticks, and threw on green in the flnal stages of disintegration, branches from the near-by bushes, would not have stood up to any harsh which produced a dense white smoke, treatment. making the mountain seem like a volcano in eruption. On reaching the waterfall again, we turned our attention to the south Leaving the fire to attend to itself, instead of the north, and hoped for the we descended a small dip and best. It proved to be an excellent move, and we soon found ourselves on a REE ASTRONOMICAL ledge overlooking a drop of a mere 200 F G feet to the hillside below, only 100 of JOYS which was difficult climbing. We by Dorothy English already had 100 feet of rope, and if we From The Sydney Bush Walker - 1934 could get the other 100 it would be a simple matter to descend. So we Come on, all you independent hollered for Pan and eventually got a spirits, who would be beholden to no- reply. He brought along the 100 foot one for your creature comforts. Get rope and climbed up as far as he you out into the lonely bush, and could with it, while I climbed down as along the desolate sea-shore, and see far as I could on our rope. Holding on how you fare when there is none to to the end of this, I stuck my leg out provide shelter for your head or food while Pan did the cowboy stunt and eventually succeeded in lassoing my for your stomach, away from foot. I then climbed back with this "That all-softening, rope, and by means of the two of them, overpowering knell, we descended once more to terra The tocsin of the soul— firma, after six hours on the mountain. the dinner bell," We left the ropes tied there, and and see if you can live as the next day Pan and I brought Suzanne and Marie up that way. It seemed a sparrows live—on just what old very easy performance to me after Nature provides. those awful traverses, but Marie And what does she provide? informs me that according to New It is said that all life emerged from Zealand and Canadian mountaineer- the sea, so let us visit our ancient ing standards, it would not be consid- watery home in search of sustenance. ered an easy rock-climb by any means, even with the fixed ropes. I had it (unofficially) from the Well, there you are folks; thus ends Marine Zoologist at the Museum, that my tale! everything in the sea is edible; never- As an incentive to prospective theless I would not recommend that climbers of this mountain, let me add any aspiring devotee of Natural that after we had safely taken the Living take to eating clam-shells, even party up and down again on the for their lime content, nor sample the following day—only possible by succulent blue-bottle. However, means of the fixed ropes—we flicked practically all the little shell-fish of these from round the rocks that were our coast are edible. In the Islands it is holding them, and as they fell at our often found that, whereas the natives feet we saluted the grim giant saying, of one island consider a certain shell- gloatingly, "That's the last time fish poisonous, the natives of another anyone will get up you .... unless it's island include it as a staple part of by aeroplane." Such is our conceit. It's their dietary. The internal portion of an open challenge! put much faith in that being true. The the sea-urchin is said to be quite a person who gave birth to that .state- delicacy to the Italians, while the ment was probably delirious from Chinese revel in seaweed biscuits. starvation. The soft white part of These biscuits, though resembling, in grass-tree shoots is quite edible, and my opinion, nothing so much as a has been known to save an explorer sun-dried frog, are extremely appetis- from starvation for some weeks. ing, but all my efforts to manufacture a similar product from the sea-kale of One of the most delicate dishes I Era were futile. Perhaps there is some can suggest, in all truth, is mush- secret process used. However, sea-kale rooms and periwinkles cooked in sea- eaten raw is quite good. water. The beauty of this mess is that it can't be spoilt, either in taste or There is no necessity for me to appearance, by the addition of any- mention fish, oysters, crabs, lobsters, thing else you may care for. prawns or crayfish. Everyone knows they are worth eating, but not every- Before I leave this fascinating one is familiar with eels as food. Try subject of food I must say a word or them. two about our native fruits. Suppose we leave the sea-shore Perhaps the best known are black- and follow up one of our rivers, right berries; but we also have wild straw- into the heart of the bushland. On berries, which thrive luxuriantly in such a river as the Cox, watercress is National Park; wild raspberries—not very plentiful; dandelion leaves, used so plentiful, but possessing more by the French as a salad vegetable, are flavour, lillipillis, geebungs, five- to be found, the root of same being corners, ground-berries, and pigeon- valued for medicinal purposes. berries, which are parasitic growths of the ti-tree. While on the subject of medicinal plants it might be as well to mention Dreams of childhood gastronomi- that the liquid obtained from boiled cal happiness invariably turn to blackberry leaves is frequently used by pigeon-berries and plum-puddin' herbalists as a blood purifier. The grass, which we consumed in vast same applies to couch grass, while my quantities, spending half an afternoon grandfather swears by milk thistles as gathering a paperbag full that we a laxative. Says he, "They work you might have half-an-hour's gorgeous like castor oil," which is well to know gorge in bed that night. if one has indulged too freely in the Ah well, a man is only as old as his wild Jack-apples obtainable in the stomach, and if he can still enjoy such Black Gin 'Creek thickets. puerilities he is still young. Here's In the vegetable line, nettles can be hoping you all stay young. used for soup; bracken tops have been likened to asparagus, but you needn't A GLORIOUS FAILURE THE UNCONQUERED HEIGHTS OF ARETHUSA FALLS by Dorothy English An indefinite track following the creek from the Bushwalker Annual - 1938 soon petered out in a tangle dense OUR first attempt to storm the river growth, so we bore up the hill on Arethusa heights took place in Octo- our right till we reached higher ber when eight of us set out, encum- ground where the tree-line virtually bered with fifty ft of rope, hope in our ceased as it met the rock canyon wall. For half a mile a wallaby track followed around a somewhat crumbly ledge hardly more than a foot or two wide in parts, then came to sudden dead stop on the wall of the precipice, and we found ourselves under the spray of a sixty foot tumble of water— Arethusa Falls. Above our heads, with the branches of the lower one swaying just within reach, grew two small stunted bushes, distorted in their growth by the impact of many floods and the fact that they relied for sustenance on mere handful or so of soil strewn in several small niches and crevice in the cliff face. We tested these very gingerly, for if they had pull away in our hands hearts, a map, and various superflu- it would have been good-bye. But they ous necessities in the shape of eating held our weight, so one by one the and sleeping equipment. packs and the party were pulled and On a red-hot Sunday morning we pushed till we all stood on the left our camp close to the junction of slippery rock level from which the Blue Gum track with the Rodriguez- waterfall to its leap into the valley Pass-Grand Canyon round tour and below. headed up the valley towards the Fal Breasting The Current sliding over the slippery rock and making a handrail with the rope We were now in a high rocky gorge when necessary all of us more or less through which the water roared in wet and somewhat chilly, with the that we had to yell to make ourselves roar of the water continually dinning heard. A little reconnoitring soon in our cars. disclosed the fact that it would be easier to proceed up the watercourse A Gloomy Canyon rather than to attempt the side wall, The walls of the canyon now closed although the former proceeding in till they were hardly more than involved some exciting swimming. By fifteen yards apart and almost touch- means of some smart manipulation of ing overhead, thus closing out the the rope we managed to slide the light of day so that we went in an eerie packs down from a higher ledge of gloom, climbing over huge boulders, rock to the lower level where our swim sliding1 foot by foot up slithery would bring us out. Then the whole waterways, squeezing and creeping party took to the water and surged up under rock ledges, snaking along in a current like a herd of cattle fine powdering of rock sand that had There was another waterfall at the lain undisturbed for centuries. In end of this section, some six or seven some places it was necessary to swim, feet in height, but a hasty examination floating our packs before us wrapped of this showed us that an easier in ground-sheets to keep the water means of getting up must be sought. out. "It's a pity we're not salmon," gurgled We might have gone ten miles or the half-drowned leader of the van- we might have gone less than half a guard, bobbing up and down in the mile—all sense of time and distance foam, semi-dazed by the impact of was forgotten in the din of many water. waters and the feeling of being the Some four feet up the dark rock only people left in the world, and wall was a neat circular depression above all the conviction that we must like a plughole with the plug removed, go on—go on, finding a way to and attention was directed to thi as surmount all obstacles that might bar being the only other possible way out. our progress. To step into a depression four fee up a It came as a rather demoralizing vertical wall is difficult enough on shock, then, when one of the party terra firma, but when the take-of is an suddenly announced the time to be unstable fluid and all the mob around three o'clock. We now realized that we are treading water am hurling bright were chilled to the marrow, and remarks about to the tune of "Stick to hungry too, having eaten nothing it! After all, yoi can only break your since breakfast at 7 a.m., being too leg," well, the task is more than doubly engrossed in the hazards of the trip to difficult. I speaks very well for the think of dinner. When we found whole party that they all did get up at ourselves up against a forty foot sheer last Then we shouldered packs and wall of rock so smoothly polished that continued our way, but gingerly even a lizard would not find a foot- hold there, and over which a water- the Rover Ramblers had put this trip fall, passing through a cleft in the down on their programme for the rock, hurled itself into a deep pool same week-end, but were rather below, we decided to call it a glorious unprepared for the zeal with which failure and retrace our steps, vowing their members patronized official to return again in the near future as no walks —there were no less than mere waterfall was going to give us thirteen camped at the Arethusa Falls best. campsite, all ready and eager for the A Second Attempt morrow's doings. As there was no sign of Gordon and Jack, Bert and I That was some months ago. amalgamated with the little boy Early spring ripened into mid- scouts' party, and soon after 7 a.m. summer and the hot sun warmed the next morning we broke camp and icy mountain creeks—a decided proceeded up the valley. advantage when most of the day is to If it had been a long business be spent swimming in a dark, sunless getting eight of us up the first water- gorge. In the interim, also, several fall, you can imagine what it was like members of the original party had getting fifteen up, but we had great been mountaineering in New Zealand fun. The whole fifteen surmounted the and, rightly or wrongly, were thought first water hazard in goodly style, to have improved in climbing tech- despite the fact that one or two of the nique. young lads could not swim. They So another assault on the unassail- were given scoutly assistance by their able was planned. We were to be a comrades till we all stood re-united on smaller, and therefore less unwieldy the other side. party, and planned to travel light, to Realizing that it would take more the extent of carrying no superfluous time than we had at our disposal to clothes or cooking utensils and shepherd such an enormous party discarding tents and sleeping bags in further up the gorge we decided to try favour of the Sydney Morning Herald. our luck up the left hand wall of the Jack Debert and Gordon Smith left canyon. A display of spider-monkey on the Friday night for Katoomba with tactics, plus a very satisfactory ma- the intention of exploring downstream nipulation of the rope and all the mob from Minnehaha Falls as far as sprawled among their packs on a possible on the Saturday, and they damp ferny slope some hundred feet were to return and meet Bert Whillier up the canyon wall. A sally further and me at the Arethusa Falls camp on upstream proved fruitless, so we were Saturday night. The next morning we obliged to turn back on our tracks, as would retrace our previous route with it were, but on a higher level, and a minimum of lost time, and the added follow along the rocky cliff face. Here advantage of knowing what to expect we found a pleasant little tree, some between the farthest point we had forty feet high, which swayed out from reached in the Gorge, and Minnehaha the side of the cliff on its eight inch Falls. diameter trunk. With the aid of this We had already been informed that tree we scrambled and hauled our packs up the cliff face. This operation train home about five o'clock. The next took much time, and one of the lads day we heard from Gordon and Jack had the misfortune here to lose hold that they had got down the canyon on his pack, which dropped right from Minnehaha Falls for quite a long back into the water in the canyon distance. Then rather than retrace below. It was retrieved by dint of their footsteps, they camped and much effort, and we continued up- continued down on the Sunday wards. It was now ten o'clock. Some- morning, hoping to meet us coming one suggested he had heard shouts up. They were stopped, however, by down below—possibly Gordon and the canyon floor dropping away into a waterfall chute some sixty feet high, so here they stopped and yelled. Then they went away, to return later and yell again, but finding that Bertie and the Englishberg and the drove of little boy scouts did not materialize they Arethusa Falls called it a day and Jack, but being uncertain on the went home. subject we forgot the matter forthwith. Thus ended the second attempt on Still More Hazards Arethusa Falls to Minnehaha Fall via Rounding a ledge we found our- the waterways. You will see that it has selves in another canyon, equal in not yet been done. The little boy scouts hazards to the one below. To cut a have done something just as good (or long story short, we followed the same perhaps better), in their achievement, crawling, swimming, clambering, and the Bushwalkers have done the sprawling, snake-like tactics here, and gorge upstream to a certain spot about three o'clock gained the flat which we shall call X, and down- heights of the tableland. It was raining stream to a certain spot which may or a fine mountain drizzle; we were wet may not be X, but the original course through and hungry, so when we has eluded us a second time. David heard renewed shouts in the gorge, Stead has seen fit to include it on the proving beyond doubt the presence of official S.B.W. Walks Programme for Jack and Gordon, we merely mar- next year. All those innocents who velled that the voices still seemed to think to attend this walk, expecting it come from the same place as they had to be just an ordinary creek-bed trip, at ten o'clock, then shouted a hearty be warned! "good-bye" and departed, catching a The Rock-Climbing Section Of The Sydney Bushwalkers By Dot English (Sydney Bush Walkers). below shows the party, together with , This Section just seemed to appear packs and ropes stacked aboard the out of the blue, as It were. Somebody "Flying Frigidaire" (or "Criminal said, "Do you know anything about a Coach'~-use whichever term you Rock-Climbing section in this Club?' think most fitting), leaving from and a number of us gathered together outside the main entrance of the Hotel Sydney, bound for Katoomba. The gentleman in the gold braid doesn't know whether he ought to call the police or just take it lying down. Another respectable car came with us, to lighten the load on the faithful Frigidaire, and after a most eventful journey through Katoomba and down the Dark Road, and a night spent on the one hand in a stable answered, "Everything . . . We're IT," with a racehorse, and on the other in a and Marie Byles pricked up her ears ditch where a puncture caused a in excitement and donated a practi- forced landing, the two cars eventu- cally brand new mountaineering rope ally converged at a point about half a with red-white-and-blue stripes mile above Carlon's where the road woven through it as a hallmark of its terminates. Here we had breakfast and excellence, and asked us to write up then set out on the Big Adventure. some of our major climbs for THE But I am not going into any detailed ANNUAL, and we were besieged on description of our climbing -it's one of all sides by questions as to our doings those things you don't talk about, like so that our consciences began to get a Love or a pain in the stomach, which little uneasy and we thought "Cripes, must be experienced to be understood. what have we done to deserve this? If you are a real lover of the gentle art The only thing for it is to go out and of mountaineering the accompanying climb some rocks, or we stand a good 'picture will suffice to thrill you with chance of being branded impostors." joy and exultation, and if you are not a Accordingly an Inaugural Meeting mountaineer all the descriptive was guiltily called and invitations verbiage in the world will fail to bring were quietly scattered around among any answering response from your those likely to be interested, to such- cold hearts. good purpose that no fewer than ??? This from the Rock-Climbing turned up for our first trip. The picture Section.You can come with us if you like. TO THE HIGH HILLS. by Dot. English. (The Sydney Bush Walkers and the N.Z. cally nothing to a stranger, save, Alpine club.) perhaps, a nebulous groping into his There are recrea- elementary French grammar days, to tions and recrea- the New Zealand climber conjures up tions. For myself, I a vision of over 10,000 feet of clean, would rather red, reliable rock, the best of all God's walk. I went stones. The fact that Malte is situated horse-riding last in the Mount Cook district and thus week-end. Next consorts with the proud, snowy time I shall walk-you can't beat aristocracy of Sefton, Tasman, walking as an exercise. For nights I Dampier, The Minarets, and even have tossed and turned in bed and Cook itself, decided us to spend our groaned in spirit. Instead of drugging holiday in real climbers' country. my insomnia by counting sheep, I Leaving Dunedin by car on the recount the name of every individual Thursday evening, our party of three muscle in my body and ascertain traveled Mount Cook-wards all whether it is stiff and sore. It is! No through the night. There was a brief thanks; keep your horse. I'd rather respite of four hours when we crawled walk ! into our eiderdown bags and re- Now bushwalking, the summer freshed the body with sleep on a pile bonum of all sports in Australia, of boulders by the roadside-actually becomes mountaineering in New the best camp-site offering, as the Zealand for the simple reason that, to whole plain for miles around was a make any headway in the dense, fair representation of the Gibber waterlogged forests, you would need a Desert. road gang armed with axes, spades, First light saw us on our way and mattocks, and backed up by a again. Mount Cook Hermitage wel- bulldozer and a steam-roller or two, comed us for breakfast, and that, to anyone other than an alderman, is clearly impracticable. But on the mountains you have clear going, even though it be nearer the vertical than the horizontal, and the despised vegetable dies before it is born rather than contend with the unsympathetic, icy vastness of a superior world. after which, loaded down to Plimsoll Speaking of mountains brings me mark, we set out on the twenty-mile to my subject-Malte Brun, the object of plug up the heaped moraine rocks our aspirations last Easter. The name and hummocky ice of Tasman Glacier "Malte Brun," while it conveys practi- to De la Beche Hut, which was to be our headquarters for the next couple of days. steep-walled N.E. face of the western The hut arrete, which my experienced eye reached, judged to be as good as perpendicular. dinner An inexperienced clinometer might disposed have made a more moderate estimate. of, and the But, my dear readers of conventional alarm-clock fiction, do not imagine that the inevi- set in table choice of a climber always rests anticipation between an unscaleable precipice of a big day and a bottomless crevasse ; some~ on the times there is a middle way, and on morrow, we this occasion we were lucky enough to rolled into find one which led us to the skyline our bunks by ridge. Of course, it was not as easy as 9 p.m., and that-it took about eight hours in all, vacated them which, like the laying of an egg (on the at 3 o'clock 40-hour a week estimate), is a whole next morning after a terrible mental day's work for a hen. struggle. Soon we were sleep-walking For another two hours we clam- over the half-mile or so of wrinkled bered over the mountain's knobbly epidermis of the Tasman Glacier, back-bone, part of its length including which flowed like a river of ice be- the famous Cheval Ridge, so steep on tween De ]a Beche Hut and the foot of either side that if you had to fall you our "Hearts' Desire." wouldn't bother to make a choice Uncertain weather conditions either way. caused us to dilly-dally for some time It has been said by second-rate at the foot of Malte Brun, but eventu- climbers that there are only two joys in ally we decided that we would be mountaineering-one when you reach doing something profitable if we did a the top, and one when you reach the spot of reconnoitring, even if unable to bottom. Well, we certainly enjoyed climb that day. So we plodded up- ourselves-but we did not reach the top wards aver tumbled rocks to the Malte ; 3.30 p.m. found us still 400 feet from Brun Glacier, from which vantage our goal. The heights were enveloped point we gazed long and lovingly at by a heavy mist, which thinned our peak, till, fired by the undeniable occasionally, revealing the summit truth of the saying, "Familiarity breeds rocks well plastered with snow, thus Attempt," we decided to make for the making quite dangerous climbing. We summit As if just waiting for this vote decided, in view of the lateness of the of confidence, Heaven now smiled on hour, to retreat while daylight was us ; the clouds cleared away, and a still with us. After all, the idea in perfect day shone forth. climbing is not necessarily to get to the We skirted a yawning gap in the top of a mountain, but to enjoy life glacier ice and bent our minds and (and I say "life" advisedly), as far as our muscles in an attempt on the you go. though the going was dark and difficult ! Somehow we at last found ourselves at the top of a steep snowfield into which our crampons would grip. The full splen- dour of an Easter moon lit up the expanse of white with a radiance not of this world, and the strain relaxed. After a little scouting about, we picked up our tracks of the day before. The Descent Then it was just a downhill trot all the We retraced our steps along the way, and at 4 a.m. we lumbered into switchback ridge till it appeared to Malte Brun Hut as the foot of the end in an impossible drop, then mountain. Here we refueled with two transferred our attention to a steep, tins of iced apricots, as we hadn't dark couliour which, in our happy eaten since the previous afternoon, ignorance, seemed the less of two and then it had only been half a bun evils. It could have been called either a each and a piece of chocolate. The frozen watercourse hung on the face apricots more than fortified us ; they of the mountain, or an avalanche kept continually reminding us of their chute, being both. Darkness overtook presence as we crossed the Tasman us before we had fairly started the Glacier to our own little hut at De la descent, and for five solid hours we Beche. belayed ourselves every foot of the Dawn saw three small figures way down the sort of dark, loose, moving slowly up the high moraine slippery corridor that you wouldn't rocks till they gained the hut. The sun look at twice in daylight, except to say rose above the eastern bar and "impossible!" As the hours vanished shouted, "Hullo! Hullo!" to a waking into the dark void of night, this world, but we tumbled into our concentrated progression became so sleeping-bags and let him shout. And mechanical that we did it uncon- all day long he called and called, but sciously. we lay fast asleep; aye, all the day, Just to relieve the monotony, the because our need was deep. After our mountain found occasion, at irregular own fashion, though, we had enjoyed intervals, to launch portions of the ourselves. hillside o-1 to our heads. But what GOOD CLIMBING Dot English (Sydney Bush Walker and the NZ Alpine silent, inhabits its gloomy fastness – a Club) realm where even conjecture may not The Bushwalker Annual enter. Brilliant summer has passed; the Today I received a most pleasant air was sharpened with the faint sting surprise – a red-borded cablegram of coming autumn – a time of turbu- from an Air-Force boy on the other lent wind and sudden rain – of falling side of the world. It said, "good leaves and ripening snow berries. climbing" and was signed "Birtle Below the Birley Glacier just about Esquilant." Anyone thinking to derive sundown we established a high bivvy from those few words some hint of a among the gleaming snow grass. proposed Mountaineering trip are due Close by was a dark rocky waterfall for a disappointment. "Good Climb- chasm which seem possessed by ing" is just a form of greeting among strange shrill voices – cold with and the Alpine club members similar to the icy breath that made a red fire race in bush walkers’ "Good Walking or our veins and queued up all the "Good Camping" or the more common millions of fine pulses in our bodies to "Good Day!" the highest pitch of vibrant, singing "Not much point in cabling that life. meaningless message from war We heated up a ready mixed stew stricken Europe," you might say, but on a high-altitude primus and ate, for me it has provided a whole day of snuggled up in our sleeping bags, happy reminiscences. To-day is the while we watched and listened to the anniversary of one of the greatest high cold wind which rushed cease- climbs we did in the Southern Alps of lessly out of the translucent blue New Zealand. West Peak of Earnslaw darkness, bowing down the long is not so high as the minarets or Malte silvery tussock grass till one thought Brun (each 10,000 feet), or Mount of a dryad’s hair streaming down over Cook (12,000 feet), all of which we had the lovely curving slope in endless climbed together the previous Christ- billowing ripples. mas. West Peak is lower by 1,000 ft., but it has this incalculable charm Tea over, we stowed away our about it, that it has seldom been things for the night, then lay on our climbed before. A dark cloud of backs, partly sheltered by the sturdy mystery broods over it – secrets, stony, tussock clumps, enjoying the gusty tumult of wind as it poured down the forever I was falling through the solid slope, bearing a smell of icecaps and framework of created things and must illimitable snow-fields. We looked up forever sink into the vast abyss"… and into the incredible height of blue, I, too, slept! deeper that any ocean, where wisps of There is a quiver that runs through clouds swirled and streamed poured all nature a little while before dawn, when sleep vanishes. We awoke to see the whole hillside a-ripple under the fluid wind, and we listened to its thousand voices while we cooked our breakfast on a flaring grass fire. And now we were away – up over the windy tussocks in the soft grey light before the dawn, more alive than all the living light, light as the wind itself, powerful as a storm, tireless as a turbulent glacier stream! Oh, the joy of living! – to feel the ice-axe cling on rock and ice! - to see the timeless miracle of dawn breaking on the mountain tops! It took time proceeding up the Birley Glacier, which was consider- ably broken, but from the top we could look down into the Rees valley – a great space inhabited by moving air and billows of swirling mist. We were now in Wright Col, where the snow themselves in fine cascades from one slopes makes a graceful curve and blue interstellar space to another. swell to the summit of East Peak. That Stars lay scattered – myriad golden was the first mountain I ever climbed points of light- and the moon was full. in New Zealand, and though I have Birtle slept, breathing gently into the been up it several times since it will tussock grass. In the half state in always remain a sight that catches the between waking and sleeping I heart; that thrill and wonder of that thought I was above that vast infinity first snow climb will never be forgot- of space looking down on it, and then it seemed as though "down, down ten. Passing through Wright Col, And now all form and definition suddenly we got our first glimpse of were quietly blotted out; a soft mist the great fluted wedge of rock, which crept about us as we climbed down is East Peak. There is rose, vast gloom southwest of the summit to the col at its base and vaster gloom surround- between West Peak and the first of the ing its summit. How wonderful the Seven Sisters. There they sat seven loneliness was up there. timeless ladies in a timeless row, and The desolate scree terraces on the looming out of the sea mist was the west side of Earnslaw were crossed, grim black bulk of Pluto standing then a long stretch of misty slipped by guard over them, his face stony and while we proceeded up a steep, ice terrible, his fierce forbidding brows crack of rotten rock which let to the drawn together in a frown that boded high Col between East and West ill for any paltry mortal who might Peaks. think to show them disrespect. "Some- what grisly." Murmured Birtle; "it will A short pitch up the hard, be pleasing to get back to our camp." unsympathic ice slopes of the steep And so was I thinking of lower levels S.E. face, moving one at a time, and – of the friendly where lots of little then we went together along the things – little ferns and berries and summit ridge, wind-weathered into flowers – tiny gauze specks that flew two terraces, in a world all grey and and flitted above the banks of the white – the rocks grey, grey and more singing stream – sunstarts on gleam- grey, till they were rather black that ing leave sand grass, and a gaysom grey; and the snow grey, and less grey little valley breeze marrying over the and not grey at all, but a gentle tone of swaying clover. white, robbed of its hardness. This is the place where time and eternity, On our mountain height the mist earth and heaven meet. We adsorbed lifted somewhat, and gazing down, it in a vivid silent interval. On a we saw a great, unfamiliar valley, mountaintop there is no need for deep dark and desolate, and wet from speech the need of words – between a fine driving rain. the climbers there is a silent, compre- "Oh Birtle, where are we?" hensive friendship beyond the need of Concluding that this must be Pluto words. They are conscious together of col and not Wright col as we had the subduing spell of silence, the expected – the two places lay a whole sudden joy of new discoveries in valley’s width apart – we made all mountain loveliness, the wonder and haste through it, relieved at being able the beauty of it all – and that is to turn our backs on the rather fright- enough. ening giant, Pluto. Skirting round the sat together like god and goddesses in high rock terraces and snowfields at the kingly realm above – clothes in a the valley’s head we reached the next blanket of mist – col, which must be Wright Col, unless all asleep …… asleep…… sleep the mountain was bewitched, as ………. indeed it seemed. We searched for our then all consciousness melts away, footmarks made in the morning and a great silence enwrapped us. ascent, and found traces so feint and So it will always be. The memories dim that they seemed to vanish as we of those early trips when we went looked at them, and we could not be hungry or thirsty, when the morning sure that they were not rather tracks frost found the openings in our made by a wandering deer stepping blankets and robbed us of much lightly on the hard surface of the needed sleep, or when the rain came snow. through, or under, the badly pitched We zigzagged up a snow slope, tent, will always be with us as we following the feint trail till it vanished come back for more. on the hard ice, and there was nothing And so it is, today, that when new visible through the mist to tell us members arrive, it is not the members whether this was the col we sought or friend that I look for, but rather the not. But it was so and gladly we lone walker that comes in under his strode down the Birley Glacier, and so own steam, resolved that he will learn to our bivvy site by the waterfall; more of the game that so far has only thence down the springing tussocks given him hunger, thirst and fatigue. and across the long shoulders of the hills to our little hut perched like an eagle’s eyrie on the tree-line, where the golden autumn forest and the snow grass met. Night had stolen all detail from the hills when we finished our evening. The valley slept below and the snowy peaks above had silently withdrawn into the upper darkness. We stretched our selves comfortably in our Hessian bunks – a few desultory scraps of conservation – hazy fleeting visions of snow and rock and ice slopes – of a dark giant and seven princesses who MOUNTAIN MEMORIES. By Dot English among huge tumbled boulders on a (The Sydney Bush Walkers and N.Z. Alpine Chlb). moraine. shaken by a continual The Bushwalker Annual thunder of avalanches hurtling from Uncomfortably dressed up with the surrounding peaks. How far back everything just so, including tight new in the misty past it all seemed now! . . . shoes, listening apathetically to the We had already had a fortnight of conversation as it passed from the magnificent weather in the highest impossibility of running the house part of the New Zealand Alps, and without domestic help to the difficulty now, with only three days' holiday of purchasing bottled beer and ciga- remaining, we conceived the bright rettes, I felt a sudden piercing jab like idea of climbing Mt. Cook (12,000 odd a needle through the ball of my big toe ft.), via the southern peak, which is and jumped violently to life. As some mainly a rock face and hence very sort of explanation seemed to be enticing to one fed from infancy on expected, I said "Frostbite," and lapsed Australian rock. The only question into silence again, but, recalling the was, would the weather gods smile on capital-letter climb on which I sus- us for a further couple of days? tained a slightly frostbitten big toe Ominous signs were already creeping which still occasionally deals me a up the Hooker Valley the day we left sharp nerve jab, I felt a deep nostalgia for the Gardiner Hut, situated at a begin to creep over me for the wild, height of 5,000 ft. on the lower western carefree mountaineering life — slope of Cook, in a most exciting sweating up the glacier under a 50-lb. location on a huge mound of rock pack; toiling up densely forested called "Pudding Rock." To get to it you mountain slopes with mud on our climb almost vertically with the aid of pants and water squelching through a wire rope, while the wind tears our boots, faces scorched by sun and round your trouser legs and a water- wind; rained on, hailed on, snowed fall splashes on your head from above. on. whipped by blizzards on the Merely to get as far as Gardiner Hut, heights; glissading down thousands let alone Cook, calls for a spot of prime of feet of snow slope to some rough mountaineering technique. alpine hut nestling snugly on the We ensconced ourselves in the hut, mountainside, or perched precari- what time the weather worsened — a ously on a rocky outcrop in a world of roaring blizzard that shook the hut to white snow-fields, or dropped down its foundations and threatened to lift it skywards, hail that dashed on the out on the summit rocks and made the iron roof and walls like a spatter of subsequent descent very nerve- bullets, and snow that swept horizon- racking. With this salutary lesson in tally down the Hooker Valley in mind I put a double thong on my ice mighty swirls. "This kills our chance axe before setting out. "No chance of on Cook to-morrow," said we as we my repeating old Bob's bad luck," concocted the large and customary thought I, but just to be doubly sure I bully-beef stew and settled into our included in my pack as a second line bunks for an afternoon's riotous of defence a large pig-stabber knife. reading of the hut literature, chiefly Several hours up steep, deeply Wild West and mystery yarns. We crevassed snowfields brought us to went to sleep early with a watch on the rock face of which the South Peak of Cook is mainly composed, and from then on there were hours and hours and still more hours of upward pro- gression, clearing the plas- tered snow and chipping ice off every single foothold and handhold as we went. About three-quarters of the way up, while endeavouring Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park to get a better grip on the rope, the table and a torch close by so we I relinquished my hold on the ice axe, could refer to it at intervals through- relying on the double thong round my out the night, having no alarm watch, wrist to hold it dangling till I should and hoped that the storm would abate need it, but the treacherous thing before midnight which, sure enough, contrived to fall head first, and— it did. At 2.30 we arose on a beautiful, neatly slipping its moorings—sailed calm, starry night, heated up our rice away into bottomless space. After a and apricots, had breakfast while we few minutes' lurid language, "Well, let pushed our feet into our boots, and the damn thing go!" said I, "I do better before 4 a.m. we were away. without it dangling in my way," and The previous week Birtle had from then on I relied on the pig- climbed Cook from the Tasman side. stabber knife which, although it bent On the descent his companion had like putty and cut through the snow had the misfortune to drop his ice axe, like a warm knife through butter, which caused them to spend the night proved effective enough and had this added advantage that it could be held "Eh, wait on!" cried we in some between my teeth when I needed both alarm, clinging on the rock face by one hands for climbing. clinker and a couple of fingernails. Continual step-cutting had jarred "Sorry," says the Sun, "whistle's our only watch into silence, so we gone; we don't get paid for overtime," guessed the time by the sun. Some and with that he winked his eye and time after it had passed from the mid- dropped down behind the mountain sky we reached the summit ice-cap. top. The first couple of curves of ice were "So ho," thought I, "another night negotiated all right in crampons. The out like the one we spent on Malte final slope of a few hundred feet to the Brun at Easter." and, hastily taking a actual summit didn't seem worth the few bearings in the last remaining risk with only one ice axe, but as it gleams of twilight, we continued our was equivalent, say, to climbing Mt. downward climb. Hours slipped by as Cloudmaker, but omitting to surmount swiftly and noiselessly as a stream on the cairn on top, we considered we the glacier ice, and now the moon was had done what we set out to do and with us, suffusing the rocks with its were content to leave it at that. full white light. The view from that height was At length we reached a ledge a few magnificent, embracing all the west degrees nearer the horizontal than the coast bush country to the sea stretch- vertical, and here we huddled close ing very blue and soft to the far under a projecting rock in a vain horizon, while to north and south and endeavour to escape the wind while east lay range after range of snowy we held on and ate a handful of peaks and glaciers and misty valleys. sultana and some cheese. We took some photos but didn't linger "How-are-y'r-feelin', son?" I asked, too long as the atmosphere at 12,000 articulating with difficulty as my face ft. is somewhat chilly. and lips were frozen stiff as a board. We set off on the descent, quite "Pretty grisly," says Birtle, still not confident of being off the rock face by •without his infectious grin. "And dark, and so down the snow slopes you?" and glacier by moonlight, arriving at the hut certainly no later than 10 p.m. "Cold as blazes," I replied. "Let's get So much for our hopes! We were still going before we freeze to death" — toiling slowly down the rock when the which we thereupon did with as sun broke in on our concentration much speed as our stiffening frames with, "Well, good-night, folks." would allow. There •was a bit of delay while we "Are those rocks our rocks?" asked deliberated which of two rather Birtle, in that strange possessive similar glaciers was our one. and — attitude one tends to adopt in the thanks to our guardian angels exert- mountains towards any familiar bit of ing a little more than their customary scenery. With difficulty I forced my solicitude on our behalf — we man- heavy eyes open another fraction of an aged to choose the right one. An hour inch and surveyed the dim, rugged or so of cramponing down remarkably outline of rock outcrop. steep snow slopes, my hand on "They'll do," I murmured, "one heap Birtle's shoulder in lieu of my lost ice of rocks is as good as another I sup- axe, brought us to the badly crevassed pose." area, and right in the thick of a maze "It's not the rocks we want," Birtle of deep cracks the moon, reminded me gently. "It's the hut wot with even less warning than the stands thereon." sun had given us, whispered, "Time's "Eh?" I said . . . but I was asleep up," and softly withdrew. again; meanwhile my legs carried on "O well," we thought, "we got on all mechanically towards the rock as steel right without the sun, now we'll get is attracted to a magnet, or — a better on all right without the moon" — and simile as regards speed — as a slug is that was just how it was. attracted to a lettuce. Dream-walking down the final slopes of the glacier, yawning like a tornado every twenty paces ... a sleepy voice enquires, "Do you see what I see?" "It's the dawn?" Yes, .it's the dawn right enough. "I don't think that's funny," said an aggrieved voice addressing the sun, still bearing a grudge against him for the practical joke played on us yester eve. This sunlight-moonlight-no light- sunlight sequence played strange tricks with one's sanity. "Life is a chequer-board of nights and days ... Of nights and days ... of nights and days . . ." DECEMBER IN THE

Dot English From The Bushwalker AnnualGRAMPIANS

The Great Dividing Range runs only map available was a somewhat south in an unbroken chain from inaccurate tourist road map. It shows North Queensland, through NSW, a nice thick dotted line of a track then turns westward and finally leading from the roadway to the peters out in the flat Wimmera country summit of Mt. William—a mere 5 of Victoria, The Grampians, covering miles— and as this was our first day's an area of about 50 miles by 20 miles, experience with the map nothing dangle on the end of this 3,000 mile warned us to be distrustful. So about chain—a beautiful little embossed 11 o'clock we broke camp and pot- ornament on the bosom of the Western tered along to the weir on Fvan's plains. They are rather difficult of Creek. Here we had an early lunch access to the Sydney walker, but from and hid our packs, then set off with 8 Melbourne one does the trip in less or more hours of daylight in which to than a day. do what we estimated to be a 4 hours' walk. But we searched in vain for the Although the northern end of the track—nothing but thick scrub, and area is most boosted to the tourist, we very prickly too. So we plunged found the south most appealing to the through the undergrowth hoping to Bushwalker who likes his areas soon cut the track before long. But we primitive and "unimproved." We went didn't cut the track, and the under- as far south as the service car goes, to growth didn't improve either in a large guest house— Hotel Belfield— quantity or quality. Per-s i s t e n t lying in the valley below Belfield Peak, struggling eventually brought us out then walked a further couple of miles to the high country we were aiming south and camped by a pleasant little for, but many hours had been lost. trout stream. Away to the east towards Ararat Geologically speaking the Gram- stretched the level plain. Behind us plans are of block fault formation. was the spectacular Red Bluff, and in They run at right angles across the front rose Mt. William looking hardly end of the Great Divide in three more than an hour's walk away. But roughly parallel ranges stretching hour after hour slipped away and it north and south, the rocky western was 5 o'clock when the base of the slopes running up in a gentle incline summit rocks was reached. Should we to drop sharply and precipitously spend another hour gaining the down the eastern face. Mt. William, summit, with the certainty of spend- just under 4,000 ft., is the highest peak ing the night out with only a box of on the Grampians and was to be the matches to keep us warm, or should goal of our next day's walking. The we try to get back to our packs by dark? The latter suggestion won, leading off it. We had just about Knowing that any creek in that resigned ourselves to spending the vicinity was a tributary of Fyan's rest of the evening vainly probing Creek we got into the nearest and down such tracks "by matchlight followed it down. The descent became when we did find the one which lead steeper and steeper but at least 'the to the weir. Thankfully we retrieved creek bed was free from undergrowth. our packs and put on dry clothes and When we got into Fyan's Creek within a quarter of an hour were back at our previous night's campsite and our troubles were over. We awoke late next morning. Ira found that 60% daylight was rapidly fading. Both of his toenails had been wrecked and banks were steep and densely over- it took us a good hour to remove the grown offering not even a campsite for thorns .and splinters from our a rabbit let alone a space to light a fire. anatomy. We called this a day of rest, The water got deeper as we proceeded, merely prospecting the beginnings of block-ups of fallen timber increased, a track up the opposite range. It was a and by the time it was almost too dark promising beginning so next morning to see where to put our feet and we we departed with two; small packets had both slipped in and got wet to the of lunch for a day trip up Mi. Lubra. waist, providence gave us a break in The track vanished on the first ridge the form of a wide log bridge over the in a welter of post-bushfire wattles, creek which naturally suggested a bracken and similar rubbish, through road leading to and from. We found it which we twigged a path right to the with difficulty in the dark and sped summit which we found invaluable along in an effort to warm up. for the return journey. Lubra is really Gaining the road, however, was not delightful. The view out over Victoria) the end of the story; we still had to Valley is wide and wild and all find our packs. Imagine a pitch black around the long precipices of rocky night; imagine yourself on an un- ranges surge like breakers in a high known road not certain whether to sea. The scrub, too, is bluish green, follow it north or south, and numer- and from above looks like the rippled ous small tracks, any one of which surface of an ocean swell. The effect is might or might not lead to the weir, quite unlike any other mountains I have seen. It was a perfect day. We supplied us with a stretcher and traversed three minor peaks and kapok mattress which was just too too returned to camp about dark. luxurious but very much appreciated, Next day we left the South and likewise a diminutive yabbie which I followed the road north, the whole cooked for tea—we were running short of provisions. Hunger made me

bush colourful with wildflowers, the rash and I tried to get the last morsel tree weighed down with bright of flesh from the little beastie by parrots, and in between slender wattle chewing up his shell too, but some stems flitted innumerable .small birds. nasty little piece of it worked its way We met quite a few huge stumpy- down my throat and I spent the rest of tailed blue-tongue lizards, and a the evening choking till our kindly couple of echidnas; wallabies caretaker came to my rescue "with a bounded through the bush .and the whole loaf of bread which I was weird drumming of emus indicated instructed to eat dry. Ira swore I their presence in large numbers choked myself on purpose to get the although I missed seeing any. bread. It was good anyhow. We climbed Mt. Victory through Next day we were given instruc- fields of wildflowers. After several tions for finding a track which was to hours on its long summit we passed lead us on to the range and save us on, and when the smell of evening hours of road walk, but after locating deepened on the air we found a little same and following it for several miles timber-getter's hut and camped there N.W. when our objective was practi- as a cold wind was blowing on the cally S.E., we decided it must be exposed heights. another one of .those zig-zag timber tracks and returned to the road. It Next day we walked to Wartook probably did lead to the top of the Reservoir down a long hard road, range all detouring to look at MacKenzie Falls and Broken Falls which lie in a very The hospitable little timber-getter's deep gorge and are quite spectacular. hut again opened its doorway to us— The caretaker at War-took was so it had no doorway to open— and delighted to see visitors that he bright and early next morning we departed like Alice for Wonderland. lingered till the last gleam of daylight This is the tourist showground where sent them speeding home. every nook and cranny and gap and And now, after 8 days of brilliant precipice and lump of rock has its heat in a country of magnificent appropriate name. The guide can distances, the warm air permeated by point out innumerable subtitles in a wild honey smell, the sky at night rock such as The Rt. Hon. S. M. Bruce, reeked with millions of stars, the whales and porpoises and many Royal Revolver of this globe of ours another queer fish, but your percep- brought Monday round all too soon tion has to be as subtle and returned us to the murk of the as your subject to recognise them. City. Do I repeat myself when I say I The Grand Canyon, which leads to all don't like it? these marvels is short and spectacular and very easy walking, one section— the Boulevard—so resembling a

suburban footpath, that I'm sure it was manufactured several million years ago -with the present-day tourist in mind. There is a wired-in lookout from which you may gaze into the valley, which we forthwith did and spotted out a good campsite for our last evening's camp. A gentle ramble down a well-worn track led us out to the Halls Gap camping ground—a well- Catered-for tourist area where lorry loads of lads loitered and lassies 28 DEGREES

was by no means the first on that by Dot English shore, still failed to put a beacon light from The Bushwalker Magazine 1947 on the island. Being seized with one of our We already knew Torquay and periodical urges to exercise which Anglesea, having had a biking- afflict us but seldom in this city of camping trip there Christmas, 1942. scrambled seasons, we decided, as it Lorne, the next place mentioned on was midsummer, to spend a fortnight the map, is too much of a tourist somewhere in that region of Victoria resort, so we decided to skip it and known as the Western Coastal Dis- continue on to Apollo Bay. One goes trict, a name somewhat misleading to by train from 14elbourne 45 miles to novices as it faces directly south-east. Geelong, then 70 miles by service car The southern extremity of this coast round a high road cut into the cliff is stormy Cape Otway, the continent's faces and consisting chiefly of con- second most southerly tip, standing tinuous c-shaped curves. On the sentinel over treacherous Bass Strait landward side lies a long range of in which lies King Island, the scene of steep hills called mountains, off many wrecks in the early days of the which the rains run freely and fre- colony. Ome such wreck, causing the quently so that, in a distance of 30 greatest loss of life. was that of an miles, twenty-flve rivers and creeks emigrant ship from England whose course down to the sea. four hundred odd passengers (men, It was drizzling when we got out of women and children) were drowned. the car somewhat sick and sorry for Many bodies were washed ashore, but our respective selves, and facing the as the local inhabitants had only one rather desolate prospect of grey sea, spade on the island, it was inadequate cold, wet sand and no place particular for the job of grave digging, so an to go. appeal appeared in the Melbourne papers of the day for volunteers to go We had been told that we could to the island and take spades to help buy provisions at the local shops, but bury the victims. At the same time a our informant failed to mention that protest was lodged against the au- country shops here go in for a mid- thorities who, although this wreck week half holiday, and of course to- day was it. A foraging tour of the out on the leaden sea a flock of black shopping centre revealed some sort of swans rocked on the waves, caring a fish restaurant open, where we had little whether or not we imperfectly a meal and fed 'the infant her little warm-blooded humans liked the selection of private victuals. Then, general effect of grey skies, cold wind somewhat consoled, we once more and .showers. faced the open road. The baby was fed and bedded We passed a couple of inhabited down In her hammock slung under a motor camps with the usual sprin- nearby bush, and we were not long in kling of uninviting concrete buildings. following suite. There were more Curious eyes gazed at the unfamiliar scattered showers and all night long sight of two hikers plodding through the wind moaned over our hollow the the rain with dripping groundsheets tent flapped the temperature sagged covering their packs and flapping through the shivering thirties and we around their knees, and a wondered whether perhaps it howled twelvemonth-old baby in a sling in less Insistently around our third-floor front, quite enjoying the novel situa- flat back in Melbourne. tion The rain eased off, but the road went on and on. To the left lay the wild sea shore, breathing out loneliness and desolation and to the right were fenced sheep paddocks. As the situation Apollo Bay today showed no sign of improving, we decided to pitch Here we spent ten days, shone on camp a couple of miles out from the by a pale and fickle sun and rained on township and do a bit of scouting by Irregular showers. Exploration around next day when the weather trips round the Ironbound coast, might be kinder. while the small one slept In her The late sun shivered out spas- hammock and kept the seagulls modically from behind scudding company, revealed vast sunless cloud as we abdulled the tent low to stretches of waste waters that beat on the ground in a small saucer-like the black-fanged shore where long depression among the sparse, coarse trailing streamers of yellow-brown grass and low, storm-weathered scrub seaweed waved hopelessly with the of the sand dunes. Seagulls screeched tides; precipitous hills rising straight up and down the deserted beach and up from the sea and covered head high with Incredibly prickly bushes; a huddled in the service car watching black mans of rock separated from the the. scowling rain, "that only five or mainland by a narrow channel, called six hundred miles north you can lie Seal Rooks, which belied Its name by on the beach and bask cat's hours in having no sign of life, either vegetable the sun any old day of the week." or animal Shelly Beach, some distance "That may be so," replied Ira, who further round, was at least true to always likes to see the whole of the label, being covered with cartloads of picture, "but If you go a similar shells. distance south you strike the northern It was pleasant one fine evening limit of drift ice from the Antarctic~" when we act off for a prowl about In That was an aspect of the situation the hilly sheep paddocks, leaving the which had -not occurred to me. I little elf Infant asleep under the green pondered it the rest of the way home. bush, her white hammock shining In the soft twilight soft an a summer moth. The setting sun was crowning the hills with a greenfold aura as we crossed by a footbridge over the river where, the wild black swans rocked above their reflections by the reedy margin. A soft sea mist clung to the hollows, but we turned our backs to the sea and, set our eyes on the highest point of the nearby range of hills. They were well grassed and steep, and reminded me of the green and happy hills of New Zealand where I climbed so long and long ago. From the top we saw the coast in miniature stretching away In beautiful curves, lines of foam making a lacy fringe to a vivid lapis lazuli sea which misted towards the, horizon, to merge with a sky of slightly deeper hue. 'We descended in the gentle twilight and thanked our stars for this one glimpse of the Better land, vouchsafed to us because the weather gods chose to co- operate. Warning of an approaching LOW on the daily weather map decided us to vacate before we were flooded out of our hollow. "And to think," I said sadly as we A WINTER HOLIDAY IN TASMANIA By Dot Butler from The Bushwalker magazine 1961 Inspired by the Himalayan party that had just successfully climbed Everest, we decided that our nearest equivalent would be a mountaineering trip in Tasmania. Keith organized the trip, and in the Clubroom, those who weren’t able to go were, as is their custom, giving their opinion on what the out- come might be: You’ll freeze! Why don’t you go north to the Barrier Reef? Don’t forget your water- proof pants! Do you know how it rains down there? Take you water wings! They’re going we were cordially greeted by Mac the to camp in "Snow’s" tent!!! (Maniacal Ranger, who said Waldheim Chalet laughter off stage.) was vacant, and we could stay there Well, let me tell you all about it, lest for 8/6 a night. We accepted this you begin to think in terms of whole- invitation with alacrity; thus, what- sale discomfort and shivering misery. ever the days might bring forth, we It rain all right – and it snowed, and it were assured of warm, dry nights. sleeted, and it blizbarded, and it blew This was a great thing, but even – a holiday so wet we might have been greater was the deep sense of com- excused for growing a coating of moss radeship that permeated all our days on the south side, but that only at Waldheim- the sort of comradeship happens to stones that have stopped that fills you with warmth that rolling, and we hardly stopped once. physical old can’t touch. Arriving at Cradle Mountain Built of rough-hewn native timber, Reserve about sundown, all prepared Waldheim fits as naturally into its to camp in "Snow’s" tent (too bad he surroundings as grey lichen on a rock. had forgotten to bring his tent pegs), Each year its ageing frame leans a little closer towards the earth that is its home. Some day, perhaps soon, it ahead, and with great exuberance, will fall to pieces, but when it has dropped himself down the chimney. become one with the dark mould of The next thing we hear is a wail from the beech forest floor, we will think of down under the snow, "I can’t get it as of a dear, dear friend. All snugly out!" We dragged him out, and as it ensconced within, we slept with our was only eleven o’clock, decided to go mattresses on the floor in front of a big and climb Little Horn, a sharp splinter fire and dreamed of what tomorrow of rock separated by a gap from the might bring forth. northeast end of Cradle Mountain. For a couple of hours we wallowed waist-deep through snow, which lay lightly on the low scrub at the base of Cradle. Imagine a howling gale, a snowstorm, and us, all aiming for the one target. It was a tie; we all reached the gap Up at 6.30, "Snow" lit the kitchen at the same time. An icy blast hit us. range. We had breakfast, cut lunches, We put our heads down and made and were away by 8.30, bound for haste for the sheltered lee of Cradle. Cradle Mountain. We tramped along Here we ate our lunch standing up, muddy tracks in shifting mist and low stamping our wet feet in the snow, cloud, and over huge snowdrifts thirty and trying to warm them. feet deep, from which we could see a Although it didn’t look far to the gleam of lakes in the distance. We summit of Little Horn, we decided we practiced with ice axes, cutting steps were too wet and cold and uncomfort- up snow slopes at steep angles, and able for any more, so wallowed back kicking up and down snow faces and to Kitchen. "Ha!" said the weather, "I over a cornice. Keith knew all the was only fooling you." The wind tricks, and Garth was pretty to watch, promptly dropped, it stopped snow- but "Snow" new to all this, was like a ing, and out came the sun. Well, gawky young puppy. wasn’t this mighty! The homing As we approached Kitchen Hut, all pigeons about faced and headed fro we saw of it was the chimney poking Cradle again. Only Keith was a bit through the drift. "Snow" gamboled dubious about all this, and when we started the familiar sinking-to-the- lit the fire for us, and that meant hot waist progression all over again, he water for baths. While still flounder- decided he had had enough, so ing through the button grass swamp, returned to Kitchen Hut. we drew straws to see who would When we others got on to the steep have first bath, and Keith was the slope of the mountain, the surface was lucky winner. harder, and instead of sinking, we Home at last. While Keith filled the now had to kick steps up the snow bathroom up with steam, we others set couloir. The summit ridge was well about getting the tea ready. Keith had plastered, and on the sheltered side of done a mighty job catering for this the mountain were deep snow faces. party; we had everything. Did we We swung along with rising excite- need rice and cabbage for "Snow’s" ment, and at last reached the summit Foo Chow-it was there. Did we need cairn. "Well," said Garth, quoting celery, apple, onion, for our stuffed Hillary, "We knocked the bastard off." grouse-again, these were all available. Said I, continuing the quotation, "The That night we fed well, then sat in occasions seems to call for more than front of a big fire, our wet clothes a formal handshake," so we put our draped all around to dry out, and arms round each others’ shoulders listened while Garth read what was to and jumped up and down on the be our nightly serial, "The Day of the summit of our own little Everest-three Triffids." small figures under the sky and all the Outside, the possums scuffled world was ours. about in the brown, damp leaves, the There were photographs to be taken moon stole over the snowy stillness, while the sum lit up the snowy peaks and when at length it peeped through and shining lakes, then the mist came the skylight, it saw us all sound sweeping over and we began the asleep in front of the fire. descent. It was great fun glissading Next day, we were hit by a low, down the steep snow slopes, and so despite a favourable weather forecast. back to Kitchen Hut. Inside the hut, We looked out the kitchen window to Keith had worn a deep circular track see Mac’s wallabies patiently bearing in the snow that had drifted inside, as the continuous rain and wind, but we he stamped round for several hours, stayed inside and set our hands to waiting for us to return. We pulled some fancy cooking. Keith made a him out through the chimney, and super chocolate icing cake; I made a then followed our trodden tracks over couple of baked puddings; and the snowfields towards home. "Snow’s" piece de resistance was a In the deepening twilight our eyes marvelous piece of conglomerate followed down Marion’s Track, over called Foo Chow. But after a late the button grass flat with it meander- breakfast, could we do it justice? It ing stream to the dark fringe of beech seemed a pity to have no appetite for forest, where Waldheim nestled in its all this luxury food, but it also seemed nest of trees, a white column of smoke a pity to go out for some exercise and drifting upwards-good old Mac had get our only outdoor clothes drenched again after spending all night drying shouting at our backs, pushed us them out. The problem was solved for along and filled the air with icy drift. me by putting on my boots and "It’s going to be hell when we turn Speedo swim costume, and hurtling around," was at the back of my out into the gale for a run. Down the thoughts all the while. At last we road to the four-mile signpost and came to a small thicket of trees where back through snow and sleet did we hoped to have lunch, but there was something for the appetite, and no shelter from the wind, so we didn’t speaking for myself, I can say lunch even try to get out our food, but was a good meal. Garth and "Snow" decided to return to Kitchen to eat. went out later to work off the effects And so we turned our faces into the with a walk to Dove Lake, and Keith sweeping fury of the blizzard. The took his exercise vicariously by blinding drift froze up our nostrils so reading South Col. we couldn’t breath. By pulling our Looking out the window hopefully goggles low, closing up our parka next morning, what do we see? More hoods, and breathing warm air from rain, wind and falling snow. But did the mouth into the hood, our nostrils that deter us after yesterday’s day of thawed out and we fought out way sloth? No, and we set out to back, half blinded, our parkas and reconnoiter the cirque which holds ground sheets whipping madly round Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff us with whiplash cracks that echoed together. Down and over the little like bullet shots past our ears. stream, where a poor washed-out Back in comparative calm of wombat peered about with misty Kitchen Hut, somewhat chastened by nocturnal eyes vainly trying to find our experience in the storm, we hardly shelter under the footbridge, then up felt like eating. Waldheim was call- Marion’s Track to the snowfields. And ing… Hot baths! Warm fires! Dry here we stepped into a strange world clothes! Ah… The late sun shivered of cotton wool fog. In the windless through a break in the scudding silence we followed our faintly clouds as we slopped our way back, showing tracks of the preceding days, water trickling down between singlet being grateful to Garth for having and skin, sodden pants clinging to sunk in so deep and so often, thus our knees making walking difficult. verifying the route. Occasional We wriggled our toes in the icy mush glimpses of snow poles also helped. in our boots. Being dry was hardly a At Kitchen Hut we again got into memory now. We sidetracked to have an area of wind that dispersed the a look at Crater Lake. We were having mist somewhat, and encouraged us to a little argument with "Snow" as to continue on towards the cirque and whether we could get wetter than wet, Barn Bluff. We battled along knee and Garth was getting all technical deep in drifts at the base of Cradle, about detergents. "Snow" didn’t think which looked huge and like the West it was possible. As he gestulated to Peak of Mt Earnslaw (NZ) through the drive home his point, he slipped into driving snow. A gale force wind, the lake. He emerged the colour of pumice. by midday. Mac had given us the key Whether he was wetter than wet, he and rowlocks of the boat at Dove Lake. didn’t say, and it would have been We clambered round the walls of the unkind of us to ask, but he was flooded boathouse and inside, to find certainly clod. He shot of like a rocket the boat half submerged. We put for home and a hot bath. We followed, things shipshape and pushed out, and before long we were savouring getting our feet good and wet in the the luxury of being warm and dry. We process. Who cares; what are dry feet took it in turns reading out a chapter anyway? Snow was falling, partly veiling the rugged walls all around. Great gusts of wind would swoop down at unexpected moments and deal the boat a mighty blow. Rain and snow beat in our faces and eyes and got down our mouths every time we opened them to say, "Gee isn’t this great!" With all these hazards to contend with, the pattern of our progress was a tortuous zigzag, and the wonder was we got anywhere without being sunk. Peering through the falling snow we at last saw the white trail of the landing stage at the distant end of the lake, and managed to get there and tie up the boat. What a country of contrasts this is. Leaving the cold and gusty lakeshore, we entered a dense beech forest- a world of utter each of our serial till tea time (that was silence, where the only sound was the the night we had stuffed grouse and muffled plop of snow falling from baked vegetables), then found the burdened branches. We emerged from suspense was getting so great we had the deep timber, and there were the to read on after tea till 10.30. In spite of rocks of Little Horn, and there again our day’s exertions we felt reluctant to were the rain, the sleet and the snow. go to bed, so we sat talking till 1am. We had a realy exciting climb up a We woke at 9am. Snowing and crisp couloir lying steeply between high wind. We left late at about 11, but black fangs of rock. There were that didn’t worry us; we felt by now magnificent views from the summit, we had got the measure of the weather but there were also frustrated photog- – bad in the mornings, tending to clear raphers, as it was too dull for colour. And now we were coming down dream unutterable things and try to again and on the homeward run. We put them in words; to feel the fresh, took a slightly different route, follow- keen air on our faces and the blood ing a little stream strong with winter, tingling warmly in our veins… We which tumbled along its rocky course returned to Waldheim walking on air. under a beech tree canopy, and so And there we met Gawd. back to the windy lake. Our morning’s He had just come up for the week- practice at the oars had done nothing end. Gawd was a depressing type, to to improve our style, and we zig- whom the world was weary, flat, stale zagged back to the boatshed and from and uninspiring. The corners of his mouth drooped in a cureless pessi- mism. His every word was a blasphemy. He said he wouldn’t belong to a club and be ordered about. He said there was nothing good about Waldheim – its foundations, the original tree there ran back to Waldheim to warm stumps, were perishing of wet rot; the up. Then followed the daily procedure kitchen annex should have never been of wringing out our sopping clothes built; the hot water system was and draping them round the fires to useless. He said dear old Laz Pura, dry. A hot bath, dry clothes, and lunch who had perished from exposure near by a big fire at 4pm, a session of Kitchen Hut some years previously, Triffids, and life was a grand affair. intending to commit suicide, else why We had given up expecting fine had he signed the visitor’s book "L. weather, so we were pleasantly Pura late SBW." We edged away from surprised when we woke late on him as from a disease, and had our tea Saturday morning to a reasonably when he left the kitchen. calm day. We got out to Kiychen about And now its Sunday – our last day. 12 o’clock (by now you have guessed We plan to climb Barn Bluff, and be Kitchen Hut is the hub of most of our back to catch a taxi out to Sheffield at mountain climbs), and decided on a 6pm. Gawd said, "Don’t be too utterly traverse of Cradle. ridiculous; it can’t be done!" We woke A lovely day. Ours the joy of and got up at dawn and were away climbing to a mountain top; to gaze about 1-½ hours later. With hard over a world of wonder and delight; to snow to walk on, we reached Kitchen in an hour – less than half the time tions, taking the perfect photo, with previously taken – and then round the "Snow’s" voice following him up, base of Cradle to the cirque. Soon a "Take one for me." ("Snow" had lost dense mist enveloped everyone as we his camera at the start of the trip.) groped our way along between snow At last we left the top and climbed poles. After a time there were no more and slid and glissaded down again. It snow poles to guide us, and the wind was now late afternoon. It was now howling in the right ear all the time late afternoon. Behind Barn Bluff, was the only indication that at least mighty streamers of light from the we were keeping our direction. western sun radiated out into the "Snow" knew by the grace of endless blue, where a few clouds – Heaven where we were going, if no wind flowers – had scattered their one else did. He headed off petals of gold light. We could not keep eventuently up a slight incline which from looking back every few paces… couldn’t be seen to rise in the fog, only ‘I have had my invitation to this felt. I was now aware of the wind world’s festival and so my life has howling in my left ear, and couldn’t been blessed; get rid of the idea that we were on the My eyes have seen and my ears way back. "Snow" drew maps in the have heard…" snow with his ice axe to show how thw cirque performs a big loop, but my "well, it’s been a wonderful party," brain couldn’t take it in. but of course said I. "Who should we thank for All "Snow" was right, and when, with this?" miraculous swiftness the mist sud- "I know" said "Snow," and over the denly lifted, there we were, standing glowing hills his eager young voice right at the base of Barn Bluff, which rang out, "Thank you Hughie, for a towered above us like a mighty castle. glorious day. Mac had told us we were the first Back to Waldheim in time to have a ever to climb Cradle in the winter, and hot bath, some tea, and be packed up he thought Barn Bluff also was ready for the taxi, which arrived at six. waiting for a first winter ascent. We carried our gear down and stowed Would we be the first? Would we not! it in the boot, and ourselves and ice We had a little bit of everything on axes inside. We turned round for one that climb, even ice faces up with last look at Waldheim. "Ought to have Garth led and cut steps for us. So to a match put to it," said Gawd, but in the summit. It was a perfectly fine day our memories it will stay eternally – the map of the reserve lay spread embalmed – a mansion and a home. before us in all its topographical detail One last wave to Mac, standing there – the snow-dappled peaks of Cradle, in his rugged gentlehood, genuine Rowland, Oakleigh, Pelion East, Ossa, beaming from his face. We will come Pelion West, Frenchman’s Cap, Lyell, back again some day… Goodbye… and a faint ethereal blue which was Goodbye… the ocean beyond Queenstown. Garth strode enthusiastically in all direc-