Canberra g o r F e e r o b o r r o Bushwalking C it Club newsletter Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc GPO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 Volume: 50 www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org Number: 3 GENERAL MEETING April 2014 8 pm Wednesday 16 April 2014 In this issue 2 Canberra Bushwalking Life at the top: Clement Wragge’s Club Committee Mt Kosciuszko weather station 2 President’s Prattle 3 Walks Waffle Presenter: Matthew Higgins 3 Training Trifles From 1897 to 1902 a group of mainly young men lived on top of Australia 3 Membership Matters gathering weather data for one of Australia’s most colourful and uncon- 3 Sharing experiences ventional meteorologists, Clement Wragge. His Kosciuszko project saw 4 Review: Journey to the people live on the summit year-round at a time when it was considered Arctic 2013 madness to do so. 6 River crossing training The hall, 7 How 245 people stretched their legs Hughes Baptist Church, 7 Thinking ahead to Xmas 32–34 Groom Street, Hughes 8 Northern Kosciuszko National Park Also some leaders of walks in the current and next 9 Bulletin Board month will be on hand with maps to answer your 10 Activity program questions and show you walk routes etc 10 Wednesday walks 16 Feeling literary? Important dates 16 April General meeting 18–21 April Easter 23 April Committee meeting 23 April Submissions close for May it 25 April ANZAC Day Committee reports Canberra Bushwalking Club Committee President’s President: Linda Groom Prattle [email protected] 6281 4917 alk grading photos were loaded to the web site Treasurer: Julie Anne Clegg Wduring the month. These show examples of easy, [email protected] medium, rough and wet terrain. You can see them by 0402 118 359 following the link ‘Click here to see examples of terrain gradings’ from the Walk Information page. Walks Secretary: Lorraine Tomlins These photos are aimed at helping people, especially [email protected] new walkers, to assess whether they will be comfortable 6248 0456 or 0434 078 496 with a walk of a particular grading. General Secretary: Gabrielle Wright I am grateful to the many Club members who offered photos for this purpose. It was wonderful to be able to [email protected] select from a wide range of images. There are, however, 6281 2275 a couple of types of terrain still missing: I’d be very grateful for offers of well-composed photos that show Membership Secretary: Roger Edwards a compulsory swim or height exposure. [email protected] g o r F e e Linda Groom r o b o r r o 6288 7863 or 0406 378 217 C President Training and Safety Officer: John Evans [email protected] Examples of the walk grading photos 6288 7235 or 0417 436 877 Conservation Officer: Cynthia Burton Easy - Murramarang National Park - L. Groom [email protected] 0488 071 203 Web Manager: David Briese [email protected] 6286 3479 Editor: Alison Milton [email protected] 6254 0578(h) or 6289 2717(w) Assistant Walks Secretary: Keith Thomas [email protected] 6230 1081 or 0421 607 667 Social Secretary: Quentin Moran [email protected] Medium - Semi-open forest is typical - M. Bremers 6288 9840 Publisher: Tim Wright [email protected] 6281 2275 All members of the Committee can be contacted in one email to [email protected] Check in: [email protected] Web site: www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org g o r F e e r o b o r r o C Page 2 – Canberra Bushwalking Club it April 2014 g ro F e re o b ro r o C Committee reports But whatever the season, keep Walks Training walking! The Training and Safety area of the Club web site has been Trifles revamped. There is some use- Waffle ful reading for a dark and damp autumn’s evening. Check out the ur current Activity program is ecently I was camped at the top Training Program (or the Activity Owonderfully varied with some Rof Sams Creek under Mt Kelly program in it) – Rob and Jenny interesting activities planned for in Namadgi National Park, having Horsfield have two great autumn some months into the future. come down off the ACT border and early winter Introductory Pack running along the Scabby Range. Walking trips. A careful examination will reward That night we experienced some Cheers and happy feet. you with information about the heavy rain and wind gusts over CBC’s Navigation refresher activi- g o r F e e r o John Evans b o 70 kph (recorded at Mt Ginini) and r r o ties. These are conducted by Jenny C were forced to change our plans Training and Safety Officer and Rob Horsfield and take place the following day. The experience over 4 separate evenings/days reminded me of two things. in August and September and a weekend in August. The popular It is critical to have appropriate and very useful refreshers are highly gear for expected and changeable recommended. And remember you conditions. There is some satisfac- can always see the Activity Program tion in remaining dry in the wet, Membership on our web site http://www.canber- warm in the cold and well-nourished rabushwalkingclub.org/program/ to give energy to walk distances in Matters index.html remote locations. If you are caught in extreme conditions, the gear you The Short Notice Walks are also have with you may be a life saver. Please ensure that you keep the recorded there. I was also reminded of the cycle Membership Secretary informed If you do not receive the Short of the seasons. The hot summer of any changes to your email Notice Activity messages you can has given way to a wet autumn. A address. subscribe via your individual profile cold winter will soon be upon us. It New members: Margaret Cook, on the CBC website. is always wise to check that your Paul Cowan, Peter Edmead, Telma gear is appropriate for the season. Mantas, Rui Moura, Franklin Wang g o r F e e r o b o r Lorraine Tomlins r o C So, whether you day walk or enjoy Walks Secretary g o r F e e Roger Edwards r o b o r r overnight trips, put away the fly net o C and pack your gloves, add a thermos Membership Secretary for a hot drink and layer your cloth- ing for thermal insulation. Always carry a rain jacket. Notice of motion Rough - Slow going through scrub, Allum River Canyon - K. Cody Proposal to spend up to $600 on promotional material for the Canberra Bushwalking Club: namely a business card and promotional brochure. Samples of the material will be on display at the April General meeting. Canberra Bushwalking Club it April 2014 – page 3 Review of general meeting talk Review: Journey to the Arctic 2013 Mike Morriss t the General meeting of A19 March we were treated to an informative and entertaining presentation by Barbara de Bruine on the Arctic; a region that only a few of this much travelled audience have visited. Barbara described a sea journey that she and her husband Chris took in the Svalbard Archipelago, between 29 July and 5 August on the MS Expedition. The Svalbards are located well within the Arctic Circle. Their journey began from its capital, Longyearbyen, a colourful, modern town, located about half way between the north coast of Norway and the North Pole. With 6 months of total daylight in the summer (half of the year), the sea passages around the islands are largely ice free and there is a great proliferation of life, both on land The pièce de résistance – a magnificent polar bear and sea. Supporting this abundance of life is the vast quantities of zoo- plankton in the surrounding oceans. by far the greatest resource has been scientists and tourism has become This resource brings into the area an the rich, volatile oil extracted from an important industry. influx of birds and whales. Human the blubber of a range of whale spe- harvesters have also been attracted cies. This has had a major impact on Norway has full sovereignty of the to the Archipelago, from various the populations of these mammals. Archipelago, under the 1925 Treaty nations, starting with the Vikings of Spitsbergen. This has provisions in the 12th century. In the 17th century the bowhead for preservation of flora and fauna, whale was hunted to near extinc- while also providing for rights A wide range of products have been tion. There has also been some to engage in mining, fishing and taken including fish, fur, feathers mining in more recent times. Other other commercial activity for the (eider duck) and ivory (walrus), but visitors have been explorers and citizens of the 40 signature states. It’s to be hoped that the preserva- tion provisions will continue to be Some of the spectacular scenery emphasised. Considerable areas of land and sea dedicated to national parks and nature reserves is a hope- ful indicator. The scenery is diverse and spectacu- lar, with numerous snow covered mountain peaks, vast areas of ice cap and glaciers slowly tumbling ice into the sea. Considerable areas of the land are free of ice. These areas include wide pebble beaches, swampy lowlands, the steep sides of fjords, and rocky sea cliffs, where great numbers of sea birds nest on narrow ledges. Barbara gave an explanation as to why eggs seldom fall from these ledges. It is due to their exaggerated pear-shape, which ensures that any rolling movement will be in a tight, inwards arc. g o r F e e r o b o r r o C Page 4 – Canberra Bushwalking Club it April 2014 g ro F e re o b ro r o C Review of general meeting talk Barbara gave high praise for the services provided by the tour organ- isers.