Volume 34 Issue 1 Lower Jenolan Gorge, Wild Dog Mountains Summer 2009 Wolgan Falls, Newnes Plateau Photo: David Springthorpe Contributions of interesting, especially typical and spectacular bushwalking photos are sought. you don’t want the same photographers all the time, do you? “Wave Cave” Bainbrig Creek Photo: Brett Davis Near Sassafras Walk Safely—Walk with a Club T h e Bushwalker The Official Publication of the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Volume 34, Issue 1, Summer 2009 ISSN 0313 2684 From the Editor: Roger Caffin editor’s desk. [email protected] Graphic Design & Assembly: Barry Hanlon Confederation Officers: he format of this issue is a bit different this time. Several articles President: Wilf Hilder are more about the photography than before. After all, the Administration Officer: publication is printed full-colour, so why not? What do you think [email protected] T of the experiment? Comments are welcome. Articles are too of course. Website: www.bushwalking.org.au Articles for Publication Address all correspondence to: Clubs and members are encouraged to submit relevant articles, with a PO Box 119, Newtown, NSW 2042 very strong preference for those with good pictures. Both the author and the author’s club will feature in the Byline - this is a good way to The Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Inc represents advertise YOUR club. We will also accept articles from outside bodies approximately 66 Clubs with a total where the articles seem relevant to members. membership of about 8,700 Articles may be edited for length and content to help fit into our page bushwalkers. limit. Pictures should be sent at maximum available resolution: at least 300 dpi, preferably in their original unedited form. JPG, PDF or TIFF Formed in 1932, the Confederation formats are preferred. The text should be sent as a plain text provides a united voice on behalf of all bushwalkers on conservation, access file (*.txt), NOT as a Word file (*.doc). I repeat, please send the and other issues. pictures separate from the text file; do NOT send them embedded in a Word doc file. Pictures taken from a Word doc file are simply not good People interested in joining a bush- enough and won’t be published. And, of course, the Editor is always walking club may write to the interested in receiving bushwalking books and maps for review. All Confederation Administration enquiries should be sent to [email protected] . [email protected] for a list of Clubs, but a far more Please note that opinions expressed by authors may not represent the useful on-line list is available at the official opinions of the Confederation or any Club. The Editor’s opinions Confederation website are his own. www.bushwalking.org.au, Roger Caffin broken up into areas. There’s lots of other good stuff there too, including Editor the bushwalking FAQ. Index Subscribe to The Bushwalker Keep up with all the news and developments Don’t you wish you were here? 2 happening in the NSW bushwalking scene for only $10 per year. This is to cover posting and From the Editor’s Desk 3 handling: the magazine itself is free. Gaping Gill, November 2007 4 Send your name and address and cheque or money order to the Confederation of Bush- A Night Out 5 walking Clubs NSW Inc, PO Box 119, New- town NSW 2042. The new phone number is Let Someone Know Before You Go 5 9565 4005. Make the cheque or money order The Great Ocean Walk 6 payable to the Confederation of Bushwalk- ing Clubs NSW Inc as well: please do not ab- Barrington Tops National Park—a photo essay 8 breviate the name! A Walk to Sphinx Rock 14 Please indicate which issue you want your sub- scription to start with. We don’t want to dupli- cate copies you already have. Volume 34, Issue 1, Summer 2009 The Bushwalker | 3 Walk Safely—Walk with a Club reached Mt Wilson about 7.30 pm. It was a long day. 9 am Saturday. Two of our party decided to go home in the morning as their bedding had got wet during the night. It was still drizzling and there Gaping Gill, was no hope of getting it dried out. November 2007 So it was 6 of us that set off to walk to the end of the camp ground and pick up the track that Julie Cox would take us down to the Wollangambe straight away I was glad to be out here River: one and a half hours walking and and the view was spectacular and our 5 am Friday. 200 m downhill. We were heading for the canyon Better Offer was ‘just down there’. Waterfall of Moss. The abseils again were all different Eight of us left for the drive to Mt. Tomah Once at the river we had to swim and interesting. One looked so high it to do the canyon called Gaping Gill. At 9 across and climb a 10 m pitch where a didn’t look as though our rope would am after wetsuits were put on and rope was already fixed. Andrew and Don reach so I sent Don over first. He’s lighter equipment checked we began the 400 m went up okay but it wasn’t easy, so a and easier to pull up (joke). Because of descent into our creek system. The last belay was set up for the rest of us. This recent fires we had a blind scramble 200 m was straight down and rough as all meant if we slipped or fell our fall would around the cliffs: any sense of a track had heck with lawyer vine, cutting grass, be arrested. After climbing to the top of been wiped out. We saw a baby snake leeches and loose rocks. Delightful? No! the cliff we contoured around to the head coiled up in the sun until he had enough But upon reaching the creek a beautiful of the creek and began the 1st of 8 of us and slithered off. Eventually we rainforest opened up and we arrived at abseils. All I can say is that this was a reached the gully that would take us out. our destination. superb canyon, the abseils tricky but good We found the track and reached the cars Two abseils, one 20 m and one 30 m, fun, and we all felt privileged to be able about 6 pm.t the second being straight through a to see such beauty. I waterfall. Although some did manage to could waffle on about stay out of the main stream and avoid a each waterfall – they good drenching, I reckon they missed were all flowing due some good fun. As Alan said, “ It’s not to the rain we’d had often we get to abseil into a waterfall”. but words just cannot The walk out was huge. Thunder describe it. This Gorge was magnificent, and we oohed canyon is aptly and aahed as we walked upstream, named and the end admiring the abundance of orange section is so narrow yabbies until we turned into Rainbow you can touch both WOMEN'S ONLY TREKKING AND Ravine. What a surprise this was. It would sides with have to be one of the most interesting outstretched arms. WILDLIFE ADVENTURE OF NEPAL canyon exits. We had now joined the Very, very pretty. We Claustral track and this was not easy. then reached the Departing Ex Kathmandu 17th October 2009 Two tricky bits required a rope and it was Wollangambe River a long , hard slog back to the cars. We and swam 200 m to 15 Day Tour - 6 Day Annapurna Trek - 3 Nights Pokhara the point we came 3 Nights Royal Chitwan National Park - 3 Nights Kathmandu into it and retraced our track to camp at Ex Katmandu US$1950 about 7 pm. Are you a woman who loves the outdoors and who is looking for active adventure travel - then this is the trip for you. 7 am Sunday. Our aim is to help you break out of the daily routine I awoke feeling sore and do something exciting, new, interesting or challenging. and stiff and if Travelling with other women is the perfect way to savour anyone had your own experience and Nepal is the place to do it! suggested we not Your trip includes ● Internal flight Kathmandu­Pokhara canyon today I would ● all other ground transport and transfers ● Quality standard hotels have agreed. But as and guest houses ● 3 meals per day on trek and Chitwan often happens, after ● Welcome Dinner Pokhara ● Breakfast Pokhara/Kathmandu breakfast the body ● Entry permits and Park permits ● Entry to all Monasteries starts to get moving ● English speaking Guide and Australian Group Leader to assist and good company with all travel arrangements whilst you are makes one rally in these countries round. We packed up camp and drove to the parking spot on the Bells Line of Road from where we would begin. By 9.30 PO Box 947 Mona Vale, NSW 1660. Telephone (02) 9997 7442 am we were off and email: [email protected] ● www.tayloradventure.com 4 | The Bushwalker Volume 34, Issue 1, Summer 2009 Let Someone Know Before A Night Out You Go Michael Smith, Nimbin Bushwalkers Club Keith Maxwell President BWRS he year was about 1968. My Thus we made our way along the ome years ago I was asked for a simple list of brother Jim and his girlfriend P track. My brother was waiting for me bush safety hints for a rescue display.