& vallak 5 FuliwOod Street WESTCXSI ACT 2611 CANBERRA BUSAWALESING CLUB iNC. J N EVVSLETTER EQ Box 160, Canberra City, A.C.T. 2601. REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST : PUBLICATION NO. NBH 1859 60 cents VOLUME 18 MAY 1982 No. 5 EDITOR BilL Brown, 17 Faunce Cres, O'Connor 47 3329 (H) 48 6644 (W) USEFUL CLUB CONTACTS: PRESIDENT: Ann Gibbs—Jordan 45 7549 (H) 48 0066 (W) WALKS SECRETARY: John Street 48 7325 (H) 64 3245 (W) MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: Lorraine Tomlins 72 3624 (W) CONDENSED CLUB DIARY Wed 19 May MONTHLY GATHERING at CSIRO Land Use Research Building, Black Mountain, 8 pm (book and auction) Mon 24 May COMMITTEE MEETING at John Street's house: 57 Wilshire Street Dickson, 8 pm ALL WELCOME Thu 27 May WALKS PLANNING EVENING, John Street's house, 57 Wilshire Street Dickson. Thu 27 May IT CLOSING DATE (Contributions to the Editor) Wed 2 Jun BUSH SONGS at John Ashman's house, 119 Namatjira Drive, Fisher (Tel: 88 6595) Tue 8 Jun IT COLLATION at Marg Roseby's house, 17 Hobbs Street, O'Connor FIRES Russ Bauer's article in the Last IT has raised an issue that bushwalkers should consider more carefully. Our fires do place a demand on the environment. Dead wood is the home for many insects and other animals. (Ever notice their protests when you break up wood.) These are a source of food for larger animals such as lyrebirds and echidnas. The fire burns out a patch of vegetation and leaves ash which affects the soil. Bushfires do of course cause more extensive damage but often they do not burn the larger branches we use as fueL. Our approach to fireplaces should depend on the circumstances at the campsite. In reguLarly used campsites we should use existing fireplaces so as to locaLise damage. This fireplace shouLd remain conspicuous so that subsequent parties will also use it. Excess fireplaces should be destroyed. In less frequently used sites we should try to hide the remains of the fire. Keep the fire small, let it burn out as much as possible before leaving and scatter or bury the ash and charcoal. - Bill Brown IT MAY 1982 Page 2 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Sir, Russ Bauer's "Fire Places" (IT April 1982) raises a number of interesting points on conserving the integrity of the bush environment or 'wilderness'. Already we have others who are removing evidence of old campsites and spreading the remains thereof (see FBW newsletter March 1982). Just as 'burn, bash and bury' was the criteria for many yearst until it was replaced by 'burn, bash and carry', so too should we rethink our ideas on fires and fireplaces. I don't necessarily accept the idea that the number of fires shouLd be reduced - tires tend to be a focal point or social behaviour that brings people together. One point Russ did not raise was the proliferation of fireplaces at popular camping sites. Here I feel it s essential that existing fireplaces should be used to avoid any further destruction of the environment. Alternatively fuel stoves should be carried into these camps or where marginal vegetation exists or survives (e.g. at higher altitudes). This brings up the idea that bushwalkers should be more socially/environmentally inclined. Perhaps we ought to spend more time caring about the bush by organising working bees. One example of this proposal would be to go into Monolith Valley, cLean up all the rubbish and perhaps plan some sort of layout for fire places. Cooperation with the Park Service in a clean—up campaign would go far in fostering better relations with the authorities. (Despite a moratorium, people will still camp in Monolith Valley). The Shoalhaven River is another area due for a clean- up. Incidentally this type of activity can be rewarding, besides improving the countryside, collecting rubbish can be quire profitable when discarded or lost gear is found. One word of warning, however, the idea that 'all fires should be lit in the bed of the river' can have worse consequences. There is a danger of being burnt by exp.oding river stones or in dodging these missiles. Irrespective of the area visited, the evidence of fire (and indeed alt human traces) should be minimal. Nothing probably destroys a 'wilderness' experience more than to come across the remains of an old fire. Perhaps bushwalkers should adopt the policy of carrying a small spade or trenching tool. Prior to a fire being lit, a hole is dug after carefully setting aside the surface material or turf. The fire is lit in the hole, and after being extinguished the soil and especially the top stratum are replaced to give an unaltered appearance. Burnt foil has become a severe problem since it was first introduced to Australian bushwaLking in 1959. Aluminium cans and disposable gas cylinders have added to the problem. It behoves ALL bushwalkers to carry a plastic bag in their pack and to fill it on each walk they go on. If each person brought out a small bundle of rubbish (not his/her own), then we could be proud about doing something positive for the environment. - Warwick Blayden THE BOOK At the February meeting a committee was formed to report on the aims, contents, costs and timetable for the production of a new CBC book. The group has met twice and it isproposed that there will be a brief discussion of their report at the next meeting. To expedite the discussion members are invited to contact Ian Carruthers (TeL: 58 3250 (H)) to indicate in advance points they wish to see canvassed. He hopes to assemble these views to present to the meeting. The report of the group follows. IT MAY 1982 Page 3 REPORT OF THE UMPTEENTH GROUP TO LOOK INTO PUBLISHING A GUIDE BOOK Aim To provide ideas and information for "Bushwalking from Canberra" for people who want to go into the bush. The book would cater for a wide range of tastes in bushwalking, from easy day trips to hard extended trips. A secondary aim of the book is to increase public support and concern for the bush and its general conservation. By compiling bushwalking information, the Club would be encouraging bushwalking. This, through the use of the bush, would increase the love and appreciation that users have of the bush. Thus the book would fulfil several of the objectives of the Club. Format similar in size to the current book (AS, 144, maybe 160, pages) At the beginning of the book, there would be about 20 pages of articles concerning bushwalking in general. The rest of the book would be divided into chapters, each describing an area defined by some logical features e.g. a set of roads or a watershed. These chapters would comprise: Introduction access to area, available maps, physical description, weather conditions, special considerations. some form of map 1:400 000 simply to illustrate the text 1:100 000 with route marked would be given only for "day" walks near Canberra. Notes For the areas nearer Canberra, the walks would be described in reasonable detail, and usually as a complete walk. For other areas, the notes would be written in "sections" that can be combined by the reader as desired to make up walks. The amount of detail would depend on the area and its usage. For the wilder areas, the notes would briefly say what is feasible without giving much detail about how to do it. Ideas for walks giving significant points on the route, e.g. Suggan Buggan - Ingeegoodbee River / Tin Mine Hut / The Pilot - Quambatt Flat / The Cobberas - Berrima River / Mt Menaak - Suggan Buggan (5 days, medium) (e) Further reading. !T !_128 _Pth_ (e) Further reading. 3. Contents of the book Table of contents Short general articles (1-2 pages each) Introduction Planning a walk General comments Equipment checklist Walking with children Source and coverage of maps Safety in the bush General comments Survival in a bushfire "Death by exposure is not an accident" Care of the bush General comments National Parks: do's and don't Bibliography of general books concerning geology, prehistory, history, ecology, etc. Information about these topics would be also included where appropriate in the track notes. (32 pages) Notes using the structure described in 2 above Number of pages in brackets. 1 Urban Canberra 4) ( 2 West of Canberra (10) 3 The Southern ACT (10) 4 Northern Kosciusko N.P. (10) S The Snowy Mountains (10) 6 The Southern Snowy Mountains 8) ( 7 The Snowy River 6) .. ( 8 The South East Corner of NSW 6) ( 9 The Tuross & Brogo Rivers 8) ( 10 South East of Canberra 6) ( 11 The Deua River 8) ( 12 The Clyde River 8) 13 The Shoalhaven River ( ( 8) 14 The Southern Blue Mountains 6) ( Index to geographical features ( 4) A separate sheet (which will be available at the May meeting) has a more detailed description of the areas covered. The list will certainly change, partly because of space limitations and partly because of what notes are collected. Cost The following is an estimate of the cost of the book. Printing: 3000 copies 144 pages 6450 plus 2.5% sales tax 161 less 25% book bounty 1611 subtotal 5000 add 16 months inflation 800 total cost of printing 1:1,Ii] Miscellaneous: photos ,maps , postage , paper 1000 Total cost: Changing the number of copies printed will alter the cost by $900 per 1000 copies while increasing the size by 16 pages would cost an extra $500. In April 1982, the publication fund stood at $5200. We could expect about $600 interest to be added by August 1983.