it Canberra Bushwalking Club Newsletter

May 2019 Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc GPO Box 160 Volume 55, Issue 4 Canberra ACT 2601 www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org

GENERAL MEETING INSIDE THIS ISSUE 7.30 pm Wednesday 15 May 2019 Presentation ...... 1 Weston Creek Uniting Church, 16 Parkinson Street, President’s report ...... 2-3 Weston Membership Secretary’s report ...... 3 The Great South Coast Walk Review April presentation ...... 4-6 Australia has a number of long-distance walking trails, e.g. CBC Committee ...... 5 Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia, Heysen Trail in South Australia, Larapinta Track in the Northern Territory. These are primarily inland Obituary D. Large ...... 7 tracks and there is no comparable long-distance coastal walk on the Narjong WaterHealing eastern seaboard. Those who know the beautiful coast-line of southern Ceremony ...... 8-9 NSW would appreciate it is a prime candidate for such a walk. Walk/trip reports ...... 10-20 Fifteen years ago, David and Pennie Briese walked from Sydney to Mallacoota along this coast-line and discovered that the walk was Activity Program ...... 21-30 feasible. Their trip was the genesis for the concept of The Great South Bulletin Board ...... 31 Coast Walk, linking the many individual tracks, beaches, forestry trails and pathways to create a 650 km journey along the beautiful and CBC Publication Policy link to unspoiled South Coast. website ...... 31 Join David who will describe the walk and what has been done in Link to Bushwalking NSW recent years to raise its profile and one day establish it as one publications ...... 31 of Australia's iconic walk experiences.

IMPORTANT DATES • 15 May—General meeting • 22 May—Committee meeting • 22 May—Articles for inclusion in June 2019 It close

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 1 President’s Report Honorary Life Membership for Linda Groom memberships through the activity program. One popular initiative is the program of walks for families that is encouraging a new generation of bushwalkers. Linda has been an active promoter of the Club. She has given many hours of her time at fairs and other events to raise awareness of the Club and to encourage bushwalking. Her energies were recently engaged in a cause that many in the Club feel is important: the protection of the Kosciuszko National Park from damage by feral horses. Linda led the Save Kosci walk, involving 200 walkers (including many CBC members), from Sydney to the summit of Mt Kosciuszko and raised awareness that will hopefully affect current legislation. Over recent months, I have been approached by not one, but three independent parties who have wished to recognise Linda’s contribution to the Club through Honorary Life Membership. I have worked with the initial nominators as well as a group of long-standing members and the CBC Above: Portrait of Linda. Below: Linda leads 200 supporters to summit of Mt Kosciuszko. Linda Groom joined the Canberra Bushwalking Club in 1976 and, as well as being an active member, soon became a dynamic activity leader, sharing a great sense of variety and adventure. Since then, she has led the second most walks in the Club and in recent years has been our most prolific leader. Linda’s walks are always well attended because people know they will be excellent. Linda was a deserving recipient of the Greg Buckley Award in 2012 for her contribution to the activity program. Not only is Linda a great activity leader, she has also led the club through several initiatives. Linda was Club President from 2013 to 2015. As President, Linda established and improved relationships with other clubs in the ACT and NSW. During this period, she initiated the project that brought about our new Club website, which includes tools designed to assist leaders to coordinate with participants, something other clubs are now attempting to emulate; this was a complicated task, not only to create a useful system, but also to encourage its adoption. Since 2015, Linda has held the demanding role of Walks

Secretary, injecting new ideas and encouraging new (Continued on page 3) Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 2 (Continued from page 2)

Committee to evaluate that nomination according to the guidelines published on the Club website. Those guidelines suggest a number of criteria that can be used to measure a worthy HLM candidate and Linda has shown to be exemplary in all of them. I have not seen anything but support for this nomination.

Left: Linda and CBC friends atop Mt Kelly C1980. Above: With Anoulack Chanthivong MP at Glenfield . At the general meeting on Wednesday 15 May we will vote together to ratify this award. If you have been influenced by Linda’s efforts within the Club, I invite you to attend and participate in the meeting. Michael de Raadt CBC President

Membership Secretary’s Report

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Membership stands at 367 at 27 April 2019 New members. Brett Hegarty Justin Stone Melinda Walker Glenda Snape Lesa Nathan Robert Walters Judith Elliott Meghan Bergamin Mac Kirby

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 3

Review—Trekking the Dolomites – the Alta Via 1 presented by Mike Smith

This presentation by Mike Smith at our April 2019 di Braies, set amidst pine forest with the General Meeting was reviewed by Terrylea soaring Dolomite peaks in clear sight. Their Reynolds. first encounter was a very steep uphill climb on a scree slope, sometime river bed, in hot In August 2018, Mike and Annette Smith, weather which later changed to a torrential Terrylea Reynolds and Janet Duncan trekked downpour and frighteningly close electrical the Alta Via 1 (AV1) in the Dolomites and thunderstorm. It was tough going but discovered that it had more to offer than this prepared them well for the days ahead as it was spectacularly exposed portion of the Southern fairly typical of the ascents and descents to Italian Alps would at first suggest. come. In fact, by the end of the 11 days they had trekked approximately 120 km, climbed As one of the largest exposures of dolomite about 6400 metres and descended about 7500 rock on the planet the Dolomites have been metres. granted World Heritage Status by UNESCO in recognition of its dramatic geological features, Despite the Dolomite Mountains supposedly spectacular views and unique offering some of the best weather in the Italian landscape. Consisting of 21 peaks this Alps the summer months can be mountain range rises above 3000 m and extraordinarily unpredictable. Days varied features sedimentary rocks and limestone from having plenty of sun requiring the towers, pinnacles, needles, plateaus, lakes, application of lashings of sunblock, to morning screen slopes, deep narrow valleys and exposed fog and mist, spectacular afternoon rain storms ridges. and even overnight snow. The guide books had warned the team to expect changeable weather Mike and Annette had previously walked in the and so, fortunately they were well prepared Lake Garda and Colvara areas of Italy and so with all manner of clothing in their packs. This were familiar with the terrain, but it was a first proved to be good advice since the morning of for Janet and Terrylea. During Mike’s Day 3 found them opening their Rifugio presentation we learned that it’s a brave man window to see that it had snowed heavily indeed who decides to tackle not only such overnight completely obliterating all signs of challenging terrain but also to trek this area for walking tracks and making the planned 11 days with three women as companions. journey over Forcella Del Lago too dangerous The AV1 starts at a beautiful alpine lake, Lago (Continued on page 5)

Elevation profile of the Alta Via 1

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 4 CBC Committee 2018-19 (Continued from page 4) President: Michael de Raadt as it involved going down a very steep and [email protected] constrained pass. After much discussion, the 0410 233 090 foursome donned backpacks and, with a couple of Americans, made their way back to Rifugio Treasurer: Melinda Brouwer Pederu. They’d had lunch there the day before [email protected] and were able to catch a taxi, bus and a cable-car to their next destination, Rifugio Lagazuoi. Walks Secretary: Linda Groom [email protected] Lagazuoi proved to be one of their most 6281 4917 interesting experiences as this area holds the remains of fortifications, bastions, tunnels, General Secretary: Jenny Stewart trenches and machine-gun posts built by the [email protected] Austrian troops in their fight against the Italians during the First World War. It was here that the Membership Secretary: Mac Kirby four adventurous trekkers met Andreas and the [email protected] Baron, replete in lederhosen, who was also the 6288 7863 proud owner of a Dutch Hen named Coco- Chanel. The Baron provided a proud history Training and Safety Officer: Pete Hegarty lesson of the area’s fierce mountain warfare in [email protected] this hostile alpine environment where there was limited cover, glacial ice, extreme winters and Conservation Officer: Cynthia Breheny avalanches. In fact, in December 1916 over [email protected] 10,000 soldiers on both sides were killed in this conflict with some of the deaths caused by Web Manager: Andrew Meers avalanches set off intentionally by the firing of [email protected] artillery shells and detonating of underground mines. Trench warfare had the highest mortality Editor: Gabrielle Wright rate. [email protected] Day 5 proved to be extremely difficult walking as the widespread snow fall from the days before Assistant Walks Secretary: Keith Thomas resulted in them having to slowly and gingerly [email protected] descend over ice and steep switch backs with +64 27 535 6176 signage along the route leaving much to be desired. Social Secretary: Terrylea Reynolds [email protected] The days ahead consisted of early starts to avoid the typical afternoon thunderstorms, enjoyable 0408 715 218 and well-earned coffee breaks, sightings of Publisher: David Williams chamois and marmots, opportunities to photograph some of the unique flora including [email protected] primulas, saxifrage, gentians and buttercups and ————————————————————— of course, delightful walking through spruce forests intermingled with conifers and beech All members of the Committeecan be contacted trees. in one email to

[email protected] On 3 September Mike and his companions woke with mixed feelings as it was their last day on the Check in: [email protected] AV1. After the typical rifugio breakfast of stale Web site: www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org (Continued on page 6) 5

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 5

Overnight snow at Rifugio Lavarella

(Continued from page 5) bread, jam and coffee they descended the remains of a steep goat track, then followed a muddy, gravel track to a creek crossing before a steady steep climb to an alpine pass, Forcella La Vareta. After a quick morning tea, they pressed on down a delightful leaf -littered forest track which ran alongside a river gorge with a series of hairpin bends. Finally reaching the La Pissa bus-stop near a derelict, fenced- off building, they waited for the bus to take them back to Belluno, civilisation and a chance to do some long overdue washing (bodies and clothes), sleep in comfort and privacy and find somewhere which served meals with lots of fresh vegies. Talk was even overheard of pizza and a glass of Italian wine. A few days in Venice followed before their next adventure with the club, trekking in Slovenia and Croatia – but this is another story for another day. Terrylea Reynolds

Above: Annette appearing on a steep, exposed ridge en route to Rifugio de Fontana below. Left: Andreas, Annette(‘ wearing’ Coco-Chanel) and the Baron.

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 6 OBITUARY

David Large

In 2005 David became obsessed with the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia and completed this 1000 kilometre walk at least five times. He loved the order and routine walking the Bibbulmun Track could offer. As well, he revelled in being able to meet and talk with a new cohort of walkers most nights. David was known as something of a gear freak and spent a good amount of time researching the latest light weight gear and places to visit. This benefitted many as he was always pleased to offer advice to those keen to do likewise. David was always a stimulating walking companion. On many trips he brought along David Large on Bibbulmun Track, one of his many ’end newspaper quizzes to entertain us in the evening. to end’ walks there. He was widely read and never afraid to engage in David Large died on 26 March after battling robust conversations. One friend has said of him various forms of cancer for several years. He was ‘Initially I found him a little forthright in manner nearly 82 and had been an active bushwalker since but soon discovered his generous and kindly he retired in 1993. heart’. Once, in New Zealand we arrived at an David was born in Mudgee, grew up in isolated hut to find three walkers looking for a Wollongong and moved to Canberra to join the fourth to play bridge. David, a keen player, was public service in 1959 after a short spell at Port pleased to be able to oblige! Kembla steel works. He had been a Queen’s Scout Although he rode a horse for pleasure when he as a boy and led a troop in Canberra. He had first moved to Canberra, David was a passionate served a brief National Service in the army supporter of the Save Kosci protest movement catering corps. held in November - December last year. Despite David was a formidable bushwalker. He frequently his poor health and obvious deteriorating led day and overnight walks for Canberra condition he was a key player in NPA ACT’s bushwalking groups as well as participating in contribution to the campaign. He drove support private walks. These included trips to Namadgi, cars and on the last day joined the main body of the Snowy Mountains, Warrambungles, Hume and participants who walked from Charlotte Pass to Hovell track, Nadgee, Budawangs, Great Ocean the summit of Mount Kosciuszko. He managed to Road, and further afield to the Heyson Trail in SA get to Rawson’s Pass. No mean feat. and Kimberleys, Kakadu and Tasmania, including David was lucky to be supported in his travel the challenging south west. He made several trips adventures by Robin, his patient and to New Zealand and a walking tour to Japan. He understanding wife. He was a grand walking had a special love for the Royal National Park near companion. Sydney and often used this overnight walk as a Timothy Walsh training walk for longer expeditions. In later years he enjoyed Sean Sunley’s overnight walks.

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 7 Narjong Water Healing Ceremony

First of Its Kind in 150 Years

A unique and inspiring event took place at Long concerned about the negative impact of feral Plain in Kosciuszko National Park on 3 March. horses. Organised by one of Reclaim Kosci’s two campaign coordinators, Richard Swain – who is a Wiradjuri man - the Narjong water healing ceremony brought senior indigenous loremen together at the source of the Murrumbidgee River to provide much-needed care for this vital element of country. The CBC has supported the Save Kosci walk and petition against NSW’s 2018 Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act, which is a key component of the broader Reclaim Kosci campaign. Above: Narjong: ceremonial dance Below: Narjong: passing through the smoke

Narjong: guests walking down to the river. The ceremony was led by Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison, and included men from across NSW and further afield; collectively, they represented the Murray, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan and Darling Rivers. Uncle Major Moogy Summers, a Ngarrindjeri elder, came all the way from Coorong in South Australia at the mouth of the Murray river. Author Bruce Pascoe (Dark Emu) was also among the participants. The aim of the ceremony was to heal the river waters from the many influences that are harming it. Richard Swain is particularly

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 8

(Continued from page 8) ‘We took people to the actual spring where the mother gives birth to the Murrumbidgee. It’s been absolutely desecrated by feral horses … It is really emotional, it is hard to comprehend. Water can’t come out of the ground because it’s been trampled …’ Well in excess of 100 people attended the ceremony. Everyone walked a kilometre to the river. The loremen conducted ceremonial dancing, singing and fire lighting. All in attendance were smoked, then the smoke was buried and the ochre washed in the river. Even some representatives of a pro-feral horse group participated. Some CBC members, including me, were privileged to experience this special, moving ceremony. We were inspired by this group of loremen who really care about country and were standing up for it. Non-indigenous Australians can learn much from Australia’s ancient cultures about the importance of responsible custodianship of the land. I encourage you to follow the link below to see some footage from the Narjong water healing ceremony. This short ABC South East NSW video has now been viewed well over 400,000 times - a phenomenal social media achievement. Overall, the ceremony has received widespread media coverage. https://www.facebook.com/abcsoutheastnsw/ videos/1235840133238955/? Narjong ceremony: cleansing the ochre (source of v=1235840133238955 Murrumbidgee) Cynthia Burton

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 9 A Family Walk to Legoland:

Thursday 25 April 2019

It was Anzac Day – slightly overcast and with temperatures in the ‘just right’ range for five families and the leaders– Michael de Raadt and myself, as well as Michael’s son, Isaac. There were 21 people, including nine children, all set to spend the day exploring the spectacular surroundings of the Legoland ridge. For some of the participants it was a familiar walk. The CBC family walks program goes there at least once a year. It involves an 800 metre walk along the track from the car parking area at the top of the hill above Honeysuckle Creek campground. Half way along the walking track to our destination, there is a large rock slab which provides the first opportunity to do some climbing

Climbers Photo: M. Hatherley and clambering. The older children were very quickly all over the large rock faces, using any means to scale the boulders. The youngest child, at 18 months old, was carried most of the way, but even he was reaching far out from his father’s arms to touch the branches, tree trunks and leaves as they brushed past. Our destination was a cleft between large granite blocks which, in their tumbled arrangements, held many passages, caves and tight squeezes. There was a vast network of interesting spaces to explore. We made ‘camp on a rocky patch between steep walls of granite, where we lunched before setting off for the first cave. The cave entrance itself would be easy to miss – a seemingly

Rest stop on the slab Photo: M.Hatherley (Continued on page 11)

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 10 (Continued from page 10) Back at camp, the children continued to climb the surrounding rocks, then we all decided to explore insignificant hole between two rocks. The older that recently discovered route under the rock to the children didn’t wait, and were down the tight, lookout across the valley. Once there, further steep and rocky descent in a flash, emerging onto explorations by the children took them rock the spacious floor of a large cave. hopping steeply downwards, then along the edge of the ridge, with me still tagging along. It was a loop, which brought us back to the younger children and parents returning to our base, still shepherded along by Michael and Isaac. There was more, so much more to explore – but the general consensus between the adults was, by then, that perhaps we should call it a day while we were in front, all intact and happy and eager for more: a great way to end a good day. We took note of the remarks made by some of the children as we decamped: ‘I thought it would be terrible, but it was really great …’ On Top Photo: M. de Raadt ‘Can I have just one more climb …?’ ‘I’m definitely coming back here …’ The parents descended much more slowly, having confidence, or perhaps resignation, about the There is nothing more gratifying than that for us abilities and survival skills of their adventurous leaders, and the best accolade one could want for children in this environment with all its potential the CBC Family Walks Program. hazards. Michael led the way to the easier bottom Small explorer Photo: M. de Raadt entrance of the cave for the younger children and their parents. We leaders, myself and Michael, were aware of the usual way into the cave and the exit at the other end, but had no idea what else there was in that cave until the children showed us the way. They explored every possible nook and cranny, and then we lost them for a moment as they disappeared behind a hanging wall of rock. I clambered up there to see, and saw a line of children disappearing along a narrow crevice which looked like it might go somewhere. I followed, and we all eventually emerged into bright daylight to a glorious viewpoint on slabs overlooking the Orroral valley. Continuing onwards, we met the rest of the party returning to base after we Meredith Hatherly squeezed under a small tight tunnel where two large boulders met.

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 11 The Wild West of the Tidbinbilla Range

In October 2017, I led a walk with an and I also received an enquiry from a non- ambitious agenda - to traverse the whole member who told me that she ‘had to start Tidbinbilla Range from Camel Back somewhere’. I suggested that it wasn’t a Mountain to Fishing Gap. I wrote that we walk for beginners, and she decided not to took on that challenge for the reason that join. Linda gave us the go-ahead to make it Mallory attempted Everest — ‘because it a club walk with just the two of us. was there’. The words of the late, great The omens seemed good. A cold front had mountaineer may still have resonated in swept away vestiges of summer warmth, my subconscious when I put a walk on the delivering clear skies and reasonable programme which aimed to reach the temperatures. The drive, via Picadilly Tidbinbilla Range’s highest peak from the Circus and Bulls Head, went more quickly depths of the Cotter Valley. The lateral than we’d expected, and we parked beside spur which I planned to follow is strikingly the Bendora Dam Road and set out, well visible from high points such as Mt before 9 am. A gated road providing access Stromlo and Mt Rodgers in North-West Belconnen, as are the crags and cliff-lines edging it. The lower part of this spur also appears on the home page of the club’s website, in a view presumably from somewhere near the top of Camel Back. I had climbed that spur in the early autumn of 1996 on a walk with my friend, Jock Morse. We had seemingly levitated to the summit of Tidbinbilla Mountain, and then wafted on to Tidbinbilla Peak before descending, at a rapid jog-trot, the spur which branches from the main ridge at a right-angle bend between Tidbinbilla Peak and Johns Peak. It had been a long but achievable day. We were twenty years younger and the 2003 bushfire, and the subsequent explosion of secondary growth, had yet to happen. Eastern approaches to the range have become more accessible in recent times but its Western spurs have become something of an unknown quantity, warranting the long, rough and exploratory grading which The Pimple, seen through a lattice-work of difficult I applied to this walk. Hard Tuesday walks scrub. have suffered a decline in popularity but

Meredith Hatherly signed up for this one, (Continued on page 13)

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(Continued from page 12) increasingly dense stands of wattle, not all that difficult to get through, but slow and to the pipeline which takes water from tedious. We called a morning tea break on a Bendora Dam led us steeply down to a wet- patch of scree, which gave views across to footed crossing of the Cotter River on a the gentle and rounded slopes and summits concrete causeway. of the Brindabella Range. More climbing brought us to a long and undulating crest, but the relaxation of the gradient didn’t bring much relief, as patches of difficult scrub alternated with rocky leads. We did, however, enjoy a view from a cliff edge of more steepness ahead, culminating in an outcropping of cliffs and crags. A small saddle gave us a blissful few metres of walking on grass and amongst low

TL, with Pimple in background. A little more road walking took us to a high point which made the obvious spot to go bush. The beginning of the climb, still in shade on this west-facing slope, was in pleasant forest with a varied and no more than knee-high under-storey, and a sprinkling of grass trees. So far, so good. In fact, this turned out to be the easiest terrain we would encounter.

The spur features a couple of level sections, A rock lead brings relief from relentless scrub separating the steep hauls, and we crested the first of these, before forging ahead in (Continued on page 14)

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 13

(Continued from page 13) As consolation prizes go, this wasn’t too bad. We looked straight across at the Pimple, and the near-vertical cliff edging it, while the rock formation in the gully which separated us from that peak suggested the existence of a waterfall or maybe a little slot canyon. Obviously we wouldn’t explore that possibility today, although a side-trip from the main Tidbinbilla Range might be feasible. Further afield, we could survey Tidbinbilla Peak and Camel Back Mountain, and the spurs and scree-scarred slopes descending into the rugged catchment of Burke’s Creek. At around 2 pm, we set out on our return journey. It had taken over four hours to get

The Pimple's precipitous slopes. bracken, and then came a slow and difficult crawl on a slope infested with tall Daviesia and other sub-alpine shrubs. We grovelled on, always with an eye for areas of rock and scree, which temporarily delivered us from the clutches of those dark thickets. Not that teetering on steeply-angled scree is all that easy, just a whole lot less oppressive. And then a major eruption of slabs and rock faces reared up ahead. We clambered to a pinnacle, and for a first time obtained a view of our elusive summit, still a kilometre distant and two hundred metres higher. But View to the West, lower part of our spur in foreground, it was already after 1 pm, and the only sane Coree Mountain on skyline. decision was to make this our turn-around (Continued on page 15) point. We sat down for lunch.

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 14

(Continued from page 14) fire’, and certainly regeneration occurs, but those of us who spend a lot of time in places this far, and the descent turned out to be not like these have also observed that a very hot much quicker. At first, I tried to follow rocky fire, such as that which razed the Tidbinbilla leads, and wound up too far to the east of Range in 2003, can and does change the the spur’s crest. We paid for this meander landscape and ecology. Some years ago I led with a long diagonal sidle in terrible scrub. a walk for the National Parks Association to During this stage, the two halves of our Greens Peak, not really part of the party became separated, although we Tidbinbilla Range but geologically speaking maintained voice contact. Such was the an extension of it. Again I attracted only one density of the jungle that one’s walking starter for what had once been a pleasant partner could be a few metres distant, yet walk on well-defined ridges to a shapely totally invisible. little mountain which boasts impressive Grovel, grovel, grovel. Memory can be exposures of rock on its Northern aspect. unreliable, but I know for sure that we But on that day in the late spring of 2014, didn’t face anything like this on that walk in we found ourselves engaged in strife and struggle with members of the pea family, 1996. There’s a commonly-held view that ‘the Australian bush always recovers from mainly on a couple of kilometres of ridge crest extending South from Fishing Gap,

TL, at home on the range. (Continued on page 16)

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(Continued from page 15) trudging, on and on, and then the Cotter River was down there to our left, but a and at the end of the day we arrived back at stone’s throw away. This wasn’t what we the track head with not much time to spare expected. before the closing of the gates to the With the valley bottom now deep in shadow, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. I experienced we didn’t waste time taking boots off, but something similar on a walk led by David splashed across to reach the pipeline road. Dedenczuk in January 2016, which aimed to I’d brought us in a few hundred metres reach Greens Peak from Smokers Gap, but down valley from the point where we’d ended up expending a huge amount of started the climb. Not a catastrophe, but an energy just to attain the high point of the imperfect outcome. We slogged along the High Range. Come to think of it, it may not roller-coaster gravel road and splashed be the walk in itself that remains vivid in my through another two river crossings before memory, as much as how I felt the day after. the final steep haul to the car. On the drive Meredith and I happily reunited at the out, we enjoyed a glimpse of Camel Back grassy saddle and enjoyed a few easy Mountain, basking in the last of the evening footsteps before throwing ourselves back sun. into the fray. A half-kilometre of undulating The ache in my joints reminds me that the crest brought us to a cliff edge where we hard walks don’t get any easier, but took afternoon tea and could look back at objectively speaking, the lesson which I the cliffs flanking the Pimple, now bathed in drew from that day is that ‘Tidbinbilla afternoon sunshine. With lengthening Mountain from the West’ must reside in the shadows reminding us to get a move on, we realm of the physically impossible, for me at continued, soon steeply descending through least. The bushwalking world doesn’t readily dense stands of wattle. admit the concept of failure; at the most, it’s A couple of hundred metres down, we an incentive to try again, and the longest reached an area where several spurs fan out, days of December and January might put and I wanted to keep to the one which we’d ‘Tidbinbilla Mountain from the West’ ascended. It took a small correction to hypothetically within reach, but who’d be up regain this spur and we pressed on, now in for that slog in midsummer heat? Plenty of easy-going, light under-storey. good walks remain, but the park-like snowgum forest which once graced the high Seeking lines of least resistance, going with the topographic flow, we found ourselves on ridges and spurs of the Tidbinbilla Range is a well-defined spur which made a gradual something I probably won’t see again in my descent, more gradual than I remembered lifetime, and that makes me a little sad. from our outward journey. We kept Trevor Lewis

Canberra Bushwalking Club It—May 2019—Page 16 Three Weeks in the Tarkine

February 2019 Party: Meg and Frank McKone, Sharon Fulcher, surprised to see that the Tarkine wasn’t all Perrie Franks, Gay and Graham McLean, Ray rainforest, but had extensive coastal walks Robinson, Glenys Fitzpatrick, Lynn Atkinson, backed by huge sand dunes, large areas of Dianne and Gary Thompson, Terrylea Reynolds, Janet Duncan, Peter Hogan, Jack and Karen heathland and eucalypt forest and vast Morrison, Karen Cody. buttongrass plains often extending to the hilltops. The Tarkine region of Tasmania lies in the Having marked the walks I thought would be north west corner of the state. I’d long of interest, with a range of easy to moderate wanted to visit, so the discovery of Phill walks including short ones and overnighters, I Pullinger’s beautifully illustrated Tarkine needed to select suitable caravan parks as Trails – takayna makuminya with its bases. And so we spent two nights in Burnie, descriptions of walks ranging from brief four at Arthur River, nine in Zeehan (so that saunters from the car park to extended we could fit in two overnight trips) and three overnight trips through rugged country in Waratah. Our party, starting at 16, rising to provided an ideal opportunity. I was 17, then dwindling to four, stayed in cabins or vans, with a few hardy couples tenting. Not everyone did all the walks, which was just as well, and people from time to time took a day or two off to visit relatives, experience famous Tassie icons like the Gordon River Cruise, or browse the many interesting museums. Wining and dining wasn’t necessarily on the backfoot either – who wants to eat dehyds for over three weeks? We started off gently with a short walk through rainforest to McGowans Falls, a lovely waterfall cascading over ledges of rock. A fallen tree barred the dirt road to Myrtle Reach on the Arthur River, so we drove on to the spectacular Dip Falls, where columns of basalt angled in different directions channelled the water into unexpected paths. Other lovely waterfalls we visited later in the trip included Philosophers Falls and Montezuma Falls, all set in lush green rainforest full of tree ferns, mosses and fungi. The weather was somewhat challenging at the start of the trip, but not in the way we had anticipated. Drought and fires had given way

River and surrounds beneath Montezuma Falls. (Continued on page 18)

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to strong winds and showers or rain by the time we landed, though it didn’t prevent us doing much, as most of the worst weather was overnight when we were in the caravan parks. It was exhilarating to walk along the coastline south of Arthur River, watching huge waves break on the shoreline and piles of foam go skittering along the sand in the gale only to suddenly disappear as they broke up and soaked into the ground. Later, we found that a fire had burnt to within a few kilometres of Zeehan a week or so before we arrived, and that only a change of wind had saved the town from going up conservation imperatives are threatened by in flames. mining, logging and 4 wheel driving. From Arthur River, a tourist brochure guided us We weren’t so lucky with our first day of real on a day’s drive along the tarred C214 and C218 walking. The road to Balfour to access a roads to a number of interesting lookout points – rainforest walk down to the Frankland River was coastal lookouts, Kanunnah Bridge on the Arthur too rough for our vehicles, and our attempt to River, Julius River with a rainforest walk, Lake climb Mt Balfour was foiled by failing to find the Chisholm, a broad, flooded limestone sinkhole start of the correct track. Moral: check your GPS darkly reflecting the surrounding forest, location before you start. However, we had a Dempster Plains with expansive views over acres rewarding half day walking towards Mt Hazelton of buttongrass, the buttongrass covered along buttongrass ridges with views of other peaks Milkshake Hills, and most unusual of all, in the Norfolk Range. Trowutta Arch where a sinkhole filled with water Our first overnight walk was through rainforest lay beneath a limestone arch – only a few hundred from Corinna, where Huon Pines overhung the metres, alas, from an active mine. It was an Pieman River, to the buttongrass summit of Mt Donaldson (437 metres) with extensive views back along the Norfolk Range. Some of us, having carried water up from below, camped on its flanks, finding enough flattish ground to erect our tents, and more water trickling along a track if we needed it. The others returned to a spot in the rainforest where we picked them up on the return journey. The walk through the rainforest following the Savage River wasn’t all easy, with a sharp 150 metre ascent and descent over Arhberg Hill and slippery, muddy sections on its flanks where fixed ropes came in handy.

Left: Conical Rocks, south of the Pieman River and Corinna. excellent introduction to the variety of the Above: Camp at Surprise Creek behind Four Mile Beach. Tarkine, and an insight into the conflicting land uses of an area whose rich natural beauty and (Continued on page 19)

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(Continued from page 18) difficult in places as most of the tracks didn’t appear on the map, so I was grateful for This was followed by our second overnight walk, Terrylea’s and Karen’s I-Phones. And nothing is from Pieman Heads down the coast to Granville being done to protect the middens, which are Harbour. It required a long car-shuffle, leaving important to the Aboriginal people and no doubt cars at Corinna so we could take the cruise down contain a wealth of archeological knowledge. the Pieman for the start of the walk, and with Glacial Lake Herbert, on the eastern side of Mt Farrell, Frank picking up the drivers at the end, but it near Tullah. was worth it to experience the coastal scenery. We saw four stand-out locations, the first being the truly spectacular Conical Rocks, where hectares of granite boulders stand in low heathland on the edge of the sea, weathered into amazing shapes and tinged orange with lichen. We camped overnight at Surprise Creek, a lovely spot near the northern end of Four Mile Beach, its fresh water lagoon and grassy banks sheltered from the wind (on this occasion – Rob Jung had found it too windy on a previous trip). It was exhilarating continuing along the wide sandy beach with vegetated dunes rising high on one side of us and tannin-stained waves crashing ashore on the other. We were very fortunate with the tides, though; had it been Now it was time for some peak-bagging. After high tide we would have been struggling through two weeks of showers and grey skies, we set off deep sand at the edge of the dunes. Near the on a gloriously fine, windless day to climb Mt southern end of the beach I walked up behind a Murchison, 1278 metres, on the southern edge dune to get out of the wind and refold my map, of the Tarkine. The first section rises steeply and found myself in a large amphitheatre eroded through rainforest until the track emerges onto a out of the dunes, exposing a huge amount of heathy ridge, where several members of the midden material, with shells of all shapes and party turned back, followed by some exposed sizes. We stayed a while for morning tea, rock scrambles amongst the alpine vegetation. reflecting on the lives of the original inhabitants From here the scenery is a scaled down version of this isolated place so remote from the rest of of Eastern meets Western Arthurs – great the world. Aboriginal clans had lived along the sloping slabs of grey quartzite reaching for the coast for many thousands of years, as shown by sky and a glaciated valley nestling tannin- their middens and the depressions left by their stained lakes between its steep sides. It was substantial dwellings. certainly the highlight of the trip, in more ways than one. Janet and Peter turned back shortly Walking along the coast was not all beauty, below the summit while Terrylea, Lynn and I however. Numerous supremely ugly shacks, made it to the top for a late lunch accompanied thrown together mainly with slabs of corrugated by a swarm of flying ants. (Karen would have iron, dot the shore and the area is crisscrossed with 4WD tracks. These made navigation (Continued on page 20)

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(Continued from page 19) that had started gently and ended with a major effort. been there too but for a tummy upset which kept her in camp for the day.) The view was amazing. The whole of the Overland Track, from Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff to the peaks around Lake St Clair, stretched out along the eastern horizon, with Frenchmans Cap a little further south. The western side overlooked Rosebery and Tullah and their surrounding lakes and peaks. The only thing to mar my enjoyment was the realisation that I had left my SD card in the computer back at camp. If I ever return, I doubt it would be on such a perfect day. The descent was quite exciting, with greater feelings of exposure on the way down. At one point I descended too far instead of traversing. I could see the cairned track about 100 metres on the other side of a steep, densely wooded gully. I didn’t feel like climbing back up and around, so we had an instructive half-hour exposure to authentic Tassie scrub. It was a relief to be back on the track and descending the tree roots back to the cars. From Waratah we climbed Mt Cleveland via a 4WD track through rainforest up to the electricity towers at its cleared summit. The humid day was warm enough for one member of Karen, Lynn and Terrylea at the summit of Mt Farrell, the party to suffer mild hyperthermia on the way 712m, backed by Mt Murchison, 1278m. down. Mt Farrell, 712 metres, was an absolute In our three weeks, we had certainly gained an delight, almost surrounded by blue Hydro lakes, extensive overview of what the Tarkine has to with a glacial tarn on its eastern side and views offer and done a high proportion of the easy to of the vertical northern cliffs of Mt Murchison moderate walks available, with a few difficults towering above us. added to the mix. There’s plenty more there, for Mt Roland, 1234 metres, a 900 metre climb near those whose imaginations dwell on spending Sheffield, is not, strictly speaking, in the lengthy periods exploring trackless rainforests Tarkine, but it was too close not to satisfy my and rugged peaks and who are prepared to longstanding desire to climb it. And so Lynn, weather whatever the elements may throw at Terrylea and I ascended our second Abel of the them. trip from Gowrie Park – a worthy finish to a trip Meg McKone

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Distance amount may be varied at the discretion of the leader, depending on (S) Short – under 12 km/day the condition of the roads and other factors. The figures given are for the car as a whole and then, at the discretion of the leader, an esti- (M) Medium – 12–20 km/day mate or range per person. Park admission and camping fees are addi- (L) Long – over 20 km/day tional costs which leaders should list separately. Note: In calculating distance, 1 km is added for every 100 metres Duty of care climbed. Every person taking part in a CBC activity acknowledges that he/she Terrain does so voluntarily and that he/she may be exposed to risks that could (E) Easy – fire trail, tracks, beaches etc. lead to injury, illness or death, or to loss of, or damage to property. Each person acknowledges risk when they book on line for walks, and (M) Medium – bush tracks, alpine areas, some scrub sign the Club’s ‘Acknowledgement of Risks’ form at the start of a walk. (R) Rough – much scrub, steep climbs, rock scrambles Visitors are welcome to join trips. However walkers are strongly en- (W) Wet – compulsory swims, many river crossings couraged to join the Club after a maximum of three trips. (X) Exploratory For further information see: www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org Booking Check-in after walks Please book online using the 'Request a booking' button on the page Before a trip, leaders should use the 'Submit Trip List' function within for each walk. Many walks have a booking deadline, and all leaders 'Manage Bookings' to inform the Club's check-in officer of the names appreciate receiving bookings several days ahead of the walk, rather of their party. After the walk, leaders should use the 'Check-In' func- than just a day or two ahead. If the type of walk is new for you, check tion, also within 'Manage Bookings', by 10 am the day after their trip with the leader about: to report their safe return or any incidents, and also email a scanned • the need to carry water, tents/fly, maps, etc. copy of the Acknowledgment of Risks form to the Check-in Officer, Pete Hegarty [email protected]. In the event of a • appropriate clothing, footwear late return, worried relatives should contact the Check-in Officer, 0428 • any precautions you might need to take for severe weather 555 191 or the Walks Secretary, 6281 4917 or 0474 507 259 in the first Transport instance, not the Police or other bodies. Costs are 39¢/km/car, divided equally among all participants. This

Equipment hire GPS – nil (see website for conditions of use) Take advantage of the excellent gear that the Club has available for hire Check you have ALL the bits and pieces you need when collecting and before lashing out on your own equipment. The Equipment Officer is Rob returning gear. Horsfield, who can be contacted on 6231 4535(h). To borrow the PLB con- tact Pete Hegarty, Training and Safety Officer: train- Map scale is 1:25,000 unless otherwise stated [email protected]. The equipment available and current rates per weekend/week are set out below. Hirers are responsible for col- Wednesday walks lecting and returning the equipment. The hiring charge (but not the depos- Two walks one Medium/Easy and one Medium/Hard, are conducted most it) is waived for members who are ‘first time’ weekend walkers. A deposit Wednesdays. Walks are conducted in turn by leaders from the Canberra of $20 is required and part or all of this will be refunded, depending on the Bushwalking Club (CBC), Brindabella Bushwalking Club (BBC – Peter well- condition of the items upon return and whether they are returned late. [email protected] and Kathy [email protected]) and National Item w.e./week Parks Association ACT (NPA- Mike S, 0412 179 907). Destination and Olympus two person tent $15 / $40 meeting place details are emailed a few days before each walk. (BBC and Macpac Microlight one person tent $15 / $40 NPA leaders as listed in the activity program). Snow tent $15 / $40 Control your receipt of Wednesday Walk emails via your membership pro- file. Contact John, co-ordinator of Wednesday Walks, via wednes- 3 season bag, mat and liner $10 / $25 [email protected] for general enquiries. If you are Assorted packs $5 / $15 not a member of CBC, BBC or NPA you must contact the leader before the Trangia and fuel bottle $5 / $15 walk to discuss the level of difficulty and must be accompanied on the walk Snow shoes/poles $10 / $25 by a sponsoring member. Please note that leaders retain the right to not Snow sleeping bag, mat and liner $15 / $40 accept any walker. Personal locator beacon – nil (see website for conditions)

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Wed 8 May: Tinkers Creek Weir & Pig Hill Loops - steep in parts on way up Mount Coree. Meet at in M/M/Part X Dillon Close, Weston, where there is all day parking. This Easier Medium Wednesday Walk is an extended in time for an 8:30am departure for Blundell’s Flat. version of two previous walks when we missed out Bring warm waterproof, windproof clothes and on the normally great views of the Murrumbidgee although it is expected walk will end before night fall and Molonglo Valleys from Pig Hill (979 m above sea it is best to bring a torch. ACT Weather forecast for level) due to mist. This time (hopefully) we shall Wednesday 8 May as at Saturday 4 May: 20% chance arrive late enough at the summit for morning mists of up to 1mm rain falling as a shower. Max daytime to have cleared. After carpooling from Uriarra temperature 11 to 17 degrees. Winds NW tending Crossing we ascend towards Pig Hill from the north westerly up to 25 kmh. → 18 km ↗ 700 metres ↘ via Tinkers Creek Fire Trail, with a diversion to an old 700 metres Maps: Cotter Dam 1:25,000 and ACT weir on Tinkers Creek (probably dry), but, after 1:100,000 Transport: $28 per car, $7.00 per reaching the Pig Hill Summit Trail, we turn right and passenger Leader: Tim Wright. No need to book. See loop around to climb the hill from the south, online... returning to the cars after lunch via a short cut. Nearly all the walk is through open bush or on trails. Fri 10 May: Toddlers Toddle – Callum Brae Nature Walking poles could be useful as the trails are steep Reserve - S/M in places. Bring hat, sunburn cream and 2 litres of Callum Brae Nature Reserve is a pleasant woodland water. Forecast as of 4/5/2019: Partly cloudy, slight with lots of birds, a few minutes drive south of the (30%) chance of shower < 0.4mm, light winds. suburb of Narrabundah. Meet at the Nature Reserve Temperature 16º max. **Those doing their first entrance, approximately opposite 39 Narrabundah Wednesday walk and also prospective walkers who Lane, Symonston, ready to start walking at 9.45 am. are not members of any of the NPA, BBC or CBC We will walk on grassy fire trail, then off-trail clubs must contact the leader to discuss the level of through the woodlands, follow a small gully and difficulty of the walk** → 5.5 hours including stops, climb a 1.5 metre high ‘cliff’. About 400 metres total 12 km ↗ 680 m total ↘ 680 m total Maps: Umburra distance. This walk is designed for families with kids 1:25,000, Google Hybrid etc Transport: Meet BEFORE up to around 5, who are keen to acquire skills such 8:30am: Own transport to Uriarra Crossing parking as walking through grass, log-walking, recognising a area on Fairlight Road: immediately after crossing gully and following it, and walking around, not the Murrumbidgee on the low bridge on Uriarra across, ant nests. → 400 metres in approx 1.5 hours Road, turn right towards Wee Jasper. The parking ↗ Less than 10 metres ↘ Less than 10 area is on the right around a bend. Sign \"Risks & metres Map: Google maps Transport: Drive Obligations\" form, arrange car pool transport to yourself Leader: Linda Groom. No need to book. See start of walk and leave AT 8:30am (passengers to pay online... drivers $4 each). Limit: N/A participants Leader: Robert Dewar. No need to Sat 11 - Sun 12 May: Overnight packwalk to Coronet book. See online... Peak - L/E/Part X Walk from Orroral Valley Tracking Station car park Wed 8 May: Wednesday walk M/H : Mount Coree along Cotter Hut road and AAWT with possible side from Blundell’s Flat. - L/E trip to split rock. Camping somewhere in Cotter River Starting at Blundell’s Flat and walking the fire trails Valley and early start Sunday to climb Coronet Peak to Mount Coree summit for lunch and great views with much lighter packs. Return same way. Booking (weather permitting). Return by a different route on deadline is strict as leader has to get camping permit fire trails. Walking distance is around 18 kms as per from Namadgi Park Office at Tharwa. → 26 kms my GPS, with 700 metres of climbing. Fire trails are (Continued on page 23)

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(Continued from page 22) Want to try bushwalking? Join us on this circuit in the Gudgenby grasslands, suitable for beginners who possibly more if there is a side trip ↗ 1000 metres are fit enough to keep walking for 4 hours at a plus ↘ 1000 metres plus Map: Corin Dam and moderate pace, and active families with kids aged 8 Rendezvous Creek 1:25000 Transport: $40 per car and up. The walk will take us along low ridges with $10 per passenger Accommodation: BYO tent or hire great views to the surrounding peaks of Namadgi one from club equipment officer Limit: 8 persons National Park.There will be three breaks, as well as participants Leader: Tim Wright. Book by: Thu 9 lunch, at which you will have the option to scramble May, 2:00pm. See online... up granite outcrops for even better views. The route is mostly off-track on short grass or tussock, with Sat 11 May: Booth's hill - L/R/X about 100 metres of moderate scrub, and some Booth's hill via Brandy Flat hut for two geocaches. grassy track. Bring at least one warm top, a warm We will be following part of John's 5/8/2017 track hat, optionally a neck warmer and gloves, a raincoat (http://www.johnevans.id.au/wp/5-august-2017- even if the forecast is fine, your lunch and water, and booths-hill/). From the Glendale depot, we'll take sunscreen, and wear warm socks and shoes with the fire trail to Brandy Flat hut. About 5km on fire good grip. Carry your gear in a back pack - handbags trail. Then we will roughly follow the Gudgenby and cross-the-shoulder bags become uncomfortable. creek gully (off track) to meet up with John's route to Map shows our approx lunch spot. → 11 kilometres, the summit. By my calculations all up about 20km, about 4 hours actual walking ↗ 150 metres ↘ 150 10km of which is on fire trail. Probably -8 10 hours. → metres Map: Rendezvous Creek Transport: Drive ~20km, probably 8-10 yourself to Rendezvous Creek carpark, Boboyan hours Map: Michelago Transport: $5-10 Limit: 8 Road (Google Maps knows where \'Rendezvous participants Leader: Robyn Hall. Book by: Tue 7 May, Creek carpark\' is). All sealed road. Please be at the 2:00pm. See online... meeting point ready to start walking at 9.30 am. The leader will be at the meeting point whatever the Sat 11 May: Mountain biking - Naas Valley / weather. Contact the leader by the previous Gudgenby Creek - L/M/Part X Thursday if you would prefer to share MTB trip - Starting from the Mt Clear Campground, transport. Leaders: Linda Groom, Peter Conroy. No we will head down Boboyan Road to Brandy Flat need to book. See online... South carpark, and head towards Brandy Flat Hut down and up (~150m climb) out of the Gudgenby Sun 12 May: Mother's Day dash at Tidbinbilla - S/R/ River valley to Brandy Flat Hut, then continue to Part X Caloola Farm down the Gudgenby Creek Fire Trail, a After enjoying a sleep in, meet at 10am at Lanyon roughly 300m descent including some steeper Marketplace just off Norman Lindsay street. We will sections. We then turn up the Nass Valley Fire Trail car pool to Tidbinbilla, where there are two rock for 28km slowly climbing 400m back to our start formations that I have been wanting to explore for a point. Approx total distance 56km, with about 500m while now! We will park at the end of the Devils Gap climbing → 28 to 35 km Map: Rooftops Namadgi ACT fire trail. Follow the steep uphill fire trail for South Transport: By car / trailer from Lanyon approximately 2kms, before heading off-track Marketplace. Car shares will depend on bike capacity through the scrub to a rocky feature known as The available, to be coordinated with group. Limit: 8 Pyramid. Return the same way, and drive to Dalsetta participants Leader: Rowan Peck. Book by: Tue 7 car park for a bonus (but short) walk. From here, we May, 5:00pm. See online... will follow the fire trail toward the Xanthorrhoea loop for around 1.5km, but then head off track again Sat 11 May: A come-and-try-it bushwalk - through a short scrubby hill to more rocks. There will Gudgenby Meadows - M/M (Continued on page 24)

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(Continued from page 23) will be signed in by me. Maps: UBD page 67, J 13 Transport: Shanks pony. Leader: Mark Peirce. No be a fair amount of scrub bashing/rock scrambling/ need to book. See online... crawling/problem solving, so a sense of adventure is encouraged! Around 450 metres of climbing over 4-5 Wed 15 May: Wednesday walk E/M BBC Sponsored hours. Photo shows view from near the - M/E Pyramid. Map: Namadgi ACT Details to be provided by e-mail prior to South Transport: Approximately $9 per walk Map: Nil Transport: Nil Leader: Peter Wellman. vehicle Limit: 10 participants Leader: Lauren No need to book. See online... Ogden. Book by: Fri 10 May, 5:00pm. See online... Wed 15 May: Wednesday walk, M/H, BBC Tue 14 May: Cliffs below Jerrawangala Lookout- M/ Sponsored - M/R R/X Details to be provided by e-mail prior to A further exploration of the wonderful cliff-base walk Map: Nil Transport: Nil Leader: Peter Wellman. scenery of Jerrawangala National Park. We will No need to book. See online... descend through Wandean Gap then head south at the base of the cliffline, below Jerrawangala Sat 18 May: Snowy Corner, Tidbinbilla Peak - M/R Lookout. Then continue along the cliff base to From Mountain creek car park, walk the Lyrebird Breakfast Creek. If we can find a route up through trail to a spur going up to Snowy Corner on quite a the cliff line we will return across the tops via the well established foot pad. Follow the roughly tagged Bunya Fire Trail; otherwise we will retrace our steps, route up on to Tidbinbilla Mountain then along the dropping down to a fire trail that contours 60 metres ridge line to Tidbinbilla Peak and back down the below the cliffs if we are short of time. Though I am Camel Hump fire trail. ↗ Ascent 700 m ↘ descent familiar with this general area I have not done this 700 m Map: Tidbinbilla Transport: $25 per section of the cliff base before- there will be some vehicle Leaders: Rob Horsfield, Jenny combination of towering cliffs above us, overhangs, Horsfield. Booking required. See online... rain forest, giant mossy boulders, and a wet or dry waterfall. A strenuous walk, with unknown amounts Sat 18 May: Mount Major and Mounts Minor - M/R of rock-scrambling and likely some sections of thick A circuit in Tallaganda State Forest that includes 3 scrub, but with scenery-appreciation breaks. → 7 to granite viewpoints, varied and beautiful forest with 10 km ↗ Main ascent 100 metres but many small ferny patches, and lichen-covered boulders with a undulations↘ Main descent 100 metres but many pink tinge. After about 3 km of fire trail, steep in small undulations Maps: Sassafras parts, we ascend off-track to the tiny snow-gum 1:25,000 Transport: $100 per car. A 2 hour drive plateau at the top of Mount Major, then along the from Queanbeyan, the last 5 minutes on 2WD dirt ridge of the Mounts Minor. If there is time, we may road. Limit: 8 participants Leader: Linda detour about 1/2 km off my usual route to some Groom. Booking required. See online... temperate rainforest. Includes stepping over logs, pushing through some scrubby sections, and a bit of Wed 15 May: Pre-Meeting Dinner at the Canberra minor rock scrambling (using your hands to climb, Irish Club - S/- with a couple of metres drop below you). Suitable as Meet for a delicious pre-meeting dinner at the a first off-track walk for fit and agile walkers. → Canberra Irish Club, 6 Parkinson Street Weston - just About 9 km, 5 hours actual walking ↗ Main ascent two doors down from where we have our monthly 250 vertical metres, several undulations in the 50 to meeting. I suggest you arrive by 6 pm and order your 80 metres range ↘ Main descent 200 vertical meal before 6:15 pm. Non-members of the Irish Club (Continued on page 25)

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(Continued from page 24) with a couple of forays off-track. Suitable for those who would like to extend from tracks to metres, several undulations in the 50 to 80 off-track walking. Includes a visit to Faunce Hill, metres range Map: Bombay Transport: $10 per Lazarus’s hut and 12 geocaches. Around 17km person if 4 in car Limit: 12 and 600m climb. → 17km ↗ 600m ↘ participants Leader: Linda Groom. Booking 600m Map:Bungendore and required. See online... Hoskinstown Transport: ?$10 per person Leader: John Evans. Book by: Thu 23 Sun 19 May: Majura – Ainslie traverse - M/E May, 2:00pm. See online... Meet at 8.00 am at the end of the houses in Antill Street, Hackett. Walk to the summit of Sat 25 - Mon 27 May: Budawangs - M/R/X Mount Majura, after descending the summit We will leave Canberra early on Saturday we’ll climb up on and follow a ridge between the morning and drive to the Wog Wog entrance two mountains. We'll walk to the top of Mount where we will leave a car or bike. We will then Ainslie along a trail on the eastern side. drive a short distance to the Nerriga Road about Following a morning tea break on Mount Ainslie 2 Km SW of the Corang River. From here we will we’ll return to the cars along walking trails follow a FT, cross the Corang R and then follow behind the houses in Ainslie and Hackett. About the Sheepstation Creek and Square Top Mtn FTs. 15 km of walking, all on track, with 600 metres We will then go off track to the saddle between of climbing. The walk should be completed by Square Top Mtn Fosters Mtn before doing a side around 1:00 pm. → 15 km (about 5 hours) ↗ 600 trip up STM and them crossing FM to the Styles ↘ 600 Maps: Canberra, Hall Transport: Self Walking Track and camping on Hoddle Creek. drive to the meeting spot. Limit: 16 There will be some rock scrambling and great participants Leader: Gerald Dodgson. Book views getting onto and off both STM and FM. On by: Fri 17 May, 5:00pm. See online... Sunday we will climb onto Hoddles Castle Hill and cross over the tops to Mt Hoddle, descend Wed 22 May: Wednesday walk - Medium Hard, through the cliffline with great views and then NPA sponsored - M/R camp on the upper reaches of Corang R. On Details to be provided by e-mail prior to Monday we will go to the Corang Loop track and walk Map: Nil Transport: Nil Leader: Mike Smith. walk back to Wog Wog. Map: Endrick and No need to book. See online... Corang Transport: $110/car Limit: 8 people participants Leader: Ian Hickson. Booking Wed 22 May: Wednesday walk E/M - M/E required. See online... Details to be provided by e-mail prior to walk Map: Nil Transport: Nil Leader: Robert Mon 27 May: Reconciliation Day visiting both Dewar. No need to book. See online... Indigenous and Pastoral Sites - L/E Leaving from Yankee Hat car park we will follow Sat 25 May: Cuumbeun Nature Reserve Wander the walking track, crossing Bogong Creek, to the - L/M/Part X Yankee Hat art site. From here we will follow fire The Cuumbeun NR is just east of Queanbeyan trails to the causeway over Bogong Creek, visit and is primarily open eucalypt woodland, Frank and Jacks Hut then down to join Old crossed by some deep ravines. This walk uses Boboyan Road which we will follow south to some of the Old Sydney Road which runs Hospital Creek Hut. We will then return north via through the NR and other management trails, (Continued on page 26)

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(Continued from page 25) May, 2:00pm. See online... the Gudgenby Bush Regeneration Track to (Sun 2) Mon 3 - Wed 5 Jun: Budawangs Walking- Foresters Hut and the cars → 16 km ↗ 450 ↘ Track Maintenance - S/- 450 Map: Yaouk and Rendezvous Budawang Track maintenance in the vicinity of CreekTransport: $40 per car ($10 - $13 Corang Plateau and Burrumbeet Brook supported pp.) Limit: 16 participants Leader: Phillip by National Parks and Wildlife Service, accessing Starr. Book by: Fri 24 May, 2:00pm. See online... by use of the short cut via the ‘Green Hut’, and camping in one location near Corang Peak. Day Wed 29 May: Wednesday walk E/M - M/E walks/pruning with members of the Shoalhaven Details to be provided by e-mail prior to Bushwalkers. Parks will provide breakfast and walk Map: Nil Transport: nil Leader: Michael dehydrated dinner (Back Country). You may wish Morriss. No need to book. See online... to bring your own food for dinner and you must provide your own lunches. Water tanks and gas Wed 29 May: Wednesday walk - Medium Hard, cooking provided at campsite. → 3 NPA sponsored - M/R days Maps: Corang 1:25,000. Transport: $120 per Details to be provided by e-mail prior to car Accommodation: Bush camping at Corang. walk Map: Nil Transport: Nil Leader: Mike Smith. Parks will provide breakfast and dehydrated No need to book. See online... dinner (Back Country). You may wish to bring your own food for dinner and you must provide your Sat 1 - Sun 2 Jun: Nursery Swamp and own lunches. Water tanks and gas cooking Rendezvous Creek - M/M provided at campsite. Limit: 8 This trip is suitable for people interested to try participants Leader: Quentin Moran. Book back pack walking. Saturday: Nursery Swamp car by: Mon 20 May, 2:00pm. See online... park - along the swamp to a saddle near Nursery Hill. Descend to Rendezvous Creek and camp at (Tue 4) Wed 5 - Mon 10 Jun: Jatbula Trail, NT - Black Sallee Grove. Sunday: Climb to the saddle M/E near Nursery Creek and follow footpad back to Last minute vacancy: A vacancy has turned up for the cars (out early on Sunday) → 10 km on this trip. Anyone interested needs to get in touch Saturday; 5 km on Sunday ↗ 200 metres each day before 15 May as after that the leader will be ↘ 200 metres each day Map: Rendezvous uncontactable. The Jatbula trail is a very popular Creek Transport: $28 per vehicle Leaders: Rob multi-day walk and the leader has secured a Horsfield, Jenny Horsfield. Booking required. See booking for a group of 8. Situated in Nitmiluk online... National Park, the 62 km walk follows the route travelled by generations of Jawoyn people from Sun 2 Jun: Settlers Track - M/E Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) to Leliyn (Edith Falls). This relatively easy walk explores some of the Following the western edge of the Arnhem Land huts in the southern Namadgi. We will visit Escarpment, the trail traverses sandstone plateau Brayshaws Homestead, Waterhole Hut and scrub, woodlands, open forest, sandstone Westermans Homestead. → 10km ↗ 200 ↘ monsoon forest and riverine landscapes. Each 200 Maps: Yaouk, Shannons night's camp will be at a beautiful waterhole or Flat Transport: approx $45 per vehicle Limit: 12 stream. Participants will need to submit a small participants Leader: Lisa Quilter. Book by: Thu 30 (Continued on page 27)

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(Continued from page 26) AAWT track to the cars → Distance about 8km ↗ Ascent ~400 m Map: Corin Dam Transport: $28 payment to secure their booking on the trip, per vehicle Leaders: Rob Horsfield, Jenny which may be refunded if their place can be filled Horsfield. Booking required. See online... by another person. This trip will also be put on the Coast and Mountains Walkers NSW program. Tue 25 Jun - Fri 19 Jul: Trekking in Mongolia - M/ → 62km Maps:Katherine (1:50000), Seventeen M Mile (1:50000) and Edith River Two walks with Mongolia Expeditions (http:// (1:50000). Transport: Transfers between www.mongolia-expeditions.com/). (a) Kharkhiraa Katherine and Jatbula, the previous night\'s camp Turgen Peaks area in NW Mongolia, 8 days actual at Katherine Gorge, the ferry across Katherine walking beside lakes and rushing rivers and Gorge, and the Jatbula camps have been booked among snow-capped peaks. Maximum walking for the group at a cost of $137.50 per person. elevation 2900 metres, maximum camping You will be required to organise your own flights/ elevation 2700 metres. (b) Altai Mountains, land transport to and from Katherine. The Western Mongolia, 8 days actual walking mostly greyhound bus from Darwin to Katherine return in the 2000 to 3000 metre range, with an is around $150pp.Accommodation: We will be optional side trip to climb snow-covered Malchin camping at Katherine Gorge the night before the Peak 4051 metres. Although the route is mostly Jatbula hike commences. Limit: 8 on tracks, some sections are rocky and there are participants Leader: Monika Binder. Book by: Tue some interesting creek crossings. Participants 30 Apr, 2:00pm. See online... require some experience at CBC 'Rough' grade, good general fitness, and a track record of getting Sat 8 Jun: Gorilla rock - S/R/X along well with others on extended trips. Costs We will walk part of the AAWT from Honeysuckle approx USD$3100 to USD$3400 per person Creek campground to collect geocache GC83AHH depending on number of participants. Cost Booroomba Bedrock before retracing our steps includes flights within Mongolia and other and detouring off-track to Gorilla Rock to collect transfers, accommodation in hotels and tents, all GC1TV31 King Kong. If we have any lock pickers meals while walking. We need to carry only day along we can also attempt GC69RT4 Torrevieja. packs. Itinerary includes rest days and some Relatively short walk, total climb about 200m. cultural visits. Map: tba Transport: Return air This is a great introductory walk for those new to fares Sydney to Ulan Bataar start around off-track walking. Accessible for anyone with AUD$1500, though some of us will probably take moderate fitness. → <10 km ↗ ~200 the more expensive option of overnighting in m? Map: Corin Dam Transport: ~ $10 per Hong Kong or Seoul Accommodation: Tented person Limit: 8 participants Leader: Robyn while trekking; hotels or hostels in towns, all Hall. Book by: Wed 5 Jun, 2:00pm. See online... included in price Limit: Minimum 6, maximum12 participants Leader: Linda Groom. Booking Sat 22 Jun: Winter solstice on the Spinnaker - required. See online... M/M/X Welcome the turning of the year on the Sat 20 - Sun 21 Jul: Cotter Rocks - Pond Creek - Spinnaker and its ridge. From Honeysuckle camp M/M ground explore the open space ~2km to the A moderately-paced walk from the Orroral Valley south and then climb the Spinnaker ridge and Car Park, ascending to Cotter Gap, then head north to the rock itself. Return via the (Continued on page 28)

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(Continued from page 27) exploring gorges on the way. Walk 2 (4 days): From Redbank Gorge, camp above the Camel descending to Pond Creek to stay overnight at a Pool in the main SE Creek for three nights and pleasant, grassy campsite. Return the next day. spend two days exploring interesting creeks and We will leave our packs to climb from Cotter Gap ridges on the eastern side of Mt Razorback. to the spectacular granite tors of Cotter Rocks on Return to Redbank Gorge. Steep slopes, spinifex, either day, depending on conditions. Park limit of rock scrambling - rough, off-track walking at a 8. Also on the program of the Coast and moderate pace in true wilderness conditions. Mountain Walkers of NSW. → Approx 24 kms Beautiful gorges, amazing views. Participants over the two days. ↗ Approx 800 metres ↘ must be experienced in off-track walking. Also on Approx 800 metres Maps: Corin Dam, the program of the Coast and Mountain Walkers Rendezvous Creek Transport: $50 per vehicle, of NSW. ↗ Variable, up to 600 metres on some ~$13 -17 pp. Limit: Park limit of 8 days ↘ Variable, up to 600 metres on some participants Leader: Meg McKone. Book by: Wed days Maps: West MacDonnell NP Map 2. 17 Jul, 2:00pm. See online... 1:100,000 Transport: Bus transport (3 legs) from Alice Springs $300+ to $500+, depending on Sun 21 Jul: Commemorating the day of the numbers. Accommodation: We will need to stay moon landing: walking the old Apollo Rd - S/M/ overnight in Alice Springs before and after the Part X trip. Limit: 8 participants Leader: Meg On 21 July 1969, the space station at McKone. Book by: Mon 28 Jan, 2:00pm. See Honeysuckle Creek relayed images to the world online... of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon. Let's walk the old Apollo Rd from the Sun 1 Sep - Sat 5 Oct: Hume and Hovell Track - former space tracking station, a route that fell L/M into disrepair after the sealed Apollo Rd was This walk was postponed from last year.... I plan built. Car shuttle required. ↘ ~ to walk the Hume and Hovell walking track 300m Maps: Corin Dam, (roughly from Yass to Albury) in the spring. I have Williamsdale Transport: 70 km, $28 per yet to decide exact dates, but the walk will be in vehicle Leaders: Jenny Horsfield, Rob September. The track is about 430 km long Horsfield. Booking required. See online... (depending on which source of information you believe), and has a total height gain of about Tue 6 - Sun 18 Aug: West MacDonnells 8,000 m. I have walked only a little of the track, exploration - M/R/X/W but all the information I have suggests that it is a Two partly exploratory walks in the West fairly easy walk on well marked trails, so I expect MacDonnells, NT. Walk 1 (7 days): Walk through to take no more than three weeks. If you are Hugh Gorge to camp for two nights in the interested in the walk, contact me on Macrozamia Amphitheatre and explore the 0422585519 or [email protected]. → mountains and creeks at the top end of Hugh approx 450 km ↗ approx 8000 ↘ approx Gorge. Then walk west along the northern side of 8000 Map: Hume and Hovell map the Chewings Range to Pyramid Gorge and cross set Transport:TBA - depends on numbers, and to the southern side of the Range via Spiral whether some participants will do only part of Canyon, then return to Hugh Gorge. Possible the walk Leader: Mac Kirby. Book by: Sat 10 Aug, variation- continue west on the north side of the 2:00pm. See online... Range to Ellery Creek, climbing Peak Alone and (Continued on page 29)

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(Continued from page 28) ~400m. Maps:Yerranderie, Bindook 1:25,000. Transport: Drive: ~$200 per Sun 8 Sep: Sherwood Daffodils - S/E car. Accommodation: We will camp beside our From Mountain Creek Road we will walk two cars at free campsites at Yerranderie and Batch kilometres gaining 165 metres in altitude to an Camp. Limit: 12 participants Leader: Meg open ridge with expansive views. We then McKone. Book by: Fri 6 Sep, 2:00pm. See proceed to Sherwood Homestead site for online... morning tea among the daffodils and jonquils. Our return is by a different route. Total distance Thu 17 - Mon 21 Oct: The Castle to Byangee is about 8 km (Mostly on forest roads and Mountain - L/R/Part X tracks). Total climb is about 300 metres. We will This will be a classic hike around some of the be home in time for lunch. → 8 Km ↗ 300 ↘ iconic areas of the eastern Morton National Park. 300 Map: Cotter Dam Transport: $6 per We start and finish at Long Gully Campground person Limit:16 participants Leader: Phillip taking in the Castle, Monolith Valley, Donjon Starr. Book by: Fri 6 Sep, 2:00pm. See online... Mountain, Angel Creek, Hollands Gorge, the Clyde River, Pickering Point, and Byangee Fri 20 - Mon 23 Sep: Give a Dam information Mountain. The climb up the Castle and, and fundraiser- Yerranderie area - L/R particularly Point Pickering, will involve rock 20-23 September Give a Dam Campaign - climbing/scrambling some of it on fixed ropes. If Yerranderie area, Blue Mountains The aim is to the party is inclined, we could combine Day 4 support the campaign to prevent the wall of and Day 5 and get out a day earlier, or avoid Warragamba Dam being raised, with subsequent climbing Pickering Point and taking another damage to the Blue Mountains World Heritage route. For experienced overnight hikers who are Area. Come and see some of the areas which comfortable with rock scrambling/climbing, and would be affected. Participants are invited to creek walking. When booking (and if you are make a donation to the campaign. On Friday unknown to the leader) please advise of any morning, drive to Yerranderie in the south relevant experience. ↗ The climb up to the eastern Blue Mountains to camp next to the cars Castle is around 800m. The climb up Byangee free for two nights. Friday pm: Explore this old Walls is around 400m Map: Corang mining town or ascend Yerranderie Peak. 1:25000 Transport: Around 300km return or Saturday: Follow the fire trail to Byrnes Gap, $120 per car from Lyneham.Limit: 6 ascend Gander Head and explore the Axeheads, participants Leader: Monika Binder. Booking with wide-ranging views. Sunday: Drive back to required. See online... the Mt Armour Fire Trail and ascend basalt- capped Mt Colong, the highest peak in the (Sat 19) Mon 21 - Tue 29 Oct: Gibraltar- southern Blue Mountains. Camp for free by the Washpool World Heritage Walk - M/M cars at Batsh Camp. Monday: Drive home (about This World Heritage Walk is in the Gibraltar 4.5 hours). Joint CBC/NPA Activity. → Range - Washpool NP in northern NSW, on the Yerranderie Peak: ~3km; Axeheads: ~20km; Mt Gwydir H'wy north-east of Glen Innes. It Colong: ~13 or 17km depending on route. ↗ comprises a five-day circuit walk around a high Yerranderie Peak: ~300m; Axeheads: ~500m; Mt plateau amongst areas of granite outcrops, Colong: ~400m. ↘ Yerranderie Peak: ~300m; heathland, tall eucalypt forest, rainforest with Axeheads: ~500m; Mt Colong: (Continued on page 30)

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(Continued from page 29) participants Leader: Meg McKone. Book by: Fri 27 Sep, 2:00pm. See online... rare red cedars and tree ferns, and prolific spring flowers including waratahs. The main track is Sat 26 Oct: Cotter Dam and Mt McDonald - S/E approx 50 kms with another 50 kms of side- Meet at 10am at the Cotter Camping area car tracks. Some of the side walks can be done as park near the toilets. It is just past the extra day walks (I've allowed two days for these) Murrumbidgee River bridge on the left. We will in order to keep each day of the five-day pack consolidate the cars and drive the few km to the walk at a moderate length. → 10-20 kms per day. start point of the walk. We will walk to a lookout ↗ A few hundred metres per day. ↘ A few over the dam and then climb Mt McDonald, hundred metres per day. Maps: Tenterfield, which provides views in all directions. → 2 to 2 Newton Boyd 1:100,000; National Park 1/2 hrs ↗ 200 Map: Cotter Dam Transport: Drive booklet Transport: $$$ lots. Canberra to the NP yourself but I will arrange transport if and return, plus some internal needed. Limit: 16 participants Leader: Stan driving. Accommodation: Bush camping and Marks. Booking required. See online... camping beside cars, $6 pp/pn. NP entry is $8 per vehicle pd, or an annual parks pass. Limit: 8

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BULLETIN BOARD

The Bulletin Board is for members to advertise (at no cost) goods for sale, private trips or other personal bushwalking-related matters. The Club is not involved in, takes no responsibility for, and does not endorse, the activities or goods advertised here. Hence, if people participate in any activities advertised here, they do so as private individuals, not as members of the Club, and will not be covered by the Club’s insurance.

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CBC Publication Policy is outlined on the website at https://canberrabushwalkingclub.org/about-us/governance-and-policies/publication-guidelines/

In general, contributions to It can be anything associated with bushwalking and reflect the diversity of activities provided by the Club. If possible, try to limit your articles to a maximum of two to three pages of text or about 1000 -1500 words, but shorter or longer than this will most likely be accepted in the interests of reflecting diversity and likely interest to readers. If you send a photo which is not yours, make sure you have permission to use it. Include the name of the photographer. Word is the most acceptable text software and jpg files the most desirable image software. The closing date for contributions to each issue of It is the fourth Wednesday of every month. Send contributions to [email protected]

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