IT April 2005 – Page 1 Meantime, We Will Need to Borrow Us Afterwards Saying That He’D Met President’Spresident’S Or Hire Projectors
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THE NEWSLETTER itit OF CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB Volume 41, Number 3 April 2005 Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc PO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 APRIL GENERAL MEETING 8pm Wednesday 20th Photo courtesy of the Mt Jillicambra Health and Fitness Club Preventing and managing bushwalking injuries Speaker: Henry Wajswelner No longer below the belt! By popular demand, Henry Wajswelner returns to cover bushwalking in- jury prevention and management from the waist up. One of Australia’s most highly-regarded sports physiotherapists, Mr Wajswelner is Chairman of Sports Physiotherapy Australia at the Department of Physical Therapies, Australian Institute of Sport. In addition to being highly experienced and qualifi ed, he is a keen bushwalker himself, so his presentation should be very practical and informa- tive for all age groups and levels of bushwalking enjoyed by club members. Main meeting room, St. John’s Church Hall Constitution Avenue, Reid Canberra Bushwalking Club IT April 2005 – page 1 meantime, we will need to borrow us afterwards saying that he’d met President’sPresident’s or hire projectors. So if you have Steve Galliford and party on Mt access to one and wouldn’t mind Murray. Another was Irene Davies’s PrattlePrattle lending it for a night, Cynthia Bur- trip to the upper Tuross and Mt Jil- ton, our social secretary would like licambra, a spectacular venue. It to hear from you. See the back page was a great trip to an area to which Those who have never been to of it for her contact details. the writer hadn’t been before and to which he is sure to go again. Depot Beach or Mt Durras should However, a motion will be put to have come with Jenny Horsfi eld the next General Meeting seeking Meg McKone will be out of circula- on 5 and 6 March. The views from authorisation to make the purchase. tion for a while to have an operation Durras are always great, with Pigeon See page 7 of this it. on ligaments in a shoulder. Her House to the north, the Budawangs walks in the Blue Mountains at this And while we are on technology, to the west and the sea to the east. time of the year are always popular. take a look at the club’s web site. Gloria particularly liked the sea. We wish her a speedy recovery. There were dolphins, large goannas The address is on the back page of and sea eagles. And we watched the this it. It is new and looks great. Our club president, Stan, has a softening light play in the canopies Many thanks to Allan Mikkelsen few minor medical problems to be of the trees as the day faded. who doubles as web master on top put right and he also will be out of of his formal role as membership circulation for a while. The walks Also visible from Depot Beach secretary. program won’t look the same with- though well to the south was Stan Marks President out the Mighty Stan’s trips. We wish Mt Dromedary. It doesn’t looks him speedy recovery as well. much like a camel to me, though I do concede that Cook, who named WalksWalks Concerning our local fauna, on the it, saw it from the sea. Dromedary Tuross at Easter we were able to is an old chestnut which loses none WafflWaffl ee have a good look at a Death Ad- of its charm with time so I went der, only the second I’d seen in the there with Barry Keeley on the The walks program this month and wild, a Fishing Spider bigger than Canberra Day weekend, my fourth into early May offers some great my hand (I was so intent looking at time. It is worth it just to hear the trips. Whilst most spots on the it that I lost my balance and almost bell birds. The second walk that schedule have walks, as always fell into the river) and a huge gal- weekend, to Hanging Mountain there is room for more, particularly lery of social wasps along a slight and Two Eagles Mountain in the with regard to day trips. overhang in a riverside cliff-face. Deua National Park just inland from There was plenty of sign for wom- At this time of the year it is perfect Moruya, was a corker too. As Barry bats and kangaroo/wallaby but no walking and camping weather. For said, ‘a scenic rain forest walk with sightings. Some of our group were those to whom it may be relevant mountain vistas and lush fern gul- able to draw our attention to the please note Keith Thomas’s begin- lies’, well worth the drive. high pitched “barking” of sugar ners weekend walk to an absolute- gliders in the early evening dark and Many of you enjoy the club’s gen- ly delightful venue (see program). we spotted a few small bats too. We eral meetings on the third Wednes- We were talking about this recently. saw Lyre Birds,ducks, parrots and day of each month. The social One of the problems for beginners cockatoos, and several honey eaters secretary has kept up a series of is not only the choice of food and including an Eastern Spinebill with good presentations with more in gear for a weekend, but the excess its collar and cinnamon coloured planning. Most of these talks have volume and weight of the same that breast. At one camp site we could been illustrated with slides but with could be avoided. This would be a hear what I thought were a type of changing technology, more and good opportunity to resolve a few Rifl e Bird but couldn’t sight them. more potential speakers want to use of these issues. The club has a rea- There was a scat that our leader a digital projector.So far we have sonable cache of equipment that is called upon us to identify and I been able to borrow digital projec- usually for hire but on loan without think there were eight different tors but the committee decided at charge for fi rst-night-out beginners. opinions as to its likely source. its March meeting that we will need Over Easter there were a number to buy a projector soon if we are to In the meantime, Good Walking! of trips that went well. The weather have interesting, attractive meetings was perfect. We had had an enquiry in the future. We will wait a few from a Sydney walker concerning Rob Horsfi eld months before doing so and, in the tracks near Scabby. He got back to Walks Secretary Page 2 – Canberra Bushwalking Club IT April 2005 WalkingWalking thethe GrandGrand RandonnéeRandonnée 55 – presentation– presentation by byMark MarkFowler Fowler The Grand Randonnée 5 runs from the North Sea to the Mediterranean covering 2,500km, traversing fi ve countries with constantly varying terrain and cultures. This topic was covered at the General Meeting on Wednesday 16 March by Mark Fowler, who described his walk with the aid of some excellent digital photographs. The delightful lac de Trecolpas in the Mercantour National Park Mark’s focus for his presentation was not only the picturesque scen- sometimes diffi cult to buy food. A much steeper in the Mount Blanc ery shown in his photographs, but series of days walks were under- area. It is important to remember also his many comments that would taken returning at night to the youth that this area is subject to late af- help Club members should anyone hostel. Average cost of one night’s ternoon thunder storms and best to decide to repeat the walk. accommodation is around 30/40 cross streams before this occurs. euros, that includes bed, breakfast, His walk covered 2,000km of the and dinner. It is possible to walk Insurance is an important issue as 2,500km track. Mark walked an the GR 5 without a tent or sleep- the State or country does not cover average of 20 km a day. The walk ing bag. It is possible to put up a search and rescue costs. The indi- started in May and fi nished around tent away from villages. Many of vidual needs to pay for these. Insur- the third week in August. The ideal the National Parks have organised ance can be obtained from FFRP at time to go to the Alps on such a accommodation, referred to as around 28 euros. Maps need to be walk is between mid June and Octo- Refuges – similar to our huts in the obtained prior to arriving in an area ber when the high passes are open. Australian Alps. as countries can be parochial about their district and do not have cop- Each of the countries that are Out-of-season trips could mean ies of the next section of the track. crossed by the GR 5 maintains the a lack of accommodation. There Guide books can be purchased paths that already exist as a part is a need to book in peak season with 1:50,000 scale maps enclosed of the longer track. Walking in at National Parks, a day or two except for the English guide book Europe is not about the wilderness ahead. Some log cabins had been (no maps). but rather a cultural experience of maintained just for walkers to use. Kaaren Sephton baths, comfortable beds, and res- Belgium has old monasteries, and taurants. The signage for the walk the Albert Canal is still traveled through the Netherlands was a red by industrial traffi c. One of the and white triangle on signposts or slides pictured a dug out log that marked on the face of rocks.