g o r F e e r o b o r r o iitt C Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc PO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 Volume: 47 www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org Number: 10 November 2011 GENERAL MEETING 8 pm Wednesday 16 November 2011 In this issue Walking the Camino 2 President’s prattle 2 Walks waffl e Presenter: Tony Kevin 2 Training trifl es 3 Review: There’s a bear in Former diplomat and ambassador Tony Kevin, who has lived in Canberra with his family since retiring from DFAT in 1997, walked a 1200 kilometre there – 19 October 2011 Camino pilgrimage route in Spain in 2006, from Granada in Andalucia 4 Blue Mountains weekend to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It took him 8½ weeks. It wasn’t 5 Encounters with the bushwalking as we understand it in Australia, and Tony mostly stayed in Snowy River simple but comfortable country inns; but it was a challenging walk all the 6 Membership matters same. Tony looks forward to talking and answering questions about his journey and about the Spanish Camino (which has several alternative 6 In the Club routes) in general. There will be some copies of his book ‘Walking the 7 Activity program Camino’ (Scribe, 2007) available at an author’s discount. 10 CBC Xmas Party 11 Bulletin Board Main hall, 11 Wednesday walks Hughes Baptist Church, 32–34 Groom Street, Hughes Important dates 16 Novembermber Generalal mmeetingeeeting 23 Novembermber Committeettee memeetingeting 23 Novembermbeer Submissionssions close foforr Decemberberr it 16 Decembermber Xmas party Committee reports President’s Walks Training prattle waffl e trifl es t the AGM some members here are good trips on the pro- ou can view the Club’s train- Asigned a petition to protect the Tgram over the next walking Ying calendar on the Training Gardens of Stone from a proposed month (12 Nov to 12 Dec) but as and Safety page on the CBC web open cut mine. At the last committee happens there are occasional gaps on site. The next event on 6 Decem- meeting it was agreed to support this weekends. Over the Festive Season, ber is ‘Preparing for an overnight campaign by sending a letter to the no it is published for January so the bushwalk’. Do contact Paul to book NSW Minister for the Environment December it has to schedule walks – see the Walks Program for details. and Heritage requesting that the from ~12 Dec to 12 Feb (preferably open cut mine proposal be rejected. the end of Feb). Leaders are invited It’s never too late to start leading to contribute walks for this period. walks, even if you missed the recent John Kyatt was reappointed as new leaders’ information night. We the Club’s auditor at the October The ‘Announce’ system for short- can help you with mentors and/or General Meeting. notice walks is working well. Hope- co-leaders. Do contact the Walks fully leaders would usually try to get Secretary. Quentin Moran and John Thwaite their walks scheduled in it and use have been appointed as Conserva- ‘Announce’ on an incidental rather To get a snapshot of Club members’ tion Associates for our Club and, than routine basis. I think over-use navigation capabilities, we’ll be together with Nathan Holt (Con- would lessen its effectiveness. conducting short, post-walk surveys servation Officer) will represent in the new year. Just a return of us at various conservation forums It’s good to see the following numbers, not names. Please be during the year. We have a vacancy people newly listed on the Club’s willing to be involved, as a walk for one more Conservation Associ- Leaders Register: Paul Bowen, leader or walk participant. ate and invite interested members Kate Dawson, Nathan Holt, Richele to nominate for the position by Rasmussen, Barrie Ridgway and TipS of the month: You head on contacting Nathan (0414 628 429 Llewellyn Sibley-Punnett. As you 90° magnetic for 1.5 km towards a or [email protected]). would appreciate, encouragement hut built beside a north-south track. helps, so please give them plenty You reach the track, but see no hut. It was agreed at the last committee of support by going on their walks. Do you turn left or right to reach it? meeting that the Club set up a Face- If, instead, you set your compass on book page. Further information will In the hot weather, trips are fre- 85° magnetic, on reaching the track be provided as planning progresses. quently planned for rivers, the coast you know you can confi dently turn or the High Country. However, if right to reach the hut. This is called A $200 donation has been presented, you are walking in the heat, please aiming off. on the Club’s behalf to Snowy remember: adequate fitness and Hydro SouthCare. It is reassuring water and suitable clothing—par- TipS question of the month: What that this helicopter rescue service ticularly a functional hat. We had grid-magnetic angle would you use is available if any bushwalker needs some hyperthermic (excess heat) for walking in Namadgi National such assistance. cases in recent years. Park? Would this do for walking on the Bibbulmun Track in WA? Congratulations and many thanks The 9th Annual Worn Boot Bash Send your answers to training@ to our new walk leaders (see Walks was on Sat 29 October and led by canberrabushwalkingclub.org or Waffl e). It is wonderful to see so many John Evans. The 33 km involved a ring 6288 7235. Kudos to the fi rst new leaders prepared to contribute to low route from the Tidbinbilla picnic randomly selected correct answer the success of our great club. Please area to the north of Black Springs received by the 4th Wednesday of encourage them by walking with Mountain then high, back along the month, in categories ‘member them whenever you can. We currently the ridge, over the Camels Hump < 5 years’ and ‘member > 5 years’. have a varied and interesting walks and down to the car. John arranged program but this will be greatly for the weather to be kind and was Answer to last month’s question: enhanced with the additional leaders. patient with the writer who found it The two locations are the same. The number of overnight pack walks hard to keep-up with him, Keith and One is based on the ADG66 map (especially for first timers) will Avi. I think it was something in the datum and the other, the GDA94 increase but more importantly there water that they were drinking. Avi map datum. will be more day walks to meet the said he accidentally had detergent g o John Evans r F e e r o b o r r o current demand. These extra day C in his. It made me wonder about the Training and Safety Offi cer walks will have the potential to reduce others? But it was a good day and I the number of participants in each would strongly encourage those who walk by spreading them over various would like a little challenge to go on walks. This will make these walks the 10th next year. more enjoyable and also the smaller numbers will enhance walkers’ safety. In the meantime, good walking! g o r F e e r o b o r r o C g o r F e e r o b o r r o Phillip Starr Rob Horsfi eld C g o r F e e r o b o r President Walks Secretary r o C Page 2 – Canberra Bushwalking Club it November 2011 g ro F e re o b o r r o C Review of general meeting talk atthew Higgins returned to and the fur traders Mthe club to give another of his from Europe soon excellent presentations at our Octo- copied them. ber meeting. He told us of a recent trip with his wife, Stephanie, to the In such a rich United States and Canada, a jour- landscape, there ney that took them from the bright was also plenty lights and stunning architecture of of evidence of New York to Skagway, the port in how much has south-eastern Alaska from which been lost through nineteenth century adventurers set human settle- out on their journey to the goldfi elds ment. The bison, of the Yukon. powerful sym- bol of the great The year of their travels—2010— plains, came very was the International Year of Biodi- near to extinction. versity, and this was an appropriate By the 1880s, it time to encounter the amazing rich- is estimated that ness of life on the North American the giant herds, continent. Matthew saw peregrine numbering up to falcons circling around the glass 30 million ani- and steel towers of Manhattan, and mals, had been a wide variety of small mammals reduced by hunt- and water birds, which make their ing, to about home in the city’s green heart, 2000. Beavers, Central Park. Some of Matthew’s clever builders of and Stephanie’s photos celebrated dams and lodges, were ruthlessly young. And like mountain regions the enormous expanse of water – hunted by fur traders, as their fur throughout the world, they seem 20% of the world’s surface water was in great demand for fashion- to be imbued with spiritual signifi - – stored in the Great Lakes, which able hats in Europe. Now that the cance, arousing awe and wonder in lie just south of the train route west species is protected, their numbers the onlooker. from Toronto. Ontario is home to are starting to recover.