T h e Bushwalker Volume 30 Issue 4 Upper Geehi and Tarn Bluff, Kosciusko National Park Winter 2005 Walk Safely—Walk with a Club The Bushwalker ‘Where Am I’ Competition Picture 9 Picture 11 Picture Picture 12 Each Issue has four photos taken picked out of a hat. So get your per issue, Mountain Equipment has somewhere in NSW in places where entries in as fast as possible! donated one $100 voucher and their bushwalkers go. These will NOT be You can also see these pictures on the allied store Trek & Travel has donated obscure places. Confederation web site, along with one $100 voucher per issue. You have to identify the place and descriptions and winners. Any financial member of an affiliated roughly where the photographer Bushwalking Club can enter. We may was standing for any ONE of the Entry requirements check with your Club membership pictures. (You do not have to iden- secretary, so make sure you are finan- Just saying something like ‘Blue Gum tify all four.) cial, so you must include the name of Forest’ would not be enough. How- Send your answers (up to four per your club with your entry. ever, something like ‘Blue Gum Forest issue) to the: The Editor’s decision is final. After all, from the start of the descent down [email protected] he took the photos. This does mean DuFaurs Buttress’ would qualify. In as quickly as possible. that some areas of NSW may not ap- short, provide enough information Usually, only one prize per person pear in the competition for a while. that someone else could navigate to will be awarded from each issue of My apologies to Clubs in those areas. that spot and take a close approxima- The Bushwalker. You can score in tion to the photo. Of course, if you successive issues. want to give a map name and grid Results from last issue reference, that would be fine too. Photo 5: Top of Slack Stairs, Wentworth Falls. Deadline for entries Identified by Michael Keats, Bush Club. The Editor may start allocating prizes Photo 6: ?? Identified by no-one yet. as and when qualifying entries arrive. The prizes? Photo 7: Mt Solitary from near Wentworth Falls. Identified by Colin Wood, Armidale. The competition remains open if Three companies well-known to us all Photo 8: Gooches Crater from N end. there are no correct entries for a pho- have donated cash vouchers redeem- Identified by Miss Robyn Hobson, Sutherland. to. If several really correct entries for able in their stores. The Paddy Pallin So you can still lodge entries for photos a photo arrive together, one will be group has donated two $50 vouchers 2 and 6. 2 | The Bushwalker Volume 30, Issue 4, Winter 2005 Walk Safely—Walk with a Club T h e Bushwalker From the editor’s desk. The Official Publication of the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW elcome to the third issue of the new colour version of The Volume 30, Issue 4, Winter 2005 Bushwalker, the magazine of the Confederation of Bushwalking ISSN 0313 2684 WClubs NSW. The last two issues have been well received, with several people making suggestions for improvements. The principle one was Editor: Roger Caffin that we should identify places mentioned in articles better - where IS the [email protected] Serpentine River? (Armidale, actually.) This will be done in future. Graphic Design: Barry Hanlon Apology: The article on the Serpentine River was written by Colin Wood, not the author given in the previous issue. My apologies to Colin for this silly Confederation Officers: mistake. President: Margaret Covi In this issue we have yet another development. The last two issues were put [email protected] Administration Officer: together by the Editor using InDesign, but while the results were pleasing, it [email protected] was clear to some that the editor was not an expert with InDesign. In fact, Barry Hanlon was moved to offer his assistance as an experienced graphics Website: www.bushwalking.org.au designer, and the layout of this issue is all his own work. I welcome Barry to the editorial team! Address all correspondence to: Now what we need is someone to help us with the advertising and PO Box 2090, GPO, Sydney 2001 marketing, both for this magazine and the nascent ‘Bush Pages’ on the web site. This magazine is expensive to produce and the colour advertisements help The Confederation of Bushwalking cover the costs. The web site also costs the Confederation money, and we have Clubs NSW Inc represents decided to have a commercial area under the heading ‘Bush Pages’ which can approximately 65 Clubs with a total carry relevant paid advertisements. But we need an experienced marketing membership of about 10,000 person to drive both of these areas. Enquiries please to bushwalkers. [email protected]. Formed in 1932, the Confederation We can’t produce this magazine without something to print. Clubs and provides a united voice on behalf of all members are encouraged to submit relevant articles, with a strong preference bushwalkers on conservation, access for those with good pictures. We will also accept articles from outside bodies and other issues. It runs training courses for members, where the articles seem relevant to members. Articles may be edited for length helps to provide a free wilderness and content to help fit into our page limit. Pictures should be sent at maximum search and rescue organisation, and resolution: 300 dpi preferred. Really long articles may not fit - sorry about helps runs bush navigation that. Contributions should be sent to [email protected] competitions. Please note that opinions expressed by authors do not always represent the People interested in joining a official opinions of the Confederation or any of the Clubs. The Editor’s bushwalking club may write to the opinions don’t represent anyone at all. Confederation Administration (below) Roger Caffin for a list of Clubs, but a more up-to- Editor date version can be found on the Con- federation website at www.bushwalking.org.au, broken up into areas. Index Photo Competition 2 Pagoda Country 4 Venus Tor 5 Subscribe to The Bushwalker Culoul Pass 6 Keep up with all the news and developments happening in the NSW bushwalking scene for Chris Baxter steps down 7 only $10 per year. This is to cover posting and Nitmiluk National Park 8 handling: the magazine itself is free. Send your name and address and cheque or Search & Rescue 11 money order to Confederation of Bushwalking Map Sale 11 Clubs NSW, PO Box 2090, GPO Sydney 2001. Make the cheque or money order payable to Colo River Passes and Routes, Book Review 12 the Confederation as well. Day Walks in the Lower Grose, Book Review 13 Also please indicate if you are a member of a bushwalking club, and if not whether you Farewell Ray Tyson 14 would like a copy of the list of our clubs. Gear for Sale 14 You do have to be a member of one of our clubs to enter the ‘Where Am I’ Competition. Volume 30, Issue 4, Winter 2005 The Bushwalker | 3 Walk Safely—Walk with a Club Pagoda Country Michael Keats, The Bush Club A Trip Report will normally identify the relevant area so the reader can do the walk. However, because this area includes some of the most fragile and ecologically sensitive areas of the Wollemi Wilderness, no Grid Reference readings are given. The route is perforce very precise and travel in the area without someone who has been there before is not recommended. - MK, RNC. nchantment! A word pregnant crystals in a scene with anticipation - a word that reminiscent of an old Econjures in the mind a com- fashioned Christmas plete seduction of the faculties - a card. The external car word to transport the enchantee to thermometer regis- other worlds. Believe me, our leader tered 3 degrees Cel- took us there today. The weather sius, yet on alighting could not have been more perfect; a to greet the rest of clear blue sky, zero wind, and a tem- the crew it was not perature range that kept the body and unpleasant - just mind focused on the beauty around fresh. us while wanting to keep moving. It 09:00 Our leader was a day when all the superlatives had put away the pa- Holts Heaven that are used to describe great walks perwork, quizzed us were inadequate to describe the emo- on water supplies and we were off exploration track. There was plenty of tional pull that only nature can exert walking on Subsidence Row. The Row evidence that people moving through in Pagoda Country. gets its name from the unstable the area had not valued the intrinsic ut let me start at the beginning. ground caused by coal mining hun- worth of this special place. BAs we drove up to the meeting dreds of metres below. When the final From a high point of 1020m we point at Clarence the trees and road- support columns of coal are removed, dropped down a contour to a rock side herbage were dusted with ice the ceiling of the mine collapses onto outcrop for morning tea (09:50). The the floor under the weight view ahead was of Coopers Ridge, of rock above. The settling which we were to climb. Between us process can take years and and the crest of Coopers Ridge was a is often at different rates. 100m descent into the Bungleboori No problems for us on the Creek and then a 130m climb to the day.