NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION (ACT) INCORPORATED Vision for Namadgi Old days recalled Iceland - land of ice and fire! NPA BULLETIN Volume 34 number 2 June 1997 CONTENTS Liaison on the Australian Alps Nursery Swamp rock art walking track 3 conservation study 12 Eleanor Stodart Clive Hurlstone A vision for Namadgi National Park 4 Parkwatch 13 Cathy Tighe Selected by Len Haskew Focusing our vision on Namadgi 6 Strategy puts conservation first 14 Stephen Johnston Graeme Wicks Alistair Morrison - life member 7 Obituary: Allen Strom AM 15 Fiona MacDonald Brand Three Mile Dam 7 Iceland - land of fire and ice! 16 Muriel Edwards Judith Webster Bobyan Pines clearing 8 Access fees for Tidbinbilla 17 Wilson's Promontory submission 10 Graeme Wicks Timothy Walsh Yerrabi Track - the first decade 18 Workshop on planning for reserves and Reg Alder Namadgi Park 11 Robin Miller Surveyors in the south 18 Matthew Higgins Old days recalled 12 Graeme Wicks Lifting the shield 19 Martin Chalk National Parks Association (ACT) Incorporated Inaugurated 1960 The NPA (ACT) office is located in Maclaurin Cres, Chjfley, Aims and objectives of the Association next to the preschool and is staffed by Dianne Bostjancic. Of­ • Promotion of national parks and of measures for the pro­ fice hours are: tection of fauna and flora, scenery, natural features and 10am to 2pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays cultural heritage in the Australian Capital Territory and Telephone/Fax: (06) 282 5813 elsewhere, and the reservation of specific areas. Address: PO Box 1940, Woden ACT 2606 • Interest in the provision of appropriate outdoor recreation areas. Membership • Stimulation of interest in, and appreciation and enjoyment New members are welcome and should enquire through the of, such natural phenomena and cultural heritage by or­ NPA office. ganised field outings, meetings or any other means. Subscription rates (1 July to 30 June) • Cooperation with organisations and persons having simi­ Household members $30 Single members $25 lar interests and objectives. Corporate members $20 Bulletin only $20 • Promotion of, and education for, conservation, and the plan­ Concession $15 ning of landuse to achieve conservation. For new subscriptions joining between: 1 January and 31 March—half specified rate Office-bearers and committee 1 April and 30 June—annual subscription President Eleanor Stodart 281 5004(h) Vice-president Clive Hurlstone 288 7592(h); NPA Bulletin 246 5516(w) Contributions of articles, line drawings and photographs in­ Immediate cluding colour prints are welcome and should be lodged with past president Beverley Hammond 288 6577(h) the office or Syd Comfort (286 2578). Secretary and Deadline for September issue: 1 August 1997. outings coordinator Max Lawrence 288 1370(h) Treasurer Mike Smith 286 2984(h) Articles by contributors may not necessarily reflect Association opinion or objectives. Len Haskew 281 4268(h); fax 231 4257 Stephen Johnston 254 3738(h); 264 3967(w) This bulletin was produced by the NPA Bulletin Working Group Robin Miller 281 6314(h); 201 2191(w) with assistance from Green Words. Funds provided by the ACT Government under the ACT Environment Grants Program Cover photo assisted in the production of this issue. The 112 mile ACT border survey marker with NPA members - Printed by Copy-Qik Printers, Canberra, ACT on 1997. Matthew Higgins'article on page 18gives the background recycled paper. to this photo. Photo by Reg Alder. ISSN 0727-8837 President's foreword Heritage Month - the month of April and Reserves are very much the Conservation staff on overtime to in the ACT - was a month worth theme of the moment. If committee rehabilitate the areas.. A second celebrating this year for the NPA. members seem unnaturally day's workparty was aborted when Not only were we able to join the obsessed with them it is a few cyclists turned up and then staff Parks and Conservation Service in consequence of the need to follow the were called away to bushfires, but a ceremony celebrating the NPA's early work towards the will need to be rescheduled to completion of work on Orroral setting aside of areas of especial complete the work. Considerable Homestead but three members natural value with procedures that labour and a backhoe were needed received personal recognition from ensure they keep their value. to reshape the firetrail drains to the Heritage Council. Matthew Fortunately, respect for natural prevent water eroding the ruts Higgins received one of the three values prevailed this summer, and further, and to return rocks and bull Heritage Awards for his work on the Black Mountain did not have to dust (except that forming a fine surveying of the ACT border, and suffer the onslaught of hundreds of coating over all the trees) to the Syd and Barbara Comfort received mountain bikes in the national track area. Thank heavens it didn't one of the three Heritage Garden championships. Then faced with rain immediately after the event! Awards. No one who knows opposition to running the downhill Seed from nature grasses and Matthew's work or the Comfort's event on the Casuarina Walking ryecon, and jute matting and a garden will be surprised but I am Track on the western slope of Mt judicious use of sterile hay bales or sure we are all pleased that they Majura (a "minor variation" from a dirt humps and litter hopefully will have received this recognition. route down the eastern slopes!) the ensure a good recovery. Artificial watering has been necessary and The ceremony at Orroral Mountain Bike Association will probably need to be repeated. Homestead was a fitting conclusion withdrew that proposal, and the Monitoring sites have been to the years of work. It is described event was finally run from near the established and fenced. However, it fully on page 12. Here I would like top of Mt Majura, down a firetrail will take time and the area will need to thank Minister Gary Humphries in Canberra Nature Park and then to be protected from further for officiating, the staff of Parks and east into the Majura Pines. The disturbance. Conservation, particularly Peter track actually had four deviations Hann and Craig Richardson, for off the firetrail and these became I usually leave writing this organising the event and NPA deeply rutted where the cyclists had foreword to the last minute and so members Matthew Higgins, Max to brake. The work needed to repair do not leave enough time to gather Lawrence and Len Haskew for their the damage and the time it will take my thoughts most effectively. In the contributions. I would also like to will give a very good indication of March issue I neglected to thank. Reg Alder, Fiona MacDonald the difficulty of reconciling the needs acknowledge some of the assistance Brand and Len Haskew for of such an event with the needs of a provided at the Christmas Party. preparing the photographic display nature reserve. The exceptionally Len Haskew helped guide the and Di Thompson for bringing her dry weather will not make drivers in and out, and he, Fiona photographs. It was wonderful to rehabilitation easy, but it is a MacDonald Brand and Reg Alder have such a good response from the normal climatic variation that needs collected and returned the key to the McKeahnie and Gregory families - to be allowed for. gate, and organised the area for the the car and the propeller added their Canberra Off Road Cyclists have party, and, most important, set up own ambience to the occasion. had a day's workparty under the the Christmas Tree. Management Plans for ACT Parks supervision of Parks and Eleanor Stodart Liaison on the Australian Alps Walking Track The Australian Alps Walking Track The meeting was attended by and that was all we saw of the has three separate administrative rangers from the three Park services Victorian Alps. bodies as it passes through two representing all the areas through The meeting began with an states and the ACT, so the which the track passes, and by introduction on the track, covered Australian Alps Liaison Committee representatives of community from south to north by the relevant sponsored a two day meeting at groups such as NSW and ACT NPA, rangers. A recurrent theme was "I Tawonga near Bright on 11-12 federations of walking clubs and don't know my bit properly yet as I February to discuss issues on the Canberra Bushwalkers. A motel at have just moved into this position", management of the track and to Tawonga with a magnificent view of but we did get a good overall picture establish some guidelines for a Mt Buffalo was taken over, but it of the track and the different strategy working group to look at in was definitely a working occasion problems encountered. more detail. continued on p. 5 A vision for Namadgi National Park This is an edited version of an address given to the National Parks Association by Dr Colin Adrian, Director, ACT Parks and Conservation Service, on 20 February 1997. The ACT Parks and Conservation An Asset Management Service sees its role as a land manager - Strategy is also currently to manage Namadgi as custodian, on being prepared. Initially, the behalf of the Government, for residents Strategy will only cover the and visitors. To undertake such a role management of all built requires sound management practice in assets such as recreational conservation; in preservation and facilities and other heritage; in the management of park infrastructure. However, it users; and in the interface between the will eventually extend to Parks and adjacent land owners include cultural heritage (including other Parks, private lessees, sites, natural resources and freehold land owners and ACT Forests). ecological assets. It also requires a partnership with the The ACT Nature Based community, particularly the NPA, hut Tourism Strategy, recently also other groups who have a particular launched by the Minister, interest in the Park.