THE CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB INC. NEWSLETTER it GPO Box 160, Canberra ACT 2601 VOLUME 37 December 2001 NUMBER 12 DECEMBER GENERAL MEETING 6pm Sunday 16th Christmas Party 20 O'Sullivan Street, Higgins See Notice in this it prepares to make some substantial National Parks where no or PRESIDENT’S changes through the National Parks limited access exists. and Wildlife Amendment Bill. I PRATTLE • “Minor” changes to plans of am writing a letter to the Govern- management without public ment on behalf of the club as a consultation. Changes to Na- I’ve spent a week recently walking matter of urgency, as there is a tional Parks plans of with Rob on the Australian Alps strong likelihood that these management that permit small Walking Track, the section from amendments will be passed into but inappropriate development Mt Hotham over the Bogong High law before Christmas, if there is no can be made by the Minister Plains to Mt Wills and thence to substantial opposition to them. without the need to consult the Mitta Mitta River. It’s mag- Major problems with the Bill are with the public. nificent country. From high points these: on the route you have the satisfac- These changes, if passed into law, • Allowing the introduction of tion of viewing the route ahead for will represent a serious downgrad- commercial leases for the the next 100 kilometres, right to the ing of the protected nature of our “adaptive re-use” of any ex- snow capped Main Range on the national parks, and will open them isting building or structure in a north-eastern horizon. We were up to commercial development. National Park. very impressed by the obvious Bob Carr'’ government has pre- energy and enthusiasm of some of • Weakening the role of the sided over the establishment of the the VicPark rangers, who are National Parks and Wildlife Blue Mountains as a World Heri- dedicated to maintaining this great Advisory Council. The state tage Area; but in this instance, his walking track, and are doing their wide Advisory Council will no government will be undoing a best to battle the problems of feral longer have a formal role in century of public effort to safe- weeds and animals with an ever- the preparation of National guard our national parks, if this present lack of resources. Parks plans of management. legislation goes ahead. Management of National Parks is • Granting private property As the Christmas season and sum- very much on our minds at the owners vehicle access across mer holidays approach, we all look moment, as the NSW Government Canberra Bushwalking Club IT December 2001 page 1 forward to the renewal and re- where camping may be legally managed to breed the frogs in freshment that bushwalking offers undertaken, such as where a plan of captivity with nearly 100% suc- us, away from the commercial management allows camping in cess. However despite these pressures of city life. Best wishes undesignated areas, and where hatchlings being returned to the to all club members for the holiday there are no designated camping wild the number of frogs has season. And lastly….club photog- sites, such as in declared wilder- continued to decline. raphers: don’t forget your entries in ness areas. However, this would As a form of insurance against the Confederation Photographic seem to leave us dependent upon extinction it has been decided to Competition. Entries close 15th individual plans of management, establish populations at Taronga May 2002. I can provide details, which may or may not be sympa- Park Zoo, Melbourne Zoo & the which are also found in October it. thetic to our concerns. Amphibian Research Centre. Jenny Horsfield More serious are proposed changes [ARC]. President to the NSW National Parks Act, Research into the cause of the which, amongst other nasties, population decline will continue at could give commercial licensees WALKS WAFFLE ARC. Currently it is believed the exclusive use over some areas. most likely cause of death is a More details in Jenny’s Prattle on We have quite a healthy looking virus. walks program for December, this one. The CBC committee feels that a January and even beyond. How- By the time you read this waffle, donation of $200 is sufficient and ever, there are some obvious gaps the closing dates for submissions any extra donations would be of that I’ve advertised in the program, will have passed, although many of greater benefit if made to organi- in the hope that I’ll be rushed with you will have received emails zations which campaign for [any] trips to fill them! It’s worthwhile giving some background informa- complete habitat protection. submitting your trip well ahead of tion and website addresses. I think the date it is going out, since walks it is vitally important to keep an Dick Johnston first advertised to run only a week- eye on developments and, if war- Conservation Officer end or two after it collation may ranted, take action on the have difficulty in attracting partici- Confederation, Club and individual TRIP REPORT pants. level, otherwise we may soon be left with very limited and degraded Perhaps you’ve always wanted to Bendora to Nil and Back lead a walk but need a little social areas to walk in. persuasion and support to do so? Meg McKone 3-4 November 2001 Come along to the Walks Planning Walks Secretary and Barbeque on Wednesday 27 Party: Cynthia Burton, Janet February and help create the pro- CORROBOREE Edstein, Eric Pickering, Chris gram for the autumn months, one Roper, Terence Uren of the best times for walking in the FROG UPDATE The western face of the Tidbinbilla region around Canberra. Range is one of the region's most As outcomes of the motion I put at Proposed revised regulations for spectacular landscapes with con- the last general meeting regarding a NSW National Parks have been stantly changing views of an $200 donation to assist a research giving many of us some anxious impressive amphitheatre of steep program into the decline in frog moments recently, and the Com- slopes and craggy outcrops. Ben- numbers it was agreed that: mittee is writing to put a dora to Nil and Back was a bushwalking point of view. In 1. I would check that the research reasonably strenuous trip through particular we have been concerned organization was reputable & this landscape with close to 2000 metres climbed over two days. about plans to regulate strictly rope 2. The CBC committee would and canoe activities in National consider a larger donation. Most of the trip was off track Parks, and to allow car camping through terrain that varied from only in designated camping areas The research program has been in reasonably open to unpleasantly and parking only in designated car operation for two years and is scungy. The navigation was not parks, where they exist. being conducted by the Amphibian especially difficult but was chal- Research Centre which is funded In the reply to a preliminary in- lenging enough to be interesting. by the Victorian Government. It is The company was good (as it quiry to NPWS, Stan Marks was estimated the program will require told that, for example, the proposed invariably is on Club trips) and the $240,000 PA to continue and evening meal and overnight stay at amendments are designed to expand its captive breeding pro- broaden the range of situations Nil Desperandum homestead a gram. The researches have so far treat. Canberra Bushwalking Club IT December 2001 page 2 What made this trip special for me, and Sylvia Flaxman have also led though, was the way in which the Mining and there in recent years. Ed] Gold party worked together. Everyone Bushwalking was found on this mountain in was fit with good bush sense. At 1853 and there was a gold rush in each rest break, there were at least Most of the enjoyment I get from the 1860s based on alluvial gold. three copies of the Tidbinbilla map bushwalking comes from accessing The mine, the remains of which are pulled out and pored over. Every- places of supreme natural beauty there today, was a substantial one had a keen interest in the route but I like to mix in a little history operation 2/3 the way up the we were taking, a sound under- as well. One of the first bushwalks mountain. It operated into the standing of what we were doing I did after coming to Canberra in early 1900s. and a good feel for the country 1979 was the so-called Boxvale The walk goes steeply up the through which we were moving. Railway near Mittagong. There mountain for 5.5km along the old When the navigation was straight- was an ironworks in Mittagong mine service road. You can access forward, we took it in turns to be at from 1847 to the 1880s which drew the mine area quite readily along the front of the party, finding the coal from mines in the Nattai side tracks. One takes you to an easiest way through the scunge. Gorge and its tributaries, including enchanted place where, under a When it required more concentra- Boxvale Creek. The coal was thick canopy, the main under- tion, there were multiple mined and hauled out of the gorge growth is tree ferns, regrowth on an compasses checking bearings and in a skip. At the top, it was trans- area once felled for fuel for the keeping a look out for a spur's ferred to the tramway and hauled to gold mine. There is old equipment flattening, forking or subtle change the ironworks.