THE CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB INC. NEWSLETTER it GPO Box 160, Canberra ACT 2601 VOLUME 38 December 2002 NUMBER 12 DECEMBER GENERAL MEETING 6pm Sunday 15th Christmas Party 4 Dirrawan Gardens, Reid See Notice in this it well, while the surrounding sheep Dave Drohan for organising this. PRESIDENT’S country was reduced to a dust Those who attended the Remote PRATTLE bowl. Of course all the creeks were Area course found it very valuable, dry, the only water we saw all presenting useful scenarios that weekend were pools in the Quean- made us think about how we’d The walks program over the next beyan river. cope with emergencies in the bush. few months will be very dependent Both these courses were made Our club’s representatives at the on weather and bushfire conditions. possible through a grant from the Community Forums for the Koski- However those of us who aren’t ACT Bureau of Sport and Recrea- uszko Plan of Management have heading off to Tassie or New tion, who will be more formally been giving us regular feedback Zealand can still look forward to acknowledged by the club in the about the pressures for increased some enjoyable river walks or time new year. in the Alps. And like the rest of access to the park from a number Eastern Australia, we will be of groups-especially 4-wheel We hope to see a lot of you at the th waiting for the rains. The recent drivers, horseriders and mountain Christmas party on the 15 De- fierce fires in the Nattai gorge bikers. Compromises will be cember- but don’t forget you need (where the Baraillier walk ends), inevitable, but we need to find to book first, with Janet Edstein. and first-hand accounts from club ways to protect this fragile envi- Bring along some homemade members of the terrible fires in the ronment for the future. As a club goodies to sell at our “earth garden Morton Budawang park, have we maintain that “self-reliant stall”. recreation” – i.e. bushwalking- is brought home the reality of this dry On behalf of the committee I’d like still the most appropriate way to summer. to wish all club members a happy experience wilderness. The recent ACT Rogaining Cham- christmas and a relaxing holiday pionships were held in the new Recently some of our members break. benefited by attending a Senior Yanununbeyan National Park east Jenny Horsfield First Aid Course and later a Re- of the Tinderrys. The magnificent President dry schlerophyll forest of the park mote Area First Aid Course run by was withstanding the drought quite St Johns Ambulance. Thanks to Canberra Bushwalking Club IT December 2002 page 1 mittee thought it worthwhile to WALKS WAFFLE gain some positive publicity for our TRIP REPORT club and support a move which Bushfires: Over the past month or encourages people to join clubs. Thredbo River - Teddys Hut so, the fires have been moving relentlessly south through eastern Hinchinbrook Island: Anyone Kosciuszko National Park who has walked on this huge island NSW, leaving a wake a burnt and 16-17 November burning land including many of the north of Townsville will know that national parks we walk in. This it is one of the most gloriously James Ashburner led our party of 5 has necessitated the closure of all beautiful parts of Australia. In from Dead Horse Gap up the valley the parks (excepting a few lookout recent years, however, it has been of the Thredbo River which was points and minor tourist tracks) in essential to book many months in alive with wild-flowers and wild the Greater Sydney area, including advance to walk the Thorsborne horses. We had lunch by one of Wollemi, Blue Mountains, Kanan- Trail, and permits to climb Mt few pools on the flood plain. Most gra-Boyd, Nattai, Morton and Bowen are as rare as emus’ teeth. had dried up. Tiny ants finally Budawang. 29/11/02 there is a fire Diana Terry has managed to obtain drove us onwards and upwards, to burning south of Dampier Trig in both (see 8-15 June in the Activity the source of the river and the Deua N.P. It is highly likely that Program) and has paid the N.P. watershed between east and west Namadgi will soon be closed, fire fees for 12 people. I hope she will flowing rivers at 1,740m. Here we or not. be swamped with offers! found 2 slab walls, a post and the rusting corrugated iron roof of We can also expect the parks to Meanwhile, have a safe and happy Teddy's Hut, complete with frying remain closed until there is signifi- Christmas and New Year. pan. cant rain. Seriously burnt areas can Meg McKone remain dangerous for a long time Walks Secretary due to unstable trees and smoul- dering underground roots – not XMAS PARTY /BBQ very nice to put your foot in. Please remember that park rangers From 6pm Sunday 15 Dec at Eddie are flat out fighting fires – an and Mandy Cheetham's home, 4 exhausting and dangerous job - in Dirrawan Gardens, Reid. Cost $15. national parks and other areas, and Please book now. trying to hold the fort with depleted numbers back home. So don’t do To help, tickets can be collected anything that will waste their time and paid to:- or make the current situation more • Janet Edstein 62881398 difficult. (Waramanga) • Walks Program: Unsurprisingly Paul Edstein 62714514w. in this scenario, we have some (West Block) weekends in January without day • Eddie Cheetham 62571583h. walks. If there are any areas safely or 2074209 w.(Reid) open you would like to walk in • Stan Marks. 62491059 Three of the party then climbed Mt during this period, please contact h(Hawker). or 62407268 w. me and I’ll put interested people in Terrible which fortunately did not contact with each other. Please indicate whether you eat live up to its name. After a hot day, meat or prefer vegetarian food. $15 the night seemed cold and was At the time of writing, Kosciuszko includes choice of meats, salads, followed by another hot, dry day. looks the safest bet for bushwalk- breads, desserts (Very yummy!) We climbed through scrub to the ing. coffee/tea. summit of Mt Leo at 1,875m from Outdoor Australia. I’ve just sent You need to bring a chair, plates, which we could glimpse snow a walk profile (Orroral to Coronet cutlery, drinks / wine and patches on the Ramshead Range Peak) to this magazine, which will glass/cup. and then continued down the valley probably be published in their next Janet Edstein stopping for lunch in the shade of issue. Although we won’t receive Social Secretary trees on the south bank and for any payment for this, club mem- some to plunge into an ice cold bers will be eligible for a 20% PS Don't forget the Earth Fair at pool. By mid afternoon we were discount on a year’s subscription the Xnas party -see November it back at DHG. for details. (six issues for $36.40). The Com- Cynthia Breheny Canberra Bushwalking Club IT December 2002 page 2 sign a form that they have bor- USE OF THE CLUB’S rowed and returned the EPIRB. November Meeting EPIRBS What do I do when I borrow the From the Indian Himalaya EPIRB? You should have received [The Club has purchased two an EPIRB in a yellow cover with One fabulous slide after another: EPIRBs. These guidelines for use an instruction manual and an the Himalayan Range at sunrise have been issued to all leaders.] attached lanyard. from Sandakphu on the Singali Do I need an EPIRB on my club • Read the manual carefully; Ridge! At the November meeting Roger Farrow treated us to his trip? Before you lead your trip, • store the EPIRB in a safe place slides from two walks in the Indian carefully consider the following: in your pack and let members of Himalaya. First the trek along old • does the area have mobile your party know where it is; phone cover? (probably not) caravan routes past Tibetan tea • if an emergency occurs, consult houses on the ridge bordering • in the case of serious illness or the pink Emergency Information Nepal and India, then a walk from injury, would it take many hours sheet that you are carrying in Yuksam in Sikkim along the Ra- to get help? your First Aid Kit or map case; thong river towards Guicha La and • how many people are on the • activate the EPIRB only in the Kangchenjunga. trip? If one person is ill or in- event of a serious illness or acci- Roger’s slides showed the beauty jured (and it could be the leader), dent that requires immediate of the flowering daphnies, rhodo- are there enough participants to medical assistance. If you are dendrons, primulas and orchids; he leave one with the casualty and lost or delayed (e.g. by a flooded knows so much about the vegeta- send two (with navigation skills) river), allow at least a day or two tion being a botanist himself. I did out to get help. (you should have enough food those treks myself a few years ago; • Are there any special dangers with you!) and only activate the that was in October with better on this trip where an EPIRB EPIRB if your situation is be- weather but lacking the abundance would offer extra, needed pro- coming dangerous. of April spring flowers which tection? (e.g. a snake infested Meg McKone Roger showed us slides of.