THE NEWSLETTER OF CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB itit Volume 42, Number 4 May 2006 Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc PO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 MAY GENERAL MEETING 8pm Wednesday 17 Other Walks in Tasmania Presenter: Rupert Barnett Tired of the crowds on the Overland Track? Tasmania offers many alternatives that can also be very satisfying. Rupert will use slides to illustrate three pack walks that are easily accessed. Tasman Peninsular offers an easy couple of days mixing the detail of wildflowers with majestic coastal cliffs,while the Coast to Cradle can be started at a couple of points out from Ulverstone for a longer medium-grade walk that goes from coastal range through deep valley to that icon alp. The route to Precipitous Bluff can take a week to cross the exposed and often scrubby Southern Ranges, but the effort is rewarded by an immense view that stretches from the southern coastline lapping at its feet, to the spires of Federation Peak - and we’ll see it all through the colours of a spectacular sunrise. Main meeting room, St. John’s Church Hall Constitution Avenue, Reid Canberra Bushwalking Club it May 2006 page 1 Confederation of Bushwalking distances for the transport phase of President’sPresident’s Clubs NSW Inc, Minutes of many of the walks that we do. This General Meeting 21 March 2006.). would be for the convenience of PrattlePrattle leaders, mainly, to check their The Colong Foundation for estimates of costs. Consequently, to Wilderness expressed its opposition update/review the matter, leaders to recreational hunting in state embers will be saddened to are requested to provide distance forests in a recent letter to the NSW Mlearn that Sylvia Flaxman, a information on transport to Keith long term Club member, passed Environment Minister saying that Thomas when they either check-in away in April after a long illness. it was not considered a humane or return “risk forms” after a walk. method of pest management and A special thanks to Joan and Frank We would be most grateful if constituted a public risk. As leaders could help with this. Rigby for taking us on a tour of the bushwalkers will be aware, many Middle East by motor scooter forest areas are adjacent to national Ten walks worth doing over the during their presentation at the parks and borders are often not well next year: a series of brief April meeting. They obviously have defined on the ground. (Ref. B. descriptions of both day and over- a great love and affinity for deserts Holland, The Sydney Bushwalker, night trips is to be included in the and the drier parts of the globe. Not April, 2006). How can walkers be “it” over the next ten issues on this surprising then that they were so assured that hunters or their bullets theme. Members are invited to active in promoting the declaration will not stray into national parks? contribute to the series both with of a national park in the A number of these state forests are regard to the written articles and if MacDonnell Ranges, an area they in areas frequented by this Club possible to actually lead the trips. both first visited on separate trips including for example the following Some of our experienced people are in the 1950s. on the South Coast:– Currowan, sure to have some great walks in mind and of course, people new to At the April General Meeting Club Yadboro and Yambulla (ref. bushwalking need to be aware of members agreed to purchase a McCrossin, Fiona, “Conservation what might be out there. Hopefully laptop and software up to the value Hunting or Hunting for newer members will try both day of $1800 to be used for inter alia Preferences”, The Colong Bulletin, and overnight trips to “see what’s March, 2006). the preparation of our newsletter, it, to be seen and do what’s to be done” and presentations at General Rene Davies President and as well, extend their repertoires Meetings. The Committee has and experience. asked Tom Gosling and Alan Vidler to make a recommendation to the I was recently browsing through Committee on what machine and WalksWalks some Cockney rhyming slang: software the Club should purchase. Waffle ‘going for ‘a stick o’ chalk’or ‘a Waffle Duke of York’ = ’walk’ , ‘sweet Jenny and Rob Horsfield’s pee’ = ‘weak tea’, ‘me ‘n you’ = Navgation Refresher Course began ‘menu’, ‘a Jackie Dash’ = ‘a slash this month. If you want to develop ver Easter the club ran some (urinate)’ , ‘ a Germaine Greer’ as or freshen up your navigation skills Ogood trips: Snowy River, in ‘beer’ or ‘checking the daily then come along to this course. Jagungal and Currockbilly. Jenny mail’ as in ‘ale’ and so on… Don’t worry if you missed the first and I were on the last of the three session as it is designed so that you which was a change from the In the mean-time, good walking. can attend all or some of the Bogong Peaks due to park officers Rob Horsfield sessions. The next session will be burning off in that area. Off-track Walks Secretary held on 16 May. Details are in the in the Budawangs can have its Walks Program. moments and both Banksia and fern can be totally uncompromising. In a recent decision 419,000 MembershipMembership Despite the scrub, it was a great trip. hectares of State forests in NSW are It was surprising that the number mattersmatters to be opened to shooters for at least of people on each of these walks the next five years which will was small since Easter is usually effectively exclude other members New members: Michael and Laura one of the best times of the year for of the public from entering those Sherwood, Anne-Marie Colins, multi-day trips. forests. Yellow signs at forest Kathryn Fry entrances will inform non-shooters One CBC member has suggested Allan Mikkelsen of a shooting presence (Ref. making available a listing of the Membership Secretary Page 2 – Canberra Bushwalking Club it May 2006 AlmostAlmost AdmirationAdmiration PointPoint 22 AprilApril Participants: Meg McKone (leader), Frank McKone, Leanne Aust, Margaret Cooper, Judy Dann, Roger Edwards, Gavin Ford, Tom George, Doug Mackenzie, Quentin Moran. unday the 2nd of April dawned Ssunny and clear, and by the time the group assembled in Bungendore, it was already shaping up to be a perfect day for bushwalking. And so it proved to be. Top: Mount Cole (left), Mt Mooryan (centre) and Mt Owen from near Korra Hill; Above: Tom George and others in the group ploughing through thick regrowth scrub After the ‘traditional’ stop at the public toilets (now heritage listed, After negotiating some badly eroded (about 280 million years old) along with the rest of the town!) at sections of track and passing through conglomerates at the base of the the top of the hill in Braidwood, we some much-modified vegetation in Sydney Basin sedimentary sequence, headed off to the Wog Wog entrance the first kilometre, we finally got on which forms the high ground and the to Morton National Park and the to well-preserved track and native cliffs of the Budawangs. Budawangs. The road was still the bush. The vegetation changed About 2 km along the track from Wog same winding, (mostly) dirt track, but remarkably as we walked along, Wog Creek, we came to a spectacular at least it wasn’t too rough. Just like passing from open eucalypt outcrop of conglomerate known as clockwork, we set off walking at 9:00 woodland (with dwarf Casuarina, Tinderry Lookout, which divided into am, with Meg striding out cone bush, and Kunzea parvifolia as two parts by a small canyon through energetically in front. well as several species of eucalypt), over The aim of the walk was to head to- though some thick scrub along Wog wards Corang Peak, but then turn off Wog Creek, then, as we climbed CORRECTION gradually, into lower, more varied the track near Korra Hill and “bush The April issue of it incorrectly forest with abundant round-leaf tea bash” south to the edge of the reported that Eddie Cheetham tree (Leptospermum rotundifolium – sandstone escarpment at Admiration died following a heart attack. We M. Dow, ANU). This change in Point. Meg had been told by a are assured Eddie’s heart was vegetation coincided with the National Parks ranger that the scrub strong. The cause of death has not appearance on the track of rounded wasn’t too thick in that area, so she been ascertained, but it is thought pebbles and cobbles. These are concluded that we shouldn’t have much he died of a cerebral haermorrage. much trouble achieving our objective. derived from the massive Permian Canberra Bushwalking Club it May 2006 page 3 which the track passed. This was the morning tea stop, warmly welcomed by all – but especially by Tom! Some of us climbed on top of the outcrop for a marvellous view over the forest and some more spectacular outcrops to Corang Peak to the east and Wog Wog Mountain to the south. A little farther on, we passed Picnic Cave, a large cavity in the base of another conglomerate outcrop, and a great place to shelter when it pours with rain – as it did last time I was on this track, on the way to Corang Lagoon. As we climbed gradually, the vegetation kept changing, becoming lower and more bushy, and finally giving way on top of the plateau to a heathy cover containing Frank McKone (left) and Tom George admiring the view of Pigeon House. Boronia, mallee, “sour currant” bushes and many other species.