volume 36 issue 1 summer 2011 - bushwalkermagazine.org quartelys/bushwalker361.pdfsummer 2011 colo...

Volume 36Volume 36Issue 1Issue 1

Summer 2011Summer 2011Colo River in FloodColo River in FloodBob Turner Track, Wollemi NPBob Turner Track, Wollemi NP

Did you really want to be here?

Highlighting ourrecent heavy rainsand floods. Younormally step overBulley Creekwithout noticingit. The high sandybeach at CanoeCreek is manymetres below thesurface. A littleford on the upperCapertee River: a4WD was lost inthe river nearby.

Bulley Creek near Cobberas, KNP. Photo by Roger Caffin

Colo River at Canoe Creek, Wollemi NP. Photo by Roger Caffin

Capertee River, Capertee NP. Photo by Michael Keats

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Bushwalker T he

The Official Publication of theConfederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW

Volume 36, Issue 1, Summer 2011


ISSN 0313 2684

Editor: Roger Caffin [email protected] Design & Assembly: Barry HanlonProofreader: Cindy WilkinsonConfederation Officers:President: Dodie GreenAdministration Officer:

[email protected]: www.bushwalking.org.au

The Confederation of BushwalkingClubs NSW Inc representsapproximately 66 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 8,700bushwalkers.

Formed in 1932, the Confederationprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.

People interested in joining a bush-walking club may write to theConfederation [email protected] a list of Clubs, but a far moreuseful on-line list is available at theConfederation websitewww.bushwalking.org.au,broken up into areas. There’s lots ofother good stuff there too, includingthe bushwalking FAQ.

Subscribe to The Bushwalker

Keep up with all the news and developmentshappening in the NSW bushwalking scene foronly $10 per year. This is to cover posting andhandling: the magazine itself is free.

Send your name and address and cheque ormoney order to the Confederation of Bush-walking Clubs NSW Inc, PO Box 119, New-town NSW 2042. The new phone number is9565 4005. Make the cheque or money orderpayable to the Confederation of Bushwalk-ing Clubs NSW Inc as well: please do not ab-breviate the name!

Please indicate which issue you want your sub-scription to start with. We don’t want to dupli-cate copies you already have.

Front Cover: Colo River at Bob Turner Track,Wollemi National Park. Photo by Roger Caffin.

From theeditor’s desk. . .

IndexDid you really want to be here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3Budawangs 4A Day of the Senses 6Western Arthurs, July 8Breathless on Baruntse 10Walking in the Outback 11Jungaburra in the Snow 14Navshield 2011 15Letters to the Editor 15

Well, the recent rains have been ... interesting. The frontcover shows the bottom end of the Bob Turner Track (offthe Putty road) when the Colo went from its normal quiet

0.9 m at the Upper Colo river gauge up to a peak of 10.5 metres. Wewent up there at the peak to take photos, not to get in the river! Itwas, as I said, interesting to see.The inside cover photos are more of the same. You normally just hopover Bulley Creek (beside the Cobberas) in Kosciusko NP, but theground was already saturated and we had experienced a heavythunderstorm during the night. The lightening was directly overhead,and the flashes nearly burnt out my eyeballs - through my closedeyelids. Our guess was that Stoney Creek and Limestone Creek furthersouth along the AAWT would be impassible. We had morning tea onthe rock shelf above the Canoe Creek junction and watched huge treesfloat down the river. The foam swirled across the surface. As for theCapertee River near Macquarie Park - well, it isn’t normally quite thatlarge. There is a story about someone who unfortunately tried to drivethrough it further on in a petrol-engine 4WD, but had to abandon ithalf-way across. The car was written off, but the passengers escaped.The bottom line is “Please take care”.

Articles for PublicationI would like to thank the people who have been sending in articles for publicationrecently. I can’t get all of them into a single issue, so I have had to hold some inreserve for another issue. But rest assured that every one of them will get seriousattention.We had an article recently about Volleys and footwear. This seems to have spurredsome people to start writing, so expect some more amusing articles on this subjectsoon. Some interesting historical photos have been found featuring leather boots,hobnails and the like as well. Fortunately, big heavy boots are a thing of the past.Anyhow, please keep those articles rolling in. We need them. Plain text please, andoriginal unedited photos direct from the camera. If you want to include a DOC file ora PDF (in addition to the plain text) to illustrate the sort of layout you have in mind,please do so as well.Please note that opinions expressed by authors may not represent the official opinionsof the Confederation or any Club. The Editor’s opinions are his own, if he can findthem.

Roger Caffin, Editor

Errata: The recent article “Wandering the Snowies” was wronglyattributed. Our apologies about this. Graham Lee tells me that thecorrect attribution is Joan Young of the Happy Wanderers. Ed.

4 | The Bushwalker Volume 36, Issue 1, Summer 2011


The walk started at the MtBushwalker car park in fineweather. We followed the track past

Mt Bushwalker to a nice lookout pointabove Claydon Ck with good views of TheCastle, Mt Talaterang & Pigeon House.

After consuming morning tea, wecontinued to Gadara Point, then downonto a ridge which we followed to thebase of Mt Talaterang. It is quite a steepscramble up to the cliff line at themountains northern end. Somehow wemissed the obvious pass up onto themountain top 200 m to the south, soscrub bashing was the order until wecould pick up the faint track which leadsto the visitors book. We also missed thebook this time but the track, which is nowbecoming overgrown, could be followedto the south-western point where there isa pass down to the lower levels. I hadbeen told that another pass existed to getonto the southern end of the mount, butthat’s all I knew. It was like looking for aneedle in a haystack, but eventually wefound it by going down the top pass thencontouring around to the east.

Once onto the southern part of themountain, we had to pick a way throughthe thick scrub to our goal of a campingcave at the southern cliff line. Thingswere going well until we realized that therocky leads had pushed us too far down,so we had to push through thick scrubagain to the top. However, once at thetop, we were rewarded with fantasticviews over Byangee Walls & PigeonHouse, both just across the valley. Wecould see the creek that we were aimingfor, but getting there proved to be difficultdue to thick scrub & many small ravines.Once at the creek, the cave wasn’t

immediately obvious, but it was found alittle higher up the slope above the creek.From the cave, it was only 100 m to thecliff edge & great views. Water was alsoabundant. Pigeon House was painted redwhen the sun set behind the Castle.

Next morning we had to negotiate ourway back across the mountain to the passof yesterday, then down the pass &northward to the saddle above DummalCreek. Some of us had been here before,so we knew that we had to stay highunder the cliffs to avoid the thick lawyervines lower down. When the saddle wasreached, we walked down the ridge abovethe creek, keeping clear of the thickgrowth in the creek. After about 1 km, wedescended into Dummal Ck, hoping toenter it below a small waterfall which isdifficult to get around. Dummal Ck is verysteep & choked with slippery boulders, soprogress with heavy packs is slow. At onepoint, we had to detour around a drop inthe creek & descend a mildly hairy slopeback into the creek below the drop.

The creek bed is an obstacle course &very tiring but eventually it flattened outjust before the junction with the ClydeRiver. We had lunch here & contemplatedthe next stage of the walk, a 4 km traversealong the river up to Claydon Creek.Refreshed & ready to go, we followed theriver upstream, crossing from side to sideas necessary. Surprisingly, there are riverterraces along much of this section, sowalking was fairly straight forward, withonly an occasional obstacle or thickscrubby patch to avoid. At one rest stop, Ifound the body of a bird minus the head.Col noticed that it had been banded, so heremoved it. Subsequent enquiries revealedthat it was a racing pigeon from the

Yagoona Pigeon Club! I know that manypigeons are taken by Peregrine Falcons, soI guess that the pigeon had been one ofthose. Claydon Creek was reached mid-afternoon, & we found an acceptablecamp in rainforest about 200 m upstreamfrom the river junction on the true right.

On the third day we continuedupstream, crossing it as necessary. Thecreek banks weren’t as clear ofundergrowth as those of the Clyde, butwe made good progress, reaching thejunction with an unnamed creek bylunchtime. We all had wet feet except forJohn, who had gone to extreme lengths tostay dry. There is supposed to be a trackfrom this creek junction up to Gaol HousePass, and thence up through the cliff lineback onto Mt Bushwalker. We couldn’tfind the lower section of the track, so wehad a tough climb up to the bottom line ofcliffs, contouring across the steep slope &finding a route through the massiveboulders that had fallen from the topsabove.

Once at the cliff line, we headed eastalong the base until we came to a creek &waterfall which flowed from the plateauabove. On the other side of this, wepicked up the track at last and after somevery steep walking and occasionally losingthe track, we reached the pass. The routehere is cairned in places and the pass isquite an interesting place. The trackweaves in and out of grottos, ravines andrainforest. When we reached the maintrack again, we had lunch and thoughtback on our 3 day adventure. All in all, ithad been a challenging walk but withmany rewards.

Well worth the effort.t

Steve DeardsSutherland Bushwalking Club

Dummal Creek waterfall

Pidgeonhouse Mountain Camp in the rainforestCamp in the rainforest



It was raining.....again or still, takeyour pick. I’d parked at the end of ashort dirt road where the Armidale

Tree Group had their headquarters. Itwas quiet but muddy and the rain, lightnow, was consistent. Not a good day forphotographing birds, more your day forwaterfalls. Thus it came to pass that Iheaded out for Wollomombi, arguablyAustralia’s most spectacular gorge.

Individual walkersSmall walking groupsLarge walking groups

1 to 7 day walksGuided and self guided

walksIn house shuttle service

Self or fully catered

5 day walking packageIncludes: 5 nights accommodation,5 shuttles, Linen, Self catered, Selfguided, Standard cabin, off peak.

Cost twin share:$395.00 p/p ($780.00 total)

Cost triple share:$290.00 p/p ($870.00 total)

and BIMBIPARK

www.bimbipark.com.au - ph (03) 5237 9246

Do the whole walk from 1 central pointor just drop in.

As I did I reflected on what I’d heard thenight before from one Don Hitchcock. Ilearned that for every 100 metres youdescend into the gorges you can add onedegree of temperature. I learned that the“island” separating Chandler andWollomombi gorges isn’t actually anisland but a ridge and that years ago theUniversity Climbing club were out theretaking photos on the end of the ridge justbefore they packed up and moved on. 30seconds later the section where they’dbeen suddenly collapsed entirely into thegorge below. Whether there was a masspurchase of lottery tickets the next dayisn’t recorded.

I learned that a lyre bird, the world’sgreatest mimic, used to whistle a flutesolo from Vivaldi that a wood workerfrom England used to play everyafternoon. I learned that when he goeswalking, Don uses the minimalistapproach to the point where he manu-factures his own gear. If you buy a“lightweight” tent from a retailer it weighs1.2 to 1.6 kg. Don makes his own and itweighs in at 450 g, 600 g with the pole.He imports his fabric from a place inAmerica.

The piece de resistance however waswhen Don climbed down beside DangarsFalls at the start of a multi-day hike. Hisfirst night was beneath the cliffs on a rockstrewn area. No sooner had he set up histent on his li-lo (the only time he has everused it) when the rocks started to fall.Turns out they were coming from feralgoats on high. The torrent continueduntil one smashed a hole in his tent. Soterrified was he that he clasped his EPIRBnext to his chest with the thought that ifsome rocks came and trapped his legs hecould still set his beacon off. Needless tosay, there was no sleep that night.

As my motorhome splashed along theGwydir highway my sense of anticipationrose, especially when we crossed the farmstreams running a bunker where therehad hardly been any water for theprevious decade. At least their damswould be full, something that hadn’thappened according to the ABC localradio I was listening to. They specificallymentioned that the Wollomombi area hadmissed most of the recent rain and thatthe dams weren’t yet full. They musthave been the only ones in the entireEastern Australia region that weren’t. The

small causeway just after the turnoff evenhad water over it, something I had neverseen before. It augured well.

I was a tad surprised to see an earlymodel Mitsubishi campervan already inattendance with the occupiers havingbreakfast in the covered picnic area. Itwas real “Gorillas in the mist” type stuff. Iopted for a nap before heading out, bythen the rain had eased to almost nothingbut the fog was still intense; though Inoticed that over the 10 minutes I took toget ready, visibility had doubled to about200 metres, so I took a punt and headedout. No sooner had I alighted than I hearda reverberating crash in the forest. Howmany times had I seen fallen trees andwondered if they made a racket whenthey fell. I had a first hand answer now,and it was awesome as the heavybranches wrought havoc amongst nearbyvegetation, though all invisible to me.

Off along the trail I trod, through theSpanish-moss covered trees whose twistedtrunks lent a ghost like quality to theexperience. Choughs scattered before meas I walked further, their squawking theonly noise I could hear above thealmighty roar of Wollomombi. It wassimply an unforgettable sensoryexperience to hear one of the greatwaterfalls of Australia so close yet beunable to see it. The mist closed in againas I neared the lookout so I fiddledaround taking atmospheric shots of thevegetation that clung in desperation tothe cliffs, eking an existence out of thesparse soils that lay upon the top of rockremnants. A small flock of thorn billscheekily bounced around the branchesbeside me while all around the dogwooddisplayed its beautiful yellow hues.

I turned around to pack my cameraaway and there, right before me, was the

Ian Smith

Wollomombi Gorge

Mist on the plateau

The Bushwalker | 7



Bridge across the Wollomombi

might of Wollomombi revealed in all its glory, framed by thedrifting fog. The water furiously threw itself down the cliff facein ever-changing patterns of foamy maelstroms. Wave uponwave alternatively advanced and retreated, seemingly reachingfor some kind of freedom in an epic display of nature’s might,sending out wispy furls like moist sunspots. The raging watersof the river were the dark brown colour of the soils they carriedseaward from the plains above.

The jagged spur that splits the Wollomombi and Chandlergorges stood like a sentinel over the scene, parting the twogreat conflicts until they could be managed more easilydownstream.

The afternoon before I’d spent in much more tranquilsurroundings, surveying the limpid waters of Beardy Waters andwatching the many types of dragonflies darting around to thesymphony of a few birds that chirruped in the background. Thebleach white cumulus were reflected in the ponds but all toosoon they became cumulonimbus and an ominous grey banddescended from the west. It had dumped its load overnight andthat led to the rushing waters of today.

I had lunch back at HQ and set out again, this time with aDECCW (NPWS) worker called Matt. He was going to see if thebridge across the Wollomombi was still there. It was, but itwas in trouble as the raging waters tried desperately to removeit. A couple of other tourists contemplated the torrent in awe,an emotion I suspect we were all feeling.

A little further down it made normally pleasant rapids aseething maelstrom with swirling, crashing volumes of brownsludge cascading onwards, drawn inevitably by gravity’s force.To the side there were a few rivulets whose paths I’d notedbefore but never seen running. Today they were happilygurgling through the forest, painting a more benign picture thanthat into which they flowed. Tiny wildflowers sought sunlighthere and there, a somewhat futile exercise on an overcast daylike this.

It was a memorable experience, one I hope the photosreflect. t

áWollomombi falls through the mist

Junction of Wollomombi and Chandler Gorgesà



Here’s what I expected. We wouldleave the warm comfort of ourrental car to embark upon our

bold voyage. The yowling jaws of theWestern Arthurs would rise to meet us, itsserrated ridges and tortured crags lying inwait with the patience of a predator. Wewould be welcomed, much as the Hobbitswere welcomed by Mordor. Thunderwould roll, dark clouds would circle,gather and release a fury of hail and sleet.

Welcome, my pretties, to the WesternArthurs in winter. One of the mostnotoriously challenging, difficult walkingroutes in Australia. We would enter of ourown foolish volition and we would be inits thrall, where it could have its violentway with us. I was convinced it was abad, no, heedless, no, completely bloodypreposterous idea.

I figured we would probably die, butnot before spending days strugglingdesperately, facing challenge afterchallenge, each more perilous than theone before. We would traverse gullieswhere the sun never shone; we would

broach voids of such profound inkyblackness that their depth was beyondcomprehension; we would teeter acrossunsteady logs covered in moss and slime;we would squirm and struggle upboulder-choked chimneys to findourselves at an impasse. We would frontpoint across vertical cliffs covered inverglas, hundreds of metres above analpine lake, which was home to nineteencrocodiles five metres long.

One of us, delicately rearranging afoot, would slip and go tumbling like arag-doll down the vegetated cliff face,saved only by the quick and forceful driveof an ice axe into a tree root. We wouldstruggle, we would fight the good fight, avaliant fight, and then, with the car insight, believing that maybe, just maybe,we had triumphed– perhaps my friendand I could even exchange a veiled lookof excitement: ‘This is it! We made it!’ - itwould take us down. A ferocious storm ofseven days, a crumbling foothold, a rootwhich had just had it with being used as ahandle: whatever. There were so manyways we could go.

Yep, based on all the reports I’d heardof hiking in the Western Arthurs, I

thought this was apretty reasonableapproximation ofwhat we’dencounter. To say Iwas a littleintimidated wouldbe anunderestimation. Itwas all good for mymountaineer friendwho had come upwith the fancifulidea. She was usedto hauling half herweight upmountains, only tofind herself in thegrips of a sevenyear storm: she’d

come home raving about how much funshe’d had. I, on the other hand, was moreof a climber than a hiker, and my walkingexperience was limited to a couple ofovernighters in the Blue Mountains andsome teahouse trekking in Nepal.Nevertheless, I was bored, and figuredthat a hike in the Arthurs was a great, ifterrifying, idea.

The first day was a baptism of fire, andmy fantasies were immediately disproved.We would not stumble straight out of thecar into the jaws of the range. No, first wewould endure a day of slogging,stumbling and tripping across the mudbogof a plain which is the approach to therange. There was a lot of sinking,squelching and darting from slat tosubmerged wood slat – what wasobviously once a boardwalk, but has longsince been buried by tonnes of mud. Itwas not at all what I had expected, and itshocked me right out of my Mordorimaginations.

Tasair Drop-off or pick-upMelaleuca (Bathurst Harbour) and Moores ValleyCall (03) 62485088 to book

For moreinformation visit

www.tasair.com.au

Nina Gallo

Sun - or rain?

A bit steep here - don’t fall!

Across the moors on a boardwalk

A view of Federation Peak

The Bushwalker | 9



Our first sight of the range came as asurprise. We just looked up from ourmud-clodded boots after hours of flatterrain and there it was. Its flanks rosedramatically from the mud flats and darkclouds huddled around its highest peaks.Wisps of mist circled the lower ridges,which extended as far as we could see. Itwas still, and it was silent, and it wasmagical. Without going into too muchdetail, as I wouldn’t want to spoil theexcitement for you, I will say this: hikingthe Western Arthurs traverse took us intosome of the most rugged, twisted andawe-inspiring landscapes I have seen inAustralia. It is terrain that really can’t beexperienced in any other way.

We were lucky enough to have stellarweather for almost the entire trip,although the rain did close in as wewalked back out along the plains. Our ice

axes and crampons werenot required. Even so, itwas no walk in the park. Iremember thinking a fewtimes, as I was hangingoff a couple of wiry tree roots, descendinga near vertical gully of eroded mud, ‘man,they call this a bushwalk?!’ Walking in theWestern Arthurs requires complete focusand commitment, and it had much morein common with my climbing experiencesthan hiking. Some sections were exposedand tenuous, and there are many sectionswhere you're very much in the no-fallzone. But the navigation isstraightforward - in many places the onlyway to progress is along the single narrowpath which weaves through terrain thatlooks just as inhospitable on approach asit does looking back. In other places theroute is marked by cairns.

I think what I loved most aboutwalking in the Western Arthurs was the

meditative absorption of every moment.The days passed unthinkingly as wenegotiated the drops and climbs, set uppack-hauling and lowering systems andmade our steady progress along the spinyrange. The nights were gobbled up ineating and sleeping the sleep of theutterly spent.

Despite its physical difficulty, theWestern Arthurs, far from being aferocious opponent, was a kind of refuge.In that remote wilderness, existence waspared back to its most essentialcomponents. Walking, eating, sleeping,companionship. The rhythm was simple,the air was clear, the land was alive andamazingly, at the end, so were we. Morethan ever. t

Mist boiling up one side of the range

A harsh land, but beautiful



Baruntse (7,129 m), a rarely-climbed peak in Nepal, is as amountain should be: remote, quiet,

challenging, and demanding a toughapproach trek to earn your presence.

In early October of 2010, sixAustralians gathered in Kathmandu tojoin a commercial Baruntse expedition.Two of the intrepid adventurers had neverworn crampons previously – they werecertainly in for a steep learning curve!The team was truly international, withrepresentatives from nine countries. Ofthe 14 climbers, only a father and sonfrom Sydney knew each other prior to thetrip.

I always find it fascinating to discoverso many people with similar personalitiesand values from such diversebackgrounds, some as far afield asNorway, Greece and Hong Kong.However, the introduction phase of anyteam always presents some uneasymoments and challenges as you get toknow one another, and the teamestablishes itself. You must adjust tocustoms and attitudes from differentsocieties, accept the good differences andattempt to ignore the less agreeabledifferences for the ‘greater good’ of teamspirit. Things such as snorting, spittingand lack of pleasantries become part ofthe rich tapestry of human behaviour.Each new day on the trek becomes morecomfortable and enjoyable surrounded bynew friends.

Baruntse, located halfway betweenEverest and Makalu, lies near the head ofthe pristine and remote Hunku valley,possibly the windiest valley in the world.It also boasts views of five of the sixhighest mountains in the world (Everest,Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu & ChoOyu). The Hunku valley has no villages ortea-houses, robbing us of the culturalexperience of meeting locals on ourjourney, usually a highlight of any travelexperience. However, it did enable us tobecome closer to our team of porters,

cook staff and climbing sherpas. The trekrequires complete self-sufficiency, and assuch we were entirely reliant on our teamto carry our food and gear to base camp.The size and weight of the loads thesherpas carry is staggering. The Sherpasare so warm and friendly, always lookingto help with a smile.

The trek through the Hunku valleyfollows a vague trail along river banks ofglacial melt water, underneath impressiveHimalayan giants. The views wereconstantly impressive, but lead to internaldebate - should I look north or south, eastor west, up or down?! It was a specialexperience to travel through this beautifulvalley, especially knowing not manytrekkers have gone before. Baruntse basecamp is located by a glacial lake with aperfect yet daunting uninterrupted viewof our mountain. We were delighted toreach our base so we could unpack andtake care of laundry and personalablutions over a couple of rest days.

Before any expedition sets foot on amountain in the Himalayas, it must firsthold a Buddhist Puja ceremony. This is atraditional ritual, offering gifts andprayers to the mountain and requestingsafe passage. By showing respect for themountains and the mountain gods, inreturn we hope our faith will be rewardedwith compassion. The mountains are themost spiritual places I know on earth,more so than churches. I believe they arethe grandest of all cathedrals. Perhapsclimbers need mountain gods in the samemanner that everyday people search forgod in the lowlands. Mountain gods giveclimbers hope. Hope that there is a grandplan for all overhanging ice cliffs, hopethat life and death is controlled by ahigher source, hope that the divisionbetween life and death is not by chance.

The wind did not rest, so we pressedon with our plan regardless. The crux ofthe climb was just below camp 1, climbinga gully of mixed rock and ice up to thewest col, protected by a fixed rope. It wasa climb of around 100 vertical metres atan average angle of 40 degrees, so notterribly technical, but with 20kg packsand lack of oxygen at 6,000m, it felt morechallenging than it looked. A fewtumbling rocks added to the excitementso we were glad to reach the safety ofcamp 1 unscathed, situated on the largeplateau with a perfect view of Makalu justto our east.

We melted snow for water and dinedon de-hy meals as we hunkered down andwaited out a day of serious wind, all thewhile being blasted by 100kmph windand spindrift. The inside view of a tentbecomes quite monotonous, but we sleptand chatted away the restless hours.

Richard PattisonSydney Bushwalkers

Acclimatising with a view

Eventually, when the wind abated to amilder 40kmph, we packed our gear andmade the short journey to camp 2 at6,400m, ready for our summit attempt.Camp 2 is situated on a smaller plateau inview of the summit ridge we wouldtraverse the next day. We fought the windto establish camp, before retreating to ourcalmer canvas cocoon. The wind blastedthe tents all afternoon and night.

We planned a 3am alpine start for thesummit, but spindrift filled the tent at2am when we opened the flaps for aweather check. It was agreed it wasprobably a good idea to hold out a bitlonger!

At dawn, the wind had rested a little,but was still gusting to over 60 km/h. Wehad come this far and would at least “giveit a go”. We gained the spectacularsummit ridge above, and found the eastside to be relatively sheltered. The ridgewas an undulating obstacle course ofsteep and narrow excitement. Webreathed heavily due to the altitude and

On the summit

exposure, but we were a match for theclimbing that Baruntse offered, and weregrateful to mother nature for theexhilarating views awaiting at thepinnacle of our expedition – a full 360degree view of the Himalayas. Withfingers and toes beginning to numb, itwas time to descend to the safety andartificial world of the tent.

Then the celebrations began. Wecelebrated back at base camp, wecelebrated at the first village we reached,we celebrated at the second village wereached and finally we celebrated inKathmandu! We were 14 climbers ofdifferent backgrounds, experience andambitions, but we formed a strong bonddriven by a common desire for aHimalayan adventure. We’re definitely allricher for our blustery and breathlessencounter with Baruntse. t

Climbing up from base camp

Nearing the summit

The Bushwalker | 11



Walk Safely—Walk with a ClubWalk Safely—Walk with a Club

Outback walking - it’s all aboutwater. The ‘outback’ is the three-quarters of Australia which is arid

or semi-arid. This sparsely populated areais one of wide spacious landscapes, oftenpunctuated by low ranges, where longdroughts and pitiless heat in summer isnormal.

What is arid? It is where evaporationvery greatly exceeds average annualrainfall. The more sophisticateddefinitions use vegetation, but a simpleone uses annual rainfall: <250 mm peryear in southern Australia, or <350 mmin the north. For semi-arid landscapes thedeficiency is just less extreme.

Outback areas containing low rangesinterest me. They have enough elevationto gaze out over the landscape, provideecological diversity and often interestinggorges which offer a cool refuge andpossible water. Yes, water is present inarid Australia. The Aboriginal groupswho inhabited our great desert areascould find water and live there. Thisarticle is about using the available waterresources, rather than carrying it longdistances.

Thirst can drive a man to makeethically questionable decisions. DavidCarnegie explored some of our mostdifficult country on his great trek througharid Western Australia, from Coolgardieto Halls Ck and return (1896-7). After aperiod without finding water he resorted

to desperate measures,capturing the local experts - thedesert Aborigines. When histethered captive still did notlead to water, he was fed saltedbeef and little water until hedid. Afterwards Carnegie lethis prisoners go.

Sources of WaterThe types of water sourcesCarnegie found are typical ofthose in other parts of aridAustralia. A quarter of themwere constructed native wells.They were also reported byother explorers (eg Giles) andwere common in the Bourke-Cobar region (Gunderbooka).These days, dams, bores andwells constructed for thepastoral industry can alsoprovide water.

When preparing for an outback trip Istart with water sources, checkingavailable maps for watercourses, tanks (=dams) and waterhole locations. None ofthem are guaranteed to actually containany water. Different rock types hold andexpress water differently, so that carryinga geological map on a trip can beworthwhile.

Excellent outback walkingroutes exist in National Parkssuch as Gundabooka,Mutawintji, Flinders Ranges,MacDonnell Ranges andKarijini. Going there simplifiesaccess issues as there is just oneauthority. Some Parks haverestrictions over routes andcamping (e.g. Mutawintji). Parkstaff are worth contacting aboutregulations and waterholes,although their knowledge isoften second hand. Let themknow your car’s registration andfor how long you will be out.Chat to them after your trip.

Walking recognised tracksprovides valuable experience.The Larapinta Trail (LT) nearAlice Springs (see Vol 31 Issue3) is an excellent walk, with atransport infrastructure, extra

water provided in tanks, and escaperoutes.

For some of the more visited arid areasmagazines or books may have route andwater information. The internet can behelpful, and visits to good public librariessuch as the Mitchell in Sydney can also beworthwhile, even if only for historicalbackground. The accounts of most of

Rob JungNight sky over Karijini

Arid landscape: Mt Giles MacDonnell Ranges,rainfall 320 mm/yr

Arid landscape: gibber plain, Gammon Ranges,rainfall 220 mm/yr

Aboriginal wells were not confined toarid Australia - this one is nearYarrawonga. It was built by enlargingan existing trough in the rock usingrepeated fires and digging, and is nearthe base of a large granite slab thatprovided its catchment. It holdsapproximately 20,000 L.



Australia’s major explorers are availableat:

http://gutenberg.net.au/explorers-journals.html.Current and historic rainfall and

temperature data are available from theBureau of Meteorology via the internet.

Unless there has been heavy rain Irestrict my outback walks to the coolermonths: May to September or narrower.Comparing rainfall for the past year withlong term averages helps assess the likelystate of water sources. Remember thatrainfall is often patchy. I'm conservativewhen visiting a new area, or one which

has been dry for a long period. In July2007 I visited the Gammon Ranges, whichwe knew had been dry for a long time. Insevere droughts even the few waterholesmay dry up. We used my car as a mobilewaterhole with >25 L per person. We setup two short trips, leaving a reserve foremergencies.

On each walk in the Gammon Rangeswe set off with 2 days water (winter, ~6L each) and 3 days food. We mostlyfollowed stony creek beds, maximisingour chances of finding waterholes. On thefirst trip, along Arcoona Creek, we foundno water so we returned to the car on thesecond day. On our next trip, up GammonCreek, we noted pools in a couple ofplaces on our way to Gammon Falls. Thatwater was not very inviting, being fouledby (a lack of) goat hygiene. Fortunatelythere was fairly clear water near the Falls,so using this as a base we were able tospend the next day further exploring thearea. We reached the spectacular gorgearound Yackie waterhole, where therewas also water.

We used “A Walking Guide to theNorthern Flinders Ranges” by Heard, 1990.

Etiquette aroundwaterholesWater is the most precious commodityand should be treated as such. It may beof dubious quality with the presence ofdead animals near it or in it. Introducedanimals such as goats, cattle, camels,sheep and horses are all more destructivethan native animals. From accounts of theexplorers we know waterholes were inbetter shape in pre-European times whentraditional owners managed them. Theykept the entrances covered with sticks andbark, which kept animals out and thewater cool.

When the waterholes are few, avoidswimming in them; instead do all washingsome distance away.

Camp away from the water as well,and not where the animals walk. Wildhorses through your campsite in themiddle of the night can be scary to say theleast!

Be careful consuming outback water,especially from still bodies of water. Theseare more susceptible to contamination by

Water and rock type:Waterholes are more abundant in the hill country near Arkaroola (above) than theyare in the nearby Gammon Ranges (below).

In the Northern Flinders Ranges wells are a useful water source. The author usesa light-weight water collector: it is more effective than a billy with handle. The wellin the photo is 12 m deep, which is typical. A narrower version of this collector canextract water from 10 cm diameter bore casings where a billy will not work at all.It is made of a light waterproof nylon. A small stone is put inside to make it sink,and heavier one is put in a bag on the side to make the rim tip over when itreaches the water.

Spectacular Yackie waterhole gorge - a 90-95%probability waterhole

Water near the base of Gammon Falls - a 75%probability waterhole

The Bushwalker | 13



animals and humans because the supply isfinite and not replenished. Ponds exposedto sunlight are warmed, and thisaccelerates the growth of hazardousorganisms. Many books describe hazar-dous organisms in water and their effects,ranging from mild headaches, gastro-intestinal disturbances and fatigue,through vomiting to severe fever, cardio-respiratory problems and even death. Soyou should treat the water - boiling thebilly being the customary and most

effective way. Remove any scum whichappears. Other known methods may beused too.

Naturally occurring chemicals in thewater can also be a problem. In someparts of Australia concentrations ofarsenic, fluoride and uranium exceed safelevels. For example, there are radioactivesprings in the vicinity of Arcaroola.Sometimes maps show this information, atother times local authorities may know, orthey may not. t

On and off theLarapinta trail.Mt Sonder(below) is on itwhile the canyon(left) is not.

In Gibson’s desert (annual rainfall 250 mm) the land sets the travel rules. It wasnamed by Giles after his partner who perished there in April 1874. Giles andGibson were reconnoitering a route west when they pushed too far. The effortto regain their main camp 100 miles away became desperate, having limitedfood, water and now only one horse. They separated, with Gibson riding aheadto get help and Giles going on foot as best he could. Gibson, with their onlycompass, lost his way and was never seen again, but Giles survived.

Magnesium aluminium sulfateprecipitating in a pool, Karijini. Suchefflorescence was widespread on ourKarijini walk in May 2007. In this pool,crystals were forming in the water. Thetaste was often quite (unpleasantly)strong.

Groundwater often contains highconcentrations of iron (above). It can bedetected from its bitter “metallic” tasteand the rusty look of the water as the ironprecipitates when this water comes incontact with air. Sometimes this is due toiron-loving bacteria, but they leave thewater quite drinkable.



Ever walked in snow ALL DAY!?Neither had any of us before today.But to start at the beginning...

An 0830 start at Wentworth Falls hadbeen promulgated, and by that time onlyfour foregathered there to face the icyblast. Not quantity, but quality, includingHugh - lovingly referred to as ilCommandante. A minor gale at thecarpark, 2 C, and bits of snow flyingaround led to some erethism. Anyone noton time would miss out. It was no day tosit around - so - off! We collected Tonyfound lurking around Gearin's Pub. Onlyfive, but at least today we wouldn't behampered by people confusing Saturdaywalks with Interpretative walks.

Leader il Commandante had nuttedout five possible walks, all off-track, withthe choice was to be made on the daydepending on who turned up and whatthey looked like. The violent windseliminated two walks, leaving KamarahCanyon, Boyce’s Gully, and JungaburraBrook. The decision was made en route.

Four fit and capable walkers (plus il C)could tackle the last named.

Snow storms in the valley as we spedalong Darling Causeway hit us as westepped out of the car: a major SW galeand snow - a true blizzard. This, ofcourse, did not deter us from the need toform an introductory circle for prayersand thanks and the customary hortatoryadmonition against treading on nativeplants; but the hasty donning of gaitersdistracted the attention of some from theservice. Then the feckful pentad was offalong Jinki to the Wilkinson Hill turn off.Downwards now, and at 494 865, notclaiming fatidical powers and feelingunusually exorable, I asked the groupwhether they felt adventurous enough toattempt entry into Jungaburra from alittle further north than might enable athrough road. Their positive andapparently fidimplicitary response wasgratifying.

The going through the dry sclerophyllwas not too difficult and we found a waydown to the creek c 494 868. A narrow,anfractuous gully awaited us. Marvellous!

Without going any further the scene herewould be reward in itself for a short walk.We looked at the thick undergrowth. Thesnow had ceased for a moment. Was thatsunlight? Surely not!

We pressed on into snow and thebeginnings of Jungaburra Canyon. Thegoing was difficult as expected, flexuous,with many creek crossings. Lotti sugg-ested a stop for M/T. Fair enough, it wasthe first place we’d found where a stopwas even possible. We had the palatialspread prepared, the lobster disheslooking so fine on the tablecloth

embroidered with pink rosettes, a choiceof Waldorf or Caesar salads set out andthe Mateus Rosé poured, when the snowthickened again! With no shelter it waspossible only to pull up the wet-weathergear higher around the head and finishthe hot drinks.

We started off W but before longcame across a not unexpected

obstacle: a delightful little waterfall andchute sided by steep cliffs. No way. Therewas a creek crossing not far back so weclimbed the low cliff on the S side andfollowed the spur westwards. Access tothe creek is possible at the nose. Wepushed on around the gully. The goingwas as bad as the worst parts of ourVictoria Brook jaunt, and it wasunrelenting. So was the snow which wasto continue from the M/T break until wefinished the walk. Our motto ‘fortiter inre’ sustained us, but hopes of progressingmuch further faded and we made for along overhang cave. 100 m took abouthalf an hour. Festina lente may be a moreapposite motto! Diary excerpt: The LunchSpot is magnificent and quite dry. Someforegoer once made a comfortablecampsite here, who knows - anAgapemone perchance? A spectacularhigh nose towers above us on the otherside of the creek, though today it loomsmisty and menacing through the thicksnow.

With appropriate caution we lit a fire.Necessary nepenthe for the soul! Wewarmed our spirits, dried our clothes andburnt our gloves! Such a warm, happytime. Emanuel turned a visit to the Gents’into a recce and discovered, as is hiswont, a nearby exit line up the cliffside.Lunch over, we managed it, the oldestmember being assisted by a safety tapearound the base of a tree later describedas ‘not too stable’ (I hope they werereferring to the tree). From on top there'sa grand view down the canyon and,importantly, the possibility of a steep

descent to the creek where ‘perhaps’ theundergrowth might be easier going on arecce planned for another day.

The vertical back to the road is about200 m. Generally the walk is graded

3/4. Today it was made more difficult bythe wet rocks and moss, the wetundergrowth, the cold, and the snow. Itwas made easier by the presence of ourmountain climber Agonistes, as well as allthe others. As they used to say, we fadgedpretty well. Thanks all. t

Jungaburra Canyon headwaters

Dining in style - so to speak

The joys of canyon walking

Il Commandante, leading bravely

Do you think the weather is improving?

Hugh Spiers

The Bushwalker | 15



Dear EditorI respect and admire Tom Gleeson greatly.I’m sure that he was born with walkingshoes on, he runs an active club and isalways willing to share his walks viaphotos and description. He once joinedtwo old codgers on a wander inKoscuiszko National Park. He showedthem the spartan delights of lightweightbivy bag camping and they were mostgrateful for his youthful energy as hemade the going up through the regrowthon the south-west flanks of RoundMountain - I know, I was one of those oldfellows.

Everything that Tom states in his TheBushwalker Winter 2010 “BushNavigation and Wilderness Walking”article concerning navigation and cairns isfactual and true. Being a late starter tobushwalking, I know only too well that Ineed to improve my bush navigation.Reading the lie of the land and map andcompass work are both learnt skills andarts to be applied, applied, applied.

But surely there can be somecompromise. Marker cairns and tapes(judiciously and sparingly placed) can bea great confirmation of navigationalbounds for we ‘newbies’ and I’m the firstto admit that there is some relief when amarked point is reached. In addition,being primarily a day walker, I find that amarked route into a remote area gets methere quicker and with more time to reacha distant objective. I will continue todocument and publish marked routes inNamadgi National Park on Johnny Boy'sWalkabout Blog:(http://jevans.pcug.org.au), with the

proviso that we start from the premisethat a cairn means ‘someone has beenhere before’.

It would be a pity if Tom’s articleincited an anti-cairn zealot to dismantle awell known cairn, say, marking the exitroute from a high mountain, which wouldbe useful in a descent under adverseweather conditions.

John EvansDear EditorJohn Evans is a remarkable man, withgreat enthusiasm for the bush. However, Ifind the third paragraph of his letter to bein general opposition to the principles ofminimal impact bushwalking as it doesnot promote self-reliance, and does notencourage walkers to join a bushwalkingclub and learn navigation skills safely.The Confederation of Bushwalking ClubsNSW is the body to which (most) NSWand ACT clubs are affiliated, and it hasproduced two documents which addressthe responsible use of our natural areas. Iquote from two of them below.BUSHWALKERS’ CODE:

Become proficient at bush navigation.If you need to build cairns, blaze

trees, place tags, break off twigs, or tieknots in clumps of grass to mark yourroute, you are lacking in bushnavigation skills.

CONFEDERATION POLICYON NATURAL AREAS:

Self reliance of users encouraged.Minimal and non-specific promotion. Inparticular no through route guides.Printed guides: Detailed route guides arepermissible so long as they give dueregard to protection and conservation.Limited to general description of theterrain etc, with only broad suggestionsconcerning route possibilities. Where awell established route passes through

wilderness, supportive material shouldcontain sufficient detail to guide thewalker through.

In light of the above statements from theConfederation of Bushwalking ClubsNSW, I cannot justify building cairns,placing tapes, nor publishing detailedtrack notes. In the ANU MountaineeringClub, as in the Sydney UniversityBushwalkers, trip leaders like myself go toa great deal of effort to educate andmentor new walkers in the ways ofminimal impact bushwalking, includingquite a lot of time spent teaching map andcompass navigation skills. I am veryimpressed with how my walkers are goingand am proud to say that the “Walksafely, walk with a club” message ishaving a positive impact.

Press on regardless,Tom Gleeson

Editor’s comments

Clearly this is a difficult area, engenderingmuch debate. For what it is worth, I drawsome distinction between off-tracknavigation in a declared wilderness area(eg deep in Wollemi) and navigation on aknown and published track (eg throughBlue Gum Forest). But whether tapes andcairns are needed in either case is anothermatter. Who has not laughed at the cairnsyou sometimes see on the track throughBlue Gum Forest?

Do we have places where a single cairnserves a really useful purpose? I can thinkof a few: the engraved termite mound onGingra Spur comes to mind. Can Inavigate that area without the ‘cairn’?Yes. Could novices? A good question.Perhaps there is some distinction betweenbuilding lots of new cairns and leavingsome old traditional cairns in place.

We welcome continued debate on thissubject. Ed.

Are you a bushwalker or just afollower? Do you enjoy many

bushwalks but have precious little idea ofwhere you went? Are your bushwalks ontracks as cross country travel is a mystery?Could you locate where you are on themap by checking your immediatesurroundings? Does ‘back bearing’ meanremembering your way back home after aparty?

If the answer is “yes” to any or all ofthese questions then you should bepracticing your bush navigation skillswithin a team from your Club atNavShield 2011 on 2nd / 3rd July.

NavShield is an annual remote areanavigation event for the EmergencyServices that is open to members ofConfederation Clubs run by BushwalkersWilderness Rescue Squad (BWRS). Youcan enter either the one day or overnightevent where teams attempt to find asmany as possible, randomly scattered‘checkpoints’ set in typical bushwalkcountry. Unmarked maps are supplied.

Many teams return year after year totake up the challenge of checkpointplotting, route planning, successfulnavigation to each of their selectedcheckpoints and returning to base camp

before the event deadline. Finding acheckpoint is a great confirmation of goodnavigation. Each year BWRS aims to setan accurate course with a range of easy tohard checkpoints. They also aim for asafe but friendly event with ‘radiocheckpoints’ which you must report to butwhere you can also socialise with otherparticipants. Most overnight teams electto camp at a ‘radio checkpoint’.

NavShield is not an orienteering eventwhere you rush / run to complete a setgroup of checkpoints on a fixed course.At NavShield you choose how few ormany checkpoints you want to find andadjust your pace accordingly.

Bushwalker appetites can be met at theend of NavShield with the optionalcatering. Event Registration is easy atwww.bwrs.org.au . Extra information isthere, of course, regarding frequentlyasked questions, minimum equipment anddetails of previous NavShields.

Taking the mystery out of crosscountry travel opens up much morebushwalking country. So if you want tostop being just a bushwalking followerand get so much more out of yourbushwalks you should really be part of aClub team in NavShield 2011. t

Letters tothe Editor

Keith Maxwell, BWRS

volume 36 issue 1 summer 2011 - bushwalkermagazine.org quartelys/bushwalker361.pdfsummer 2011 colo...

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