wouldn’t you like to be here? - bushwalking...

Wouldn’t you like to be here?

Renjo La and Gokyo Lakes, Nepal. Photo: Nina Gallo

Unburnt Snowgums, Kosciuscko National Park. Photo: Graham White, South Coast Bushwalkers

Bushwalker T he

The Official Publication of Bushwalking NSW Inc

Volume 38, Issue 4, Spring 2013


ISSN 0313 2684

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Editor: Roger [email protected]

Graphic Design & Assembly: Barry HanlonProofreader: Roy Jamieson

Confederation Officers:President: David TrinderAdministration Officer:

[email protected]: www.bushwalking.org.auAddress all correspondence to:PO Box 119, Newtown, NSW 2042

Bushwalking NSW Inc representsapproximately 66 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 8,700bushwalkers.

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

People interested in joining abushwalking club may write to theBushwalking [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 Australian Bushwalking FAQ.

From theeditor’s desk. . .

Front Cover: Blue Mountains, but where? SeeEditorial. Photo: Roger Caffin.

IndexWouldn’t you like to be here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3Lawson Cave Falls 4Sierra Valdivieso Circuit

Tierra del Fuego Argentina 6Adrenalin Ledge, Newnes Plateau 9Exploring Broula Brook in

the Budawangs 12Cascade Walk 13It’s all About Canopy 14Book Reviews 15Gardens of Stone National Park and Beyond Book 4Butterflies, Identification and Life History

The cover looks spectacular, doesn’t it? I tried to persuade my wife tostep out onto the lower tip of the overhang, but she wasn't havingany of that. Ah well.

But you may have trouble guessing where it was taken. It’s above theEmpire Pass at Lawson in the Blue Mountains. “Oh, it's just a trivial littlewalk, isn’t it, and hardly worth doing.” Actually, ‘they’ are reviving thewest end with (much) improved steps, and it is quite a nice half-day trip.Several fine waterfalls of course, plus the Pass itself. That’s a long ledge(several kilometres) of adequate width running above the river, with cliffsbelow it and above it. There are trees growing out of the lower cliff, so youdon't realise the exposure, and there are none of those pointless handrails.We ended up at Echo Point (no echo), and walked back across the top tothe start. The flowers on top everywhere were in great shape.

We walked the Pass after visiting the Lawson Cave Falls which Brian Foxdescribes in an article in this issue. The Falls are just as he described them.One of the advantages of seeing the articles before they get published.

Articles for PublicationWe are always happy to receive pictures for the Inside Front Cover. If you would like tosee yours published, send them in. In particular, little 640x480 photos and, little photosfrom cheap phones are just not good enough: they simply do not print well enough at300 dpi. We need the full-size originals, straight from the camera and uncropped andunretouched, so we can set them up for the printing process.

Apart from that, please keep those bushwalking articles rolling in. We need them. Ifyou are describing a walk somewhere, it would really help if you could give the reader(who may be from far away) some idea of where the walk is. We don’t need GRs, just ageneral idea. We need suitable photos for most every article, so please include a few.Once again, note that little, cropped or shrunk photos will rarely be accepted. If youwant to include a DOC file or a PDF (in addition to the mandatory plain text file andfull-sized photos) to illustrate how the photos fit into the text, please do so as well.That can only help.

However, photos embedded in DOC or PDF files are not accepted by themselves,and neither are scans of standard photographic prints - with the possible exception ofhistorical items where the print is all that exists. Finished DOC and PDF articles are notsuitable by themselves either: we often have to rearrange the text to fit on the pagewith ads or other changes. Plain text plus original photos!

Finally, the opinions expressed by authors may not represent the official opinions ofthe Confederation or of any Club. The Editor’s opinions are his own, are subject tochange without explanation, and may be pretty biased anyhow.

Roger CaffinEditor

What do you think of

Readers are invited to complete a short survey.Go to: http://tinyurl.com/thebushwalkerThe survey will take less than 5 minutes.Closing date is 15 December.

4 | The Bushwalker Volume 38, Issue 4, Spring 2013


John and Brian Fox

In Lawson Library there is a framedseries of photographs hanging on thewall that depicts various waterfalls in

Lawson. In 2004 Brian visited the libraryand was intrigued by one particularwaterfall named “Lawson Cave Falls” ashe hadn’t previously heard about it, let

Notes1. Was the correspondent who wrote this“Nepean Times” article the same personwho wrote the following article in the“The Blue Mountain Echo”? The contentsof the articles and the language used areso similar that there seems to me verylittle doubt. The latter article just adds alittle more detail.2. To be able to return to the township ofLawson by 6 pm the party of 20 would

have needed to have left the vicinity ofLawson Cave Falls well before 5 pm (asindicated in the “Echo” article) as it wouldtake more than an hour to negotiate theirway down the creek, up the hill, load thecoach and drive the horses. But perhapsthere is a tendency for us in the 21stcentury to underestimating the staminaand fitness of the people of that era?

alone known its location. Since then hehas endeavoured to solve the “hundredyear old mystery”.

He began systematically exploring themany various creeks and gullies in thedistrict but was unsuccessful in locating it.He highlighted on a map all the areas he

Nepean Times(Penrith, NSW) Saturday 7 September 1912, page 6 of 8

Lawson(From our Correspondent)Spring is here, and everything looks beautiful. Tourists are fast pouring in, andavailable cottages are being eagerly taken. There is no doubt whatever that agreat future is before our town, its attractiveness and its nearness to theMetropolis being great factors in its popularity.The Lawson Tourists' Association, following up their policy of catering for theentertainment of visitors, conducted a party of tourists to the Lawson CaveFalls on Wednesday afternoon. Coaches left the railway station at 2 p.m. with aparty of 20, and although the walk was rough and precipitous, the visitorsthoroughly enjoyed it, and were unanimous in their praise of this little knownbeauty spot. Afternoon tea was provided by the association, and the partyreturned to town about 6 p.m. well pleased with their trip. The party waspersonally conducted by Mr W G Staples, chairman of the Board of Trustees forthe Reserves.

had searched and recorded the details andlocations of all the waterfalls (33 bothmajor and minor) that he’d found.On Wednesday 29th December 2004, wedid an explorative bushwalk at southLawson to try to locate the falls. Weexplored the creek system between RidgeStreet Lawson (where we left one car)and Boronia Road/Albert Road Bullaburra(where we had left the other car). Wedidn’t locate the said waterfall but we didwalk through some pretty sections of thecreek with interesting grottos, mosscovered rocks, clean running stream andtree ferns.

In an effort to follow up the extra cluesre the location of “Lawson Cave Falls”provided in an article in the BlueMountains Echo (13.9.1912) the secondtime John accompanied Brian on anexplorative bushwalk was on Tuesday,23rd January 2007. This time we drove tothe end of the bitumen section ofGenevieve Road, and did a major bushbash down a steep, overgrown slope andfound the going was tough – and yetagain the falls we were looking forremained elusive.However in September 2013 Brianeventually solved the mystery. Thanks tothe services of a friend, David Tobin, a“wanted poster” was put on a socialInternet site. It generated quite a fewresponses but no positive leads. A monthor two later David Tobin tried anotherBlue Mountains social media site. Thistime within all the replies was a positiveresponse from Daniel Brown, with aphotograph. David Tobin inspecting thephoto realised that the negative from theold photo in Lawson Library was thewrong way around! He did a mirror-image, and then it was a perfect match -all of the main rock formations alignedperfectly.

The photo in the Library Lawson Cave Falls. Photo: John Fox

4 | The Bushwalker



The Bushwalker | 5The Bushwalker | 5Volume 38, Issue 4, Spring 2013Volume 38, Issue 4, Spring 2013

Notes1. Lawson Falls was referred to as“Lawson Cave Falls” in the Nepean Timesarticle.2. The journey of “about a mile and ahalf” along the “Main Western Road” intoday’s terminology would be about 2.5km on the Great Western Highway. Theywould have travelled west from Lawsonand left the highway at what is now calledBullaburra – in those days there was notown between Lawson and WentworthFalls.3. Waratahs are generally in bloom atLawson in late September or earlyOctober – hence as it was early Septemberthey were only in the initial stages ofbudding.4. Lawson has many fine waterfalls. Onthe north side they are: Fairy Falls, DantesGlen Falls, St Michaels Falls and FredericaFalls. While on the south side they are:Cataract Falls, Federal Falls, JunctionFalls and Adelina Falls. Further down thehill at Hazelbrook there is Terrace Falls.All of these were recognised as “touristpotential” and formed tracks,infrastructure and signage were installed.However the writer of the above article isquite correct – the above falls visited was(and still is) relatively unknown to all buta select few and the falls and its vicinityare spectacularly impressive.5. Boiling the billy over an open fire andhaving a cup of tea at a tourist destinationwas the norm back in those days. Thesedays this is rarely done – reasons include:open fires are generally illegal, the waterquality is dubious, commercially produceddrinks and food can be easily brought inand consumed and going to a coffee shopafterwards is seen as so much moreappealing. In other words, very few optfor being content with the simpler lifestyleof yesteryear.6. The “al fresco” meal eaten outdoorsprobably consisted of sandwiches, fruitand biscuits washed down with a cup oftea. There is no mention of sausages beingcooked.

The Blue Mountains EchoFriday 13 September 1912, page 1 of 8

On Wednesday afternoon, in glorious weather, the first picnic inaugurated bythe Lawson Tourist Association took place, when about a couple of dozen ofladies and gentlemen, under the able guidance of Mr W. G. Staples, visited theLawson Falls.

The party, conveyed in two coaches, left the offices of the Association soonafter two o’clock, and after a drive of about a mile and a half, left the MainWestern road and struck across country for the Falls. The route ran throughsome gorgeous bush scenery, the tree ferns being particularly fine, whilst thewaratahs were already beginning to announce the advent of Spring with theirscarlet inflorescences.

After much climbing, the party arrived at the Falls, which are undoubtedlyone of the finest, though, perhaps, the least known of any of the Mountain Falls.Soon busy hands were at work getting the billy boiled, and when that wasaccomplished, all sat down and enjoyed an “al fresco” meal.

A photograph was taken, and about five o’clock the camp was struck, and astart made for home. Another track was taken and after some mountaineeringthe coaches were reached, and a drive home brought a most enjoyable after-noon’s pleasure to a conclusion.

7. The photograph that was taken thatday is almost certainly the one that isdepicted at Lawson Library where peopleare standing on either side of the falls.[Several are visible to the left.]8. By 5 pm in early September the light inthe enclosed valley of the Lawson CaveFalls area would be getting rather dim. Ittook us half an hour to get to the spotwhere no doubt the coaches would havebeen waiting – and once we started toascend, we were walking at a brisk paceon a well trodden pad. And so if the partywaited until at 5 pm to leave the falls,we’re sure that by the time the last personreached the coach there would have beenvery little daylight left.

9. In 1911 there were very few motorisedvehicles (“iron horses”) – so it can beassumed the coaches were horse drawn.

Trip Report

Lawson Cave FallsMap: Katoomba Topographical Map,8930 – 1S Third EditionWeather: A very warm, dry, spring daywith quite a deal of sunshine.Starting point: the N end of BoothRoad, Bullaburra.Directions: walk past the boom gate to thesecond lot of 66kV power lines, whereBruce’s Walk crosses the ridge. Turn leftand follow Bruces Walk to the bottom.Scramble upstream for a few hundredmetres on the right hand fork, either overthe huge log pile-up or up on the left bankfrom the pile-up.Near the bottom of the descent there is aleft fork to an old shelter cave in the lefthand creek. Brian located fragments of anold glass bottle and an old spoon here.There’s an old log for sitting on.Time: about 30 minutes each way, plustime at the Falls.Description: The Lawson Cave Falls andits environs are very impressive. Thewidth of the pool at the front from onewall of the cavern to the other is 22 mand the distance from the waterfall to thefront edge of the pool is 18 m. The poolitself we estimate to be 18 m by 15 m.Thewaterfall has about a 9 m drop from thechockstone to the pool. The height of theoverhangs of the cave above the poolwould be about 12 to 20 m and on theLHS it juts out from the cliff line 6 m andon the RHS 8 m.

The Bushwalker | 5


The Falls from underneath. Photo: Roger Caffin



The Lonely Planet notes my cousinpurchased describe this walk as a48.5 km, three to four day

‘adventurous trek through the heart ofArgentine Fuegian Andes, crossing superbrugged wilderness in splendid isolation’. Italso accurately described it as demanding,with a start approximately 15 kilometresfrom Ushuaia, in the southern tip ofArgentina. Although recommendingtaking an extra two days food forcontingencies, it failed to convey the fullimpact of five days involving mountainclimbing, snow, winds, deep watercrossings, constant wet feet, frozen boots,and climbing through sooty trees.

As my cousin Kathryn and I werealready at the end of the world for ourAntarctic expedition cruise, it seemed likean opportunity to also explore thesurrounds of Tierra del Fuego (Land ofFire!). Of course the notes didrecommend doing this from Decemberthrough to late March, and we were in

April. Recommendations rightly includeda good tent, all weather clothing and anextra day’s food supply.

I’ve always found walk time estimatesgenerous and couldn’t think of when Ihave finished outside an allowed time.With that in mind and given it was a busyEaster weekend we booked BnBaccommodation for our probable returnon Friday evening, thinking at absoluteworst we would be back to it on Saturdaymorning. Freshly off the ship fromAntarctica on Tuesday morning we leftour details at the tourist office and excessgear with our BnB hosts.

The first sign that this might be theawfully big adventure we had joked aboutwas the local taxi driver having troubledetermining the starting point. Thequoted 100+ Argentinean pesos became~ 100 after a couple of U turns, a drop offand return with concern to check ourwelfare, before moving us along to theproper start. Along the way he also failed

to start the meter, turning it on as passingthe police check point exiting the city, andthen turning it off again. It appearedbargaining a set price as we had wasn’tlegal. Finally around 2 pm we actually leftthe road and agreed to postpone lunchuntil we covered some distance towardour first night’s camp.

We wandered left and right beforebeing confident of what was actually theright path. Fairly shortly we met aCanadian couple walking the other way.They gave us less than glowing reports ofthe ground ahead. But they hadn’t donethe whole circuit and we were Aussies.What would Canadians know about harshcold and wet conditions - hmm?!? At leastI kept quiet, not game to pull out until mycousin also wanted to.

We found a path that was wide andmuddy, but clear enough. Our first watercrossing came up quickly. The rapidlyflowing water was less than knee high,but too much to just pass through evenwith gaiters and waterproof boots. Aftersome consideration it was shoes and socksoff and a brief chill, rather than theremainder of the day damp and chilled.We found a makeshift large leaning stickand holding each other’s wrists to getacross we made it safely to the other side.It felt like we had already beenadventurous, but later this seemed justpar for the course.

We resumed walking coming to a forkin the path. So we headed up to the

side agreeing to go no more than tenminutes if we didn’t find the next turn off.We didn’t find it, but did see unusuallycoloured fungi, and the first of masses ofautumn coloured Fagus (Beech trees).

After returning to the main path weentered a wide open plain that left me

Fiona BachmannAll Nations BushwalkersApril 2012

Day 3: Oh, what lovely weatherwe are having

SierraValdiviesoCircuitTierradel FuegoArgentina

6 | The Bushwalker

Day 4: Light snow on the mountains



wondering how one could tell anythingfrom anything and navigate any further. Itwas squelchy underfoot as wecommenced crossing the seeminglyendless supply of sphagnum moss, whichwould continue for days. To Kathryn’scredit then, and many times following,she found us a way out. As nightfallapproached we found Refugio Benete; asmall wooden hut with a pot belly stove.We met locals walking dogs on returnfrom a day trip. Although they werefriendly, it was a relief to see them go andleave us enough space in the small hut.We started a fire, had part of ‘lunch’ forentree and cooked our evening meal,pondering the wisdom of undertaking thistrek. As I lay in my sleeping bag on thestill, flat floor I could feel the rockingmotion of ten days at sea. (Or was thatthe red wine and vodka tonics of theprevious night’s farewell?). It also seemedthe self inflating sleeping mat had a holeand was self deflating.

The second day brought clear lightwith views of snowy topped mountains,golden Fagus, and water with patterns ofsnap frozen leaves and twigs. We headednorthwest on no real track anticipatingviews of Monte Olivia, making it to alunch stop behind a boulder. It rained andwind blew stronger than what we couldcurrently walk in. When it eased weheaded up a gravelly wash over looseshale rock going two or three steps up,then sliding down, two or three up again,and then sliding down less. I think thistook at least one and a half hours, beforesearching for an elusive eastern pass. Thepass offered views to a small lake. Therewere always beaver dams adding to thevolume of water bodies, changing thewater course, and confusing us overwhich landmarks to follow. The beaver’swork showed what an industriouscreature it is. They take trees, build damwalls and block water, with greatefficiency.I learnt to look for cairns and feltencouraged and relieved at each sighting.We crossed more water, now justcharging through, saving dry socks for theend of the day. Socks would only be dryfor a few hours at most if changed now.We camped near the base of a waterfall,beside sooty trees from a recent bushfire.

On day three we attempted to climbsteeply southward toward a prominentboulder which was marked with a cairn.We climbed through snow, denseblackened sooty trees, and across severalstreams, but not far forward. I had iciclesin my hair, soot on my face, and by lateafternoon we both found it difficult tostand against the brewing blizzard. Wedropped our packs and scouted for acamp spot, settling next to a large pond.By 4 pm we were huddled in the tent

trying to get warm,while watching thesnow sneak its waybetween the tent andfly. I had removed myshoes and rain jacket,but remained in myday layers just addinga sleeping bag andliner.

We contemplatedour options for theremainder of the dayand following days. We were now abouthalf way through the circuit with twodays' walk out in either direction, involatile weather conditions, with threedays food supply. Water wasn’t aproblem. One way we had alreadynavigated, whereas the remainder wasunknown. So with the disappointment ofnot seeing the circuit through weconceded it was safer to return the nextday the way we knew, if not earlier. Wealso needed to move to a lower heightsheltered from the wind and snow, or stopthe snow accumulating between the tentand fly. Kathryn ventured out into thesnow and wind to build a rock wallaround the tent, while I cooked in the tentvestibule. With domestic chores done wesettled into the Macpac quarters. Kathrynread me her new camera manual whilewe distracted ourselves from what didn’tbear thinking about. Through the tripKathryn did keep reminding me it wasanother night of three course meals (soup,packet pasta andbiscuits) and sleepingin silk sheets (sleepingbag liner), andpossibly breakfast inbed.

Morning came andour packs and bootswere frozen undersnow in the tentvestibule. The tentpegs were frozen inbetween the snow-turned-ice and ourrock wall. As I bailedwater from the lakeand poured it onto thefrozen tent peg rocklump, Kathrynchiselled the ice away.It had to be donequickly before theextra water added tothe existing ice. I wason the verge of usingthe gas cooking stoveto melt away the ice.After at least an hour,compared to the usualminutes, the tent wasfreed, as were we to

continue. The weather was currently clearand Kathryn confessed she was having‘dangerous’ thoughts. I agreed to headingforward for an hour and then reassessingthe situation. I noticed the hour passedbefore my frozen boots thawed to makethem malleable enough to do up fully.Over two hours on Kathryn confessed thehour had passed, and we just kept going.We went up and down through knee deepsnow and I picked readymade stalactiteicy poles whenever I was thirsty. Wewalked around many huge ponds andfound a beaver in one having itsafternoon swim.

The day ended through more Fagustrees, crossing water, observing a full

moon and camping in a sheltered forest.We even dined alfresco. I managed tocollect cooking water by holding onto atree overhanging the running water andscooping with my trangia bowl. My tiredfeet did feel funny, but hurt less thanusual. Kathryn made me a hot water

Day 2: Beaver dam

Day 4: So, what’s it like OUTSIDE the tent?

The Bushwalker | 7The Bushwalker | 7



bottle with a flask and spare jumper. Iwas also sleeping on Kathryn’s spareclothes as my mattress was barelyinflating by this point. I had no spareclothes to sleep on: I was wearing themall!

The final day had arrived and proved tobe a long one with a correctly

estimated eight hours of hard walking,and navigation. Even after days of watercrossing and clumping through snow thislooked hazardous. The path ahead wascontinuous water of undetermined depthand mostly fallen trees. As we ponderedthe best course it reminded me of thosepsychology recruitment tests. The typewhere one has to determine either how tosurvive after a shipwreck on limitedrations, or move supplies over crocodileinfested water using only two planks anda piece of rope. I don’t think I will forgethanging like a monkey from a fallen tree,with full pack, dangling over water whiletrying to lever myself to the next point.(Did Catherine Zeta-Jones start this way?)I didn’t fall in; I just couldn’t let thathappen.

Kilometres followed of squelchysphagnum moss, skirting water andcrossings, muddy bogs, rain, passing apeat cutting operation, guard dogs andemergence beside a youth rehabilitationcentre. This left us with a 15 km walkback to Ushuaia, at nightfall. I had

originally thought this would be an easythree hour cool down after three or sodays walking. I had never hitchhikedbefore and just didn’t think one did this,especially next to a state correctionalcentre where one could be mistaken foran escapee. Although they probablylooked less rough than us after five daysalone in the wild.

To my fear, dismay and relief wemanaged to get a lift with a group of guysin a minivan. With limited Spanish andsign language we managed to bedelivered to the edge of town very near

our BnB. Careful to leave our mud-encased boots outside but triumphant atcompletion of the Sierra Valdivieso Circuitwe cheerfully entered, only to be greetedwith great surprise and concern. Ourhosts (mistakenly) expecting us back theday before, had contacted the Tourismoffice and the police who were on alertedto commence searching the next morning.

After much embarrassment andexplanations that people can die if

caught out in Tierra del Fuego, all waswell that ends well. t

Day 2: How it was meant to be

The Bushwalker | 9



It was a glorious late autumn daywith local areas of frost in themorning developing into a bright

sunny day with occasional smallpatches of cloud. Walking conditionswere pleasant but very cool to cold inareas of shadow, temperature rangefrom 8 to 12 C.

Adrenalin Head1 is the blunt-ended headland between the mouthof Adrenalin Creek2 and the mouth ofEndorphin Gully3. It is rarely visitedand even less explored along thebenched ledges below the massivecliffs. The attempt to walk the ledgecontinuously was thwarted by a quirkof geomorphology, but the sectionssuccessfully explored on this walk arespectacular.

The walk plan called for vehiclesto be parked at the locked gate on theGardens of Stone National Parkboundary, then we would walk alongthe old access track to where wewould head off down a ridge to thecliff edge, dropping down to pick up abench in the sandstone cliffs formedby the more rapid erosion of theMount York Claystone band. Theintention was to then follow thisbench in a clockwise direction as faras possible.

Following a thorough briefing andsafety session at 0823, the group setoff at a brisk pace reaching the take-off point from the old road at 0842.From this point it was an easy walkthrough open forest dotted withseveral species of Persoonia, (P.

lanceolata, P. levis and P. linearis) inthe understorey. At 0857 we stood onan isolated pagoda whichcommanded stunning views northdown Endorphin Gully and north eastto the Wolgan Valley. There was noimmediately obvious way downthrough the top cliff line.

Several adjoining pagodas weresuccessively climbed and ways downfrom them tested. This happened at0905, and again at 0917. At 0928, amagic and deep descending slot waslocated. This slot, now named theEndorphin Channel, is some 60 m inlength and trends north west. Itscontinuation on the north side ofEndorphin Gully can be seen as aforbidding cleft in the cliffs.

The Endorphin Channel is lessthan 50 cm wide and descends like astaircase through about 30 m ofvertical height. At about 20 m down aside canyon empties into it by way ofa short waterfall with a delightful,shallow pool at its base. This is a gemof geomorphology that thankfully lieswithin the Gardens of Stone NationalPark.

The Endorphin Channel has alanding area where it intersects

with the basal cliff ledge. From herewe could explore northwards alongthe ledge as far as the end pointwhere it terminates in a non-negotiable drop. The views and thecave behind the ledge at this pointare stunning.

Michael KeatsThe Bush Club

Endorphin Gully.Photo: Brian Fox

Walking under a cliff. Photo: Emanuel Conomos



After a retrace to the landing area, andcontrary to envisaged plans, we pushedsouthwards, anti-clockwise, along a ledge.This ledge changed character severaltimes as it entered the cliffed constrictionsof Endorphin Gully. The comment wasmade that a further walk to explore thenorth western cliff line of Endorphin Gullyis a must as it is even more convolutedand more incised with great features thanthe southern side.

At 1011 we entered a slot and gullycomplex, accessing it from the ledge.

This slot first broadens into a cavern andthen continues as a canyon, beforebreaking out into a negotiable way ofroute back to the ridgeline of AdrenalinHead. After a good explore around in thisarea we returned to the ledge and pushedfurther south. Almost on cue, a ramp upwas found. This ramp led to an evenhigher ledge, and an amazing cleavedrock that was too narrow to walk through,although Brian Fox did attempt to scalethe outer rock surface for the first fewmetres.

This was such a delightful spot thatmorning tea was taken. Over morning teawe reviewed the outcome of theexploration so far. Our revised plan nowwas to cross Adrenalin Head and dropdown onto the known ledge on thewestern side of Adrenalin Creek and walkanti-clockwise as far as we could.

Resuming after morning tea, wefollowed close by the base of an almostvertical wall that included along the waya great circular recess in the cliffs. Thisrecess is the product of chemical erosionand added a further dimension to thecomplex geomorphology of the area. Yetanother ramp up was negotiated and thenwe found a narrow walk-through slot,that although it could have been avoided,

we all went through just because wecould!

By 1039 we were back in the openforest, and heading for the spinal ridgeroad, which was reached at 1043. A shortdistance along this road we took a bearing(150 degrees), and headed for the easterncliff edge.

By 1056 the cliffs opposite the ‘nocontour’4 section of Adrenalin Creek werein view and our descent below the cliffsabove Adrenalin Creek was under way.Another great slot down led into asecluded valley with its own microenvironment. Here, in this hidden valley,the vegetation was dominated by soaring,massive and magnificent Brown BarrelGums (Eucalyptus fastigata), a mid storeyof Rough Tree Ferns (Cyathea australis),and an understorey of many fern species.Huge, clefted boulders scattered like giantdice are encrusted with a mix of epiphytesgiving the valley the feel of being clothedin a green mantle. A watercourse huggedthe base of a long sinuous cliff line. It is atotally captivating place.

The cliff edge lay just beyond this, androunding a boulder that was green withepiphytic plants on one side, and barelysupporting a lichen cover on the other, wedescended a rough section of broken rockonto the beginning of the AdrenalinLedge5. This ledge is one of the manywonders to be experienced in the magicalplace known as the Gardens of StoneNational Park.

Walking the ledge is a little like beingsuspended in space; high above aretowering cliffs, below is the very deep,parallel sided canyon that is home toAdrenalin Creek, some 200 m beneath.Across the void of space are glowingvertical sandstone cliffs. It is not difficultto feel detached from reality. The cliffwalk is not easy. It involves a lot ofscrambling, some crawling on hands andknees through tight sections and someincredible ultra-large spaces such asbeneath the Diagonal Caves6 where asingle curved overhang is over 100 macross and below which several hundredpeople could gather.

Near the extreme north end of theledge, views of part of the valley of

Carne Creek can be seen and somebuildings of the Wolgan Valley Resort.The end point of the ledge is similar tothat experienced on the ledge aboveEndorphin Gully. It just ceases to exist.We all lined up to have our photos taken.It was now 1227 and thoughts turned tofood. The logical place for such a largegroup to eat was back at the DiagonalCaves.

By 1300 the group was back at theDiagonal Caves, and each selected theirown preferred spot to enjoy a specialrestaurant with a view. As small puffs ofwind happened and clouds covered thesun, the temperature dropped. This wouldbe no place to be in two hours time. By1325 the lunch break was over and wewere all happy to be walking.

Rather than return the way we hadentered through the Brown Barrel filledvalley, we plotted a different route,

Adrenalin Ledge.Photo: Yuri Bolotin

Scrambling over obstacles. Photo: Yuri Bolotin

The Bushwalker | 11



heading further south. A great pagodaencrusted ridge just begged to be climbed.It does not show up on the topographicmap, but it is dramatic and has a knifeedge cliff overlooking a short ravine.From the top the view is superb andshowcases yet another aspect of theAdrenalin Creek system. Although theway forward looks daunting from the top,it is actually very easy. Just thread yourway around a succession of pagoda basesto the north, and then the old road is inview, 1405. The vehicles were reached at1414 t[Place names used are not found on topomaps: they are entirely unofficial - Ed]

Notes1 Adrenalin Head is the prominent

headland located south of the WolganPinnacle and between Endorphin Gullyand Adrenalin Creek. It is characterisedby massive vertical cliffs up to 116 mhigh and partly-negotiable benchedledges. The highest point of theheadland is at GR 384 137.

2 Adrenalin Creek flows in anapproximate north to south directionfor 6.5 km, from the junctions of BirdsRock Trail and Sunnyside Ridge Roadto it junction with Carne Creek.Contained in its headwaters is,Cathedral Cave. Michael Keatsrecorded 25th February 2013, “I havecalled this area, east of Fire Trail 6 andthe next ridge east, and questionablyFire Trail 5, the Adrenalin Gorges of

Carne Creek. Thename is inspiredby a complexterrain sostimulating andso beautiful itreally gets theadrenalinflowing”. CullenBullen Topo MapGR 396 142,junction.

3 Endorphin Gullyis locatedbetweenSunnyside Ridge,(Fire Trail 7) and Adrenalin Head,(Fire Trail 6). It rises on the spine ofSunnyside Ridge at GR 368 101, andflows north to join Carne Creek at GR392 150. Both these names are due tothe sensory impact of the scenery.

4 From time to time when the terrain isexcessively precipitous and space doesnot permit, the topographic mapsprepared by the NSW Department oflands show a blank section. In thisinstance it is for the terrainsurrounding Adrenalin Creek fromapproximately GR 386 127 to GR 388129. Nearly 200 m of difference occurin this short distance. The effect ismagnified by the presence of cliffs upto 116 m high in the vicinity, giving afeeling of a huge void.

5 Yuri Bolotin and Brian Fox coined thisname Adrenalin Ledge during a walk in

this area, 8th April 2013. TheAdrenalin Ledge is about 800 m inlength and flows the base of the cliffsfrom approximately GR 386 126 to GR388 133.

6 The Diagonal Caves, GR 384 127, werenamed by Yuri Bolotin and Brian Foxduring a walk in this area, 8th April2013. The caves are on two distinctlevels and slightly offset from eachother. It is not possible without somesignificant risk to climb from the upperto the lower caves. Both caves provideextraordinary opportunities to takeexceptional photographs within andalso of the surrounding cliffs.

The View across Endorphin Gully.Photo: Brian Graetz



Broula Brook is a southern tributaryof the Corang River in the westernBudawangs Wilderness. Most

Budawang visitors who start from theWog Wog car park near Nerrigacircumnavigate Broula Brook as they walkeastward along the main track to CorangArch and then return via Canowie Brookand the Goodsells track.

Most visitors to this part of theBudawangs almost certainly pay littleregard to what lies within the BroulaBrook catchment, apart from admiring itssurrounding impenetrable clifflines from afew vantage points along the establishedtracks, notably from Corang Arch. Theyare also certainly rarely tempted to launchinto the thick scrub to see what lies withinthe basin. A lack of fire of the last halfcentury has allowed an almostimpenetrable scrub to develop, typical ofmuch of the Sydney sandstone landscape.The wise would wait until a major fireclears the ground allowing easierexploratory walking.

However, the temptation has been toogreat for five Batemans Bay BushwalkingClub members who recently spent fourdays in fine, cool weather exploring underthe clifflines in the upper reaches ofBroula Brook.

The familiar trudge along the maintrack eastwards from Wog Wog carparkoccupied most of our first day. Picking upthe old overgrown Corang track from justnortheast of Corang Peak, we descendednorthward through the broken cliffline tothen immediately push westwards off thetrack into thick scrub toward BroulaBrook. The narrow pass through the rockbetween the catchments of Canowie andBroula Brooks at 365924 was easilynegotiated. We then contoured under thesouthern cliffline and descended quicklyto the only respectable creekside campsitein the area at 360922.

The well protected campsite was notonly central to upper catchment

exploration. It had ample flat ground forupwards of ten tents, firewood at easyarm’s reach and clean running water.

After a chilly first night, adequatelybuffered with an appropriate sizedcampfire, on day two we explored theupper reaches of the Brook by traversingunder clifflines which varied in heightfrom 30 to 80 metres. We explored allthe narrow gully heads, some terminatingin weeping waterfalls and prettyrainforest glens. Pinkwood (Eucryphiamoorei) was noted in a number of places.Abandoned lyrebird nests adorned somelow rocky ledges, otherwise evidence ofwildlife was scant.

The cliffs are visually interesting, ofconglomerate sediment, heavilyhoneycombed from thousands of years of

wind and water erosion. The sculpturesof caves, overhangs, holes, cracks andledges are, at times, stunning. Theconglomerate of river stones, pebbles andsands all overlay the much harder, andtilted, metamorphic bedrock. The unionbetween the two rock groups is sometimesso evident one can run a finger along thefine line between these two geologicevents separated by a mere 100 millionyears. It was even more sobering to thinkthat the thin junction of rock in front of usoccurred about 300 million years ago, atthe time of Pangea!

Apart from the two obvious gapsseparating Broula Brook from GoodsellCreek to the west and Canowie Brook tothe east, and referred to elsewhere in thistext, the cliffline is impenetrable withoutrock climbing expertise for most of its sixkilometres. Only two or three exits werefound which did not require aboveordinary rock scrambling skills. All exitsstill required a significant scrub bash tothe main track to the south. Almost allthe cliffline overhangs were not suitablefor camping, mainly due to lack of flatground.

We came upon a handsome naturalarch at 361915 not previously

known. It is approximately a quarter thesize of the more popularly known Corangarch and is easily accessed from the cliffbase.

On day three we continued the clifflinetraverse, completing the eastern edge to364924 and then climbed a rock ramp tothe top for a sunny lunch and from wherea very good view of the Budawangs to thenorth was enjoyed. A kilometer distant tothe east, two walkers were briefly seen onthe distinctive Corang arch.

The afternoon was spent exploring theremaining western cliffline on the locally,and appropriately, named Frog Mountain(its aerial view reveals its jumping frogshape – see aerial photo). The one andonly pass westward to Goodsell Basin, thearea we explored in September 2012, wasproved to be quite accessible. It is locatedat 357922 and it was in a small overhangat the pass that we found the onlyevidence of previous visitation – one smallrusty tent peg and a cache of well driedand decaying firewood, left probablythirty years ago.

On day four we left the area bywalking Broula Brook downstream to theGoodsell Basin track on the Corang River.From there it was a slog along the wellmarked track back to Wog Wog.

Despite the heavy bush bashing insome areas due to the tremendous fuelbuild up the six kilometres of clifflinestraversed were often pleasant andcertainly interesting. The discovery of thearch was notable. t

Ian Barnes Batemans Bay Bushwalking Club

Under the natural arch

Exploring Broula Brook inthe Budawangs

Frog Rock, start of the ridgeline to Frog Mtn

Well weathered conglomerate cliffline

The Bushwalker | 13



I’d heard it was good; one of the betterwalks they said; then it had thatmagic word “cascade” in it, surely

designed to attract the likes of me.It’s in New England National Park, 736square km of virgin bush criss-crossed bymany a trail, from 10 minutes to 10 days.I’d been inspired by doing the combinedWeeping Rock (1.5 km medium) andEagles Nest (2 hr hard) tracks a couple ofweeks earlier, just below the famous PointLookout with its vistas across to theocean.

That walk was labelled hard becauseof its steep inclines, though the steps weremostly in good condition. Theymeandered through fallen trees stillclutched by Spanish moss and lace lichen,exposed rocks draped with Sphagnum anddazzling ferns backlit by the winter’s sun,much like the stands of Antarctic Beech atthe appropriately named Beech Lookout afew kilometres down the road.

At Weeping Rock the splash of largedroplets of cool water was music to walkby as you admired the majestic rampartsthat rose to the heavens above you andblotted out the sun. At times the grab railwas the only sign of where the moist trailwent on its zig-zag route as you scaled theheights once more.

My appetite thus whetted and Lorrainealso keen, we stopped in on a trip toArmidale to do the Cascade Track alongthe Five Day Creek. The weather, foronce, was perfect. A nice chill was in theair, especially noticeable when you weredeep in the forest, like we wereimmediately after leaving the car.

For 1.5 km it’s dead easy along a 4WDroad, then the trail splits into fouroptions: the Lyrebird walk (medium gradeabout two hours); a multi-day walk to thecoast (serious bushwalkers only needapply); Wrights Lookout (medium, aboutan hour) and the Cascade Walk. We

plunged off to the right, past amemorial to John BeaumontWilliams, an inspirationalteacher, lover of nature andrenowned botanist; the sort ofbloke you’d like to have had asyour guide.

We walked on alone, a statewe were to find ourselves inthe whole day. We followedan easy trail through openwoodland beside a cliff faceuntil eventually we started our descent,walking for another 20 minutes before wefinally heard the telltale splashes deep inthe Gondwana forest as we moved pastsome massive fungi. We’d wonderedwhere the “hard” tag for the trail hadcome from; we were about to find out.

At times it was all we could do tolocate the track as it simply followed thecreek line. In times of heavy rain it wouldbe clearly impassable. However, itsbeauty was what continually grabbed ourattention. Except, that is, when Idiverged to the stream to get a particularphoto and was trying to make my way upagain. Placing my foot, and my faith,squarely on a large rock, I lurchedupwards. Partially, anyway, at least, untilthe earth gave forth of its large historicalremnant and I plunged in the generaldirection of down until I was soaked tomy shins. All of this was after Lorraine’s“be careful” cry that I have been remindedof since.

The filtered light bouncing off thecrystal clear waters of the fern-lined

rushing stream lit the rocks that guided itspath and gave relief to the gloom of theforest depths. Ancient trees that hadpassed their “use by” date lay at crazyangles determined by the latest flood.Now fodder for insects and fungi, theirmere presence lent grandeur to the walk

as we scrambled our way upstream and,in time, reached the highest of thecascades from whence the trail divergedand started up the hill through the openforest again.

Lorraine clearly struggled on theascents, so it came as something of a

shock to me when we came to theintersections again and she expressed akeenness to add Wrights Lookout to ourjourney. Heck, it was only 500 metresaway, how hard could it be?

After 50 metres we had our answer:“very”, as we dragged our weary bodiesup the steep incline and beneath a fallenlog at one stage that made it difficult forme to get through with the backpack.Still, at some time we made the plateauand stepped out to view one of thegrandest panoramas NSW has to offer.

Layers of ranges seemed to be in acontest to become the highest as thehorizon extended all the way to the sea,and row upon row of deep blue hillsundulated in the foreground. Here youcould understand how someone mighthave a desire to wander through it all,pitch a tent ‘neath the stars and wakenafresh to another day in the wilderness.We had other agendas, friends atArmidale beckoned and we’d spent 5¼hours doing a listed 3½ hour walk. Prettymuch par for the course these days! t

Climbing up to Wrights Lookout

Ian Smith



Marking the tenth anniversary ofthe 2003 fires with a symposiumon fire was an almost inevitable

decision for the Australian Institute ofAlpine Studies*. One of the presenters atthe symposium, Phil Zylstra (ResearchFellow at the University of Wollongong)put it thus, “There’s no indication of a fireof this scale in the few centuries prior toEuropean occupation. Quite possibly it’sthe first natural fire of that scale inmodern times.”

Apart from its almost iconic status, the2003 fire season has become a referencepoint for the study of fire in the Alps.There’s an opportunity to look back fromhere, through fifty years of data on firebehaviour. It’s equally a place to lookforward at a new era of fire which isclearly influenced by Climate Change. PhilZylstra’s current work** has made gooduse of those fifty-odd years of data, andhe was able to present the essence of hisfindings at the symposium.

He debunks a commonly held belief -that the older the forest, the more readilyit burns. And while the wider communitymay still believe otherwise, those presentat the symposium were very supportive of

the revised view. “Most people who’veworked in the Alps have already come tothat conclusion by various means.”

In basic terms, Phil’s report is based onasking which is more likely to burn whenset alight by natural causes - an olderforest of Snowgums, which has maturedto the point where its canopy is quiteseparate from the forest floor; or an areaof the same type of forest which has beenburnt some time recently and where thereis usually no distinct break betweencanopy and understorey growth. Earlierwork by Phil used a fire behaviour modelhe had developed based on physics andthe geometry of the forest to predicttrends in flammability for this forest type,suggesting that the most flammableperiod was in the younger stages.

“I looked at the map data gatheredsince 1957 relating to Snowgum forestover the two States and Territory to see iffire did favour one fuel age rather thananother. I was looking to validate themodel; I was looking to see if the modelcould predict the trends.”

And that is exactly what has happenedover the last 50 years. Despite thecommon belief that a long unburnt forest

would burn more readily, the map datasuggested that it could not in fact be thecase. “The data validates the model andoffers empirical proof. We can see thatSnowgum forests burnt up to 14 yearspreviously are 2.3 times more flammablethan mature forests.”

Of course this isn’t to suggest thathazard reduction burning does not have aplace in managing these landscapes, butrather that a greater understanding offorest type and its response to fire isuseful information to have.

Spending time and resources to gain aclearer picture of fire behaviour isobviously worthwhile. Organisingopportunities for the right people to haveaccess to findings like this, via organisedmoments such as this symposium, is keyto adjusting the thinking and methodsemployed by parks managers.

*The Australian Institute of AlpineStudies is an umbrella organisation foralpine researchers of all disciplines. Formore, visit: http://www.aias.org.au/

**The historical influence of fire on theflammability of sub-alpine Snow Gumforests & woodlands, due out in theAugust edition of the Victorian Naturalist.

Phil [email protected]

Which is more likely to burn - an older Snowgum forest with itscanopy separate from the forest floor; or its recently burntequivalent with no distinct break between canopy andunderstorey?

[Editorial comment: and we see similar problems with the typicalcontrol burning around Sydney: what's left is a huge mass of deadand very inflammible fuel, just waiting to go up. And the more it iscontrol-burnt, the worse it gets. RNC]

Open alpine forest, unburnt for 50 years Recently burnt alpine forest, 2 m high scrub

The Bushwalker | 15



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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 ofBushwalking Clubs NSW Inc, PO Box 119,Newtown NSW 2042. The new phone numberis 9565 4005. Make the cheque or money or-der payable to the Confederation ofBushwalking Clubs NSW Inc as well: pleasedo not abbreviate the name!

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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 Bushwalking NSW, PO Box119, Newtown NSW 2042. Phone: 9565 4005.Make the cheque or money order payable tothe ‘Confederation of Bushwalking ClubsNSW Inc’ as well: please do not abbreviate thename! (Yes, the bank account still uses the oldname so far. That may change - one day!)

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

Gardens of StoneNational Park andbeyond, Book 4Michael Keats and Brian FoxISBN 978 098 705 4630

Yep, this is volume 4 of the mega-seriesMichael and Brian are writing about

the Blue Mts and Gardens of StoneNational Parks.

Now, me, I go for the light-weight andultra-light bushwalking style. This book isin severe conflict with that: 932 pages ofgood weight glossy paper and 1.78 kgheavy! It is of course in full colour - andthere are an awful lot of very nice photosthere too. But it is a bit heavy ...

The book is not a ‘guide book’ in theconventional sense; rather it is acollection of Michael’s trip reports fromactual walks there. There’s an extensivepreamble describing the Gardens of StoneNational Park and all the catchmentsinvolved - in detail. Given the nature ofthe area the focus tends to be more on theconvoluted and incredible waterways thanthe rather flat plateau tops.

In keeping with the emphasis on thewater, this is followed by a substantialpaper on Water Pollution in the area byDr Ian Wright, School of Science andHealth, Uni Western Sydney. He discussesin great detail, fully supported by a longhistory of careful water sampling, all thedestruction and vandalism committed bythe various companies, power stations,coal mines and so on in the area. Allpermitted (or ignored) by the government

bodies who were supposed to beregulating them. Just one quote:“although mining and smelting at SunnyCorner ceased almost a century ago(Napier, 1992), the environmental legacy

Book Reviews . . .

Butterflies - Identifica-tion and life historyRoss P FieldMuseum Victoria Field GuideISBN 978-1-921833-09-0

I guess it is a bit of a coffee table book,but it's a very beautiful coffee table!

The biggest problem with it is that all themaps are for Victoria rather than NSW,but otherwise - so many gorgeousbutterflies, and their caterpillar forms too.

Paperback, glossy paper, 315+ pages,full colour. The book starts with theexpected chapters on butterfly biologyand structure, classification, enemies,distribution and conservation. Then it hassix chapters on the species, sorted intoSkippers, Swallowtails, Whites & Yellows,Browns & Nymphs, and Blues. To behonest, I did not really appreciate justhow many varieties we have. How manyactual species are there in the book? I amnot sure, but a lot. And each species getsits own full description, with many photosof the butterfly, the larva and the eggs toaid identification.

Successfully doing an ID might need abit of careful study. I did try, but as a rawamateur I was not sure which featureswere the important ones. I think I gotclose, which was interesting. However,that's similar to trying to identify orchids:you get better with practice.

Ross Field has a PhD in entomologyand has published more than 100

publications on interests such as insectecology and the ecology, biology andconservation of butterflies. Ross hadworked as an entomologist in theVictorian Public Service for the majorityof his career and was previously Directorof Natural Sciences and Director of theEnvironment Program at MuseumVictoria.

Roger Caffin

of that industrial activity is a dangerouslyand continuously polluted streamDaylight Creek”. People fish downstream,without knowing. And of course we havethe more recent admission byWallerawang Power Station that they hadbeen illegally discharging all sorts ofheavy metals into the Coxs River fordecades before they were stopped by alocal Conservation Group - not by thegovernment! OK, enough, enough.

There are 48 (or so) different daywalks recorded. Each record contains atleast one topo map with the route shown,Track Notes, many photos, a mention ofthe gear taken, and some grid referencesand times. The range of country coveredis spectacular - with a heavy emphasis onwater, canyons, slots, views andeverything you would expect from such awonderfully eroded bit of sandstonecountry. You will have to forgive Michael:he does get a bit poetic in places with hisdescription - but this is normal!

Commercial details: the book is availablefrom www.bushexplorers.com.au at $50.All the other books in this series are theretoo, along with their earlier books back toDay Walks in the Lower Grose.

Roger Caffin

wouldn’t you like to be here? - bushwalking...

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