Volume 36 Issue 4 Spring 2011 - bushwalkermagazine.org quartelys/bushwalker364.pdforiginal unedited...

Volume 36Volume 36Issue 4Issue 4

Spring 2011Spring 2011

Approaching the Drei-Zinnen-HutteApproaching the Drei-Zinnen-Huttein the Italian Dolomitesin the Italian DolomitesVia Alpina Red RouteVia Alpina Red Route

Wouldn’t you like to be here?

Double Rainbow off Korowal Knife Edge. Photo: Hugh Spiers

Blackboys near the summit of Mt Capra Bald, Barrington Tops NP. Photo: Louise Sorensen,

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Bushwalker T he

The Official Publication of theConfederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW

Volume 36, Issue 4, Spring 2011


ISSN 0313 2684

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

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

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: Approaching the Drei-Zinnen-Hutte in the Italian Dolomites, Via Alpina RedRoute. Photo: Roger Caffin.

From theeditor’s desk. . .

IndexWouldn’t you like to be here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3Lost Chord Crater 4The Demise of a Compass 7A Ridge Nearly Too Far. . . 8Green Gully Track 10A Walkers Paradise 12Mt Barney, the easy way 14

The front cover needs a little explanation. Sue and I have justspent two months (July, August & September) walking the ViaAlpina Red Route from Trieste to Oberstdorf this winter

(summer in Europe of course.) The track goes through the ItalianDolomites, past the spectacular Drei Zinnen peaks. Yep, that’s them inthe background. You don’t count kilometres in this country though: youcount thousands of metres of ascent and descent - each day. Thehardest was +3,000 m and -1,500 m in one day.We took our ‘normal’ Australian bushwalking gear of course, but wedispensed with our tent and mats. It’s fine and sunny in the photo, butwe did cop some storms of up to 150 kph and 30 cm of snow duringthe 2 months, and you just don’t try using a light-weight summer tentunder those conditions. Besides, they feed you in these huts!Sue was carrying about 7 kg and I was carrying about 9 kg - and westill had a lot of reserves which the locals don’t normally carry. Some ofthem turn up on Saturday afternoon with little more than a jacket, atowel and a toothbrush. All very different.

Articles for Publication

I would like to thank the people who have sent in articles for publication recently.Unfortunately, any which were sent in before August have been lost. When we came

back from Europe I found that my network had taken a lightning hit through the localgrid, and disk drives had been damaged. Yes, I had everything turned off, and yes Ihave both a hefty mains conditioner and a separate backup system. But a little plugpack powering the speakers on one computer was not filtered, and I think we got arather large spike on the ground or the neutral which took out the most susceptiblecomponents. Sigh. 15+ years of data gone. The disks have gone to Data Recovery, butthere are no guarantees. One disk is not even spinning.

So if you have sent me stuff before August and it hasn’t been published, pleaseconsider sending it again.

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 or aPDF (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 officialopinions of the Confederation or any Club. The Editor’s opinions are his own, if he canfind them.

Roger Caffin, Editor

ErrataIn the Autumn Issue in an article entitled ‘Attack’ I showed a photo of a lizard which I thought wasa baby Blue-Tongue. I have since been told by not one but two readers that it was a baby PinkTongue Skink. The later is ‘terrestial and partly arboreal, forages at dusk and the first few hours ofdarkness, often basking early in the day and late in the afternoon’ (adapted from ‘A PhotographicGuide to Snakes & Other Reptiles’, by Gerry Swan). The juvenile has more prominent markingsthan the adult. Well, both are cute.My thanks to Jace Austin and another reader whose name was lost in the disk crash—Editor

4 | The Bushwalker Volume 36, Issue 4, Spring 2011


Yuri BolotinThe Bush Club

Members of the party met at theBylong General Store for coffee,hot chocolate, and to say hi to the

store co-owner Jayne Watson, who togetherwith her partner Jodie Nancarrow jointlymanage the ‘Hillview’ property in UpperBylong – the start of our walk.I discussed our plans with Jayne and askedfor her advice regarding the location of ahermit’s cave that we were hoping to visiton the last day. The hermit, a previousowner of “Hillview”, was called Bill. Heoccupied the cave during the last worldwar. Jayne was only able to show me arough location on the map of the part ofWidden trail from where a faint accesspath would lead us to the cave. As thecave according to Jayne was not visiblefrom Redbank Creek (our route for thelast day), we decided to look for it onour way in.

At 11:15 our cars were parked justpast the big house at Hillview, GR31662 99703, 373 m, and we were onour way. The temperature was 8 C, thesky was blue with little white cloudsand there was hardly any wind. Ourentire walk that day was on theWidden Trail. The trail was in goodcondition and, given permissions fromthe land owners, can be driven in a4WD all the way to Gowrie Hut. Itmust be noted that apart fromHillview, another private propertysecured with a locked gate must becrossed about 3km before the Hut.For the purposes of today’s exercise,we had consents from the owners ofboth properties to cross on foot.We haven’t had a chance toinvestigate the condition of theWidden Trail beyond (south) ofGowrie Hut, but just at the Hut itcrosses the headwaters of CousinsCreek through a very deep ditchwhich would present difficultiesfor a mid size 4WD. Initiallyflat, it started to climb sharply

after the first half a kilometreor so. It went through a

series of steep inclinesand saddles, each one

looked like the end ofthe climb, only to be

followed aroundthe corner by

anotherincline. All

in all,about

300 m of altitude needed to be gained. Theviews of sandstone cliffs above, surroundedby eucalyptus forest, helped to break themonotony of the climb.

After about 40 minutes of steepclimbing, the trail flattened out and wasnow traversing high basalt country with itsdark red rich soil and tall grasses. Thecountry was quite open there, as a bigproportion of trees would have beenremoved in the past by the cattle graziers.From time to time, we saw old, brokendown fences. Rusting pieces of agriculturalmachinery lying by the roadside wereinteresting for us city folks to examine.

At GR 32694 97581, 637 m we wentthrough a new paddock gate, which wasunlocked. This was also pretty much thetop of our climb today. On our left side, wenow started to see distant views of theBylong Labyrinth with the Cousins Creekvalley in the foreground. A low ridgeahead of us, and running east showed thepresence of large caves (to be explored at alater date).

At GR 32402 96259, the meadowsstopped and we entered a forest dominatedby the native cypress trees (Callitris sp.).We were glad about that as the treesprovided some shelter from the icy coldwind. At this stage we tried to locate thepath leading to the hermit’s cave but wereunable to do so. Rather than spending a lotof time looking for it, we decided to presson and to have another search effort on ourway back, from the Redbank Creek side.

A sunny spot was found for lunch at GR32226 95645, however the chill factor fromthe wind ensured the break was quite short(13:08-13:35).

After lunch, we were soon out of theforest and crossed a locked gate (GR

32186 94630) leading on to Bryan Kerney’sproperty (the owner had been notified andgiven permission). In fact, it was BryanKerney who donated Gowrie Hut, andabout one hectare of surrounding land tothe Wollemi National Park in 1995.

We were soon greeted by a friendlyblack horse, which came close enough tobe patted. Later investigation via Jaynerevealed that it was left there due to oldage. The horse seemed to be well fed,probably thanks to the abundant rainfalland grass on the property. I was a little bitsad however to see a horse which is a herdanimal, on its own in this remote area.

The property has an old tool shed, acattle yard, a what seems to have been avegetable garden, and a number of old,fascinating pieces of machinery scatteredaround, including a ‘Mobil’ petrol bowser, arain gauge, a grass roller (for a non-existenttennis court?). There is also a caravanwhich showed signs of more recent use. Wespent some time there, wandering aroundand taking photos.

Soon, it was time to press on. Afterleaving the old farm, the road crosses atributary of Cousins Creek, then crossed itseveral times and even went along its drycourse for a while. After just over half a

kilometre, at GR 33639 93715, we cameto Cousins Creek itself. The creek had

some pools and stretches of runningwater in it. The trail at this point

entered a narrow valley flanked by30-40 m cliffs with pagodas onboth sides. Many interestingcaves could be seen from theroad. This last couple of

The old horse

The Widden Trail

The hut, restored by the NPWS Sculptured stone in Lee Creek

The Bushwalker | 5



The tunnel to Lost World Crater

kilometres beforethe hut were the mostscenic part of today’sjourney.

We reached theGowrie Hut, ourdestination for today andthe base for the next twodays at 14:50, GR 3413093050, 624 m.

The NP&WS signboardgives this description of

the hut: “The hut was builtsometime between 1900 and1906 as a residence for a localsettler Percy William Morrisonand his family. It is constructedfrom hand sawn localstringybark and black pine usingsimple tools – axe, adze,wedges, threw and pitsaw, usingthe old fashioned ‘vertical slab’technique.” The building wasrestored by the NP&WS in 2001.

Although very rustic, the hutprovided a very welcome shelterfrom the cold wind, and a roofover our heads. There wasplenty of water in the tank.Inside, there were four rooms(three bedrooms), a hugefireplace, a chunky country styletable, some benches and chairs,and even a timber food box, tokeep the provisions away fromthe mice and other possibleintruders, who judging by theevidence found, visit frequently

By the time we settled in andcollected firewood it was 15:30.Neil and I decided to go for ashort walk to a lookout at GR350 950. We had, howeverended up climbing the ridge tothe south of the intended one.The ridges in this area aregenerally very tricky, as thereare lots of short ones that veerin different directions. I supposethey don’t call it the BylongLabyrinth for nothing. The shortwinter’s day was fast drawing toa close, so after brieflyconsulting the map we decidedto press ahead along the ridgewe were on already. After abouthalf and hour of steady climb wereached a point at GR 3521693986, 724 m, from where wecould see parts of Bylong Rivervalley to the east and the cliffsnearby. The approaching dusk,the cold and the tree cover madethe decision to turn around aneasy one. We reached the hut inthe fading light at 16:50.

The evening meal takeninside the hut around thefireplace was enjoyed by all, aswas the conversation. Bothwere enhanced by a goodquantity of red wine. Adrianand I decided to sleep in thehut. Neil stretched a fly on theedge of the timber verandah,whilst John and Roger preferredthe comfort of their own tents.We were all in bed by 21:00.Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Today’s destination, the LostChord Crater and the areas sur-

roundingit were thekey reason forthe entire trip, sothe team were allready and raring togo at 08:00. The night,although quite chilly, wasnot as cold as we hadexpected. There was no froston the ground in the morningand the temperature felt likeplus 3-4 C, with no wind and aclear sky.

We first followed a drytributary of Cousins Creek, GR340 929 in south-west direction.The open, flat, easy under footgrassland soon turned into thickand thorny bush. This forced uson to the ridge on the easternside and steeply up the slope toreach a high point at GR 3355992589, 729 m.

We continued south-south-west to what was noted on themap as a cliff line. To set thescene, we had spent all of yes-terday and this morning walkingthrough fairly open country,with only some minor rocks visi-ble. Yesterday evening, helpedby a few mugs of red wine, Iwas enthusiastically discussing apossibility of an alternative,“much easier” route to the Gow-rie Hut from a road off BylongValley Way and through a passup from Lee Creek. I was pro-claiming that we “could cut thejourney in half and make it in afraction of the time we hadspent walking the WiddenTrail”.

Right now, we wereapproaching the point from

where we needed to find andnegotiate this innocent looking(on the map) pass in theopposite direction, down intoLee Creek.

I must say that coming up tothe viewpoint at the cliff line,GR 33194 91947, 719 m, was ashock to my system. This is notbecause I am afraid of heights.It is just that I somehowexpected the gently rollingcountry we spent the last 24hours in, to continue to fallsteadily and in a ‘civilized’manner until it reached Lee



Creek. Instead, we stood on the edge of a150 m abyss formed by a tributaryimmediately in front of us, with a further150 m drop into Lee Creek within a shortdistance. The pagoda crowned cliffs allaround us were awe inspiring.

From the previous research done byJohn Cooper, we knew that the pass downinto the creek existed, as well as itsapproximate location. We traversed westalong the cliff line to find a spot that lookedlike the top of the pass, GR 32687 92130,718 m. It was 09:30.

It was time to regroup into anexploratory formation, with two scouts,Roger and Neil, in the front, looking forpossible ways through the cliffs. At first wefound ourselves on a rocky spur going west-south-west. It may have been leading us toanother sheer drop. We could retrace oursteps a hundred metres or so and crosstowards the massive cliffs to the north of uswhere there seemed to be another gullywith a possible descent route. This optionwas ruled out for now as we feared that thecliffs, half hidden in trees could containsome nasty surprises. A steep butnegotiable ramp was soon found leadingdown and to the south side of the spur. Wewere soon able to look at the cliffs side-onrather than down from the top.

Several more steep ramps and rocky slotswere found, at no time did we have to

use the rope. As we continued in the south-westerly direction, the descent becameeasier and easier. We reached Lee CreekGR 32072 91521, 447 m, at 10:20 am.

Like several other creeks we previouslyvisited in this area, Lee Creek had open,grassy terraces with plenty of very prettyplaces for a well deserved morning tea,10:20-10:40.

Our route was now upstream for abouttwo kilometres. The creek was a delight towalk in. It had intermittent pools ofrunning water, often fringed by beautifullysculptured rocks, stretches of lusciouslygreen grass, and now and then, big piles ofsmooth boulders that were fun and easy tohop around. What a contrast with the

austere cliffs and bottomless drops an hourago!

In a little while, we came upon the firsttributary gully to the east, GR 32741 90653.It may provide access to the cliffs above, butwe had better plans and pressed on,remaining in the creek. The boulders werenow getting bigger and bigger. At onepoint, we went up the slope a bit, to getaround some house size rocks, then backinto the creek again.

At 11:36, GR 32640 90261, we took thesecond gully to the east – the one thatwould hopefully take us to Lost ChordCrater. Our way forward was at firstthrough wide, lightly timbered slopes,however huge sandstone cliffs on both sidesof the gully ahead of us were closing in withevery step, providing a taste of excitingthings to come.

In a short while, the gully started to gettighter, more overgrown, darker and harderto negotiate by the minute. The vegetationwas becoming thicker. A lot of weaving,bending, scrambling around rocks andunder and over trees crawling followed.

We were soon in a very narrow gorgecovered in rainforest jungle. At 12:17, GR33152 89917, 547 m, the gorge formed twoforks. We could see that the right branchwould quickly lead us to the enormoussandstone cliffs basking in the sun a coupleof hundred metres ahead where therewould surely be some interesting slots andcrevasses to investigate. The left branchlooked very unfriendly and uninviting as itappeared to lead into a pitch-black tunnel.Over a quick drink, the map was consulted.We had to “take the road less travelled by” –the left fork.

A few minutes on, we entered a narrowand almost completely dark tunnel-likespace formed by enormous wave shapedbasalt boulders curved (or carved) by thewater on one side, and high vertical cliffs onthe other. It was just past midday and thesun must have been out in the sky, but noneof its rays were able to penetrate down tothe ground level. I am sure this areareceives no daylight in winter, and probablyonly a very limited amount of it at othertimes of the year. The rounded walls wewalked under, covered with hugephantasmagorical patterns left by the waterand fungus, added to an eerie feeling of theplace

The tight tunnel section was only about50 m long. Once through it, we continuedclimbing and were soon back in therainforest filled gorge that now lookedalmost welcoming as it had a bit more lightin it, compared with the ‘underworld’ wehad just left behind.

Finally, at 12:45, GR 33700 90045, 641m the gorge started to flatten, open up, andwe found ourselves in Lost Chord Crater.The floor was covered with tall, luxuriantferns, and we could at last see the blue skyabove us, and high sandstone cliffs justbelow it. The cliffs were now some wayout, so I didn’t get the feeling of being in anenclosed crater. It was a beautiful spotnevertheless. As we progressed towards themiddle of the crater, the ferns andrainforest gave way to grassy timbered flats.It was a perfect spot for lunch, GR 3417589996, 641 m, 13:00-13:25.

After lunch it was time to say goodbye toLost Chord Crater, moving east for a fewhundred metres to clear the tall cliffs thatform the northern wall of the crater, then

steeply up through an opening in the cliffs,onto a ridge some 140 m above the craterfloor, GR 34536 90318, 781 m, at 13:52.

From the enclosed, isolated world wehad left half an hour earlier, we emergedinto a vast open space with extensive viewsof the headwaters of Cousins Creek, Tal TalRange to the left of it, the Bylong Labyrinthto the right, with both Crossword Peak andPuzzle Mountain visible in the distance(both were visited on two previous foraysinto this area earlier this year).

We were now walking north-north-weston a sandstone ridge that kept graduallyclimbing. Suddenly, at 14:14, GR 3439390822, 834 m, the nature of the landscapechanged without warning, in a space of 30-50 metres. The ridge became wider, flatter,and we had entered a park-like wonderlandof native grasses and gentle trees fed by therich nutrients from the basalt soilunderneath. There were no weeds, justpure and pristine grasses, soft under foot,and the entire area looked like a beautifulnative garden that had been carefullylandscaped. I can only imagine what thiswould be like in spring, covered with wildflowers. In my opinion, this place alonewould be worth the entire trip. Anotherhighlight in a day that was full of them

About 25 minutes and less than akilometre further, at GR 34061 91359,

at 14:40, the magic had stopped assuddenly as it had begun. We were againon a sandstone ridge, devoid of grasses,with low thorny bush undergrowth. At15:00, GR 33500 92152 we stumbled acrosswhat looked like an old road. By this time,we were on a ridge that would take usdirectly towards Gowrie Hut. Indeed, wesoon descended the ridge and half an hourlater (15:30) were back “home” at the hut,GR 34130 93050, 624 m.

This was a day of great adventure andincredible variety – we had dry open ridges,big pagodas, high awe-inspiring sandstonecliffs, a beautiful river, a pristine rainforestgorge, an isolated crater, a walk in the“underworld” in the tunnel, breathtakingviews, high basalt meadows, and finally ourhistoric hut – all within a space of eightshort hours!

After a cup of tea, I went to do a bit ofexploring in the area just above and west ofthe hut. I found lots of interesting andcolourful cliffs and caves within fifteenminutes walk. The setting sun provided theperfect finale for a memorable dayThursday, 9 June 2011

This night was colder than the previousone, and we woke to a bit of frost on theground. The sky was cloudy, preventing thesun from warming up the atmosphere. Wehad breakfast, packed our bags, tidied thehut and were on our way by 08:15.

The plan of the morning was as follows:we would all (the four of us) walk togetherfor the first couple of kilometres, until thestart of the hill at the southern boundary ofBryan Kerney’s property. We would thensplit into two parties. Adrian and Johnwould continue on the road, all the wayback to the cars, whilst Roger and I wouldleave the road and return via RedbankCreek, whilst trying to locate the hermit’scave at the same time. It was anticipatedthat the two groups would reach the carswithin an hour or so of one another.

Accordingly, the party split in two atabout 09:00. Roger and I followed the roadup the hill until GR 32155 95694, 09:11,

Bracken in the crater

The Bushwalker | 7



from where we took a short easterntributary of Redbank Creek. The creek wasnice and open, however we had to stayabove it, on its eastern bank if we wanted tofind the hermit’s cave.

At first, we followed a pleasantsuccession of sandstone and basalt slopes,with no cliffs or overhangs in sight. It wasnot too long however until the first cliff lineappeared at about GR 321 962. As we wereprogressing down the creek, its levelcontinued to drop, so the cliffs becamebigger and bigger. We spent about an hoursidling the eastern slope, in the areaindicated by Jayne, and within theparameters given to us by her – i.e. stayingaway from the creek as the cave is notvisible from it. We also thought that thecave wouldn’t be too far from the creek (forwater supply), and is likely to be locatednear a spot where the creek forms naturalpools. The cliffs were becoming higher andhigher, so Roger and I soon had to split tobe able to investigate the multiple, parallelcliff lines we were being presented with.

In the end, we didn’t find the cave, thehermit Bill had eluded us for the timebeing. We had however found an extremelybeautiful canyon-like gully at GR 3196797213.

Next time, rather than following theWidden Trail all the way in from Hillview toGowrie Hut, it may be worth it to take thisgully, come down into Redbank Creek, thenfollow the creek up until the spot whereRoger and I had left the road. From ourfirst day, we know that we would then have

the mostinteresting part ofthe road left totravel towards theHut.

After Rogerand I had

abandoned oursearch, we camedown into Red-bank Creek formorning tea and,ironically, foundthe biggest andthe most interest-ing overhang ofthe morning, rightat the creek bed,complete with itsown roof supportcolumn – a bigtree touching andembracing the rock. GR 31792 97356,10:40-10:50.

After morning tea, the walk continued tobe very pleasant and easy under foot, as thecreek gradually kept dropping into thevalley. There was a little bit of water in thecreek bed. We had a few small scrambles,and towards the end, at only one spotwhere a waterfall forced us to climb up(both sides are fine, we climbed the westernside). After the waterfall, we went backdown into the creek, until it came out of theforested slopes, into the familiar open grassmeadows.

The walk down Redbank Creek was veryenjoyable, plus due to its low saddle theentire ascent/descent is more gradual,compared to walking the road.

I think next time we should seriouslyconsider the creek option for going up toGowrie Hut. We were at the cars at 11:50,some 40 minutes after the first party. Wepopped into the Bylong store for a hot drinkand to say thank you to Jayne. By this timeshe managed to find better coordinates forthe cave, which I had noted.

There is more unfinished business in thisarea for the next trip! t

Providing faithful direction andsometimes assisting with training &leadership duties for its owner, the

Compass survived extremes of weatherand terrain, extremes of physicalmovement, countless walks & outdooractivities (including more than 30rogaines - from 3 hr to 30 hr events) &disputes about its accuracy by teammembers, during more than 15 years ofcompanionship. Exemplary service mostwould say.

While it must be admitted that thefaithful service was perhaps less than once

a month, rather than every day, the placesin Australia (as well as the rest of theWorld) where the Compass had travelledwere also extensive.

When not providing its owner withdirections in life, it lived in a small calicopouch inside a pocket of a daypack andwas taken everywhere the pack went,visiting local and foreign lands. Thispocket was a comfortable base camp forthe Compass.

Abandon nostalgia now and fastforward to the day at the end of June2011, when the Compass was called intoactive service once more, while its ownerparticipated on an inter-agency, remotearea land search & rescue trainingweekend in the Megalong Valley, not sovery far from its home grid reference inthe lower Blue Mountains.

Not long into the practice bush searchnear Dunphy’s camping area at GreenGully, and heeding another magnetic

attraction greater thanany known before, theCompass gave one finaldirection & bearing forits owner, then headedsouth and dippedtowards the horizon in afinal farewell, looking toexplore greater gridlinesand contours far away.

It was back at GR4336 5805, some daysafter its demise, that itsowner came tounderstand the reasonfor the sudden desire ofthe previously trusty

Compass to continually bear south andnot want to level with her.

We all know from our high schoolgeography lessons about the humandesire to tame & convert the World intogrids, bearings, angles, deflections,convergences, latitudes, longitudes,eastings, northings, and all thingsinvolved in navigation and map speak, tomake sense of our locations. We alsoknow from our high school science classesabout magnetic fields and the ability of acompass to assist in our geographicalendeavours when calibrated correctly.

The Compass’ owner suddenlyremembered that she had been

wearing a new shirt that day, with pocketflaps held together with small magnets (arecent fad by some outdoors clothingmanufacturers). Having been located inthat shirt pocket for some time in theprevious few hours, the Compass hadbeen unable to resist the magneticattraction found therein, and so bidfarewell to its owner to follow thestronger calling to head south and thedistant horizon.

Its owner was sorry to see the Compassgo in this direction, and fortunately hasanother to take the place of this favouredcompanion. She has also resolved to neveragain wear shirts or trousers with pocketflaps held together with magnets, as shedoesn’t want her new Compass to lose itssense of direction in life.(Beware also the use of magnets forattachment of hydration pack drinkingtubes, and take extreme care with creditcards that may get near any magnets usedon clothing pockets). t

The Demiseof a CompassThaïs TurnerA Warning to All

The overhang in Redbank Ck



For a long time I’ve wanted toexplore a round walk alongCarmarthen Ridge, down into and

across King George’s Brook, climbing tothe southern extent of Mt Banks thenreturning over that substantial hill. Beforethis chosen day further study of the MtWilson map saw a revision: because of thedaunting array of close-knit contours onthe N side of the Brook and realising thestrong possibility (almost a likelihood)that we might not find a crossing andhave to retrace...

I decided that starting over Mt.Bankswould be the better way in that a forcedretracing would be more scenic andstimulating than hacking back up thethickly over-grown Carmarthen.

On the way up we stopped at the usualGrose Valley photo-stops, but today ourinterest also turned NE and the greattwisting gorge of the Brook as we debatedthe various ridges we might try later inthe day should we manage to cross it.Even near the source, shadowed cliffswere all too apparent. We climbed up 170m - there’s no point going up the further22 m to the trig. As with the summit of MtHay you can’t see past the trees - and thedescent was uneventful.

Supporting sticks helped on someslippery bits. Em announcing he’d found a‘biggus stickus’ which reminded me of

some film about Ancient Rome. Out ontoBanks Ridge and morning tea at 10:20looking towards the dissected sub-plateauabove Explorers’ Brook and Mt Hay to theeast. Then off track to the N where theundergrowth hasflourished since thefire of 5 years ago tothe point of being ‘a bitdifficult’. In theplanning stage otherspurs further westseemed likely but theway chosen was toavoid that boring fire-trail around the baseof Banks. Later,looking back downfrom our exit climbsuggested that takingthe spur from 564 807to 569 8127 might beeasier. Worth a looksometime.

Care was necessarynot to becomeembroiled in stands ofmallee-growtheucalypts. Then at lastwe could have a closer look at the maingully. On the map a nose at 572 8095 hadattracted me. Some forward scout workfrom Em down into cliff-lined depthsaround 575 8085 was unproductive butdid suggest a way across a tributary abovea waterfall and a possible way to climbonto the nose. It had looked to Em thatfrom the nose there was no way down toan adequate crossing - but we decided tocheck its W side. The unpleasantalternative would be to retrace our stepsback to Mt Banks.

After a little crossing and scramble,lunch was really on the nose (of the

spur!!). Visibility to the oppositemountain-side was better here and wecould suss out the northern side andprobable exit between two cliff lines(which we estimated at ca. 5725 813).Note - the southernmost outcrop on themap is at least four times longer thanshown. Em, our indefatigable ForwardScout, took off again to find a way to acrossing and we zig-zagged our waycautiously down a steep descent of loose

rock and dry leaf build-up.Em had found an easy crossing of the

main brook (725 m alt) - just a shallowbit of water. From there our ascent wasNW up a steep slope of wet rock covered

by sedge and razor-grass for support. Ataround 5725 812 we turned NE up andinto the tree-line.

Uphill, hard going through thick scrub,but we eventually found the top of theCarmarthen Ridge. Caution was stillneeded. To my mind this is one of themost treacherous ridges to navigate. MyGPS batteries, although fresh on the day,gave out. That didn't help! And Em’s hadgiven out earlier. Odometer read at 7.26km near the 56 grid line so the walkmeasured about 8 km. It seemed twicethat. We reached the Mt Banks road (915m alt) about 1640. A series of knolls onthe final ridge added 50 m altitude andthe total for the day was ~420 m.

It proved to be the toughest walk I'dtried for some time. Bob kindly walkeddown to fetch the car, on the way meetinga NP ranger who expressed surprise at ourtaking it on and at the good time we'dmade. But we were too late for coffee - anear-tragic note to end upon.A walk we won’t forget - scenic, exciting,constantly challenging !! t

Hugh Speirs

A fine view of Mt Banks,and the intervening scrub

Crossing tributary to the nose

Working our way down

Photos: Hugh and Alice Speirs



The Rocks Lookout.Photo: Shane Rumming, NPWS.

Looking for somewhere different fora four day walk? The National Parksand Wildlife Service has recently

launched a new long distance walkingtrack in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park,90 km by road east of Walcha in NorthernNSW. The track takes walkers deep intothe recently added ‘Green Gully’ section ofthe park, and the Macleay GorgesWilderness area.

Uniquely, there is no need to carry atent, as restored mustering huts provide abasic but comfortable roof over your headeach night. The Green Gully Track is alsoa loop track, meaning there is no need fora car drop off or pick up – you simplydrive in, do your walk, then drive outagain.

Covering 65 km over 4 days, includinga 900 m descent on day two and a 600 mclimb over 3 km on day four, the track ischallenging. However, experiencedwalkers will have no problem covering thedistance. The track can be undertaken asa four or five night walk. The start of thetrack is about two hours drive fromWalcha, or two and a half hours from PortMacquarie. Five nights is recommended ifyou don’t live within three hours drive ofthe start of the track.

The start of the Green Gully Track is atCedar Creek Cottage, a 1970s erademountable house that has been fullyrefurbished to provide all the comforts ofhome, including bunk beds, slowcombustion fire, hot shower, flushingtoilet, gas barbecue, comfy lounges and afully equipped kitchen. Cedar CreekCottage also has a fully self contained

renewable power system generatedthrough a mixture of solar and windgenerators, powering a fridge and allinternal lights. Your first and optional lastnights are spent here, guaranteeing acomfortable bed and hot shower at thestart and end of the track if you book forfive nights.

Day one on the track takes walkersalong Kunderang Trail, an old four wheeldrive track that is still used by NationalParks staff to manage this remote sectionof park. Walking from Cedar CreekCottage to Birds Nest Hut on day onetakes walkers along a ridge that separatesthe Kunderang Brook and Green Gullygorges, with lots of short, sharp climbsalong the track, but no real hill climbs ordrops. Birds Nest Hut is hidden away nextto Brumby Creek, 17.5 km from CedarCreek Cottage.

The start of day two brings walkers totheir first ‘off track’ walking, a threekilometre gradual climb up a ridge toBirds Nest Trig. Navigation is easy – youjust make sure you keep walking uphill!At 1200 m above sea level, this is thehighest point on the track, and is a perfectspot for a quick cup of tea. Walkingmostly down hill brings you to ‘The RocksLookout’ for lunch, with views over thebottom reaches of the Green Gully gorgetowards the Apsley River. A fantasticridge takes walkers the final 5 km downto a short stint of rock hopping overBrumby Creek before arriving at GreenGully Hut, where the luxury of a hotshower awaits!

The third day is all about water – thereare over 20 creek crossings over GreenGully Creek, and in some places it iseasier to walk in the creek than along thebanks. Rock outcrops tumble into thecreek, and endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies bounce around on most of therocks. The creek crossing at Green Gullycanyon can be up to waist deep, so takecare, but if it is warm enough theswimming holes will be worth the visit.Your third night is spent at Colwells Hut,the last mustering hut built in what isnow Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Day four begins with a steep climb outof the gorge, ascending 600 m in less than3 km, so it is best to start early to avoid

the heat of the day. The last 10 km isspent retracing your steps back to CedarCreek Cottage, where a well earned hotshower and comfortable bed awaits thosethat have booked for five nights.

The Green Gully Track requires basicnavigation skills on days two and

three, as there are areas where there is notrack at all, and you have to be preparedto navigate up and down some simpleridges. Day three also involves manycreek crossings that can be up to thighdeep, so it is a good idea to bring someold joggers for the creek crossings –Dunlop Volleys are highly recommended!

The ideal time to undertake the trackis in spring and autumn, as summer canbe oppressively hot in the bottom of thegorge, particularly when you are sleepingin a galvanised iron shed. The many creekcrossings on day three can also be verychilly in winter, when frosts are common.

GreenGullyTrackPiers ThomasRanger - Walcha Area,National Parks and Wildlife Service

Wading Green Gully Creek, usually below waist deep.Photo: Dave Cauldwell

Cliffs above the Green Gully Gorge,where the creek cuts through

a major dyke. Photo: NPWS.

Birds Nest Hut on Brumby Creek.Photo: Roger Mills, NPWS.

The Bushwalker | 11



The tall gums are majestic and beautiful.Photo Dave Cauldwell.

Editorial commentExperienced walkers and

conservationists may be slightlyboggled by the implications of this article.The NPWS is actually running ‘psuedo-commercial’ huts in a National Park? So Ihad a long chat with Piers Thomas, theRanger in charge of the Walcha area andone of the driving forces behind the idea.He made the following interesting points.

The area had been grazed for 150years before it became a Park. It is hardlya ‘pristine wilderness’ in the sense ofportions of Wollemi NP, or places likeAlaska. Nonetheless, the gorge country isstill pretty wild, as you can see from thephotos.

The 4WD tracks and the huts werealready there from the grazing era, andboth were already being maintained bythe NPWS anyhow. Nothing new has beenbuilt or added - except for the paved areaoutside the huts, a reconstruction of anold shelter and sealed pit toilets tomanage human waste. All the huts arenext to creeks, so managing human wastein these locations is critical. That issimilar to what has been put in place at,say, the Dunphy Camping Area in theWild Dogs.

To the above I would add that all theNational Parks in the UK and many of theNational Parks in Europe are on privateproperty. Those countries do manage tomake farming and conservation co-exist.Australia is actually quite rare, in that so

much of our National Park estate is stillCrown Land.

The fee mentioned is largely to helpcover the costs of maintaining the huts,especially the Cedar Creek Cottage at thestart. The NPWS is not making a profitout of this (at least, not yet).Maintenance costs, like mowing aroundevery hut once a month for fire safety, arenot low.

There has been and will be no changein the policy of not permitting developersinto National Parks to erect privatestructures. All the NPWS is doing here isto make use of existing infrastructure, tohelp people see the contents of a NationalPark.

The limit of 6 people at any hut isbeing strictly enforced. That means themaximum party size is six: you can’t havesix sleeping inside the hut and sixsleeping in tents outside. What clubs havedone already is to run several parties, oneday apart. Note however that staying atthe Cedar Creek Cottage at both start andend of the walk can make thiscomplicated, as there is a limit there aswell. Discuss with the Ranger.

There is a camping ground atWerrikimbie NP about 15 minutes awayby car. This can be used as an overflow.The nearest motel accommodation is1.5 hr away.

Roger Caffin

More information on the track can befound at:

www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/greengully(scroll down to find the Green GullyTrack entry).Or you can contact National Parks inWalcha on (02) 6777 4700, or:

[email protected]



What an amazing view! Soaringcliffs and peaks, spikes andspires of hills, canyons and

chasms. This is the Cirque de Mafate(above) on Reunion Island in the Indianocean. And there are two other cirques!

To complete the picture, the crater ofan active volcano is also accessible. Not tomention the rainforests and waterfalls?

Walking tracks traverse these scenicwonderlands. In an island 50 km by 70km the central peak is over 3000 m highand most walks are over 1000 m, so even

though the island is in the tropics,certainly in the winter the walkingtemperature is comfortable.

Popular with European walkers,Reunion Island is little known in Australia

but hasbecomeaccessiblesince twoflights perweek by AirAustral

from Sydney now stop at Reunion ontheir way to France. The opportunity isthere to take a break on your way toEurope, a more enticing prospect for thewalker than Abu Dhabi or Singapore. Wetook this option on a recent trip to Franceand stayed there for a week.

An Overseas Department ofFrance, the culture is a mix ofFrench tradition and Creoleheritage within the euro zone. Ifyou are comfortable walking inFrance and have some

knowledge of thelanguage, you wouldfind no problems on thewell marked and mappedGrande Randonees andother tracks on theisland.

For overnight walks,walker’s gites, withdinner, bed andbreakfast, can be bookedfrom Australia. TheCirque de Mafate has novehicular traffic and isan area of choice formultiday walks. A visit to thehighest point, the Piton desNeiges, would be a highlight.

As we only had one week, wehired a small car and set off up

the hairpin bends to the heights todo a series of day walks on a circuitof the island. Views and waterfalls

(up to six in view at once), rainforest, thedelightful, open tamarin forest, amazingexpanses of vegetation- free lava fields –we enjoyed them all.

Extremely comfortable and hospitable

B&B accommodation around the island ishalf the price it would be in Australia.These establishments usually offer aFrench/Creole three course dinner whichis always preceded by a fruit flavouredrum aperitif. A warning: the signaturefood of the island, with a thousandrecipes, is the chouchou or choko.

In contrast to many islands the focus ofboth locals and visitors is on the interiorrather than the sea. Picnic places aboundand the locals take full advantage of themon the weekends. On the local TV

channel, after the children's cartoons inthe morning, appeared what wasobviously - “The Bushwalk of the Day”.Four walkers were shown preparing theirpacks, setting off on the track followingthe signposts. Also shown were theinteresting features on the walk and thestate of the track. Truly a bushwalkers’country – when will we see a program likethat on TV in Australia! t

A WalkersParadiseJanet Morris, The Bush Club

There are at least five waterfalls to be seen at thisviewing point near the Cirque de Salazie

This is a view of the Cirque de Salazie from the forest walk.Yes, there is a track to the top of the hill in the picture.

National Park rangers at a lookout had maps, informationand telescopes available for holiday period walkers

Walkers climb a volcanic hill on the lava fields surroundingthe Piton de la Fournaise volcano. The active crater is

accessible as a day walk.

Photos: Barry Hanlon

The rugged valleys of the Cirque de Mafateare criss-crossed by walking trails.



Mount Barney is said to have theaboriginal name ‘BoogahBoogah’, meaning ‘go away, get

further away’. There is a dream-timelegend about a murder having beencommitted there, resulting in a cursebeing put on the mountain. Thus the local

tribes are forbidden to climb it. Thecurrent topographic map showsalternative names of Dooayrdn andYahndaddan, for Barney has two peaks.

The first European to climb themountain, 183 years ago, was CaptainPatrick Logan, the infamous commandantof the Moreton Bay Penal Colony. He wasaccompanied by a couple of plant-fanciersCharles Frazer and Alan Cunningham,who found the going too tough and gaveup before reaching the summit. Logan atthe time thought he was climbing MountWarning which Cook had named, withoutvisiting it, from his ship Endeavour.

However, from the summit he could seethe real Mount Warning peeping over theBorder Ranges, much further east. Henamed the peak Mount Hooker, but hismap was lost and it was later renamedMount Barney after Lieutenant ColonelBarney, Private Secretary to Sir GeorgeGipps. Within two years Logan wasmurdered, aged just 29. From the recordsit would seem that people were queuingup to finish him off. To understand why,read the words of the song thatcommemorates him, ‘Moreton Bay’. Suchwere the hard and dangerous times ofcolonial Australia that both his walking

companions also died notlong after, aged 43 and 47.

In mid winter of 2011myself and Michael Dillondeparted the Yellow Pinchcar park, in 4 C temperature,to hopefully summit via thesouth ridge. There are adozen ways up the mountainand people who think highlyof themselves have namedthis, the easiest route,‘Peasants Ridge’. Apparentlyit is unworthy of anyrespectable bushwalker to gothis easy way. In his 64 yearsMichael has climbed four ofthe ‘seven summits’. I claimedone of them myself when Irode my motorbike to the topof Mount Kosciuszko in the1960’s, when such wasallowed. The South Ridgewould do us fine in ourdotage.

In the three hours it took to get to thesaddle, we encountered a few challengesworthy of mention. The most dangeroussection of the whole tripwas the slab. Imagine a 20metre section of rock slabsloping down about 40degrees. Within is a crack100 mm wide and 50 mmdeep angling diagonallyacross it. By keeping yourfeet in the crack you canmake it across. There is noway of protecting yourselfwith a rope, and the drop

below would be fatal. We found comingdown this to be easier, by sitting on theslab above, feet in the crack and usinghands, bum and feet to edge down. Thetimid could probably go up this way. Thechimney, 20 x 1 x 1 metres was a nice testof flexibility. It had enough ladder-likenatural steps to make it less than a rockclimb.

There were 2 flat areas on the way upwhere one could spend the night, but thetwo approved campsites were higher up.It is necessary to book a campsite, on line,and hand over the king’s shilling. Wepassed through Rum Jungle campsite andput our tents up at the Old Hut Site. Here,The Department of Environment andResource Management allow just 2 tentsand up to 6 people. Between us we had itfully booked.

I like to go lightweight, but this timemy pack weighed 13 kg, including 5 kg ofwater. I need not have bothered as therewas plenty of good, clean, gurgling waterin the creek next to the campsite. There ismuch talk of getting lost between hereand the top of East Peak. I took a GPS fixon the campsite, to leave an electronictrail of crumbs, and plotted a compassbearing. However, from here on there arefew trees, the bush is low, and at all timeswe could see both the top of the mountainand the campsite.

The views were becoming breath-taking as we walked the last of the 1100metre climb. Here at 1351 metres wecould look over the top of theoutrageously difficult Mount Lindesay,part of the NSW-Qld border. The worldwas spread below. To the north a bushfire burned in The Portals. To ensure thatwe might be toasted both sides, avigorous fire burned on the slopes of

Mount Barney, the easy way

Mt Barney Eastfrom the bottom

Just below East Peak, looking north

Morning mist from West Peak

Michael Smith,Nimbin Bushwalkers

The Bushwalker | 15



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Mount Lindesay. East Peak (yet anothername for Boogah Boogah-Dooayrdn-Hooker-Barney), took an hour each way.

Back on our snug rock shelf it was timefor food, hot drinks, rest andconversation. One of the pleasures of anight in the bush is a camp fire. Alas, firesare not permitted, with the maximumpenalty being ‘165 penalty units’ and anon-the-spot fine. The temperature fellwith the light, and before dark I waswearing everything I had, including wetweather gear, to keep out the cold. For acampfire I had brought a wax-filled, smalltobacco tin, sporting 2 wide wicks. It gaveout a flickering light, nearly as cheery as areal campfire, but as our fingers numbedwith the cold we resigned to spending the

next 13 hoursof darkness inour sleepingbags.

I had nearlywarmed mineup whenMichaelstarted snoringwith suchpracticedregularity andcommitmentthat I knew Icould never

sleep here tonight. I did the only thingpossible, rolled up my tent, airbed andsleeping bag in one untidy bundle anddecamped to Rum Jungle 150 metresaway. The campsite was deserted, in factwe saw nobody else the whole trip. It didhave a resident possum who let out ascreeching laugh as I settled down. Themuch-too-educated Brushtail visited mytent door many times before I drifted off.Would he mug me for my breakfast?Would the Camping Police visit me in thedead of night and fine me 50 penaltyunits? Next morning I wandered back tothe Old Hut Site, which was much colder,and concocted a moderately believablestory of alien abduction, probes and all.

It was time to climb the West Peak.

Considered harder than the East Peak, ittook just an hour to crest. We avoided thelarge areas of steep, bare slabs andwalked up the narrow scrubby gullies.Here ferns and bushes grew thickly,providing valuable hand holds. Beyondthe first 50 metres there was no track. Allaround was evidence of the first flush ofspring. Several kinds of Epacris perfumedthe air. Blooming Banksias temptedhoneyeaters. We stirred up clouds ofpollen brushing through the She Oaks.Below was a magic world of pointy peaksshowing through a downy fog. A pluckyfire persisted in the gorge, leaving artistictrails of smoke. Here, on the fourthhighest mountain in Queensland, we hadbefore us one of the great sights ofAustralia.

There are plenty of walk reports on thenet if you would like to know what toexpect of this walk. Freezing nights spenton Barney, rescues, deaths, and BearGrills fantasy survival stories. Taken overtwo days as we did, I would rate itdramatic, surprising, beautiful and notparticularly difficult. It may even be oneof the best walks in Australia. t

Photos:Campsite: Michael Smith,rest: Michael Dillon

The Old Hut campsite

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Transcript of Volume 36 Issue 4 Spring 2011 - bushwalkermagazine.org quartelys/bushwalker364.pdforiginal unedited...