200406 Newsletter

QUEENSLAND BUSHWALKERS CLUB Inc. Newsletter

74 Kallista Rd. Rochedale South QLD 4123 Email [email protected] Phone No (07) 3341 7509 www.geocities.com/qldbwc

June 2004

Giants of D’Aguilar

Club News EPIRB Available for Members

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant

The Club has purchased an EPIRB. It will be available to any member of the Club at no charge for use on weekend or weekday walks. However the borrower will need to pick up the EPIRB personally, sign the sign-out book and return the EPIRB by the next weekend.

No need to go south of the border, down Mexico way for good Mexican. Our Social Secretary Evelyn Campbell found us a spot lots closer at downtown Coorparoo.

The EPIRB should be most useful for remote walks where there may not be any mobile phone coverage or on pre-outings where there may be only two to three people on the walk.

21 May 2004

The social dinner night at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant was very well attended by about 20 members. Hot food and cold wine and good company go so well together don't they? To all our new members, come along to our next social, it's a good chance to get to know each other.

A handout on how to use the EPIRB will be given to the borrower. The EPIRB will also be brought to the Club meetings.

Thanks to Evelyn and all who came along. Adios Amigos.

If you would like to take the EPIRB on a walk, ring 3341 7509 on where to pick up and return the EPIRB.

FMR Training Weekend

Appointment of an Auditor

Ten Club members attended this weekend at Camp Constable at Mt Glorious.

At the General Meeting on Tuesday the 4th of May, Chris Brietenback was appointed as auditor.

The topics included how to use a radio, map reading with a practical navigation exercise, a mini search and rescue, hypothermia and its treatment, knots & ropes, ticks and leeches, emergency communications using EPIRB’s, GPS’s and mobile phones.

Willis’s Walkabout CD’s Willis’s Walkabouts have sent QBW a number of CD’s with photos of walks in the Northern Territory and northern West Australia. Willis’s Walkabouts is a commercial company which leads bushwalks to remote areas such as Kakadu and the Top End, the Kimberley and Pilbara, the Red Centre and Africa and the Americas.

More information on Willis’s Walkabouts is available at http://www.bushwalkingholidays.com.au/

21-23 May 2004

Over 40 people from different clubs, some as far away as Bundaberg and South Burnett, attended talks on a wide range of topics in an outdoor setting.

Thank you Chris for taking on this important job.

If you would like to borrow a CD they will be available at Club meetings.

Senor Trevor

These training weekends are run every year by FMR and are well worth attending. A pleasing thing to note was that three of our members were present as speakers. Frank B. gave a talk on hypothermia, Trevor S. on risk management and Richard K. on EIRB’s, GPS’s and mobile phones. The use of an LCD projector assisted in getting information across in a professional manner. Well done to all.

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General Information

The Management Committee

Membership

President

Trevor Cox

3273 3484 (H)

Membership is still only $20. Please note that the financial year of the Club has changed. The present Club financial year finishes on the 30th of June 2004. However members who have paid st their $20 for 2004 will be financial till 31 January 2005.

Vice President

Bob Gur

3345 3971 (H)

Secretary

Patricia Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Treasurer

Gary Woodward

3245 2695 (H)

Before a visitor can go on a walk, he/she must become a Probationary or Ordinary Member or be a member of an affiliated club. Members of another bushwalking club affiliated with the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs or another State Federation are covered for Insurance.

Outings Secretary

David Kenrick

3349 8238 (H)

Membership Officer

Nadeen Larkin

3841 6614 (H)

Editor

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Other Voluntary Positions

Probationary Membership To become a Probationary Member, a person pays $10.00 to a member of the committee or to a walk leader. Walk leaders are authorized to collect the $10.00. The committee member or walk leader will note the name of the person on the Walk Sheet and that he/she has paid the $10.00.

Social Secretary

Evelyn Campbell

3809 2354 (H)

Training Officer

Nadeen Larkin

3841 6614 (H)

Equipment Officer

Steve Moyle

3800 3963 (H)

Supper Convenor

Danuta Gur

3345 3971 (H)

A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member by their second walk.

Federation Rep

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Federation Rep

Trevor Cox

3273 3484 (H)

A Probationary Member can become an Ordinary Member by filling out a membership form and handing it to a committee member or walk leader and paying a further $10.00.

FMR Rep

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

FMR Rep

Trevor Smith

0407 062 381

Ordinary Membership

Campsite Monitors

A person who is not a member may become an Ordinary Member straight away by filling out a membership form and handing the form to a committee member or walk leader and paying $20.00.

Meeting Place Club Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the East Brisbane State School, corner of Stanley Street and Wellington Road, starting at 7:30pm. There is parking within the school grounds off Wellington Road. Consult a street directory, as there are a number of one-way streets in the area. There is also parking in Wellington Road.

Ratatat Hut

Barbara Makepeace Ed Thistlethwaite

Running Creek Falls

Richard Kolarski Gary Woodward

Throakban

Kerry de Clauzel Trevor Smith

Mt Superbus & Spicers Peak

Christine Harrison & Cliff Harrison

New Members

Tea/Coffee and cake/biscuits provided after the meeting. A coin donation would be appreciated

Dean Workman

Ann Sudjana

Lloyd O’Hearn

Catrina Whelan

Equipment for Hire

Ilona Csizar

Jo Hodgkinson

The Club has a backpack (suitable for use as a day or through pack) for hire at $5.00 per week. QBW is also looking at purchasing further equipment in the near future. Any suggestions for equipment to buy would be appreciated. Also any person who has surplus equipment and would like to donate or sell to the Club, please contact one of the Committee members or Steve Moyle on 3800 3963.

Bivy Bag/Pack Liners for Sale

No of Ordinary Members

105

This is the number of renewals and new members since 1/2/2004

Comings and Goings John M. is doing a trip to Vietnam with a bit of walking. Fran M. has returned from doing two trekking trips in Nepal. Patricia K is grieving over the loss of her “Turquoise Terror” which has turned turtle and become totally terminated. Her small green car was hit from behind and had to be written off. Fortunately Patricia received only minor injuries.

The Club has purchased a quantity of pack liners from VicWalk suitable for through packs. They are 2 metres by 0.9 metres in a bright orange colour. The packliners can double as an emergency bivvy bag and have helpful information printed on them.

Editors Pic

They are available from the Club for $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00.

Club Shirts The club still has a number of Club polo shirts for sale. They are available in XL, L, M and S size. $20.00 each

For Sale Coleman 2 man tent. Cobra Delux 2, 2.8kgs. Near New $180 Ring Rod on 0438 761 964.

Come this way to limber up for a walk

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Special Coming Events Walks Planning Day

Past Walks Black Canyon

5 June 2004

There will be a Walks Planning Day and BBQ at 16 Ramita St Holland Park West starting at 12MD. The programme of walks for the next 6 months will be organised.

22 February 2004

On this day Brisbane sweltered in 41 degrees heat and we were described as mad for doing this walk in the heat but the temperature was fine!

The Club needs more leaders to help share the load. The Club has many resources available to it and would encourage all members to lead even just one walk. An experienced leader can also go with a new leader on a walk for support. The Club also needs suggestions for walks so that it can put on the walks that members want. Even if you have never led a walk please come along.

2004 Federation Pilgrimage

13-15 August 2004

Toowoomba Bushwalkers invites you to the 2004 Federation Pilgrimage among Girraween’s gigantic geometric granite and festively flowering flora. Come along for treks, talks and tea. There will be bopping to the beat of the “Band ‘O’ Coots” Bush Dance band. Thunder and Lightning Falls

Wear your winter woollies and wend your way by wineries. Bring your best bushwalking buddies boots & baggage. Commencing 13th of August Friday afternoon until Sunday at Castle Rock Campground Girraween National Park Enquiries Loretta van der Drift 07 46348417 [email protected]

Finally, an easier way into Black Canyon is made obvious by a well-defined taped trail! This trip was videotaped by Paul so the real value of the walk can be seen on film. 11 km of trail walking was made more interesting by the fact that NPWS had closed the original border track leaving only the Pensioner Track Open. We found the turn-off tree along the Lightning Falls Circuit and followed carefully the red tape down to the Albert River.

What is the Pilgrimage? The Pilgrimage is an annual gathering of all the bushwalking clubs in Queensland with proceeds going to the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs. History of the Pilgrimage Pre 1970 - Bushwalkers from the Brisbane Bushwalkers Club walked up Mt Barney and decided the "pilgrimage" should become an annual event. As its popularity grew it was decided to hold the Pilgrimage at another site, as there was concern with so many people on Mt Barney. 1971 - Queensland Federation organized the first official Pilgrimage to Girraween.

Normally I would be against a taped trail as most of them seem irrelevant or wasteful amounting to nothing more than a litter campaign in the bush (not a minimal impact practice). This one is the exception due to the fact that limited safe descents exist in this part of the Albert River. Once the steep and sometimes cliffy descent was over we had a swim in the river then progressed for an hour upstream to Thunder and Lightning Falls. What a blast the waterfall pool was for us as the water had a very high flow rate and Lightning Falls offered a warm shower alternative to the moderately cool pool. It was amongst the best swimming I have had on a bushwalk.

1973 - 2003 Each year a member club has organized the event on behalf of Federation and invited all member clubs to participate.

Canberra Saturday 18 September – Sunday 3 October 2004 Day walks and/or 3-4 day throughwalks in the Brindabellas near Canberra. If interested, ring Patricia on 3341 7509.

Recycling Corks Help the Huntington's Disease Association by recycling corks Corks collected are sold to a company in Brisbane and remanufactured. Products such as gasket kits for motor vehicles; horse-float mats; StandEasy mats used at supermarket checkouts, assembly lines and machine shops; cricket ball inners and a range of safety flooring all incorporate corks recycled through this fundraising program. You can bring the corks to the monthly Club meeting and Danuta Gur will collect them. For more information contact: The Huntington's Disease Centre 385 Ipswich Road, Annerley, 4103 (PO Box 635, Annerley, 4103) Telephone (07) 3391 8833 Email: [email protected]

Blue Cray

Other features of the day included a few stings each on a giant stinging tree that had fallen over, plenty of blue crayfish, the joy of my company and the unpleasant job of carrying out two bags of rubbish that some ignorant pig of a bushwalker party had left just 10 minutes from the falls. Richard and I had to carry a bag of stinky rubbish each. We all had a great day and recommend this walk for the really hot weather! Thanks to all who came! David

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Larapinta Falls

28 February 2004

Initially this walk was to Running Creek Falls but there had been so much rain in the previous week that Running Creek would have been too hazardous to cross. It turned out to be a wise choice. Five bushwalkers met at Beaudesert where we then drove on to Christmas Creek. We had to traverse a deep water crossing in the vehicles prior to parking our cars a couple of hundred metres from the start of the walk. We crossed the creek and headed towards Westray's Grave. After an hour we reached it and had our morning tea. We then slowly made our way up the creek, crossing it several times before we caught our first glimpse of the falls through the trees. When we reached the falls the mist and spray made us wet even though we were still at least a 100 metres from the base. After taking a few photos of the thundering falls we had lunch further down the creek so that we would not get drenched and cold from the spray.

We stopped for lunch at campsite 15 on the Noosa River. We paddled until about 5pm when we reached our campsite. After setting up tents we enjoyed a quick splash in the river before dinner. We cooked dinner on the pontoon by the river and lay back and watched the moon rising. On Sunday we paddled down to Harry’s Hut where our daughter Sarah and boyfriend Adrian met us. We put all the gear from the canoes into the car, and Adrian, Sarah and Paul in one canoe and Linda and Pete in the other continued the paddle down to the Kinaba Information Centre while Barb drove back to Elanda Point. The canoe company picked the canoeists up from Kinaba and returned them to Elanda Point about 2.30pm. It was a great weekend and great company. Paul Makepeace

Shipstern Circuit

29 February 2004

Eleven walkers met at Canungra. Nine set out for Binna Burra and two who shall be nameless decided to head for O’Reillys. The person navigating was from Sydney which explains a lot. After a short drive they decided to join the rest of the group. We started the walk which is 19km return at 8.30am. The weather was a bit humid but fine and clear. We diverted down to the lower Ballanjui Falls for morning tea. The falls were in full flow after all the rain. 150 metres high with a rock pool at the bottom. We carried on alongside Nixon Creek up to lookout at Shipstern. Great views of the Numinbah valley & Mt Warning. Back to Binna Burra via the Border Track to finish a very good walk. Thanks to everyone for making it such a good day. A special thank you to our youngest member Jasmin who never complained once about the pace her dad Wayne was going. John

Mt Lindesay

Mt Lindesay Larapinta Falls

It was a pleasant walk back the same way with memories of the falls that were spectacular and unique. Thanks to Ken, David, Ray and Chris for joining me on this walk. Richard

Noosa Canoe Weekend

28-29 February 2004

Barb, Paul, Linda and Pete started this trip at Elanda Point on Lake Cootharaba. We packed all our gear into large watertight plastic drums for the trip. 8am Saturday we started out on the drive to Teewah Creek but unfortunately the front wheel of the landcruiser we were travelling in nearly fell off. The canoe company at Elanda Point found us another 4WD and we were finally dropped off at Teewah Creek about 11.30am. Teewah Creek was flowing well and it was an interesting 2-hour paddle down to the Noosa River. There were plenty of logs blocking the creek and we had to haul the canoes over them each time. We stopped for a late morning tea on a beautiful white sandbank in the creek and enjoyed the solitude. This creek was the highlight of the trip, it really was beautiful.

14 March 2004

Mt Lindesay is an impressive mountain on the Queensland/NSW border. To get to the top is one of the hardest walks in Queensland and even just getting to the base of the cliffs is a strenuous effort. Ten of us met at Beaudesert and made our way down the Mt Lindesay highway to the Qld/NSW border. We parked our cars just inside NSW and started walking along the road next to the border fence. The weather was overcast and it had rained on the way down from Brisbane. The top of Mt Lindesay was covered in cloud initially but as the day wore on the cloud lifted fortunately. After about an hour of relatively flat walking we began the climb up the steep slope. This is where the fun began. The earth was wet and slippery. The grade became steeper and we all had to haul ourselves up using the help of tree roots, vines and plants to scramble up. We finally reached the cliff line and started our walk in an anticlockwise manner. The faint track soon disappeared and after some exploring we came to a dead end, unable to go any further at the base of the cliff without dropping down about 100-200 metres in height.

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This would have been too strenuous and time consuming so we made our way back and started contouring in a clockwise direction. Here the cliffs were spectacular with water dripping down in multiple mini waterfalls, in contrast to the other side which had been dry. We had lunch and a well-earned rest with fine views to the south. We took a different path down the mountain following an old fence now in disrepair. It was steep and loose in places but cool as it was in rainforest. We came out eventually onto a grassy slope and had a final exploration down a fence line. Thank you to those who came.

Later we summited the mountain on its North East side witnessing an unusual fig standing as it were on two large legs - like an Ent from Middle Earth. Braving the wait-a-while on top we then moved down to Hanging Valley which is where we had a lengthy lunch. Following a ridge back to Mt D'Aguilar East we got back to the cars before 4pm as promised and mostly went to Samford for Afternoon Tea. It was a good walk enjoyed by all. Is it just me or do other people get scrub itch every time they go to the D'Aguilars? See you on a walk sometime.

Cooloola T/W Araucaria Circuit

David

Richard 20 March 2004

This is a track walk at Binna Burra of about 18Km return, or so we thought.

27-28th March 2004

The original plan of walking the Harry's Hut to Kings Bore circuit had to be changed due to wet weather. The road into Harry's Hut proved a bit hazardous with lots of water over the road so the back up plan of walking from Bymien Picnic Area to Lake Freshwater was instigated. This is a lovely easy walk through forest along a well-defined trail with stops at Lake Poona and Lake Freshwater for a swim along the way. We set up camp then decided to walk up the beach. Threatening rain clouds quickly blew away and we had a pleasant walk to the remains of the Cherry Venture where the ice-cream vendor supplied not only ice-creams but also much needed gold coins for the hot showers back at camp. Some interesting finds on the beach included a live seahorse and small flathead washed up by the big seas. There were also many bluebottles so no one headed in for a swim. A few showers during the night cleared up while we had breakfast and packed up but the skies opened as we headed off on the return walk. It poured with rain on and off during the walk back but didn't prevent us from having a final swim in Lake Poona. Thanks to everyone who came along, it was a very relaxing walk. Barb Makepeace

At Orchid Lookout on the Araucaria Circuit

After setting off at a leisurely pace from the car park just after 9am we found ourselves at the start of Daves Creek Circuit nearly an hour later. Oops, the leader was busy chatting and not concentrating on the walk. (Daves Creek is one of my most favourite walks so maybe subconsciously I really wanted to be there.) An about turn and a kilometre uphill had us back on track to our morning tea stop at Joalah Lookout. All the signposts were read very carefully from then on and we arrived at our destination at a reasonable 12.30pm. As there were only eleven of us there was just enough room for us all to lunch up on the rocks. The view came and went, mainly went, as low clouds and mist blew across the valleys below. With the call of the coffee shop as encouragement we made good time back to the cars. Caffeine levels were topped up and we then headed for home.

Tasman Peninsula Tasmania

Both walks promised spectacular views and we were definitely not disappointed. We had beautiful weather which in addition to the grandeur of the scenery made for 2 great walks. Both walks were about 5 hours long with plenty of time for photos and gazing at the views. We initially passed through bluegum forests before coming out onto the cliff edge which we followed to the capes. The tracks were well defined offering a variety of vegetation and scenery. At Cape Huay we were amazed by the Totem Pole and Candlestick which are 2 rock columns that rise straight out of the sea and are world-renowned as great rock climbs. Barb Makepeace

Thanks to drivers Barbara, Wayne and Richard to Maria for being tail and to Shirley, Teresa, Rosslyn, Karen, Fran and Bill for their company. Patricia

Giants of D'Aguilar

January 2004

We planned to start our Tasmania walking with an overnight walk to Cape Pillar on the Tasman Peninsula near Port Arthur. Unfortunately bushfires had closed this track so we opted for 2 day walks to Cape Huay and Cape Raoul instead.

21 March 2004

The aim of this exercise was to have a gentler style of off track walk for people who are not use to off track walks. My aim isn't to walk hard walks, I just want nice walks. It is just unfortunate that many of my nice walks end up being in hard terrain. But not this one. The idea of this walk began when Frank and I had an exploratory in this area and found by accident the most amazing trees including an oversized red cedar - a rare site. So months later about 14 of us set out to find these trees again - we didn't give much hope as the finding of them in a large forest was based purely on memory rather than any clear defined route. We found the trees thanks to the assistance of Barbara and Richard and had morning-tea next to the giants. The giants were found after a careful search on the North side of Mt D'Aguilar. Tasman Peninsula

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Duration of Precipitation

Weather Forecasting Terms The following definitions of some common forecasting terms will help you extract the maximum information from weather forecasts. These terms are taken from the Bureau of Meteorology website. Fine: No rain or other precipitation (hail, snow, etc). The use of fine is generally avoided in excessively cloudy, windy, foggy or dusty conditions. In particular, note that fine means the absence of rain or other precipitation such as hail or snow--not 'good' or 'pleasant' weather. Dry: Free from rain. Normally used when preceding weather has also been relatively dry, and dry weather is expected to continue for at least a day or so. Cloud Cover Clear: Free from cloud, fog, mist or dust haze. Sunny: Little chance of the sun being obscured by cloud. (Note: High level cirrus clouds are often thin and wispy, allowing a considerable amount of sunlight to penetrate them, sufficient to produce shadows. In this case the day could be termed 'sunny' even though more than half the sky may be covered in cirrus cloud.)

Brief: Short duration. Intermittent: Precipitation which ceases at times. Occasional: Precipitation which while not frequent, is recurrent. Frequent: Showers occurring regularly and often. Continuous: Precipitation which does not cease, or ceases only briefly. Periods of Rain: Rain is expected to fall most of the time, but there will be breaks. Intensity Slight or Light Rain: Individual drops easily identified, puddles form slowly, small streams may flow in gutters. Drizzle: Can be felt on the face but is not visible. Produces little run off from roads or roofs. Generally visibility is reduced, but not less than 1000 m. Snow: Small sparse flakes. Visibility generally reduced but not less than 1000 m. Hail: Sparse hailstones of small size, often mixed with rain.

Cloudy: Predominantly more cloud than clear sky. For example, during the day the sun would be obscured by cloud for substantial periods of time.

Moderate

Overcast: Sky completely covered with cloud.

Drizzle: Window and road surfaces streaming with moisture. Visibility generally between 400 and 1000 m.

Forecasts of cloud cover normally give an average, if no significant variations are expected. A clear day, for example, may at some times see a few cloud patches.

Rain: Rapidly forming puddles, down pipes flowing freely, some spray visible over hard surfaces.

Snow: Large numerous flakes and visibility generally between 400-1000 m.

Forecasters expecting significant variations in cloud amount may use such terms as sunny periods, sunny breaks, cloudy periods, cloudy at times, mostly/mainly sunny, mostly/mainly cloudy.

Hail: Particles numerous enough to whiten the ground.

If expecting a major change in cloud cover, they usually indicate a distinct trend, e.g. becoming sunny or cloud increasing.

Rain: Falls in sheets, misty spray over hard surfaces, may cause roaring noise on roof.

Heavy

Drizzle: Visibility reduced to less than 400 m.

Description of Phenomena Fog: Suspension of very small water droplets in the air, reducing visibility at ground level to less than a kilometre.

Snow: Numerous flakes of all sizes. Visibility generally reduced below 400 m.

Smog: Smog (contraction for 'smoke fog') is a fog in which smoke or other forms of atmospheric pollutant have an important part in causing the fog to thicken, and have unpleasant and dangerous physiological effects.

Hail: A proportion of the hailstones exceed 6 mm diameter.

Mist: Similar to fog, but visibility remains more than a kilometre.

Distribution Of Showers Few: Indicating timing, not an area. Isolated: Showers which are well separated in space during a given period.

Frost: Deposit of soft white ice crystals or frozen dew drops on objects near the ground; formed when surface temperature falls below freezing point.

Local: Restricted to relatively small areas.

Precipitation: Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid (e.g. rain, drizzle) or solid (e.g. hail, snow), that fall from a cloud or group of clouds and reach the ground.

Scattered: Irregularly distributed over an area. Showers which, while not widespread, can occur anywhere in an area. Implies a slightly greater incidence than isolated.

Drizzle: Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of very small water droplets (less than 0.5 mm in diameter) very close to one another.

Sporadic: Scattered or dispersed in respect of locality or local distribution. Characterised by occasional or isolated occurrence.

Patchy: Occurring irregularly over an area.

Widespread: Occurring extensively throughout an area.

Rain: Precipitation of liquid water drops greater than 0.5 mm in diameter. In contrast to showers, it is steadier and normally falls from stratiform (layer) cloud. Showers: Usually begin and end suddenly. Relatively shortlived, but may last half an hour. Often, but not always, separated by blue sky. Blizzard: Violent and very cold wind which is laden with snow, some part, at least, of which has been raised from snow covered ground. Thunderstorms: Thunderstorms are one or more convective clouds in which electrical discharge can be seen as lightning and heard as thunder by a person on the earth's surface. A severe thunderstorm produces one or more of hail at the ground with diameter of 2 cm or more; wind gusts at the ground of 90 km/h or more; very heavy rain likely to cause flash flooding or tornadoes.

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