200508 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

August 2005

At Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island

Club News Christmas Party 2005

Membership Fees

Bookings are now being taken for the QBW Christmas Party.

Membership Fees are now due. Membership is $20.00 and if you wish to have the Newsletter delivered by postal mail it will be an additional $15.00. All members have been given or sent out a Membership Renewal Form. You have till the end of August to renew your membership. If the membership fee is not paid by the end of August, then you are no longer financial and membership may be terminated.

See Evelyn soon as bookings to be made by 1st November. Date Location

Fri Night 2nd December to Sun 4th December Crystal Waters Permaculture Village, Conondale Situated in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, approx. 100km north of Brisbane. Accommodation Costs Bunkhouse (Sleeps 24, there are 4 rooms with 6 beds in each) $18 per person per night Camping / Van Site $10 per person per night, $5 per subsequent person per night on same campsite.

There are two Abseil Waiver Forms now available. One form is for adults and there is room for up to 5 people to sign on the one form. If multiple people sign the one form, ensure that there is adequate time for each person to read the waiver. If a person under 18 years of age is participating, then the parent or guardian must sign for that person. This form has room for only one signature.

Power $1 extra per person per night. Room for more than 20 campsites Facilities Amenities Block with Showers and Toilets Basic Camp Kitchen and BBQ area with shelter, bench tables and seats, fridge, two gas burners, electric jug and fireplace. A fire is permitted if no restrictions at the time. There is a shop on site selling snacks, lunches, crafts and local produce. Please bring

Abseiling Waiver

For Campers – All camping gear For Bunkhouse - Bedding All cooking and eating utensils All food for meals except for Saturday Dinner

Dinner The Saturday Dinner will be a catered meal in a function room at Crystal Waters, $20 per head. BYO wine etc. Bushwalking Plenty of possibilities at Conondale National Park, Obi Obi Gorge or Kondalilla National Park.

Have spare copies of the Waiver Form available if a person wishes to keep a copy of the Waiver Form for his/her own reference. The forms are available on the Club web site at http://www.geocities.com/qldbwc/leaders/abseil.html or at Club meetings. It is a requirement of insurance that a waiver form is signed if doing abseiling as a Club activity.

Comings and Goings John M. is off to Iceland for a trek there. Gail C. is off to Tibet, India and Nepal for some walking in the Himalayas. Lynn N. has recently returned from a 4WD trip round Australia.

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General Information

The Management Committee

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.

President

Trevor Cox

3273 3484 (H)

Vice President

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

Secretary

Bob Gur

3345 3971 (H)

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

Membership Officer

Ken Walters

3344 1927 (H)

Editor

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Treasurer

Gary Woodward

3245 2695 (H)

Outings Secretary

David Kenrick

3349 8238 (H)

Membership

Social Secretary

Evelyn Campbell

3809 2354 (H)

Before a visitor can go on a walk, he/she must be a Member (Probationary or Ordinary) or be a member of an affiliated club.

Training Officer

Frank Garland

3341 5207 (H)

Membership of QBW is only $20 and lasts till the end of the Club’s financial year which is on the 30th of June each year.

Other Voluntary Positions Equipment Officer

Steve Moyle

3800 3963 (H)

Supper Convenor

Danuta Gur

3345 3971 (H)

A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Member on his/her first walk after signing the waiver form. There is no prescribed fee for a Probationary Member.

Federation Rep

Bob Gur

3345 3971 (H)

Federation Rep

Trevor Cox

3273 3484 (H)

However a Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on his/her 2nd walk by filling out a membership form and paying the prescribed fee.

FMR Rep

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

FMR Rep

Frank Garland

3341 5207 (H)

Ordinary Membership

Campsite Monitors

A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out a membership form and handing the form to a committee member or walk leader and paying $20.00.

Ratatat Hut Running Creek Falls

An Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or be elected to a committee position. A Probationary Member has neither of these rights.

Throakban

Probationary Membership

Members of Another Bushwalking Club Members of another bushwalking club affiliated with the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs or another State Federation are covered by the same Insurance. Thus they do not need to become a member of our Club for insurance purposes.

Barbara Makepeace Richard Kolarski Gary Woodward Kerry de Clauzel Trevor Smith Christine & Cliff Harrison Ann Kemp John Brunott

Mt Superbus Spicers Peak Mt May

Editors Pic

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

Club Shirts

Blue Fungi Seen on Fraser Island

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

New Members

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

Emergency Space Blankets The Club has a supply of these for sale at $2.50 each.

Neil Douglas

Emmanuel Georgiou

Lindsay Gilbert

David Hill

Gary Hutchison

James Parra

No of financial Ordinary Members

51

This is the number of renewals and new members since 1/7/2005

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PILGRIMAGE 2005 Redland Bushwalking Club, the organisers for the 2005 Pilgrimage, want to make this the biggest and best Pilgrimage ever! When

19- 21 August 2005

Where

Bigriggen camping grounds

Cost

For only $30 per person includes -

ANNUAL REPORT FEDERATION MOUNTAIN RESCUE 2004-2005

- camping fees for two nights - opportunity to go on some of the best walks in Qld - supper Friday night - supper Saturday night - light breakfast Sunday morning - entertainment throughout the weekend Note: Some bunkhouse accommodation is still available at extra cost. This Pilgrimage has some of the best walks in Queensland. The Mt Barney area is renowned for the range and variety of walks in the area. This area is the “old stamping grounds for Bushwalkers”. This Pilgrimage will provide you with the opportunity to revisit some of the old favourite walks in the area, for example, The Lower Portals, Mt Maroon, Mt May or perhaps try some of the less well known walks such as Mt Gillies and Mt Ernest. The annual Pilgrimage provides an opportunity to bushwalkers to camp, walk, socialise, catch-up, and have FUN with other likeminded people. Remember! – There will be a prize to the club who registers the most members! What is going to make this Pilgrimage the biggest and best! A Coffee Shop will be running all weekend (with entertainment) (bring extra coins to purchase beverages and eats) A trip down memory lane display The big campfire plus bushdance, storytelling and entertainment on Saturday night Other fun activities planned throughout the weekend Registration is EASY - Email Denise - [email protected] Enquiries phone: Laurel 0438 080157 or visit our website at http://au.geocities.com/redlandbushwalkingclub/index.htm

How To Get There

Take the Mt Lindesay Highway to Beaudesert. At the traffic lights, take the road to Rathdowney. Just past Rathdowney, turn right into the Boonah Rathdowney Road.

The major achievement of FMR this year has been the successful completion of the Bushwalking Injuries Project. At a recent meeting, Principal Researcher Ameneh Ghafourian Gomshi Bashi, and her Supervisor, Associate Professor Peter O’Rourke, reported on the results of this pilot project. The study contains only the aggregated information supplied by the bushwalking community. Despite running for only a month the research has delivered several indicative but useful insights. I’ll report on this more widely and fully elsewhere. Already this very limited study has delivered enough new and useful information of direct benefit to bushwalkers and to Public Health analysis to justify a fuller investigation, over a longer time period. As Project Leader it is especially gratifying for me to reveal that Ameneh received a good grade for her work. This adds confidence to the use of the results in designing future training and demonstrates the value Ameneh’s examiners place on this investigation. Special thanks to Professor Frank Bowling, Project Advisor, for his continuing assistance and suggestions, to Ms Debbie Scott, Manager of the Queensland Injuries Surveillance Unit, for her help to Ameneh, particularly on Form design and especially to Barbara Makepeace, the bushwalker’s Liaison Officer, who has done so much to keep the project advertising and subsequent data gathering running smoothly. Finally, and most significantly, thanks to all of the participating bushwalking clubs and their diligent Outings Officers for supplying valuable information in a timely way. There was one alert this year involving a missing civilian in the Mapelton area. Discovery of the body of the person meant a stand down for FMR. FMR was not involved in the search for the missing businessman lost for several days on Moreton Island, but contributed to subsequent public commentary in the Courier Mail. The happy outcome in this case indicates, once again, the potential disadvantages of terminating a search prematurely unless there is strong evidence supporting an external reason to do so. At last year’s AGM a full committee was elected with the exception of a President. This left FMR somewhat directionless during the past year. This provided a unique opportunity for the newer Rescue Leaders to demonstrate responsibility and volunteer their services to continue the long established and successful program elements from the past. The failure of this approach is now demonstrated and clear. The cancellation of some activities which traditionally have been well supported invites a re-think of the way FMR might go about its affairs in the future. The resumption of abseiling cover in the bushwalkers Insurance and a more thorough future Bushwalking Injuries study provide new opportunities to reinvigorate FMR. The abseiling instruction will need special care given the period of time in which it has not been possible. This has led to an Insurer induced de-skilling of many bushwalkers in this area of safety skills acquisition. Thanks to those experienced Rescue Leaders who have already volunteered to help with addressing the upgrading of club skills in abseiling.

After seven kilometers turn left into Upper Logan Road.

Finally, thanks to all of those committee members who have plugged away at completing their work through out the year. Thanks to you all.

Take the first turn right to go to Bigriggen.

Ron Farmer Liaison Officer & Rescue Leader, FMR Page 3 of 6

Past Walks Mt Hobwee

10 April 2005

There were clouds overhead this morning but everyone was enthusiastic to start the walk and we had a good group. The walk follows the Border track for approximately 6km and winds its way through the rainforest. There were a couple of wet areas, a little slippery at times but no major concerns. The track is very well signed - we branched off the Border track and soon passed Araucaria turnoff. A little further down the track we came across a “red-bellied black”. Luckily he was headed away from us and after a short wait he/she disappeared under a rock.

Mt Hobwee

Running Creek Falls

A good pace set and in no time we were at the summit. It was a little deceiving and disappointing, as there were no views and plenty of leeches. Decided to have lunch and at this point the rain started. One of our members had lost a strap to their backpack and a search was made. No luck. The rain continued and the leeches were having a field day so we made a hasty retreat back down the track. Eagle eyes John spotted the “lost strap” a little further down the track. We didn’t extend the walk to Dacelo Lookout today – no views with the mist and rain and the walk had been listed as an “M”. Next time folks. I’m pretty sure that some could smell the coffee and CHIPS at Binna Burra as the steps got longer and quicker….

After about an hour at the base of the falls we began exploring various ways to get to the top of the falls. A small gully was considered too dangerous while a ridge was overgrown with waita-while which forced us back. We decided we would try another day and made our way back to the campsite. There I did a quick rock hop up England Creek and found it a fantastic place for more exploration another day. There was no rain that night and as soon as it was light the next morning we had breakfast, packed our tents and made the return journey. We stopped in Beaudesert at lunch time and enjoyed a large counter lunch at one of the hotels. It was a fitting end to a great weekend camping in the Australian rainforest. Many thanks to Steve and Gil for their company. Richard

We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. Thank you for joining us on this great walk. Bob & Danuta

Mount Barney via Barney Gorge Running Creek T/W

16-17 April 2005

The Running Creek campsite is a small campsite at the junction of England and Running Creek. Only 4 campers are allowed at a time. On this throughwalk there were just the three of us, Gil, Steve and myself. Many walks have been done to Running Creek Falls just as a day walk. However it is such a long walk that usually only a few minutes can be spent at one of the most spectacular falls in south east Queensland. This throughwalk would allow us more time at the falls and to do some exploration of the surrounds. We parked the car at the farm at the end of the road and began the five kilometre walk across cow paddocks to get to the National Park. After an hour and a half, we reached the crossing of Running Creek. Due to the drought, the creek was low and the crossing was an easy rock hop across. On the other side of the creek the vegetation changed from open sclerohyll eucalypt forest to rain forest. In places trees had fallen across the track and we had to navigate round them to rejoin the faint track. Close to midday we reached the campsite, put up our tents and had lunch. From the campsite it is about 800 metres upstream to the falls. Again we made good time rock hopping up the creek and reached the falls within a half hour. Gil even ventured in for a quick swim but the cold water deterred the rest of us.

24 April 2005

Ten of us braved the early morning to meet at Rathdowney at 6:00 am. After a short car shuffle between Yellow Pinch reserve and the Lower Portals car park we started the walk at 6:45 am.

Views From the Top of Mt Barney

The gorge is a very popular route to the saddle of Mt Barney and should only be attempted in dry conditions, as the slightest hint of moisture will make the rock slabs extremely slippery and dangerous.

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On reaching the Lower Portals we headed up to the bluff on the right and then followed the track along the ridge and then down where Barney Gorge meets Barney Creek. There is a large campsite here set back about 150 metres from the creek. The gorge starts off as a rock hop and then turns into large slabs making the ascent a very enjoyable one. The gorge is very well defined all the way to the saddle and it would be extremely hard to get off track. One of the party members had problems with cramp and so it was decided to modify our descent route, from SE ridge to South Ridge (Peasants). Leaving this person in the saddle to rest, the balance of the party ascended to East Peak (1351m) to enjoy the spectacular 360 degree view along with 20 other intrepid bushwalkers. While on top we were buzzed by a glider also taking in the views of this clear calm autumn day. Our descent took 3.5 hours arriving back at Yellow Pinch reserve at 5:15pm, making it a long but enjoyable day. David Rae

Fraser Island T/W

The rain has cleared away for the time being. We have a walk of 13.1 km. to the Valley of the Giants. Fairly gentle ups and downs until a morning tea stop at the turnoff to Petrie’s Camp. June, Noelene and Gabe went off to explore this historic forestry site but reported that little is left to see. After a rest we huffed and puffed up until we came to open heathland, which was a pleasant change to walk through. It had been burnt out in the not-too-distant past but there was plenty of regrowth. An old tramline through a dense canopy gave a tunnellike effect along the rest of the way to our destination. This campsite really lived up to its name – huge straight tree trunks disappeared into the branches above us. I didn’t realize that toilets could be ‘cute’ until I saw the one here at this campsite. Still feeling relatively fresh, we went off to find the Giant Tallowwood, and giant it was. It was so easy walking without packs that we did a few extra klms just for fun.

26 April to 1 May 2005

The walkers - June Greenaway, Noelene McCay, David Kenrick, Ken Walters, Gabe Romaguera, Michael Peel, Richard Kolarski, John Brunott and me. Tuesday 26th With a 10.15am barge to catch we all had an early start from Brisbane, meeting at McDonalds in Gympie along the way for a quick coffee. The barge dropped us off at Wanggoolba Creek. Some decided to walk in to Central Station along the road (quite firm sand after recent rain), while the rest walked via the Great Walks access track with a stop off for a swim at Basin Lake. The separate fenced camping area for walkers meant we had a peaceful night. No loud parties or dingoes. Wednesday 27th As the first taxi trip to Happy Valley wasn’t scheduled until 11.30am, we visited Pile Valley and spent time drying tents under the Day Use covered area. Unfortunately, the taxi arrived thirty minutes early and the driver was quite miffed that we weren’t waiting for him. Thankfully I wasn’t in the first group to go up to Happy Valley so I left it to Ken to cheer him up before our turn. The taxi was back in no time and John was put in front next to the still-unhappy driver. We had an extra speedy trip up the beach with John finally convincing the driver to drop us off at the top of the steep climb four k’s further on from Happy Valley. That put us ahead of the first group (not happy, Patricia!!!). We decided it was worth it to face their wrath and not have to do the hard climb. Our camp that night was at Lake Garawongera. We had a swim in the lovely lake before dinner. Rain began falling just as we began preparing dinner. Unfortunately, the only shelter was two small covered tables in the Day Use area. We all squashed in and managed to stay almost dry. Thursday 28th

John In Night Time Attire

John provided the entertainment with his modeling of a Christmas present given to him by his mother: boxer shorts with interesting little pictures on them. More rain this evening but thankfully John had packed a light tarp so a few of us socialized well beyond dark. Friday 29th Fine again this morning for our longest day of 16.1kms and the steepest and longest climb of the trip. Actually it wasn’t so bad as we reached the top well before we realized and even had the energy to walk another 600m to an impressive view high on a sandblow looking east to the sea. More gentle ups and downs on the way to Lake Wabby. Packs were hidden off the main tourist track and we headed for a swim. A few tourists were around but worse was to come. Our campsite was in among a huge grove of macrozamias. As at the previous sites, we had low tables with rat boxes at each cleared tent pad with vegetation around the pad left untouched to give a little privacy. Unfortunately, the toilet was shared with the day trippers at the parking area near the lookout and things weren’t too clean. Ken kindly did a clean-up so they ended up not too bad. No rain tonight – a first.

Early Morning Washing

Saturday 30th Only 11.9 klms to walk today. As on previous days the terrain was gentle up and down along sandy, leaf-covered tracks. We made good time and arrived at picturesque Lake McKenzie in time for lunch. What a shock when we arrived at the lake – Surfers Paradise without the highrise!!! Wall to wall people and the carpark was full to overflowing plus buses coming and going at regular intervals. Page 5 of 6

However the next day was wet and cold, so went on an archaeological tour around Ullapool, very interesting. I did 2 Munros in the An Teallach mountain group which are one of Scotland's finest. These mountains demonstrate what I love about Scotland: serious mountains, locks, lockans, corries, wilderness, complex rock patterns, beautiful autumn colours, rivers, rock scree, cliffs etc. The walk involved 4 kilometres of ridge with exhilarating views (when the weather cleared) with 10 peaks over 3000 feet. The highest was 3500 feet but could not summit all peaks as would have been blown off. Walks start at elevation 150 feet. Did another Munro under very trying conditions with gale force winds which at times tried to blow me off the mountain. I anchored myself with my poles. Rain, very cold, mist, (all the things that Scotland can offer). No real views due to mist. Could not walk on Thursday and Friday, as the weather was lousy for walking. I worked on the small cabin but as 3 of the 5 web sites for weather forecasted a reasonable day for Saturday, I decided to go for it. I did the research so I could get an early start. I could get 5 weather forecasts for Ullapool and they would usually be different, so they generally were not much help. I usually waited until light, looked out of the window and then decided whether to go. At Your Convenience

We had a swim then just waited for sunset when the hoards disappeared and left the lake to us campers. Dinner was cooked on the large tables in the bus picnic area with much discussion about the various menus. During his nocturnal wanderings Gabe came face-to-face with a dingo, only the second one seen on the trip. He, Gabe, backed off and thankfully the campsite was fenced so our food was safe. Sunday 1st May We backtracked a little this morning then headed to Kingfisher Bay along the track maintained by the Resort for its patrons, much shorter than the Great Walks Access Track. Many dingo tracks today but no sightings. What a smelly bunch as we wandered down to the restaurant for some much-overdue fresh food. For some, a swim in the pool and a shower, for others, smelly boots off and maybe a change of shirt while waiting for the barge. A forty-minute trip in the barge brought us back to the still-intact vehicles and a 350+ km drive home. Thank you so much to all my fellow walkers. I had a lovely time and enjoyed spending these six days with the wonderful mix of ‘characters’ on the walk. I learned about wearing towels from Ken, an interesting way to eat noodles from Michael, new words to describe my ex-boss from Dave, how not to have to walk up a steep hill from John, how not to find the best campsite from Gabe, the benefit of having two walking poles from June, the advantage in following someone up a sandblow from Noelene, and from Richard, how to cope with the rain – sleep. Patricia

Walking In Scotland (After his sojourn in Europe, the indefatigable Peter is now in the UK to go Munro bagging. A Munro is a Scottish mountain above 3,000 ft or 914.4m. They take their collective name from Sir Hugh Munro who first catalogued them in 1891, identifying around 280 peaks. Despite their modest height, walking and climbing in the Scottish mountains can be treacherous due to the latitude and exposure to Atlantic weather systems. Even in summer, conditions can be atrocious; thick fog, strong winds, driving rain and freezing summit temperatures are commonplace.) The weather in Chesham near London was cold, wet and overcast for most of my time there. The time was spent on local walks, TV, some odd jobs, visiting pubs (with fire places), visiting various villages etc. Had a magical drive from Inverness to Ullapool with a beautiful sunset and fine weather.

Walking on a Munro

On Saturday after 1.5 hours driving I reached the car park at the start of the walk and decided to give it a go although the mountains were in cloud. No rain but still dark. Daylight was at 8 a.m. The first hour was a beautiful walk up a glen beside a stream with lots of waterfalls to the start of the serious hill walk. The clouds and the mist seemed to lift a little so I decided to keep on going but by the time I reached the top of the first Horn Of Alligin the cloud and mist had closed in giving visibility around 50 m. As the track looked OK I decided to continue. The Horns of Alligin are 3 separate peaks, I guess about 800m high which require some minor scrambling which I really enjoyed. You can go around them. I had limited views on the lee side of the mountain for a little while but you could see the mist rolling in. I continued on into the mist and had a little surprise as the mist lifted for a few seconds and the first Munro was right in my face, some 200m still up. Lovely sight, lovely ridge. It ended up being a brilliant day with walking in the cloud and mist and not knowing if the visibility was going to close down to nothing. Had some very limited brief views. No rain, not cold (except the rocks during scrambling) and light winds (pity about the views). I would like to do it again next year, but lots of other great Munros. Back to Ullapool at 3.30pm and worked on the cabin until 8pm.and then partied on until midnight. Departed for Inverness at 6a.m. Driving in Scotland is great, not much traffic, great views of locks, mountains, valleys, streams, the sea (at times), forests, old buildings in all stages, deer, sheep, cows (no bells). Now back in Chesham shopping, visiting, partying, little jobs, minor walks, TV and going to a TV show. Cheers

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Peter