200702 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

February 2007

Christmas All Over

Club News Christmas Party

1-3 December 2006

Sunday again turned out to be a bright sunny day and people slowly wandered back into the kitchen area from a night’s sleep to make breakfast and restart the socializing.

Thirty-one members attended the Christmas Party at Camp Bornhoffen in the Numinbah Valley. Most members arrived Friday night and seeing that there were nearly seventy bunks available, we were able to spread out with only 4 people sharing a room, instead of the usual eight. Saturday was a bright sunny day and seeing that we had too many members present for just one walk, it was decided to have two. Barbara led the long walk, the Warrie Circuit, while Richard led a shorter walk to Bushrangers Cave. So off we set in cars to our respective starting points. The Bushranger’s Cave group arrived back from the walk in time for lunch. After a leisurely lunch there was an optional walk to explore the camp grounds. This group found a viewpoint on top of a small cliff, several waterfalls in the stream on the property plus some tracks which headed further afield. A few decided to have a swim in the stream but the water was decidedly chilly on first entering.

Frank Bowling gave us a short fun quiz on bushwalking in the mid morning. There was much waving of hands and shouting of answers as Frank handed out chocolates for the correct answers. After the quiz it was time to clean up the hall, kitchen and bunk rooms. It was pleasing to see everyone chip in to help. Slowly people packed and left for home after a very enjoyable weekend. Many thanks to Barbara for organizing the event.

Photo Competition The winners of the 2006 photo competition were announced at the Christmas Party. Nature. Gary Woodward for “Land Sea and Sky”. Club Character. Trevor Smith for “Seeking the Oracle”.

Barbara’s group rejoined us late in the afternoon and it was time to eat, drink and party.

Pictorial. June Greenaway for “Light at the End of the Tunnel”.

The theme was Christmas and people got into their costumes. Lynn Nicol was a stand out as a Christmas tree but unfortunately when she sat down, she crushed her baubles. Linda looking all boxed-in as a Christmas present while Kerry and Trevor looked very pixieish.

Coffee Night

Many thanks to Bob Gur, Trevor Cox and Wayne Thompson for helping with the cooking in the large kitchen. They kept the steaks and sausages coming while people helped themselves to the plentiful supply of food members had brought along.

People’s Choice. June Greenaway for “Light at the End of the Tunnel”. 17 January 2007

Thirteen people turned up on this Wednesday night to enjoy a coffee and a chat at Stones Corner. They must have thought we would be a noisy bunch as we had a section all to ourselves! It turned out to be a fun and social night out. Many thanks to Danuta for organizing the event. Richard

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General Information

The Management Committee

Meeting Place

President

Helen McAllister

3844 8464 (H)

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. No meetings in January.

Vice President

Gary Woodward

3245 2695 (H)

Secretary

Lynn Nicol

3219 6228 (H)

Treasurer

Bob Gur

3345 3971 (H)

Outings Officer

Patricia Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Membership Officer

Lynne Cavanagh

3376 5053 (H)

Editor

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Social Secretary

Danuta Gur

3345 3971 (H)

Training Officer

David Rae

3395 1838 (H)

There is parking within the school grounds via the entrance off Wellington Road. There is also parking along Wellington Road. Consult a street directory, as there are a number of one-way streets in the area. Tea/Coffee and cake/biscuits are provided after the meeting. A coin donation would be appreciated.

Membership 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.

Other Voluntary Positions

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

Equipment Officer

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

Supper Convenor

Margaret Smith

3886 3342 (H)

Probationary Membership

Federation Rep

Kerry de Clauzel

3209 7146 (H)

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

Federation Rep

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

FMR Rep

Frank Bowling

0419 715 719

FMR Rep

Barbara Makepeace

0421 784 783

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

Campsite Monitors

Ordinary Membership

Barbara Makepeace

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 the membership fee.

Ratatat Hut Mt Barney Spicer’s Double Peak Saddle

Kerry de Clauzel

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 Lower Portals

Richard Kolarski

Running Creek Falls

Christine & Cliff Harrison

Mt Superbus

Members of Another Bushwalking Club

Ann Kemp

Spicers Peak

Members of another bushwalking club affiliated with the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs or another State Federation are covered by the same Insurance as QBW. It is not necessary for them to become a member of our Club to go on our walks.

John Brunott

Ballows

Past Events

Equipment For Use Of Members ITEM

No

Contact

Ph No

Compasses

29

Dave Kenrick

3349 8238

EPIRBs

5

Frank Garland

3341 5207

GPS

4

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

UHF Radios

12

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

Abseil Gear Back Pack

1

Trevor Davern

0411 512 202

Emergency Lights

6

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509

First Aid Kits

3

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509

Topo Maps

34

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509

Sunmap CD’s

1

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509

BBQ At Grey Gum

Breakfast BBQ

Equipment for Sale Bivy Bags $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00 These bivy bags are 2 metres by 0.9 metres and are bright orange in colour. They can be used as a pack liner and can double as an emergency bivy bag. Club Polo Shirts L, M and S size left only

$20.00 each

Space Blankets $2.50 each. Light weight and take up no room at all. A must for all walkers! Ring Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509 to purchase any of the above.

31 December 2006

Fifteen people attended this end of year function held at one of the picnic areas on Mt Coot-tha. It was a fine sunny day and the area was popular. We saw many early walkers using the park. We even shared the park with a bike group who were also having a breakfast BBQ. After a meal of bacon and eggs over the wood fired BBQ most were ready to tackle a walk. However the Kokoda Track proved to be a difficult one with all of us puffing and panting up the final steep section. A late morning tea at the Mt Coot-tha kiosk was a suitable reward. Many thanks to Patricia for putting on this event.

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Richard

Coming Events

Training Quiz

DVD Slide Show Creation - Training Day 24 March 2007

This Month’s Question and Answer

On Saturday the 24th March I will be conducting a training session on how to create a DVD movie of your still photos or movie clips.

How do you orientate a map using a compass?

The program that we will be using is Video Studio 10. Visit www.ulead.com for details on the software. With this program you will be able to turn your photos into a professional looking presentation with, titles, transitions, overlays, music and voice over. This is a very simple program to use and all you need to bring along is: A CD of photos or movies clips of your favourite walks. Most file formats are catered for eg jpg, tif, mpeg4,avi Bring at least 200 photos Notes on where the walk is so you can create the correct annotation Optional map of where the walk is. We can scan this in prior to creating the DVD USB stick - to transfer photos, music between computers A CD of your favourite songs, preferably in mp3 format. I have over 2000 mp3 songs if you have none of your own.

It is a good habit to orient your map before reading it. To orientate a map means to make the map match what you see around you, so that what is in front of you on the ground is in front of your position on the map; what is to the right of you on the ground is to the right of your position on the map, and what is to the left of you on the ground is to the left of your position on the map. To orientate a map without a compass, hold the map horizontally and rotate the map until its direction and features correspond to the features you see around you. If you are unable to identify the surrounding features, you can use the compass to orient the map. To do this: 1. Lay the map flat and place the compass so the baseplate side edge lies along the grid north line AND the Direction of Travel Arrow is also pointing to grid north. 2. Rotate the map and compass together until the north point of the compass needle is east or west of the index line by the amount of the Grid/Magnetic angle shown in the map’s margin.

Blank DVD's. Bring DVD+RW ( to practice for multiple burns) plus DVD+R (for the final burn) A number of computers will be available but I will be limiting the number of users to 2 per computer. If you have your own laptop then you will not be restricted by the number of computers. Your laptop will need:- Windows XP, min 512 mb RAM, fast processor eg P4, Core 2 Duo 1.8ghz, DVD writer, 10gb spare disk space For lunch we will have a BYO BBQ Venue:- 3 Urquhart Street Carindale for 10:00am start David Rae - Training Officer

Pilgrimage 2007

24-26 August 2007

The Pilgrimage is the name of the annual gathering of the Bushwalking Clubs of Queensland, who are affiliated to the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs. QBW is hosting Pilgrimage 2007 along with Ipswich Bushwalkers Inc., Brisbane Catholic Bushwalking Club Inc. and Logan and Beaudesert Bushwalkers. Pilgrimage 2007 will be held at Kalbar Showgrounds. Kalbar is near Boonah and just over an hour's drive from Brisbane. More information available at http://au.geocities.com/qldpilgrimage/index.html

Orientating a Map

Next Month’s Question: How do you determine a grid reference?

Comings and Goings Wilsons Promontory

8-16 September 2007

I am organizing an extended trip to Wilsons Promontory in south-east Victoria from Saturday 8 to Sunday 16 September 2007. Richard and I will be driving down to Victoria, arriving on Saturday 8 and would be able to provide transport from Foster, the closest point for public transport. I have information on public transport from Melbourne to Foster. This would be done in reverse on Sunday 16 giving enough time to meet flights back to Brisbane on the Sunday evening. Anyone working would need to take holidays for the week 10 to 14 September. There is a multitude of walks possible. We could do two threeday throughwalks (to the lighthouse, and the eastern circuit via Setters Cove). Or, one throughwalk to either of the above and the rest day walks. This can be varied to fit the group. Our base will be at Tidal River where we can camp or there is basic cabin accommodation. This also is negotiable. As this is a popular place to walk, I will be finalising camping bookings and permits immediately after the March meeting. For more information contact Patricia Kolarski 3341 7509.

John M and Lynn N. leave early February for walking the Routebourn and Greenstone Tracks in NZ for 6 nights. After these walks John is doing a guided tour of the North Island. Gary W, Linda H and Peter P are also off to NZ in February to climb Mt Aspiring.

New Members Pauline Fedoriw As at 30/1/2007 we have 115 financial members

Campsite Monitors The planned meeting for Campsite Monitors in February has been changed to Saturday, 17th of March. All campsite monitors are asked to have a report on their designated site ready for the meeting. For more information contact Richard Kolarski on 3341 7509 or Ann Tracey on 3391 3334 or email: [email protected]

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Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs News Signing of the MOU The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs (QFBWC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 12th December 2006 covering bushwalking and bush camping in protected areas.

Past Walks Mt Ngungun and Coochin

2 September 2006

Five bushwalkers met up at Glasshouse Mountains Township on a sunny humid day after a week of rain to walk up two peaks of the Glasshouse mountains group. A short distance away we started the walk up Mt Ngungun. The first section of the track was well graded and easy going to the cave area. From here the track became steeper and slippery in places. We made our way along the rocky escarpment to the top. A little cloud spoilt the 360-degree view. We enjoyed morning tea just below the summit due to an invasion of flying ants. There were quite a few people traipsing up on our return to the car park. Russell had a bit of luck and found a $2 coin on the road. It was then a short drive to the entrance of Coochin National Park.

Doug Watson of EPA and John Campbell

The President, Mr Campbell commented that the document aims to nurture a co-operative approach to sustainable bushwalking and bush camping in Queensland’s national parks and state forests. The MOU lays out a regularized and liberalised process of access to public areas, applicable to all. Previously, administration of access to these areas was sometimes seen as being arbitrary, discriminatory and unnecessarily restrictive on parks’ visitors, including bushwalkers. The MOU may be viewed on the QFBWC website at www.geocities.com/qfbwc.

Mt Ngungun and Coochin

Meeting between QPWS, NPAQ and QFBWC

Following a foot track we made our way up the West peak. Then made our way downhill to a saddle and scrambled up to the East peak. We had a leisurely lunch overlooking Mt Beerwah and Coonowrin. It was then a short walk following a ridge to a fire trail and back to the cars.

A benefit of the recently signed MOU was a meeting on 12 January 2007 re the use of Lamington National Park by bushwalkers.

We then returned to the Glasshouse Mountains Township for refreshments at the bakery. Many thanks to Patricia, Margie, Russell and Nev for coming along. Noelene

The following non graded tracks are available for bushwalkers:

Piper Comanche D/W

For further information contact John Campbell on 3351 3107.

Fountain Falls – Middle Ridge Traverse

Maiala National Park at Mount Glorious was the meeting place for this short walk on an overcast Saturday morning. All nine of us arrived in good time and set off for the starting point.

Stinson wreck – Pt Lookout- Stretcher Track Split Rock

Malawa Track

Morans Falls (bottom)

Running Creek

Wagawn to Border Gates

Commando trail

Cainbable Falls Trail

Castle Crag

16 September 2006

It was an easy walk along a fire trail that changed into a clear path on the track towards Mt D’Aguilar. At the turn-off marker we headed East along a compass bearing until the start of a wellworn path that led down a spur taking us directly to the wreck. This was our morning tea spot.

Mystery Track The following are closed Talangai Caves due to cultural and engineering issues Snake Ridge as it is a bristle bird habitat Mt Gipps closed July to November Tuckeroo closed July to November Hazardous Tree Assessment Bithongabel campsite open Echo Point open Nagarigoon closed. It is a Day Use Area only. Tuckeroo campsite closed

Piper Comanche

Illingbah campsite temporarily closed pending assessment. Scott Antcliff, Operations Manager of South Coast District can be contacted by phone at 5520 960 or by email at [email protected] for more information.

Plenty of photos were taken before a light rain began to fall. This was the signal for us to pack up and trudge back uphill. Slow and steady and we reached level ground again.

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It was a short walk across rocky ground until we picked up the path that would return us to the cars. We had lunch back at Maiala before heading down to Samford for a pleasant afternoon tea at the Patisserie. I can recommend the passion fruit and lemon tarts. Thanks to everyone who shared this relaxing short walk with me. Patricia

Noosa Tracks

24 September 2006

Just perfect for a walk. Met up at the Noosa National Park carpark and after a few formalities we started our day by doing the Palm Grove circuit track, which is an easy 1km walk commencing from the picnic area. This track passes through rainforest with many Hoop Pines and Piccabeen Palms. It was then an easy stride down Tanglewood Track and up Noosa Hill. A bit disappointing – no views due to the thick vegetation. This is also a circuit so soon after we arrived back down the hill and enjoyed a morning tea watching the sea. The coastal track beckoned us on. The first part of the track is well graded and suitable for wheel chairs and prams. However, it then narrows and you need to watch out for exposed roots and rocks. Stopping at some of the lookouts we enjoyed the spectacular views. Just as we were heading for Hell’s Gate we were alerted to the fact that there was a pod of dolphins. Sure enough – what a sight. We were delighted to witness a baby dolphin jumping for joy. Lorraine was so engrossed that she forgot to take out her new digital camera to catch the moment. Oh well. Spent also a little time at Hell’s Gates which is always a spectacular sight. It was difficult to move on. Down the Tanglewood track again and on to Alexandria Bay. Yes, we walked the beach rather than the track. Just for a change of pace. Back on the track it was pleasant under the rainforest canopy and we were able to enjoy some lovely grass trees and flowering bushes. All too soon we were back at the crowded picnic area. The amphitheatre was a good spot to have our lunch and recall our day. Thanks to all who joined us on this pleasant day. Welcome Pat, a new member and her first walk with the Club. Danuta

Araucaria Circuit D/W

7 October 2006

We were a small group of five that set off from the Binna Burra carpark on a pleasant walk in rainforest with some views at the end. Initially the rainforest looked dry but as we progressed further along it looked like there had been a recent shower of rain.

At Joalah Lookout we discovered two blue tongue lizards sunning themselves. Out beyond the Mt Hobwee turnoff we encountered two parties returning from the Lookout. We had started out at 8.40am so these others must have had a really early start. One group was a bit lost, looking for the Bushranger’s Cave! Our destination was reached well before lunchtime so we sat around for a while admiring the view, checking out the Christmas party location, Camp Bornhoffen, way below in the distance. Some heavy clouds began rolling in over the top of Wagawn so we decided to retreat to the Orchid Bower for lunch; a shame the picnic table there had rotted to bits several years ago. An uneventful tramp back to the car and a quick clean up before afternoon tea at the temporary café. Emmanuel headed towards the Gold Coast while the rest of us returned home via Canungra. Many thanks to Gerry, Redencion, Emmanuel and Harvey for sharing this walk with me. And a special thanks to Harvey for providing speedy transport from Canungra to Binna Burra. Patricia

Lizard Point D/W

7 October 2006

Eight energetic walkers meet at Boonah at 6:45 am for a full day trek to Lizard Point. Lizard Point is at the eastern end of the Main Range with the start being from Teviot Gap on the head road. The plan was to head up through the rainforest, skirt the side of Mt Bell and reach the ridgeline south of Mt Roberts. Having been up this way twice before, I had memories of being disorientated due to the thick vegetation and a steep climb. Well luck was with us, we found a relatively easy ridge line leading up to the Scenic Rim track and within 3.5 hrs we were at Lizard Point. We never got to the side of Mt Bell, much to Linda’s disappointment – maybe someone in the future can lead an exploratory walk and find the elusive Mt Bell. A leisurely hour was spent having lunch while taking in the 270-degree views. The walk back gave us better views of the Steamers as the clouds had lifted. The track down was the steep track off the side of Mt Superbus. Having reached the cars by 3:45pm the mandatory coffee stop was made at Boonah an hour later. David Rae

Boonoo Boonoo B/C

13-15 October 2006

The four of us not working on the Friday arrived at the campground mid afternoon. There were only a few other campers there, thankfully. A friendly possum tried to join us for dinner. Malcolm turned up some time after 9pm that night and very quietly put up his tent.

Scent-sational King Orchids

Saturday - Mount Prentice

Araucaria Circuit

Saturday morning and we were up and ready to walk by about 8am. Ken had already been wandering around bird spotting. We drove along the road to the waterfall and found the start of our walk. Page 5 of 6

There was a rough roadway down to the river but did not continue across to the other side so we headed towards Mount Prentice walking on a compass bearing but following Richard as he tried to find the easiest, least scratchy path through the scrub. The area is very much like Girraween, being granite slabs and gravel. We stopped near the top of Mt Prentice for morning tea with a view across towards Bald Rock. A little further up and we reached the small tower-like structure on top. A few photos and a scramble around and we were ready to go exploring. Linda had seen a couple of slabby knolls across on the next ridge so off we went. What a find: literally thousands of king orchids all over the place! There were some pink rock orchids there also but were almost lost among the creamy-yellow king orchid flowers. We had lunch in among them and their perfume was almost overpowering. Ken could hardly contain himself. “Come and look at this. I’ve never seen anything like it!” said Ken about a hundred times. Unfortunately, our photos just didn’t do the place justice. It has to be seen to be believed.

Hinchinbrook Island T/W

14 – 20 August 2006

This trip was to be a week exploring Hinchinbrook Island and to walk up Mt Bowen. At Townsville airport I met up with Linda, Mary, Gary and Chris. We drove to Cardwell and stayed overnight at the caravan park. The following morning we drove to the marina and met up with Mike from the Cairns Bushwalking Club. Chris and I had been up to Mt Bowen 2 years previously but had no views due to low cloud cover. We were hoping for better weather. Mike however has been to Hinchinbrook Island so many times he has lost count. He was to be our guide and though he was almost 70 years old, he was as fit, if not fitter than the rest of us.

After lunch we reluctantly left this special place and headed off towards the second knoll where there was a communications tower. Great views from here. After that we took another bearing and headed back to camp for a tidy-up and happy hour before dinner. Thanks to Richard, Linda, Ken, and Malcolm for your company. Patricia Sunday - Boonoo Boonoo Falls Sunday was another beautiful sunny day. We went to Platypus Pool first and were lucky enough to see a couple of platypuses (platypi?) in the distance. One even surfaced just to the side of us but submerged quickly when it found out it had company. After lingering at the pool for a while we headed off to the falls. There is a viewing platform overlooking the falls and some informative signs. The falls were spectacular with a fair amount of water flowing.

Looking to the north on Hinchinbrook Island

What followed over the next 6 days was glorious weather and what is arguably the best walk in northern Queensland. Even Mike said he had never had such prolonged good weather on any of his previous trips and would rate this trip to Hinchinbrook his best ever. The walking though was hard and often through bush where there were no trails. We had to take turns pushing our way through undergrowth and we all ended up with scratches on top of scratches on our arms and legs. However by alternating a hard day with a relatively easy day, we had time to enjoy the superb views every day. Initially we spent some time exploring Nina Peak and Nina Creek. We then began ascending along a creek, going through sections of rainforest before breaking out onto the relatively open and grassy ridgeline. From rocky outcrops we could see the northern end of the island with its mangrove swamps and its long curving beach, while to the south, Mt Bowen, at 1121 metres, beckoned. It was then an easy walk to Mt Bowen where we stopped and had the obligatory photo stop. We then continued on to the Thumb, a peak to the south. The Curse of the Crystal Sitting on top of the Thumb, Mike gave us some history on the area as he had brought along an article about one of the first ascents of the Thumb and Mt Bowen way back in 1953. At the top of the Thumb was a 3-inch diameter rock crystal which had been placed there by that bushwalking party.

Boonoo Boonoo Falls

However we were keen on exploring the creek below the falls and after some scrambling we reached the base of the falls. Giant boulders at the base made it a great place to explore. Also the deep pools looked inviting but no one actually went in for a swim. Linda had been here before on a through walk and told us of a scenic rest stop near a small waterfall just “10 minutes” downstream. After about half an hour we reached a shady spot near a waterfall and had our lunch. The trip back up was uneventful. Back at the campsite we packed and headed home after another glorious weekend. Thank you Linda, Ken, Patricia and Malcolm.

Richard

We grimly heard about the "Curse of the Crystal". It went, "May you lose your way, may you run out of water, may you get tangled in the undergrowth and may the mozzies carry you away if ever you remove this crystal." Suitably warned, we admired the crystal and let it remain in its home on the Thumb. We descended another ridge to the southeast and enjoyed our final night on the island with clear views out to the ocean with thousands of stars burning brightly above. As we walked back along the beach to catch the ferry, we could see the whole ridgeline of the mountain above us. It was a fitting finale to our great adventure. Richard

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