200910 Newsletter

QUEENSLAND BUSHWALKERS CLUB Inc. Newsletter

74 Kallista Rd. Rochedale South QLD 4123 Ph No (07) 3341 7509 Email [email protected] http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

October 2009

Mt Coochin

Club News Photo Competition

Walks Planning Day

Just a reminder that all entries for the the QBW Photo Competition must be in by the next Club Meeting on 3rd November 2009.

A Walks Planning Meeting starting at 2.30pm will be held at 75/77 Koolan Crescent, Shailer Park on Sunday 11 October.

To be eligible the photo must be in digital form and taken by a Club member on a Club event since the 2008 November Club meeting. The images may be produced from a digital camera or a scanned image of a print or slide. Photos must be saved as a JPEG image file with no compression. Make them the maximum resolution from your camera and they will be resized to suit viewing.

11 October 2009

The Calendar is looking rather bare after October and walk leaders are desperately needed. Maps, books and notes on possible day and through walks will be available to help members plan walks. The Walks Planning will be followed by a BBQ starting at 5.00pm. Food will be supplied but bring along your own drinks.

QBW Web Site

Photos must be submitted on a CD or DVD, or USB Memory Stick (named, which can be returned). Please do not email your entries.

The old Geocities website that has served the Club over the last 10 years will be closed on 26 October 2009. This is a decision made by Geocities which will no longer host free websites.

There are 3 categories, Pictorial, Nature and Club Character.

A new Club website hosted by Google has been set up at http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

5 entries allowed per category (limit of 15 in total).

This Google website is free and is an improvement over the old website in several ways.

Each entry photo needs to be titled as follows: Name_Title_Location_Category_Image Number.jpg e.g. Evelyn Campbell_MtNorman_GirraweenNP_Nature_1.jpg

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No more ads on the web pages.

Photos must be titled this way or the entries cannot be identified.

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More web space, 100 MB (15 MB with Geocities).

Hand your entries to Evelyn Campbell or post them to 36 Oberon Street Morningside 4170 by the November Club meeting 2009.

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No need to use a html editor or know any html coding. Just type text directly onto the web page or click to add components.

Full details are available at Club meetings and on the Club website at http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/photos

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Can insert spreadsheets, word documents, slide shows, videos. etc. on the web pages.

The winners will be announced at the Christmas Party in December.

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Can be linked to Picassa Web Albums which allows up to 1 GB of photos online.

Prizes will be awarded in each category plus a Member's Choice prize.

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Can have “collaborators” who can assist in web upkeep.

Any questions call Evelyn on 3395 8086 or 0434 985 371

I look forward to your suggestions on what you would like the new website to contain or how it could be improved.

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General Information

The Management Committee

Meeting Place

President

Gil Gunthorpe

3272 4366(H)

Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at 7.30PM. There is no Club meeting in January.

Vice President

Noelene McCay

3889 0264(H)

Secretary

Sue Ward

3844 6389(H)

Meeting are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carl and O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Entry is via the gate on Carl St.

Treasurer

John Hinton

3343 3724 (H)

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

Outings Officer

John Brunott

3209 9598 (H)

Membership Officer

Frank Garland

3341 5207 (H)

Editor

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Probationary Membership

Social Secretary

Traci Nudl

3890 8196 (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.

Training Officer

Stuart Mackay

3890 8196 (H)

Other Voluntary Positions

However a Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on his/her second walk by filling out a Membership Form and paying the membership fee.

Equipment Officer

John Brunott

3209 9598 (H)

Supper Convenor

Mary Sherlock

3209 8514 (H)

BWQ Rep

Stuart Mackay

3890 8196 (H)

BWQ Rep

Richard Kolarski

3341 7509 (H)

Membership

Ordinary Membership A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out and signing a Membership Form, having a proposer sign the form and handing the form with the membership fee to a committee member or walk leader.

Campsite Monitors John Brunott

Ballows, Paddys Knob

Kerry de Clauzel

Throakban, Barney Gorge and Lower Portals

Ann Kemp

Spicers Peak (east & west)

Richard Kolarski

Running Creek Falls

Barbara Makepeace

Rat-a-tat, Spicers/Doubletop saddle Rum Jungle

Members of Another Bushwalking Club

John Shera

Panorama Point

Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated with Bushwalking Queensland Inc (or an interstate Federation) and who are covered by the same Insurance do not need to become a member of our Club to go on our walks. However Club members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.

John & Julie Shera

Mt Superbus & Rabbit Fence Jct Lower Panorama

Ken Walters

Mt May saddle & Paddy’s Plain

The proposer may be a friend (who is a member of the Club) of the applicant, the leader of the walk that the applicant is on, the Membership Officer at a Club meeting or if the Membership Officer is not available, one of the committee members. 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.

Editors Pic

Club Equipment Compasses Emergency Lights

Topo Maps First Aid Kits

GPS's UHF Radios

The above are for free use by members. Contact David at 3395 1838 or [email protected] PLBs with inbuilt GPS The Club has 5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be made available at each Club meeting and will need to be returned at the following Club meeting. Contact Richard on 3341 7509. Abseil Gear (ropes, harnesses, helmets, karabiners etc.) Ordinary Members - $5.00 charge for use of the Club rope and another $5.00 charge for use of harness and accessories . Probationary Members and members of affiliated clubs - $10.00 charge for use of the Club rope and another $10.00 charge for use of harness and accessories. Contact Trevor at 0411 512 202 Back Pack for Hire Contact Trevor at 0411 512 202

$5.00 charge

Frosty Morning at Goomburra

After a chilly night where we huddled around the campfire at Goomburra, we were greeted by frost in the morning.

T/W Tent for Hire: 2 man, 2.8kg $5.00/week Contact Dave Haliczer 0432 901 030 Bivy Bags For Sale

New Members

$3.00 each or 2 for $5.00.

Lindy Burton

These bivy bags are 2 metres by 0.9 metres and are bright orange in colour. Use as a pack liner or emergency bivy bag. Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509. Space Blankets For Sale

As at 29/9/2009 we have 77 financial members

Comings and Goings

$2.50 each.

Light weight and take up no room at all. A must for all walkers! Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.

John B., Mary S., Sandy T. and Kerry D. have recently returned from the Carnarvon Great Walk.

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Insurance Changes

2009 Pilgrimage Report

The arrangement that QBW has had with the Insurer has changed from this year onwards in that a Waiver now no longer needs to be signed. Instead an Acknowledgement of Risk Form is to be used. A copy of the wording of the Acknowledgement of Risk approved by the Insurer has been forwarded to QBW. The Membership Form and Nomination Form have now been suitably modified. The minimum requirements are: 1. That all members sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form once a year. 2. Temporary Members must sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form for each activity in which they participate. 3. New Members must sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form on joining the Club. For current members who have signed the old Membership Form which contained the Waiver, this will not start till the next membership renewal. In the meantime all members will continue to sign the Nomination Form. However from next year this will no longer be necessary after signing the new Membership Form. In addition the Insurer has agreed that a separate form for skiing and abseiling activities is no longer needed.

Just a final brief note to thank all of you for the energy and enthusiasm that you contributed towards the successful execution of this years Pilgrimage. Without the commitment from you personally towards the duties that you undertook to complete, the event would not have succeeded as it did. To BBW - a great walks program and excellent job of having all of the information posted to the website and a well coordinated registration system. Brisbane Catholics - thank you for organising Friday nights supper and tea and coffee facilities for the event. Redlands - an amazing spread of food that was eagerly consumed by ravenous walkers Saturday night and the band was truly entertaining. Well done. Toowoomba Bushies - great games program on Sunday and well done volunteering to host next years event. BOSQ - a big thank you to the small band of merry workers from my home club who put on a big feast Sunday am. A bit too big but nobody could complain of starvation! And to John Marshall for the conviction that a BWQ pilgrimage would happen this year in spite of not having one club take it on. A big well done for the effort required to pursue the dream to a conclusion. (And for keeping me on task!) See you 'round the ridges.

QBW Christmas Party The QBW Christmas Party will be held at Mt Nimmel Lodge at Mudgeeraba on the 4-6th December 2009. Mt Nimmel Lodge is a privately owned, family operated campground on 67 acres of Gold Coast Hinterland. It has bunkhouses with 52 beds, a separate shower/toilet block with hot water plus a kitchen and campfire area. Cost will be $20 for one night stay and $30 for 2 nights. People can arrive from Friday afternoon onwards. Bring along any digital photos or videos as the Club laptop and projector will be available. A walk is planned for the Saturday and then a BBQ on the Saturday night. QBW will supply the meat as in previous years. Seeing that QBW is celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the dressup theme of the weekend will be to come dressed as something beginning with Q or B or W.

Notices South West Cape Circuit (Tassie) 9 to 15 January 2010 This will mark the third year in a row that I will have walked this circuit of the South West corner of Tasmania. The area is less well known than other sites in Australia but is the best undiscovered gem for bushwalkers. A maximum of 4 - 5 people on these trips is possible as some camping sites may be a bit cramped with any more than 4 tents. Contact David Haliczer for further details on 0432 901 030.

Nepal, Annapurna Circuit

From Neil Gray, Event Coordinator

1 April 3 May 2010

I am leading a trip to Nepal in April 2010 which includes:

From John Marshall, the president of Bushwalking Queensland. I just want to add my thanks to those of Neil, to all those who worked toward making Pilgrimage 2009 such a success. Also to Jeff Wall of Lake Maroon Holiday Park for preparing the venue which proved very suitable for our needs. The new 'dance lawn' held up very well despite the lack of recent rain. A special thank you to Robyn for manning the gate, keeping me on my toes, and pointing out details which needed attention. Her Suggestion Box yielded 17 entries with some quite good ideas for following up for future Pilgrimages. I have done a few rough calculations from the attendance sheets and receipt book, and these are the figures: Attendees:

165 to 180 (some paid at the gate)

Estimated Registration fees:

$1875

Catering Expenses:

$ 550

Payment to band:

$ 600

Subject to transactions in progress, we should clear around $700 which will be put to good use in furthering BWQ aims. By far the biggest plus from the weekend was the spirit of cooperation displayed by virtually everyone who attended. Many of the walks had a good mix of club members which enabled bridges to be crossed to strengthen the bushwalking network. The presidents' get together and the FMR presentation which preceded it resulted in some positives which are most gratifying, especially the renewed interest shown in FMR as a result of the presentation put together by Ron, Ted and Phil. Also keen interest in the proposal to offer sub-domains of the BWQ website to clubs who need to migrate from Geocities when it closes in a couple of months. Neil Gray's presentation highlighted some ideas for engaging young people with the greater bushwalking fraternity through the establishment of a peer group IT- based network.

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17 days trekking doing the Annapurna circuit,

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5 days mountain biking staying in budget accommodation along the way,

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2 days white water rafting on the Bhote Kosi River near the Nepal-Tibet border,

An unexpected outcome also was the request by some of the presidents to continue having presidents' get togethers! I will certainly be following up on this.

All for approx $3658.00. Includes return air fares, budget accommodation, and meals while on the adventures, and equipment.

Great walks program, great food, great dance, great games, great fun with great friends. The future of bushwalking clubs, and of Pilgrimages, is assured!

Contact Julie Urquhart Ph. 3314 2776.

See you all at Toowoomba next year - or even earlier.

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Past Walks Goomburra Overnighter

4-5 July 2009

Goomburra is on the Main Range just north of Cunninghams Gap but it is almost a 3 hour drive from Brisbane. Thus it was a good idea to make this walk an overnighter, with people arriving on Saturday at Goomburra and doing the walk Sunday.

With the help of a rope, and much scrambling, cursing, pushing, pulling, and prodding we all completed the steepest bit up to the top of the range. Special thanks to Richard and Gil for the pushing, pulling and prodding, (and Gerry for the cursing).

The weekend was forecast to be sunny but what was unexpected was the cold breezes. As people arrived we put up our tents until there were nine of us camped at Poplar Flats. We had this particular camping area all to ourselves but there were a few other campers at the other site, Manna Gum. That night we had a campfire and we huddled as close as we could as the night only exacerbated the cold.

Going Up the Cliff line

Seriously though, it was quite a challenge for some of the group and, as well as the thanks to the people above, everyone who beat their fear of heights or inconvenience of having short legs where long ones were needed, should be congratulated. Many large trees have been blown over on top of the range and leaf and branch litter was very thick on the ground. Our lunch spot at Noowongbill Lookout had a huge tree leaning over it, roots pulled out of the ground, but the view was as good as ever.

Around the Campfire

In the morning there was ice on the tents and cars as we prepared for the walk. After de-icing the windscreens we drove up in two cars to the start of the walk at Sylvester's Lookout. From the road it was just a short walk to the lookout where we had splendid views of the Barney Ballows massif. However from here the rest of the walk would be off track. Dave was all set up with maps, compass, protractor and altimeter with expert help from John while I held on to my GPS tightly. We began by heading south along the Ramparts. There was a faint bushwalking track present but it did tend to disappear or branch occasionally. After about two hours of walking we had morning tea on a knoll. On checking the GPS we could see that we had made good progress. Continuing south we had occasional glimpses of the Ramparts through the trees. Finally we reached the knoll we had been heading for. It was now time to go into completely trackless country. Taking a bearing roughly west we headed along a ridge. After a few hundred metres we had to change course again to get onto a ridge which would take us to the Cascades Circuit. After setting our compasses we headed down a ridge. It was rough going with lots of scrub bashing but finally we got onto the Cascades Circuit and enjoyed lunch at the waterfall. It was then an easy walk back to the cars with time to pack up and drive to Aratula for our afternoon tea. Many thanks to Dave for putting on another great off-track walk. Richard

Noowongbill Lookout D/W

12 July 2009

In wonderful hindsight, fourteen people were probably a few too many for this mainly offtrack walk in the Binna Burra area. But, we happily set off down to Gwongoorool Pool on the graded track before scrambling down to the Coomera River and finding the easiest way across (easiest not easy). From here we picked up the old track that heads downstream beside the river before turning uphill to follow a well-defined ridge all the way up to the base of the cliff just below the Darlington Range. We found a comfortable spot for a rest and morning tea before continuing up to face the challenge of the cliff break.

We continued heading north along the ridge until we reached a rock cairn. Here we took a direct bearing (or indirect depending on the wait-a-while, etc.) back down to Coomera Creek. This part of the walk was the most time-consuming as the vines, two short cliffs, slippery rocks, etc. slowed us down considerably. It was with great relief that we again crossed the creek and joined up with the graded track back up to the Binna Burra Information Centre. Richard had proposed a rest stop at Gwongoorool Pool but everyone was keen to get the last uphill bit over and done with. After being on the go since 8.50am we finally arrived back at the cars about 4.50pm. Unfortunately, by the time we were back in Canungra the Outpost Cafe was closed and nothing else suitable for our coffee break was open so we went our separate ways coffeeless. Welcome to first-timer John Boyle and second-timer Helen W. Also, congratulations to Helen S. who was probably tricked into doing this walk by the not-so-realistic rating of T5F4 (and she wouldn't have been the only one). Sorry, folks!!!! Patricia

Mt Ngungun and Mt Coochin

26 July 2009

Seven bushwalkers met up at Glasshouse Mountains on a beautiful sunny morning. 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 it became steeper. At the flat area above the cave we followed a foot track discovered on a pre outing to the rocky escarpment. We enjoyed the 360 degree view while having morning tea. To the north were farms and Caloundra and to the south spectacular views of the Glasshouse mountains peaks and the city in the distance. On return to the car park we passed many families traipsing up the mountain. It was then a short drive to the entrance of Coochin National Park. Following a foot track we made our way up the West peak. Then made our way downhill to a saddle and scrambled up the rocks to the East peak. We had a leisurely lunch in the shade overlooking Beerwah, Bribie Island and Moreton Bay. It was then a short walk following a ridge downhill back to the cars. We all enjoyed afternoon tea at the Adventure Cafe before returning home. Many thanks to Richard, Michael, David, Margie, June and Nev for coming along. Noelene

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Mt Maroon It Wasn’t

2 August 2009

Eleven bushwalkers meet at Aratula with the intentions of climbing Mt Maroon via the cave route. It all started when we decided to leave for the walk from Arutula. Gil’s car would not start, it had a flat battery. Thanks to David who had jumper leads, we were able to jump start Gil's car and we headed off to Mt Maroon. We arrived at Mt Maroon Car Park where we found the track roped off and a sign saying Mt Maroon closed due to burning off. We discussed alternative walks. Richard came up with the idea to climb Toms Tum so we headed off to the Lower Portals car park. The eleven of us started to walk up Toms Tum, stopping on the way for morning tea. Some areas were challenging with some members crawling through rock crevices. We reached the top of what we thought was Toms Tum and had lunch. Following the walk we retired to “The Shed” for a relaxing coffee before we headed home.

This trip began with a short visit to Paris and an exploration of some of the fascinating sights of this amazing city: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Louvre, Seine, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Champs Elysees to name a few. Here is a comment from one of the participants, ”Had forgotten how incredibly compact a French en suite could be--push-button for a seven second shower in our third-rate Montmartre hotel, and didn’t see a soap shelf in any shower of the trip. Was awakened at 1am by a glorious operatic male voice singing in the street below--knew I wasn’t in Brisbane.” An eventful (don't ask!!) train trip down to Lourdes, pick up the hire cars, and off south into the Pyrenees. Plenty of snow was visible on the high tops, not a good sign for walkers! “The Pyrenees had had a bumper snow season – “une horreur” in the words of one local. As a result, the slatey-grey rivers were swollen and rushing with melted snow; the waterfalls were superb; and some of the passes and walks were still closed with snow.” The roads were narrow with steep drop-offs, many bicycles (practising for the Tour de France?) and, of course, we were on the wrong side of the road!!!! Frank didn't have a road map so he was always trying to find a little silver car somewhere in front of him, and the passengers in my car were looking for a little black car somewhere behind. What fun! We stayed in mobilhomes, that is, cabins, four of us in one and three in the other. Not too spacious but with kitchen facilities, lovely heaters and en suites, all with a wonderful view across the mountain to snow-covered peaks in the near and far distance.

Tom's Tum it Ain't Either

When Richard arrived home he checked his latest topo maps and realised we were not on Toms Tum. It was the higher one next to the two peaks. The views we saw of Mt Barney and surrounds were excellent. I would like to thank all who went on the walk. Gil Gunthorpe Happy Hour out on the mobilhome deck

Pyrenees and Camino de Santiago 6 May to 30 May 2009 A group of seven decided over eighteen months ago to have an adventure in France and Spain. The bones of the trip were: a couple of days in Paris, a week in the Pyrenees hiring two cars for transport, and a week walking the Camino de Santiago in north western Spain with a couple of day's rest at the end and another two days in Madrid to round if off.

Some of the planned walks were blocked by snow or the roads cut before we could even get to the start but we did manage to do some wonderful walking, often on snow, and the views were magnificent. The little villages on the side of the steep mountains were so picturesque. “The scenery of high snow capped mountains with clear blue sky was spectacular.”

On Track in the Pyrenees The Group

The participants were Ann Tracey, Frank Garland, Helen McAllister, Noelene McCay, Lynn Nicol, Richard and I. Some of their comments are included in the write-up below along with photos of our unforgettable trip.

Our first walking adventure was towards the Col de Tromouse, crossing a steep, fast-flowing stream, before finally being stopped by snow. Deer were seen in the distance and we came across marmots a few times while walking.

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We walked as far as we could along the track to the most famous tourist spot, the Cirque de Gavarnie, “scoured by glaciation into an almost perfect semicircle, 1500m from top to bottom and 900m across” and forming the border between southern France and Spain. In the distance was visible the Grande Cascade, a 423m drop, the longest waterfall in Europe.

What Makes a Good Photo? Lighting Contrast The human eye can see a wide range of detail in a scene from dark shadows to bright sunny areas. The digital sensor in the camera, or the film, cannot record such a range. This can be a big problem for photographers. Mottled light looks pretty, but is bad news. Sometimes, you just can’t solve this problem. It may be necessary to move yourself or the subject to a place where the light falls more evenly across the scene. Let’s look at some solutions for photographing people. •

Photograph on a cloudy day. Cloud in front of the sun diffuses the light. It scatters the light’s rays into the shadows, making these areas not so dark.

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Try placing your subject in “open shade” where the light source is diffused light reflected from the open sky

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Face your subject to the light, so that the light is coming from behind you or use fill flash to add light to harsh shadows under the eyes, nose etc.

Cirque de Gavarnie

There were a few exciting moments as Noelene remembers: “Walking along a circuit track in the mountains Richard, Frank, Helen, Lyn and myself made our way cautiously across a snow covered slope only to find 500m along a more difficult crossing. We returned the same way. My knees were shaking and my fingers were nearly frozen crossing back over the snow covered slope.” Direct harsh sunlight

Diffused light caused by cloud cover

Direct harsh sunlight

Positioning the subjects in open shade

No Fill Flash

Fill Flash

Mountain High

There were a couple of visits to now-empty ski resorts and, one day, even a quick trip through a five kilometre tunnel into Spain for a bit of lunch then return to France! Of course, being in the land of amazing food, we had many gastronomic experiences, especially of a pastry and chocolate kind. We spent a bit of time in Lourdes and it happened to be the annual military pilgrimage with soldiers from thirty countries there for four days. There must have been a couple of hundred different uniforms, some extremely unusual.

Advanced solution using RAW format Most compact cameras only allow shooting in jpeg mode which sets the exposure of the scene at the time of shooting. Some cameras, however, allow shooting in RAW format. RAW format records a broader range of information when taking a photo. Exposure parameters are then set afterwards on a computer using relevant software. It is then converted to a jpeg. This can allow means to improve the range of dark to light that can be recorded in a scene. Noise Noise is a grainy, speckled appearance that occurs in digital images. Some cameras are worse than others.

Swiss ski patrol

After seven wonderful days it was time to return our hire cars and hop on another train, this time heading for Spain, but that is another story. Patricia

Noise becomes more apparent as the ISO is increased or if an underexposed (too dark) picture is lightened in photo editing software. To be continued.

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Evelyn Campbell