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QUEENSLAND

BUSHWALKERS

CLUB Inc.

PO Box 2199

Sunnybank Hills

QLD 4109

Email qldbwc@yahoo.com

Phone No (07) 3341 7509

http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

Newsletter November 2011

Protestors on Peaks

ClubNewsProtestors on Peaks 16 October 2011

As part of the National Day of Action on Coal Seam Gas, theKeep the Scenic Rim Scenic community group planned anaction called Protestors on Peaks on 16/10/2011. Fifteenmembers of QBW walked up Montserrat as part of this protestwith a banner that Patricia had made.

After meeting at Beaudesert and organising car pooling, we setoff in 4WDs (Subaru Foresters were the go) to Cleared Ridgenear Mt May. The walk itself is a relatively easy one but the highhumidity and hot day did take its toll. Several members neededfrequent rest stops to prevent over-heating.

However we all made it to Montserrat for the expected flyby ofthe news helicopter at 11.00am. The banner was spread outand we took what shade we could while awaiting the helicopter.We did hear helicopters in the distance and saw them hoveringover Mt Barney, but alas, none came over Montserrat itself.

The views from Montserrat are some of the best you could haveof Mt Barney. The rain on the previous day had cleared thesmoke and the dust. John Shera had brought along somebinoculars and we could see people and banners on peaks suchas Mt Maroon and Mt Barney.

After several hours in the hot sun and with ticks on the prowl, acouple of calls to the organisers were made before we finallybegan the walk back. We had some refreshments back atBeaudesert and then went home to watch the news at 6.00pm.

The event fortunately had prominent coverage on two of thechannels and overall was well worth the effort.

For more information on the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic andthe effects that coal seam mining could have in the area seetheirwebsite.

Reciprocal Arrangements with Other Clubs

QBW allows members of clubs which are affiliated withBushwalking Queensland to come on any of our walks withouthaving to become a member or paying visitor fees. Since mostbushwalking clubs have the same insurer, QBW does notbelieve that bushwalkers should be charged twice for insurancecosts.

QBW is already advertising some other clubs walks, especiallythroughwalks where it may be difficult to get enough numbers.This has been under the proviso that the members of the clubholding the event have preference, but if there is room, thenmembers of another club can also come along.

Recently QBW sent out an email to nine other bushwalkingclubs asking for reciprocal arrangements with them. QBW hasreceived these replies so far.

Gold Coast Bushwalkers may admit as honorary membersfinancial members of bushwalking clubs which are affiliated withthe Federation of Bushwalking Clubs of Australia, or recognisedoverseas club of like nature when visiting the Gold Coast for theduration of their visit. This dispensation will be at the discretionof the Management Committee.

YHA Bushwalkers have in their by-laws that members fromother clubs with the same insurance can join in for 3 walks peryear without joining YHA Bushwalkers.

BOSQ will be bringing the issue up at their next Committee

meeting.Bushwalking Queensland is seeking a nationwide system wherebushwalkers can walk with any other Australian club. This will bebrought up at the next Bushwalking Australia meeting.

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http://www.keepthescenicrimscenic.com/http://www.keepthescenicrimscenic.com/

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General Information

Meeting Place

Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at7.30pm. There is no Club meeting in January.

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

There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street.

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

Membership

Probationary Membership

A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Memberon his/her first walk after signing the waiver form. There is nofee payable to become a Probationary Member.

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

Ordinary Membership

A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out andsigning a Membership Form, having a proposer sign the formand handing the form with the membership fee to a committee

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

An Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or beelected to a committee position. A Probationary Member hasneither of these rights.

Members of Another Bushwalking Club

Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated withBushwalking Queensland Inc. (or an interstate Federation) andwho are covered by the same Insurance do not need to becomea member of our Club to go on our walks. However Club

members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.

Club EquipmentCompasses Topo Maps UHF Radios

Emergency Lights Steripen First Aid Kits

The above are for free use by members.Contact Richard on 3341 7509

PLBs with inbuilt GPS

The Club has 5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be madeavailable at each Club meeting and will need to be returned atthe following Club meeting. Contact Richard on 3341 7509.

Abseil Gear (ropes, harnesses, helmets, karabiners etc.)

Ordinary Members - $10.00 charge for use of the Club rope andanother $10.00 charge for use of harness and accessories.

Probationary Members and members of affiliated clubs - $15.00charge for use of the Club rope and another $15.00 charge foruse of harness and accessories.

Contact Trevor at 3890 8196

Back Pack for Hire $5.00 charge

Contact Richard at 3341 7509

Bivy Bags For Sale $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00.

These bivy bags are 2 metres by 0.9 metres and are brightorange in colour. Use as a pack liner or emergency bivy bag.

Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.Space Blankets For Sale $2.50 each.

Lightweight and take up no room at all. A must for all walkers!

Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.

The Management CommitteePresident Gil Gunthorpe 0408 980 694

Vice President Trevor Davern 0411 512 202

Secretary Marion Laban 0405 536 718

Treasurer John Hinton 3343 3724(H)

Outings Officer John BrunottDavid Kenrick

0448 761 097

3349 8238(H)

Membership Officer Geraldine Burton 3376 9454(H)

Editor Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H)

Social Secretary Lynn Nicol 3219 6228(H)

Training Officer David Haliczer 0432 901 030

Other Voluntary Positions

Equipment Officer Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H)

Supper Convenor Maggie Samootin 0419 739 500

Librarian Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)

BWQ Rep Gil Gunthorpe 0408 980 694

BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 3341 7509 (H)

Campsite MonitorsJohn Brunott Ballows, Paddys KnobKerry de Clauzel Throakban, Barney Gorge and

Lower PortalsAnn Kemp Spicers Peak (east & west)Richard Kolarski Running Creek FallsJohn Shera Panorama PointJohn & Julie Shera Mt Superbus & Rabbit Fence Jct

Lower Panorama

Editors Pic

Meeting of Minds

While having lunch at the firetower on top of Mt Allan there werequite a few bushwalkers crammed in together to try to get out ofthe rain. In the centre of the room was a table and this photowas taken with the camera lying flat on a table and with walkerspeering down on the camera. It took several attempts before agood shot was made.

New Members

Ken Park Haylee Cho

Annes Lee Timothy Lee

Sue Kim Charlie KimTony Crompton

As at 25/10/2011 we have 90 financial members

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Queensland Bushwalkers Club

2011 Photo CompetitionThe deadline for receiving photos has been extended to the 6 th

December Club meeting, so don't despair if you haven't set yourphotos in yet.

Note that all entries must be digital entries, sorry no prints.

Images must have been taken on a Queensland BushwalkersClub event since the November meeting 2010.

There are 3 categories:Pictorial: Photographs of any broad natural scene. Pictorialphotographs can include for example creeks, seascapes,waterfalls, mountains, rocky outcrops, and clouds

Nature: Photographs depicting flora or fauna, excludingdomestic animals. This category should also exclude evidenceof man. Examples of nature photographs are birds, animals,native flowers, forest, fungi, reptiles, insects etc

Club Character: Photographs showing one or more peopleparticipating in a bushwalking type of activity and can behumorous as well as serious.

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

Photos must be saved as a JPEG image file with no

compression. Make them the maximum resolution from yourcamera and they will be resized to suit viewing.

The images may be produced from a digital camera or ascanned image of a print or slide.

Photos must be submitted on a CD or DVD, or USB MemoryStick (named, so it can be returned).

Please do not email your entries.

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

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

Hand your entries to Evelyn Campbell or post them to 36

Oberon Street Morningside 4170 by 6/12/2011

The winners will be announced at the Club Xmas Party.

Besides the winners in each category which will be decided by apanel of judges, there will also be the People's Choice award.

Any questions call Evelyn on 3395 8086 or 0434 985 371

Christmas Party 2011

QBW Christmas Party 9-11 December 2011

This year our Christmas Party will be held at Binna Burra atGrooms Cottage and the Bunkhouse, near the camping ground.

Cost will be $45.00 pp for the weekend. Accommodation will bein the Bunkhouse, bunk style beds, bring your own bedding. Hotshowers and kitchen facilities available.

Saturday walks will be organized and in the evening we willshare in a barbecue. The Club will provide the meat and as inthe past, members will provide the nibblies, salads and dessert.

Once again we will have a costume theme, so get your thinkingcaps on for A Country of the World costume for you to lookyour best.

We will also have the Photo Competition and Sunday morningRichard and Patricias Quiz before we pack up, clean up andhead home. Lots of prizes for all.

Also seeing it is a Christmas Party please all bring a ChristmasGift to the value of $10.00. A Unisex gift, nothing inappropriate

and no chocolates please. A lot of fun with a twist.

Hoping to see lots of our members for this fun weekend. Anattendance and catering form will be available in the next coupleof months.

Any questions. please call me on 3219 6228. Lynn.

Special Coming Events

South Coast Track, Tasmania 9-18 February 2012

Noelene and I are walking the South Coast Track from West toEast in 7 days with an extra day allowed in case of weatherdelays.

If you are fit, an experienced throughwalker, would like achallenge (terrain- and weather-wise), and are free on the abovedates, contact me asap. Patricia Kolarski (Ph 3341 7509)

BWQ Track MaintenanceThis initiative of Bushwalking Queensland is continuing as perthe email received below. Any Club member who is interestedmay contact John Marshall atjemarshall@optusnet.com.au, orBWQ atsecretary@bushwalkingqueensland.org.au or talk withPatricia Kolarski who has worked on the track maintenance.

Just to let you know a working bee was held at Binna Burra onWednesday, 26th October 2011. We intend to run thesefortnightly from now until Christmas.

Meeting time 8am at lower carpark Binna Burra. Be selfsufficient in food, water, protective clothing - (long trousers,enclosed footwear, gaiters) + usual bushwalking gear. All toolsare supplied by the rangers.

We recently worked on the Coomera Circuit clearing steps andrefurbishing approx. 50 drains between the Coomera Fallslookout and Koongalala lookout. There are still approx. 180drains to do between Koongalala and the Coomera Seat whichwe will tackle next time. We may also assist rangers in somedrain construction at a problem spot on the Gwongorool Pooltrack, depending on numbers who turn up.

Thank you for your interest, please feel free to forward to otherbushwalkers who you think may be interested.

Note:It is not necessary to attend QPWS induction training toparticipate in these work bees, a short site induction will be doneon the day.

Overnight accommodation on Tuesday and Wednesday nights

is available in the rangers' barracks at Binna Burra for volunteerworkers.

Please note:BWQ is arranging for a separate e-mail address forthose interested in track maintenance to be able to contact andreceive e-mail directly.

John Marshall President, Bushwalking Queensland Inc.

Myrtle Rust in Queensland UpdateCurrent situation

Myrtle rust is now wide-spread in South East Queensland withrecent detections also confirmed in nurseries in Cairns andTownsville.

The warmer conditions in South East Queensland in recentweeks has led to a more than 300 percent increase in publicreports of the disease. While the disease can not be eradicatedor contained, its impacts can still be managed.

Myrtle Rust Pest Quarantine Area and Notifiable statusrevoked

In recognition that myrtle rust is now established andwidespread in parts of Queensland, the pest quarantine areathat was declared for myrtle rust in December 2010 and thediseases notifiable status were both revoked on 14 October2011. This means there is no longer a legal requirement forpersons to report sightings of myrtle rust to BiosecurityQueensland.

However, Biosecurity Queensland encourages people tocontinue to report incidents of the disease.

Please call us on 13 25 23 if you think you have. We need toknow how far it has spread and what plants are affected.

More information at Primary Industrieswebsite.

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mailto:jemarshall@optusnet.com.aumailto:jemarshall@optusnet.com.aumailto:secretary@bushwalkingqueensland.org.auhttp://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_19788.htmhttp://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_19788.htmmailto:jemarshall@optusnet.com.aumailto:secretary@bushwalkingqueensland.org.auhttp://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_19788.htm

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Past Walks

Booloumba Ck to Mt Allan 27 August 2011

This walk was one of the many planned for the Pilgrimage.Unfortunately most off track walks had to be cancelled due toheavy rain. This walk though is an easy graded track walk fromthe Booloumba Creek day-use area to Mount Allan and is part ofthe Conondale Range Great Walk. As there were several walkscancelled, this walk had two separate groups doing the samewalk at different times.

A group of about ten met up outside the hall and car poolingwas organised. We drove from the Kenilworth Showgroundsdown to Booloumba Creek day use area. Luckily we had 4wheel drives as we had to cross the creek and it was fairly high.

We put on our boots and began the walk with a short detour to aswimming hole. It was overcast and we started the walk to MtAllan with fine rain falling.

The walk is only 5.5 km one way and the track slowly zigzaggedup the mountain. At the summit was a 9.6 metre fire tower with360 degree views of the Mary Valley and surrounding ranges.However low cloud kept the views from us.

It was interesting to see how many people we could cram intothe fire tower to get out of the rain.

We had lunch at the fire tower and then returned the same way.

It was no surprise that before going back into the vehicles wehad to extensively de-leech ourselves. the leeches had been onan outing too!

Many thank to the Pilgrimage organisers for their work andhopefully next year the weather will be more amiable.

Richard

Mt Joyce 31 August 2011

This was one of my Wednesday walks and unfortunately therewas only Neil and myself, so it turned out to be a pre-outinginstead. Mt Joyce is a relatively small mountain at 450 metreshigh and is accessible from the newly opened Wyaralong Dam.

Patricia had done the walk a few weeks earlier with anothergroup and I was keen to walk to the summit and then do someexploring about a possible descent down a ridge.

Mt Joyce Base Camp Homestead

Neil and I drove down to Wyaralong Dam and the recreationarea is now known as the Mt Joyce Escape Recreation Park.There are camping facilities, a day use area and multiplemountain bike tracks.

The walk began on a dirt road as we crossed Teviot Creekbelow the falls. We then began the climb up along some dirtroads which also doubled as mountain bike access to thedifferent routes available.

After walking for just under an hour, we left the road to follow aridgeline which would take us to the summit. The terrain wasgrassy with an easy incline as we made our way up. On

reaching the summit we had views of the dam plus we could seeBeaudesert to the east and Boonah to the west.

We followed the ridgeline westwards along an old fence line.After about a kilometre I decided to drop down to the lake edgealong a ridgeline.

Though on the map there was a gazetted road, in reality therewas only steep slopes and loose rocks. We had to make ourway carefully down past a few small rock ledges.

Finally we did come upon a dirt road which led to the track/horsetrail which went round the lake on the north side. We came tothe Mt Joyce base camp which was the site of a homestead. Allthe furnishings had been removed from the homestead and anycampers could use it as there were some bunks inside.

It was still another seven kilometres back to the cars and we hadviews of some bird life along the way. This new area is worthinvestigating as superb views are available.

Many thanks to Neil for accompanying me on this walk

Richard

Northbrook Gorge 4 September 2011

This walk was partly an exploratory to go the length ofNorthbrook Creek starting from near Tenison Woods andfollowing one of the many tributaries of Northbrook Creek.

There were only five of us but as we were doing a car shuttle weneeded two cars. After leaving one car at the hairpin bend downnear the bottom of Northbrook Parkway we drove back up toTenison Woods and parked near a disused logging road.

The logging road was very overgrown and after about 15

minutes of fighting our way through, we veered off it anddropped down into a small tributary of Northbrook Creek.

Following the creek down we came to the top of a large waterfallwhich was not marked on any of the maps. We had to climb asmall ridge on the right hand side and then descend alonganother ridge to get to the bottom of the falls. At the base of thewaterfall we found that we were not the first to be there as somethoughtless person had left some rubbish behind.

Northbrook Creek

Continuing downstream we passed some beautiful clearwaterholes and eventually got to Northbrook Creek proper. Therains earlier in the year had smoothed and cleaned out the creekand we made quick progress.

The gorge now was no longer a compulsory swim through asthe deep pools had been filled in. We had our lunch just beforeentering the gorge. We took our time through the gorge to lookat the high rock walls on either side. it was then a short walk tothe exit point and back to our cars.

Many thanks to Mary, Maggie, Bob and Michel for joining me onthis walk. Richard

Stinson Wreck 17 September 2011

Nine members and one visitor met up at McDonalds atBeaudesert for this classic walk to the Stinson Wreck inLamington National Park.

After driving down to Christmas Creek and parking the cars near

a gate, we walked in our sandals across the Christmas Creekand put our boots on the other side.

We walked upstream along the bank for an hour on a well worntrack till we arrived at the turnoff to the Stinson wreck which wasmarked by a large orange triangle. The first section was steepbut luckily not slippery as it was prone to be after rain.

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We made steady progress up the mountain with some rest stopstill we came to a cliff wall.

It was unclear which way the track went and after a wrong turnwe found the correct way to get around the cliff line. Above thecliffs there was a particularly beautiful section of rainforest whichadded to the pleasure of being outdoors.

Before we expected it we were at the campsite near the wreck.Seeing that we had made such good time most of us were ableto visit the wreck and then go to nearby Point Lookout.

At the wreck itself, there are two plaques but only small sections

of the plane left.The return trip was quick and uneventful, going back the sameway.

At McDonald's

Afternoon tea at McDonalds finished the day off nicely. Richard

The Queensland Great Walk ExperienceAs one of the few people (and possibly the only one) to havedone all nine of Queenslands Great Walks, I thought it might beinformative if I wrote up my impressions of each one andprovided some sort of rating between them.

My overall impression is that the majority fail to live up to thename. There were a few I did like, but on talking to other people

it turns out that there are none that meet with universal approval.This is disappointing, as in principle it is a welcome developmentfor the State Government to have undertaken the establishmentof long distance walking opportunities for bushwalkers.

Many of the Great Walks make extensive use of existing firetrails or old forestry roads. Even where this is not the case, thetracks and particularly the campsites have often been sited tofacilitate mechanised maintenance. This means that the walksare often located in nondescript terrain, bypassing potentialviewpoints and other features of interest.

An annoying feature of the campsites on most of the GreatWalks in south-east Queensland is that they have beensegregated into individual tent sites, with a small communal areasome distance away for cooking etc. This seems to have been

done in the belief that on most nights campsites will be occupiedby two or more small groups who require segregation from eachother.

In practice, campsites are rarely occupied by more than onecouple or group at a time. There was only one exception to thisthat I personally experienced bizarrely, it was at a camp on theWet Tropics Great Walk that hardly anyone does!

Carnarvon

After careful consideration, Ive decided that this is the best ofthe Great Walks because of the variety and quality of thescenery although I know some people who dont like it. Goingclockwise around the circular walk, there is firstly the almostunique scenery of Carnarvon Gorge and its side gorges on theexisting track system. Then theres the spectacular climb to

Battleship Spur (probably the best viewpoint on any of the GreatWalks) followed by an interesting traverse across ridges andvalleys to the Mount Moffat area.

The second half of the walk climbs onto and crosses theConsuelo Tableland. Here the scenery is not as varied as earlier

in the walk, although the tall forest with its huge cycads is anattraction in itself. The last day descending the easternescarpment of the plateau past lookout points and rock spiresmakes a memorable finish.

As its a circular walk transport logistics are easy, apart from thedistance to the relatively remote location and the fact that thelast few kilometres of gravel road easily become impassableafter rain. The campsites are open areas, so theres nosegregation into claustrophobic little tent sites.

Carnarvon Gorge

The first camp is at the existing unique Big Bend site in theupper part of the main gorge. The next 2 are more standard, butthe 2 on the tableland are actually called zones. They arerelatively undeveloped and have no toilets, but like the othersthey have roofed shelters that collect rainwater into largeunderground bladders essential for ensuring a water supply inthis dry country.

The last campsite is in a pleasant clearing in tall forest, but it hasno view. This is a missed opportunity if it had been about akilometre further on at the edge of the escarpment it would havehad very spectacular views.

The walk is almost all on purpose-built pedestrian tracks. Only a

low proportion follows existing fire trails mostly on the thirdday.

Cooloola

This was the last of the Great Walks to be completed (and thelast one I walked), and I have no hesitation in giving it secondplace.

Ridge Walking on the Cooloola Great Walk

It has a good variety of scenery and landforms some beachwalking at the start (and on the Double Island Point extensionfor those who choose to do it), low coastal heath (with goodwildflowers in late winter), open forest, a short section besidethe tranquil Noosa River, and rainforest with palms and kauris inthe north.

A missed opportunity is that no footbridge has been providedacross the Noosa River at Harrys Hut to enable the walk to belinked with the Cooloola Wilderness trail. This would haveprovided a greater variety of walking opportunities and is thesort of facility that would have been provided as a matter ofcourse in a similar situation in New Zealand.

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The first campsite, Brahminy, is the only one on the entire GreatWalk system that has a good view. The sweep of the coastsouth to Noosa can be seen, as well as almost all of LakeCootharaba and a lot of the hilly country to the west.

Unfortunately, it and all of the other campsites are in thesegregated style. At some of the campsites the tent places havebeen dug out of sloping sandy ground and are starting to fill inon the upslope side or become overgrown.

The Cooloola Great Walk is not circular, but transport logisticsare not too much of a problem thanks to a twice-dailyGreyhound bus service that runs between Rainbow Beach andNoosa (and Tewantin if you can get the driver to let you offthere). Cars can be left at the QPWS carpark at the Tewantinferry, which is about a 2 km walk from the start of the track.

Fraser Island

Until I had done all the Great Walks I considered this one to bethe best, but I have now relegated it to third place mainlybecause the variety of scenery is not as great. It is basically atrack through open or closed forest connecting a series of lakes.

There is no contact with or views of the coast except right at thebeginning and end, and there is no significant wildflower heathcountry like the Cooloola walk has (although some of the openforest has good seasonal wildflowers).

Campsites are generally in pleasant locations, some not far from

lakes (although none are close enough to provide an experienceof lakeside camping), but are mostly in the segregated tent sitestyle.

Transport logistics are a significant problem for this walk. Its onan island and all access roads between the barges and walkaccess points are 4WD. Its also not a circular walk, so somesort of 4WD shuttle or use of the expensive island taxi isrequired.

The above 3 Great Walks are the only ones I would recommenddoing in their entirety as throughwalks. Neil Douglas

To be continued.

TicksOn the last few walks it has been noticed that ticks are now outin force while bushwalking. So it would seem timely to refreshourselves about them.

The following information is from Department of MedicalEntomology, University of Sydney and TAGS, theTick AlertGroup Support.

The distribution of our most medically important tick, theParalysis Tick, Ixodes holocyclus, is roughly confined to a 20-kilometre band that follows the eastern coastline of Australia. Itis a native to Australia and can be found in a variety of habitatsbut are especially common in wet sclerophyll forests andtemperate rainforests.

Ixodes holocyclus,Bandicoots possums and kangaroos are the native hosts buthumans are acceptable to ticks as well. The tick has minimaleffect on native animals but causes paralysis in others. It is aserious pest and can kill cattle and small domestic animals.

Some human deaths have been recorded from the ParalysisTick, mainly in young children.

The life cycle consists of four stages - egg, larva, nymph andadult. Larvae have three pairs of legs and the nymphs andadults four pairs of legs. Ticks must obtain a blood meal to moultto the next stage. Each life stage can be present throughout theyear, although for the Paralysis Tick, adults are more abundantin the spring and the early summer months, larvae in mid to late-summer, and nymphs during winter.

In searching for a host, they climb to the top of nearestvegetation and wave their forelegs to and fro slowly, hopefullycontacting a prospective passing host. They usually do not climbmore than around 50cm in the vegetation.

How to Avoid Tick Bites

The best method of avoiding ticks is to stay away from knowntick infested areas of course. Ticks occur in moist shelteredbushy areas. They may drop on clothing as you brush againstshrubbery, or drop from overhanging branches. Ticks like weedyareas, especially lantana.

If visiting such an area, dress appropriately for bushwalks. Weara wide brimmed, floppy hat, long-sleeved shirt and longtrousers. Ticks are more easily seen on light-coloured clothing.

Trousers should be tucked into socks and shirts into pants. Aninsect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin should be applied,

with a cream repellent applied to the skin and a spray repellentto footwear and clothing (note that DEET can damage somesynthetic clothing). The repellent should be reapplied every fewhours.

All clothing should be removed on returning home and can beplaced into a hot dryer for 20 minutes, which will kill any ticksthat may still be on the clothing. Note that ticks can wander onthe body for some two hours before attaching. The body shouldthereafter be searched well for ticks, especially behind the earsand on the back of the head.

How to Remove a Tick

If a tick is detected that is attached, never attempt to place anychemical such as methylated spirits onto the tick, nor should it

be touched or disturbed, as the tick will inject saliva into the skin,which could make the situation worse.

Rather the tick should be sprayed with an aerosol insectrepellent preferably containing pyrethrin or a pyrethroid (if arepellent cannot be found which contains a pyrethroid, thenLyclear, a scabies cream containing permethrin will work fine).The combination of hydrocarbons and the pyrethrin acts as anarcotic and a toxicant, and prevents the tick from injecting itssaliva. The tick can be sprayed again one minute later (ordabbed with the Lyclear)

The tick then can be removed with fine tipped forceps. Graspthe tick as close to the skin as possible and gently pull the tickstraight out with steady pressure. Alternatively the tick can beleft in place and after 24 hours it should drop off naturally.

It is normal for a tick bite to remain slightly itchy and cold waterand ice can be useful to relieve the itching, although ice shouldnot be applied directly to the skin. A variety of commercialpreparations can be obtained from the chemist. In severe cases,oral antihistamines may have to be administered and ifsymptoms persist, a doctor should be consulted.

Scrub Itch

While bushwalking, any disturbance of taller plants (especiallyduring damp summers) can produce a shower of tick larvae.

Larvae and nymphs as well as adults are capable of causingallergic reactions. Redness, swelling and a maddening itch maydevelop within 2-3 hours of attachment of even one larva. Whenlarge numbers of larvae are involved severe allergic dermatitiscan occur. The rash that results is commonly referred to asScrub Itch. Outbreaks are seasonal in southeast Queenslandand occur most commonly during January, February and Marchwhen larval populations are at their peak.

Multiple tick bites of the larval stage are best removed if yousoak for 30 minutes in a bath with 1 cup of bicarb soda.

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