Volume 32 Carne Creek, Issue 3 Winter 2007bushwalkingnsw.org.au/.../2014/07/2007-BWWinter.pdf · 4 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 3, Winter 2007 Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Volume 32Issue 3

Winter 2007Carne Creek,Newnes Plateau

2 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 3, Winter 2007

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

From 1930 to 2007 - on the Jump BackPass or the ‘one in four’ This road off theend of McMahons Lookout (Bimlow

Topographic Map) was a key access for theresidents of the Burragorang Valley.

The 1930’s pictures are from the JohnHollingdale collection. The car is a 1930 ModelA Ford. The car was different to the previous USmade vehicles as the Australian salesmen had

requested more legroom, so they were 3 incheslonger in the body. Locally they were known as“New Beautys.”

The road surface 77 years on is in excellentcondition but off limits.

The car in the pictures is The Improved ‘A’Sport Coupe. For petrol heads wanting moreconsult The History of Ford in Australia, byNorm Darwin, 1969, page 50.

Then and Now

The Bushwalker | 3


Bushwalker T he

The Official Publication of theConfederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW

Volume 32, Issue 3, Winter 2007


ISSN 0313 2684

Editor: Michael [email protected]

Graphic Design: Barry Hanlon

Confederation Officers:President: Margaret Covi

[email protected] Officer:

[email protected]

Website: www.bushwalking.org.au

Address all correspondence to:PO Box 2090, GPO, Sydney 2001

The Confederation of BushwalkingClubs NSW Inc representsapproximately 65 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 10,000bushwalkers.Formed in 1932, the Confederationprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.It runs training courses for members,helps to provide a free wildernesssearch and rescue organisation, andhelps runs bush navigationcompetitions.People interested in joining abushwalking club may write to theConfederation Administration, at theaddress above, for a list of Clubs, but amore up-to-date version can be foundon the Confederation website atwww.bushwalking.org.au, broken upinto areas. There’s lots of other goodstuff there too.

Subscribe to The BushwalkerKeep up with all the news and developmentshappening in the NSW bushwalking scene foronly $10 per year. This is to cover posting andhandling: the magazine itself is free.

Send your name and address and cheque ormoney order to Confederation of BushwalkingClubs NSW, PO Box 2090, GPO Sydney 2001.Make the cheque or money order payable tothe Confederation as well.

Also please indicate if you are a member of abushwalking club, and if not whether youwould like a copy of the list of our clubs.

From the editor’s desk. . .

Index

Then and Now 2From the Editor’s Desk 3The Almost Makalu Base Camp 4A Whole Different View of Kanangra 6In Search of the Wolgan Pillars 8Day Walk Across Cathedral Rock 10A Dog Called Ben 11Conscript Pass 11Batsch Camp to Yerranderie 12Anzac Day 2007 at Splendor Rock 12Review — “Adventure Journal 2007” 13Walkers Wild Weeding in Southwest Tasmania 14

The front cover for this issue is filmed in one of the more challengingareas of the western Blue Mountains - Carne Creek. Located on thewestern edge of the Wollemi NP (and should be incorporated in it,

subsurface mining notwithstanding). The unique combination of canyons,pagodas, narrow fingers of land and variety of micro- environments make itone of my favourite exploring grounds. Bushwalking colleagues StephenMurray and Tom Brennan agreed to ‘experience the vertigo’ so that this shotcould bring you some idea of the huge dimensions involved.

Inside the front cover are some memories of times past - of a valley now lostto bushwalking. As I culled the collection for this material I reflected on howfortunate we are to have so many very dedicated and skilled bushwalkinghistorians, who are documenting and recording for posterity the changingtimes. Even so, much is still being lost when well- intentioned relatives cleanup after a deceased bushwalker by ‘chucking out all that rubbish.’

Andy Macqueen, Brian Fox, Jim Smith, Jim Barrett, Wilf Hilder, RobertSloss - are just a few names on a distinguished list of bushwalking historians.Jim Smith’s dedication to understanding and researching and documentingour rapidly disappearing Aboriginal culture is to be applauded.

Having a podium such as this inspires me to implore all of you ‘to recordthe bush’ in words and pictures as you see it. The pressure of our so-calledcivilization puts it at increasing risk almost daily.

Articles in this issue record the sterling work of the BWRS in saving lives; Asearch for the Wolgan Pillars; overseas adventures in Nepal; recognition of aDog called Ben; the magic of Yerranderie country; ANZAC Day 2007 atSplendour Rock and more.

To ‘sit in the chair’ of editor Roger Caffin even for one issue of theBushwalker is a privilege accorded very few. Without upsetting too many egosI hope that the selection of articles together with their excellent photo imagesmeets with your approval. Without the enthusiastic and dedicated assistanceof Barry Hanlon this issue would not have appeared on time. Thank you Barry.

Please note that opinions expressed by authors may not represent theofficial opinions of the Confederation or any Club. The acting editor’s opinionsare just that - his opinions.

Michael KeatsActing Editor



Chris Bennett,The Bush Club, Sydney

Our Bush Club group of ten flewout from Sydney on April 4,overnighted in Bangkok and flew

into Kathmandu the next day. AtKathmandu airport one of the questionson the customs form is whether you arecarrying more than the equivalent of twothousand American greenbacks. Giventhat we were to pay the trekking companyin cash, we all answered yes to thequestion. The officials don’t really look atthe forms, so you just hand them in andwalk through.

However, one of our group, John,perhaps under the influence of his SouthAfrican heritage, felt compelled topersonally explain to an official what hehad written. The Nepalese bureaucracyquickly flung into action, but fortunately,after a long twenty minutes, he emergedinto the sunlight unscathed but wiser.Nima our Nepalese trek organiser thengreeted us. If ever struck for the correctEnglish response to a question, especiallyone which featured the word ‘money’,Nima’s response was steadfastlyconsistent: “yes please”.

The drive from the airport bisected anunfortunate socio-economic truth: to theleft, typical third world conditions and onthe right a private golf links for theprivileged few. Prior to starting the trekwe had a couple of days in Kathmandu.When returning from a monkey templewe encountered a massive traffic jam,evidently caused by a queue of peoplebound together like a conga chain. As ourvehicle slowly moved down the crowdedstreet there was no sign that the queuehad an end. Eventually, about fourkilometres later our rough estimate wouldhave been twenty thousand or more. Andthe reason for the Guinness-worthyattempt at the longest human chain: theissuing of new mobile phone sim cards!Things we take for granted assume adifferent importance in Nepal.

On April 7 we flew east fromKathmandu to Tumlingtar - about one

hour's flight. The landing on grass was afirst for most. There we met our supportcrew, (chief guide, sherpas, cook, kitchenstaff and porters). Yes, they numbered 26to look after our group of 10!

Everything has to be carried. The loadsthey bore and the ease with which theporters would traverse over all types ofterrain was nothing short of unbelievable.For our trek, each porter carried about 40kilos; village porters, who carry goodsbetween villages, loads can be up to 70kilos. Later in the trek, Bob hoisted aporter’s load on his back. I think he soonrealised he shouldn’t give up his day job.

So we individually did not have tocarry much - a daypack with water, raingear, munchies, camera etc. Typicallyeach day we walked for 5 to 7 hours.

The first night we camped atKhandbari the largest town of the region.Khandbari dogs undergo a Jekyll andHyde transformation - docile by day,Hounds of Baskerville by night. Curiouschildren surrounded us as we camped inthe villages, captivated at the images onour digital cameras. In this setting Johnand Helen came tothe fore anddisplayed a wond-erful ability toentertain and holdtheir attention.

Many of thesmaller villages wepassed through didnot have electricity;some did havesatellite phonespowered by solarenergy.

A couple of daysinto the trek and

the track was begin-ning to open up -literally. A rudim-entary road wasbeing constructed.Road construction inthe West is highlyautomated but notout here - everything

is done by hand. Large rocks are brokenup by sledgehammers and used inretaining walls for the road. Dirt is movedabout mainly by pulling it along onhessian sacking (virtually no wheel-barrows!). The local villagers do all thework: men, women and children (somevery young!).

Normally we slept in tents, two to eachtent, but at Num (day 5) we facedtorrential rain that forced us into accom-modation that the locals would use. Theaccommodation was spartan: made ofmud bricks, no electricity, no glasswindows, just small openings withwooden shutters and the beds were hardas nails. Yet this was heaven in com-parison with the prospect of getting cosywith soggy campground -isn’t everythingrelative?

Several days later we camped atTashigoan (2000 metres). That night mostdiscussion was centred on the next daysclimb to Khongma Lha, which wouldelevate us, another 1400 metres to a veryrespectable 3400m. Naturally, thoughts ofaltitude sickness and the difficulty that layahead pervaded our thought, but, as sooften happens, the climb was not as hardas we imagined.

We started to reach temperate/subalpine regions. Towards the later part ofthe day we hit snow and what a feeling itwas going through forests of snow-covered rhododendrons. We wondered ifKaye’s Dunlop volleys would hold up.

At Khongma Lha our sherpa guidebecame the messenger that so often

plays the target for some easy shootingwhen he relayed the news that due tosevere snow conditions ahead we wouldnot be able to get to our ultimatedestination of Makalu base camp andwould need to turn back. Apparently justbefore we arrived in Nepal, they exper-ienced the largest April snowstorm in 40years - great timing hey. Understandablywe all were disappointed, but this tripwas a lot more than just reaching adestination, the journey was theexperience.

e Camp TripThe Almost Makalu Bas

The local children were always fascinated by the trekkers' activities

The Bushwalker | 5



We stayed one more day inKhongma Lha and all of usclimbed about 200 metreshigher, a few made it 300metres further. Spectacularmountain views ensued and nophoto could ever capture thefeeling of being on top of theworld.

The next day we faced the1400 metre descent from

Khongma to Tashigoan. Thefirst part was through thesnow. Most of the kitchen staffand porters left before us but,curiously, were asked to waitbefore we descended. Wecouldn’t quite work out whywe should not start ourdescent but when all thekitchen staff and portersclimbed back the answer wasclear. Apparently we as agroup were perceived as (touse ‘western speak’) requiring“individualised value-addedaged-care services”. So ahelper took each of us by thehand individually, and wemerrily went on our waydown, looking a little like aMoonie group wedding.

At the end of the day,nearing Tashigoan, we passeda fast-flowing mountainstream, about 20 minutesbefore campsite. Normally ourbody washing was limited tothe bowl of warm water eachevening, so the prospect ofbeing able to wash all the bodywas very attractive as fasting isto Paris Hilton. So after we setup camp Bob, John W, Trish,Kaye and myself went back.The men, not wanting toflaunt their tired bodies, wentdown stream and discreetlycompleted their bathing.However, Trish and Kayedecided to bathe right by thepath. In the two weeks oftrekking we only saw threeEuropeans but at the exact

time that Trish and Kaye werein their birthday suits a portlybearded Englishman withabout 20 support staffappeared, once again, greattiming hey. He did make somecomments, which I will notrepeat here, but apparently allthe porters had wide grins ontheir faces at the sight of thesenaked nymphs.

We continued our returnjourney and after 5 daysarrived back at Tumlingtar forthe flight back to Kathmandu.As per tradition on this nightthe support staff received theirwell-earned gratuity. As agroup we then presented anacted out rendition of Waltz-ing Matilda. Erith played a finejumbuck and obviouslyenjoyed being stuffed into atucker-bag. For some reason,the group decided that a NewZealander - me - should havethe starring role of the swag-man. Maybe they thought myacting skills would be betterthan my singing skills. Thenight concluded with a slowgyrating Nepalese dance.Fortunately learning the lyricsdid not require mentalinspiration - recite one versethen repeat, repeat and repeat.By the end of the night Jacquiseemed to be getting the hangof it.

So the Makalu trek turnedout to be two weeks

instead of the originallyplanned twenty days. Most ofthe group went on to doanother five-day trek in theHelambu region, at a loweraltitude, whilst I decided tohead home. They no doubthad a fun time on that trip, butthat’s a story for another day.There are many stories oftrekking in Nepal bringing outthe worst in people but I’mpleased to report our group all

Camp at Chongma should have been on grassy flats

Typical scenery in the lower areas of the Makalu Trek

got on incredibly well.It was Disraeli who said

there are lies, damned lies,and statistics. Our trek stats:10500 metres climbed in thefirst trek, 13100 metres intotal for both treks. Point ofreference: Mt Everest is 9800metres.

Each of us had our ownreasons for undertaking thistrek but for me it was to be outof my comfort zone, to be in avastly different culture, to bepart of a team and of course tobe close to the world’s highestmountains. Life is very tough

for most Nepalese yet they stilllaugh and smile and I think weall realised what a privilegedlife we have in the west.

And finally a large thanksto our leader Tony for hisplanning, leadership andpatience. Without Tony thistrek would not have takenplace.

The trekkers: Tony Hickson (leader),Jacqui Hickson, Kaye Birch, TrishMolinari, John Wilson, Bob Wood, ErithHamilton, John de Coque, HelenFastovsky and Chris Bennett.



Caro Ryan, BWRS

Q When you get a phone call from arespected leader to spend aweekend hanging aroundCloudmaker and Strongleg inperfect early Autumn conditions,you’d be crazy to say no. Right?

A Absolutely Right!

But this was a phone call with a catch andan agenda. And as an operationalmember of the Bushwalkers WildernessRescue Squad (BWRS), it is phone callslike this that I’m starting to get used to.And it’s phone calls like this, that I inviteyou to start receiving.

The call came on Thursday eveningand the instructions were to report to thebase at Kanangra Walls carpark at 8am onFriday morning. Because of workcommitments I was unable to attend onFriday, however I was able to join theranks of searchers on Saturday. This isone of the great things about our squad ofwilling volunteers. There is anunderstanding that people have work andother things that can stop you from

attending. (But this is alsowhy we need more people tojoin us!).

As so many of you know,Kanangra Walls is not aneasy place to get to. It ishandy to know that thereare BWRS members all overSydney and NSW, who arewilling to car share. And soit was that myself andanother local member setout from Neutral Bay at8.30pm Friday bound for theBoyd River Crossingcampsite. At midnight webunked down in the sheltershed for a good sleep,surrounded by tents ofschool holiday makers,allowing us for a fresh startat 8am for a big day ahead.

You probably heard thenews reports of this missing bushwalker.He was seen on Easter Friday at GabesGap and then never heard from again.Like me, you probably came up with a fewthoughts on where or what might havebecome of him and it is within astructured organisation, such as theBWRS, that you’re able to have thesethoughts heard and actually get out there

and do somethingabout it.

It’s thesethoughts, matchedwith yourexperience as abushwalker, thatwould make you avaluable asset towhat the PoliceRescue leaders onsite called, ‘ourprimary searchresource inwilderness areas’.

The BWRSstarted life as aconsequence of asearch in the GroseValley in 1936 whena party of fouryoung men failed toreturn from a three-day trip. It wasfamous walkers ofthe day such asPaddy Pallin andMax Gentle, whowere involved in thesearch that decidedan organisation ofexperienced walkerswas needed forfuture searches.Back then, it wasknown as the Searchand Rescue unit ofthe Federation ofBushwalkers, andthese days it isknown as theBushwalkersWilderness RescueSquad, a member

unit of the Volunteer Rescue Associationwho come under the authority of theState Rescue Board. It’s the State RescueBoard who are the body given theresponsibility by the NSW StateGovernment to ensure the state isprepared for all types of disasters, rescueor emergencies. It is the body that sets theaccreditation and training standards of allrescue services in NSW, including PoliceRescue, Rural Fire Service, StateEmergency Service and Volunteer RescueAssociation.

Having this structure and clear chainof command is comforting and gives us adefinite and firm foundation andframework for all our operations anddecisions. In the field this is translatedinto us understanding our role within therescue team, not only at command base,but also out in the bush.

We are the only voluntary organisationcalled on by the Police who focus solelyon skills in wilderness and bush areas. Asa group, we come from all walks of lifeand from all areas across NSW. We meet,mix, walk and train with people frommany different clubs, backgrounds andexperiences. We are invited to gaintraining through nationally accreditedcourses, being offered free of charge tomembers. These courses include suchmodules as VM (Vertical Mobility), V1-3,i.e. abseiling (as well as the opportunityof being accredited as a trainer),navigation, first aid, helicopter winchtraining, casualty transport, RAVA(Remote Area Vertical Access), trackingtechniques and radio communications justto name a few.

Our training and skills are beingincreasingly called upon as we have

proved ourselves to Police Rescuecommand in not only the two recent highprofile searches, such as this Kanangraone and the search for David Iredale the17 year old teenager lost in the JamisonValley just before Christmas. There havealso been many searches with less mediaattention. But it’s not about mediaattention and the kudos in doingsomething heroic… It is about putting ourabilities to good use within our

A Whole Different View of Kanangra

Discussing search patterns

The Bushwalker | 7



community. It’s about going bush forreasons other than ourselves.

On arriving at the Kanangra carpark,there was already a steady stream ofPolice and SES vehicles, not to mentionthe thump, thump, thump sound from thefirst of three helicopters that would beworking the search over the weekend.Polair 1, 2 and the NPWS chopper - takingoff from the cleared area just past the lowfence line to the south of the carpark.With the search area running from thecarpark north to the Cox’s River, west tothe steeps on both sides of KanangraCreek, east to Ti Willa and south to theKowmung River, for efficiency it wasessential to hitch rides with the variouschoppers. All members who did so werespeaking enthusiastically of the buzz of ahelicopter ride over the walls and downKanangra Creek - Thurat Spires risingmajestically as they swept up the valley.Different teams were dropped at a varietyof landing spots such as Ti Willa plateau,Mt Moorilla Mooroo, KonangarooClearing (where several teams camped),beaches along the Cox’s and somemembers getting the ride of their life asthey were winched up from the depths ofMoko Creek. It was here that the choppercrew were overheard reporting on theradio to Police Rescue their astonishmentat our ability to be in such rugged terrain.And of course our winching out of downstream Dex Creek, during whichextrication the unfortunate discovery ofthe missing person was made aroundmidday on Sunday.

Unfortunately, itdoesn’t matter howexperienced you areas a bush person,unless you’re amember of arecognised squad,you can’t beinvolved insearches. Being amember of BWRSmeant that I wasable to be part ofthe solution.

The fact is thatyour skills and

your experience areneeded. The Policeare now looking tous in BWRS, that is,experiencedbushwalkers to beout in the field withskills that theydon’t have. For usto be able to beinvolved every time we get called, weneed to ensure that we have enoughoperational members, trained up andready. The reality is that we are veryshort on members. Not just people to getout in the field, but even people at base tooperate radios and be involved atadministrative levels.

There are already a good number ofSBW people who are also members ortrainees in the BWRS. Why don’t youbecome one too?

Check out the website for all the details:www.bwrs.org.au

Some employers, particularly thepublic service, allow staff daysoff for voluntary communityservice leave and the squad canprovide you with letters from thePolice to confirm yourparticipation in a search.

Dave Drohan using HF radio above Moko Creek



Below the Pillars

Michael KeatsThe Bush Club

The gateway to the walk is Newnes -a vestigial ghost town where theworld’s richest deposit of kerosene

shale oil (yielding up to 720 litres/tonne)was first exploited in 1905. The town andthe various coal and shale enterprisesfinally came to an end due to thecombined effects of cheap imports, theGreat Depression and the transfer ofmoveable useful assets to Glen Davis toextract shale oil during WW2.

We drove up to the historic (and nowunlicensed) Newnes Hotel and had a shortchat to Thomas Ebersoll, owner and parttime operator of modern chalet typeaccommodation for visitors planning aneasy explore of the industrial ruins. Afterbriefing Thomas on our plans we said wewould join him two days later in theafternoon for coffee.

Our way of route took us along Benby’sPinch and then through some of the oldShale Oil processing plant ruins as weclimbed the track on the talus slopeopposite Petries Gully. Spent some timeadmiring the massive and beautifullycrafted brick retaining wall that used toprotect the Exhauster House andAmmonia Scrubbing Plant (circa 1934).The brickwork is as sound today 80 yearson as it was when constructed. Largeeucalypts now crowd the platform where

the buildings and other structures used tobe.

The rusting and decaying relics of anold grazing property started about GR 497260 and continued for several hundredmetres. Of particular interest was an oldMcCormick - Deering Tractor with therubber tyres still intact. It made a goodphotographic subject, as did an old chairand other artifacts.

Being an exploratory walk and alwayson the lookout for something a bitchallenging, we left the track at GR 505238, (the topo map is quite inaccurate inshowing the location of the track) andheaded into wild, deeply dissectedcountry with multiple ravines, many rocksand lots of fallen timber. The further inwe penetrated the more challenging thisarea became. At GR 498 230 a relatively,flat cleared area big enough for the groupto make camp resolved out of the bush. Itis about 100m from the Deanes Creek -Rocky Creek junction. This was going tobe our base campsite and coincidentlyalso lunch as it was 1330.

Whilst munching away we gazedacross Rocky Creek to the cliffs above -the northern edge of the Mount CameronPlateau. Most of this plateau is shown onthe Rock Hill sheet. We mused andspeculated that once camp wasestablished perhaps we could scale thesecliffs and find a way to the top. There aremagnificent ‘orphan rocks’ and toothedand barbed projections into the sky allaround the area. If we could find a way ofroute, then such an access would open uppossibilities for camping on the plateauand doing pack walks from Natural Bridgeright through to Newnes. The options forexploring would be endless and onlyconstrained by available water.

At 1445 camp was well established andwater drawn from Deanes Creek, so wecommenced our cliff assault armed withcarefully packed daypacks. There was abit of rain in the air and in spots a bitmore on the undergrowth of the lowerslopes. After a while we were wet so morewetness did not matter. Anthea hadelected to stay in camp and tend the fire,(although she would have preferred tohave some kip!). As we emerged from thelower slopes the cliffs started to lookrather steep. They are.

We could discern a possible way andas each obstacle was overcome we

pushed on to the next. I did someinteresting balancing on an old log acrossan impossible ravine before Ian and Johnfound a much easier rock climb. Oh well,them’s the breaks. Soon the top of the firstbig climb was conquered. We emergedonto a small level area that led to acommanding view to the north and east.It was real wow stuff. Real Wow! Theview, which was cut off to the west by asheer cliff allowed us to see up theWolgan River for several kilometres andsimilarly downstream to where theWolgan turns sharply south. Lots of

pictures were taken even though theweather was dull with low cloud.

We them moved out onto anunsupported projecting platform that waseven more ‘Wow’ than earlier, (GR 505225). We were euphoric with ourdiscovery of a doable route up these cliffsthat are just over 200m high. We couldsee easy ways forward from this point toexplore so much more. To the south ofour little platform was a great verticalcliff with a drop in excess of 100m. Itglowed pink and fawn in the afternoonlight. More pictures.

We reviewed our rapidly diminishingtime allocation to get down and makedinner while there was some daylight. Asit was there was simply not enough timeto go further. We needed several days…as we descended I mused on a name forthis Pass. My choice is to name it YerraYerra Pass deriving from an Aboriginaldialect for ‘sharp’ or ‘tooth-like.’ Weentered camp full of enthusiasm for thediscovery and rapidly moved into happyhour mode…

I was first up at 0600, coaxed the fireinto life and boiled water for tea. Geoff

emerging from his tent reckoned he hadone of the best nights rest he couldremember. Left camp at 0730 - ourobjective to view the famed WolganPillars. As we negotiated the way of routeback to the Wolgan River Trail we keptglancing up at Yerra Yerra Pass. Maybe ifwe returned early enough and if we hadthe energy we could give it another go…

0800 we returned to GR 505 237where a cairn marks the take off point forthe way of route to our camp. It is notreally to identify the way to our camp - itis a marker for any walker wanting toexplore Rocky Creek or Deanes Creekabove the junction.

The topo map shows the Wolgan Rivertrail on the wrong side of the river for thenext 4km. The trail is on the north side,

One of the teeth of the Yerra Yerra Pass

The Bushwalker | 9



not the south as shown. With onlydaypacks to contend with our progresswas rapid. There are flourishing beds ofnettles along much of the trail and we allhad our share of tingling reminders formany hours.

Along here we did also have the joy oftwo majestic red tailed black cockatoosgiving us a colour show and noisyreception. It is something to see thesebirds where they belong - in the wild.

As we approached the area where thePillars are supposed to be an all out effortwas made to climb every high peak insearch of these iconic pillars that weunderstood were something very special.It was not until we were standing on thevery last little knoll (1100) as shown onthe map that the penny dropped. Thepillars are there but they are like HangingRock in the Grose Gorge - huge sections ofcliff about to calve off and sometime, wayin the future they will crash into the valleybelow. For the moment they are onlydiscernable as separate pillars when thelight casts a shadow and you can see theirseparation from the cliff!

We could now understand why rockclimbers just love these pillars. They arepossibly over 100m high and haveoutward curved as well as straight sidesand just enough distance from the mainrock face to present a real challenge. Nowwe know why there are no spectacularpictures of “The Wolgan Pillars” - they justdo not present that way.

Although we would have been a good300m from The Pillars we took photosand I had an inward chuckle how I hadduped myself into believing that wewould see soaring, freestanding pillars inthe middle of the valley. I also now knowwhy bushwalkers can walk right passedthem and yet not see them.

As none of us had a desire to returnthe way we had come we took a bearingand headed NE generally and wended ourway down to the Wolgan River. The riverwas reached at 1130 and the famous wirecattle yards at 1150, GR 558 229. Theseyards have been constructed using plaitedwire cable that has now beenincorporated into the trees that wereoriginally selected as corner posts. Anyanimal impounded in these yards wouldhave no chance of escape.

Day three dawned bright and sunny.Just after 0630 the cliffs above

Deanes Creek glowed as the sun and thenthe whole valley complex was illuminated.Under such circumstances we made a firefor tea and then began the sad process ofbreaking camp. As we were packing upthe brilliant morning was disappearingfast as the cloudsreturned.

0805 thecampsite was clearedand we filed out.There were somespectacular plays oflight on the ‘teeth’ ofthe Yerra Yerra Pass,so more pictureswere captured. Onceon the fire trail wesoon got into an easyrhythm of walkingand the kilometres

just passed by. 0940 there was arevisiting of the old grazing property andsome inspection of the derelict sheds. Acache of dated empty beer bottles put thelast phase of occupation between 1965and 1967.

Thomas was a genial host with tea andplunger coffee- served on the verandahwhile we ate our lunches at a table - agentle re-introduction to the civilisedworld. I will be back as the door has onlyjust opened on the possibilities to do somuch in this area.

Ian and John on top of the Yerra Yerra Pass

Corner post of the ‘Wire Yards’

There is only one way

FULL CAMPING TREK $3600 per person*19 Day Fully supported camping trek including all meals.

* 2 Nights accommodation Kathmandu 3 nights accom. Pokhara incl. B’fast*English Speaking Guide and Aust. Group Leader *Transport to and from trek

*Special Trekking Permit for Manaslu area *trekking Permit for Annapurnaarea*Conservation Fees *Flight to Pokhara/Ktm US$79

* sightseeing Kathmandu/Pokhara

PO BOX 947 MONA VALE NSW 1660 Tel: 02 9997 7442Email: [email protected] www.tayloradventure.com

Kathmandu 17th October 200719 DAY CAMPING TREK

2 NIGHTS KATHMANDU3 NIGHTS POKHARA

This is the true meaning of trekking in the Himalayas, pristinemountain views, rich culture and unreal adventure sum up this trekexperience around the 8156m Manaslu. Tourists are definitely not anattraction here as few people have the privilege to visit this pristinearea surrounded by snow-clad mountains, lush green valleys anddense forests. The people become more distinctly Buddhist as theirlinks with Tibet increase, monasteries and Tibetan monks await us inLarkya Bazaar, along with the biggest challenge - crossing Larkya La(pass.) After crossing the pass we traverse west, through high valleysand isolated yak pastures to Nup-ri, 'the western mountains, withsimply amazing views of Manaslu 8163m and it's companion HimalChuli 7893m. This 3 week excursion will leave you with a sense ofpeace and respect for the people of Nepal and its ecological wonders.



We were a split party, with 1driving solo from Guyra to parkat Native Dog, and the Armidale

contingent coming in three cars (neededfor the car shuttle). Dropping most off atBarokee, cars and drivers headed aroundto Native Dog. Somewhere on the wayJames had a puncture and found that hiswheelbrace didn’t fit his wheel nuts.Luckily, Betty was behind him, with onethat fitted- though oddly enough, not herwheelnuts! There’s a lesson theresomewhere. Anyway, a change of tyre andthey arrived around Native Dog, left twocars, and all drivers headed back toBarokee.

With the shuttle and the puncture, itwas close to 11 before we all assembledand started off. The day was fine, with ahigh overcast and a hint of clouds to theEast. We walked the good track pastsmall granite tors and open grassywoodland of Messmate Stringybark,Mountain Gum, New England Blackbuttand Hill Banksia, with an understorey ofSnow Grass and Bracken Fern, andarrived at the southern start of theCathedral Rock circuit on our right afterabout 850 metres. Ignoring that, wewalked on for another 1.25 km to theridge junction for the Cathedral Rockclimb.

The smaller track was pretty clear,with directional arrows where it crossedopen rock expanses. However, if youweren’t watching for the next arrow, itwould be quite easy to find you’d strayedoff into some rocky cul-de-sac- or oversome cliff edge. We took our time, andwere careful of our footing as we crept upbetween, over and once under thejumbled mass of granite tors that leads upto the summit. The last 15 metres is amatter of hanging onto a chain (whichlooked strong enough to lift severalelephants) while edging around a boulderand up to the top.

The high point is at about 1550metres, with a view that is almost 360degrees, with just the top of RoundMountain at 1584 blocking a slice to thesouthwest. The cloud we’d seen earlierwas cloaking Point Lookout and anotherslice of the horizon to the east, but inbetween we could pick out many of thelandmarks of the Eastern New England-Chandlers Peak, Mount Duval and theMacleay Valley.

Soon the chilly summit wind blew usback down, and we were glad to hit thejunction of the main track to eat ourlunches out of the wind. We chattedabout other trips- which covered a fair bitof the world, as James, Yuval andMohammed were visiting from their homecountries-and the bushwalker perennialsof best footwear and foodstuffs forwalking. Our late start meant we soonpacked and headed on to across the park.

A few hundred metres further on, atthe northern junction of the track aroundCathedral Rock, we passed through amini-forest of Mountain Honeysuckle, thetall banksia common around these parts.In spring, you’ll see Orchids, Buttercupsand Native Violets, especially around thewatercourses in these parts. We also saw aweird little plant that looks like a 40 cmChristmas tree- Bushy Clubmoss. It is asomething of a relic from early days of theplant kingdom, from before seed plantsevolved- but is widespread, and growshappily beside the track in a few places.

An hour or so later, we reached asignificant stream divide. Behind us, allthe waters flowed south via the Oaky,Chandler and Macleay to enter the Pacificat South West Rocks. In front of us, theyran north via the Guy Fawkes, Boyd,Nymboida and Clarence to meet thePacific north of Yamba. The divide iscrowned with granite tors, to about 1400metres at Woolpack Rocks. We had a lazyafternoon tea here, and spread out themap so Penelopecould point outCrown Mountainand NightcapMountain, near herplace about 56kilometres away tothe Nor NorWest.

Soon we movedon, to skirt the

swamps that are amajor feature of thepark. They arerichly endowed withsedges and rushes,including the“Button Grass” sowell known toTasmanian walkers,plus a lovely array ofSpring-Summerflowers- Lilies and

Pennyworts and Daisies and Forget-Me-Nots and Bluebells- it’s a wonderland forthose who tread carefully into the soggystuff. Gradually tiny streamlets appeared,and we crossed Native Dog Creek - just acouple feet wide- to arrive at our carsabout 4 o’clock. We farewelled Penelopefor her solitary drive home via Guyra andpoints north, and shuttled our cars roundto pick up the lone car at Barokee. Thenhome by dark after a very pleasant 17km, our last autumn walk for 2007.

Day walkacrossCathedralRockDavid Lawrence

photos by Colin Wood

The party gathering on the weather worn granite

For more information:NPWS North Coast Region,Dorrigo Plateau Office,PO Box 170, Dorrigo NSW 2453.Ph: 02 66572 309.

Maps1:250 000 Armidale Special SH56-10Edition 2(Not needed on the track walks)1:25000 “Ebor”1.25000 “Maiden Creek”NPWS Cathedral Rock (sketch map)

The Bushwalker | 11



Walter Herbert Botting(1887-1985) commonlyreferred to as Wally by

his mates even though his mothercalled him Bert was just one ofKatoomba’s original bush trackmakers.

Wally as I shall refer to himmigrated to Australia from Englandas a young man and was employedby the Katoomba Municipal Counciland later Blue Mountains CityCouncil as a Ranger from 1913 tohis retirement in 1953. Wally had afaithfully little dog which he namedBen born about 1926. When Benwas fully grown he was Wally’sconstant companion. Vera Smith,Wally’s daughter described Ben as“A great little mate to the familyand sadly missed”.

Wally as a ranger was involvedin a number of track makingprojects around Katoomba andLeura these included areas nearKatoomba Cascades, Leura Falls,Giant Stairway, Prince Henry CliffWalk and Wally helped to clear thetrack after the Katoomba Landslidein 1931.

When Wally was working in thisarea he would use the coal skips oras it is today the Scenic Railway tocarry himself and his tools to andfrom his work place, when he wasworking at the Leura end he dailyused the steel ladders which led tothe old sewage works. Wallyusually worked alone or withRanger James McKay and each daywhen Wally went out to work hisfaithful dog Ben went with him.Some of the unusual things thatWally did included during times ofdrought damming up the waterupstream of Katoomba Falls andthen releasing the flow of water sophotographers could obtain a

spectacular photo of the waterflowing over the falls.

A sad occurrence happenedwhen Ben was 14 years old, the daystarted just like any other withWally and his faithful companionaccompanying each other to work.On this particular day Wally wasclearing the track near the base ofthe landslide when a tree fell andkilled his beloved Ben.Years later after Wally had alsopassed away, Vera Smith(daughter) wrote to the BlueMountains City Council to requestif a lookout could be named in herfather’s honour. Whether byaccident or design the councilallocated a viewing area 180metres below the top of the GoldenStairs off Glenraphael Drive,Narrow Neckwhich is nowknown as BottingsLookout. Thislookout has directviews across tothe Katoombalandslide whereWally and Benspent there lasttime together.

At this lookouta brass

plaque has thewords inscribed“This lookout isdedicated toWalter Botting(1887-1985). Apioneer track-maker of theKatoombaDistrict.His spirit remainsalways in themountains”.

A DogCalled Ben

Quite Achiever — Walter Botting

Brian Fox.

Deep in the Lane Cove River valley,in pleasant side creek is a smallstream. The Great North Walk

crosses the stream a few metres ahead,and a little further on is ‘Conscript Pass’.

The ‘Pass’ is a narrow gap between twolarge sandstone outcrops. A gully on theleft is covered in leaf litter but also sportsthe carved words, ‘Conscript Pass’. Thereis nearby, also an engraved caricature of awell-dressed man. This site was created bya work gang in the 1930’s, part of a publicworks program during the GreatDepression.

Why? It was a tumultuous time. ThePremier, Jack Lang had just been sackedby the Governor, the men faced unem-ployment, and an uncertain future.Bertram Stevens, the man who replacedLang was the object of the caricature.

Why was it called Conscript Pass? Theeconomic uncertainties probably evokedin the men’s minds, Jack Lang’s oratorywhen he burst out against the iniquity ofthe Bank of England’s plan to ‘fix thecurrency’. Lang, in his powerful stylethundered, “The same people whoconscripted our sons and laid them to rest

in Flanders fields… now demand moreblood, the interest on their lives…”

The men working on this Pass whocreated these images were echoing Lang’swords: they were still conscripts to BritishBanks, and their unemployment would be‘interest demanded’, on top of thethousands of lives so tragically lost inFlanders and Gallipoli

So here in this quiet reach of Sydney'sbushland, standing in the heart of theNorthern Suburbs, is a poignant record ofLang’s oratory and a rare echo of thosedifficult years.

Based on research byGarry MacDougall

Conscript Pass



Early on the morning of April24, I set out for the Blue

Mountains with a small groupfrom my club. From the carparkat Carlons Farm we walked overthe stile onto the fire trail. It wasdrizzly all day so we covered upin rain gear before we started. AtBreakfast Creek we stopped forlunch, then continued to MedlowGap, and before long picked upthe side track off to MobbsSwamp. Past the swamp thetrack took us on to the turnoff toSplendour Rock. Here weclimbed up through the rock

Steve DeardsSutherland Bushwalking Club

Three of us drove to MtWerong on Thursdayafternoon & camped at

the abandoned hut. It wasrather cool during the night,getting down to seven degrees.We met George, the guy whohad originally built the hut,who was visiting the area aftermany years absence. He had afew interesting yarns to spin.Sandra & Lloyd arrived earlythe next day, then we all drovedown to Batsch Camp fromwhere we started the walk.Our route took us throughopen country to Bent Hookswamp, which we followedeasterly until it got veryscrubby. We then headednorth to Mt Myanga, RoaringWind Mt & Mt Colong.

On top of Mt Colong, thereis a very large truncatedconical pile of rocks that formsthe Trig Stn. There is also avisitors book that had an entryfor 1996. Bill, Margaret, Mick& Trikky, where are you now?There were also quite a fewother familiar names. We thendescended a ridge to near thebase of the mountain, butsome navigational problems &a sheer cliff line meant extratime spent reaching the roadat Tonalli Gap. From the Gap,it was a road bash intoYerranderie, where we arrivedat 7.30pm. We camped at theGovernment Town camp at thetop of the hill, and althoughthere were quite a few groupscar camping, there were stillplenty of good spots available.A lady from a nearby campmust have taken pity on us -she came over with a large

plate of freshly cooked lamb &vegies, which we devouredwith gusto.

Day two we did someexploring. Firstly, climbingYerranderie Peak, where thereare great views of thesurrounding area. On our waydown, we detoured to BartlettHead. It was so nice there onthe flat rock plateau that westayed quite a while, enjoyingthe view, the occasionalsunshine & lunch. Afterdescending to the road, wewalked down to the TonalliRiver, where we checked outan old campsite of mine. I wasdisappointed as the river wasvery low & the camp wasovergrown. We investigated anold mine shaft, but couldn’tfind the swimming hole withthe waterfall nearby. Nobodyseemed inclined to want towalk through the wet bush tolook for it, so we returned tocamp.

On day 3, we decided tomove on & explore newterritory. After checking outthe Silver Peak mine, wewalked back along the road toTonalli Gap. We turned right,following the road throughSquatting Rock Gap until wecame to a high point. We leftthe road here & walked downto a saddle then up to Mt Milofor lunch. From here, wefollowed a clear easy ridge allthe way down to theKowmung River.

Following the riverupstream, we eventually cameto Lannigans Creek & the UniRover trail. Campsites werescarce, but a good one wasfound 200m above the creekon a terrace. There was justenough room for 4 tents & anabundance of firewood. Thecreek also had some clearpools of water.

On day 4, we walkedupstream along the opencreek, only occasionallyhaving to push throughthickets of spiny Bursaria. Thisplant, although a native, istaking over the area, & thebanks of the Kowmung arenow lined with it. The weatherhad been iffy all weekend,with sporadic showers & sun,making the vegetation wet &unpleasant to walk through.We had morning tea at the“Roman Bath”, a pretty rock

Batsch Camp to YerranderieEaster 2007

Anzac Day 2007 at Splendour Rock

pool and cascade. Soon afterwe reached the base ofAcetylene Spur where wedropped our packs and set offto quickly visit Colong Cavesthat had a distinct smell of batguano. After ascending thevery steep spur, it was a short

walk back to the cars, stoppingbriefly to look at a red bellyblack snake sunning itself inthe sun beside the track.

Participants: Steve Deards(leader), Col White, Peter Wherry,Sandra Laws & Lloyd Egan.

Group at Trig

On Bartlett Head

The Bushwalker | 13



This is a rather hefty and veryglossy ‘annual magazine’,

covering ‘adventure andexploration’. The pictures aregood, but the articles are rathershort. On the other hand, thereare plenty of them, covering awide range of activities. Thereare also a lot of very glossy gearand services ads all through the148 pages. It sells for $9.95, andcan be purchased via the web atwww.adventurepublishing.com.au if it is not in your localnewsagent.

If you want a bushwalkingmagazine, this is not it. It focusesfar more on extreme sports and‘special cases’: adventure andexploration as the cover says.Things like an interview withJohn Muir, an article on theFranklin, one on rock climbing inGreeenland, several others onother rock climbing exploits, andaccidents, an article by a girlwho very nearly fractured herneck while surfing (but sherecovered), and even a briefwrite-up of the Editor LucasTrihey’s unsupported crossing ofthe Simpson Desert. And thereare more.

A sister publication is theAdventure Gear Guide 07, butthe Adventure Journal does alsofeature some gear testing - a

mini-version ofBackpackGearTest

as it were. These supplement thecopious glossy advertisements. Iwas intrigued to see that it evenhas quite a few ads fromAustralian guiding companies,including one which offers totake you on hikes in NationalParks from B&B to B&B - I amnot sure how many B&Bs thereare in National Parks in Australiathough!

It will be interesting to seehow long the magazine cancontinue to find new articles onsuch extreme sports andactivities. I guess you will justhave to wait for the 2008 versionto find out.

Roger Caffin

AdventureJournal 2007

outcrop to Splendour Rock.Some groups were alreadycamped here and otherscontinued to arrive.

Anzac Day next morningmeant an early start - up at 5.30am ready for the dawn Anzacservice at 6 am. In 1948 withmemories of fellow bushwalkerslost in World War 2 not farbehind them, the thenFederation of Bushwalkerserected a war memorial here, aplaque on the rock, overlookingthe spectacular wildernessvalleys and ranges beyond, andannual commemoration serviceshave been held there. In recenttimes Nepean Bushwalkers haveorganised this, as was the casethis year. One of their members,Bill Sanday, conducted theservice and reminded us all ofthe sacrifices our soldiers hadmade for us. Our thanks go toNepean Bushwalkers for carryingout this commemoration eachyear. Apart from NepeanBushwalking Club, members ofthe Watagan Wanderers,Springwood Bushwalking Club,Out of the Blue walkers, scouts &others attended, about 25 peoplealtogether. Usually we lookforward to a spectacular sunriseat Splendour Rock. This yearclouds covered the sky, andthreatened rain, which held off

for the service. There was nosunrise, and light just filteredthrough the clouds to herald astart to the day by the end of theservice.

This year is the 40thanniversary of the founding ofSpringwood Bushwalking Club,and their inaugural activity was awalk to Splendour Rock onAnzac Day, 1967. They werethere this year to celebrate this.They held their owncommemoration after Nepean’sservice, and further formalities at11 am after we had left.

The ceremonies over, it wastime for breakfast & packing up,& then the return trip. To makeour excursion a round trip, wewalked over Mt Dingo, ThePlayground of the Dingos,Warrigal Gap, along the path onthe side of Mt Warrigal anddown Blackhorse Gap to thetrack to Medlow Gap, and onover the ford at Breakfast Creek,where we stopped again forlunch, and then back to CarlonsFarm for the trip home. Againmuch of the day was drizzly, butwe later heard on the news thaton the coast it had teemed rain,& some Anzac marches had beencancelled. Margaret Covi,Watagan Wanderers

Margaret Covi

Anzac Day 2007 at Splendour Rock



Andy MacqueenSpringwood Bushwalking Club

Imagine the coastline of SouthwestTasmania, from the mouth ofMacquarie Harbour to Cockle Creek.

Most of it is untracked. There are ruggedrocky shores to negotiate, river mouths toswim, and occasional thick scrub to pushthrough.

The only person known to have walkedthe whole distance in one go (TasmanianJon Marsden-Smedley) took 38 days. He

Walkerswild weedingin SouthwestTasmania

had the assistance of a boat to get acrossPort Davey, and a helicopter to drop foodsupplies. He was surveying the shores forthe invasive weed ‘sea spurge’ (Euphorbiaparalias) which, if left unchecked, willdevastate the landforms, plant life andsea-bird habitat along this marvellouswilderness coast.

Recognising that the spurge threat wasbeyond its resources, the Tasmanian Parksand Wildlife recently decided on a pilot

project involving volunteer bushwalkers.Its attention was drawn to the trackrecord of the Friends of Colo, which hasbeen controlling willows and otherserious weeds from the Colo gorges. As aresult, last February four of us fromFriends of Colo (all members ofSpringwood Bushwalking Club) foundourselves being helicoptered into a sectionof the coast north of Port Davey, togetherwith four other bushwalkers from theBlue Mountains and Tasmania. In twoteams and for 10 days, we worked 50kilometres of the coast. Apart from havinga great time, we succeeded in primaryremoval of sea spurge from 56 sites.

There is much more to be done. Eventhe section just treated will require manyreturn visits before this aggressive weed iscontrolled. And although the Parks andWildlife Service supports the project, thework is beyond its budget andorganisational resources.

We of the NSW contingent were soenthused that we have now started aTasmanian volunteer group known asSPRATS (Spurge Remote Area Teams),under the umbrella of WildcareIncorporated. We are hopeful of obtaining

substantial grant funding. If the projectproceeds as intended, in each of the nexttwo summers eight teams of fourbushwalkers will be inserted (mainly byhelicopter) to walk different sections ofthe coast, searching for and treating thesea spurge. Beyond that there will be aneed for ongoing patrols, though theamount of weeding required should begreatly reduced.

SPRATS is hurriedly expanding itsmembership base so that it can put therequired number of bushwalkers into thefield-and boost the group’s managementteam. Every participant in the fieldworkhas to be a fit, experienced and self-reliant wilderness bushwalker,accustomed to carrying a heavy pack overrough ground.

Priority is being given to Tasmanianwalkers, but it may be necessary to

seek additional people from the mainland.At the time of writing it is not knownwhether this will be the case. Moreinformation can be found under ‘Groups’at www.wildcaretas.org.au, or to find outthe latest you can email me (the inauguralpresident of SPRATS) [email protected].

Southwest coast near the Lewis River

Liz and Andy Macqueen with Carol and Phill Isaacs Removing sea spurge from Endeavour Beach

Digging out an outbreak of sea spurge

Best Brands Best Range Best Advice

Sydney 491 Kent Street (02) 9264 5888 Chatswood 72 Archer Street (02) 9419 6955

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