Volume 32Issue 4

Spring 2007Hell Hole Creek,Hell Hole Creek,Kosciusko National ParkKosciusko National Park

A summer walk over theCol du Bonhomme,

France

Photo: Peter Medbury

Photo: Roger Caffin

Contributions of interesting and spectacular bushwalking photos are sought —you don’t want the same photographers all the time to you?

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Bushwalker T he

The Official Publication of theConfederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW

Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

ISSN 0313 2684

Editor: Roger Caffin editor@bushwalking.org.auGraphic Design & Assembly: Barry Hanlon

Confederation Officers:President: Wilf Hilder president@bushwalking.org.auAdministration Officer:

admin@bushwalking.org.au

Website: www.bushwalking.org.au

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

The Confederation of BushwalkingClubs NSW Inc representsapproximately 66 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 8,700bushwalkers.

Formed in 1932, the Confederationprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.

People interested in joining a bush-walking club may write to the Confed-eration Administration for a list ofClubs, but an on-line list is available atthe Confederation websitewww.bushwalking.org.au, broken upinto areas. There's lots of other goodstuff there too.

Subscribe to The Bushwalker

Keep 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 Bushwalk-ing Clubs NSW Inc, PO Box 2090, GPO Sydney2001. Make the cheque or money order pay-able to the Confederation of BushwalkingClubs NSW Inc as well - please don't abbrevi-ate the name!

Please indicate which issue you want your sub-scription to start with. We don’t want to dupli-cate copies you already have.

From the editor’s desk. . .

Index

Don’t you wish you were here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3Mt Kelly, ACT 4Wilsons Promontory Southern Circuit 6Mt Cloudmaker Search 8Bushwalking Training Courses 9Bat Guano 9Blue Gum Forest 75 Years On 10The Colong Foundation for Wilderness 11The Pilgrim Trail to the Sacred Waterfall — Tibet 12Book Reviews:

“Guide to the Historic Trigonometrical Stations of Sydney’s North”

“Back from the Brink” 14

I am back from three months walking in France with my wife. In myabsence Michael Keats of The Bush Club took over as Editor, andwith Barry Hanlon they produced the Winter issue. What a

spectacular front cover! They did a wonderful job of it, and my thanksto them for their efforts.

We have the usual eclectic selection of articles, from Australia andoverseas. It seems that Australian bushwalkers really do wander aroundthe world. I enjoy reading them all, I trust you find the overseas articlesof interest as well.

We are still asking for good articles to print. Clubs and members areencouraged to submit relevant articles, with a very strong preferencefor those with good pictures. We will also accept articles from outsidebodies where the articles seem relevant to members. Articles may beedited for length and content to help fit into our page limit. Picturesshould be sent at maximum available resolution: at least 300 dpi,preferably in their original unedited form. JPG, PDF or TIFF formats arepreferred. The text should be sent as a plain text file (*.txt), NOT as aWord file (*.doc). I repeat, please send the pictures separate from thetext file; do NOT send them embedded in a Word doc file. Picturestaken from a Word doc file are simply not good enough. And, of course,the Editor is always interested in receiving bushwalking books andmaps for review. All enquiries should be sent to:editor@bushwalking.org.au

Please note that opinions expressed by authors may not representthe official opinions of the Confederation or any Club. The Editor’sopinions are his own.

Roger CaffinEditor

4 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

Day 1

We arrived at the Yankee Hatcarpark just before 8am andstepped out to see the most

magnificent view up above the mouth ofMiddle Creek. Mt Namadgi had plenty ofsnow, particularly the S flank; MtBurbidge was crowned in granite andwhite, and Mt Kelly at the back waswhitest of all. Kangaroos grazed in theforeground, no breeze, blue sky above - itwas an idyllic day and tempting to believethat our leaders had connections in highplaces to order such weather.

Away just after 8 am. Our first pause at3 km done in a sprightly 35 mins to stripdown a layer or two. On past the massiveboulder which scores a red asterisk on themap and a second pause to top up waterat the lower junction of Middle Creekarms. Beautiful walking on a crisp, clearwinter’s morning. On up the Burbidgeridge with, thank goodness, another pauseafter the first 100 m climb onto thesecond level. Great walking this levelthrough open forest. On the next partof the climb we hit the snow at 1300m and by morning tea at 1460 m(6.8 km, 460 m climb, 2 hr 40 minsto here) there was a covering ofseveral centimetres. A well deservedbreak of 30 mins on a N facing barepatch, although the probe-equipped,electronic-powered, engineer-wielded thermometer was recordingonly 5°C.

We continued up towards the1500 m contour, then sidled roundtowards and across the arm ofMiddle Creek which comes downfrom Bogong Gap. Stunning views upto the snow covered granite bulb onthe SW side of Mt Burbidge. At thetop of the creek and S of Bogong Gapwe hit serious snow and it becameobvious that, with snow and ice onthe SW ridge of Kelly towards theScabby ridge, we’d not get through.On up to just SW of the Gap forlunch, this time sitting on granite asthe ground was well covered (9.4km, 600 m climb, 4 hr 40 mins tohere). Munch time of 35 mins, with

great views through the trees to MtsBurbidge and Namadgi.

The plan said that we’d drop packs andwander up Mt Kelly, so we headed to thesaddle between said hill and SH1733 onthe Scabby Range as it heads SE. Keithwas leading and I was trudging in hisfootsteps which, most of the time, wereshin deep, but sometimes knee deep. Ikindly said “that must sap some energy”and he graciously responded “how aboutplugging some holes?” I presume this isAussie understatement, but guessed itmeant would I take the lead? It wasphysically most demanding and I couldonly keep at it for a few hundred metres(Keith must have done over a kilometre).But we eventually reached a suitable placeto drop our packs (GR70464570 MGA94)and thought that if anyone else camealong and wanted to pinch them, theycould carry them out. (10.1 km, 5 hr 40mins to here).

We headed up at 1.50 pm throughdeep snow (at times to our thighs - thatwould have to be one metre). Thescrubby belt was a little difficult. Wereached the top, on hands and knees insome places, 1829 m, at 2.40 pm (pictureat left).

Astounding, awesome ... just notenough superlatives. This was my 5thtime on Mt Kelly, but I’ve never seen itlike this! One of the legends in the party(of which there were four) reckoned thatthe weather and snow conditions were aone year in ten opportunity. Starting fromjust E of N there was Mt Namadgi withRotten Swamp below (picture far right).Then the Mavis Ridge (which drew myattention for a couple of planned walks)round to Mt Burbidge. The Tinderrys siton the horizon. Swinging S of Burbidgeyou see down a Middle Creek arm pastYankee Hat N and S to the grasslands andpretend one can see the car at the welldefined vegetation edge. S is the top ofKelly with Sentry Box at back, then SW tothe way down and up the Scabby Ridge.Far in the distance is Jagungal with theSnowys marching S. W is the unnamedhill which gives access to the Kelly Spur,with Mt Murray directly behind. N fromthere are Bimberi Peak and theBrindabellas. Closer in to the N is theKelly Spur and the distinctive CoronetPeak (picture below). What a vista!

The obligatory top shots of the party,of course, to record the event. Our

leader also made an entry in the log - aslow process, as the biro needed a shot ofwarm breath every word or so to keep itgoing. Much reminiscing concerningpreviously recorded trips and walkers.The weather-etched trig stick wascarrying a little extra weight (see picturetop opposite).

Mt Kelly, ACTJohn Evans,Canberra Bushwalking Club

Mt Coronet from Mt Kelly

The Bushwalker | 5Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

Away just after 3 pm. The S end of thetop afforded us a view down to the top ofSams Creek and we were able to pick outa prospective camp site, under two largeeucalypts which kept the area white-freefrom the snowy surrounds. Back to ourgear by 3.35 pm, the descent a littlequicker. 1.1 km down through thescrubby belt at the top of Sams Creek andout onto the flats. The viewed camp sitewas perfect and we dropped packs atGR70134471 MGA94) at 4.15 pm. Afairly confined area and, after I admitted Isnored, some happy campers tried todistance their tent sites from mine.Another sited herself excellently aroundthe back of the chosen fire-place (we werein NSW). The usual drill - firewood, tentup, water, etc. I was most pleased withmy boots and knee-high winter/wetgaiters - my socks and feet were dry.Dressing for dinner took on addedsignificance as the temperatureplummeted - apart from long-johns, I was

most grateful for the loan of adown jacket from Bob E. For me,soup, freeze-dried beef teriyaki,hot chocolate and a little (yes,300 ml rather than 1 L) port toshare. So pleasant round the firethat I stayed up till 7.30 pm. Trueto self, I dropped and lost a glovewhile abluting no 1 in the dark. Ithink I now have 2 left handgloves after a similar loss inTassie a couple of years ago.Sermons and rock ‘n’ roll as usualon the MP3 player. I’d taken theopportunity to test my new 750gm Western Mountaineering bagand I was very warm - possibly alsothanks to clothes, Bob’s jacket, silk andthermal liners.

Day 2

The morning dawned crisp and clear.I was rude enough to suggest thatseveral other party members snored

- my companions were generous enoughto not say whether I’d kept them awake. Aleisurely start as there was no option,given the conditions, other than to returnvia Sams Creek fire trail. The minimum-recording-function on the probe equipped,electronic-powered, engineer-wieldedthermometer said -11.2°C. Thankgoodness it was not snowing/blizzarding/windy/raining - again, it was a perfect(but cold, still around -10 C) morning.I’d learned some tips around the fire theprevious night - if you don’t have a wifewith you, sleep with your boots and waterbottle (and batteries and techno-gadgets,which I already knew). Keith estimates atent raises the temperature about 5 C (-11-5=-6), so that’s why my gaiters andextra water in the tent were frozen in themorning. BTW - Jen H boils the billy lastthing, pops the water in her SIG waterbottle then in bed (so has a nice hot waterbottle) and has liquid H2O for brekky!However, I could only just get my boots

and laces pliable enough to put on andsomeone in the party had to light the firein order to thaw their boots. Breakfast inbed, with lovely shots to the N as the sunhit the tops (see pic 5).

Away at 8.40 am. The snow was a littlecrisper and held our weight a little better,but the deeper drifts still had us in up toour knees. Down the flats, across thecreek and to our first genuine sighting ofSams Creek fire trail at 9.25 am(GR69784354 MGA94). It comes andgoes. Crossed to the W side of the creekand found morning tea at 9.55 am (2.8km and 1 hr 15 mins to here). A stop torefill water just after as we again nearedthe creek, then continued up on the dryground on its W side. Another good,benched, obvious spot on the fire trail atGR70644113 (MGA94).

And so to a crossing of Sams Creek andlunch at 11.35 am (5.5 km and 2 hrs 55mins to here). Stoves out for a brew andpolitical discussion. Away after 45 mins, asimple matter of following the fire trailround the S of Mt Gudgenby (see pic 6) tocross Naas Creek over a log, then up the Sside of the drainage line to the Gudgenbysaddle, reaching it at 1.30 pm (8.8 kmand 4 hr 50 mins to here). Jen took us ona great route from here, hugging the Sbank of the arm of Bogong Creek formuch more than I’ve ever done before. Afew old tapes and cairns. Certainlyseemed easier and more direct than thesidle around SH1348.

No cairns after a while, but animalpads took us to the footpad again

and eventually out onto the green openspaces, then across the main arm ofBogong Creek. Across the culvert at theend of Bogong Swamp, then a vague B-line (my error, as I’d wanted to get backfor a little side excursion) through the oldBoboyan Pines (I’ve never seen them intheir glory - now eucalypt seed has beenscattered in amongst the fallen, burnedpines to protect the resultant seedlingsfrom the kangaroos) to the car. At onepoint, we found a hairless, pink, new-bornjoey lying on the ground which would dieof the cold if not rescued by its mother(we discussed intervention, but decidedno). Nature is tough.

Back at the car at 3.35 pm and I tooka little detour up to photograph theforesters hut. Another party of walkershad returned from part way up MtGudgenby, one a CBC walkert

Snow-encrusted trig stick

Mt Gudgenby

Mt Namadgi and Rotten Swamp from Kelly

6 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

On Saturday 25th August 2007fellow Shoalhaven BushwalkersKynie and Sandra joined me for

our four day walk through the SouthernCircuit of Wilsons Promontory NationalPark in Victoria. Today was cool andwindy and the sky was overcast with lightclouds which looked like they wouldclear.

In 2005 bushfires raged through thepark, burning most of the vegetation.Only small pockets of forest remaineduntouched. During the walk we wouldmake our way through forests ofblackened timber and lifeless trees,skeletons of forests once green withvegetation. Yet in the less than 2 yearssince the fires came through, it wasamazing to see how well the forestregrowth had come on.

The walking track initially descendslightly through regenerating forest butsoon starts its steady ascent towardsWindy Saddle on a series of switchbacks.The recovering forest was dominated bygrass trees, ferns and paperbark and theforest was full of birdsong as weascended. By 10.30am we arrived atWindy Saddle, an open grassy areasurrounded by bush on the flanks ofMount McAlister to the south-west andMount Ramsay to the north. Only 300metres above sea level, the saddle reallydidn’t offer much in views, but the lushgrass and small wooden platform madefor a great spot to take a break.

We continued eastwards, descendingto Sealers Swamp by a long track thatsidled Mount Ramsay, crossing manygullies, one with a small waterfall. Thisarea seems to have escaped the bushfiresand we passed through many pockets ofsub tropical rainforest dominated by mosscovered rocks and tree trunks. We crossedpicturesque Blackfish Creek and aftercrossing a quaint narrow wooden bridgeover Sealers Creek it was only about 100metres of sandy track to the golden sandsof Sealers Cove. A 600 metre walk downthe beach to the southern end brought usto the mouth of Sealers Creek and a shortcrossing to the camping area. The waterwas ice cold but refreshing to our feet.

Once we hadchosen a campsitewe explored thearea, finding aningenious runningwater set-up next tothe creek where apipe emptied freshrunning water into ahollow log. Wefound all thecampsites barRoaring Meg Creekhad thesecontraptions and they proved to be mostuseful during our walk, even though weplayed it safe by boiling or treating thewater first before drinking. After havinglunch, during which we were visited by acouple of very inquisitive CrimsonRosellas, we unpacked our rucksacks andpitched our tents. In the afternoon weexplored the area, walking the entirelength of the beach to the rocks at thenorthern end of the cove.

Next morning we were on the track toRefuge Cove by 8:30 am. There was somelow cloud about but we could see it wasbreaking up to reveal another perfect bluesky. Again this section seems to haveavoided the devastation of the 2005bushfires, even some of the wildflowerswere out early, adding some colour to thetrack. It took just one hour to reach therock platform above Horn Point. Fromhere we had great views back north overSealers Cove to The Cathedral and areasonable view of Refuge Cove to thesouth.

We now descended through thickforest and patches of Sub-Tropical

Rainforest to come out onto more goldensand on a small beach on the northernend of the cove. We crossed the sand andentered another track which ascendedthen descended over the rocky point inthe middle of Refuge Cove to theremarkable Boat Camp on the southernbeach. It featured a wooden fence whichhad signs with the names of boats carvedby owners of the many vessels that hadmoored here over the years. These wereintermingled with carved whale bonesand even footwear depicting boat names.

From Refuge Camping Area we startedthe gruelling ascent to Kersops Saddle,past a couple of granite slabs with greatviews of Refuge Cove. Just after mid-daywe reached Kersops Saddle with a goodview south of Waterloo Bay. The ascent toKersops Peak was only another 40 metresso we decided to have lunch there, and itwas well worth the effort. We had greatviews of Waterloo Bay with its aqua bluewater and white sandy beach. Further tothe south was a tantalising view of South-East Point and the lighthouse. After lunchwe returned to the track and prepared forour descent to Waterloo Bay.

We descended through the forest quitequickly to the tiny beach of North

Waterloo Bay, which we crossed to findanother track which initially headedinland. This track is quite narrow but veryscenic. It was also very undulating as itskirted the ridge above the coastal rocks,providing pleasant coastal views. At 2.45pm we descended onto the white sand ofLittle Waterloo Bay. We were the onlypeople there so we were able to pick outthe choicest campsites.

We pitched our tents and went for astroll along the beach. The water wasfreezing but it soothed our very tired andsore feet. We returned to camp by 4.30pm to prepare dinner. We had the usualsuspects hanging around, this time aCrow and three Magpies. We had finishedeating before it got dark and with lightfading it started to get quite cold. Allthree of us awere feeling stiff and sorefrom the day’s exertions and werecertainly not looking forward to moreclimbing tomorrow. By 7.30 pm it had

become so cold we all decided to retire toour tents for an early night.

Next morning we headed through thecampsite to the track that would take usover the rocky coastline to Waterloo Bay.It was already a bright sunny andunseasonably warm day with absolutelyno cloud in the sky at all. The short trackhad a few ascents, just enough to warmup the muscles and before we knew it wewere standing at the northern end of thebeach at Waterloo Bay. We had over onekilometre of soft white sand to negotiateand by the time we had reached the

Wilsons PromontorySouthern CircuitPaul Ellis,Shoalhaven Bushwalkers

Kynie crossing Sealers Creekto the camping area

Sealers Cover and the Cathedral from aboveHorne Point

Looking back to the mouth of Sealers Creek at low tide

The Bushwalker | 7Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

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southern end of the beach our legs werequite stiff. The only witness to ourhumorous attempts at crossing the beachwas a lone wallaby sitting on the grassatop a dune behind the beach.

The Lighthouse Track commenced just50 metres from the southern end of thebeach. It soon started to ascend, awayfrom the coastal heath and into burntforest as it started to climb up to theBoulder Range - so named after thegranite tors and boulders seen throughoutthe range. Up and up it went until wewere above Home Cove, climbing pastblackened trees and white graniteboulders. Only the ground cover wasgreen as the vegetation has justcommenced its regrowth here. Less than100 metres further on we came to a largerock slab, high above the ocean, whichgave some magnificent views of almost allthe coastline to the north and it felt likewe were almost looking down onto South-East Point and the lighthouse. The seawas eerily calm and there seemed to behardly a wave breaking in sight.

The track now moved inland andstarted to descend into thick forest, goingto South-East Point. We ascended a shortslope to the helipad, past some amazingrock formations, then it was onto themain ascent. At the top we made our waypast a complex of colonial lookingbuildings to the lighthouse proper andhad lunch on an open grassy section withviews all around.

The steep descent back down to thehelipad was almost as difficult as the

ascent. We continued through the burntcountryside to Telegraph Road andeventually a short cut to Roaring MegCreek campsite. This descended quitesteeply to a side creek and crossed twosmall ridges before it got there. We foundthe clearest water at one of the smallcreeks in the gullies and took theopportunity to top up our hydration bags.Eventually we crossed a new woodenbridge over Roaring Meg Creek andarrived at the lower campsite at 3.50 pm.We climbed the ridge to the topcampsites. The ground was very hard andthe bushfires had been very fierce herejudging by how badly burnt the treeswere.

We wasted little time in getting ourtents pitched and preparing dinner. It was5.45 pm by the time we got the stoves litand then the possums came and joined in.We made sure all our food was doublysecured in plastic bags, put in ourrucksacks and placed in our tents. It was8.20 pm by the time we had run thepossums out of our camp and we wastedlittle time in retiring to our tents for thenight. However, our night wasn’t over justyet: we were all awoken after midnight,firstly by the rising full moon which gavethe effect that it was morning, and thenafter 1.00 am by the sound of howlingwinds coming through the gullies.

We were up and out of our tents by6.00 am. The sky was clear and the windshad died down, but there were someominous looking clouds to the south. Weset off on the track behind the toilet blockat 8:10 am - a much shorter and morescenic option than walking the full lengthof Telegraph Road. Initially taking usthrough what remained of the forest for500 metres, the track ascended ontoscrubby heathland and undulated its wayfor just over 2 km to join up with theTelegraph Road just south of Martins Hill.We now followed the Telegraph Road forsome distance northwards as it descendedtowards Halfway Hut.

Halfway Hut, originally called MartinsHut, is a solid stone building which wasoriginally built for workers servicing thetelegraph line to the lighthouse. Halfwaybetween Telegraph Saddle and thelighthouse, it ispartially hidden inthe forest andfeatures apicturesque campingarea complete withfresh water tank anda pit toilet. Beingmade of stone thehut has survivednumerous bushfiresin the area over theyears. We continuednorthwards along theTelegraph Roadthrough badly burntTi Tree forest: blacklifeless treessurrounded by a

carpet of green undergrowth of ferns andweeds. Just over one kilometre later wepassed a side track to Waterloo Bay, and100 metres further on we took the lefthand track to Oberon Bay.

We arrived at Oberon Beach at 10.20am and stopped for a break. We still hadthe western coastal walk to go to finishour trip but the open dirt roads werebehind us. At the northern end of thebeach we waded across Growler Creek.North of the creek along the coastlinewere more boulders with the orange redlichen, similar to those found on theeastern side of the Prom. The track, whichquickly ascended around the headland toLittle Oberon Bay, showed evidence thebushfires were pretty fierce here too.

At Little Oberon Bay we crossed asmall beach of soft white sand and

climbed a long dune to find the trackwhich climbs high above and around asmall peninsula known as Norman Pointwith Little Oberon above us. We decidedto take lunch at 12.45 pm on the trackwhere the scenery would be better, ratherthan in the village of Tidal River. Wefound a spot on a large rock slab perchedabove the ocean with views of theoffshore islands and a cool breezewelcome in the hot midday sun.

At 1.45 pm we arrived back at TidalRiver, loaded our rucksacks into Sandra’scar and handed our permits back in at theRanger Station. It has been a mostmemorable four days of walkingt

Some of the boat names at Refuge Cove’s Boat Camp

8 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

Keith:

The Bushwalkers WildernessRescue Squad (BWRS) was

called out on Thursday eveningfor an 8 am Friday start atKatoomba Police Station. ‘Amissing solo male walker hadset out from the Kanangra Wallscar park on Good Friday lastand has been missing since. Theperson is described as a basicnavigator with no experience ofthe area with minimum waterand a sketch map’.

Eleven BWRS membersresponded. Paul Campbell-Allen was our OiC. We werebriefed to drive to KanangraWalls car park where the PoliceRescue Search HQ was set up tostart from there. Police AreaCommand, Police Rescue,Polair, Police radio, SES, NPWS& Ambulance were also present.We were briefed and formedinto 3 search teams with oneforward communications relayteam (also to search MtMoorilla peak). We were

ferried by Polair (twin enginedSquirrel helicopter) out to alanding zone (LZ) on MtMoorilla, at between 12 am and1 pm, (10 min flight, saving aday and half walk in).Everyone got a buzz from theride over some rugged beautifulcountry.

Team Alpha was tasked tosearch Moko Creek to the Cox’sRiver (very rugged in part)while team Bravo was tasked tosearch the Nurla Morella Ridgeto the Cox’s River. TeamCharley was tasked to searchMoorilla Creek to the Cox’sRiver. All teams were toregroup at KanangarooClearing. Team Delta wastasked to act as forwardcommunications from MtMoorilla (using Police radio viaUHF) with teams in the deepcreek valleys. Bravo would alsohelp where they could relayfrom the ridge top. Radiocommunications from the highpoints were good but not sogood in the deep valleys. We

all stopped to camp near dusk.Alpha camped in Moko creek,Bravo by the Cox’s River whileCharley made it to KanangarooClearing by torchlight. Eachteam had rationalised gear toreduce weight and slept underone fly. No relevant clues wereseen by any party.

I was not able to go out onthe first day BWRS entered thefield (Friday) but attended onsubsequent days as a teamleader. I believe that the taskswe were given were done wellbut I was concerned that wewere not searching closeenough to the last knownlocation of the missing walker.The Police Search Managerconfirmed that the missingwalker had signed the MtCloudmaker logbook.

Teams from NP&WS, SESand RFS (Rural Fire Service)and BWRS were part ofextensive searching underwayto the north of Mt Cloudmakerin the indistinct bush of theHigh Gangerangs and ridgestowards the Cox’s River.However, by Saturday no teamshad yet been deployed intocountry to the south and southwest of Mt Cloudmaker (ie, thepoint last seen). The missingperson was an inexperiencedbushwalker. A possiblescenario was that he had failedto turn west (from near MtCloudmaker) towards the usualDex Creek campsite and hadinstead descended into a lowerpart of Dex Creek. The PoliceSearch Manager accepted arecommendation for Foxtrot tosearch Ti Willa Creek (seeseparate report from NicBendeli (below) while teamEcho were to search creeks tothe south west of Cloudmaker.Echo deserves credit for theirefforts to struggle through thesecreeks for two days. They maybe the first and last Europeansto walk these creeks.

Eventually the walker wasfound in an unobvious spotamong rocks not far fromCloudmaker, above Dex Creek.I was determined that if such alarge search was repeated I

would try to ensure goodsearching occurred around theconfirmed location.

Nic Bendeli:

Saturday was fine and sunny.The new searchers were

split into teams and readied forsearching with 48 hours ofrations and overnight gear.Consistent with the new ideasof going light, we tried to keepthe pack weights low. Mine wasaround 10kg. We used theprinciple of one billy, one stove,one flysheet and shared gear asmuch as possible.

The briefing started and itwas clear that the search wasbeing extended beyond theconfines of the standard route.The country was difficult withbig gorges, narrow and steepwalls and many waterfalls. Ajob ideally suited for BWRS dueto our walking/climbing/cavingand canyoning experience. ThePolice wisely deployed us intothe difficult areas and keptother volunteer rescuers foreasier terrain.

Our team of three (Foxtrot)boarded the helicopter andstarted an exhilarating ride overthe Kanangra Tops to ourdeparture point on the edge ofMt Cloudmaker. A long half daywalk-in was affected in tenminutes and we were able tostart searching very quickly.Our team was responsible forsearching Ti-Willa Creek.

The descent down the creekwas very pleasant and muchmore open than expected. Itwas rough and steep going, butthe vegetation was easy and wewere able to concentrate onsearching and calling for themissing party. At one stage wemade a detour to 100 Man Cave“in case”. We continued ourslow progress downstream forthe rest of the day with noresults. By the mid afternoonwe had reached the intersectionwith Dex Creek and decided tostart looking for a campsite dueto the lateness of the day andthe scarcity of flat ground.

Mt Cloudmaker Search13-15, April 2007Keith Maxwell & Nic Bendeli, for BWRS

Konangaroo Clearing

The Bushwalker | 9Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

The Risk Management Frameworkprovides the guidelines for theprocedures to be followed to enablethe risks involved in bushwalking andassociated activities to be reducedand minimised and possiblyprevented. By following theseguidelines the activities will beundertaken safely and members willgain more enjoyment, and ourbushwalking areas can be fullyappreciated.Clubs are responsible for ensuringthat their activity leaders arecompetent in the levels of the skillsrequired to lead those activities andthat their activity members arecompetent in the levels of the skillsrequired to participate in thoseactivities. The levels of skills requireddepend on the degree of difficulty of

the activity. Activities vary in thedegree of difficulty within Clubs andbetween Clubs. Confederation doesnot provide those skills or access tothem. Rather, the sources of thoseskills are publicised and Clubs areencouraged to compare the trainingconducted and to share the trainingwhich is relevant to them.If Clubs share their skill levels andencourage high levels of those skillsthen bushwalking activities will bemore enjoyable and members willask about the next activity. This willalso encourage our principle of ‘walksafely - walk with a club’. To furtherencourage this principle I will offersome suggestions in the next edition.

Chris Knight,Confederation Training Officer

Bushwalking Training Courses

An alien name slipped intolast issue of The

Bushwalker (Vol 32, Issue 3),where it could become aconfusing and erroneous partof the historical record.There is no such thing as“Batsch” Camp on the way toYerranderie. The real namecomes from my Gundunguramap of the Kowmung Country.The correct name for theoriginal camp there derivesfrom bat shit. Bags of thisguano were carried up fromColong Caves, and then fromthe camp carted out along theOberon to Camden StockRoute for use as fertilizer. TheCamden Stock Route was justa rough horse track in the earlydays.In 1961 I named the base

camp there from the storiesabout the bat shit told to me bythe late Neville Lang of“Bindook”. But in polite societyat that time one could not usethe correct old English term.Thus I used the colloquialism,using Batsh Camp for myKowmung Country map, aspublished in the First EditionClassic. When later editions ofthe map were produced bymembers of the then SydneyUniversity Rover-Scout Crew,they even had to remove Batshas too rude. It was reduced toBats, so strict were our moralguardians!!Readers may read more from“Press On Regardless, 1996”(distributed in 1999) by lookingat the on-line universityarchives at:

Bat guano — a corrigenda

www.usyd.edu.au/bushwalking/archives:/POR/ Gundungura.html

Readers should note that the name Gundungara has a single r.

Geoff Ford

Eventually we found an areathat could pass as a campsiteand spent a comfortable night.

On Sunday we followedrevised instructions to proceedup Dex Creek as far as possible.Dex Creek was steeper than Ti-Willa and much more bouldery.We walked carefully andoccasionally negotiated shortwaterfalls by very steep walkingand scrambling. As we neared ataller waterfall, we noticedclothing and debris in the area.It had been there for quite awhile and belonged to a coupleof walkers. We surmised thatthe debris had been washedaway in a flood from theregular Dex Creek campsiteabout one kilometre upstreamand 200m in altitude higher.Consistent with BWRSprocedures we radioed in theinformation and asked forinstructions. We were told toproceed forward whilst a rangerwas being flown in toinvestigate.

Going forward wasproblematical. The waterfallwas dark, damp, slimy anddangerous. We checked apossible route on the true left,however it was exposed andone (likely) slip would haveresulted in a major incident.Instead we started a long andsteep scramble on the true rightto negotiate the waterfallconsiderably higher and thendescend back downstream toclose the gap. Whilst scramblingupwards, the helicopter arrivedand hovered, but due to thesteep enclosing walls and thereverberation of the engine wewere unable to communicate.The crew dropped a messageand told us to stay put. A rangerwas lowered who informed usthat the body was above us atthe edge of the waterfall.

Keith:The deceased walker wassighted from the helicopterfurther up Dex Creek fromFoxtrot. Many actions quicklyfollowed. The Kanangra Walls

car park was closed off withPolice barrier tape to excludethe general public and all mediareporters. Previously theNational Park had been closedbut the general public wereallowed to go to the lookouts atKanangra Walls. The Policewanted to retrieve the deceasedperson, confirm identity andnotify relatives so they couldattend Kanangra Walls beforeany general media releases. Arow of reporters and camerasformed at the barrier tape allhoping to eavesdrop somehowon activity at the search HQ (atthe other end of the car park).

Conclusion

A big well done to allinvolved, Police Rescue,

Police Command, Police radiotechnicians, SES, NP&WS,Ambulance SCAT and BWRS.The communications generallywere exceptional particularlywith the BWRS Operators atbase. The use of helicoptersmade a big contribution to thesearch by getting personnelquickly to their search areasinstead of days of walking.

BWRS were tasked intosome tough areas andperformed well. Teams Alpha,Bravo and Charley were selfcontained in the field for threedays. Teams Echo and Foxtrotand base personnel also playeda big part. Our personnel allworked well together and asteams.

In a lot of ways I wouldprefer that BWRS was calledsooner as I believe that wouldgive a better chance of finding amissing person alive. However,in this instance and at theKedumba Search in Decemberlast year it is unlikely that therewould have been a differentoutcome. A down side to beingcalled out sooner is that wecould drive to the site only tofind that the missing person hasbeen found, thus wasting ourtime and potentially gettingemployers off-side for no gaint

10 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

the forest in 1936 with PaddyPallin and Myles Dunphy;David Roots, whose earliestmemory is of being in a tent inthe forest in about 1934,listening to campfireproceedings outside, and whowas in the first party to scalethe cliffs of Mount Banks;Allan Correy, who was in thefirst party to descend MountHay Canyon, and Jim Barrett,well known walker andhistorian.

Everyone was welcomed tothe site by a group of youngpeople (but not much youngerthan those who originallysaved the forest) who had setup a re-creation of a 1930scamp, causing much curiosity.

Interest in the event farexceeded expectations. Manypeople would have liked to bepresent, but were turnedaway. The valley was stillclosed due to the controversialbushfire of November 2006,and the NPWS had set a limitand required pre-registrationso as to properly manage therisks.

While past major forestanniversaries were essentiallya shindig for bushwalkingclubs, this one was far moreinclusive. The majority presentwere not members of Sydney-based bushwalking clubs, butwalkers and conservationistsand Blue Mountains localswith a broader interest in theforest. Now that most of the1930s walkers have passedaway, the traditional clubshave, perhaps unknowingly,passed the Blue Gum baton onto the wider community.

Most importantly, therewas the acknowledge-

ment that the forest isAboriginal traditional country.Auntie Carol Cooper wel-comed the crowd on behalf ofthe Darug people and thankedthe bushwalkers for theiraction in saving the place.Then Bob Debus, former localmember and NSW environ-ment minister, acknowledgedthe traditional owners and alsothanked the bushwalkers. WilfHilder, Confederationpresident, spoke light-heartedly on behalf of thebushwalkers, while IanEddison of the Friends of BlueGum talked about the role ofvolunteers in the forest andannounced that the Friendswould soon be regrouping fornew efforts in the valley.

In introducing the ‘re-creation’ group, MC AndyMacqueen also introducedtheir grandmother FloraTurton, and the tale was toldabout how she had taken her

mother to the forest in the1940s. While pointing out thatthe bushwalkers had a way togo to compete with Darugpeople, Andy emphasised theimportance of passing theforest story down through thegenerations.

Wilf Hilder and IanEddison cut a huge cake

(brought in by helicopter!)and, after a resounding HappyBirthday was sung to the trees,all present gorged themselvesaccordingly. Then manyaccompanied Chris Tobin,Wyn Jones or Andy Macqueento hear talks on Aboriginalculture, fire ecology or foresthistory, while others made anearly start up the big climb.

It was a significant eventnot only for commemoratingthe forest action, but forAboriginal reconciliation. Thecontroversy surrounding thebushfire and the fears for thehealth of the trees were setaside, and a most pleasant andenriching day was had by all.

While past events such asthe saving of Blue Gum mayseem trivial in the light ofcurrent and future challengesfor conservation, it is import-ant that that we never losesight of the our heritage. Incelebrating pivotal events ofthe past, we are reminded ofthe values we seek to protect,and recharged for thecampaigns of the future t

Photos:Top right: Crossing Grose: 1940sCMW member Flora Turton beingassisted across the Grose River(Geoff Luscombe: DECC)Bottom left:Group at big tree:Some of the celebrating walkersgathered at the ‘Big Tree’ (PaulCardow: DECC)Below: Hilder and Eddison:Confederation President WilfHilder cutting the 75th birthdaycake with Friends of Blue GumForest representative IanEddison (Phillip Weir: DECC)

This year saw severalmajor 75th anniveraries,including those for the

Sydney Harbour Bridge andthe ABC. But for bushwalkers,and the national parksmovement, the ones that reallycounted were those of BlueGum Forest, the NSWFederation of BushwalkingClubs and National Parks andPrimitive Areas Council.These three entities are notunrelated. Blue Gum Forestwas reserved on 2 September1932 after a campaign bybushwalkers: they had paidthe lessee who threatened theforest the sum of £130 (nearly$20,000 today) to relinquishhis lease, and they hadpersuaded the government toreserve the land.

The Federation had itsinaugural meeting on 21 July1932, and comprisedrepresentatives from ninebushwalking clubs. They wereall fired up by matters ofmutual interest – especiallythe protection of the naturalareas they loved. The success

of the Blue Gum campaign hadhelped them to realise thevalue of organised action.

Meanwhile Myles Dunphy,similarly inspired by thesuccess at the forest, andendeavouring to promote hisvision for a huge BlueMountains National Park andother parks in the state, wassetting up the NPPAC. Indeed,the pedigree of today’sNational Parks and WildlifeService—not to mention theparks themselves—can betraced back through theNational Parks Association (50years old this year) to theFederation and the NPPAC.

And so it was that nearly200 people met in Blue GumForest on 2 September 2007 tocelebrate its anniversary. Theoccasion, together with aphotographic exhibition at theGovetts Leap Heritage Centre,was ably organised by BlueMountains NPWS, assisted byvolunteers representing theFriends of Blue Gum and theConfederation.

Most people walked to theforest, via the Perrys track.Several ‘old-timer’bushwalkers and otherpersonalities were flown in byhelicopter, though they stillhad to walk a kilometre to thecelebration site, crossing bothGovetts Creek and the Grose.

The old-timers includedRon Woodhead, who was in

Andy Macqueen,Springwood Bushwalking Cluband Friends of Blue Gum Forest

The Bushwalker | 11Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

The Colong Foundation hascampaigned for nearly 40 years toreserve wilderness areas, save old

growth forests and protect National Parksfrom development and damage. Colongwas formed in 1968 to prevent quarryingat Colong in the southern Blue Mountains.This year we celebrate the 20th year ofthe Wilderness Act and it is time to reflecton what has been achieved.

There are now 1.9 million hectares ofwilderness reserved or almost a third ofthe national parks estate in NSW. TheWilderness Act has done a tremendous jobfor nature conservation and in reservingnew park areas. Despite its critics, theWilderness Act has protected manythreatened forest areas throughwilderness logging moratoria, environ-mental assessment and reservationimplementing various Governmentwilderness policies. Wilderness capturesthe imagination by conjuring upspellbinding images of near-pristineenvironments and can rejuvenate theenthusiasm of jaded politicians.

During the forest battles of the late1980s and 1990s, the landscape scaleprotection power of wilderness vastlyimproved the security of the Guy Fawkes,Washpool, Macleay Gorges, Mann,Chealundi, Cathedral Rocks, NewEngland, Mummel Gulf, Barrington and

Nadgee areas. These forest struggles,through fought on a more scientific basisthan in the past, revisited the battles forBlue Mountains wilderness in that thosecommitted to the conservation ceaselesslypitted themselves against those wantingto exploit the environment.

There is another side to this story.Wilderness can be lost quickly. During therecent state election campaign, theCoalition parties signed an agreementwith horse rider groups to give themaccess to wilderness areas and naturereserves. We could have lost nature-basedpark management because politicalparties thought wilderness wasdisposable.

This June the wilderness zone inAustralia's largest national park, Kakadu,was abolished when a new plan ofmanagement was made. Only the ColongFoundation for Wilderness objected to theloss. The zoning of Kakadu National Park,including its wilderness zone, was doneaway with making the job of parkdevelopment easier and less constrained.

In NSW the Department of Environmentand Climate Change has no wilderness

officers and its Wilderness Unit wasdisbanded years ago. The area ofwilderness is almost as large as the entireState Forest estate but there are no formalrepresentatives within the bureaucracy to

speak up for its appropriate management.The Colong Foundation is obliged to takeup that job, as well as more publiccampaigning. We do our best.

Over the next few years wilderness willneed the support of all its friends. TheColong Foundation for Wilderness willcontinue fight for wilderness, but oursuccess depends on your support. Ourchallenges were enormous. They areglobal and ideological, while beingregional and local in detail. Often savingwilderness comes down to a ridiculousone dimensional argument regardingvehicle access versus natural integrity.

In roads versus nature debates it issometimes hard to remember that

wilderness is our inspiration and key tounderstanding the natural world. It offersthe essential lessons society must learn tosurvive in this changing world - humilityand honouring something other than thehuman world. You can’t understand thatlesson from inside a four wheel drivevehicle, although many say you can. Forwilderness to survive the priority fornature conservation should be for lessfragmentation of large natural areas, lessroads and more nature focused parkmanagement.

Those well funded and importantwildlife corridors, Landcare and bushregeneration projects in more fragmentedbush landscapes will fail unless there issomething substantial of the naturalworld left to connect with. In the battle tosave the bush, as in every battle, you musthold the centre or everything else fallsapart t

The Colong Foundationfor Wilderness Keith Muir

12 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

It was 8.30 am when our 18 seater buspulled up outside our hotel in Dechin.It had seen better days and had we

known the roads it was to travel weprobably would not have got on it. Dechinis on the road to Tibet in what used to beTibetan Shangrila before the area was takenover by China in 1959. It is now the lasttown in China before crossing the borderinto Tibet. Today it still maintains itsTibetan language and culture but it isoccupied by China as part of their territory.We loaded our gear on the roof of the buscovering it with tarpaulins to try and keep itdry. Light drizzle was the forecast for theday and our hopes of seeing the Meili SnowMountains were lost due to the weatherconditions.

We headed a short distance out of townto Namkhatashi where we were supposedto have our first sight of the sacredKawakarpo Mountain that rises 6740metres above sea level. This place issacred to Buddhist with several Stupas andshrines. Here our Buddhist Guides laid outprayer flags and burnt incense and Juniperbranches while offering prayers to Buddaasking for a safe trip. The officialformalities completed, we headed outalong the road that was cut into the side of

the mountains and where landslides werecommon place. Several kilometres out weturned off this Road and descended downinto the valley of the Mekong River.Before crossing the Mekong River westopped at a checkpoint and registered ourdetails including names, nationality andpassport numbers. As we crossed thebridge over the Mekong, the driver turnedthe bus on to a small two-wheel track tothe right that had been cut into the cliffface 40 metres above the swirling MekongRiver. Large rocks blocked the road andtwo of our guides ran in front of the busclearing them. The third guide and thecook stayed in the bus and started singing.In fact they were actually chanting andpraying. To make things worse, the edgesof the road were cracking and breakingaway and the passengers on the side abovethe river were also praying. This so calledroad followed along above the Mekongslowly rising higher for around threekilometres before turning away from theriver and entering a Tibetan village. Wepassed through this village and continuedfollowing a track along creek beds andalong cliffs to the small village of Sitang.This village is only 12 kilometres fromwhere we crossed the Mekong River andturned off but the experience of travellingthis road could only be described as thrillseeking.

At Sitang wetraded our bus forhorses to carry ourpacks and the trackcontinued on foot.This is the startingpoint for the PilgrimTrail and it is 3000metres above sealevel. It is a 700metre climb to thetop of the pass,which is 3720metres. We hadbeen slowly workingour way up to thisheight to acclimatiseourselves to this thinlow oxygen air.There are twoteahouses along thetrail to the saddle

and another two on the top of the pass.Having walked at 4200 meters a few

weeks earlier, I was well aware of the needto carry oxygen when walking at thisaltitude. At the second teahouse on theway up to the pass, I was gasping forbreath and the weight of my legs hadincreased to the point that they weredifficult to lift to move forward. At thispoint I made the decision to open one ofmy oxygen canisters to assist me to makethe top. The difference this made wasgreat. Although the walking was still noteasy, the breathing improved and myenergy level increased relieving the pain ofwalking. The scenery on the way up hadbeen restricted to the trail by the weather,but the misty and damp conditions didmake it easier for climbing to the pass.Had the sun been out and the weatherhotter it would have been even moreenergy draining on the body. The trail waslined with Rhododendrons, Pines, Birchand Oak as well as several other floweringplants. As we neared the top we enteredan archway of prayer flags that ran severalhundred metres to the highpoint on thepass where they spread out into thesurrounding trees and fauna. From herethe clouds would allow glimpses of therugged peaks but never allowed a fullpanorama of the beauty of thesemountains. We had to be patient and waituntil Mother Nature was ready to displaythe views presently being hidden in themist.

After resting at the top along with othertravellers and packhorses, we started

our descent into the valley below and thesmall village of Yuben where we were tospend the night at a guesthouse. Wedescended around 500 metres into thevalley before we reached our destination.The culture in this area is totally differentto Western Culture. As we entered theguesthouse a dead chicken was laying onthe floor. We did not know if it had beenkilled for tonight’s meal or had just died.An hour later it had disappeared andreturned plucked and cleaned. No one ate

The Pilgrim trail to theSacred Waterfall – TibetAlwyn Simple,Watagan Wanderers

Mt Metsemo and the Five Wisdoms of Buddha

The Bushwalker | 13Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

chicken that night. Western toilets areunknown in this area and the use ofChinese and Tibetan toilets is not apleasant experience.

Next morning the cloud had lifted fromthe mountains and we were treated tospectacular views. The Sacred KawakarpoMountain could not be seen from ourguesthouse but his wife, Mount Metsomostood proudly in front of us displaying allher beauty. The sun reflected from thewhite snow that cover the peak and randown to form the glacier skirting the sideof the mountain. Other snow-coveredpeaks were visible to the right of Metsomo,which formed part of the Meili Snowmountain Range.

After breakfast we set out droppingfurther down into the valley to cross asmall stream that splits the village ofYuben. Our progress was temporallystopped while the local people knockeddown a mudpack wall of a dwelling thathad broken away from the main house andwas leaning out towards the path. As weleft the village we crossed a small opengrassland with a stream running through it

before entering the forest of birch and pinetrees. We were now able to see the fivesnow covered peaks to the side of MountMetsomo and these were called the FiveWisdoms of Budda. The trail here wasmainly level and followed the stream upthe valley towards the base of MountMetsomo and her neighbouring peaks.Part way along the trail, the river bed wascovered in stone cairns known as chortens,built as dwellings for the dead where theystay for the period before they can moveon to become reincarnated. Also in thisarea are gifts tied on the trunks of trees onstrings with stones also attached to thebottom of the string for the Budda to pullup to heaven. Money including coins andnotes are also attached to the vertical rockfaces in the area as a gift to the Budda.

We came out of the forest on to anopen grassland with a few scatted

dwellings and some grazing yak andhorses. At this point we were warned notto yell and make noises as the last peoplewho had done this had died on themountain in an avalanche. We crossed thegrassland and started to climb the steepzigzag track to the waterfall. Part way up,a track branched off this main track andwent to a Buddhist temple that had beenbuilt to enclose a sacred cave where GuruPadmasambhava was supposed to havemeditated. The door of the temple openedinto the cave and a Buddhist Nun attendedthe temple daily. Each night she returnedto the village of Yuben as the spirits of

those who had died on the mountain stillremained in the area. Buddhist people aredeeply disturbed by spirits of the dead andthis is why they always have a board acrossthe bottom of the doorway. They believethat the dead walk by shuffling and theycannot lift their feet to step acrossobstacles. Our Tibetan Guides offeredprayers here and we were asked by theNun to respect the sacred waters of thewaterfall.

As we continued to climb the track gotsteeper. Then just before the waterfall

there is a level section that the stream runsthrough which had around twenty yakgrazing in it. From here it was one shortfinal climb to the base of the twowaterfalls, which are said to come from thesacred mountain of Kawakarpo. Thesewaterfalls are not very large but are twosmall streams of water dropping over thecliff around 20 metres apart. Looking upfrom the base they appear to come fromthe sky. The wind picks up the fallingwater and drifts it across the face of thecliff like a fine veil blowing in the breeze.The height at which this waterfall islocated is 3770 metres above sea level. Imust have acclimatised from the previousday as this time I was able to make theclimb without the aid of oxygen. The tripback to the guest house in Yuben was apleasant walk and we uncounted localpeople collecting firewood and carrying itback to their homes in large bundles tiedon their backs. That evening most of usturned in early knowing we had to returnacross the saddle the next day.

Next morning was again fine but acloud band had moved in covering the highpeaks of themountain. I was upearly and headingoutside when Idiscovered a mule inthe kitchen eatingthe vegetables. Imade a quick dashback to the room formy camera and tooka few photos before Itried to send it on itsway. It had nointention of leavingand backed up to mein a kicking position.There was a canewalking stick handywhich changed itsmind and itreluctantly left itsnewfound foodstash.

After breakfastwe set off once againfor the pass acrossthe mountains. Theclimb back to the topof the pass took justover two hours andwe were rewardedwith views of thesacred KawakarpoMountain on theway up. Thankfullythe horses that arethe only means oftransport into andout of this valleycarried the main

packs. The trek down the other side to thevillage of Sitang was easy compared to theclimb up two days earlier. With the rainand mist gone we were able to see thenearby mountains through the openings in

the trees. When we arrived at Sitang ourbus had not arrived so our guide had toarrange other transport to get us out.Some of our group took on the challengeto walk the 12 kilometres to the bridgeacross the Mekong River rather than drivein a vehicle along this road. However theynever made it all the way before beingpicked up. We did make it back to thebridge safely, having completed the Pilgrimtrail and we were ready to set off on ournext adventure to the Mingyong Glacier.This adventurecame to a sudden halt whena large landslide blocked the road. As aresult we had to return to Dechin andspend the night in a local hotel t

Buddhist temple at the valley entrance

Pack horses carried our supplies

14 | The Bushwalker Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Tony Dawson,

2007 ISBN 978-095 902 963-5

You have to be a bit of anenthusiast to go through

all the hassles of publishing abook - some might say a 'nutcase'. Well, the author TonyDawson is certainly anenthusiast about trig stations.But it seems he managed toenthuse people from the LandsDept, the State Library, theSeniors Group of the Instituteof Surveyors, Arts NSW, theNPWS, and Pittwater Council,

as all these organisations havecontributed to this book.Quoting from the back cover:'The author, pictured here atCliff trig in 2007, is a retiredscientist whose first book onsurveying history 'JamesMeehan - a most excellentsurveyor' was published in2004. He is a member of theManly Warringah andPittwater Historical Society ...'Well, what else do you dowhen retired?Actually, I have to confess Ifound the book fascinating and

well-written. All bushwalkerslike trig points (or trigstations): finding one tells uswhen we have actually got to aknown point, even if the scrubaround is so thick there aren'tany views to be had! And thisbook covers the very hilly areaof Sydney's north, which isconvenient for day walks to somany walkers.The book is more than a listingof the trig points. The first halfof the book starts with thehistory of the surveying of theSydney region right from theFirst Fleet. I found itfascinating to find the sources

of many well-knownplace names, comingfrom the people involved.The author quotesAssistant SurveyorGovett, who was not ableto get himself issued ahorse for his work. 'Inconsequence of my nothaving a pack horse,there will be many a day Ishall have to wander withblankets on my back, andmany a night to trust tothe generosity of theweather, for my rest,which inconveniencesought, if they could beavoided' ... 'but I contentmyself however, with thisconsideration that the lessI have under my care, theless I have to answer for.'Modern lightweightbushwalking!The first half then goes on

to explain about the later moreserious surveying process andhow the surveys were done.Did you know that the metalplug you sometimes find at atrig point in the rock is calleda Munz plug, and they werestuck in with molten sulfur?(Some of the anchors onCarlons Chains were stuck inthe same way.) And some ofthe huge cairns you find todayat the trig points were erectedback around 1880!The second half of the booklists most of the trig stations

Book Reviews“Guide to the Historic TrigonometricalStations of Sydney’s North”

ISBN 978 064 647 695 7

Andy McQueen

(With acknowledgement to The ColongBulletin, where the original review waspublished.)

It’s ten years since AndyMacqueen launched his

book ‘Back from the Brink’. Itgained immediate popularity,being a fascinating andcomprehensive account notonly of Blue Gum Forest— arguably the Cradle ofConservation in NSW —but of the whole GroseWilderness. On the onehand there were thebushwalkers, canyonersand conservationists wholoved the place, but on theother hand there were therailway and dam buildersand the miners andloggers who threatened it.With the 75th anniversaryof the reservation of BlueGum Forest beingcelebrated this year, Andydecided to produce asecond edition. All thematerial from the firstedition is there, with afew corrections,embellishments and someadditional photographs.Thanks to careful research ofAlan Rigby’s photo archives byhis son Roger Rigby, newevidence has come to lightabout the makeup andactivities of Rigby’s Easter1931 party — the party thatcame across Hungerford andhis axe. It was not an all-maleparty at all.More importantly, there is awhole new section entitled‘New Climates’, which containsthree chapters dealing withevents of the last ten years.Those events include not onlythe Wilderness declaration and

World Heritage listing, butalso some less welcomephenomena. It has not beenrailways and dams that havebrought Blue Gum and theGrose to the brink ofdestruction, but privatesanctuary promoters, filmcompanies and, most recently,the dubious management of amajor bushfire.Given the essentiallycelebratory nature of the firstedition, it must have been achallenge for Andy to maintainthat tone in the face of thoserecent somewhat depressingevents. However, he appearsto have done it. The bookbegins with an author’spreface which describes thecomplex nature of issues now

facing the management ofreserves and concludes withan inspirational quote fromSue Morrison about the area’sunique eucalypt ecosystemsand outstanding wildernessFrankly, I found the wholebook fascinating. It is not thesort of book I could just sitdown and read straightthrough: there is far too muchthere for that. I highlyrecommend it.Published by the author, RRP39.95, available from somebookshops or fromandymacqueen@gmail.com

“Back from theBrink”

Blue Gum Forest and theGrose Wilderness– Second Edition

known, conveniently groupedby area. It is hard to avoidplanning a few day walkswhen you read this section,just to go and check out thetrigs. Well, my wife and I didjust that, out past Cole andEdwards to Taffys Rocks nearCowan, with a view onwardsto Cliff. There's a photo of theauthor at Cliff on the backcover, by the way, and the trigis clearly visible from Taffys

Rocks. There are also unlistedtrig points still to be found,apparently put in to assist thesurveyors but never givenofficial status.The book can be obtained fromthe Manly Warringah andPittwater Historical Society, POBox 695, Manly NSW 1655with an RRP of $16.50excluding P&P. It can also beobtained by contactingdragdawson@hotmail.com.

Cliff Trig from Taffys Lookout

The Bushwalker | 15Volume 32, Issue 4, Spring 2007

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