201102 newsletter

6
QUEENSLAND BUSHWALKERS CLUB Inc. PO Box 2199 Sunnybank Hills QLD 4109 Email [email protected] Phone No (07) 3341 7509 http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/ Newsletter February 2011 Christmas Capers Club News Christmas Party The Christmas Party for 2010 was held at Mt Glorious on a wet weekend in December. However Camp Constable with its large undercover kitchen and hall, not to mention hot showers and dry bunks proved a quite suitable venue. Twenty five people turned up for the weekend despite the damp and dismal weather. On the Friday night after everyone had settled in and had supper, there was a video and photo display. Wayne showed us a video of a recent motor bike trip through the back roads of NSW and there were photos of trips to Europe by Dave. On Saturday two walks went out, one to Branch Creek led by Patricia and John B. and another to a tributary of Northbrook Creek led by Richard. Both groups got thoroughly soaked by the rain but a hot shower and happy hour got us all in the mood for dinner and dress up. John B and Wayne helped with cooking the steaks, snags and onions and everyone had brought a plate to share. There were also several desserts to choose from. After dinner it was time for the dress up with the theme of coming dressed up as a name of a song. It was a hard choice picking a winner but Margaret with her “Devil in Disguise” and Richard with “Hair” won the votes. Other prizes were given out to leaders who had led five walks or more in the previous Club year. They included Richard Kolarski, David Haliczer, John Brunott, David Rae, Kerry De Clauzel, Traci Nudl, Noelene McCay, Stuart Mackay, and Patricia Kolarski. Sunday morning it was still raining and everyone chipped in to clean up Camp Constable. There was no chance of any games but there was entertainment enough as people tried to drive their cars off the completely saturated grassy parking area. Maggie's car had to be helped with a bit of a push but the Subarus handled the conditions well. Many thanks to Lynn for organising the weekend. Photo Competition 2010 The entries for the photo competition were judged by a person who is not a member of a bushwalking club but a photographic friend of Evelyn's. Club Character Winner Tough Kokodas by Richard Kolarski Runner Up Nev by Helen McAllister Nature Winner Poona by David Rae Runner Up Water Rocks by Helen McAllister Pictorial Winner Stone Sober by Richard Kolarski Runner Up Mt Greville by Bob Hammelswang. People Choice Winner Patricia Kolarski Each winner received a $25.00 outdoor shop voucher. Grant Application Successful QBW has been notified that the application for a grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund has been approved. The grant is for $4,198.00 and includes the following: Four handheld GPS's and associated map software, One laptop, One water purification device. The GPS's will be the the high sensitivity receiver type which can give a position even in deep rainforest. They will also have the capability to have topographic maps stored on them and to track walks. The present Club laptop is over 5 years old and showing its age. A SteriPEN which uses ultraviolet light to sterilise water will also be purchased. Page 1 of 6

Upload: qbw

Post on 08-Apr-2018

224 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 1/6

QUEENSLAND

BUSHWALKERS

CLUB Inc.

PO Box 2199

Sunnybank Hills

QLD 4109

Email [email protected]

Phone No (07) 3341 7509

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

Newsletter February 2011

Christmas Capers

Club News

Christmas Party

The Christmas Party for 2010 was held at Mt Glorious on a wetweekend in December. However Camp Constable with its largeundercover kitchen and hall, not to mention hot showers and drybunks proved a quite suitable venue.

Twenty five people turned up for the weekend despite the dampand dismal weather. On the Friday night after everyone hadsettled in and had supper, there was a video and photo display.Wayne showed us a video of a recent motor bike trip throughthe back roads of NSW and there were photos of trips to Europeby Dave.

On Saturday two walks went out, one to Branch Creek led byPatricia and John B. and another to a tributary of NorthbrookCreek led by Richard. Both groups got thoroughly soaked by therain but a hot shower and happy hour got us all in the mood for dinner and dress up.

John B and Wayne helped with cooking the steaks, snags andonions and everyone had brought a plate to share. There werealso several desserts to choose from.

After dinner it was time for the dress up with the theme of coming dressed up as a name of a song. It was a hard choicepicking a winner but Margaret with her “Devil in Disguise” andRichard with “Hair” won the votes.

Other prizes were given out to leaders who had led five walks or more in the previous Club year. They included Richard Kolarski,David Haliczer, John Brunott, David Rae, Kerry De Clauzel,Traci Nudl, Noelene McCay, Stuart Mackay, and PatriciaKolarski.

Sunday morning it was still raining and everyone chipped in toclean up Camp Constable. There was no chance of any gamesbut there was entertainment enough as people tried to drivetheir cars off the completely saturated grassy parking area.Maggie's car had to be helped with a bit of a push but theSubarus handled the conditions well.

Many thanks to Lynn for organising the weekend.

Photo Competition 2010

The entries for the photo competition were judged by a personwho is not a member of a bushwalking club but a photographicfriend of Evelyn's.

Club Character 

Winner Tough Kokodas by Richard KolarskiRunner Up Nev by Helen McAllister 

Nature

Winner Poona by David RaeRunner Up Water Rocks by Helen McAllister 

Pictorial

Winner Stone Sober by Richard KolarskiRunner Up Mt Greville by Bob Hammelswang.

People Choice

Winner Patricia KolarskiEach winner received a $25.00 outdoor shop voucher.

Grant Application Successful

QBW has been notified that the application for a grant from theGambling Community Benefit Fund has been approved.

The grant is for $4,198.00 and includes the following:

• Four handheld GPS's and associated map software,

• One laptop,

• One water purification device.

The GPS's will be the the high sensitivity receiver type whichcan give a position even in deep rainforest. They will also have

the capability to have topographic maps stored on them and totrack walks.

The present Club laptop is over 5 years old and showing its age.

A SteriPEN which uses ultraviolet light to sterilise water will alsobe purchased.

Page 1 of 6

Page 2: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 2/6

General Information

Meeting Place

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

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

There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street.

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

Membership

Probationary Membership

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

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

Ordinary Membership

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

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

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

Members of Another Bushwalking Club

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

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

Club EquipmentCompasses Topo Maps GPS's

Emergency Lights First Aid Kits UHF Radios

The above are for free use by members.Contact David at 3395 1838 or email [email protected] 

PLBs with inbuilt GPS

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

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

Ordinary Members - $5.00 charge for use of the Club rope andanother $5.00 charge for use of harness and accessories .

Probationary Members and members of affiliated clubs - $10.00charge for use of the Club rope and another $10.00 charge for use of harness and accessories.

Contact Trevor at 0411 512 202

Back Pack for Hire $5.00 charge

Contact Trevor at 0411 512 202

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

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

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

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

Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.

The Management CommitteePresident Gil Gunthorpe 0408 980 694

Vice President Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)

Secretary Sue Ward 3844 6389(H)

Treasurer John Hinton 3343 3724(H)

Outings Off icer David Haliczer 3879 8334(H)

Membership Officer Geraldine Burton 3376 9454(H)

Editor Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H)

Social Secretary Lynn Nicol 3219 6228(H)

Training Officer Stuart Mackay 3890 8196(H)

Other Voluntary Positions

Equipment Officer David Rae 3395 1838(H)

Supper Convenor Mary Sherlock 3209 8514 (H)

Librarian Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)

BWQ Rep Stuart Mackay 3890 8196 (H)

BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 3341 7509 (H)

Campsite Monitors

John Brunott Ballows, Paddys KnobKerry de Clauzel Throakban, Barney Gorge and

Lower Portals

Ann Kemp Spicers Peak (east & west)

Richard Kolarski Running Creek Falls

Barbara Makepeace Rat-a-tat, Spicers/Doubletop saddleRum Jungle

John Shera Panorama Point

John & Julie Shera Mt Superbus & Rabbit Fence JctLower Panorama

Ken Walters Mt May saddle & Paddy’s Plain

Editors Pic

Tough Kokodas Nev

The Photo competition was judged by an independent outsider who had a photographic background. Beside choosing a winner he also picked a runner up and gave us some notes about whyhe chose those particular photos.

Tough Kokodas - Winner of the Club Character 

Great composition and good timing. The mist provides somenicely diffused light, adding to the drama and emotion of thescene. The lone walker on the left looks like he's working hardwith head down and hands on his hips which helps to buildtension in this image. Great work.

Nev - Runner up in Club Character 

Good dynamic portrait with nice fill lighting balancing the subjectwith the background. The central composition and low cameraangle of the subject help to emphasise the subject's nature toproduce a great character portrait.

New MembersAlana Beale

As at 25/1/2011 we have 88 financial members

Page 2 of 6

Page 3: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 3/6

Special Coming Events

Winelander to Stanthorpe 6-7 August 2011

Would anyone be interested in this weekend train trip toStanthorpe in August run by the Australian Railway HistoricalSociety.

Cost is $440 one person or $399 group up to 10.

Everything is covered by this cost such as:

• train fare

wine tastings and lunches• 2 days on train

• coach transfers

• 2 wine tours on arrival

• motel accommodation

• dinner at country restaurant.

Leave Roma St 7am Sat 6th

Anyone interested please contact Lynn on 3219 6228.

Pilgrimage 2011 26 to 28 August 2011

The Pilgrimage is the annual bushwalking and social eventattracting members of affiliated clubs from throughout the south-east corner of the state and sometimes further afield.

It is usually held at a campground venue and on the Saturdayyou can join one of many daywalks through the surroundingareas. A Bush Dance and other social activities are organisedthroughout the weekend and it is an ideal time to meet andrenew friendships with fellow bushwalkers. The activity is run ona non-profit basis.

This year the pilgrimage will be hosted by the Sunshine andGlasshouse Bushwalkers Clubs at the Kenilworth ShowGrounds between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th August.

Insurance Update

QBW has both Public Liability and Personal Accident Insurancecover for all members. We have been notified of some changesto the policies but otherwise everything else is the same.

Acknowledgement Of Risk

The requirements of the Insurance Policy state that members of clubs should read and sign the AOR once per year on firstbecoming members or on membership renewal.

Non-members, visitors or 'temporary members' should read andsign the AOR on each occasion they join a club activity.

The AOR is on each Membership form and on the EventNomination Form.

Change in Personal Accident Insurance

For a number of years Bushwalking Australia Inc [BAI] hasarranged Personal Accident Insurance separate from the PublicLiability Insurance. This policy provides some financial relief toclub members who suffer a personal injury whilst participating inclub activities that are defined in the policy.

Although nominally this policy has worldwide cover it wasintended to provide coverage for members participating in clubactivities in Australian conditions and the premium has beennegotiated accordingly.

Unfortunately over recent times there have been somesignificant claims against the policy resulting from incidents inAustralia and overseas. This will more than likely result in apremium increase.

In an effort to minimise any premium increase the AGM of BAI,

authorised the Insurance officer to negotiate the PersonalAccident policy for the period 1/7/2011 to 30/6/2012 on the basisthat coverage will only apply to club authorised activities inAustralia and New Zealand. The annual insurancequestionnaire, scheduled for distribution to all clubs in February2011, will reflect these changes.

However early advice is being provided so that all clubs areaware of this change in case they are planning any overseasclub trips during the period commencing 1/7/2011.

The BAI Insurance officer has always emphasised that the BAIpersonal accident policy is not a substitute for normal travelinsurance because the BAI policy:

• Only covers activities listed on the schedule and thathave been authorised by the club

• Has limited cover 

• Does not cover some situations that might be

encountered whilst travelling in other countries egmedical evacuation to Australia.

Please note this change only applies to the Group PersonalAccident Insurance policy. There is no change to the separatePublic Liability policy.

It is important that all club committees understand thesechanges and make their members aware of them. If any clubhas questions about the changes please contact the BAIInsurance Officer David Gordon [email protected]

Car Running Costs

At the committee meeting in January, the QBW committeediscussed the present system of passengers giving a donationto the driver to help cover the cost of petrol on a walks outing.

It was decided that there would be no change in that the driver can request a donation from passengers and that the driver isfree to request what he or she feels is reasonable or iscomfortable with.

However the committee has decided that it should give someguidance to drivers to what the committee feels is reasonable.The QBW committee have based their decision on the runningcosts of a vehicle as put out by the RACQ athttp://www.racq.com.au/motoring/cars/car_economy/vehicle_running_costs

The running costs of a vehicle include petrol, tyres, service and

repairs. It does not include the standing costs such asdepreciation, insurance, registration, licence costs etc.

For a medium sized car such as a Subaru Forester the runningcosts are 20c/km. For a smaller car it can be as low as 10c/kmwhile for a Landcruiser it is 25c/km.

The committee passed a motion that the suggested donation be20c/km/vehicle rather than the previous 10c/km/passenger.

On the Calendar the Petrol column will now be replaced by theDollar Amount per Car ($/car) column. One immediate effect of this is that the dollar amount will appear larger but this amount isto be spread over the total number of people in the car.

Note again that the driver can still ask for an amount differentfrom what the committee suggests as each driver has to take in

their own particular requirements.

Car Pooling SpotsTo try and decrease the costs for each member the committee isencouraging everyone to car pool as much as possible. Thecommittee is asking for suggestions for car meeting spots on theoutskirts of Brisbane rather than have meeting spots far fromBrisbane such as Beaudesert or Aratula.

For example if the walk is Beaudesert way, a meeting spot couldbe Kameruka St. outside Gil's place where people could meetand car pool. Other possibilities are train or bus stations, councilparks or school drop off zones. Parking in shopping centres andbusiness places should be avoided.

Below are a few suggestions:

• Kameruka St for walk heading towards Beaudesert

• Samford outside the Country Women’s Hall for walksheading towards Mt Glorious or Dayboro.

• Riverview Railway Station heading west.

Page 3 of 6

Page 4: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 4/6

Past Walks

Mt Maroon Southern Ridges 7 November 2010

Seven members took up this day of challenges on the walk upand down Mt Maroon via the southern ridges.

After arriving at the start of our walk at Drynan's Hut we had our first challenge, to get across the swollen Barney Creek after recent rains. After taking off our boots we waded through therushing water. Everyone made it across safely though maybe abit shakily.

After an easy walk across open country and old forestry roads,the next challenge was a 100 metre scramble up a steep sectionof Mt Maroon. It was slow going but again everyone made it andwe had a well earned morning tea break at the ridge top.

On Top of Mt Maroon

Walking along the top of some cliffs we spent some timephotographing a large goanna and exploring a cave. Then thesteady climb to the top began. Just before the summit, another challenge, a scramble up some rocky slabs. With a lot of encouragement, pushing and pulling we finally reached thelarge rock cairn marking the summit. We all sat in the sunenjoying the scenery and catching our breaths.

The descent was via a south west running ridge which gave usmore spectacular views. At one section the ridge was a razor-back and then we reached a small cliff line which presentedanother challenge. A couple had to helped down a step sectionusing small foothold to get down. Again we all survived andcontinued on downhill.

As we were getting short of water we dropped into a creekwhere we relaxed and filled up water bottles. The creek led us toPaddy's Plains campground and the rest was easy. We walkedalong a forestry road to a waterfall. a short walk down a steepwalking track and then a forestry road to Barney Creek.

Again we had to take off our boots and wade across the thighhigh water. Afternoon tea at Rathdowney allowed us to winddown and relax.

Many thanks to Ken for leading this walk. Richard

Somerset Trail 21 November 2010

Eight members and a visitor from the Glass House MountainsBushwalking Club met up at the Gantry picnic area at Mt Meefor this 13 km walk through scribbly gum forests, rainforest anddry open forest. The Gantry, a large wooden shelter is theremains of an old sawmill which operated until 1981.

This was Aileens first walk as a leader and after sorting out our gear we set off along the graded track. Aileen set a brisk pacebut we still had breath enough to chat and view the surroundsas walked along the broad tracks and dirt roads.

The walk is well signposted and about halfway along we satdown on some rocky slabs on an escarpment with views to thewest overlooking Somerset and Wivenhoe dams.

While enjoying morning tea Gerry managed to drop her water 

bottle over the rocky slab but luckily it was able to be retrieved.There were a few other water bottles lying below theescarpment showing that others had also lost their grip.

On the walk back seven walkers practically stepped over a largecarpet snake snoozing on the track before it was spotted.

Somerset Trail WalkersWe returned to the cars having done the circuit and in time for lunch at one of the picnic tables provided. Driving back westopped at Dayboro for an afternoon coffee to round off the day.Many thanks and congratulations to Aileen for her first walk asleader. Richard

Muscat and Bailey Waterfall 27 November 2010

The Muscat and Bailey Waterfall is on a branch of South KobbleCreek in D'Aguilar National Park. It is not the official name andwas given the name according to legend by a member of BBWon a walk many years ago. A muscat bottle was found in thecreek and then the group had to “bail” out of the creek, so thename was born.

Eleven members met up at Samford and then drove to the startof the walk on South Kobble Creek. The creek was flowing wellafter recent rains and so the easiest and safest way of going upit was to just walk in the creek.

Along the way we had a short stop to look at the recentlycreated remote campsite on South Kobble Creek. A little bitfurther up the creek we came to the junction of South Kobbleand Muscat and Bailey where we sat down and had our morningtea.

Muscat and Bailey walkers

While resting Anne had a chance to try to work out all thecontrols on her new GPS. Even though it was only one model upfrom mine, it had several new features which looked quiteuseful. Was I envious? Yes. Ah well, Christmas is coming!

The walk up Muscat and Bailey is quite scenic with rock pools,cascades and a small gorge. A few adventurous souls swam upthe small gorge and climbed out the other side while others did adetour around it. The exit on the upstream side was quite trickydue to the extra amount of water flowing but all managed itsafely.

We finally arrived at the base of the falls and enjoyed a leisurelylunch beside the pool. All too soon we had to head back and weretraced our steps back to the waiting cars. However we had abrief stop when to got to the creek junction for a photo stop.

A stop at Samford for afternoon coffee was enjoyed by all. Manythanks to Kerry for leading this walk. Richard

Page 4 of 6

Page 5: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 5/6

Split Rock 28 November 2010

On a fine morn 15 of us left the Binna Burra car park (720m),heading down the Caves Circuit track. At 675m we left aperfectly good track to contour south through the rainforest,through wait-a-while/vines and over slippery ground and rocks.

For some reason (was it an exploratory diversion I wondered?)we then went downhill further to scramble/slide under a giantfallen tree. Then we pulled ourselves slowly back up a steepslope to the old Split Rock track (730m) shown on the 1961map.

Then a very slow progress along the old track. Azrademonstrated how to slide down a long muddy slope, showingvividly the long skid marks on her pale trousers. Others didmudslides too but unintentionally. Finally we made it down to therock (660m) after a U-turn in a lantana thicket.

A huge goanna was sun-bathing on the rock and had nointention to move, so seating was very limited. Views across theCoomera Valley to the Noowongbill lookout on the DarlingtonRange were superb.

Barbara showed off her ballerina and balance skills by doing a720 degree pirouette to reset Frank's GPS, all of this on theedge of a 25m precipice!

Remarkably the track trip back to the carpark took 1.5 hr despitethe carpark being only 950m away as the crow flies. Such was

the condition of the slippery/rocky/vined and fallen trees track.

Overall a 4.5hour outing.

Judging by the large brown skid marks on the rear of many lightcoloured pants I suspect black will be "de rigueur" for futurerainforest walks.

Coffee at Binna Burra cafe never tasted so great.

A memorable walk indeed Richard.

Cheers John H

Northbrook Tributary Walk 4 December 2010

This walk was one of the two walks that went out on theChristmas Party weekend. It was wet and raining but it didn'tmatter as this was a “wet walk” where we would have gotthoroughly drenched even if it wasn't raining.

There were only four of us, Aileen, Mary, Norm and myself andwe drove the short distance from Camp Constable to LawtonRd. There were a couple of trees that had fallen across the roadand we had to skirt around them. However on the drive backlater that day they had been cleared by the council.

After parking the car in the rain and cloud we walked severalhundred metres to another dirt road and followed it until itbecame just a faint foot pad along the top of the ridge. Therewas lantana aplenty along this section and we had to break our way through it in a couple of sections.

Finally it was time to get off the ridge and enter the creek. It wasa steep, loose, muddy and slippery slope down to the creek.There were a few slip ups but no one got hurt as we scrambled

down from tree to tree to get a footing.The creek was just a small trickle initially but as we descendedfurther it had more and more water. There was a section wherewe were surrounded by palm trees in the creek and it was justmagical. Walking in the rain can be fun!

We had to slide down or negotiate round a few waterfalls alongthe way and this tested our abilities. We finally got to thejunction where we began the ascent back up another branch of the creek. This had even more waterfalls and the rain continuedto pelt down.

Wet and Wild

We made our way up the waterfalls as best we could,

sometimes scrambling right up the centre through the flowingwater, sometimes skirting the edges and sometimes having toget out on the high banks to continue.

We had lunch on some rock slabs but did not linger as we werecompletely drenched and the cold would set in.

Finally we arrived at the “get-out” point. Washing the mud off inthe creek we scrambled up a short slope to get onto LawtonRoad. It was then a very easy walk back to the cars and to puton dry clothes. Many thanks the the three who shared thisadventurous walk. Richard

Larapinta Falls  11 December 2010

Five adventurous people met up in Beaudesert on an overcastday to do this walk along Christmas Creek. We drove down tothe start of the walk and we could see that recent rain hadswollen the creek, making it at least knee high.

We waded across Christmas Creek in our sandals or bare feetand put on our boots on the other side. Following the track alongthe creek the small cascades were gushing and we had to takecare crossing the tributaries as the rocks were slippery.

Christmas Creek

At Westrays Grave we stopped and had a rest. The creek levelwas quite high and to continue further we would have to get our boots wet plus the going would be slow. It was then that it beganto rain, followed soon after by thunder. It was time to turn back

and we made good time back to the car.We arrived all soaking wet from the rain and thankfully changedinto drier clothes. A hot coffee back at Beaudesert helped torevive our spirits. Many thanks to Helen, Gerry, Bob and Alanaon her first walk for coming along. Richard

Page 5 of 6

Page 6: 201102 Newsletter

8/7/2019 201102 Newsletter

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/201102-newsletter 6/6

Cooloola Great Walk T/W 27 Sept - 1 Oct 2010

This throughwalk was organised as a cross-over walk with theWednesday walkers. Four QBW members walked north to southwhile four Wednesday walkers went in the opposite direction.Unfortunately, because it was only a five day walk, we did notget to share a campsite, just a morning tea stop.

Day 1 Carlo carpark to Kauri camp 15.2Km

After an early drive up to Rainbow Beach and a quick coffeestop we found the start of the walk, parked the car, and set off.This part of the track was shaded and pleasant walking.

Crossing the top of the Carlo Sandblow gave us some viewseast to the ocean. No sign of the rain that had been around for acouple of weeks.

Poona Lake provided a convenient lunch spot. The tanninstained water looked inviting. A goanna tried to join us for lunchbut was not so gently dissuaded. We continued on along afamiliar track towards Lake Freshwater before turning off andheading uphill to our first camp.

The campsites were quite spread out and some were well awayfrom the platform tables and the toilet.

Day 2 Kauri to Litoria camp 20.5Km

This was the longest day and the scenery became monotonousas we wandered along.

Nearing camp we glimpsed Lake Cooloomera but there was notrack down to the reedy edge so we continued on up to our second camp.

This again was spread out with quite a distance between sites.Most of the tent pads showed varying degrees of erosionmaking it difficult to find a level spot. The prospect of more rainalso made drainage an issue.

Day 3 Litoria to Dutgee camp 14.8Km

Today we walked kilometres through a forest of small grasstreeswith long flower stalks. Mid-morning we met up with the four walkers going south to north so we enjoyed a morning tea breakwith them before continuing on our way.

Both Groups Meet Up

We spent some time inspecting the burned remains of Ramsay'sHut before heading down to our next camp beside the Noosa

River, about two kilometres upstream from Campsite 3.Here again the campsites were well spread out, about 100metres from first to last, with a further 50 metres to the toilet andabout another 50metres to the platform tables and the river.

Wanting to be a bit more sociable that the facilities allowed, weall camped around the tables.

We had a cooling splash in the river and a pleasant timedrinking coffee and watching the water flow by. The clouds hadbeen building up throughout the afternoon and forced us to havea quick dinner before diving into our tents for an early night.

Day 4 Dutgee to Brahminy camp 20.3Km

Today we joined the track to the Sandpatch just east of Campsite 3 and met our first walkers other than our crossover 

group. Today was sunny and we started to heat up as wewound our way up to the top of the Sandpatch. Here the windwas blowing a gale and we were sandblasted as we struggledacross the 1200 metres of sand to the shelter of the trees on theother side.

The Windy Sandpatch

The track took us high above the coastline and in one part wewalked along a narrow razorback with wide views up and downthe coast.

At lunch time we found a shaded spot with a view yet shelteredfrom the still strong wind. Just as we were getting ready to moveon a branch broke off the tree Dave was sitting under and itnearly ended up in his lap! Didn't have the cameras ready,unfortunately.

The clouds had gathered again and the rain came down just aswe were approaching our next camp. It was in an exposed areaas we were still high above the ocean, and the wind made itdifficult to erect tents in the rain.

Of course, by the time we had set up camp the rain reduced toshowers. Some of us set up our stoves beside the water tank for a bit of shelter from the wind and rain.

Dave kindly helped clear a level spot near the platform tables soI could move my tent from the sloping spot I had picked duringthe downpour. Again the tent pads were in need of maintenanceas many were far from level.

As more storm clouds rolled in we were all busy taking photos of the sunset. Several of these spectacular photos were enteredinto the Photo Competition.

Day 5 Brahminy to Noosa North shore 17.3Km

Last day today and we gradually headed down to sea level andbegan following a rough track through the thick undergrowthbehind the coastal sand dunes. No wind here and the heat builtup as we trudged up and down the short, sharp sand ridgesbehind the beach.

Ridge Walking

After a few kilometres we'd had enough so Dave managed tofind a way through the undergrowth and we broke out onto thebeach and to the hard sand at the water's edge. We dodged the4WDs, meeting up with the Great Walk track again a fewkilometres down the beach.

When the track turned inland we stopped for a quick lunchbefore enthusiastically continuing on to the end of the walk.

Not the best Great Walk I've ever done: poorly maintained tentsites (and it only opened about July '10), campsites too spread

out, length would have made a six day walk more pleasant.Thanks to QBW walkers Noelene, Maggie, and David Rae andto Wed Walkers Jayne, Karen, Di T., and George. A specialthanks to Carol for all of her driving and the lovely afternoon teaat the end of the walk!!! Patricia

Page 6 of 6