Wouldn’t you like to be here?

The Trident, Koopartoo Mesa. Photo: Brian Fox

Riverbed, Larapinta Trail. Photo: David White

The Official Publication of Bushwalking NSW Inc

Volume 42, Issue 1, 2017 ISSN 0313 2684

The Bushwalker | 3

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Editor: Roger Caffin editor@bushwalkingnsw.org.auGraphic Design & Assembly: Barry HanlonProofreader: Roy Jamieson

Bushwalking NSW Officers:President: Alex AllchinExecutive Officer: Kirsten Mayer admin@bushwalkingnsw.org.au Phone: 02 8003 5545Website: www.bushwalkingnsw.org.auAddress all correspondence to: PO Box 904,Darlinghurst, NSW 1300Facebook: www.facebook.com/bushwalkingnswTwitter: @BushwalkingNSW

Bushwalking NSW Inc representsapproximately 68 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 12,700bushwalkers.Formed in 1932, Bushwalking NSWprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.People interested in joining abushwalking club may write to theExecutive Officer at:admin@bushwalkingnsw.org.auThe Bushwalking NSW websitewww.bushwalkingnsw.org.aucontains a list of clubs and lots of usefulinformation on bushwalking, includingthe Australian Bushwalking FAQ.

Front Cover: Morning Tea. Photo: Roger Caffin.Back Cover: Fourways from McAlister Saddle,Kosciuszko National Park. Photo: Roger Caffin

IndexWouldn’t you like to be here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3Exploring the Upper Endrick Riverwithin the Budawangs 4Spurs South of KangarooCreek Gardens of Stone 6Back to the Cave Man 7Kosciusko Gorges 9It’s been 40 years! 12Frenchmans Cap with a bitof rafting 14Book Reviews 15

Back country trek through the Deua and WadbilligaThe Australian Bird Guide

From theeditor’s desk. . .OK, THERE has been a bit of a change here. We are of course dependent on youour readers for articles, but the supply has dried up. We have not published anyissues this year so far. So I have raked together what I could for a final printissue: this one. I guess it is ‘So long and thanks for all the fish’.

The front cover needs some explanation. You may have noticed a ‘blue gnome’somewhere on almost all front covers - my wife, she likes blue. Editor’s privilege. So thisfront cover is a portrait of the two of us having morning tea and coffee on a scarp on MtBlanche, to say farewell.

OK, but why is Sue laughing her head off? Well, I had set the camera up on a little Jobytripod, pressed the shutter with a 10 second delay, and scuttled back to sit down.Unfortunately, in my haste I had ‘kicked the bucket’, and sent the kettle which had beensitting on the stove next to me flying. That's it out front - now empty. The windscreen isalso off to the side.

The photos on the inside front cover are also ‘specials’. The huge bit of rock has beencalled The Trident, on the Koopartoo mesa, east of the Newnes Plateau. (I think the namemay be restricted to a small group of Michael Keats’ friends. My thanks to Brian Fox forthis photo. The desert landscape is Central Australia and part of the Larapinta Trail. It'sdifferent country. Under the right conditions (which are unlikely), the sand underfootcould even flow with water. My thanks to David Whyte of the Watagan Wanderers for this.

The rolling grasslands on the back cover balance out the others. That photo was takenfrom McAlister Saddle in Kosciusko NP, pointing south. The low point in the middle isknown as ‘FourWays’, because four creeks join together there as part of the Upper GeehiRiver. It’s a much-loved spot for many of us, and pretty good when covered in snow too.The hills in the background are (from right to left) Tarn Bluff, Cup and Saucer, andMailbox. In the distance, between Tarn Bluff and C&S, you can make out part of theKerries. We do carry maps in this area, but we rarely glance at them.

Since this is the final issue, I want to express my sincere thanks to BarryHanlon and Roy Jamieson for all the assistance they have given me over theyears. Thanks Guys..

Roger CaffinEditor

If you are an adventurer or a stroller, a natureenthusiast or enjoy fitness, you’ll discovergreat company, amazing landscapes andexiting activities when you join a bushwalkingclub!

Visit the Bushwalking NSW website to find aclub near you to join:www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

KeepExploring.Be amazed!

We are likely to make The Bushwalker an online only publication.If you have strong views on the subject, please make contact via email

or phone using the contact details on this page.

4 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

Ian BarnesBatemans Bay Bushwalkers

The Endrick River is an easterntributary of the Shoalhaven River andits upper catchment is bounded by the

Nerriga/Nowra Road and Endrick Fire Trail.This area is within the 70,000 hectareBudawang Wilderness Area.

The Upper Endrick River catchment is anarea of solid rock plateau sandstonegeology, broken only by cracking andsculpting of wind and water and mostlycovered by a thick blanket of heath andwoodland vegetation, periodicallyrejuvenated by high intensity wildfire.Nevertheless, some large areas of solid rockpersist, particularly where watercourseshave cut down into the solid rock and it isthese features which have particularinterest.

Much of the area was historically visitedby graziers and timber cutters inassociation with their activities in thegrassier nearby valleys, but they have leftdecades ago. In the 1960-70 period,military artillery training was conducted onthe fringes of the area but the core area ofthe Upper Endrick catchment remaineduntouched.

Because of the restricting nature of thedense understorey, very few bushwalkersseem to have ventured into the area. Nodoubt they did but there are few recordsavailable. The Shoalhaven BushwalkingClub visited the area in the 1970’s for a dayof rock climbing.

Recently, four Batemans BayBushwalkers spent three days exploring thecreeks, clifflines and rock shelves of thearea. Because of wet weather on the firstday, and an aversion to pushing throughwet bush, we approached from the west by

walking a circuitous 15kilometres of theEndrick River Fire Trailfrom the Sassafras carpark. This allowed us tovisit the well knownfeatures along the waysuch as the upper ClydeGorge, Red JohnnysCave, the Vinesrainforest and the pureand handsome BrownBarrel regrowth forest,an artefact of the oncebusy local sawmill,down the Vines Creekvalley.

We left the firetrailat 451044 and bushbashed two kilometresup the banks of theEndrick River. Wefound our plannedcampsite of two nightsat 469457, fortuitouslylater proving to be theonly comfortablecreekbank campsite inthe area.

The next day weventured upstreamthrough the river gorgebut soon tired frompushing through thickundergrowth andscrambling overcreekside boulders.Instead, we cutthrough the lowclifflines to the southand explored the rockmassif between theGalbraith Plateau andBattleship Rock. Therewere some fine views,particularly from TheLoaf at 477047, so

named by us because of its resemblance to aloaf of bread. It was perched on the lip ofthe gorge just across from the imposingBattleship Rock.

On the third day we cut eastward acrossthe Endrick River headwaters. This was avery tiring route, with very thickundergrowth in places, climbing anddescending rock platforms. Navigationneeded to be of pinpoint accuracy to findthe few narrow passes between the valleysand clifftops.

However, it also proved to be the mostenjoyable day. A forensic stereoscopicexamination of the 1970 aerial photos hadindicated there were some scenic payoffs

Exploring the Upper EndrickRiver within the Budawangs

Exploring a natural Arch

Battleship Rock

Brian Mercer samples a pagoda

The author at the Upper Endrick River uppercascade

The Bushwalker | 5

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

along the way and the photographs provedvaluable in finding the few rocky passesbetween clifftops and valley crossings.

Working our way to the clifftop north ofBattleship Rock rewarded us with long highrock platforms with speedy walking. It gaveus wonderful views southward across theriver gorge to Galbraith Plateau and we hada close up view of the appropriately namedBattleship Rock. Nearby, another lowerrock of similar, but smaller shape, menacedthe valley to the east. In keeping with thelocal marine monicking, we named itSubmarine Rock.

Further east, from a clifftop point at481049, we gazed upon the Endrick River’sconfluence with Newhaven Creek andadmired the rugged nature of thesurrounding valleys and gullies.

We crossed the river upstream at484050, not only because it was one of thefew easier river crossings available, but alsoto see the small, but delightful, narrow rockravine in which the river has dropped andcut through the solid rock. After examiningits large and peaceful waterhole at the exitwe climbed the surrounding rock platformsand walked the inlet with its wonderful

potholes. We also gazed furtherupstream where long waterholescurved through rocky troughs.

We had enough time to droppacks and bushbash the halfkilometre to the south where theriver drops a second time throughthe rock platforms. It proved to bea cascade with a toweringoverhang but from our highvantage point we decided not toexplore it in detail. Instead, weexplored a natural arch andnearby, on a small cliff ledge, alarge and healthy DiamondPython was curled up in thewarming sunshine keeping a closeeye on our intrusion.

We headed east to the firetrail,uneventful except for very heavy

undergrowth between the few rockplatforms that we stumbled upon and couldstitch into our intended route. At times theheath was 2-4 metres high, and too oftenwe had to backtrack a few metres torelaunch our attack. It was equal to theheaviest we have experienced in the

Budawangs and gained a speed of less thana kilometre per hour.

Exhausted, mid afternoon, we suddenlypopped onto the firetrail, exactly where weintended, and slogged home.

In summary, most walkers of theBudawangs Wilderness stick to the fewtracks and routes available. Few willventure into the intervening chunks ofbroken rock and clifflines. The UpperEndrick River area is one of those areas. Inthree days we saw evidence of previousvisitation of only a possible old rock cairnof many decades age plus a small ironfragment near the fire trail, an artefact ofthe previous use for military trainingcentred on Bhundoo Hill.

The view of Battleship Rock and itssurrounds from the clifftop was worth thetrip. The solid rock bed of the Endrick Riverupstream of its confluence with NewhavenCreek is worth further exploration, as ispossibly the nearby Middle Creek. From oursampling, the base of the clifflines havesome, but not many, overhangs of interest.Despite checking all overhangs and rockplatforms encountered, we saw no evidenceof previous Aboriginal occupation.

We saw very little evidence of fauna – abit of wombat on the creek banks, fewinsects, no fish, no macropods, no raptors,not even an owl call at night – onlyhoneyeaters on the plateau and of course,the python. In contrast, the vegetationabounds in heath and understorey species.

A wild and interesting place, best visitedafter a bushfire. ⧫

Overlooking Battleship Rock

Upper Endrick River Valley

6 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

There'd been walking sorties a-plentyinto Kangaroo Ck. On the map, to thesouth of the Creek, the ridges

interested me and there we were headed.

Knowing nothing of the area except fromstudying maps, we snuck into it from thenorth, descending via a fascinatingtributary gully down to Kangaroo Creek.This gully encloisters the DBT (Dirty BigTree - pictured on a later day when wecouldn't get enough folk to encircle it! andalso the MRR (Mossy Rock Ravine, where

one could almost get lost in its tangle ofhuge rocks). Ideal for M/T (morning tea!).

Farther on, as we wound steeply down tothe creek, through an adjoining crevasseencircled by massive cliffs, we passed theGKP (Giant Kebab Pillar).

The gradual climb out starts at the creek- a bike track eases the ascent, but, notwishing to remain on that for too long,eventually we turned off-track to find a wayout and up through the cliff-line to ourright.

By good fortune we found a slot enablingus to scramble up to a pagoda that we nowrefer to as Elaine Rock, celebrating ourfellow walker's iconic photo. Approaching itwe still had no idea of the stupendous sceneawaiting us. It's hard to imagine, even toremember, the thrill at seeing theseapparently unknown - headlands, certainlyunreported so far as I can find... for thefirst time.

This was my first sight of the Heads area.

Just a few metres onwards andupwards... We're looking across the gullywe've just travelled up, towards a part ofNorth Head. And from here on we'll leavethe pics talk for themselves with occasionalcaptions.

Spurs South of KangarooCreek Gardens of Stone

Hugh SpiersBlue Mountains BushrangersPhotos by various members of the Bushrangers

"Dirty Big Tree", Emanuel

“Giant Kebab Pillar”, Emanuel

"Elaine Rock", Elaine

"Here be much rock", Hu

"South Head, you can't getthere from here", Hu

"Foot placement can be important", Bob

"Hugh Spiers demonstrating someextremely advanced bushwalking

techniques", Alice

"The (slightly more) distant view",Emanuel

And the close-up view", Emanuel

The Bushwalker | 7

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

I’m meeting Gerry today, a 65 year oldTasmanian who’s seen most of the islandstate, way more than I’ll ever cover in a

lifetime. I’m tagging along with him toJulius Creek, a semi-obscure destinationthat he wants to return to – and who am Ito argue? It’s mildly famous among thebushwalking fraternity because it has cavesso I’m expecting to be in a dark placesometime in the ensuing hours.

We meet at Allendale Gardens, a trulymagical place I visited over a decade ago.It’s a ramshackle plot of rustic visualdelights hosted by its creator, a whitehaired lady named Lorraine who, if she’snot tending her plot, is apt to be talking tovisitors, engaging in discourse coveringmany subjects, not the least of which is thetime she slept with a platypus. Herinfectious enthusiasm makes it hard toleave after she greets me but eventually I’msent up to the house where Gerry isworking on their computer, trying to rectifysome virus or other.

I’m offered a cup of tea and gleefullyaccept, the mood soon replaced whencoconut milk is added and I taste it for the

first time,immediatelydeciding it willnever be a partof my diet.

We’resomewhattardy inheading outand I’m notsure exactlywhat we’ll bedoing otherthan the caves;I’m just happyto have a

guide. Our first stop is Edith Creek generalstore/café/service station – you name itthey’ll have a go. In fact, talking to one ofthe owners later, he’s managed to start aprofitable business utilizing the wood thatthe forestry company doesn’t want, findingmany uses for the initially rejected timber.

Gerry however, is taking me to what thetourist image of the fabled Tarkine is,pristine Gondwana forest swathed in lichenand moss. There’s a new loop road not farfrom Edith Creek. Actually, it’s not new,but the sealing of it and promotion as atourist destination is. Where Gerry’s takingme will not be on any serious promoter’slist in the foreseeable future though; Ifigure that out as we turn off one road ontoanother, then another and it’s a dirt road inthe midst of becoming overgrown by forestwith grasses and reedy-type plants as high

as the bonnet running down the middle.For some unknown reason I thought we

were headed to a less obscure destinationbut here, the only way you know you’vearrived is if you happen to spot the onelone piece of pink ribbon affixed to smallbranch. Had Gerry not mentioned it I’dhave driven right by but there’s also aslightly wide part of the road, so called,where, after several backwards andforwards motions, you can actually turnaround, which is just as well because Iwouldn’t fancy reversing up our route.

This walk is as close to virgin as you canget; the track, such as it is, can only befollowed if you keep your eyes out for theribbons because there’s little wear and tearin some places, especially where a log hasfallen down and alternate routes have beensought. This is wilderness in it truest formand we make our way down and across asmall watercourse, so obscure you can walkacross it and not get the top of your shoeswet.

Some creek or other has to be negotiatedfurther on, a couple of times in fact,

before we find ourselves at the last descent.At the final bit it’s a mite tricky, slipperyunder foot, but we negotiate it withenthusiasm and find ourselves near one ofthe many caves that dot the area. I’mshaking my head, not for the first time thistrip, and uttering that 'wow' word again.

It’s brilliant, the epitome of ancient landas our ancestors would have found it andnatives would have walked it. The rush ofthe water is the only sound and Gerrywould later say, 'You just don’t want toleave'. He got that right. It’s magical,enchanted and spiritual, all at once. Itwraps itself around you and draws you in,leaving you gazing in wonder that suchplaces exist, though you know they do, youjust haven’t had anyone to guide you inbefore.

We spend half an hour, or was it threequarters, adjusting tripods and shutterspeeds to get the required exposures,constantly checking the results on the

Back to theCave Man Ian Smith

Join a Club!Bushwalking Clubs are established acrossNSW and ACT.

Visit our website to find your nearest club at:www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au/clubs-location/

Member Clubs ofBushwalking NSW Inc:All Nations BushwalkersArmidale Bushwalking ClubBankstown Bushwalking ClubBarrier RangersBatemans Bay BushwalkersBlue Mountains Conservation Society BushwalkingClubBlue Steel DashBrindabella Bushwalking ClubBrisbane Water Outdoors ClubCanberra Bushwalking ClubCatholic Bushwalking ClubCentral West Bushwalking Club

Clarence Valley BushwalkersCoast and Mountain Walkers of NSWCumberland Plain WalkersFairfield Bushwalking ClubGeehi Bushwalking ClubGoulburn Bushwalkers ClubHill View BushwalkersHunter Area Walkabout ClubIllawarra Ramblers ClubInverell Bushwalking ClubKu-ring-gai Bushwalkers Activity & Social GroupLake Macquarie BushwalkersMacquarie Explorers ClubManly Spit Bushwalking ClubManning River Canoe ClubMountain Devils Bushwalking ClubMudgee Bushwalking ClubMurray Valley BushwalkersNarrabri Bushwalking ClubNational Parks Assn of NSWNational Parks Assn of the ACTNewcastle Bushwalking ClubNewcastle Ramblers Bushwalking ClubNimbin Bushwalkers ClubNorthern Rivers Bushwalkers ClubNSW Nordic Ski Club

Outdoor Club of NSWShoalhaven BushwalkersSouth Coast Bushwalking ClubSouthern Highlands BushwalkersSpan OutdoorsSpringwood Bushwalking ClubSuboir United BushwalkersSutherland Bushwalking ClubSydney Bush WalkersSydney Christian BushwalkersSydney University BushwalkersTamworth Bushwalking & Canoe ClubThe Bush ClubTumut & District Bushwalkers IncTumut Valley Canoe ClubUp and Downers Bushwalking ClubUpper Blue Mountains Bushwalking ClubUpper Lachlan BushwalkersWanderers Bushwalking ClubWarringah Bushwalking ClubWatagan WanderersWEA Ramblers SydneyWeekday WalkersYarrawood Bushwalking ClubYatra Bushwalking Club IncYHA Social & Outdoor Club - Sydney Region

8 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

camera screen because, who knows howlong, if ever, it will be before we see such aplace again.

On Gerry’s advice I don’t go into any ofthe caves as its the river here that casts itsnet around your soul and taunts youconstantly and I don’t need the addedburden of removing some clothing andsloshing my way into a cave that’s not allthat brilliant anyway.

It’s almost sad to be leaving, though thatis pushed into the background at thethought of seeing the exposures later on.Gerry is now taking me to the Julius RiverConservation Reserve, a more touristoriented track with toilets no less. It’s thesame river, just further upstream.

Once there, there’s an easy-to-follow halfhour stroll through more forest, crossingthe water twice via well-made bridges. It’s arelief in one way not to have to scramblesomewhere as I have in previous days andearlier this day. Normal walking is notsomething I’ve done in a forest for sometime.

I get off on manferns (dicksoniaantarctica), locating a couple growing outhorizontally over the river that have muchappeal and can’t stop taking pictures forfive minutes. I remember one at HorseshoeFalls in Mount Field National Park thatsomeone had photographed well and I wastrying to emulate that shot.

There’s much to recommend this halfhour stroll through the woods; it’s pretty,it’s civilized, but you still get thatwilderness feeling.

Our next stop was Dempster PlainsLookout, an interesting panorama

over, amongst other things, vast fields ofbuttongrass, flowing down the hill and ontoa plain. Little else can grow here and littleelse does yet, immediately either side, trees,I suspect melaleucas, are flourishing. I can’thelp but wonder what the missingingredient is that causes the dividing line.

Next we pull up at a sinkhole, somethingI’ve heard of before but never seen or, moreprecisely, taken notice of. Part of adolomite karst system, the water beneathdissolves the minerals and moves themalong so that there’s a void into which theabove layers collapse. There are hundredsof them in this area but only two, this oneand Lake Chisholm, hold water.Surrounded by the forest, it has created a

virtual permanent mirror, except inextreme weather, because it’s so sheltered.I love it and wish there were more but amso happy to have seen this one.

We also crossed the main artery of theTarkine, aka the Arthur River, somewhereon the route. Downstream it becomes quitenavigable and two cruise boats vie for thetourist dollar, but that’s something I’ll haveto do another day. For this time I have tobe content with getting back to Edith Riverand reflecting over the day’s events withGerry in that ever-so-bucolic café (dinneravailable on Fridays) and its effervescenthostess. ⧫

The Bushwalker | 9

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

Kosciusko Gorges [The directions in this article have been deliberatelyleft a bit vague. It's wild country.. - Ed]Roger Caffin

There are some archetypal ideas aboutthe landscape in Kosciusko NationalPark (KNP). They seem to feature

open rolling grasslands, sometimes a bitsteep maybe, and lots and lots of graniteboulders. [Picture 1 “Near Four Ways”]

Well, that's all true of course, and it isbeautiful walking country, but you havewatch the weather. This is alpine country,and the weather can change rather quickly.This picture shows the dirt 4WD road at theCesjacks gate into the Park - in early May.You have been warned. [Picture 2]

There are some exceptions to this niceidea of gentle rolling alpine country. TheWestern Fall running along the Main Rangefeatures Hannels Spur, the biggest climb inAustralia; about 1550 m from Geehi Flat(the grasslands) to Byatts Camp (cameraposition). That was a fairly long climb.[Picture 3 “Looking down Hannels Spur]

Further to the north the scarp edgeabove the Yarrangobilly River is verydistinct but less than half the height (sayaround 630 m). The scrub can be terrible,but you can go down via the CoppermineFT (right). We did not find any water on theway down.

Then, there are valleys dropping into theTumut River, just above the Happy JacksPondage. These are only about 350 m fromthe top of Farm Ridge to the Tumut - surelypretty tame in comparison? We shall see.

First I must explain about the TumutValley, upstream (west) of Farm Ridge FT.Most of it is a flood plain: a broad flatvalley, very flat, very tussocky, and slowwalking. There are two big sets of falls tonegotiate at the top end. The ones on theleft are the lower part of the first falls,while the ones on the right are the secondset. See how the rock barrier which makesthe falls makes a flat valley upstream.[Picture 4 “Tumut Falls”]

However, below the ford of the FarmRidge Fire Trail (east of it) the valleynarrows, rather a lot too, and the sides are

suddenly quite steep. They are mudstone,and not very good mudstone either. Inplaces the sides seem to be coming downaround you. Some of that may be basaltscree runs, but other bits seem to becrumbling mudstone.

Now, looking at the maps one can seetwo rather tempting large creeks going N:Bogong Creek and Doubtful Creek. These gofrom the high plains to the south, aroundthe E side of Mt Jagungal, and run N to theTumut. Bogong Creek starts at JagungalSaddle, heads N and crosses the Grey MareFT near O'Keefes Hut. It continues on andeventually it joins the Tumut in that broadflat valley. Doubtful Creek starts atMcAlister Saddle, passes below CesjacksHut, and heads N to cross the Grey Mare FTand hit the Tumut somewhat to the east ofFarm Ridge.

We have been down a bit of DoubtfulCreek from Grey Mare FT to near DoubtfulGap in 2012 (mainly via spurs), and wefound it 'interesting country'. However,that time we went up the side valley toDoubtful Gap, so we didn't get to see anyfurther north. The country was rocky, butsurely not too bad? [Picture 5 “Looking up toDoubtful Gap”]

So in March 2016 we tried going downBogong Creek. There's a bit of scrub in

the Bogong Valley south of O’Keefes Hutand the Grey Mare FT, but you can finessethat via the spur on the west side. Afterlunch at O'Keefes we went to the BogongCk crossing and headed north. The countrystarted to look more interesting, then itbecame 'difficult'. The water was icy and therock on the hillside was loose. Getting pastsome buttresses required using both handsand feet. There were a few instances ofscrabbling feet on loose rock. Travel slowedright down. [Picture 6]

With some enthusiasm we got to a bigU-shaped bend before the Hut Creekjunction, but we had been doing about 0.5

kph for some time, the day was getting a bitadvanced, and there were no campsiteswithin range. Part of the problem was thatthe water was just a bit too fast and deep(and cold) for our liking. We decided sincethis was just a reconnaissance that it mightbe wise to pull out a bit earlier thanplanned, up onto the Farm Ridge FT aboveus. [Picture 7]

Good idea, but it wasn't half steep!Hands and feet were required most of theway. There's lots of nice flat camping spaceon top of Farm Ridge, but very limitedwater. Climbing out like that let us followthe Farm Ridge FT north to where it makesa big dogleg bend to the west. WE took anold FT going to the east there - up to abasalt cone! Piles of flat layers of basalt!There had been a full volcanic eruptionhere. [Picture 8]

From there we went north and east tothe junction of Doubtful Creek and theTumut River. The scrub was not bad alongthe ridge, and there was a large range ofdifferent rock types down at the junction,of great interest to the Wombat geologist.We looked up the end of Doubtful Creek(where it joined the Tumut): it looked'reasonable'. So we went up and over FarBald Mt (for the Nth time) and went home.[Picture 9 "The last drop into the Tumut"]

In May 2017 we decided to try to do afull 2-creek loop from Cesjacks: downDoubtful Creek to the Tumut, up theTumut to near Bogong Creek, up BogongCreek to Jagungal Saddle, and back home.Please note the word 'try'. Google Earthmade it look easy - but who trusts GoogleEarth?

Going down the Doubtful Creek valleyfrom Cesjacks to the Grey Mare FT is fairlyeasy if you stay a bit out of the actual valley,more on the tops. Good skiing too. North ofthe Grey Mare FT we stayed this timebeside Doubtful Creek, and the waybecame a bit more 'interesting'. 5 or 6 kmlater we reached the side creek which came

1 2 3

5 64

10 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

down from Doubtful Gap. We had beenhere before: so far, so good. However, oncepast that side creek, the valley became agorge. We don't mind gorges, but this onewas steep and the rock was mudstone -both very loose and very sharp. Yes, I hadthought of mudstone as crumbly, but thatis 'mudstone', loose and sharp. An accidenthere would be unfortunate. [Picture 10]

We did get a bit further down the gorge,but for the last 1 - 2 km we had beentravelling at below 0.5 kph. What youcannot see is the extremely poor footingunder the grass: it's all sharp loose rock.There was another 3 km to go before therewas any real possibility of a campsite, andthe afternoon was rolling on. The Wombatwas not happy. [Picture 11]

Just to the south there was a nice gentleside creek going west, forking about 0.5 kmup the creek. We decided to return to thatand go for the north arm, and ran bang intoa steep climb with a tiny waterfall runningright down the middle. The photo showsabout 1/3 of the fall - through hardmudstone of course. It was quite gorgeous.

(Why does the word 'gorgeous' seem toderive from 'gorge'?) Once again, the valleyabove was fairly flat - and a bit windy.[Picture 12]

The next morning was thick fog andcold. You could not see much. We went upthe valley to forest cover near the top(remember frost hollows?), and brokethrough that to eventually find the FarmRidge FT. OK, once again we would take theFT to the Tumut. We passed the basalt hillwe had found last time but stayed on themain FT this time. Once past the big doglegwe started to descend a bit, and suddenlyfound ourselves slightly below the ridge,and below the cloud layer too. A bit of skilland we even found a spot (mostly) out ofthe wind for morning tea. Important stuff,coffee. [Picture 13]

The final ramp on the FT down to theTumut was on mudstone, but at one

stage I looked at the incut and Bingo! Youcould see a thin basalt layer over the top.This was where a layer of molten stuff fromthe basalt hill up top had poured over the

surface. It's not hard to see the differencebetween the two types of rock. Fascinatingstuff. [Picture 14]

The Tumut was 'boring' and a slog forseveral kilometres, south to the first sharpbend where a side creek comes in from theeast. Google Earth had shown something'interesting' up this valley, and in fact theold 1:50k topo map showed signs of that aswell. So our idea was to go east up thisvalley, inspect the curious stuff to thenorth, then take the south arm over asaddle back to the Tumut just north of theBogong Creek junction. {Picture 15]

It was nice alpine country, and the'curious stuff' turned out to be several hugebasalt scree runs. In fact we were just to thesouth-west of the basalt hill, so it obviouswhere all that had come from. We cameback to the south arm and went up it. Nearthe top the angle was over 50 degrees!

We went quickly down the valley to thesouth. It was steep at first, but eventuallywe found somewhere level enough forcamping. It was getting late, so we did. Ioverlooked the possibility that any bare

8 97

11 1210

14 1513

The Bushwalker | 11

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

valley this steep might have a serious frost hollow wind ('katabaticwind'?) down it. This was a bit of a mistake on my part: it wassomewhere between -8 and -10 C overnight. We had our summergear for this trip - 600 g & 700 g down quilts. Solo would have beenterrible, there were two of us with two quilts: we snuggled veryclose with most of our clothing on and put the two quilts over bothof us. It worked, we slept.

In the morning the tent was a thick layer of solid ice. Warm milkfor muesli, then we packed up - in the shade, I folded the tent upand put it on top of my pack, and we both sprinted for the sunshinebelow. It was wonderful when we got there! [Picture 16]

We did consider our options now that we were in the sun, anddecided to try going up Bogong Creek as planned. We started with awhole series of nice little waterfalls, which were quite fun, but thehillside got steadily more serious. It wasn't the grassy bits but theloose rock and sub-zero water in places. [Picture 17]

Eventually the Wombat said 'up', so we did. If there had beenanything solid to belay onto I might even have offered a top-rope,but there wasn't. Anyhow what with water collected from the creekand the frozen tent, I couldn't keep up with the Wombat.[Picture 18]

That warmed us up nicely, so we had morning tea in thesunshine near the top - and I put the tent out to dry. Then alongthe ridge for some kilometres back to O'Keefes hut for dinner. Nextmorning it was still freezing cold (there's no stove in O'Keekes) andthe Wombat wanted breakfast in bed. I got kicked out to make it.Oh well. [Picture 19]

On the way back home I went to get some water from a tarn formorning tea. My cup bounced off the surface. I had to smasharound to remove the ice: it was over 5 mm thick. But we didn'tcare: we had had lots of fun, we were in 'home territory' and the sunwas shining. [Picture 20] ⧫

17 1816

19

20

12 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

Leaving their stocks standingup in the snow, the skierswere understandably

tentative, practicing their skillson a gentle slope without thesupport of their poles. Havingtheir heels free and not lockeddown to the ski was a new andstrange experience for those whohad previously skied only onresorts using alpine or ‘downhill’skis.

While this group were learningbasic skills, a short distance away,behind Mt Perisher, anothergroup were practicing telemarkturns in an intermediateinstructional day.

Both groups of cross countryskiers were taking part in aninstructional weekend with theNSW Nordic Ski Club. Over the forty years since the Club wasformed, many hundreds have attended instructional events andlearnt cross country skiing techniques as well as back countrycamping and survival skills. Having the skills to cope with differentterrains is vital to taking part in the many trips organised by theClub; trips that range from gentle day tours ‘bushwalking on snow’to extended back country camping trips.

This year the Club again ran the all-time classic extended skitour – Kiandra to Kosciuszko. Basically a traverse from one end ofthe snowy mountains to the other, the ‘K to K’ usually takes 5-8days. The first crossing was by Dr Schlinck and others in 1927.

It was back in 1975 that a dedicated group of skiers decided toform a cross country ski club. The NSW Nordic Ski Club held itsfirst meeting in January 1976. Names from that time include thelikes of the legendary Peter Harrington and Wilf Hilder. Back then,skis were long and skinny, boots were made of leather and clotheswere mostly knickerbockers with long socks and knitted jumpers. Apopular alternative to bought knickerbockers were woollen pantsfrom an army disposal store, cut shorter and worn tucked into long

socks. New synthetic fabrics have largely taken over in theclothing stakes. Most members now have skis that tend to beshorter and wider, lending themselves more to turning thanto track skiing.

Snow campers have a natural affinity with the hutsscattered through the alpine region. It’s a great luxury tohave a hut in which to prepare meals and dry gloves in frontof a fire. Four Mile Hut would have to be the Club’sfavourite, perhaps because the Nordic Ski Club is the officialcaretaker.

Situated just 7 km from Kiandra beside old gold diggings,the hut was built by Bob Hughes in 1937. He used it mostlyin the summer months as a base for gold fossicking, fishingand rabbiting. Nordic Ski Club members have a stronginterest in its history and have sought out Bob Hughesdescendants to understand what it was like in the Kiandraarea in Bob Hughes’ time.

Each autumn the Club runs a special trip to domaintenance on the hut and restock firewood for wintertravellers. During the winter, camping near Four Mile Huthas become a regular destination for the Club’s ‘introduction

to snow camping’trip. The skills newmembers acquire oninstructional tripsprovide a soundfoundation forventuring furtherinto the backcountry. Opening thedoor of your tent toan alpine sunrise orcarving the onlytracks for milesaround on anisolated peak is amemorableexperience.

The Main Rangehas something foreveryone and is anatural focus for theclub’s activities. It

It’s been 40 years!Colin Ridley and Tim HagerNSW Nordic Ski Club

The Bushwalker | 13

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

arguably offers some of the best backcountry skiing in the world when the snowstarts to soften in late winter and spring.For those who seek long steep runs, thewestern fall from spots like Watson’s Crags,Mt Townsend and Twynam offer greattelemark runs right down to the tree line.Then there is the grandeur of themountains to soak up on the long climb toregain the tops. But there is also anabundance of gentler runs in the numerousbowls on the eastern fall of the Main Range

and the Ramsheads. These are a delight forskiers of all standards.

We also get together to explore newhorizons such as the remote Broken Riverarea in New Zealand. And when theAustralian summer turns winter into adistant memory, we are drawn to iconicnorthern hemisphere experiences like thepowder in the Japanese Alps or theextensive network of trails in Sweden.

As well as valuing heritage in the alpinearea, the club also has strongenvironmental values, promoting minimalimpact touring and camping to protect theunique alpine environment. The Clubpromotes these principles on all trips andassists new members to adopt low impactskills on instructionals. In 2016, the Clubhosted the Back Country Film Festival forthe first time. These films focussed on lowimpact recreation in the world’s alpineregions and highlighted threats such asclimate change. These themes dovetail withthe Club’s minimal impact ethos and withthe observations of longer term memberson the retreat of the snow line. It was also asuccessful fundraising activity for Friendsof the Earth.

Skiing with a free heel has been centralto the Club’s activities for much of itshistory. But more recently, alpine tourershave also been welcomed into the Club.Members on ‘AT’ gear are able to lock downtheir heels to do parallel turns on steepdownhill runs. It’s a change for the Club butembraces trends in the skiing world and

provides members with the opportunity todevelop new skills. And most importantly,the same theme still runs throughout allthe club’s activities – getting away fromcrowds at resorts and out into the backcountry. The supportive culture and sharedlove of the back country within the Clubhas helped to create long friendships onand off the snow.

During May to September the Clubmeets on the fourth Wednesday of themonth at McMahon's Point CommunityCentre, just a short walk down Blues PointRoad from North Sydney station. Membersand others are kept in the loop by the Kick& Glide newsletter; the Nordic and Backcountry skiing Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/nordicskiclubnsw/; and the Club's website,www.crosscountryskiing.org.au. Anyoneinterested in finding out more about backcountry skiing is welcome to call in at ameeting or contact us via the website. ⧫

14 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

Ten members of the Northern RiversBushwalking Club had a crack at FrenchmansCap. This is what happened.

On the banks of the Collingwood Riverwe fed the mozzies while pumping upthe two 5 m rafts that hopefully would

see us safely down the wild Franklin River.There were other rafting and kayak groupssharing the river making some competitionfor the few campsites. We decided to push onan extra four hours to get ahead of them andget the best site. Soon we learned that raftingwas a delicate balance between fun and fear.

First to fall completely out was Alan

(splendid specimen). I saw him standing on arock in the middle of a maelstrom. His raftcame close and plucked him from an earlydeath. Our first portage was "The Logjam".Here we walked while the guides roped theloaded rafts down. "Nasty Notch" had usstopped for an hour, carrying 200 kg of gearover slippery rocks and manhandling the half-loaded rafts over the rocks.

Doug (strained thigh) wasn't in the raftlong before he became the second to fall outand be heaved back on board, with a fresh

hole poked in his thigh. Joy (dodgy back) wasthe next to be baptised in the champagnewaters. She managed to hang on to theperimeter rope until yanked back on board byLucy (broken heart). None of this wasclumsiness. We were sliding over rocks andfalling into big pressure waves and suck-holesthen thrown into the air.

All garbage and toilet waste was to becarried out in the raft. Our guidedemonstrated how to do this with a freezerbag (large). Surely not (but yes).

Next day we set off in the rain to climbFrenchmans Cap, a 7 hour 1000 m climb. Themuddy hillside was covered with a snowyspray of white wildflowers. Christmas Bells,trigger plants and sundews commandedattention. Punctuating the track were thepoke-holes of yabbies, carnivore scats andWombat cubes. We saw the Franklin fromabove. A frigid wind and low cloud joined therain. It was becoming a cold, wet, gut-bustingepic with no chance of a view from the top.We turned back after climbing 600 m. ForTina it was her third unsuccessful attempt tosummit.

A muddy, 2 hour crocodile slide, and abarefoot river crossing saw us all safely

under the tarps for a second rainy night.Each morning at first light Lucy could beseen, statue still, rugged up, on a cold rocknext to the raging water, getting somemeditative healing done. A little later Sue(crook hamstring) would salute the sun andtreat the troops to a flexible yoga display.

On day 4 David (dodgy knee) turned 60,and as he and Tina (dodgy other knee) werethe only ones to share a tent we cannot besure what his present was. That night he got acard, cake and candles. Next day it was Sue'sbirthday, another card signed by us all, cake,candles and fuss. We were to have a busy day.At "The Churn" a portage was required. Halfthe luggage was carted along a goat track inthe gorge. This emptied one raft which wasthen lashed on top of the other, and the paircarefully roped down a number of un-shootable rapids. Two hours of hard work.There were to be many similar portages overthe next days.

The first challenge on day 5 was "TheFaucet". In a dramatic plunge the back half ofthe raft folded up, throwing Joy into Michael's(crook shoulder), and guide Jeff a metreforward into the luggage pile. The raft was fullof water and Margaret was violently thrownout. The raft was about to crush her against arock wall when Lucy plucked her out of the

cold water. You might find this hard to believebut the water drained out of the raft throughholes in the floor.

This is what we wear on the water.Neoprene socks inside Volleys. Swimmers anda rash shirt under a long, thick wetsuit. Shortsand a parka over this and an extra-buoyantlife jacket. Finally, sailing gloves and a peakedcap and sunglasses under a plastic crashhelmet. All this was put on wet and cold in themorning. The water was 8 C. Each morning ittook 2 hours for each of us to pack ourpersonal gear into a 60 L waterproof bag, thenpack the raft with all the other gear. In eachraft 6 bags were lashed to a metal frame whichwas then inverted and another 6 bags, drumsand eskies tied on top. In doing this welearned how heavy food for 12 people for 9days is. The poo bag got heavier each day.

We might be experienced outdoor types,but here in this world of gorges, canyons andstoppers we were babes in the wood. Our riverguides, Robin and Jeff, had the job of keepingus safe. On board the raft their conversationwent like this … right forward left back, relax,paddle hard, paddle easy, hard forward, getdown. On shore they were ever loading,lifting, cooking and working for us. In therapids our life was in their hands. They pickedthe course through each rapid. From them welearned words like "Pura Vida" (pure life),"Steazy" (style with ease) and "lilly dipping"(feeble paddle strokes). Total paddling was115 km.

We drank the river water untreated,camped on coarse gritty beaches, and

in small forest clearings. At one campsitewe were visited by a much-photographedquoll. One raft spotted a platypus. We madeit to the even colder Gordon River, and atSt John's Falls were picked up by Rick in his500 hp 'M V Sophia" for a 80 km boat tripto Strahan. Then bussed 300 km across theisland of Tasmania to Hobart to rejoinsociety. ⧫

Frenchmans Capwith a bit of raftingMichael SmithNorthern Rivers Bushwalking Club

The Bushwalker | 15

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Vol. 42, Issue 1, 2017

Book Reviews . . .Back Countrytrek through the Deua and Wadbilliga

John Blay

ISBN 9780995418608, 270 p, paperbackCanopy Press, southeastforests.com.au,$30 inc pp

This is a strange book. John is not sellinganything; he is just telling part of his

story - a long distance trek through thatcountry back in the 80s. Before he startedhe was talking to some people who offeredhim an unbroken 3 year old mule Zac tocarry his gear. Apparently the mule's fatherhad beaten an expensive stallion to thepunch with an expensive brood mare ... Allhe (John) had to do was break him in to thepacksaddle. Yeah, right. In the end, thehorse trainer seemed to be glad to get rid ofthe pair.

So John then describes how he and Zacset off - in poor weather, and how they hadto get used to each other. It seems therewas a certain amount of running away,hauling on a lead rope, wondering whereZac had go to, and a bit of yelling andscreaming. But they survived, andtravelled.

John explored some of the caves in thelimestone area, and ran into some of the

4WD owners. His comments on thedifferences between what the 4-wheeliessay about being careful of the countrysideand how they absolutely trash the joint arenot restrained. They are rather similar tohis comments about some of the departedloggers with their bulldozers.

In his travels he saw what he thoughtwas a Bettong - supposedly extinct in thisarea. Staff at the Australian Museumrefused to reconsider the matter unlessJohn brought them a freshly collected pelt.Somehow, that did not seem right. Staff atthe Australian National Wildlife Collectionwere more helpful in identification, andwere eventually willing to considerchanging ‘extinct’ to ‘possibly extant inDeua’. It’s very remote country.

Near Tuross Falls John found theremains of many bulldozed tracks in whatis now a National Park. He claims that theywere were apparently put in by some localForestry staff when they found that thearea was to be taken away from them forpreservation.

John describes the many flowers, treesand birds he meets. A new wattle he found,growing to over thirty metres, was namedAcacia blayana in his honour. He alsomentions how his several pairs of ‘leatherworkboots’ gave his feet hell. At the end ofthe book he describes seeing Zachary B. de

Mule some 20 years later - still just asstubborn.

It’s a curious book, about some reallywild country.

Roger Caffin

The Australian Bird GuidePeter Menkhurst, Danny Roger, RohanClarke, Jeff davies, Peter Marsack, KimFranklin.ISBN 9780643097544 Hard cover, 566 p,colour. CSIRO Publishing, 450

One does wonder when one sees a list ofauthors that long, except that this

book comes from CSIRO. One does get suchlarge groups of academics working on

something like this. I cannot imagine aprivate company producing a book like thisfor less than double the price.

The book starts with some birdingtheory: how to identify birds, the evolutionand classification of birds, and so on. Thetechnical details on how to identify a bird,and what all the important little bits arecalled, are actually useful and clear.

However, the bit which moves this bookto the front of my bookshelf are theillustrations. With most bird books you geta photo or a drawing - some of which don'tseem to match what I see in the field. Thathappens: a juvenile male in the spring is notgoing to look like a mature female in thelate autumn after all. But in this case youget a large number of accurate drawings ofboth sexes, on the ground and in the air.You also get a locality map for each species.

Take the common Brush Turkey we getwandering around our house: there are twofull drawings, 3 different head details, ajuvenile and a drawing of a turkey mound.Then there's the Australian Wood Duck: weusually have a flock them on our dam orgrazing around the house. One drawing of ajuvenile, drawings of male and femaleadults and an extra drawing of a non-breeding male ('faded' colouring), anddrawings of both males and females inflight. Or maybe the Tawny Frogmouth, apair of which nest near our house each year.Seven separate drawings indicatingvariants, plus one of a frogmouth nestingwith a baby. A large goanna got the firstcluth of eggs last year, but the parents got

stuck back in so I wrapped chicken wirearound the tree trunk, and that foiled thegoanna for second hatching.

A weak point is the fairly small index atthe back. This happens sometimes: theauthors are too close to the subject torealise that others lack their huge in-depthknowledge. Nothing is perfect. But theillustrations ...

Roger Caffin

Subscribe to Bushwalking NSWnews and events on ourwebsite at:

www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au/contact-us/

BUSHWALK ING NSW

Four

way

s fro

m M

cAlis

ter S

addl

e,Ko

sciu

szko

Nat

iona

l Par

k.Ph

oto:

Rog

er C

affin