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194610

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The Sydney Bushwalker.

A monthly Bulletin of matters of interest to the Sydney Bush Walkers, c/- Ingersoll Hall, 256 Crown St. Sydney.

No.14 October 1946 Price 6d.

EditorRon Knightley
AssistsElsa McGregor, Norma Barden
IllustrationsDennis Gittoes
Bus. ManagerMaurie Berry
ProductionBrian Harvey
Assist.Peggy Bransdon
Sales & Subs.Jean Harvey

Contents

Page
“Bartle Frere”Laurence T. Rayner 2
“A Bushwalkers Reserve or a Fauna & Flora Reserve”Marie B. Byles 6
“Blue-Gum Interlude”“Shorty” 7
A Spy Among the Bushwalkers(Time Midnight) 9
“That Man Again”“Paddy”10
It's Goodman's 12

The Grey Squirrel.

Like a small grey
coffee-pot,
sits the squirrel.
He is not

all he should be,
kills by dozens
trees, and eats
his red-brown cousins.

The keeper on the
other hand,
who shot him, is
a Christian, and

loves his enemies,
which shows
the squirrel was not
one of those.

(Humbert Wolfe).

Bartle Frere.

by Laurence T. Tayner.

This mountain has personality, I was certain of it even before I had seen it. I heard many tales about its gold reefs, the wattle fringed flats on the top, and the jungle teeming with pythons. They were told by prospectors, timbergetters and commnndos, who struggled along the slopes and stoney ridges, in the heat of the summer or some showery day.

I should have been well prepared, when the express after a shrill whistle, burst onto the open flats at Pawngilly and the mountain came in full view, yet I was overawed. It was sunset and a forlorn cloud drifted across halfway up its darkened slopes, like the veil on an exotic beauty. But there was no time to waste, I had to watch the ridge which leads from Broken Nose to the top. It looks feasible, I concluded. By this time the train arrived opposite that huge gap which separates this mountain from Bellenden Ker. The red hue died off, and the sky turned now rapidly, first turquoise and then into deep blue. The first stars shone through the blue curtain and the black ridges became lost in the gathering dusk, as we rumbled towards Gordonvale.

I must climb it was my first thought, but will there be anybody willing to join me in this venture was the second. The train arrived late at Cairns, “your only hope is to advortise in the Post for a walking partner”, said my friend, a member of the former Cairns' Alpine Club, who met me on the platform. “I tried hard and could not find a single soul for you”, he added.

I am on principle against too much publicity, for mountaineering ia essentially a sport far removed from the noise and bustle of the city. “It will not work”, I said feebly. “There is no harm in trying”, was his irrefutable reply. So the article duly appeared. Lo and behold there was a taker, a young chap from Mareeba phoned me and in three short minutes we agreed on the walk. Of course it was easy, we both wanted to do it badly, he was after the orchids and I was eager for the views.

The next day everything in Cairns seemed beautiful, even the dusty road leading to the foothills, where I wandered to get some photos, looked pleasant. There was only one thing which had me worried, the weather. – It was a glorious morning as the train wound its tortuous way, climbing the hillside to Stoney Creek. The green squares of the cane fields alternating with the red soil patches provided a lovely chessboard, for the gods to play on. The waters of the river mirrored a clear sky but clouds were gathering as I arrived at Barron Falls. Descending to the foot of the falls, where the water foams over black rooks and the spray flies, I mused, how much more impressive these falls must have been in the days before the hydro generators were installed. Still I enjoyed being shown through the Works and especially the ride on the cable car, which provides a grandstand view of the falls.

At lunch I was in “Paradise”, and considering the beauty and variety of the vegetation, it really is a paradise for the botanist. Nightfall found me discussing details of the climb with my partner at Mareeba. We decided to meet three days hence on the Saturday night at Peeramon, in the meantime I was to see the tourist attractions of the tablelands.

The road from Ravenshoe to the big Millstream Falls reminded me of New South Wales. Tall gum trees, sparse undergrowth, there is really nothing to assure you, that this part of Australia is in the tropics. The military campsites along the road made it difficult to find the turn off and I felt lucky when the lovely falls came into view, just at sunset. The water seems to form a perfect unbroken curtain, the type you could watch for hours on end.

How different are the Tully Falls. The road winds between lush green walls, the rain forest seems to close in on you. As you arrive at the sunlit lookout, where you can see the waters of the Tully leaping into a huge granite chasm, you can not help being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the scene. A path leads to the foot of the falls and walking down it seemed to me that these are the best falls on the tablelands and by the time I arrived at the bottom, where the sunrays form a rainbow on the everlasting spray, this feeling became a certainty. At the swimming pool on the top I was told, that a new hydro station will he established in the near future, utilizing the 1500' drop. I sincerely hope that the engineers will preserve the beauty of these unique falls in all their glory.

The highlights of the road to Millaa-Millaa are those patahes of rainforest, which have escaped the axe and fire, but they seem to be in danger right now. The Miilaa-Millaa Falls suffered by comparison with the Tully, and so did the other scenic gems, like the crater lakes, Barrine and Eacham.

Mt. Quincan proved to be a most fascinating and easily acessible crater, yet I have the impression, that very few of those people, who admire the curtain and cathedral figtrees ever climb this hill, although it provided the rich volcanic soil for these forest giants. The perfectly circular crater is a sight in itself, but there is also a beautiful cycloramic view awaiting those who get to the trig. I watched from the top the lazy clouds which crowned Bartle Frere for the last week; they seemed to be lifting slowly. Can it be, that they will be gone by the time I arrive there. It would be good.

I was lucky. The next morning as we admired the view from Lamond's Hill there was not the slightest trace of the clouds. There was only the majestic moutain with the sea as the background, and the green ridges seemed to beckon, come closer. We had lunch near to a singing stream, on a luscious meadow called Gurkha Clearing, at the head of the Russell River track. This would be an ideal spot for a boarding house, or chalet, for people who would see the view from the peak. It does not take more than a day to get there, but we did not know this at the time.

We entered the jungle and followed the Russel River track for a while. It was a very ticklish job to find the place to turn off for the ridge, which divides the watershed of the Russell, from that of the Mulgrave River. I had to use my bushwalker's instinct, such as it is, and we marked a huge tree with a couple of slashes where we left the track. The going in the jungle was pretty heavy, as there are plenty of “wait a whiles” and their close relatives, but fortunately we found only very few stinging trees. The divide, right here, is fairly broad and flat and it is easy to wander off it, so we were glad to find a jam jar and later a bottle on the stick, proving that we were on the right ridge. From here on we found such marks at fairly regular intervals. At the last saddle, before the ridge gets steeper, we found water in the gully and a level spot, so we decided to make an early camp. Soon the tent was pitched and the camp fire provided a homely touch to the scene.

In the morning the ridge proved to be the right one and our hor.1 were high as we caught glimpses of the view, from the top of s ome orchid covered boulder. Ferns and orchids seem to love these'heigh, as all fallen trees and rocks were fairly smothered under their leaves. We passed various commando camps on the way, and at about 11- coclock arrived at an open patch on the north peak of the mountain. This window in the jungle, must have been burned by soldiers, or other people who climbed the peak. It is the only place on Bartle Frere where we could see the ravages of bush-fire, although at one section our ascent has been blocked, not only by giant grymite boulders, but by the vandal destruction of some fine treO, The :view is not cycloramic, but very impressive 'just the sme. The toWering mass of the south peak, which is :bout 400' higher, blotted out much of the'cor,..stal view. The milit,lry, map calls the north peak “Chooree Chillum” the aboriginal vvv, and registers the same height for both peaks, but I cl n not accept this as being correct. Our route lay on the top of the mountPin P.,nd We hd a great time in climbing the rocks that blocked our path. Thessobstacles served also as lookout points, and the views of Bellenden Ker, the Mulgrave valley and the maze of ridges, made the picture unforgettoble. Close ?t hand the rocks seemed to hP,ve been piled up by some-pre-historic giant, in-the distrmce waterfalls were tum-bling into the green abyss. I felt, I could float out above the valley free of the cares of the world. But the body can not live by views only, it needs food and -water There :was no wat(3r at lurwhtime, $0 we WeTi49 glad-fo-find a 5,. little permanent -stream, ,just before we dived down into, the last saddle separating us from the summit. 'Here-La' a suitable place for a shelter hut, with afew bunks blankets and a firaplace. We had to hurry, tha weather had been kind to us for two cloudless days.- Will it be like this tomorrow? I had too many, disappointments in the past to trust to luck, so we pushed on. In the saddle we met our little stream again, gurgling under rocks, bobbing out here and there but mostly flowing underground, or under heaps of rock perhaps 30' below its embankments. The final climb was short and sweet,—I mean steep, but not too difficult. We found that the slash marks lead to the summit too, the army' must have been here before us. Still the vtew that greeted us was ours,— ours only. It was late and-the horizontal rays of the dying sun outlined the distant ridges and valleys, with unusual clardty. Only over, the sea hovered a veil of mist. The cane fields gleamed like emerald lagoons. We tried to' locate the various landmarks,—yes, that is- Innisfail, with the Johhstone River, and those mountadns which rise sheer from the- sea form dincht-brook Island, and: then one of those two small islands, must be Dunk ;gland, By jove.,- I can see Banfield watching us! How small eve-rything viewed from here seems, even the crater of Mt. ,;luincan is just a heap of sand, which had been left on theplatuau by some_playfur=child. The shadows lengthened and it became decidedly cool, so after carefully picking the ridge that leads to Broken'Nose,:we started Our descent. The last 500 or 600 -feet of our ascent lead us through very dense undergrowth and saplings, now we had to pass through a similar, but much more extensive zone. Our task as increased by the huge rough granite boulders, which seam to form a continUcus belt, all around the summit. As bight approached rapidly, we had to pitch our tent not far from the peak, on a reed covered slope. The little tent nestled in the hollow, between, the rocks and stunted trees, like a white bird. The bright stars heralded a cold night, but with the cheery campfire'warming us, we did not mind: It was; “a cold frosty morning”, that greeted us. The tent was frozen stiff and frost covered the reeds, but as the sun rose from the sea, its crimson rays lent the 'View that touch., which lifted it from the beautiful, to the sublime. The 'chill easterly breeze brought us quickly back to earth again. The breakfast was only a scanty affair, for we had a dry camp and our idea was to gat a second heaping, as soon as we found' water. The coast seemed close at hand too, so we were lead to believe, that we would have an easy day before us. The rocks taught us better. They seem to be heaped in an interminable mass alare'th rid.412,;' szi we olinibed'down –down to the - , ,ft . 6.

H. Vie found..no water. By luncht ime our throats were parched…, b.Ut at last we left the region,. where reads and:.'saplings form solid floors ..-and walls and entered the rain forest once again. Its green ceiling sheltered us from sun and wind'. On our way we could hoar waterfalls, far below us, tumbling into deep. ,gorges, and the mocking call of small birds; “it is easy to get there. :' Yet vi it is easy to fly, but if you leave the -reasonable :slope Of th-e for some deep gully, you will be sorry.. So, on we ploddeci., until at about 4 07 clOckt when the two thirsty walkers arrived at their Mecca., the crystal water$ of Kowadgi Creek. The stream hare forms some beautiful cascades, L-i_d its clean waters leap joyfully from rockpool to rockpool, amidst.- towering trees. A little flat spot at the crossing, -proved_so cttractive, that they welcomed tha idea of an early camp,: With the billy boiling and the rushing creek singing a lullaby. It was warm,. that night in the shelter of the tall timber. The last day was ratherrushod, as. wehd to catch the train at Pawngilly. We rose once again before the sun, and in tho short, but scrtchy 'hours, left the jungle behind us. As we speeded along the good ricy:Id, some drifting cicuds slowly enveloped our Mountain, in their impon etrable shroud. – – A Bushwalkers Reserve or 1…Eauna and Flora Reserve. Marie B. Byles. Most bu shwalkers, would considor that I ahould have put”andn instead_ of the 1Tor7. in this title. But, consider:- Can you re-ally have both in the same area-, or must you chooso which is to hve priority'? The mere fact of a largo number of buthwalkors roaming about over a small area, and ccmping where they like, m eans that the fauna is disturbed and some of the flora is destroyed, The only reason. why bushwalkers tave not done much damage yet,,, is simply because their numbers arc. not very grc r?.t.. But every year the numbers increase, and in small arc, such as Muogamarra, they could soon leave behind the trail of their comings and cam-pings.. .. . Doubtless - Mr..:Tipp e.T has not always 'been as affable as he might towards bushwalk ers wh we km:00411)e. fatilt14A, but that should, not prevent uS,.from his pAnt of that Ibusb walkers.- ought.,to7kec,lp, the 6r-igoiU as far.'as possi bV'O and ought to camp- only wklere asked to,-andught to come in the 'f'tbn t gate so Oat he may know just Who tile peop)4.:40re and w oy are likely to go: Incidentally; tool why shoul_d t hulkt pay' tilekr I/- like - ereryone-else :There is work and upkeep in the reserve and why should they not help to. maintain it?' We trustees of Bouddi know to our sorrow that you cannot keep land in its natural state without moneye Finally there is the fire-risk. -Bushwalkors think they are beyond reproach ih the matter of making their firoz safe. But we know very well they are not. We know of two bush-fires, of which members of our own club wore the cause. We know of two. How many - others have there been of which we havo not hoard? One party, of whidh I myself was a member, lit one fire under a poaty bank. I did not like to interfere, for th-ey were experienced walkers. We went away for a stroll, came back in half an hour to find the-' bank alight, and had great difficulty-in getting it out. I have se many bushwalkers build their fires near grassy banks and under low overhanging trees. And how many bushwalkors put their camp fire out with wator wh pn they go to bed, and carefully extinguish their breakfast or lunch fire? It was just one such non-extinguished camp fire th:.t I saw burst into flames tha following morning, when later in thu day there arose a sixty mile an hour gale.. Fortunately on that occasion I did interfere and the fire had been extinguished in time. Is it any wonder that for Mr.. Tipper bushwalkers- aro synonimous with fire-risk and that he“ does not Aesire them to roam freely th ough the fauna and flora reserve. It is a pity that he does not gdve bushwalkars credit for their interest in the preservation of the bush, and does not tr6at them with more kindly interest, but that is no reason for our own failure to seo his point of view. Blue-Gum Interlude By “Shorty. We thought wald take on'.hiking, Or walking as it's known,' Sp shouldered up our rucksacks' Withmany a grunt and groan. We started off down Govett!s, And like true,walkini. sports We paused to have a breath6r- - And change into,ourshorts.' I - Our changingwentquite,:smoothly sopleoheshOute&. “atop: Tjre's half a,dozen touri sts, ' tliktopV 6: Blue-Gum I0Or1ude pbhtinued:, We'd just, gone past the Junction When Bobby (not so) Bright Found,:that.Wd lost the pathway, ,S.,ott?.-gre we OtOpped't'ne'flight. We,soon-lost touch with.HaIlstrom– ,. He trod the CahyOn'Grand- …And. as he lmentwe aawb im Withfemale by, the hand,l, NowRusael feltrbMantip. . And nearly made us ifyeep. Re carried two. fall', rucksaaka To the top-Of Govett's Leapl Perhaps our Clem was -cunning, But Russels lost the knack His love was not rewarded;, He merely wrecked his back: TO THETAYFARER. A Poem fastened to trees in the Portuguese Forests:) Ye whco pass by and would raise your hand against me, hearken ere you harm me. I am the heat of your hearth on the cold winter nights, the .friendly shade screening you from summer sun, and my fruits are refreshing draughts, quenching your thirst as you journey on. I am the beam that holds your 'house, the board of your table, the bed on which you lie, the 'timber that builds, your boat. I am the handle of your lade, the doOr of your homestead, the wood of your cradle, and,the shell of your coffin. I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty. Y,a1 who pass by, listen to ity prver: harm mo not –Roadside Bulletin. (From the “Readers' Digest” - Ap1.-45) Seen on 4 notioe-board as the paty wandared qp Katoomba Street: “Come unto ril,y all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will xefrogh you.” Still Bushed, The Honourable, The Recorder: Sydney Bushwalking Club. Dear Sir or Madam, As a guest recently atone-Of your walks I felt so well GrA.11 depends upon the viewpoint tb'ireh' a few line b of doggerel outlining a few observations. Please accept my thanks for a most pleasant outing, special regards for. most efficient leader'. Spy-eye. A Spy Among the'Bushwalkers (Time Midnight) Ah the dreaded moment when one embarks uPon the road And leaves the warm and comfortable train. A muttered woi'l or two, then girdling up their packs, The Bushies go a-walking out upon the dusty frocks. They strike out herd and fast, with Strong and sturdy legs:. Many men and women in a row.' At first its very easy for you soon expect to stop But it then bears in upon you that the pace is on to stay and no-one answers questions on the way. The leader he is leading but often, from the back And torches wink and flash up :nd down upon the-track. Now its left and down this canyon, Then its right and over slopes. And ever unquestioning, gaily and in sang These hidden hard walking people plod along. Clad in shorts and shirt and jumper Scorning any other gear They travel hard and fast and f,-bigue they never fear. . Their feet c re c'?..s-ed- in hob-nailed boots' As thick as they con get them, With fancy sox and coloured tops, they trip ad-infinitum. The morn comes on ap-..ce but still thu do not slacken By now “you are drugged and w?lking in your sleep. But-there's an end to ev3rything ?..nd at cliffs ease they. halt, And soon the/re saoring in,their ffbagsrasleep. - 10. And you a,ralef Olodering what its all about, Wtit-ing for the d;7v-light to sea wha t lies without. The tents they seem to cluster in a little:circled-knot -Tn a softly wooded hollow Chosen as “the Spot”. '. Then he-ds appear - just human and fires begin to burn, And chops and. steak ?..nd to-,st and tea. ore spread upon the fern. The “bushies” then will greet you in a desultory sort of way, To remind'you of the Trials and terrors of the day. Then we're moving_ip five minutes, is the hoary age old cry And you run and do your best with your packing to comply. But already they are moving and filtering thru the trees, A tribute to efficincy making bush life a life of ease. You then begin to wonder how they're going to keep this up, And you speculate upon the motives of this trip. 'Iiihen you come to this conclusion– Which might be an illusion That men have one and girls another Ones a irl and ones a brother. Clem is tough and loves to show it, spartan and so he's for it, Dormies down and full of mettle,. And Mavis is in such fine fettle Th-t task c nd burden quickly tackled, F-7,i,1 to hold this girleen shF:ckled. Therefore each and every one Act by instinct and full of fun. Show to “the spy” a side of life. Bereft of any sort of strife. Long live the Bushies” one and Your pleasant walks hold me in thr'all.

7 Backyard ushwalking Paddy. Dry! Dry! Dry! Rather than see my precious plants die of thirst, I am judiciously watering them to keep them alive. Flannel flowers . have said “Thanks” very gracefully by bursting into flower. Without the assistance of water the GOmpholobium (Golden Pea bush) has donned c its( spring dress of lovely yellow blooms. The plant is 3 years old froth seed and this is the first 'time it has flowered and against a background of Red Spider flowers - it looks a pretty sight. r I , - ,- - 11, As if ',.nticip ating long dry spell-31i the bush. pints seem to h-ve decided on now or never policy.,,.nd come into bloom before they dry up atogether. The very war?tahs -re in full bloom two months ahoPd of schedule. As I look out of” the. window now-, I see a Pussy Willow in full flower:. I must be getting old foxthe sight of this tf-kos me bock nearly forty year8 when as kids in England we rthered great armfuls for Palm Sunday. In ftct we called Pussy Willow “P-lm”.. We used to have P little rhyme wheih refferred to the Sunday-s 'An -tent's want like this '(spelTing phonetic). - “Tid, mid, miser:v. 'Carling, Pt:lm, Paste-egg dv7.- ' What the “Tid, mid misery” moms I know not. (Maybe some ecclecti-sti icca reader con help). Carling referred to “Carligg Sunday” when we fed -1,1most exclusively on c7rlings (';1 spec b' “6”ib 15rown poc1). This was a local custom sold to Commemorate the time 'when the inhabitants were s'vved from famine by the timely shipwreck of 9 vessel laden with carlings. The carlings besides making R tasty if somewhat mind- producing dish, -mde fine ',-mmunition for pea-shooters. P.,,ste-egg day was of course Easter Sunday.. The p:Iste-eggs were hard boiled eggs. coloured -nd often- decorated with quaint drclwings: We would visit rolatives'nnd friends and from c7:..ch collect ,,E.;n ogg. Then we would go “jarping”. It wr s a simple game consisting of one chap having a strike (or jarp) at ,notheT,fallow4-s-egg*with his own. If the shell of one egg were broken “it as forfeited. Consequently the owner of on extra hard shelled egg could acquire a goodly collection of eggs. In the afternoon,_we would go into the “country” and bowl (or roll) our eggs. This consisted of rolling the eggs down a steep grassy bank to see whose egg would travel furthest. But enough! We have strved from Australiah:buSh to English fields. Though distant in space they ?re close i1. spirit for the same sun shines on both, away from the f,og and fumns of the city and the same cloctn wind blows, refreshing mind and spirit. Paddy h7s ample sup-jies of rebbhditioned army pristatic compass priced at a-0-0. A Nalunble additiOn to every vii4kers outfit. .

, Camp Gear for Walkers. 'PhOne. 327 George Street, B 3101. SYDNEY. 12.

SocIl'i'rogratmefov-October- Remember that on the 18th there will be asuper dance at the Club rooms so come along and enjoy the fun and frolic. Also on the 25th there bill be more colour films. Buildors,YIncorportod: Do you require 1PsbOur? Consult the Tim Coffee L7=nd Clearing & Bridge Building Corp., of Warraweei Hove you scan the lntest rival of the Harbour Bridge? Eleven feet by forty, with highest point 8' above the creek. Built to hold 7 ton brick lorry! This., we hear, was where Foreman Gilroy acquired the experience required for the Ranger's hut in G,,rrc:'wPrrc:, ' . Thct-Man. .”Walk light-weight” says Paddy over the counter. “Learn the art of tOssing out.”… Indeed, he's taken it to heart. That appendix which: doctor tell: Us is superfluous. lightened his pe-rsona woi ght by th.F:t amount. cfCCE,a3c.CactP-4',';ag,. 7, Cr”;,(C'E@W_Ce@ff.C5W'iqWg(dgU'E..E (,., g @ g , YOUR OPTOMETRiS,T @ (C, 1. GOODMAN M. I ,1 E C 04.D#cmetriW anci Optician GC, e , 20 Hunter Street, SYDNEY. g ' CI' Tali B3438 C Cv E . i ,31f-od-e-rA -methods of eye examination and Eye Training C.- Careful,Spect?,clo Fitting , C C . C t , L_ E 'Fixing an appointment will faCilitate 'the reservation of tine for giving you proper attention; C g but should you be unable to ring us beforehand, your C visit will be welcome at any time you may choose C C to call; e i?.., …. g o ,,- E 2,Z_YLZ Zw:;:,E , ,(–=-,-;,- ,.– . - -..– -,- - 2, IgTG, ':. ` '2' G-g4v caaac

194610.1463025392.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/05/12 13:56 by tyreless

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