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194701

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The Sydney Bushwalker.

Monthly Bulletin of The Sydney Bushwalkers, C/- Ingersoll Hall, 256 Crown Street, Sydney.


No. 145. January, 1947. Price 6d.

EditorR.K.
Assistant EditorsNorma Barden and Elas McGregor
Business ManagerMaurie Berry
ProductionBrian Harvey
Production AssistantPeter Price
Sales and Subs.Joan Harvey
IllustrationsDennis Gittoes

In This Issue:

Page
“At the Going Down Of The Sun”“Sklp” 1
Tongariro National ParkJack Hunter 2
Fires BurningAlex Colley 3
Sydney Belly-Worshippers or Sydney Bush WalkersFederation Delegate 4
“The Fossils”“Shorty” 5
Story In Stone“Trouper” 6
An Adelaide Club“Trouper” 8
Big Bushwalker BoiloverGossip Scout10
Extra! Extra!Scandal12

"At The Doing Down of The Sun"

by “Skip”.

Soft the sun glow, peace and calm grows
In the evening interlude.
Balm the wind blows, quiet the stream flows.
In some tranquil solitude.

As the stars down rosy clouds mourn
White the daylight slowly fades.
Hate is still-born; love from fear's drawn;
Venus walks amidst the shades.

Dark at hand is; Now the land is
Dim beneath a paler light.
Day now done is, but the sun is
Challenge by the queen of night.


Labour Weekend at Tonpriro National Park. North: Hunter. ,r . . ' . From our starting pint, Auckland, the 300 miles to the 'big hills' were coVe-r4d by special bus. At 4.3-0 a m. In. -a- grey, drizzling dawn Lliyenty—one protesting bodies Were d:utiiped on the Desert Road With tents, ruesacs 'Wares - and other impediments –of -a mountain party. Camp was Boni“ -made* near the-road and-after. a. hot breakfat things took on a more pleasant appearance.

The plan for Saturday was a visit to the Oterere crater of Mt. Tongariro 64581. Afterpushing through wet tea-trees one reanses why the New Zealand tramper has as standard equipment a knee length storm coat and sou-,Wester, The very cold Taketirata stream liva0 forded and soon the way was a.,Cross -miles of what seemed to be interminable tussock country i Gullies-crossed were filled with beautiful beech forest, soon turned into a fairyland by falling snow. Patches of-4.dow became more frequent and. it was good to follow exactly in the, 1,ea;d:e,r-is foofstdps. -Finally: the rim of the crater was reached and ,a1Aough visibility Was poor it was possible' to make out through the drifting clouds a great waste of snow broken by jagged 'lava foxmati,e4s,, ,Icy 'ilidnd and driving- sleet did not add to comfort and after dspslaiAg of a ,little chocolate and cake we lost no time in returning to c,amip arid our *aledristi g. bags. - Sunday dainine4 mith more lOvi ciciud and with however a few g 1 im pses of th,e ,anow capped Ifaimandvia Range. Mt. Ruapehn 91751 yvas or next objective. The laus-Vaa cbriv-cinie'nt f'or the first portion of the trip along thLi desert road.. The usual approach to this mountain is from the hate au side via the Whakapapa ,glacier, Our approach was from the other, and less freqUented aide. Alighting at the point where the Waikato River crogses the road. we covered first miles of the deSolate -On e.tapu Desert4 e agerly looking forward for signs of a lift in the cloudsc,.; Smells of Eitaphur remind-! ed us that much of the ground underfoot 11.0 been only redently deposited (Rualyah u. is Still all active vole-ant)). Entering the Wangachu (pronounced Wonga-ay-hoo).. valley steady climbing began over lava formations an :glac-al moraine.. By 1 p m. we were in view of the ilkfanguehu glaciea:and it was decided to lunch. Tea was made by primus (there being no:,wood. above the snow-line). Shifts in the clouds permitted avic.,.-inspirin g glimpses 'of snow capped peaks and jagged rocks all about:. After lainah a hurried visit was made to, the. glacies and a possible hut site. Unfortunately conditions rapidly deterriat,ed and wind and sleet dr ovo us boa elc… At-:lower altitude-a the' sibet changed to ia3r driving 'rain a..ad. prosr,-1.F4 9,43Xa=1.41k 3:113A.. kacb pleasant. 3 Monday, going-home day, was fated to be fine and although time did not permit an extended trip we were able to appreciate the three beautiful mountains of the Reserve unveiled by cloud. Tongariro - is broken and scattered, the scene of colossalpast volcanic activity; Ngaurahoe is a perfect, steep-sided cone from the summit of which usually ascends a plume of steam and last is this incomparable Ruapehn, supreme in its' majesty, crowned with several snowy peaksand also bearing its recently aquired plume of steam. 'Although the weather had been wet all returned contented with a good weekends tramping 'in congenial coMpany. How B004 can I return, I wonder? FIRES BURNING. by Alex Colley. It was midnight on Sat 9th Nov., and I was walking along the track from the Garie_lioad-tolEvnards, on my way to the working bee at Burning Palms. In the early evening there lava been heaVy rain and now the full moon was diffusing its soft light through the drifting clouds. Suddenly I started. Fiery eyes glowed at me from the side of the track. I stopped dead and realised that it was not a beast of _prey but glowing coals I could see. Investigation proved it to be a burning - loge Evidently some picknicker had lit a fire against a dead tree at the intersection of two tracks - a favourite spot for a lunch fire - I recalled putting one out in a ,similar spot a couple of years ago a little further along the same track. The fire had already brought down the dead tree and was slowly burning along the trunks. - There was some water a few hundred yards along the track and I used it all on the log4 When I left it was black and steaming, but I realised that it was unlikely I had extinguished it completely. A fortnight later, on Nov. 23rdi I was on my way to Era. I remembered the log and went to insect. Sure enough it was still burning. This time there was no weter, and it would have taken many gallons to do any good. The bush around hbd been burnt out a few years ago, so hardly enough dead litter had accumulated as yet to make it inflammatae. Another fortnight passed and I was once more on my way to Era. Was it still burning? Yes, one of the lager limbs was smoking, and for all I know it is not out yet (Dec. 11th.).. I estimate that, from the time the picknicker lit his fire until the time his fire went out it would be at least 6 weeks. Every time a fire is started in the bush it sets alight many such logs. When the grazier, timb r-otter, farmer, or wildflower gE0_,Lcrer lizhts a fire–to clear out tiva_TTrublriQivi-IIAa doesn't asAWELT 4. bother where it ends up, or when. He may light it in cool weather, but six weeks later logs like this one are still burning. By that time there May be a strong westerly accompanied by an 100 degree temperature. All summer there are many loes like this one in the bush, glowing slowly, ready to spring into-activity and become running fires as soon as the weather is hot and dry. And so long as “burning off” is an, approved practice fires will become active (not “start”) whenever it is hot and dry… Sydney Belly-Worshippers or Sydney :Bush-Walkers? _By_ a Federation Delegate. When E.G. Wells wrote his”Modern Utopia'!_he pictured the country ruled by the Samurai or-Voluntary Nobility, people who voluntarily disciplined themselves to take on the burdens of rulership. Among other things each year they had to go out into the wilds alone for at least a week and take with them neither maps, compasses, tents, NOR MATCHES. That is to say; during this time they had to sleep beneath the stars, and live on uncooked food. It was a test of physical as well as mental fitness. The Regulations prohibiting lighting fires, which will be imposed from time to time for short periodS during the summer, are an excellent opportunity for bushwalkerg to crack hardy and show that they are as tough as any Voluntary Nobility, and certainly as keen as English and European trampers who do not as a rule light fires, but drink water for lunch, and if they have to stay overnight take a methylated stove to light inside their tents. Paddy sells solid methsi If we bu,shwalkers cannot do without our cocking fires, we must. admit to the truth of the taunt so often -heard that S.B,W. stands for Sydney Belly Worshippers, not for Sydney Bush-Walkers. Max Gentle really covered some country over Christmas. Pedalling for a change, he covered tha roads between Mt..,,Hotham (Victorian Alps) and Lakes Entrance, then turned his whirling wheels along the coastal byways to Kialoa, where he staged a most timely arrival: jub in time to 1. 13kd a atrong back for the carriage of Shirley King! 5. . _ The Foils“ _ by “Shorty”. While searab ing round at Era beach For ancient alio tribe, We found some bony, a,ggregates That we just cani t describe. With lump of rotten- wood-for spade We' d dug up bone or two, When June ma,de bright suggestibn-, “Let's put darned things in stew”. But pseudo-anthropologists Stood. gaping round about: “Bones ,mean..hard_casb. _to_. scientists, ” So make yourstew without”. Some saidsitwas dinto-saurius, And some asked when and how, And called bones tunny-,krnds of names 1. cannot think of now; We gave the bits- to our friend Kieth, Who was the first tosera; He gave us written guar ante e To take same to Museum. Man at Museum let Kieth To another he gave a wink, To ge't a really stroxig cage 'ready: He'd. caught the missing link. Tfieth then 'explained hThm1ssion, Told. tale in full of–cOUrte.; But man-said, -“Ar, you Silly 1:3ow; it's bit off ruddy Torsel”

Bob touner, Rhil Hall, and the inseparable Norma and Christa spent New Yea/ /s Eve on the Sydney Ferries! “Mystery” trip. -Presumably, this 1N85a dress-rehearsal for the Tasmania journey. The “mystery”t we meannot the forry. , STORY IN STONE. – Part 1. Acient History of the Shoalhaven. TrouPer) This is the first of a_szies:Of, three, articles;, - . Part 1. Nature- of the Rocks: a,build-up to facilitate the understanding_of-Part 11*.

Part 11. Interchange of LandJa,n4. Sea–.the changing face of theregeon.- Part 111. The Bungon ia 14imestofle-Gorgg4-, Part 1. Nature of the Rocks. Badgery's Crossing to Bungonia Caves-,-,- year by year, we pick our may up the boulder-strewn goige of,the Shoalhaven River, but how many of us stoo to wonder at the story of, 'Nom rocks Over which we Step? The area becomes more attractive when we know 1st history, so here is an exposition of the geologic ,build-up of t,hese parts. Our story begins some four-hundred million :Tears ago, when the highest forms of life were a few primitive shel1zfis4,, and tie 401P area around Tallong and Marulan was a slimy ooze upon the floor of an ocean dee. Yes, the rocks of the Shoalhaven gorge are old incleed, and varied is the tale they tell. . . In the beginning, a vast ocean Surrognae4 the then-existing portions of Australia, and far from be shoves of this sea were the muds which were ultimately' to ford( a tract of land ideal for bushwalking. However, before_We :ca.41,w1,4Prean4 -are full story, we must know something of the rocks Oprirwhigh',w6,walkias we proceed, say, upstream from Badgeryls to-BungoAia. - Along the gorge, a brown or grey hard rock predominqtqqi0a0J,L4 P-4cQS we Alan see that it is in well-defined layers running at varying angles. Above these, we see horizontally banded cliffs with a white or grey colour. The lower rocks are slat6, and the Uppel,,- Sandstone: -and we shall .rasx,.mine how such rocks are formed. …. _ ! Shale, slate,* limestone and sandstone.. all are familiar names, and'each type of rock is easy to undorstar. They are formed as , sediments on the floors of rivers, la4es'anditOtta. The fine, slimy muds such as those found in the banks of the sluggish Nepean,. near Wallacia; may become drted-and oompacted-l-o-form the crumbling, powdery rock we know as' shale. Where the flow is Still fast enough to move the clay, but not fast enough to carry coarser particles, the river bed or sea floor becomes covered with sand; for example, the sands which at present choke the Cox R. in the regions. of tileVULd. ,DO t9oGroc& boon nq ,th ey may . 7. . - - ,.-.. . . . . . . ._. . . . - . , . . be formed into rock by cOmpression or through being cemented by substances in waters flowing over tham4 This rock is the familiar sandstone – scratch a piece, and you will scrape off small, rounded (water-worn} sand &rains. These sandstOnos are usually white? but may be stained various colours – e g.; iron oxide stains them yellow, brown or red. It must be noted that the waveS of the sea play a great part in sorting the sediments -weshed into it by rivers :sands arJ dropped in regions near the coast, but the finer silts are carried fr'r out, and dropped in deep waters below the limits of wave activity. The deposition of muds and sands on the floor of a lake or Sea takes place mainly during-and aft-e'r the flood periods of the rivers emptying into it. At normal times, the waters of the Shoalhaven, Cox, etc_. are clear, 130 after,the-rains-they are a murky brown: the waters are then carrying sand and mu dwhich will be deposited in the lower reaches where the Current lessens, or in the sea where the waves will sort the waterborne burden? leaving sands along the coast, and the silts in the deeper, unstirred waters. Thus, the sediments are not laid down continuously, but layer by layer as flood succeds hood; and hence-the ultimate rock is seen to have horiaontal bands (“strat:a” or “bedding”)' Then what of the twisted strata in the lower gorge!? When we take a pile of sheets ofpaper and press from the sides with our hands:, the pages fold up in parallel layers; and similar has been the process on the lower roc;. the_Qhoalhaven ,great earth masses have exerted terrific pressure on either side of the region, and the whole countryside has crumpled and folded,, with the horizontal bedding planes distorted in consequence. - Folding of the strata i6 not the only effect of suchgreat earth forces: the shale itself becomes changed in nature. It loses its soft, crumbling constituency, changing into a. hard flint (or “che rtif), and theh with continued pressure into. which loses the original bedding; but develops the chgr b.cteristic of flaking off in layers., We are now,in a position to understabd-the development of the area; but one other rock will figure largelY:in -our discussion, and that,is limestone. This; too, Ls a sediment, but not a sediment Ln:Ahe ordinary sense of the term, for it is really an accumulation of the remains of animal organisms. Animals, fist-, shell-fish and even some plants have skeletons which are composed of calcium carbonateand limestone is calcium carbohate-:whioh has been fromed from an accumulation of such animal and plant skeletons. We have today a well-known concentrationof-these remains, which in future ages will form a limestone belt such as novv runs in,brokan stages through Yarrangobilly, Bungonia, Wbvabvati –.thia prOgelltdaY , r - ' exam dle ,is the great Barrier Reef;.,:the calciumcontaining remains of corals which even today are still building the Milestone belt of the future. Something of the. history of the area is now familiar to us the laying down of muds and sands, and the building up of a coral reef– all of liyhtch are now raised high ,above the waters Under whiclithby. once lay:. :ThUs, in the next article we shall see. how land and sea have changed places in, this area. on the Shoalhaven River. The old:t?) -hand views'the new. Thanks to the hospitality of Mr. O'Loughlin, Collector of Customs for S.A., I recently spent a day with the' newly-formed Adelaide Bush.' walkers at their Christmas camp near Mount :Crawford Vjfl the Yount Lofty Ranges. And what a day it was. The menb. ran from fresh fish to ants' eggs, and the day's activitiea from hacking down 'areal live sap dling (amidst my mental reMonstrations, “OhLwhat would Marie sayl”) to an afternoon;s Vplay..at archery.' As it is a new club, I exiDected all the manifestations of Eadgetoais which betray the novice:, big knives, big billies, extraneous heavy clothing, hatchets, trenching tools,- end so on. I was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, I did see two heavy knives, one hatchet and one trenching tool, but these =were excusable aa they had motor trans?ort Vxight to the camp site. Their President, “Bill” Lindsay, is an ex-pert ,on bush survival (“living of the land” if you will) and it was he who turned over ro-ek after rock in the searoh for ants' eges, which seem to be almostV.a. delicacy thereabouts. They may be boiled, fried or poached, but are best if taken raw. This s_ves the labour of cooking and there is no washing -up. Ants' eggs are quite palatable, and may be compared (remotely) with cooked, unsweetened rico. Edible yUCkS (“blackboys” to us) offer another food to the lost, hungry walker. Oh, yes, knowi–bushwalkers don't run_out of food - But I know of at least pne party Inho spent tib duz with empty stOmachs, and On the Grose at that; and aurely you haVe heard 0X the _party who ,breasted Hannel's Spur on saccharin and milk? It was amusing to see them, bUtlding.:thPir,,fires in tins and for ,a moment I tried to visualisq_kerosene tins on,Cloudmaker. Hgliv eVeT, I was assured that we in N.S.W. have not the bu ahfire risk that -they have, and their action probably aricxed_tirom the fact that th oir - country is grass country, an inflammable tinder in their dry sufflmer.- They have an amazing tree in S.A.: the “red” gum (a botanist called it “eucalyptus thistledownia”, but the title is viewed with suspieion). They warned me never to pell my tent beneath one of these giants. On a clear, calth day the red gum will suddenly drop one of its largest and greenest. 11mbs1 These appear to snap quite cleanly near the trunk, with no warning and no awarent reason. In Adelaide, there appears to be none of the controversy, heavy boots versus sneakers. They seem to consider that boots and gaiters are the rule for all country. However, this failing is not universal, and boots will probably become almost non-existent when they realise the greater comfort of sneakers on easy ground. They will probably nE17-.)r become so ardently lightweight as some of ourselves, due to the easier nature of their - the Mount Lofty Ranges terrain might be compared with the Megalong-Valley, without the background cliffs - but it was indeed good to see a commonsense approach, and to compare their efforts with the laughable exploits of many N.S.W. “hikers” of equal experience. At Easter, the Adelaids club plans to “do” the Grampiansi whore they will join forces with the Melbourne:bugh walkers. Whilst INC may consider that a guide robs new ground'oi' half its glamour, would not inter-state, inter-glub walks be an interesting innovation on the walks programme in,- '84, Christmas week? Every success to our South Australian confreres in whatseems to be a new form of club in their state. - .4” WATER,. OC>4& A Dal Out _ r With 4_ 1 UNDU60iANIS7' MftrAlyNE, S 0 OK OUrfr 6 comEs A (3USI-kWAL_KER. (9, ort,yEAti the Adelaide 10.

EXTRA: EXTRA: Bi Buhw:ker Be Icverl Carousal at Lisa: High-jinks in Hyde Park: The walkers at Christmas – whew: did they spark. (We print this in defiance of decorum, Without the fifteen- members for a quorum-) Read all about EXTRA:: “Ah, me: my head my aching head. I really wish that I were dead” So quoth the walking multitude, Who rent the air with curses rude That awful Wednesday morn, As, moaning and forlorn, They gasped, “Oh, gee: An A.P.C.I Off drink I now have sworn.” Okay, okay l you thought me merry. Perhaps I was, but soberrVery: At ten o'clock you said to me, “Two (ground) sheets in the wind, I see.” “Hooray:” you thought, “the gossip s-cout Has got too tight and passed right orut. 8o here I go upon a Spree; He'll never -get the-print on me”.“ But you were wrong, my cherubrin, For though I made unholy din, Pretending not to see, I chuckled loud with glee, For in my brain . This wild refrain Was running fierse and free. A racy red-head dressed in green, Em-President; Oh, quite a queeni Got amorous as she could. be With Raley Ootteri oh, tee-heel I'll mention not her name to you (as if I really needed tol) Her face, of course, was highly flushed, And even Hallstrom deeply blushed As in his list'ning ear She whispered, “Clemmie, dear -hey gave me gin= Oh, what a sin, In future I'll take beer.” T116- H-Etk—vi- 461 O13

And raised theiti:glamite*.1-4part and long, Then placed ,thenili'a,-o:k To go and4'243,c'e ,:f t:h6Sci; Vhp And as the.-16…iicide-VdIdd–6.ii4-,=*-atear pained,' The clamour slowly. grew; An&:_somne''Peee–saying, “Whow ,.I. think Ae.'…oughter, H' attck to,wateri . In lieu of this vile brew.” ' Azing-ing-.. c:ontest -.ple.'1186-d the: crowd (Although. off-stage-:::was:justi, When Dorman Soft the scales trilled, -.And:::-to;:hi:s. nted tbe critics thrifled, He.. addedOctavc…8:-;:tov_the7sale, I” Just. like the._ oporatio..-.whale;-.. And,..would–.have added.. more, But stoyed he from it, for Our human ear Befogged with beer Woula hot- k:ibfa-C16,-te his 66-dr-6-; “God Save the King!' co.,.1:43.0. Bl1ie:,Eurke With Many tank-sirds:.stilIT:at work Aswith great impropriety And. disregard for piety, He swaTor-tbroi.6-th6- . Of cempty fliottIcs cm his tray, :.Regardless : ..his…b alethae: risky, _ But .fel-ing-atill quite gay an frisky: . no,; that I. think is shOrry.-,, And this is lar?..ndy, cherry; And this, I fqar, -Is doggoned: :.-;. - ,Q.a wcli:shave where is the ,,Avhis

I.

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The year' -.9 bfg.. evont will beat -Burning Palms on Februar 7th', 8th, a nd th. 'Brikkg, the 'wife- and bring the kids. o details refer- to the toii hOtic board or at Pa ddys. ' I s - 12, _ .EXTRAI- -EXTBA.1- A participant spills the beans_ – lnd the -gossip sot lends an ear. India may have its Fakirs, but we have our own fire-walker! Shirley King, no less. And a really fine job did she make of it: right on the very last day; With nothing more to do than be carried home! Fishing – yes, fishing. Denni8 Gattoes on one end Of the line, with fifteen pounder (Oh, yeah!) rook cod on Ituther. Colin Lloyd, Bill Obsgrove pad George Dibloy turned theircamp into a first-class reatalirant. - Seventy pounds-of fooin five days! This, by a slight amount of menttl arithmetioi_wOrks out=at just under 5 lbs. per man - day!! A plum pudding-every-night-1 and a tummy ache every morning.

Eric Rowen may be a Prospective, but he knows all the tricks. He ' can persuade a woman to carry the tent “Ah, yes,” Said the hardened sceptic, “Betty's only a Prospect.- 'Wait 'til you can put that over a woman Member!” Maureen Taplin and Hannah Zhibuya-must-betruo'bush-waIkerse They really believe that stshort7;cut is,ths,longe8t.:distance between two points. Their Latest effortAst, LilYvale-Era=Lilvvale, via Wollongong and all stations nortii4.441,this, mind you, On a ticket to - 14atGrfall? And whilst on tlw subject of' MaioQn ho planned a fourteen- day trip to Y_oarAusko- with a-mere-fourt6en.'pairs of soxil A change- daily girl -who haen't heard of lux? Whither When Lost? One of the journals regularly received by the club is the the magazine of the POTOMAC APPALACHIANff TRAILS CLUB-, nd a racent arti ole included the statement thAt: Adults and_childrenold enough OD reason go down when lost, whilst children under five or six go up “This sentence might well be meiloorised by bushwakers, particularly in the Blue Mountains. If one were lost-, and kept_resolutely to a downward course, one would always have water, and would almost certainly find habitation in three or four days under normal conditions. Going up, one might end up on Cloudmaker or Guouogang -:. or on a hot, dry ridge, from which the only view was higher ridges on every haoi. 11-; doxi4t-got lost.

194701.1511920465.txt.gz · Last modified: 2017/11/29 12:54 by tyreless

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