195001
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===== Bivouac ===== | ===== Bivouac ===== | ||
- | Here for a span of three short days was home, those few square yards of canvas, and some cord ta-t-)ned | + | Here for a span of three short days was home,\\ |
- | Now, we doprt; and on the springing turf scarce lingers yet the ty.,print of our bed. Only a wisp of fern, so7o_e blackened stones remain, rute witness to our sojourn here, and in the sunlit silence blue wren flits, prospecting with his little broll-nie wife for ' | + | these few square yards of canvas, and some cord\\ |
+ | tautened | ||
+ | the earth itself our anchor. | ||
+ | tramped the bush tracks, prepared prodigious meals,\\ | ||
+ | pursued our pleasant necessary tasks,\\ | ||
+ | ate, drank, were merry; and when evening came\\ | ||
+ | stretched limbs well-wearied | ||
+ | and warmed our hearts in kindly comradeship. | ||
- | There have been conquerors who swept the earth, and men acclaimed them but the embittered soil brought forth no harvest where their feet had passed, and the torn hills might wait two decades long before | + | Now, we doprt; |
+ | scarce lingers yet the imprint of our bed.\\ | ||
+ | Only a wisp of fern, some blackened stones\\ | ||
+ | remain, mute witness to our sojourn here,\\ | ||
+ | and in the sunlit silence blue wren flits,\\ | ||
+ | prospecting with his little brownie wife\\ | ||
+ | for morsels hidden from the human glance. | ||
- | Paltry ambition this, and negative, | + | There have been conquerors who swept the earth,\\ |
+ | and men acclaimed them: but the embittered soil\\ | ||
+ | brought forth no harvest | ||
+ | and the torn hills might wait two decades long\\ | ||
+ | before the deep woods clothed their flanks again. | ||
- | ====== Newnes Glen Davis Mt Uraterer to Capertee Mt. and Glen Alice ====== | + | Paltry ambition this, and negative, |
+ | but fame enough when we pack up at last\\ | ||
+ | our bivouac of threescore years and ten,\\ | ||
+ | sufficient if we leave no hurt to mar\\ | ||
+ | earth' | ||
+ | may there be sunlight, and such sense of peace\\ | ||
+ | that wanderers who come upon the place,\\ | ||
+ | pause and say: " | ||
+ | |||
+ | K.M. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ===== Newnes, Glen Davis, Mt Uraterer to Capertee Mt. and Glen Alice ===== | ||
by " | by " | ||
- | Note. Photographs illustrating this trip appeared in the December issue of the Sydney Bushwalker, | + | __Note__. Photographs illustrating this trip appeared in the December issue of the Sydney Bushwalker. |
- | Old Newnes shale works were being pulled down, the bricks had been sold for 100 and were being cleaned and carted away. Two big chimneys had been blasted down and the third was to go on Tuesday. The red bricks had weathered into the scenery of the valley, quite unlike the aluminium painted tanks, pipes and stacks | + | Old Newnes shale works were being pulled down, the bricks had been sold for £100 and were being cleaned and carted away. Two big chimneys had been blasted down and the third was to go on Tuesday. The red bricks had weathered into the scenery of the valley, quite unlike the aluminium painted tanks, pipes and stacks of Glen Davis, which glitter astride the Capertee Valley. Wattle was in full bloom among the ruins which will soon be no more than a rubble of mortar. |
- | of Glen Davis, which glitter astride the Capertee Valley. Wattle was in full bloom among the ruins which will soon be no more than a rubble of mortar. | + | |
- | We followed the pipeline across to Glen Davis. We passed the tin shacks of the coal and shale miners (the man at the works complained that miners did not stay long at Glen Davis), the blno | + | We followed the pipeline across to Glen Davis. We passed the tin shacks of the coal and shale miners (the man at the works complained that miners did not stay long at Glen Davis), the black evil smelling swill from the retorts dumped by the roadside on the way to the coal mine in Running Stream Creek. |
- | evil smelling swill from the retorts dumped by the roadside on the way to the coal mine in Running Stream Creek. | + | |
- | A few miles down from Running Stream Creek, crossing two substantial valleys coming in on the right, we came to the first in the cliffs on the north side of the Capertee - Grassy Mountain. It isn't grassy at all, unless you look very closely, but :LI; is good basalt soil and stones coming right down to the banks of the river. The basalt holds most of the way up, but at the top there is some easily passed sandstone. | + | A few miles down from Running Stream Creek, crossing two substantial valleys coming in on the right, we came to the first in the cliffs on the north side of the Capertee - Grassy Mountain. It isn't grassy at all, unless you look very closely, but it is good basalt soil and stones coming right down to the banks of the river. The basalt holds most of the way up, but at the top there is some easily passed sandstone. |
- | The course from the top is north by compass, and we only ran off our ridge into one valley on the left - fortunately it had | + | |
- | some water in it. We eventually cane to a hill just west of Green Mt. and could see Mt. Uraterer and Gosper' | + | |
- | Along here were more woody pear trees - we had seen the first along some most beautiful Callitris along the Capertee - indeed all the ridges seemed to have a plentiful sprinkling of them, some | + | |
- | of them very good specimens, and many of them with a liberal sprinkling of pears. The small woody pear bushes had vivid red glowing tips. | + | |
- | Mt. Uraterer has been cleared of trees and is grassy. Cattle and horses were grazing and there were some stockyards between the mountain and Gosper' | + | The course from the top is north by compass, and we only ran off our ridge into one valley on the left - fortunately |
- | all round us. One of the best views I have seen, a view of mountains, not of valleys. Mt. Coricudgy stood to the north like a | + | |
- | great crocodile' | + | |
- | than anything else, but Dunn's Mt. and Mt. Capertee y as well as a dozen others, were also prominent. One of OUP more immediate objectives, Mt. Boonbourwa, did not stand out at all since it was in front of other higher mountains. | + | |
- | Its- no use trying | + | |
- | of 77. North of Mt. Uraterer there are a number of ridges, nom0 them | + | |
- | quite long. There is at least Prickly Ridge, Thorny Ridge and Mountain Holly Ridge. All of them except one leads into a deep gorge. We saw exactly the same woody pear on nearly all of them. The formula for getting on the right one can, only be applied after walking along wrong ones for at least a day. You come to a point, which the Leader can define for you in terms of compass bearings on Mt. Uraterer and Tyan Pic dimly glimpsed through the trees. From this most precisely defined point you cross a deep gully, find that the ridge is tending too far to the west and in any case comes to a steep saddle, become disgusted, cross back over the same gully, now much deeper, on to the missing ridge. It has a track on it, very faint but very reassuring. | + | |
- | A mile or two before Davis' | + | Along here were more woody pear trees - we had seen the first along some most beautiful Callitris along the Capertee - indeed all the ridges seemed |
- | been a regular watering point in the days when the track was reg111nri y used. It would probably be difficult to find coming in the oppoite direction, since the track leading on from it was not very distinct and was difficult to pick up again. Oar Trackfindey; | + | |
- | The Cranky One made the first damper in his life at abol:,c;his stage and it was quite surprising how good it was - at least the strictly rationed party devoured it at a gulp, carbon and all. | + | |
- | As might be expected | + | Mt. Uraterer has been cleared of trees and is grassy. Cattle and horses were grazing and there were some stockyards between the mountain and Gosper' |
- | suggested - length exactly five feet, straight | + | |
- | Standard specifications for a fire. Here there can be no doubt that it must be parallel and must be a roaring mass of flame throughout its entire length. Research into the working of atomic piles, when it is published, may provide a guide to methods by which the complexion | + | |
- | The size and arrangements of stockpiles of fuel and water. The number of times pots and utensils must be cleaned during each meal period with water of standard temperature and soapiness | + | It's no use trying to pronounce Mt. Uraterer from just reading the name, but something like Ura - torra might get you by. |
- | and with precisely defined scourers. | + | |
+ | North of Mt. Uraterer there are a number of ridges, some of them quite long. There is at least Prickly Ridge, Thorny Ridge and Mountain Holly Ridge. All of them except one leads into a deep gorge. We saw exactly the same woody pear on nearly all of them. The formula for getting on the right one can only be applied after walking along wrong ones for at least a day. You come to a point, which the Leader can define for you in terms of compass bearings on Mt. Uraterer and Tyan Pic dimly glimpsed through the trees. From this most precisely defined point you cross a deep gully, find that the ridge is tending too far to the west and in any case comes to a steep saddle, become disgusted, cross back over the same gully, now much deeper, on to the missing ridge. It has a track on it, very faint but very reassuring. | ||
+ | |||
+ | A mile or two before Davis' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Cranky One made the first damper in his life at about this stage and it was quite surprising how good it was - at least the strictly rationed party devoured it at a gulp, carbon and all. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As might be expected with a party of such violent characters on a long walk some fundamental disagreements arose about such basic topics as - | ||
+ | |||
+ | | ||
+ | |||
+ | | ||
+ | |||
+ | The size and arrangements of stockpiles of fuel and water. The number of times pots and utensils must be cleaned during each meal period with water of standard temperature and soapiness and with precisely defined scourers. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The gathering of bracken for those who wouldn' | ||
- | The gathering of bracken for those who wouldn' | ||
It must be clear, however, that issues with regard to none of these topics can be satisfactorily resolved until some outstanding philosopher is prepared to write theses on the following subjects. | It must be clear, however, that issues with regard to none of these topics can be satisfactorily resolved until some outstanding philosopher is prepared to write theses on the following subjects. | ||
- | 8. | + | |
(1) The nature and limitations of a food list, and | (1) The nature and limitations of a food list, and | ||
- | (2) Why co-operation in camp arrangements necessarily doubles the work of each co-operator and imposes a reginenJe tio,e which would not be tolerated during the ordinary working da4, | ||
- | a Until these theses have been written and the conclusions der- | ||
- | ived from them duly incorporated Into the general rules of the Club there is only one safe procedure which might be followed, and that is to select a portion of the bush in which there is no chance of meeting anyone at all and walk alone as a compLe-oely self-contained | ||
- | unit. | ||
- | Davis' | ||
- | formations visible at the bottom of it and an outle': | ||
- | narrow canyon; a high range of hills almost completely enclreles | ||
- | We would have liked to go down to the bottom of it but we hc,;,-i ]cs time on the approaching ridges and had '3o ny. | ||
- | About this time the Cranky One was mislaj0 pau ijoy | ||
- | the scenery and the rest of the party rushed ec., -eine t-?ck | ||
- | was not sufficiently defined to follow a delicae reeicii on e;:eee, | ||
- | The C.O. feeling secure in the knowledge that he ,;ws- caxEryin | ||
- | major portion of the food supply applied the well-known r:2:=nciele of | ||
- | staying put3 retired to the highest piece of gPound nearby, atan | ||
- | orange and made himself comfortable. The R.O,P. came to a halt about a mile or so around the crater and proceederi blvrn green | ||
- | gum leaves at a great rate. Unfortunately a fairly 1-,f_zh wind | ||
- | carried the smoke away behind the hill and the Lo s'3 One never saw it. In the meantime the Leader retraced steps and eventually came idpon the L.O. Everything had worked according to the rules. | ||
- | On past Davists | + | (2) Why co-operation in camp arrangements necessarily doubles the work of each co-operator and imposes a regimentation which would not be tolerated during the ordinary working day. |
- | It was along the tops which were either bare or only sparsely covered with trees; the views were magnificent. In this area, and for that matter for most of the rest of the trip doon to Glen Alice, | + | |
- | ending in a series of beehive shaped rocks. Such experience as we had suggested that most of them would be negotiable up or down the spaces between the beehives. | + | Until these theses have been written and the conclusions derived from them duly incorporated into the general rules of the Club there is only one safe procedure which might be followed, and that is to select a portion of the bush in which there is no chance of meeting anyone at all and walk alone as a completely self-contained unit. |
- | On the top of Boonbourwa we found that our compasses varied depending on the height above the rocks, suggesting that some caut- ion 'might be necessary in taking bearings around here. | + | |
- | At tho Ovens the Trackfinder, | + | Davis' |
- | Weariness or laziness prevented us from either following the tops along from here or from climbing Coricudgy. We followed the road along the Cudgegong River until we came to a house at the | + | |
- | foot of Native Dog Hill with Mt. Bin Ben well back on the left. From here we headed straight for Capertee | + | About this time the Cranky One was mislaid. He paused to enjoy the scenery and the rest of the party rushed on. Since the track was not sufficiently defined to follow a delicate position arose. The C.O. feeling secure in the knowledge that he was carrying a major portion of the food supply applied the well-known principle of staying put, retired to the highest piece of ground nearby, ate an orange and made himself comfortable. The R.O.P. came to a halt about a mile or so around the crater and proceeded to burn green gum leaves at a great rate. Unfortunately a fairly high wind carried the smoke away behind the hill and the Lost One never saw it. In the meantime the Leader retraced steps and eventually came upon the L.O. Everything had worked according to the rules. |
+ | |||
+ | On past Davis' | ||
+ | |||
+ | On the top of Boonbourwa we found that our compasses varied depending on the height above the rocks, suggesting that some caution | ||
+ | |||
+ | At the Ovens the Trackfinder, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Weariness or laziness prevented us from either following the tops along from here or from climbing Coricudgy. We followed the road along the Cudgegong River until we came to a house at the foot of Native Dog Hill with Mt. Bin Ben well back on the left. From here we headed straight for Capertee | ||
About Umbiella Ck. Forget it altogether or else you will be led into a lot of trouble as we nearly were since we had arranged for a car to meet us along it. The creek is Capertee Nile Right Arm, and if you call it anything else the local inhabitants won't know what you are talking about. | About Umbiella Ck. Forget it altogether or else you will be led into a lot of trouble as we nearly were since we had arranged for a car to meet us along it. The creek is Capertee Nile Right Arm, and if you call it anything else the local inhabitants won't know what you are talking about. | ||
- | Capertee Mt0 is like most of the other mountains we climbed in the district - sandstone well up with a capping of basalt. | ||
- | There are magnificent trees on the basalt country right up to the | + | Capertee Mt. is like most of the other mountains we climbed in the district - sandstone well up with a capping of basalt. |
- | very highest point. Boronia was growing on the dry sandstone | + | |
- | edges, | + | We spent a whole day looking for the track down to the Capertee |
- | We spent a whole day looking for the track down to the Cay, | + | |
- | leading around the mountain and up on to it, but none of them led | + | Perhaps the next section should not be written; it certainly cannot be written adequately. |
- | away from it. We know where the track is now, but try as we could we couldn' | + | |
- | Perhaps the next section should not be written; it certainly | + | We headed down into a gully. Unfortunately, |
- | cannot be written adequately'. | + | |
- | We headed down into a gully. Unfortunately, | + | |
- | thought ourselves lucky at the time, the final drop was fairly | + | |
- | the worst varieties (except blackberries) that I have ever met, | + | |
- | interspersed with giant nettles, all lacing together the fallen trees of the last generation. Have you ever seen the nettles which tower up over you and droop down and dangle in your face? The average height of the mess was from ten to fifteen feet. The language used was much as might be expected, but even with doubling and redoubling the emphasis was often felt to be inadequate, and there were many even more expressive silences. | + | |
The leader ocassionally took to the wombat burrows, and in happier circumstances it would have been amusing watching him disappear down a hole in the ground dragging his pack after him. | The leader ocassionally took to the wombat burrows, and in happier circumstances it would have been amusing watching him disappear down a hole in the ground dragging his pack after him. | ||
- | Lower down there were some magnificent tree ferns and near the beginning was the biggest cedar I have ever seen - there?d probably | + | |
- | be a fortune in it, but it would have to come out by a helicopter. | + | Lower down there were some magnificent tree ferns and near the beginning was the biggest cedar I have ever seen - there'd probably be a fortune in it, but it would have to come out by a helicopter. |
We came out on to river fiats covered with wattles, all a blaze of colour. | We came out on to river fiats covered with wattles, all a blaze of colour. | ||
- | The next day nobody wanted to do anything except the C.0. With restless vigour he decided to explore the way to Tyan Pic from the Capertee Nile Right Arm side. Although the exploration was successful too much time was wasted to make | + | The next day nobody wanted to do anything except the C.O. With restless vigour he decided to explore the way to Tyan Pic from the Capertee Nile Right Arm side. Although the exploration was successful too much time was wasted to make the final accent - at least that was his story and I have no reason to doubt it. |
- | at least that was his story and I have no reason to | + | |
+ | ---- | ||
- | ====== Now What Are You Really Looking For ? ====== | + | ===== Now What Are You Really Looking For ? ===== |
by A.L. Wyborn | by A.L. Wyborn |
195001.txt · Last modified: 2017/07/21 09:39 by tyreless