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The Sydney Bushwalker

A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to The Sydney Bush Walkers Incorporated, Box 4476 GPO, Sydney, 2001. Club meetings are held every Wednesday evening from 7.45 pm at the Ella Community Centre, 58a Dalhousie Street, Haberfield (next door to the Post Office). Prospective members and visitors are invited to visit the Club any Wednesday. (However, the Centre will not be open on 26th September or 3rd October - please note.)

Editor:Morag RyderBox 347 PO, Gladesville, 2111Telephone 809 4241
Production Manager:Helen GrayTelephone 876 6263
Typists:Kath Brown & Marag Ryder
Illustrator:Morag Ryder
Printers:Kenn Clacher, Les Powell, Barrie Murdoch & Margaret Niven

September, 1990

While the Billy BoilsThe EditorPage 2
On the Art of WritingThe EditorPage 2
The Storming of Byangee WallsMorag RyderPage 3
Morang Deep - January 1981Bob DuncanPage 7
Confederation of Bushwalkers MeetingDeborah ShapiraPage 11
The August General MeetingBarry WallacePage 12
The Chronic Operas RevisitedMorag RyderPage 12
AnnouncementsPage 13
FootnotesPage 14
Advertisements
Eastwood Camping CentrePage 6
Belevedere Taxi Service, BlackheathPage 9
Happy Walker Adventure ToursPage 10
Willis's WalkaboutsPage 11

While the Billy Boils

Collating the Club magazine for about 450 members takes an awful lot of labour. For years, Helen Gray has dutifully organised her Teem of Workers every month, all donating an evening of their time, so that our members get their regular news of the Clubs' activities.

Has anyone considered that George and Helen might want to take an extended holiday occasionally? We badly need a well organised person living on the north shore (which is where all the Team seem to live) who has a large working area where the collating could be done. The Team doesn't need supervision, just some space in a reasonably accessible location.

Is there anyone who cares enough about the Club to help out, perhaps once a year? If so, Helens' phone number is on the title page. When you ring her, I think she'll be able to assure you that all the Team members are both tractable and housetrained!

Seriously now, isn't there someone who is willing to give the lady a break? Think about it.

See you on the track …

SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE OVERDUE!! See PAGE 13 for details

On the Art of Writing

by The Editor

What makes an article worthy of publication? Well, the popular magazine “Wild” sets out its requirements as follows:

“Articles on rucksack sports, including caving, mountaineering, rockclimbing, cross-country skiing and canoeing. NO cycling, horse riding, general travel, aerial sports, water sports or motorised activities. DEFINITELY no commercial trekking.

Articles must be thoroughly researched, well written, on original topics or taking a fresh approach to well known subjects. Human interest and humour are high priorities, so include quotes and points of human interest. Work should be lively, highly readable, and well written, with reliable information and supported by outstanding original colour slides (no copies). Length may be from 1,500 to 3,500 words. A clear, concise and lively style is desirable. Avoid long sentences and paragraphs. Keep it simple - avoid mixing tenses. Be consistent with punctuation, with style, with naming people and places.”

They also give precise details on how material should be prepared, illustrations captioned, etc. Three closely typed A4 pages altogether.

Phew! And people complain that I'm a tough editor.

The Storming of Byangee Walls

16/17 June

by Morag Ryder

LEADER:Wayne Steele
FOLLOWERS:Wendy Lippiatt, Brenda Cameron, Kevin Burrows, Sev Sternhell, Jan Mohandas, Morrie Ward, Jim Oxley, Geoff Yewdall, Morag Ryder, Rick King and Steve Bieger

According to conventional wisdom, the only way you can negotiate Pickering Point is by abseiling down. However, Wayne Steel said it could be climbed and we were willing to try. After moving most of the cars to Yadboro flat on Saturday, we made a late-ish start with Jan leading the racehorses up the ridge to Pigeon House, and our 'new ctuire Steve - with the usual new chums' overweight pack - bringing up the rear. with the views somewhat spoiled by thick When the canera-clickina subsided, we Snadk-and-jumper time on the summit, clouds racing before a fierce wind. made our way to landslide Creek. Flawing well and very slippery, it provided us with many sporting moments as we leapt, slithered and circumnavigated our way down. At 12.30 the lunch fire was lit on a huge slab of rock, where we rested in fitful sunlight, boiling our billies and inspecting our bruises. The creek slowly becalm. less demanding, and we spread out, each travelling at their own pace. Three o'clock - level ground at last - the creek now demurely gliding over a sandy bed and large ferny flats spread beneath the trees. At 3.20 I arrived at a particularly inviting place, to find Jan and Maurie Ward staking out their tent sites. “By the time the rest arrive ” said Jan, it will be time to think about camping“. So we lit a fire, put on sOme billies, and sure enough, by 4pui everyone had arrived. By 5pm the sunlight had faded from the cliffs and we settled dawn on the soft leaf litter of our (alirost) leech-free campsite. Rum, port and jokes began to flow, and Wayne told us a marvellous 'story about The Octopus Which Stuck TO The Kitchen Floor. SUNDAY Another leisurely start, about 8.30am. Across the icy Clyde'Biver, which immediately froze my feet, and up a leech infested slope to the foot of the bastions of Byangee Walls. Morning snack stop was in a vast conglomerate overhang - all cream and gold, like an oriental palace. When the oohing and aahing stopped, the rain began. With the thermometer falling steadily, we reluctantly left our elegant shelter to begin our assult on the stern grey cliffs. Watch that rock,

From the depths of his pack, Wayne extracted a massive, fluorescent orange rope. We spent the next three hours clinging to this lifeline as we:

  AND UP 

I've always wanted— to play Tarzan Frozen, scraped, dirty and distinctly damp, we finally emerged triumphant at the top of Pickering Point. Jan was supervising the peck-hauling, and as soon as mine appeared, I pulled outmatches and paper. With numb fingers we lit a bonfire to bo thaff ourselves and incinerate 'a few billies. The temperature was still falling, our breath smoked on the air, and tea writ cold by the time biscuits were spread. For the first time in years, I woke a Jumper all day - and I noticed the others were also pretty well rugged up. Muffled and hooded, we ate, defrosted and whenever the clouds parted, photographed Pigeon House from the vantage point of our rock platform. WENT UP AND

What d'you mean, footholds - just jump up.

.Look - loan see two little -s patches of blue 14=7:rs— The rain stopped at 1.30 and we began our struggle with the near-impenetrable scrub, Byangee.Walls is not as flat as it looks from the top of The Castle. We struggled up and down, snatching photos of the spectacular - views.,:- a tangle of blue gorges plunging away onboth'sides. Driving cloud added to the drama, had the Ride of the taken place as we watched, it.'would have seemed perfectly natural. Two o'clock, and still a long way to go. Only time for a 5 minute stop near the exit track, a last photo and a mouthful of water. After son rummaging among the bushes, we found our exit hole through the cliff line, left along the woMbat track to another cliffline. Right, left, down, left; the wombat track grew wider with old footprints everywhere. Spectacular overhangs and neck-stretching glimpses of soaring cliffs. No time to waste in looking, the sun had already dropped behind the ridges. Castle Gap Saddle at last - a brief catch-up stop - just time to drink the last of my water. Twilight now, and we began working our way around the fbot of The Castle - boulder scraMbling, stumbling over unseen roots, treading in small icy pools. Wayne took a compass bearing by torchlight and took the opportunity to pull out my torch. Thank heavens for 'D' size batteries! Enough light for myself and Jim Oxley and we began walking faster. Too fast - “Slag daan”, wailed a voice far behind, “We can't see where you are”. “Get out your, torches”, replied the enlightened ones. One by one, dim little sparks appeared and our speed increased. Another compass check. We passed by great cavens running with water, slid over and under huge boulders. With vision restricted to the circles of torchlight, it felt eerily like being underground I remembered those words from Kubla Khan ”…through cavens measureless to man, down to a sunless sea…“ After checking his compass again, Wayne said “Wait here,” and disappeared. We waited in total blackness, saving our torches. From far downhill he called and we headed towards his waving torch, tripping and fallin9 through the scrub. The ground seemed clearer - could it be a track?' No, it was The Fire Trail - 1 could have kissed it! Down we went, as fast as the slippery clay would allow, all laughing and talking at once. The knee deep river was suprisingly warm as we stumbled and splashed across, leaving water-trails behind us as we dlidoed up to the cars. Just one thing puzzled me as we sped back to Sydney. Who was Pickering, and why was the point named after him?

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Morong Deep

January, 1981

by Bob Duncan (First published February 1981)

The Morong Deep section of the Kowmung River is always a wonderful summer trip, but as I get, few chances to walk these days, I looked forward to it especially eagerly. I also looked, at the weather especially anxiously, for the leader was the notoriously fair-weather ski-tourer and walker, David Rostron. Friday dawned cloudy and a little threatening, and SO. to forestall a.last minute cancellation I removed the, phone from the hook. However at 7.30. pm, David Rostron and Peter Harris picked of up John Redfern and 'me at John's flat: and I felt that the, trip was really going… ' Approaching Wentworth Falls, We entered a-little mist and drizzle. Out leader began to mutter, but Peter, anxious to reach Leura and call in on the wife of a climbing friend of his (away in W.2.), drove on. At Leura Peter rushed into the. house, and a'few.minutes lateryaneSea (fOr.thatwas the lady's name) appeared at the door and invited us in for Supper. After this pleasant break Peter drove' on, and we rode, and reached Budthingaroo Clearing at about 11.30 pm. We were the last to arrive, it was drizzling steadily, so we erected our tents and slept: In the morning we met the other members of the trip. In alphabetical order they were:- Diana Bucknell, Don and JennY. Cornell; Bob and Margaret Hodgson, Tony Marshall, Rob Mason, Alan-Pike, Fazeley'Readi and Barry Wallace. Knowing his usual skill and efficiency, we were ShoCkedrto seethe state of Barry's tent; poles askew,. tent a-sag, all in all a very poor erection. Barry himself looked. bedraggled.- The weather was still uncertain. The drizzle had. stopped, but low cloud and mist remained, and in break S through this we could see high wind-swept cirrus. Most experts thought this a sure sign Of impending storm, but 'as the leader offered:- (a) A 'fast 50 km traverse of the Axe. Head Range, or -(b), A told Kalang Falls abseiling trip ' as alternatives, the party voted solidly for Morong Deep. The leader announced a pack limit of 20 lbs, and brought out his spring scales in an attempt to enforce it. Most packs, weighed in the range of 15 to 17 pounds, but John Redfern's weighed only 11 lbs, and Peter Harris, 'because of his insistence on carrying a Lilo, a fresh rockmelon, and a pair of special sidling boots, weighted 30 lbs. The weighing done, we re-entered the cars and drove a little further along Kanangra Road, and then along the fire trail which leads towards Morong Falls. A little short of Morong Creek we disembarked. A leader with only normal route-finding ability would have cautiously fdllowed Morong Creek down to the falls, but our leader, without help of compass or visible sun, led us boldly across the featureless plateau in a bee-line which missed the cairn on the right shoulder?fMorong Falls by only 4.6 metres. Here we looked down on to the Kowmung and Saw its drought-stricken appearance. It contained no white water at all; possibly it was not even flowing. We began the steep descent to the river and from a vantage point looked back at Morong Falls; it was completely dry. ,Reaching the Kowmung, we found our progress seriously impeded by blackberries and loganberries. John Redfern feared they were bad for the stomach, and walked around them unimpeded; the rest of us stopped and feasted every few metres. The Kowmung was flowing, but low; it could be crossed anywhere with ease; what is normally a tricky trip was one of simple boulder-hopping. However Morong Deep becomes narrower and wilder as one goes downstream, and soon we came to reaches where the easiest progress was made by bombing into pools and swimming. In time we came to a fall of 3 or 4 metres ehich, because of submerged rocks, looked dangerous to bomb. Here, with some difficulty, DAvid Rostron and Bob Hodgson set up a climbing tape. Less aquatic members of the party, led by Peter Harris and his Lilo, began a high sidle to avoid the fall. When David reached the pool below he had a bright red tape burn across his body, at the sight of which further members took off for the high sidle. I threw David's pack down to him in the pool below, only to be abused because he was protective about the fresh eggs it contained.

Margaret Hodgson, Diana Pkicknell, Rob Mason, Barry Wallace (I hope I haven't forgotten anyone ) and I climbed easily down the tape. Bob Hodgson came last and brought eRe tape with him. All in all the trip down the river was easy and 'pleasant, with boulder-hopping 'interspersed with pool bombing and swimming. At the best bomb, most of the party piked and climbed down a poor old casuarina which had already lost most of its bark from previous piking parties. The trip was almost without incident. John Redfern (I was told) fell into a crevasse but was recovered. Barry Wallace almost surmounted a smooth granite slab only to go back to the river on hands and knees in a stately long slow slide, leaving four barely, discernable trails of skin and flesh behind him By dint of Lilo and high sidling Peter Harris did the whole trip without getting wet above the navel. It was still afternoon when we began leaving the narrowest part of Morong Deep; here we made camp on a 'small forested ledge. We were amazed to see John Redfern unpack not only food and sleeping bag, but a tent fly; that his pack should weigh only 11 pounds defied all.laws of physics. It being so early, four of us walked back to the last big pool for another swim, and here David and Barry gave FazeleyV lessons in bombing. A cunangly graded series of educational techniques was used - explanation, reassurance, praise, parsuasion,ridicule and hesitation, 'shame at failure, verbal threats, encirclement and physical threats,- and after a little time their efforts were rewarded; Fazeley jumped three times from a height of about 21 metres without being pushed or thrown. We returnui to, the campsite and prepared our evening meals. Mine was tuna, deb, and surprise peas, but, others ate more luxuriously. Various varieties of tea were brewed and compared. Peter Harris's reputation, which had sunk because of his use of a Lilo to cross pools, rose markedly when he brought out his fresh rockmelon and shared it around. After tea our leader, David Rostron, told us something of his enviable experiences during a recent phase of his'employment which involved testing water beds. Then.we retired to our summer sleeping bags. It was a balmy night, an idyllic campsite, and after a day's pleasant exercise all slept soundly. All, that is, except John Redfern, Peter Harris, and Fazeley Read. In the morning these three complained of a sleepless night. John complained that he had been constantly attacked by possums. Peter complained that he had been kept awake worrying about a joke which our leader had told him before bedtime. Fazely complained that she had been kept awake by my shouting blasphemies in my sleep. After breakfast we set off down the river and after about only five minutes came to the last good swimming hole. We spent an hour or so here and then set off again. The Kowmung now widened considerably and we were once more in blackberry eating country. At the foot of thegalith Ridge we stopped for morning tea. A steep climb up the ridge took us to that remarkable place where Hanrahan's Creek comes to the edge ofthe escarpment and within an ace of dropping into the Kowmung, only to turn away again. The KowMung is perhaps 300 metres down on one side' of the ridge and Hanrahan's Creek 2 or 3 metres dawn.on the other side. Here we dropped into the creek and began to follow it up. Despite the drought, Hanrahan's contained many pools, not big enough to swim in, but big enough to dip in and cool off. Over all, our leader had arranged fair, but not perfect weather. Yesterday, while we were swimming the Kowmung, it was overcast. Today, while we were climbing, it was hot and sunny. Still, the pools made things very tolerable. We stopped for lunch and then set off up the creek again. It was now that Peter Harris's reputation as an expert on Amphibia suffered a blow from which it may never recover. On being shown a specimen of frog excreta by Rob, he proclaimed with a great show of confidence that it was that of a green tree frog (Hyla macrocopra). However, unknown to him, it had been seen by Rob and several other members of the party to have been produced by a lesser spotted river frog (Bachytra rivula) which had jumped out of a pool as a red-bellied black snake slid in. The snake could still be seen in the pool. When confronted with these facts Peter tried to cOver himself by muttering something about the difference in feeding conditions between the Kowmung and the Ettrema. Hanrahan's Creek is beautiful and becomes steeper and steeper as one goes upstream. We hurried past one section where the cliffs above looked very unstable, and where the creek bed was strewn with recently fallen jagged rocks. Soon after we had taken the apparent left branch at a sharp V-fork, the creek had become almost as steep as the containing walls.. Here, while our leader and Bob HOdgson debated about the exact position at which they had ,left the creek last time, we left thecreek and climbed up the side. We had followed the creek up so far that this climb of only about 300 metres took us onto the tops. Soon after :.that,. we were on the fire trail which led to the completely dry Morong Creek, and then our' cars. From start to finish of the trip some members walked so competently, and caused so little nuisance, that they have scarcely caused mention in this report. Yet these members were the mainstay of the party., It should be said therefore, that Alan Pike could certainly hike, that Tony Marshall to the rough going was partial, that blondie Diana climbed like a goanna, that her friend Rob Outdistanced the mob, and that Don and Jenny were as adroit as any. Back in the car, David Rostron, John Redfern and ',were so grateful to have Peter Harris chauffeuring us again that we completely forgot his Lilo, his naive response to jokes, and the gaps in his knowledge of Amphibia. We sat back and relaxed (except Don and Jenny) for a magnificent meal at Young's Chinese cafe in Katoomba, Peter called in to say goodbye to Vanessa, and then we were home. David-Rostron had done a magnificent job arranging and leading the trip, and a very fair job arranging the weather.

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Confederation Meeting

21st August 1980

by Deborah Shapira

CorrespondenceThere were numerous items. An item from the Mitchell Library underlined the need for a permanent archivist. Warwick Blayden has been approached and is willing to make some order out of the archives.
Annual General Meeting:A special general meeting will need to be called in order to receive A.G.M. Treasurer's Report. The audit has not been complete because of a delay with some documents.
S. & R. Report:1. The First Aid certificates now come to the S & R Committee, so could recipients please send stamped self-addressed envelopes. 2. S & R assisted at the Paddy Pallin classic. 3. S & R is participating in rock rescue training. 4. Approval was given for S & R to purchase rope for rock rescue squad and for pack hauling.
Conservation Report:1. Nadgee is to be nominated as a wilderness and this was proposed in 1978 by F.B.W. 2. A combined meeting was held with the Colong Foundation and Wilderness Society. It was decided to concentrate campaigns on the Washpool, Guy Fawkes, Deua and Coolangubra areas. 3. There was some discussion on the Colong Committee's submission on the creation of Kanangra-Boyd as a wilderness area. Some changes were suggested.
Tracks and Access:The first weekend in November will be a Maxwell Tops Restoration weekend (this is nothing to do with Keith's hair). Equipment will be provided by the local NPWS Ranger and the idea is to trim the vegetation on the tracks, such that walkers will walk on the tracks and not elsewhere.
Ball Report:This will be held 21.9.90 at Petersham Town Hall. The theme will be animals in the bush. Tickets are available from Club Secretaries.
General:Some ambiguities need to be straightened out in the Constitution. Paddy Pallin is to be made a Life Member of C.B.W.

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The August General Meeting

by Barry Wallace

There I was, well out of it all in the snow country, watching the blizzard and catching a cold, when they didn't hold the August General Meeting for lack of a quorum. A week later, there I was thick in the midst of it, cold and all, and when the President in the chair called the 15 or so members present to order at around 2006 my pen underwent sudden and catastrophic failure. Life gets tedious, don't it.

On the balance of probabilities it looks as if they had apologies from some people, most of whom were not present at the time, and welcomed, or called for welcome, three prospectives (new members), Barry Ihle, Tony Manes and David Robinson.

By the time your scribe had replaced the failed pen they were up to reading the Minutes of the previous meeting. These were received with no matters arising.

Correspondence was next. There was no correspondence of note except a letter to the A.C.F. regarding donations to the 58W Conservation Fund.

The Treasurer's Report indicated that we have to date earned $11,561, spent $7,422 and closed with a balance of $4,139.

The Walks Secretary was away sick so there was no Walks Report. We are threatened with a double dose next month so please make sure you come to the meeting to make up the numbers. Your scribe should be back in the snow country by then and we don't want another delayed meeting, do we?

There were no F.B.W. delegates present, so we passed on that one too.

General Business saw passage of a motion that we offer our pension-off, very off, offset printer to the Gosford Bush Walkers and then, if they don't want it, to F.B.W.

There were no announcements and the meeting closed at 2025.

  • Every second month
  • Every 3 months
  • Every 4 months
  • Half yearly

If you have any other ideas about how we might improve our meeting nights, please list them below.

199009.1465977336.txt.gz · Last modified: 2016/06/15 17:55 by vievems

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