Established June 1931

A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to the Sydney Bush Walkers, Box 4476, G.P.O. Sydney, N.S.W. 2001. Club meetings are held every Wednesday evening at 8 pm at Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, 16 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli (near Milson's Point Railway Station). Visitors and prospective members are welcome any Wednesday. To advertise in the magazine please contact the Business Manager.

SBW 'OFFICE ,BEARERS & COMMITTEE 1993' The following Office Bearers and Committee Members as well as other Club workers were elected atthe Annual general Meeting held on 10th March 1993: _ Ii DebArt Spiro Haginakitas Fran Holland Tony Holgte Joy,HyneS Bill Holland John Hogan Laurie Bore Berry Wallace Alex Colley George Mawer Morrie Ward *. Zol Bodlay Jim Callaway Bill Holland 2 Confederation Delegates NOT , on Committee Wendy Lippiatt Belinda'McKenzie Magazine Production Manager Fran Holland Magazine Business Manager. Joy Hynes Printers Kenn Clacher Margaret Niven, Les Powell Kay Chan & Barrie Murdoch Assistant New Members Secretaries Margaret Niven & Fran Holland Archivist Ian Debert Hon. Solicitor Berrie Murdoch Hon. Auditor Chris Sonter Search & Rescue Contacts Morrie Ward, George Mawer & Margaret Niven Kogclusko Huts Assn. Delegates Ian Wolf & Leh Hanke * Indicates members of Committee NOTE: All Club workers are Honorary For ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS, ' see Page 7' 'President Public Officer .:Treasurer ,Secretary :Walks' SeCretary, 'Social Secretary New Members Secretary Membership Secretary COnSerVation Secretary -Magazine Editor 2 Comtittee, Members 2 Delegates to Confederation * *- * * * * Leaderz, George Walton. Followers; Wendy Arnott, Margaret & Laurie Bore, Patrick Bradley, Bruce Dunn. Peter Lafferty; Morag Ryder and Dick Weston. Saturday 26 At 1.20 pm we rendezvoued. in the simmering heat, at the Jind6yne Bowling. Club. After a quick lunch we left one cat at Jindabyne and one at Guthega, power station, then. squeezed ourselves and our-packs into two cars and; drove,to,Guthega ski village . Here- the air was several degrees cooler but we still perspired our way up the steep track to our camPsite. An ominous ,sky, hastened the erection, of our tents. After the late and, rather heavy lunch in Jindabyne, no-one was particularly hungry. ,..Instead we feasted our eyes, lust on the stormy sunset and then on the slender new moon,, which hung over Mount Tate as the clouds departed east, Sunday 27 r..t N-r-Y.0 4' 4 yftiv-i/ Br: MORA& RYDER GUTHEGA SK1 V.4..LAGE, TO GUTHEGA -POWER STATION VIA VALENTTNE HUT ECEMBER 2610 DECEMBER 31 1992 THE MARCH 13. PAGE 3 SYDNEY BUSHWALK.E.R. , Away we went in cold wind and sunshine to Consett Stevens Pass, but as,.cloud,. refused to lift from Mt. Tate, the proposed side trip was cancelled. Long ribbons of snow drif decorated the eastern side of The Rolling Ground and because of the lingering snow, We squelched through unexpected bogs. Lunch near Dicky Cooper BogOng - it was harcl to know which was the strougest, wind ,or sun. Down to Schlink_ Pass, 'struggling through assorted flowering shrubs in the marshy gully as we dropped to our caMOsite. By 3pi we were settled and fairly well sheltered from the ever increasing wind, which was blowing tre-mendous: rate,. If :17 e“.” 11)' - heavy cloud over the ranges at a 2 PAGE 4 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER MARCH 1933 Monday-28 A wet and blustery night gave way, to a morri-inere loW cloud shrouded: the hMto4 and passing showers kept us in bed,. Only energetic 'Bruce left-: his tent to 'Make a fire, everyone else stayed snug indoors until mid morning, ' when.- 'departing cloud indicated that we should do likewise for -Valentine Hut. By the time we reached Duck Creek' we were back to the sunshine-and-flowers scene, with patches of buttercups golden among the bushes. MAYBE'. HE' S TRYING TO CREATE ENOUGH'HEAT TO LIFT THE CLOUDS.,. The old track had dissapeared, so Wendy and Laurie mistakenly stayed on one bank while the rest of the party went on the other. After some skilled rock-leaping they rejoined us for a quick lunch at the newly painted hut. Between Valentine and Mawson Hut all ground proved to be sloping, boggy, 'windswept, scrubby or creekless, and we wandered about like migratory birds tryingto roost. A nice spot at last, with lovely views over Valentine River. Plenty of fallen wood from a recent storm, and the fire was built on a high spot. This prokzed unwise, for the swirling wind ensured that the smoke choked all of us in turn. All except Wendy. Perhaps-her years in dusty shearing sheds had made her immune. Tuesday, 29 _ . Dry feet lasted about five minutes as we Plodded accross the gully and'', toiled up over the next saddle. And the next, and the 'next. At last,: M4wson Hut - looking smart and clean in the blazing gun korning tea and s4nburn_t4 Valentine River crossing,: where brave 'Bruce- vent ahead to find' way through the 'rice 'paddy!' - a, brilliant green :and far-too-deep. swaup which, lay between Valentine' HOW DEEP IS IT THERE, BRUCE? 1T olikfifVd4N, c A +1479 141116L-1–“7”%—- River and the BrassY-S:– L. 3 By lunch the sun was so fierce we sought the shade of a small snowgum, MARCH 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 5 . and lay there' fo'r 'a hOur, idly shooing away the flies and admiring peaks Brassy and :Big Brassy. -Alas, these views did not satisfy our leader, who wanted bigger and better views - from the top of Big Brassy. After an exhausting battle through a tangled thicket of snowgum8 we got our view; over the ranges to Lake Adaminably.. Getting down from the south side was even worse, the only .'open' going was a rock filled gully overlaid with prostrate bushes. . , Back on terra firma, the hunt for a campsite began. Dick found the best one, with snowdrift water close, at hand and.A.Very tare snowdrift below us.: Here Bruce learned bumpy art of t oboggoning on -a ;plastic bag, whfle,thelessenergetic-.read books OT washed their. socks. . When the new moon ,again hung. in a 'Pink western sky,. George disappeared. After about half an hour we became concerned, took out torches and prepared to search. A few bellows brought a muffled response, George was in the swamp with the mosquitos, reclining beside a pool, while his nose bled, and bled 'and bled… Having got George back' to a more comfortable position beside the fire, Patrick clamped finger and thumb on the bridge 6f George's nose, and eventually the flow' ceased. Heaven only knows how many mosquitos/leeches George had fed down in the swamp. YIPPEE!! - THIS IS THE FIRST 'TINE I. HAVN'T BAD To WORK FOR MY DINNER! Wednesday 30 - With thesUn hot on our backs, we , . arrived at Tin: Hut for morning tea. Sitting in the shade, admiring the - Kerries with their random icing of snowdrifts, we listened to the roar of ar snow-fed. cateract tumbling. down_ the hill. More climbing, this time through flowering. bush to Gungarten Pass, stopping to chat to A young ,man with three cameras and a tired“ lady friend.” Where are you going to camp?,“ we asked, Jagungal they replied - ( VERY late,' added silently) Lunch on a grassy patch just below Gungarten Trig, where a massive rookery was in full cry - perhaps this was their mating season. A group of day .walkers joined us and said they wanted to visit Tin Hut. George tried to advise them, but as the route was trackless they seemed to have some difficulty following his directions. PAGE 6 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER MARCH 193 More Toddling in a nice deep. gully before Disappointment Ridge. What wonder, was the disappointment - it lool(ed fine to me. A brisk struggle through the shrubbery, and we were in the first saddle. ” Let's camp. here,“. said George. Dick said it would be better -on the western side, so opinions were divided. Some went up; some down and some sideways. We watched a stormy sunset over Main Range while the mosquitos marshalled their armies into suicide squads and zeroed in to any piece of;bare,ski4. Fog filled the valley, but the ',sky , Was full of stars and we began again the discussion of Finding The South Pole With The ,Southern Cross. Peter explained the theory, but somehow we couldn't maK.it. work. So we watched and timed the nightly parade of Satellites ingtead. Peter said it ':took only 8 minutes for them to circle the globe, but that didn't seem to Work, either. 11MTgday. 31 - With the north and at our backs we wandered along the ridge. We needed only to take a gully down to the road and we'd soon be back at Guthega power station. But which gully? After rejecting one or two, we chose one idth lots of Caledenia orchids and flowering scrub Another wash for our 41ready-wet feet - and we were on the road. A quick morning tea and we 5 sped down to Guthega; but not as fast as a group of young, cyclists, also on their- way down.. :We made way and exchanged Cheerful comments with the* - an Attit0e, which as soon to prove beneficial. Taking our clean clothes from Patrick's car, we changed at high speed, while the drivers piled into Patrick's car. The starter motor groaned, but the car refused' to start. A pretty, blond young lady cyclist tried to start it with jumper leads and her Volvo. No go. So she took the drivers to Guthega ski village, while Patrick rang the NRMA. Sorry, he would have to wait for at least an hour.' Further investigation by Patrick revealed the cause of the problem, a bone-dry battery. A, quick refill, but still no start. The others returned and George produced his jumper leads P Obviously recognising defeat by skilled ,hands, Patrick's car started immediately. Relief and joy all round. Away we sped goodbye Snowys for another year - ,back to the heat of Sydney. L found some withered leaves in my pocket and sniffed them; Alpine Mint Bush - but from where?, -.ah yes, Gungarten Pass. 1 pair Men's HI-TEC P.C.T. Walking Boots - size = $60 NEW - Contact Nigel Wingate - Tel. 909 8956 MARCH 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 7 CONSERVATION The Funny Fund by Alex Colley Near the end of 1991 the S.B.W. learned that the Wilderness Fund, established in 1987, had no money in it. This seemed a pity, so the S.B.W. donated $130 to the fund in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of our, acquisition of Blue Gum Forest for 130 pounds. Tim Moore was glad ,to_accept-,gur;gi#, and to-add another $80,000 to it. Last Septem- ber've learledthaiIietewas'et14.1,,no money in the Fund, so we wrote, to the new-Minister:fox Conservation; the Hon. Chris Hartcher, to ask where our money had , Mr Hartcher'replied;,that the establishment of the Fund would require the National Parks CWildlife Service to incur considerable expense in altering existing accounting systems. - He told us that - “The Service has established a separate working account within the existing system, to accept any funding for wilderness that it received. It was into this fund tht the Sydney Bush Walkers' donation was deposited and I am pleased to be able to advise you that this money is to be used to purchase six copies of the publication by Michael Hall entitled 'From Wasteland to World Heritage' for use in reference libraries throughout the National Parks & Wildlife,Service”. It is a pity that the Wilderness Fund is still empty. It might have been hoped that our donation would inspire others to donate and that the money could have been spent on projects such as the acquisition of inholdings in wilderness areas. Nobody is likely to donate to a NPWS account. From our viewpoint the money would have been better spent in purchasing copies of Pat Thompson's book on our founding member, Myles. Dunphy OBE. We simple bushwalkers find it difficult to appreciate the expense incurred in crediting the S.B.W. and debiting the recipient. Nevertheless, our money was well' spent. It inspired valuable publicity in the Sydney Morning Herald (see February 1992 issue). Seen afterwards Tim Moore declared ten 'Wilderness areas within national parks and announced a schedule for the assessment and exhibition of ten other wilderness areas. And the Wilderness Fund retains the unique distinction of being the only fund in Sydney with no money in it * * * * * * * * * * * ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS 1993 The following annual subscriptions were decided at the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, 10th March 1993:- Single Member $30 Household 48 Non-active Member 9 Non-active Member _plus Magaxine 21 . Magazine subsctiption only 12 * * * * * * EARTH WIND FIRE RAIN elcome to issue ,1 of the Update, our way of letting you know the latest developments in products and activities available at your local Paddy Rollin store. GORE-TEX VALUE THE BARCOO. $249 The Tanami Barcoo locket is now available at all Paddy Rollin stores. At $249.00 it. represents outstanding value for money for a fully. featured Gore-Tex rainshell. The Barcoo passed with flying colours the stringent tests carried out by W.L. Gore as,part of their Guaranteed To Keep You Dry . programme. The Barcoo is mid thigh length and features seamfree shoulders, a waterproof front closure, external drawcord and 2 large volume pockets. Available in Red and Mid Blue THE PADDY PALLIN CLUB Back in June we launched The Paddy Pallin Club in order to stay in touch with regular customers. For an annual subscription of $10-00 members receive a host of benefits including a special Club members discount on their purchases, special rates on adventure activities as well as exclusive trips for Club members Members receive a newsletter full of outdoor tips, product news, competitions, information on new offers etc. To join simply pick t..p brochure in your local Paddy Pallin store or telephone 008 805398 TOLL FREE. THE TIKA CORONET – FOR TRAVELUNG BUSHWALKERS. You're off on some lengthy travels that could involve some bushwalking along the way? if so the Tika Coronet ($339) could be the pack for you. It has both a top loading and Front 'opening' facility, a comfortable 2 size adjustable harness syStem that can be zipped away for avoiding the airport baggage chewer! The front pocket zips off and converts to a daypack. A fine pack for those travelling tp Europe but stopping off in: Nepal on the. way home to trek around Annapurna. THE ADVENTURE FIRST AID KIT A while ago some Paddy Pallin staff were tentbound in a storm on the Main Range. As c meons of relieving the boredom they began comparing personal First Aid kits. Noticing a number of similarities in what they had ended up with over the years, the idea of developing a specific Adventure Kit came about. A week or so later we were meeting with St John Ambulance and many, months later the joint Paddy Pailin/St John Ambulance Adventure First Aid Kit was born. The kit is packed in a brightly. flexible, multi pocketed PVC pouch sealed with weatherproof press zips. Apart from the'Medical' contents, the kit also contains-a fully laminated First Aid BOoklet, Casualty Record cards, a notebook ancl pencil and printed information on Hypothermia and Emergency contact numbers. $69.95 PADDY PAWN COVERS THE COUNTRY, All 400+ products in our catalogue or any other item ol outdoor equipment can be sent anywhere. So if you can't make it to a ,Paddy Pain store call Toll Free 00S. 805398 for a copy of The Paddy Pallin Catalogue and full details on our Mail Order Operation EXPANSION AND FACELIFT FOR CANBERRA STORE By the time you read this the' painters and carpet litters will have left and our Canberr. store will be looking bigger and brighter. So next time you're in the National Capital call in. DON'T BAG THE ENVIRONMENT 16,000 BAGS SAVEDI A big thank yOu lo all our customers for the tremendous support yob have given the above sche,me whereby every time you elect not to take a bag for your purchases Paddy Pallin donates 10 cents too charity. In the first 6 monthsof this Year we were 'able to donate $800.00 to the Wilderness Society and $836.00 to a range of charities local to each store. That equates to some 16000 bags not going into precious landfill, less energy being used because we heed to order less bags. Thanks to you, everyone benefits. NEW INTEGRAL OFFERINGS Drytech, the fabriC that revolutionized the Bodyweor market, has two more garments in the range. The cycle shorreyle Techshorts ai:e obviously ideal for cycling but also well suited to canoeing or bushwalking with the stretch of the Drytech Jersey fabric accommadating the most extreme movements. Available in Blue and Red at $35.95 For those who prefer short sleeves we've chopped them Off theald favourite, the Techcrew, to give the Techshirt with a price of $35.95 THE LEADERS IN ADVENTURE Sydney 507 Kent St NSW 2000 Miranda 527 Kingsway, NSW.2228 Coalxirra 11 LOnsOole St Broddon ACT 260,1 Jindabyne Kosciusko Rd NW 2627 Melbourne 360 Little Bourke St VIC 3000 Box '8 Market St VIC 3128 Adelaide 228 Rundle St SA 5000 Perth 1/891 Hoy St WA 6000 Hobart 76 Elizabeth St TAS 7000 - 'Launceston 59 Brisbane St TAS 7230 . Mail Order 360-Little Bourke St VIC 3000 Ph 02 2642685 Ph 02 5256829 Ph 06 2573883 Ph 064 562922 Ph 03 6704845 Ph :03 8988596 Ph 08 2323155 Ph 09 3212666 Ph 002 31 am Ph 003 314240 Toll Free 008 805398 (Melbourne Residents Ph 03 670.9485) Fax 03 670 4622 MARCH 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 9 YERRANDERIE ANO7HER BROKEN HILL? On Apte i.e 30th-Play 7,2 Ray Rookway will Le leading a walk in the Yenizandertie aftea. Some yearzz ago Ray did a dea o zartch into the hito/ty o/ the mining activiLLez in the /Legion, and hiz arztiele, pugliohed in the jutift1974 magazine, iz rzeprzodurpd 4/z. the gene/it o memAerIA planning to join hiz ApAil/May walk. In za/Leiz/a ya,/az o/..thz CluA, Yeiz nandevzie ogen keaturzed in ULLA Wa..ek,3 P.aogrzamz az it gave accei3 to the Middle Kowmung, Colong Cavez and the 44cinating Blue BYLeakz count4y. The town L5 n a zpectacula/z. zetting, w-ah gap.6 and plateaux Ailling the enti/te wezt- z/ut and,noatherzn Accezz waz not unduly diaicult Ay Azazon o the:rcoad that came tom Camden Allowing the goo /z o Bututagoaang Valley a.&ng the Woliondilly R.Lvei oz atout 15 km. Indeed, the/Le WZAZ aegulart. elizez AOM Camden on TAiday evening, and a /zetuAn jouizney YeizAandeitie agout 4.30 pm on Sundayz and holidays until the earzly 1950z. HOWEVRAI with the winding down cV mining operzationz and in the knowledge that the gooding c) the valley Ay OaarzagamAa Dam would clo4e thiz Acute, the population o the town had dwindled to a dozen oit zo people Ay ogout 1955, and Ay 1959 /wad outietz to the zazt we/Le Aeing zuAmeizged. A Aw determined Land ownerzz a/wand Bindook Ault-dozed a 4.ough trtail along the ad 4tock rz oute to Mount 0eAong, zouth o/ 0AeAon, and thiz ha gem imp-coved g/Leatly ovzii the yzaiaz. 7herz e Lo, howeveA, quite a complex o 'wacL6 on the plateau Aetween 0Aerzon and Mount We/tong and &Live/az unAmi tia/a with the AOate /should can/suit Ray agout it 6402,e attempting to Aind the way to Batzch Camp at night. . BROWN. YERRANDERIE by Ray Hookway The first white man to enter the Yerranderie area was Ensign Francis Barallier. In 1802 Governor King sent Barallier to find a route over the Blue Mountains. To circumvent a regulation that soldiers were not permitted to go exploring, King seat Barallier on an “Embassy to the King of the Mountains”. Some confusion exists regarding Barallier's exact route, but investigations by Else Mitchell in 1938 indicate that Barallier reached what is now Yerranderie on November 24th, 1802, crossed through Byrnes gap, proceeded down either Church or Cedar Creek, along the Kowmung and up Middle Christys as far as Barallier's Falls. He then turned back, not knowing that he was only about 4 miles from the Kanangra plateau and a crossing of the Blue Mountains. His explorations, however, led to a steady stream of squatters who settled along the Nattai, Tonalli and Wollondilly Rivers. Silver was first discovered in 1871 by Billy Russel and Billy George at a spot later to: become the Foldsworth Mine, two miles east of Yerranderie Post Office. The first mining title was issued in 1874 and by 1885 about 20 leases had been issued, but little mining was done as transport difficulties made it uneconomical. The main Yerranderie lead was discovered by John Viga Bartlett in 1898 and by the end of the year about 80 men were engaged in mining in an area of about 500 acres. ' PAGE THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER MARCH 1993 YEREANDERJE SILVER FIELD 1. ,.Cplon Poaks(BoxtlOttn) 2. :Silyor:Perac or-Boroblock_ 30 Wollondilly, 4.. -11Tonga: . 5. Burragorang 6._ Great.Western or.Nevada The,$ilver:King 8. Coffey's 9. Piece of Pork: 10. St. George 13. Feldsworth (off map) 12.Myall Ridge (off. map) 13. Silver Star or Terni 14. The Great Peak MARCH 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 11 One sample from Bartlett's St.George lode assayed 3000 ozs of silver to the ton (silver, was 24 c oz), and a Mr. Webb Mackie recovered from 60 tons of ore, 3420 ozs silver, 20 tons of lead ($25.05 a ton) and 6 ozs of gold ($7.75 an. oz), a total of $1,352. However, returns, were patchy and the total return for Mr. 'Bartlett 'in, 1898 was only $1,600. Between 1898 and 1921 Mr. Bartiett's Colon Peak.Mine produced narly $1.5 million in silver. The record of this mine was unique as practically no capital was raised,during its life, all costs being met from the ore won. In 1908 the Wollondilly Mine (later the Yerranderie) employed 351 men and the ore output was 7402 tons, having a value of $228,058. A peak in ore output at Yerranderie was reached in 1910 and by December 1914 the main two mines had exhausted their first grade ore. First ,grade ore was hand selected and dressed underground, second grade ore was concentrated lOcally by gravity Methods. Because of selective mining first grade ore comprised 50/60% of the total. Up until 1925 when motor trucks were introduced ore was shipped to Camden, 42 miles, by waggons drawn by six or more horses, thence by rail to the Sulphide Corporation smelter at Cockle Creek. In 1922 when this smelter closed the mines were forced to ship their ore to Port Pine in South Australia. In 1914 there appeared enough second grade ore available for the Government Geologist to propose a railway to Yerranderie from Picton Lakes, and surveys were undertaken, but in 1916 the then Government Geologist warned that mineral prospects could not warrant the expenditure and the project was dropped. At the peak of mining there were 14 mines operating, but between 1923 and 1925 this had dropped to four, Colon Peak, Silver Peak, Wollondilly and Wonga. The extensive workings on the western side of the Tonalli Gap road belonged to the Silver Peak Mine which commenced in 1904 and in twenty years made $650,000. Mine workings were extensive. Three multipair boilers with a total capacity of 300 H.P. drove one surface winch and one underground Winch on the main shaft. Fifty tons of material per shift could be handled and 30/40 tons milled in the steamdriven hammer and roller mill. Two concentrating tables handled the second grade ore. Recovery from the mill was 60/70% of the assay value and unrecovered metals left in the slime assayed 10/18 ozs silver to the ton. Most of the mess at Silver Peak resulted from the treatment of the slimes in 1935 to-recover this residue. Mr. Bartlett's Colon Peak Mine which was located about 500 feet N.W. of the rear of the Baker shop had four main shafts. One shaft 700 feet long extended under the Baker shop to a spot S.W. of the Post Office. All mines closed during the general mining strike in 1929/30 when . miners who, earned $10 for a 44 hour week struck for higher wages and'a 40 hour week, and from then till 1938 only sporafic mining or treatment of the mullock'heaps was carried out. The total production of all mines to 1930 was over $4 million. In 1927 there' were over, 500 people in Yerranderie. Three general stores, a Baker, a Butcher, a Milkman and a Hotel which took up to $240 in good weeks. (The license was later transferred to St. Mary's.) Three established churches attended to the community's religious needs PAGE 12 THE SYDNEY ' BU8HVALKER MARCH 1993 and crib- games, picture shows and dances in the community hall 'provided entertaintent. Fourteen differently pitched mine whistles regulated their working day In 4955 a visiting journalist reported a population of 25, all former miners and most on silicosis pensions, and in 1959 the filling of the Warragamba Dam spelt the end for Yerranderie. Many people believe that Yerranderie will live again and that rising metal prices coupled with world shortages will render mining economical, Several recent prospecting leases have been issued and test drillings have been made; . Miss 1%, Lhuede, a director ,of, Tonalli Mining, who owns 1,100 acres of Yerranderie land, including -the old Post Office, believes the mines could be re-opened, but has,come to believe that this would ruin the fascination of the place. She would now rather see it become an artists' colony. Bushwalkers who have visited the area will share her feelings: References:,, Dept Mines Geological Survey of Mineral Resources No 35. Royal Australian Historical Society Journal Vol.23/24 1937-38 CONFEDERATION OF BUSHWALKING CLUBS NSW FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING by Spiro Hajihakitas All walkers are urged to be on the lookout for illegal activities in National Parks such as unauthorised vehicles, stealing rocks, plants and animals, bringing in pets. Report any. clues of the identity. of the offenders, :number plates of.,vehicles are very useful. The Plans of Management of the Wollemi and Blue Mountains National Parks,:have been delayed.. The Minister is known to consider that no plans are.:necessary tand the problem related' to increasing the water level of Warragamba dam is yet to be resolved. Increase incatchment air-space' above the spillway could result in the loss of choice areas of the Park e g. the Kowmung area. . Confederation is opposing the entry of horse riders in the northern Kosciusko”National.;Park. The next Search & Rescue practice is to be on 27/28 March with emphasis on remote area first aid. Appin map 1:25000 reference 997083. , Clubs that have,large groups of people interested ,in doing the St.John Ambulance First Aid Course should organize their owngroup, i e. a group of ten or more. Confederation's insurance company has asked that the term “Club Visitor” be explained and defined in a waT7that is acceptable to the insurance'company. * *. ,*, ,* :* * it-. 2 QLD QBB Butter Concentrate NSW Sleeping Bags J & H, Mont, Romans Rainwear Mont, J& H, Superior Day Packs High Tops, Summit Gear Bonwick Caving Ladders Holeproof Undies 4 Socks Trailblazer Hats DB C nyon bags 11/4-1 TAB. Blundstone Boots Beef cler - WA Wilderness Equipment Backpacks Goretex Clothing Cycle Panniers ACT National Maps SA Rossi B ts F1jndTh Baby Carriers Vic Outgear Backpacks Accessories Feathertop Wool Shirts Giant Trees Dried meals EASTWOOD CAMPING CENTRE 3 Trelawney St (PO Box 131) Eastwood NSW 2122 PAGE 1 4 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER ThE FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING MARCH 1993 by Barry Wallace- - _:about 2018 there Were some 16 or so memberspresent SO..the.President. edtli e',gong and went, fOr it,:as they say, with apolOgies,::,minutes an dT. 0,10 ,stuff:. The meeting finally grew..tO.numlier around 26 souls in was from this-smaleginhing let it not be forgot.- There was,“an from Margaret: Niveh,and. no new members to welcome. ThejlinuteSWt'h4?PrevioUs:Meeting we0:readand OCeivedth..no, matters arising. The treasurer's Report indicated' that we acquired incaMe of $519 for'the month. this report was received, Correspondence brought a letter from solicitors acting for our insurance company advising us that the matter concerning a damages claim by Frances Drew has been stood over for mention in the same court on 15th March. It has still not been determined whether the action will be taken to the district court with an increased claim but in either case it is expected that the hearing will be set for June or July this year. The Walks Report began at the weekend of 16,17 January with Ian Debert/ Bill Holland reporting 6/11 starters on the canoe trip/walk ill' the vicinity of Lake Yarrunga. The weather. was fine and warm, which was O.K. by the canoeists, and Bill, who sotehow or other attempted to maintain the virtues of a 3-hour slog through hot scrub as away of getting to the campsite. All the other walkers didn't' seem to be so sure. Geoff McIntosh's trip in the Mount Wilson area went, with a party of 8 in rather hot conditions. Zol Bodlay's Saturday coastal walk was cancelled. Oliver Crawford reported 12 on his Sunday Wollongambe trip, returning to the cars early so as not to miss the heat of the day. Jim Callaway had a party of “7to 6 to 8 to 4” on his Bundeena to Otford trip enjoying the hot conditions with lots of swimming along the way. . . The Australia Day weekend saw Brian Holden and a cast of 18, including Bill'Holland and his walk to YalWal Creek, participating in a gloriously unstructured relaxation weekend on the Shoalhaven'River, walking, floating, sunning, swimming, side-tripping and generally enjoying what Sounds to have been a great weekend for that sort of thing. Two people arrived at half time and everyone seems to have left at different times as suited them best. Zol Bodlay and an undisclosed number of wise men or fools went to Blackheath for his Saturday Blackheath to Blackheath via Centennial Glen walk, took a long hard look at the teeming rain and came home again. Whether this be seen as cowardice, wisdom or “been there, done that” will depend on one's perspective. Alan Mewett, the timekeeper of note; led a party of 17 through fine weather with sunny intervals on his Hawkesbury River trip on the Sunday. . At tiem of report' Ian Wolfe'and,party were still out there, somewhere, on his 12'-day Tasmanian walk. Watch this space. . January 30,31 saw Belinda McKenzie and a Party of 3 enjoying a pleasant time on a day-and–a-half stroll through the Royal National Park from Bundeena to Otford. Bill Holland's party of 19, rampaging through the wilds of farthest Eloura bushland, piked' early and went back to the barbecue to join the others. Maurie Bloom's bike trip along the south coast was rendered. more pleasand by the onshore breeze which provided much needed cooling airflow. The *continuing Canyon Odyssey of Peter Christian had7 in the Twilight Canyon of the program. _OliverCraWford'S walk in the.Budawangs_over the weekend of 5,6,7 Febzhay r saw the rains come With drizzle and fog, so the party shrank from 12 to 10 and the-remainder'camped under Mount Donjon to %keep their powder dry and , , _ MARCH 1998 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 15 enjoyed the views next day. Zol Bodlay led a party of 4 on his Saturday trip to Murra Murra N.P. Things were better here than in. the Budawangs, with fine but overcast conditions. Of the Sunday walks Eddie Giacomel had the 17 people on his trip to the Colo River, back at the; cars by 1900 and George Mawer led his party of 17 through an enjoyable day from Waterfall to Heathcote. Somewhere in there Kenn Clacher led a party of 3 through the milling hordes in Claistral Canyon and backed up to repeat the experience with a party of 5 in Bell Creek on the Sunday. Here endeth the Walks Report. Our $130 is still out there, not doing well and about to disappear into one of those agglomerated funds so beloved of politicians and bureaucrats, or so the Conservation Report revealed. It was all cloaked in double-speak about “costs of establishing separate fund”, “separate accounting overheads” and so on, but it all means that the State Government's Conservation Fund, established with press releases and fanfare is to be buried quietly. Weep not, gentle reader, for we are adirised that our $130 will be put to purchasing copies of an uplifting bookabout transforming industrial wasteland into parkland. The moral presumably being that it's OK to make industrial wastelands in the first place. Alex has written to the National Parks & Wildlife Service on the matter ofpianning for the Nattai National Park, and will write to the RTA urging them to re-vegetate the scarred verges of the Mittagong bypass. Detailed-Confederation Notes are somewhere in the magazine so we will not attempt to ,cover those matters here. There was no General Busines so after announcements the meeting closed at 2118 *-X-1-3H. E* For a limited:time, Willis's Walkabouts is offering special discounts on some of our 1993 Kimberley Expeditions. All trips are 'planned to use air transport to and/or from Kununurra to minimise the amount of time you have to spend cramped up in a vehicle. Drysdale River National Park: May 30 - June 20, June 20 - July 4 Drysdale River is the largest and least accessible of the Kimberley parks. It contains a variety of landscapes, a wealth of aboriginal art and numerous beautiful pools, perfect for swimming and fishing. The first expedition willbe a leisurely exploration of the northern part of the park, using a food drop so' that we won't need to carry more than a week's food at a time. The second is planned as a through walk from the southern end through the central section, Mitchell Plateau: May 9-30, August 22 - September 4 Located in the north central part of the Kimberley, the Mitchell Plateau is blessed with a milder climate than much of the region. It's wealth of different habitats gives it a larger variety of native flora and fauna than most of the Kimberley. Both trips include two weeks concentrating on the area close to the Mitchell River. The May trip includes our first exploration of the Lawley River. Both include numerous aboriginal art sites and plenty of time for swimming. The area continues to be threatened by mining so see it while you can. For details of these trips and others (please ask for the trip notes and specify where you saw this ad to be eligible for the discount) contact: WILLIS'S WALKABOUTS 12 Carrington Street Millner NT 0810 Phone (089) 85 2134 Fax: (089) 85 2355 is WAL 4. 44s 0 PAGE 16 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER. MARCH 1993 BALDUR BYLES AND KOSCIUSKO NATIONAL PARK by Reg Alder (Originally :published in.Nationil Parks Assn ACT-Bulletin DeceMber 1992;) . -During the summer cl'1931-32 BaIdur ByTrd, a forester with the Commonwealth 'Forestry Bureau and a- brother of the early environmental. activist Marie-Byles, carried out a six month period tetonnaissance of the mountainous part of the Murray River. His report formed the, basis formoreeffective control of the fragile environment of the alpine areas on the New South Wales side of the Murray which eventually led' to the formation. of Kosciusko National Park. The park was later consolidated and extended. because the Snowy ..Scheme needed strict control of erosion.. In the 1930s all the mountain country Was held under Some form of grazing lease which did not permit the destruction of trees or the lighting of fires in the summer months.' In practice, lessees. lit fires as often as they thought fit, talking about lightning, glass bottles and spontaneous combustion as a reason whilst having the knowledge- of who lit it If the fire happened to burn oneof their own paddocks they had no proof, their only hope being that during the next summer they May be abl6s to get even. with the man who lit the fire. These fires. destroyed thousands'of'acres each year Fires, in destroying the alpine woody scrub and alpine ash, initiated erosion in the 'high' country and gullying in the freehold properties below 700 metres. The velocity of the degradationTrOcess was increasing in geometrical proportion to the extent that in Areas where alpine ash had completely disappeared, landslides were occurring. Gutters and 'gullies were forming on the grass slopes of the Kosciusko tops and in the lower altitudes soil had been completely washed' away from under fence posts. Ninety-nine per cent of the fires occurring were lit to clear away the collection of rank unpalatable grasses or to remove scrub from the stock routes. ipally covered by the alpinevoody, scrub type had been compeltely cleared li'Y'fire. All the species forming this cover are extremely fire sensitive and once burnt out do not coppice and their powers of seed production are light. Where grass formerly grew it may thrive after a fire, however where the soil is too shallow the organic layer dries up and blows away to be followed by the loose sandy soil, leaving bare granite rocks and stones. In only one place did Byles see a snow gum stand to the almost natural state, but even then this had been badly burnt around the butts. Although snow gums coppice abundantly after burning, successive'burnings kill them altogether. In the more-accessible country no signs of original stands were left. Where an original snow gum stand is killed by fire, fairly dense undergrowth comes in which, with 7. urther burnings causes the scrub to disappear and a final stage of snow grass to be reached. All of this clearing caused serious drying-up of the swamps'in the plateau country; whereas 30 years previously a swamp in the parish of ,Jagungal could not be crossed by horse, now in an average summer a bullock 'dray could be driven across it. A change in climatic cycle Wasdiscounted as a reason for the drying-up as this was not shwn from the rainfall records of the surrounding country. When fire destroys an alpine ash stand a good crop of -seedlings comes bp in its place. However if fires occur at intervals of five to ten years, the new crop does not reach se-producing age as mature trees need to reach' - a height of near 20 metres at an age of 20 to 30 years before producing seed. At the time of the reporCapproximately two-thirds of the area orig- . MARCH 1993 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER PAGE 17 Baldur Byles travelled on a Saddle horse supported by one pack horse and because of the strenuous nature of the work and somewhat poor natural feed, frequent changes of horses were necessary. There were few tracks and the locals had little knowledge of areas-which were not of direct interest to them for grazing. In many instances he had to walk from the tops to a valley bottom which frequently involved 12 hours of arduous walking and climbing without, the assistance of local guides. Whereas today we are used to payed motor roads and fire trails, 60 years ago Kosciusko could have been defined, apart from the grazing, as an almost true wilderness area.. The report lists access points: motor vehicles could only reach Possum Point on the Tooma River, Khancoban, Wollondiby near. Jindabyne, Adaminaby, Snowy PLain on the Gungahlin and Kiandra. Access was gained by bullock teams to Wheelers selection-and Round Mountain on a track described as very bad; 'grey Mare and Mawsons Hut by bullock team; and from Adaminaby, Pretty Plain and Geehi by pack horse. Groggin was reached by- bridle track from geehi. From Groggin'a bridle track led,up to Dead Horse Gap from where a poorly defined track led to the Pilot and on to Omeo. A recent track led from Geehi up to the main range at losciusko and a metre and half track from Groggin to Limestone Creek was impassable because of fallen logs and washouts; From Jindabyne a motor road led to Thredbo River and from there a bridle track led to Dead Horse Gap and on to Kosciusko. The remaining desriptions,only cover bridIe-F._ track routes and from -them it can be seen how much of' the alpine area has been opened-up with:the aid of bulldozers and graders since World War Two. It is well to reflect upon how much more of the Kosciusko plateau would have been degraded if Baldur Byles had not drawn attention to the serious erosion occurring in 1931-32. In 1931 Myles' Dunphy did-a grand walking tour of 200 km from Beloka to the Snowy and on. to Mount Kosciusko and Thredbo. It would be probably no coincidence that Myles with his association with. Marie Byles, both of the Sydney Bush Walkers, talked about the degradation of Kosciusko and formed his idea for a national park. Baldur, besides being a forester, also had a deep regard for the envir- onment and because of his official position would use Marie as his public voice. Myles worked on his proposal for a Snowy-Indi National Park or Primitive Area and displayed his scheme at a public exhibition in Sydney'in. 1935. The war intervened and in 1943 he was requested by the Lands Depart- ment of NSW to develop further his National Parks and Primitive Areas Council scheme for a national park. Kosciusko National Park was declared in 1944. * * *-* * * * CONGRATULATIONS! Alex Colley's daughter, Fran, who now lives in Adelaide, has given birth to twins, a boy Alexander Robert and a girl Louisa June. A busy time ahead for Mum and'Dad! PAGE 18 THE SYDNEY 3USHWALIKER MARCH 1993 EXPERIENCED' WALKER ' by Bill Gamble The question, allegedly vexed, with which Confederation is grappling, namely about what cohstitutes an “experienced walker” for media purposes, reported by Barry Wallace in the December meeting notes (January 1993 issue, page 16), may not be -without interest, as many members of this Club would claim to be experienced bush walkers of some kind. Barry's report reminded me that a beaut little booklet (48 pages put out by the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand in 1978, 6th edition, entitled “Safety in 'the Mountains”) which I carry on extended walks as a memory jog, contains all sorts of practical' advice, hints and reminders, including a definition of EXPERIENCE. The portion of the booklet on leadership, which states that many accidents GC= because the leader is presumed to be more experienced than he or she is, definesrexperience thus:- KNOWLEDGE SKILLS -I- EXTENSIVE PRACTICE = EXPERIENCE. Extensive practice is the most important.. Instruction courses provide knowledge and skills only, adding that a recognised leader needs not only experience but ALSO a positive disposition and physical fitness. I do not know if any of this is going to resolve the Confederation's dilemma, though it may be of interest to those Club members who lead walks or aspire to do so. -The booklet weighs about 25 grams and is probably still(available in a later edition. The duties of a leader to his or her party en route are alSb -Succinctly put. SOCIAL NOTES FOR ,APRIL ' April 7 - Committee Meeting 14 General' Meeting 21 “A Visit to Mawson's Hut in Antarctica” by John Noble - 28 - “Australian Native Plants” - slides and talk by Jill Dark *