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Next day one of the men drove us in his truck sixty miles to the crossing on the East Alligator River. From here we were to walk four days, following up the river then cutting across country through a range and so back to Jabiru. | Next day one of the men drove us in his truck sixty miles to the crossing on the East Alligator River. From here we were to walk four days, following up the river then cutting across country through a range and so back to Jabiru. | ||
- | Following a river should not be difficult, but we soon found that unless you kept the water of the main river in view you could be lured | + | Following a river should not be difficult, but we soon found that unless you kept the water of the main river in view you could be lured away even more than 90 degrees off course following one of the anabranches, |
- | away even more than 90 degrees off course following one of the anabranches, | + | |
- | or the long billabongs that arc off in mares' tails over the flat country. It took a little bit of sorting out for the first few hours, when some crossed a billabong while the others remained on its near bank. I had | + | Arnhem Land is buffalo land. You meet them everywhere. The mothers are formidable foes if separated from their young, so whenever we came upon them unexpectedly we took good care that they were all galloping together, heads thrust forwards and horns back, and of course away from us. |
- | cliMbed | + | |
- | couldn' | + | Our first night' |
- | call and there was the lost party, sitting by the riverbank. From then on we all kept ,together, although Libby kindly gave me a tin of sardines | + | |
- | in case vi should have become separated again when the next meal came around. | + | New country is always fascinating. Besides the buffalo there were wild pigs wallowing in the black mud, and wallabies, dingoes, emus, lizards, not to mention brown snakes and taipans |
- | Arnhem Land is buffalo land. You meet them everywhere. The | + | |
- | mothers are formidable foes if separated from their young, so whenever we | + | There were the usual Bushwalker adventures of route finding in unknown country. Once, rather than swim a billabong, we had to climb up through a small range, then back again to the river. Pretty rugged going up among the rocks, but very interesting. |
- | came upon them unexpectedly we took good care that they were all | + | |
- | galloping together, heads thrust forwards and horns back, and of course away from us. | + | On our second day the river spread out into a lake about a mile wide with many water birds - ducks and jabirus and magpie geese with legs on them like footballers, and white egrets and herons, and darting over the banks were russet and blue kingfishers. Whirring flights of quail rose at our approach. At night curlews wailed in rising crescendo of panic. It gave Dave the shivers - like a woman being strangled, he said. We wondered whether he spoke from first-hand experience. |
- | Our first night' | + | |
- | Being on the banks of the river made us ea.: | + | When we left the river we took a compass course across low country, finding water when we needed it wherever the paperbarks and pandanus grew. The last day was a long one. We had hoped to get back to Jabiru by dark, but were still steering our course by starlight, and eventually tried to home in on the generator' |
- | mind, everyone was remembering the story we had heard of the woman who was recently eaten alive. We lit a big fire between us and the water, and Denlas | + | |
- | focussing | + | Libby and I spent the night with the Ranger |
- | the wood. Sometimes we climbed up and made camp away from the water, just to be sure. | + | |
- | New country is always fascinating. Besides the buffalo there were wild pigs wallowing in the black mud, and wallabies, dingoes, emus, lizards, not to mention brown snakes and taipans | + | Mt. Brockman |
- | There were the usual Bushwalker adventures of route finding in unknown country. Once, rather than swim a billabong, we had to climb up through a small range, then back again to the river. Pretty rugged going 127) among the rocks, but very interesting. | + | |
- | On OUT second day the. river spread out into a lake about a mile wide with many water birds - ducks and jabirus and magpie geese with | + | Gove Peninsula is the northernmost tip of Arnhem Land. We stayed the night with a pleasant young couple, the husband being one in charge of the bauxite |
- | Page 11 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER August, 1975. | + | |
- | legs Ali them like fc) b ba,llers, and white egrets and herons, and darting over the banks were russet and blue kingfishers. Whirring flights of | + | Our next destination was Urapunga and the Roper River Mission. One of the elders of the tribe, who spoke quite good English, met our plane and offered us the hospitality of his house for a cup of tea and use of the toilets. His pump was not working, so the boys repaired it for him. An interesting aspect of the toilets was that when you pulled the chain a large green frog came swimming out of the dwindling surge and clambered up again to his damp home in the cistern. |
- | quail rose at our approach. At night curlews wailed in rising crescendo | + | |
- | of panic. It gave Dave the shivers - like a woman being strangled, he said. We wondered whether he spoke from first-hand experience. | + | Lots of photographs were taken of the little aboriginal children on the beach. Libby bought a bark painting from the store. She asked an artist on the beach would he touch up a spot on it. He looked at it in some disgust, dismantled all the trimmings and set to and repainted the whole thing. |
- | When we left the river we took a compass course across low country, finding water when we needed it wherever the paperbarks and pandanus | + | |
- | grew. The last day was a long one. We had hoped to get back to Jabiru | + | That night we went to a beaut barbecue party and were given some large fillets of barramundi to take away with us. |
- | by dark, but were still steering our course by starlight, and eventually tried to home in on the generator' | + | |
- | Libby and I spent the night with the Rancor | + | We had been making enquiries along the way as to the whereabouts of a mysterious "lost city" of Arnhem Land, recently shown on T.V., but no one was sure of its location. At Roper River, however, we struck pay dirt; a huge aboriginal offered to show it to us if we would afterwards drop him off at the Roper Bar airstrip, 30 miles away. |
- | 60 ft. caravan. Next day he drove us out to Mt. Brockman, a place sacred to the aborir; | + | |
- | as to what may happen to this priceless treasure when the mine is finally established (its working has been held up for four years while an environment impact study is being conducted). The mountain is only two miles away from the boundary of the company7s | + | We offloaded all the packs to offset his weight and packed him in among the passengers (a tight squeeze for me in the gap between seats). Then, following his pointing arm, soared out 60 miles and came spot on target. It was an ancient range weathered down to a mass of spires and pinnacles with maze-like gaps between. We circled it many times and photographed it from all angles. An astounding sight! Then we returned and duly offloaded our guide at Roper Bar. |
- | Mt. Brochman | + | |
- | the Kakudu National Park. We climbed around its base, looking at the beautiful rock paintings on the red walls of the bat-filled caves and feeling the spirit of antiquity upon everything. We had to leave | + | Next day we flew to Rockhampton, |
- | sooner than we would have liked as we had to reach Gove Peninsula before sundown. | + | |
- | Gove Peninsula is the northernmost tip of Arnhem Land. We stayed | + | Rain greeted |
- | the night with a pleasant young couple, the husband being one in charge of the bauxity | + | |
- | diggings to the process plant. (We could do with something like that to carry pebbles from the Kangaroo River to OUT hut building site!) | + | Dennis is already making plans for another trip next June. Worth keeping in mind. The cost was $225 plus food. |
- | Our next destination was Urapunga and the Roper River Mission. One of the elders of the tribe, who spoke quite good English, met our plane and offered us the hospitality of his house for a cup of tea and use of the toilets. His pump was not working, so the boys repaired it | + | |
- | for him. An interesting aspect of the toilets was that when you pulled | + | ====SOCIAL NOTES==== |
- | the chain a large green frog came swimming out of the dwindling surge | + | by Spiro Ketas |
- | and clambered up again to his damp home in the cistern. | + | |
- | Lots of photographs were taken of the little aboriginal children | + | On 17th September Ian Saltmarsh will hold his Assam Tea Planting night assisted by an attractive sarong-clad Assam maiden who will serve tea to all present. Come along and learn how tea is made from planting to the pot. |
- | on the beach. Libby bought a bark painting from the store. She asked | + | |
- | an artist on the beach would he touch up a spot on it. He looked at | + | The Federation Ball will be held at 8.30 p m. on Friday, 19th September at Petersham Town Hall. Two bands and supper. Prizes. Tickets $4.00 single. |
- | it in some disgust, dismantled all the trimmings and set to and repainted the whole thing. | + | |
- | Page 12 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER August, 1975. | + | Then on 24th September Wade Butler is to show a few slides on Antarctica and tell us all about his 15 month job at Mawson with the Australian Antarctic Scientific Expedition. Wade occupied his time in various ways including fishing, |
- | *xxxx*************** M OUNTAIN | + | |
- | ******************** | + | ====THE JULY GENERAL MEETING==== |
- | ********************** | + | by Jim Brown |
- | EQUIPMENT | + | |
- | ***************** | + | Your reporter is pleased to record that, in the absence of a walks report, the notes for the July meeting will be quite brief. In fact he believes the July meeting should be kept to a minimum each year, which means that the transcription of the notes into a (more or less) readable summary will take only 20 minutes instead of the usual 1 - 1 1/2 hours, and one can complete one's taxation return in the remaining time (I hope). |
- | IF YOU ARE | + | |
- | BUYING OR HIRING HIRING OR BUYING | + | Well, having offered this preliminary padding, it can be said that Vice-President Neville Page occupied the chair, there were about 30 folk present, and the business began at 8.25 p.m. with greetings to Robyn Preston and Dick Winthorpe, also to a last month' |
- | BUYING OR HIRING HIRING OR BUYING | + | |
- | GEAR FOR | + | Correspondence contained as well as the usual crop of journals, a request for reinstatement to full membership by Graham Hogarth, and advice that the Electricity Commission was offering $280 for an easement along the transmission line (Dapto to Canberra) crossing our property. It was thought that a higher figure might be obtained in view of the necessary destruction to bushland and wild life that could follow. There was advice too from Ed Stanton on the adjoining Quakers property of some damage resulting from the June downpour |
- | WALKING ...... CAMPING Opoo000 CLIMTING ...... CANOEING 0 0 0 WALKING ...... CAMPING ...... CLIMBING ...... CANOEING o4doe | + | |
- | THINK OF | + | The Treasurer told us June had been a healthy month financially, |
- | MOUNTAIN_EQUIPMENT | + | |
- | 17 Alexander Street, Crow's Nest, 2065 (On the corner of Falcon Street) Telephone 439-3454. | + | It remained |
- | for | + | |
- | FAIRYDOWN SLEEPING BAGS | + | ====COMING WALKS==== |
- | HIGH LOAD PACKS (Weight 3 ib 10 oz) | + | by Bob Hodgson |
- | AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS YOU COULD POSSIBLY NEED | + | |
- | * * * * * * * * * | + | September |
- | Page 13 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALICR August 1975., | + | |
- | . . | + | September 5, 6, 7 - Just as spectacular but in more familiar territory is Bob Younger' |
- | That night we went to a b, | + | |
- | large fillets of barramundi to take away with us. | + | Sunday 7 - See the upper reaches of Cowan Creek in the early spring with Mary Braithwaite. Easy tracks all the way with lots of wild flowers, a very pleasant trip. |
- | We had been making enquiries along the way as to the whereabouts of a mysterious "lot city" of Arnhem Land, recently shown on T.V., but no | + | |
- | one was sure of its location. At Roper River, however, we struck pay | + | 12, 13, 14 - Malcolm |
- | dirt; a huge aboriginal offered to show it to us if we would afterwards drop him off at the Roper Bar airstrip, 30 miles away. | + | |
- | We offloaded all the packs to offset his weight and packed him in | + | Sunday 14 - Real native rose territory. This is David Ingram' |
- | among the passengers (a tight squeeze for me in the gap between seats), | + | |
- | Then, following his pointing arm, soared out 60 miles and came spot on | + | Sunday 14 - Neville Page is leading his valiant followers down from Hartley Vale station into the spectacular upper reaches of the Grose Valley. A little scrubby and slow at first but well worth the effort. |
- | target. It was an ancient range weathered down to a mass of spires | + | |
- | and pinnacles with maze-like gaps between. We circled it many times | + | 19, 20, 21 - Plenty of good clean air and exercise on Peter Harris' |
- | and photographed it from all angles. An astounding sight! Then we returned and duly offloaded our guide at Roper Bar. | + | |
- | Next day we flew to Rockhampton, | + | Sunday 21 - Today it's the Blue Labyrinth with Jim Brown, into the green wonderland of Glenbrook Creek, A really great days outing. |
- | a most beautiful place, threatened by sand-mining. We swam in the ,blue, blue ocean and lazed on the beach, then reluctantly headed for home. | + | |
- | Rain L' | + | Sunday 21 - Walk the unspoilt coast of Royal National Park with Roy Braithwaite. Good tracks with plenty of ocean and spectacular coastal scenery. |
- | Dennis is already making plans for another trip next June. Worth keeping in mina. The cost was $225 plus food, | + | |
- | ************** | + | Sunday 28 - Plenty of wild flowers on Sheila Binns' Uloola Track National Park walk. Congenial company and easy tracks go together to make the day pass very pleasantly. |
- | SOCIAL NOTES. by Spiro Ketas. | + | |
- | On 17th September Ian Saltmarsh will hold his Assam Tea Planting night assisted by an attractive sarong-clad Assam maiden who will serve tea to all,prosent. Come along and learn how tea is made from planting to the pot. | + | Sunday 28 - If you have seen the coastal displays of flowers come with John Holly who has been saving this walk up all year just to show you the display around Bargo. |
- | The Federation Ball will be held at 8.30 p m. on Friday, 19th | + | |
- | September at Petersham Town Hail. Two bands and supper. Prizes. Tickets $4.00 single. | + | ====FEDERATION NOTES==== |
- | Then on 24th September Wade Butler is to show a few slides on Antarctica and tell us all about his 15 month job at Mawson with the Australian Antarctic Scientific Expedition,. Wade occupied his time in | + | By Jim Vatiliotis |
- | various ways including fishing, | + | |
- | the Antarctic! If you don't believe me come and see and hear for yourself before Wade heads off to Hobart next month. | + | __Annual General Meeting__ |
- | Page 14 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER August, 1975. | + | 15th July, 1975 |
- | THE JULY GENERAL MEETING. | + | |
- | by Jim Brown. | + | There were no nominations or volunteers for President, Senior |
- | Your reporter is pleased to record that, in the absence of a walks report, the notes for the July meeting will be quite brief. In fact he believes the July meeting should. be kept to a minimum each year, which means that the transcription of the notes into a (more or less) readable summary will take only 20 minutes instead of the usual 1 - 14.41 hours, and one can complete one's taxation return in the remaining time (I hope). | + | |
- | Well, having offered this preliminary padding, it can be said that Vice-President Neville Page occupied the chair, there were about 30 folk present, and the business began at 8.25 p m0 with greetings to Robyn Preston and Dick Winthorpe, also to a last month' | + | |
- | one disputed the contents of the June minutes, and arising from them we | + | |
- | were told Shoalhaven Shire Council had replied to our request to build on Coolana with a massive document setting out the " | + | |
- | Correspondence contained as well as the usual crop of journals, a request for reinstatement to full membership by Graham Hogarth, and advice that the Electricity Commission was offering $280 for an easement along the transmission line (Dapto to Canberra) crossing our property. It | + | |
- | was thought that a higher figure might be obtained in view of the necessary destruction to bushland and wild life that could follow. There was | + | |
- | advice too from Ed Stanton on the adjoining Quakers property of some damage resulting from the June dounpour | + | |
- | The Treasurer told us June had been a healthy month financially, | + | |
- | with a good excess of income over outlay, and finishing with ' | + | |
- | It remained | + | |
- | be advised that the Water Board' | + | |
- | was then time to chatter awhile before we dispersed. | + | |
- | **************** | + | |
- | Pagb 1 THE - SYDNEY BUSH,WALKER August, 1975. | + | |
- | , | + | |
- | September | + | |
- | 5, 6, 7 - It seems quite Obvious | + | |
- | 59 6, 7 - Just as spectacular but in more familiar territory is Bob Younger' | + | |
- | Sunday 7 - | + | |
- | 12,13,14 | + | |
- | See the upper reaches of Cowan Creek in the early spring with Mary Braithwaite. Easy tracks all the way with lots of wild flowers, a very pleasant trip. | + | |
- | Malcollm | + | |
- | Sunday 14 Real native rose territory. This is David Ingram' | + | |
- | Sunday 14 Neville Page is leading his valiant followers down from Hartley | + | |
- | Vale station into the spectacular upper reaches of the Grose | + | |
- | valley. A little scrubby and slow at first but well worth the | + | |
- | effort. | + | |
- | 19520921 | + | |
- | Sunday 21 Today it's the Blue Labyrinth with Jim Brown, into the green wonderland of Glenbrook Creek, A really great days outing. | + | |
- | Sunday 21 Walk the unspoilt coast of Royal National Park with Roy | + | |
- | Page /6 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALIM August, 1975, | + | |
- | .SepteMber. | + | |
- | Braithwaite. Good tracks with plenty of ocean and spectacular coastal scenery. | + | |
- | Sunday 28 Plenty of wild flowers on Sheila Binns' Uloola Track National Park walk. Congenial company and easy tracks go together to make the day pass very pleasantly. | + | |
- | Sunday 28 If you he seen the coastal displays of flowers come with John Holly who has been saving this walk up all year just to show you the display around Bargo. | + | |
- | FEDERATION NOTES. | + | |
- | . by Jim Vatiliotis. | + | |
- | Annual Goneral Meeting | + | |
- | There were no nominations or volunteers for President, Senior | + | |
"That this meeting be adjourned to 16th September subject to the ensuing qualifications: | "That this meeting be adjourned to 16th September subject to the ensuing qualifications: | ||
+ | |||
(a) All affiliated clubs be notified by letter. | (a) All affiliated clubs be notified by letter. | ||
+ | |||
(b) At this adjournment of the meeting there will be discussion in committee of ways of overcoming the present impasse as far as election of office bearers. | (b) At this adjournment of the meeting there will be discussion in committee of ways of overcoming the present impasse as far as election of office bearers. | ||
- | (c) Presidents and secretaries of clubs be invited to attend in addition to the delegates that would normally attend so that problems can be discussed with authority. | + | |
+ | c) Presidents and secretaries of clubs be invited to attend in addition to the delegates that would normally attend so that problems can be discussed with authority. | ||
(d) No August meeting is held. | (d) No August meeting is held. | ||
- | (e) All positions not filled before the p4journment | + | |
+ | (e) All positions not filled before the adjournment | ||
(f) Federation activities to continue. | (f) Federation activities to continue. | ||
- | (g) Affiliation fees to be determined at meeting on 16th September." | + | |
- | AUGUST 1975 THE SYDNEY ):; | + | (g) Affiliation fees to be determined at meeting on 16th September." |
- | THE | + | |
- | (;) | + | ====THE SBW OVERSEAS TOUR==== |
- | COIMITTEE | + | |
- | a | + | COMMITTEE |
- | NN | + | |
- | TjiJ | + | CONE AND SEE THE BEAUTIFUL TAJ MAHAL, THE IMPRESSIVE |
- | NNNN | + | |
- | NH NN | + | DATES (TENTATIVE) |
- | NN NN NN | + | |
- | DRDRDROD RD RD | + | SAT 13 DEC 75 SYDNEY |
- | RD DR | + | |
- | DD. DO | + | SUN 14 DEC 75 BANGKOK |
- | RD OD | + | |
- | OD DD DflDnDODD | + | MON 5 JAN 76 MADRAS |
- | AA | + | |
- | AA AA | + | FRI 9 JAN 76 COLOMBO |
- | AA 'n | + | |
- | AA AA AAAAAAAAAA | + | SAT 16 JAN 76 SINGAPORE - SYDNEY |
- | AA AA | + | |
- | AA AA | + | CONTACT - EITHER MARCIA SHAPPERT |
- | III Iii II II II II I | + | |
- | ALSO VISITING | + | COSTS - THE GROUP THAT WENT TWO YEARS AGO SPENT ABOUT $100 EACH FOR THEIR FIVE WEEKS IN INDIA AND SRI LANKA. THIS INCLUDED |
- | /Jul JJL3 1J rooevl ry? | + | |
- | (..16, | + | |
- | (F0MCRLY | + | ====NOTICE OF HALF-YEARLY |
- | (THAILAND) | + | ===THE SYDNEY BUSH WALKERS |
- | CONE AND SEE Tj.T 7,37AUTIFUL TALI 11A71AL.,THE INPR ESSIVE | + | |
- | 4-1 :es) | + | NOTICE is hereby given that the Half-Yearly General Meeting of the Sydney Bush Walkers will be held at the Wireless Institute of Australia, 14 Atchison Street, St. Leonards, |
- | SAT 13 i;EC 75 SYDNEY | + | |
- | SUN DEC .75 zJANGHO | + | __AGENDA__ |
- | LION 5 ,.;-11,J NARRA COLON30 | + | |
- | FF" | + | 1. Apologies. |
- | SI-1T 1q, J kr\T 76 C: INCAPORE | + | |
- | SYDNEY SUN 1 1 JAN 76 | + | |
- | P7TUF:N TO | + | |
- | (TENTATIVE) | + | |
- | EITHER flATCli% STJAPPEI: | + | |
- | PETE SCAND!7ETT (6683111 | + | |
- | ND CALL TILJ- EE RETUNED) AT THE A707E NUM:E.:?S, OP AT THE CLUE ALMOST ANY NEETING. | + | |
- | T.4ENT | + | |
- | LANIg4.. INCLTMED | + | |
- | PPESENT | + | |
- | FLYING | + | |
- | YOUR ITINERARY | + | |
- | Page 18 THE SYDNEY BUSHWALUR August, 1975. | + | |
- | NOTICE OF HAIFYEARLY | + | |
- | THE SYDNEY BUSH WALKERS. | + | |
- | NOTICE is hereby given that the Half-:Yearly General Meeting of the Sydney Bush Walkers will be hela at the Wireless Institute of Australia, 14 Atchison Street, St. Leonards9 | + | |
- | AGEND A. | + | |
- | Apologies. | + | |
2. Welcome to new members. | 2. Welcome to new members. | ||
+ | |||
3. Minutes of the August General Meeting held on Wednesday 13th August, 1975. | 3. Minutes of the August General Meeting held on Wednesday 13th August, 1975. | ||
- | Correspondence. | + | |
- | Reports (a) ilireasurer's Report | + | 4. Correspondence. |
+ | |||
+ | 5. Reports | ||
+ | |||
+ | (a) Treasurer's Report | ||
(b) Walks Report | (b) Walks Report | ||
- | (0) Social Report or Announcements (d) Federation Report | + | |
+ | c) Social Report or Announcements | ||
+ | |||
+ | (d) Federation Report | ||
6. Selection of site for the 1976 Annual Reunion. | 6. Selection of site for the 1976 Annual Reunion. | ||
- | 7. Election of Convenor and Organizing Committee for the. 1976 Annual Reunion (volunteers sought). | + | |
- | 8. Consideration of the future role of the Federation of | + | 7. Election of Convenor and Organizing Committee for the 1976 Annual Reunion (volunteers sought). |
- | Bushwalking Clubs and their present constitutional crisis. | + | |
+ | 8. Consideration of the future role of the Federation of Bushwalking Clubs and their present constitutional crisis. | ||
9. General Business and Announcements. | 9. General Business and Announcements. | ||
- | SUBSCRIPTIONS Members are reminded that their annual subscriptions | + | |
- | have been due and payable for the last six months, and the Committee must soon face the task of crossing off those members who remain unfinancial. | + | SUBSCRIPTIONS |
- | ILELEN | + | |
+ | HELEN GRAY. | ||
Hon. Secretary. | Hon. Secretary. | ||
197508.1394703813.txt.gz · Last modified: 2014/03/13 20:43 by apaddock2