Established June 1931

A monthly bulletin of matters of interest to The Sydney Bush Walkers, Box 4476 G.P.O. Sydney 2001. Club meetings are held every Wednesday evening from 7.30 pm at the Cahill Community Centre (Upper Hall), 34 Falcon Street, Crow's Nest. Enquiries concerning the Club should be referred to Ann Ravn, telephone 798-8607.

By Peter Miller

There were six of us in two canoes on this trip which didn't quite go as per programme. Three of us went down on Friday night and camped at the dam. The wind blew all night and we also had a few spots of rain which spoiled our attempt to sleep out. The other car-load arrived on Saturday morning and we set off. In my canoe I had my son Robert and a lady called Jenny Mitchell. The other canoe had Roger Brown in the stern, Michelle De Vries Robbe in the bow and Vicki Cheeseman traveling as first class passenger.

Problems arose immediately. The wind was blowing from the west, and we headed straight into it as we attempted to go up the Shoalhaven. My canadian canoe has reasonably high sides and was handling the waves quite well. Roger had a hired canoe with rather low sides and that canoe was shipping waves over the side. The paddles which came with this canoe were not very good and their progress was rather slow. After crossing the dam I paddled into a sheltered bay and waited for the other canoe to catch up. We decided that it was too risky to continue up the Shoalhaven as in the event of a capsize there would be a lot of wet sleeping bags and spoiled food. Not being serious canoeists we did not have our gear properly waterproofed and could only safely venture out on calm waters.

We decided to travel with the wind and go along the Kangaroo River instead. The canoes went better with the wind but they still had a tendency to try to turn themselves side on to the waves which is potentially disastrous. We went up the Kangaroo River until we came to the junction of Bundanoon Creek. There was a very strong wind blowing out of the creek making the dam very choppy. We pulled in at the junction and boiled the billy for morning tea, and decided to camp there for the night.

When you camp at morning tea time it does give you plenty of time to get the tents up and gather firewood for the night.

Four of us went off in the canoes and explored Bundanoon and Sandy Creeks. It was delightful to go up Sandy Creek out of the wind. There were lots of rock orchids growing and the ferns and sandstone cliffs were very attractive in the sunlight. There were no campsites there as the shores of the creek are very steep. We had a leisurely paddle back to the campsite and then went for a walk up a disused fire trail to the top of the ridge.

The weather was quite cold and blustery so we had a big camp fire that night to keep us warm.

On Sunday we continued paddling along the Kangaroo River. We passed the narrow, straight rock-sided section and stopped for morning tea at the junction with the Kangaroo River fire trail. There was a very good view up to the escarpment which rises 1800 feet above the dam. We continued paddling until we came to the open farmland which flanks the dam. This is a delightful area with perfect campsites among the wattles which grow right down to the water's edge. We toyed with the idea of paddling to Coolana but by now the wind had veered to the east and it would have meant paddling into a head wind all the way, so we chose the soft option and headed back to the dam wall and the cars. There are some good campsites around the junction with Yarrunga Creek and we stopped at one for lunch.

In the afternoon we slowly paddled back to the cars, keeping the canoes close together to maintain the flow Of conversation, which had lasted all weekend.

Canoe trips are quite different to walking trips and are an excellent way of seeing the country. The Shoalhaven River is very dramatic with steep sides coming down to the river and cliff lines along the tops of the ridges. Next time I put the trip on I hope there won't be a westerly wind blowing and I will also ensure that all the gear is properly water-proofed.

A Talk by Roger Good to S.B.W. on 19 October 1983

From notes by Ainslie Morris

Spectacular sights, the flames of a wildfire and the crimson of the rare telopea wildflower; and you can't have one without the other.

Roger Good, of the National Parks And Wildlife Service, and C.S.I.R.O. in Canberra, came up here to explain the research being done by the Service into bushfires. Yes, we need them - and no, we don't. A dilemma.

Some species, such as Eucalyptus regnans and E. delegatensis, are destroyed by fire. For other species, fire can be necessary but too frequent; for example Banksia ericifolia needs fire after at least 8 years for regeneration, but if burnt every 5 years it cannot regenerate, or if it becomes senescent with 50 years of no fire, it dies out.

The main issue which concerns the Service as well as other authorities and the general public, is “prescribed burning”. In relation to this issue and to wildfires, the Service has the following objectives:

1. Protection of life and property.

2. Conservation of Flora and Fauna:

• Ecosystems
• Species - animal and plant
• Rare and endangered species
• Habitats

3. Preservation of existing systems, landscapes, etc.
4. Maintenance and restoration of catchments.
5. Maintenance of Fire Options:

• Unplanned Fires
• Planned Fires - What to do with them?

Of these objectives, the one which may be of most interest to bushwalkers is Number 3. A system such as a rare stand of sassafras shown on a slide taken in Geehi (Kosciusko National Park) is only one type of many we seek and enjoy on our walks. And who enjoys a landscape of burnt black trunks; and bare ground? In planning prescribed burning, recreation is one important consideration of the Service which can come into conflict with other objectives, especially preservation of life and property.