NOVEMBER 2008
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Presidents Report David Trinder Editorial Maureen Carter On Choosing a Leader Terence Uren From the Committee Room Walks Notes Barry Wallace Coolana Report Don Finch A Walk in the Lower Blue Mountains - Bill Holland 8 Upper Hunter Bike Ride Liz Wills : 8 Cycling the West Coast of America J Mohandas 9 Mid-Week Walkers Bill Holland 10 Book Review - Maureen Carter 11 101 Excuses Editor 11 Social Notes Kathy Gero 12 Summer Social Program 12
THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER
is the monthly bulletin of matters of interest to members of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc PO Box 431 Milsons Point NSW 1565.
Editor: Maureen Carter Production Manager: Stephen Brading Printers: Kenn Clacher, Barrie Murdoch, Alan Sauran Don Brooks Fran Holland
Opinions expressed in this magazine are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of The Sydney Bush Walkers Inc. All material in this magazine is copyright. Requests for reproduction should be directed to The Editor. moz.carter@pacific.net.au
About Our Club
The Sydney Bush Walkers was formed in 1927 for the purpose of bringing bushwalkers together; enabling them to appreciate the great outdoors; establishing a regard for conservation and promoting social activities. The Club's main activity is bushwalking but includes other activities such as cycling, canoeing and social events.
Our Walks Program (published quarterly) features day walks on most Saturdays and Sundays, some mid week walks and overnight weekend walks. Extended walks are organised in areas such as The Snowy Mountains, the
Warrumbungles as well as interstate i.e. Victorian Alps
Our meetings start at 8pm and are held on Wednesday evenings (see Social Program) at Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, 16 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli (near Milsons Point Railway Station).
Visitors and prospective members are welcome www.sbw.org.au
Office Bearers
Members are welcome to contact the following officers on club matters:
President: David Trinder 9542 1465 (h) dt28@tpg.com.au
Vice President: Ron Watters 9419 2507(h) wattersr@bigpond.net.au
Secretary: Ruth Richter 0403 941 790 _~s ruth. k. richter@student.uts.edu. au
Walks Secretary: Tony Holgate 9943 3388(h) tholgate@optusnet.com.au
Social Secretary: Kathy Gero 9130 7263 (h) kathygero@aol.com
Treasurer: Margaret Carey 9957 2137 (h) margaret_carey@bigpond.com
Members Secretary: Brian Holden 4294 3074(h) jholden6@bigpond.com
New Members Secretary: Jodie Dixon 9943 3388 (h) newmembers@sbw.org.au
Conservation Secretary: Wilf Hilder 9587 8661 walkingwilf@bigpond.com
Magazine Editor: Maureen Carter 9773 4637 (h) moz.carter@pacific.net.au
Committee Members:
Alan Sauran 9488 8367(h) Bill Hope
9960 1646(h)
asauran@hotmail.com
bill.hope@optusnet.com.au
Delegates to Confederation: Bill Holland 9484 6636(h)
Jim Callaway 9520 7081 (h)
billholland@bigpond.com
- The archives which have been housed by Bill and
PRESIDENTS REPORT
The year is almost complete and we have done a lot of successful trips. The Christmas party which is usually well attended and tends to act as a reunion will be on the 17 December. I hope to see many members, old and new there.
The survey that was sent out was completed by about 300 people, a good result, and the data will be collected and collated by Alan Sauran and Stephen Brading. it should give the committee information about what the members want and dont want and help us to tailor the programs to suit the membership.
Notices asking for members to opt into receiving the magazine and newsletter by email are being sent out to members. We want as many as possible to take the soft copy. For a volunteer organisation hard copies take a lot of labour and cost. The soft copy of the quarterly magazine will be in colour and the newsletter in the othemonths will only be sent in soft copy form.
Alex Colley, who has been a member since the 30s and is now 98, has left his home at Turramurra and is now living in a nursing home where he can get the care that he needs. He has housed the Club's printer for many years but now it has been relocated to the house of Richard and Karen Brading, thank you to them.
Fran Holland for many years are still looking for a home in Sydney. Melinda Turner has volunteered to house them, she is in Wollongong and if no other home is found they will go down to Wollongong.
We are starting to think about the next committee which will be elected in March 2009. If you feel that you would like to contribute to the organization please let a member of the committee know.
David Trinder
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
In this months magazine you can follow Margaret and Jan Mohandas on their bicycle journey to their destination in Mexico. Liz Wills has also written an account of a cycling tri -near her and Dons home at Timor, but, we all agreed that riding up a 400m hill pales in comparison to Jan and Margaret riding up 3,000m mountains.
You can read the usual reports that let you know what is happening in the Club, as well as Don Finch's account of recent activities at Coolana.
Barry Wallace reports on walks where leaders have recorded their events, but, sadly, the editor has once more been underwhelmed with articles on walks, apart from Bill Hollands contribution. Please feel free to inundate me and especially attach photos, which will look really good when the magazine is sent out electronically.
The Summer walks program will provide many opportunities for wonderful walks and other activities. The leader does not always have to write the article, but, may be able to find a willing scribe on the day. Our Club is a bushwalking club and thats what the members tell me they like reading about.
Happy walking
Maureen
ITS LIVE!
The web-site will have gone live by the time you receive this magazine and you can access it by typing in the URL - www.sbw.org.au
Patrick McNaught and Ron Watters will be looking after the baby when Caro hands it over and you can send contributions such as news items (hatches, matches & despatches); useful links to other sites, bush recipes; social events; happenings of interest; etc.
Upcoming walks will also be highlighted.
if you have any items or ideas please send them to Patrick McNaught at pmcnaught@optus.com.au
Editor
On Choosing a Leader - A Cautionary Tale
Maria is relatively new to bushwalking. She has completed a few of the easier walks on the clubs program and is now looking for something more challenging. On the way home from a trip, she seeks advice from fellow passengers Tom, Dick and Harriet on whether they think she would enjoy walks led by Leaders X, Y and Z.
What Tom said:
I'd avoid walks led by X if I were you. She's a real tiger walker. She goes to interesting places but her walks are really tough.
What Maria needs to know:
Tom has never actually walked with X - her reputation has put him off. X used to be a tiger walker but her ageing joints no longer allow her to lead hard trips. She still goes to interesting places that are not often visited by others, but her trips are well within Marias capabilities.
What Dick said:
you would have trouble keeping up with the party.
What Maria needs to know:
Dick is a smoker and a little unfit and struggles on trips that include a significant amount of climbing. He is too vain to acknowledge this and hides his distress well - leaders are generally unaware that he is not coping.
What Harriet said:
I've been on a walk led by Z and it was wonderful. It was well planned, didn't involve too much scrub bashing and included regular stops for views and swimming. I think you'd really enjoy his walks.
What Maria needs to know:
If Zs wife is joining him on a trip, the walk will be similar to the one Harriet has described. If not, it will probably include lots of scrub, plenty of rock scrambling and some steep exposed climbs. On a trip like this, Maria might well end up with more challenges that she is seeking.
The Moral
Often the information a fellow member shares with you about a particular leader will tell you more about the member than it does about the leader. By all means seek the views of others on what your next walk should be, but treat what they tell you with caution, especially if they have little or no experience of walking with the leader in question.
The best information about a walk will almost always come from the walks leader. Contact the leader and seek answers to the questions that are troubling you. Be frank about your skills and experience and explain what it is you are seeking from a particular walk. Most leaders welcome such an approach and take pleasure in helping less experienced walkers extend themselves in a way that is both safe and not too confronting.
Terence Uren, Training and Safety Officer Canberra Bushwalking Club it October 2008 Re-printed with permission of the author.
Does anyone recognise themselves? (Ed.)
From the Committee Room
A report of proceedings at the Committee Meeting 5 November 2008
This month was a crowded house - fifteen of us turned up for the meeting. David had organised a more comfortable room; lounge chairs and a small coffee table - an intimate atmosphere suitable for the small gathering we had last month but not when the entire Committee plus visitor arrived. So we had to move to a larger room.
Under matters arising from last months meeting we discovered that the email addresses in the October magazine insert were wrong (old addresses). Not surprisingly this meant that there was a nil response from those opting for an electronic mailing of the magazine. Undaunted, we will try again next month but this time with correct email contacts. It seems we have some trouble in regularly clearing our post office box leading to delays in processing. An extra key may solve this problem. The good news is that the new web site is expected to go live shortly but the date is still to be set. And finally from last months minutes we have not yet sent our letter to Confederation expressing concern at their wasteful ways - this will be done.
Incoming mail included a letter from Blue Mountains Conservation Society advising they have a presentation on the proposal to realign the Great Western Highway over the Newnes Plateau and would like to show it to us at one of our meetings. NPWS advise that they will go shooting and trapping in the Kangaroo Valley (perhaps we should invite Sarah Palin to assist). The Wilderness Society wanted a donation - we approved $200. The Sydney Catchment Authority rejected our application for a grant next year as funding is not available.
President David reported on the Steering Committee where discussions had been held on ways to improve our walks programmes. The members responses to the recent survey on this subject are now being collated. Eddy Giacomel had written a detailed letter on improving club management and he will be invited to the next Committee meeting to follow up his views on this subject. The archives are being cleared of redundant material and will be passed to the State Library in November. The printer and associated materials have been rehoused with Karen and Richard Brading.
The Treasurers Report is shown below with payments approved including a donation to the Kangaroo Valley RFS of $100.
The Magazine Editor reported on proposals for the format and content of the news section of the website; the monthly electronic bulletin and the quarterly magazine. Some thought is to be given to the content on a members only section of the website and whether this would include copies of the magazine and walks programmes.
The Summer Walks Programme and Social Programme were approved subject to more walks coming in from recalcitrant or perhaps reluctant leaders and here we urged Tony to seek out more easy to easy/medium walks. The limited number of weekend walks is also of concern.
The Members Secretary reported 60 unpaid members to be marked off (reduced to 38 at time of publication) so if you have not paid your subscription you will not be reading this and worse still, you will not receive the walks programme.
The Conservation Report included the draft of a letter to be sent re the Murray Darling and the request for a donation from the Wilderness Society - already, reported.
Confederation Report led to a discussion on the wisdom, or lack of it, of Bushwalking Australia joining the Outdoor Council of Australia.
Then 9 pm arrived with a declaration from President David that the meeting was closed!
Treasurers Report as at October 2008
Current Year to Month Date Cash Receipts
Members Subscriptions 987 19,459 Prospective Fees - 4,222 Investment - Conservation 62 551 Investment - Coolana 151 1,336 Investment - General 68 604 Magazine Advertising - 1,010 Accrued Advertising - 370 Donations - Coolana - 200 Donations - Other - 201 Total Receipts $1,269 $27,952 Cash Payments
Magazine Printing 198 1,364 Magazine Postage 320 3,858 Magazine Equipment : 0 | Coolana Rates - 1,287 Coolana Maintenance - 941 Rent- Club Rooms 500 4,200 Donations - Conservation - 200 Insurance - Public Liability - 2,628 Insurance - Personal
Accident - 3,456 Affiliation - Confederation - 2,255 Postage. Phone & Internet - 663
1st Aid Certificate - 200 Administration 4 1,083 Coolana Grant - 2,426 Total Payments $1,022 $24,558 Cash Surplus /(Deficit) $247 $3,394
MAY-JUNE 2008 WALKS NOTES Barry Wallace
Walks notes covering the interval 13 May 2008 to 4 June 2008.
Dharug National Park was the site for a training weekend with Bill Holland and Patrick James serving as trainers for the party of mainly memberswho turned out for the event on what is marked as 13 May 2008. My calendar shows that as a Tuesday so that may explain some things like the total of 6 Starters. It was an interesting walk, though somewhat frustrating at the start due to council (?) closure of the track at the planned starting point. This forced a detour around to an alternative starting place and added a few kilometres to the overall distance. Somewhere in there sloth, and perchance gluttony; though hardly likely given the usual bushwalker lunch, denied all but 2 of the party a visit to the point where Simpsons Track joins the Great North Walk track.
All those of you who are familiar with the generally accepted usage of the mnemonic TLC will perhaps be less than enchanted to discover, per medium of Ron Watters, the alternative usage; to designate a Transmission Line Clearing off Clements Road that served as the point of origin for his walk over the 17, 18 May somewhere in the vicinity of the Nattai River. A host of 16 starters took to the heart pounding climb up Mount Waratah in the cool sunny conditions of the morning. They paused for views of Mounts Jellore, Cloudmaker and Yerranderie from Spellbinder Rock then plunged away down the steep descent to the hidden junction of Nattai River and Hidden Creek. In the lower sections this involved negotiating a series of rock defiles with just a glimpse of Sluice Box Falls. Lunch came at the top of a 3 metre waterfall at Fish Pond and the rains came just after Flora Gully and stayed for about an hour. They camped on a marvellous 20 tent spaces and lots of firewood grassy site sprinkled with trees and adjacent to 2 waterfalls. Top campfire; with everyone chatting away until bed progressively lured each one away from the coffee and Tim- Tams. Day 2 saw a leisurely start at around 0945h and moving along a beautiful section of the river leading to Drapers Creek and a late morning tea atop one of the waterfalls. The section from there to Box Creek Falls was something else again; thickly overgrown with lots of nettles called ouch! After a belated lunch on Box Vale Creek they headed off up the incline, pausing but briefly to admire the view down the Nattai. Then the route lay along the railway track for a class photo at the tunnel mouth and on through the cuttings to the cars which they reached by 1700h. The other cars were gathered in and then the party gathered in the local RSL club for roast of the day. Definitely a top weekend says Ron.
Sunday 25 May saw Nigel Weaver and a party of 16 shuffling cars between the end, Peats Ferry, and the start, Mount White, of his Porpran National Park walk. Conditions were fine and mild and the first 4 kilometres were mainly on fire trails with good views along the way. It was all to be paid for of course! They then did around 4 km off-track, travelling south along the ridge top to Cascade Gully. The going was somewhat rough, with thick bush in many places and the need to descend and climb many small cliffs and rocky knolls. They were rewarded however with fabulous views of the Hawkesbury River and surrounding hills, especially from a great cliff-top lunch spot. With lunch over they made their way along to Jolls Bridge, with more great views as they went. From there it was a road bash down to Peats Ferry at the conclusion of a great day.
The party of 14 who turned out for Stephen Bradings Mount Solitary walk in Blue Mountains National Park on Saturday 31 May started walking in sunshine and descended into cloud about half way down into Jamison Valley. A pity really, because that obscured views of Mount Solitary and East Col from an uncommon perspective. NPWS have been busy restoring the old timber slab farmhouse using acro props (2). Steven averred it was just as well they had also fenced off the historic pile of timber that had been the old outbuilding as it all looked like good firewood to him. After morning tea the party followed the road across to the Kedumba River and took the turnoff to meet the standard East Col foot-track. Here it was that a particularly tricky log crossing fully tested peoples balance and the grip of their footwear. By the time they reached the top of east Col the cloud had lifted so the views were less akin to that from anywhere else in the fog and hence more enjoyable. Two of the members left the walk at that stage to go home and work, proving you can have your walk and get the other stuff done as well. The rest of the mob lunched on top of Mount Solitary then used the usual East Col foot- track to return to the cars. Most of the party then rounded off the day with dinner at the Grand Hotel in Wentworth Falls.
That same weekend Nigel Weaver; bereft of prospectives but otherwise well attended by a party of 10, set off from the South Woy Woy tip on his Sunday walk to Little Wobby. Conditions were initially cloudy with the route following the fire trails out to Mount Wondabyne. From here are to be had panoramic views of the surrounding area, including Woy Woy and Brisbane Waters. They then headed south to Rocky Ponds which is a pleasant spot for lunch. And so they lunched until a brief shower of rain encouraged them to move on. Lunch and the shower over, they continued south along Patonga Ridge which yielded magnificent cliff-top views over the Hawkesbury River, and then they descended the rough track to Little Wobby where they caught the ferry to Brooklyn. A great day, with many wonderful views as Nigel writes it.
All of which provides a suitable boundary for this period.
Coolana Report November 2008 by Don Finch
Coolana Bush Care 2-6 October 2008, 13 tonnes of
20mm crushed sandstone road base was delivered
to Coolana late August cost $500. The plan was to repair and strengthen existing water diversion humps on the road below the car park and fill the eroded wheel track below the shelter shed.
Thursday 2 October 2008; Don drove the borrowed 4×4 and trailer to Coolana arriving at 8:20am. Rosie, Paul and Gretel arrived at 10 am. Camping arrangement were made. NPWS fox control officer was met checking sand strips for fox tracks - this is done regularly to assess the effectiveness of the monthly fox baiting program.
After lunch Gretel and Ros started the round eternal of the spray can and the hand weeding and looking after the trees. Paul and Don checked the water supply; tank at the shed ok, nil in the pipe. We walked up the pipe line opening the air bleed points as we went. The in- line filter was installed the wrong way around and blocking flow. The fitting on the Banksia flat where the pipe changes to a smaller diameter is in trouble. There is a split at the joint in the pipe it throws water under pressure and may suck air under flow. This is still a problem so please let me know if you fix it. The water was established down to the camping flat.
The next job was to investigate supplying water on the Eastern Flat that does not involve carrying it out of the creek or up from the river as previously. Paul had a small 12vdc PD bilge pump that he donated to the cause, some 19mm pipe from Forestville, a laundry drum, some fittings, a battery and a level. It worked a treat and some improvements are planned. One advantage is that Gretel and Ros will not have to go over to the camping flat to fill the backpack spray units and then carry them all the way back to the Eastern Flat. It can also be used for watering new plants and putting out pile fires in the winter.
Friday 3 October; three trees that were near the camp fire that had previously been recognised as a safety issue were cut down. Gretel and Ros meanwhile continued with tending to the trees, spraying and hand weeding the most troublesome weeds and assessing which tasks were most urgent. In the afternoon three loads of road base were shovelled into the trailer, moved down the hill and spread where it was thought to be of the most use. Friday night it rained.
Saturday 4 October; early morning it rained. Rick arrived, Christina, Lloyd, Jamison and Ellery then Libby and Greg followed by Karen, Richard, Melanie, Hanna and Jasmine with friends Neville, Rachel, Morgan, Trinity, Xander and more friends Katherine, Wayne, Alyssa, Emma and Julian, then last of all Spiro. 27 souls what fun! The kids had a ball - well there were tears when some met leaches and Ellery did a face plant off the gravel castle but after a clean up and a hug from mum he was back up on top of the castle!
Despite the rain, which was abating, work on the road continued into the morning with rocks used to fill the eroded section below the shelter shed. Spiros bit was the best - he carefully placed each piece as if it were a Roman road spec. Not to worry though we eventually covered it all with gravel. Three more trailer loads of gravel were brought down the hill for the water diversion humps near the shelter shed. We had ten people
sheltering from the rain under Rosies new NL tarp
on Saturday evening. Spiro left late after dinner and without his spinach pie, to look after an overseas visitor arriving from Melbourne at an inconvenient hour on Sunday.
Sunday 5 October, move gravel was the plan, and with Lloyd and Libby helping load, Richard helping unload and Greg, Rick, Don on the vehicle, five loads were done before lunch. Paul spent the morning exploring Coolana with his grandsons while their parents packed up. After lunch the car park team was depleted with the departure of 6 people, however Paul, who was still fresh, encouraged Rick and Don to move the last of the required loads throughout the afternoon, a good plan as it turned out. Some of the walking tracks were blown clear with the leaf blower. Gretel used the cleared tracks to go further than she would have done otherwise! Gretel and Ros continued with their usual activities, happily making use of the new Eastern Flat water supply.
Gretel & Ros brought out the heavy duty herbicides on the most recalcitrant of weeds, particularly Moth Vine and Wild Tobacco on the Eastern Flat. It was very satisfying to note that with the work done by members and Enviroquest and the steady grazing by wombats and wallabies, Coolana is now looking less like a United Nations collection of invasive plants and more like a beautiful piece of Australian bush.
Monday 6 October, Rick piled up the last of the gravel and covered it with plastic. The 4×4 alternator stopped charging so we used Rosies car to charge the battery right up and started packing up. Glad now that Paul had got us to finish the road yesterday. We left early afternoon just as the southerly change hit. Everybody got home safe and sound. The alternator was fixed during the week and the 4×4 taken back to Wollomi on Friday. The trailer is currently getting rust proofing and a new
* paint job.
A satisfying few days at Coolana with lots of work done and just enough volunteers to get it done, lots of fun and happy memories.
The SCA has written to tell us that the recent application for a further $8K grant was not successful. Enviroquest has finished planting over 100 trees on the Eastern Flat an invoice has been received. This will complete the expenditure of $8K provided by SCA under the previous grant CPIG No 125.
A Walk in the Lower Blue Mountains Winmalee Tuesday 7 November 2008
by Bill Holland
It has been some time since | last walked in this area. | was searching for a suitable day walk at the time and of course a good start was to use the publication Bushwalks in the Sydney Region Vol 1 published by the National Parks Association. | am not aware if this book, or its sister publication (Volume 2) is currently available but these books form an excellent resource for planning new and interesting walks of all grades.
Winmalee sounded interesting and the introductory paragraph to this walk description was inviting Before leaving the mountains to join the Hawkesbury River, the Grose River flows between two tall peaks. This pleasant one day easy/medium walk to the top of the southern peak - Grose Mountain, provides views of the lower Grose Valley.
So the walk was organised as a mid-week walk and six of us set out for a rewarding 15 km walk. The participants were: Don Andrews, Bill Holland, Gerry Leitner, Angelica Langley, Brian Mc Conachy and Jan Roberts.
We set out from the starting point at the end of White Cross Road about 10-30 am and followed the fire trail, crossing Blue Gum Creek and ending up at the lookout in time for lunch at about 12-30 pm. The trig point on Grose Mountain was still one km away (and up and up and up) so the vote to have lunch at the Cliffside viewing spot was unanimous. Such are the ways of those who walk mid- week.
The return trip followed Blue Gum Creek, with lots of shade in leafy rain forest. We returned to our starting point around 3-30 pm and four us stayed for coffee at the local coffee shop whilst Gerry hitched a ride with Jan to return to Sydney via Penrith.
1 highly recommend this walk to new or aspiring leaders and can provide directions if required. The distance is very suitable for an easy to easy/medium walk and the views and rainforest make itivery worthwhile.
Full Collection of SBW Magazines
Alex Colley wants to give away his full collection of the SBW magazine. Christine and Craig Austen have boxed them up and they can be collected at their home in Beecroft. They are presently arranged by year in 6 cartons and are in excellent order and make fascinating reading. They represent a magnificent resource for anyone interested in the history of the club or bushwalking in NSW in general.
Upper Hunter Bike Ride
Timor to Nundle November 1 - 2
Participants: Tim Yewdale, Maureen Carter, David Carter, Tony Maines, Kay Chan, Leaders: Don and Liz Wills
It was a still , cool Cloudy morning as we set out to cycle from the Wills Farm at Timor for our cycle over the Crawney Pass to Nundle, a distance of '47 kms. The day before had been very hot and windy so we were pleased that the weather had changed.
We cycled though picturesque country side as we cycled up the Isis River Valley. On the> way we passed a magnificent stand of grass trees - the locals claim it to be the largest in Australia. After morning tea, we began the 6 km ascent to Crawney Pass which was to be our lunch stop. The climb up to the Pass was relentless, but the dirt road was good and everyone got there in good time. The descent to Nundle was a very pleasant ride and we arrived in Nundle with plenty of time to relax over a coffee. |
Accommodation overnight was at the Nundle Caravan Park which was excellent and we all enjoyed a meal at the pub..
Sunday morning we were again blessed with another cool still day for our ride back to Timor. We all felt that the return was a little easier.
Everyone enjoyed the weekend, along with the challenges of the ascent to Crawney Pass from both sides, cycling on a dirt road and having to dodge the odd cow which had strayed onto the road.
FREE SCANNER
Christine & George Floyd are offering a scanner for free to a good home. It is in good working order. and can be collected from them in the Eastern Suburbs.
Please telephone them on: 9371 4230.
CYCLING THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA
Jan and Margarets Cycle Extravaganza Concludes
Our Pacific coast cycling tour is now over, after covering just a bit over 2000 miles or 3200 km. San Diego is a beautiful city with summer weather at present. Except for a brief shower on the rest day at Monteray we have had no rain at all for the last 45 days during our cycling tour from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. We arrived at the Youth Hostel in San Diego on the 14th of October as per the schedule, in the evening after a slow ride for the day enjoying the fine scenery on the way and fixing up our first flat tyre on the Bike Friday during the whole tour. We have had many flats in the trailer tyres before. The first thing everyone did was to get all the clothes washed for the celebratory dinner in an upmarket seafood restaurant in downtown San Diego. It was after not finding time to visit any laundry on the way for 4 days that we arrived in San Diego. We all had a great, time at the seafood restaurant near the Maritime museum with the huge MIDWAY ship anchored nearby. The organisers, the Adventure Cycling Association provided us with this special dinner at the end of the long journey. Atl 15 of us arrived safe and well at the finish after doing the demanding and at times scary ride starting near the Canadian border 44 days ago. We all felt fortunate for the fact that we did not have any serious mishaps on the way although many of us have had moments of near disasters on major but at times very narrow and winding roads.
The next day, on the 15th of October, we all cycled from the Youth Hostel without the trailers or the panniers to reach the Mexican border, south of San Diego on the coast. It was a return journey of about 80 km after taking a number of wrong turns on the way. We had to take a ferry from downtown San Diego to a narrow peninsula across the San Diego bay to do this ride. By taking the ferry across, we avoided cycling over a long, high and often windy bridge across the bay. It was almost a flat ride to the Mexican border where we could see the busy town on the other side of the permanent fence between US and Mexico. There were many border guards on constant watch for any illegal immigrants crossing the border. We visited the monument which stood at the border to indicate the year this area became part of USA.
Yesterday, 16th of October, we went to see the famous San Diego Zoo and spent about 5 hours there enjoying the exhibits there and came back to the Youth Hostel very tired. Some of the best we saw included the
orangutans, gorillas, leopards, bears, tree kangaroos, |
koalas and cheetahs. It certainly was a rewarding trip to the San Diego Zoo.
Today, we packed our bikes and getting ready to leave tomorrow by train from San Diego to Sacramento. There we will stay with our dear friends, Sally and John Cooper, cycling and visiting the Yosemite National park. On the 3rd of November we will fly out of San Francisco and arrive in Sydney on the 5th of November, early in the morning.
The 3 days of riding after Ventura turned out to be harder than expected due to Strong head winds. We stayed at a camping place in Malibu, in a nice hotel near Los Angeles the following night and in another camping place near the ocean the third night. The second day turned out to be one of the hardest days due to strong headwinds and long distance. Many of us arrived at the hotel late in the evening but luckily went out to have dinner in a nearby Italian restaurant. The next day was
- Way.
even harder due to the long distance, 75 miles or 120 km, many long climbs and strong headwinds. Luckily we managed to get through the military check post an hour before fires engulfed that area. It was front page news next morning in the newspapers. The next evening we saw on the best sunsets during the tour. So it was all worth the effort.
We are now in Sacramento, capital of the State of California, and staying with our very dear American friends, Sally and John Cooper. They are both keen cyclists and ride on a tandem with a couple of cycling clubs in Sacramento. Since arriving in Sacramento we have also cycled with one of the cycling clubs in Sacramento, the Sacramento Cyclemen. This club has rides almost everyday and we will cycle with them again next week. The last 3 days we spent in the incredible Yosemite National Park. The weather has been just fabulous with almost summer conditions, clear blue sky, warm or hot during the day and no rain. We enjoyed our stay in Yosemite, taking a tour in the shuttle bus through the main attractions of Yosemite Valley, walking around, cycling in the valley and taking many photos of the amazing views all around. We also watched a very informative movie on Yosemite Valley at the information centre. Even though there are about 500 black bears in Yosemite, we have not seen any. We saw a coyote and a bobcat very near the information centre. Yosemite is really large and every year about 3 or 4 million visitors come here. There are many hiking trips one can do here including the 10 or 12 hour hike to Glacier Point or to the top of Half Dome in a day. The John Muir trail starts here too. John Muir is credited with the creation of the large Yosemite National Park.
Yesterday we also went to see the giant sequoia trees in Yosemite NP. They are just amazingly big and tall, even bigger than the redwoods we saw in Northern Californian forests during our cycling tour. On the way to the Marapossa Valley to see the giant sequoia trees, we also went in our friends car to Glacier Point which is on top of the sheer cliff adjacent to the big Curry camping area in Yosemite Valley and 3000 feet or 1000 metres high. But it is a long way to drive to get to the top by car. The view towards the large Sierra Nevada range is just fantastic. It was also great to look down towards Yosemite Valley. We could also see very well North Dome, Half Dome and the waterfalls.
We have one more week to go and looking forward to spending a day in San, Francisco and visiting the Lake Tahoe on Monday.
We feel rested and fully recovered from the 45 day long cycling tour. It will be nice to get back to Sydney on the 5th of November.
We are very pleased that we came to US to do this extraordinarily special ride and we will always remember this ride for the spectacular scenery on the
The Mid-Week Walkers Bill Holland Ilt tell you about it next month! : , on e offered. It is often worth 1 unter a). Aretu for autumn colours and perhaps wee : Pass. Al this td comfortably fill the first half of the year. Also, rian , number at his house jin Stanwell Park again. | a Lord . is some good and not too pricey : Please let me know if In oin us. And dont forget some of us will at Coolana over Christmas! Come to the Clubs property at Valley and join others for relaxing days. Celebrate the ear in SBW Family groups and friends will appreciate water and on site. Your choice of easy walks, readin swimming and canoeing. is ample room to share with the abies. for summer camping. - No need to phone.
The Delightfu
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See our website or ask us for datails,
12 Cartington St Millner NT 0810 walkaboutG@ais.net.au .
BOOK REVIEW
Shankss Pony - A Study of Walking by Morris Marples, published by JM Dent & Sons Ltd, London, 1959
A friend of mine found this fascinating book about long distance walkers in the UK whilst visiting that gem of a place for readers, Hay-on-Wye, which is situated on the Offas Dyke Path. | dont know how relevant it is as a guide for Sydney Bush Walkers, unless you are of an historical bent, but, it is a very interesting record of the types of walking tours people undertook mostly in the 18” & 19“ centuries and you may well be as amazed as
luxury of lightweight equipment and modern footwear.
The author begins by reminding us that people have usually only walked when they could not afford a form of conveyance, except, as he says: Only a few eccentric Englishmen ever walked long distances for pleasure, though there were men who did so in the name of sport, or for a wager. Some of the exceptions, whose exploits he describes in some detail, included literary pedestrians such as Thomas Coryate (born 1577) who wrote of his travels and encouraged others to do likewise. Whilst Coryate was welcomed in Europe where walkers were accepted and even
welcomed, the German pastor Carl Philipp Moritz~
lamented, when he walked in England, that: A traveller on foot in this country seems to be considered as a sort of wild man or an out-of-the- way being who is stared at, pitied, suspected and shunned.
Walking and talking is not confined to SBW, but,
was popular with poets such as William Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy and Samuel T Coleridge, who not only drew on the picturesque scenery of the Lake District and North Wales for inspiration in their literary efforts but they covered long distances in short times. The author tells us that on one occasion in 1799 the two Wordsworths walked ten miles over a high mountain road, with a strong wind behind them in 2.5 hours by the watch, and then, after a rest of a quarter of an hour in an inn, seven miles more in 1 hour 35 minutes - in all, 17 miles in just over 4 hours. Quite remarkable when you consider the clothing that women in particular had to endure then. Combining talking with walking was also popular with philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham and Thomas Hobbes who did much of their thinking whilst taking the air.
The 19 century travel writer George Borrow, whose book Wild Wales has often entertained me, walked extensively throughout Wales and enjoyed ascending peaks such as Snowdonia and Cader Idris, thinking nothing of walking 34 miles a day at age 51 and he boasted that he could: do the last mile of the day in 10 minutes.
Marples concludes his entertaining account of walking in a bygone age by telling us how pleased he is that: walking has emerged as one of the
pleasures of the common man. He also seems quite pleased with the modern attire as he declares that: Boys and girls often dress almost alike, except that the girls shorts are the shorter; - and they are all much.more scantily clad, and probably all the healthier for it, than the walkers of any previous generation.
eccentric walkers he writes about and | would recommend the book as an interesting read to any keen walker. It is unlikely to be found in a municipal library but antiquarian bookshops may oblige.
Maureen Carter
101 EXCUSES FOR NOT CONTRIBUTING TO THE MAGAZINE
My spelling and/or grammar embarrass me;
! dont know what to write about;
No-one will read my piece;
It may be too long or too short;
10. What if it doesnt get printed?;
11. | have no original ideas.
Enough!! Im sure we can all come up with another 90 reasons, as | often have, but, have you considered that without contributions from the members there is no magazine. Think about it - please.
Now, | will be practical and give you some simple solutions to the above misgivings:
1 & 2 Just put something down - the editor will fix it;
3 Is that like splitting an atom or easier?
4 Agreed - no-one has time these days;
5 No problem - handwritten pieces are welcome or phone me and I'll take it down in shorthand.
6 Yes you do - recent walks and other activities, conservations issues, and even jokes will do.
7 Superman had that problem too!
8 They are never too short, but, too long can be edited if necessary.
9 GOOD - controversy sells!
10 Write a letter to the editor complaining that you didnt get a fair go.
11 They dont have to be original as long as you acknowledge your source appropriately.
So, | beseech you, inundate me.
Editor
CON ATR WN o
Social Notes Hi Everyone,
I'm getting in early to wish you all a Merry Xmas & Happy New Year.
With this, of course, is a REMINDER about our wonderful XMAS PARTY on 17th December from 6:30pm. As well as yourself, just bring a plate of delicious food to share. The Club provides an extensive range of beverages and all eating utensils. Assuming the weather to be good we will be using the leafy rear courtyard of the KNC - else the Gallery room.
Apparently (! was away) there was good attendance at the information night on Ethiopia - indicating great interest in our SBW exclusive trip there in 2009. Keep tuned for further details.
For the many did not come to the Greek Night - you missed a real treat. Spiro did an outstanding catering job. We enjoyed copious amounts of spinach pie, octopus stew, salad, moussaka, olives, dips, baklava, a walnut cake, wine and of course Greek coffee. Thank you Spiro.
The weather is supposedly hotting up again. Walking is consequently less serious and swimming abundant. The Summer Walks program caters to this and we also have a larger number of social type activities arranged for January and February. in January we have the annual Balmoral Picnic, an evening Rocks walking tour/pub crawl/dinner and the usual Social night, In February, just to help those who need a “little nudge” / help with those New Year Resolutions, Roger French from the Natural Health Society will be giving a tatk on Healthy! Eating and how you can apply this to light weight meals for walks.
Enjoy your walks and looking forward to seeing YOU at the Xmas Party (if not sooner).
Kathy
ALEX COLLEY
Many members will be interested to learn that Alex Colley is now residing at Turramurra House Nursing Home, Curagal Road, North Turramurra, and he is receiving visitors and telephone cails.
Alex is one of the Clubs oldest members and has contributed so much over the years to the Club, holding various offices and keeping the wheels turning in innumerable ways, including a very long time reporting on conservation matters. One of his many Club duties, until he moved, has been to house the Clubs printer, but, this now resides at Karen and Richard Bradings home and the Club is thankful for their generosity.
Shirley Dean will keep us updated on Alexs health and | will pass this on to you.
Ed
. 11 Feb New Members Night
SUMMER SOCIAL PROGRAM
All meetings are held at the Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre at 8pm unless otherwise indicated.
DECEMBER 3 Dec Committee Meeting 7pm Observers welcome.
10 Dec New Members Night 8pm Introduction to SBW for intending Prospective members
17 Dec SBW Famous Xmas Party
6:30pm Celebrate the end of this highly eventful year with your friends. Please bring a plate of delicious food to share. Club provides all beverages and eating utensils.
24 Dec KNC closed 31 Dec KNC closed
JANUARY
7 Jan SBW Annual Picnic at Balmoral Beach
4pm/6pm Members, new members and family | welcome. Meet at the south end of Balmoral Beach from 6pm (under trees). Bring your own meal or buy fish n chips locally. Walk at 4pm. See walks program or phone Bill Holland 9484 6636.
14 Jan Evening Walking Tour of Historical The Rocks Buildings/Pubs
21 Jan Committee Meeting
7pm Observers welcome, followed at 8pm by a presention on Abel Tasman NP and Taverse Sabine (NZ) walk by David Trinder
28 Jan No club activities
FEBRUARY 4 Feb Committee Meeting 7pm Observers welcome.
8pm Introduction to SBW for intending Prospective members
18 Feb Eating Super Foods for Endurance
8pm Roger French from the Natural Health Society will give a part Power-Point presentation about healthy eating generally with pointers as to how to adapt guidelines to very lightweight meals.
25 Feb New Members Night Please contact New Members Secretary for details and time.
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