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QUEENSLAND

BUSHWALKERS

CLUB Inc.

PO Box 2199

Sunnybank Hills

QLD 4109

Email qldbwc@yahoo.com

Phone No (07) 3345 9543

http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

Newsletter May 2013

Snowy Mountains Walk

ClubNews

Tracks Which Are Open

The heavy rains earlier this year have caused the closure ofmany of the graded tracks in nearby National Parks.

Green Mountains Walks which are open:

Rainforest Return and Morans Falls Track.

Box Forest to Box Log Falls, via Picnic Rock and Elabana Falls(anti-clockwise must return same way)

Binna Burra Walks which are open:

Rainforest Circuit, Bellbird Lookout Track, Caves Circuit,Tullawallal Circuit and Gwongoorool Track

Daves Creek including Upper Ballunjui Falls Track; and part ofLower Bellbird Circuit including Lower Ballunjui Falls Track(access to Koolanbilba Lookout remains closed) track

commences approx 500m north of Visitor Information Centre oneastern side of Binna Burra Road (must return same way).

The Border Track between Green Mountains and Binna Burra isopen.

Some Information on Track Closures:

Warrie Circuit: may not be opened for years - major damage totrack & cliff sections and would require between $500k to $1m tobe repaired.

Purling Brook: may never be re-opened. No one has ever seenthe levels of damage on this track before and would need over$1m to repair.

West Canungra: needs about $200-$300k to fix.

Fraser Island Great Walk closed for at least 6-8mths. There aresome short walks currently open but only in the popular areasaround Kingfisher and Lake Mckenzie.

Wollumbin [Mount Warning] National Park looks like beingclosed for at least 6 months.

Riding for Cancer

On the 17th and 18th of August I am on an amazing journey,riding a bike for two days, for one hundred kilometers a day toraise money for cancer research. We have to raise at least$2500 before we can participate and I know you would all like tohelp me by donating toconquercancer.org.au

Cancer has touched us all, My brother died from melanomacancer and I was one of the lucky cancer survivors,so pleasehelp so there are many more survivors.

All donations go straight to The Institute of Medical Research.

Contact emailmarysherlock@live.com.au

Visit my personal page athttp://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278

Thank you for your support. Mary Sherlock

Lamington N.P. Management Plan

The new Lamington N.P. Management Plan has been approvedand is now on the departmental website. The document is 49pages and the pdf file size is 1.03 MB.

http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/pdf/mp005-lamington-np-mgt-plan-2011.pdf

There is much of relevance to bushwalking clubs, refer Section4.5 on page 9. The Plan will remain current for 10 years with areview in 5 years. John Marshall BWQ

Editor RequiredPlease note that I will be retiring as Editor as from the end ofJune. If no one comes forward to be an editor by 28/5/2013 thenthere will be no more Newsletter. If any member is interested inbeing the editor please contact Richard on 0422 429 717.

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http://conquercancer.org.au/http://conquercancer.org.au/mailto:marysherlock@live.com.au.?subject=Ride%20for%20Cancermailto:marysherlock@live.com.au.?subject=Ride%20for%20Cancerhttp://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/pdf/mp005-lamington-np-mgt-plan-2011.pdfhttp://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/pdf/mp005-lamington-np-mgt-plan-2011.pdfmailto:marysherlock@live.com.au.?subject=Ride%20for%20Cancerhttp://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://cfrau.convio.net/site/TR?px=1278655&pg=personal&fr_id=1110&et=gjS6LYe6f1JpgkCx_wKy6Q&s_tafId=13278http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/pdf/mp005-lamington-np-mgt-plan-2011.pdfhttp://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/managing/plans-strategies/pdf/mp005-lamington-np-mgt-plan-2011.pdfhttp://conquercancer.org.au/

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General InformationMeeting Place

Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at7.30pm. There is no Club meeting in January.

Meeting are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carland O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Entry is via the gate on Carl St.There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street.

Tea/Coffee and cake/biscuits are provided after the meeting. Acoin donation would be appreciated.

MembershipProbationary Membership

A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Memberon his/her first walk after signing the Acknowledgement of Riskform. No fee is payable to become a Probationary Member.

A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member onhis/her second walk by filling out a Membership Form andpaying the membership fee.

Ordinary Membership

A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out andsigning a Membership Form, having a proposer sign the formand handing the form with the membership fee to a committeemember or walk leader.

The proposer may be a friend who is a member of the Club, aQBW walk leader, the Membership Officer or one of thecommittee members.

Only an Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or beelected to a committee position.

Members of Another Bushwalking Club

Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated withBushwalking Queensland Inc. (or an interstate Federation) andwho are covered by the same Insurance do not need to becomea member of our Club to go on our walks. However Clubmembers will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.

Reciprocal Walks with Other ClubsRedlands Bushwalking Club

Only stipulation is that Redlands club members have priorityover visitors. Calendar is available at:http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.html

Bushwalkers of Southern Queensland (BOSQ)

BOSQ allows financial members from other bushwalking clubsaffiliated with Bushwalking Queensland to join in BOSQactivities without having to become members of BOSQ or payvisitor fees. This will be with the agreement of the activity leader.Members of BOSQ will have priority for nominations.Calendar is available athttp://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/

YHA BushwalkersMembers of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to threewalks per calendar year. Calendar is available at:http://sites.google.com/site/yhabushies/outings

Family Bushwalkers

There is a $5 temporary membership fee per adult.Phone: (07) 3878 3293

Gold Coast Bushwalkers

Gold Coast Bushwalkers may admit as honorary membersfinancial members of bushwalking clubs which are affiliated withBWQ. This dispensation will be at the discretion of theManagement Committee.

Ipswich Bushwalkers IncIntending walkers must contact the leader in advance. Thenewsletter also contains a full description of the grading systemand a list of Committee members and their contact numbers.

Calendar available atwww.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au

The Management CommitteePresident Helen McAllister 0419 684 319

Vice President Robin Laban 0408 753 052

Secretary Marion Laban 0405 536 718

Treasurer Patricia Kolarski

John Hinton

3341 7509 (H)

3343 3724(H)

Outings Officer David Kenrick 3349 8238 (H)

Membership Officer Geraldine Burton 3376 9454(H)

Editor Richard Kolarski 3345 9543(H)Social Secretary vacant

Training Officer vacant

Other Voluntary Positions

Equipment Officer Richard Kolarski 3345 9543(H)

Supper Convenor Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)

Librarian Mary Sherlock 3209 8514

BWQ Rep Anne Kemp 3371 2707

BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 3345 9543(H)

Club EquipmentCompasses Topo Maps

UHF Radios Emergency Lights

Steripen First Aid Kits

The above are for free use by members.

Garmin GPS. QBW has 4 GPSs which have a 20 metre contourtopo map of the whole of Australia included.

PLBs with inbuilt GPS The Club has 5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS.The PLBs will be made available at each Club meeting and willneed to be returned at the following Club meeting.

Back Pack for Hire $5.00 charge

Bivy Bags For Sale $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00.

These bivy bags are 2 metres by 0.9 metres and are brightorange in colour. Use as a pack liner or emergency bivy bag.

Space Blankets For Sale $2.50 each.

Lightweight and take up no room at all. A must for all walkers!Contact Richard on 3345 9543 for any of the above.

Editors Pic

Morning Glow

A winner in the Pictorial section of the photo competition wasMorning Glow taken by Aileen Elliott.

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http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.htmlhttp://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/http://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/http://sites.google.com/site/yhabushies/outingshttp://www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au/http://www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au/http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.htmlhttp://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/http://sites.google.com/site/yhabushies/outingshttp://www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au/

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Coming Walks

Any person wishing to come along on a walk must contact theleader of the walk first. The leader will organise the meetingplace and the car pooling. The leader has full discretion on whocan come on the walk.

Nominations close 9:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to aweekend trip. For Wednesday walks, nominations close 9.00 pmon the Monday before.

May 20138 Wed Mt Langley (Conondales)

D/W S T5 F4

Leader Richard Kolarski 0422 429 717

Leave from Sunnybank 6.00am

Mt Langley is the highest point on the Sunshine Coasthinterland. Most of the walking is on old forest roads with an offtrack section to get to the summit.

11 Sat Box Forest Walk (O'Reilly's)

D/W M T4 F4

Leader John Morris 3277 3253

Box Forest to Box Log Falls, via Picnic Rock and Elabana Falls(anti-clockwise must return same way)

12 Sun Montserrat to Durramlee via Cedar Pass

D/W L T6 F6

Leader Peter Weallans 0429 950 352

12 Sun Springbrook Pinnacle via Mt Nimmel Rd

D/W M T5 F5

Leader Margie Rae 3395 1838

15 Wed Mt Borumba (Kenilworth)

D/W M T5 F4

Leader Richard Kolarski 0422 429 717

Leave from Sunnybank 6.00am

We will drive to Borumba Dam and then follow fire trails to get tothe fire tower on top of Mt Borumba.

18 Sat Kangaroo Mts (Laidley)

B/C M T5 F5

Leader John Brunott 3209 9598

19 Sun Beau Brummel (Laidley)

B/C M T5 F5

Leader John Brunott 3209 9598

19 Sun Mt Maroon (Rathdowney)

D/W M T5 F5

Leader Patricia Kolarski 3341 7509

We will be going up the normal route up the gully on the northside. Meeting place to be arranged.

25 Sat Goolman to Flinders (Ipswich)

D/W L T4 F4

Leader Helen McAllister 3844 4866

25-26 Sat-Sun Panorama Point

T/W M T5 F5

Leader Julie Shera 5546 0381

June 2013

1 Sat Gheerulla Falls and Doons Drop (Mapleton)

D/W L T4 F4

Leader Patricia Kolarski 3341 7509

2 Sun Mt Alexandra to Romeo Lahey MemorialCrossover

D/W M T5 F5

Leaders David Kenrick 3349 8238

John Brunott 3209 9598

Past WalksUpper Portals Circuit Walk 10 February 2013

We numbered 11 for this walk, John, Julie & Justin, Aileen,Sandy, Michael H, Bert, Norm, Michael P, Mary and myself.

I told everyone who nominated that if there was a problem withthe road up to Cleared Ridge, there were other rock pools in theMt Barney area that we could change to, i.e. Cronans Cascadesor Lower Portals. The road however, was in very good condition,as a testament to how well-graded the road when last graded.

We met a family of 4 walking up the road, and gave the twochildren a lift to the top. Their plan for the day was to go toMontserrat. Our walk was to access the Upper Portals by theRidge. For the most part this has quite a few long uphills on themowed grassy road.

It was quite hot, so we were all hanging out for our swim atUpper Portals. Once we got to the rocky narrow ridge, we knewwe were getting closer. As we started to descend, we werelistening for the sound of running water. It didnt come until rightat the last. Four of our walkers (who were walking in the middle)went a little astray following the track no doubt that heads downtowards the Yamahra Creek campsite.

Upper Portals

Well, Im pleased to say we all went for a swim, even Juliecooled down from the side. John couldnt wait to get in quickenough, fearing if he waited until he cooled down, he may notwant to get in. Some of the really keen ventured further downBarney Creek to swim in the next pool as well.

It was interesting to see the evidence of how high the water hadgot during the Australia Day Weekend weather event. Ive neverseen so much of the bottom of the pool as it has had a goodclean.

It was 32 degrees when we arrived. The water temperature was19 degrees. When we left, the air temperature was 28 degrees.

We headed up Barney Creek and found a slightly different placeto cross, due to the water level being slightly higher than itnormally is. Then we crossed back again to make our journey up

the valley which is criss-crossed by Yamahra Creek, about 8times.

It was interesting to see how some of these crossings havechanged since the Australia Day Weekend. We cooled off at thelast crossing before our climb back up to Cleared Ridge.

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We met up again with the family. They too had swum in BarneyCreek after failing to find the track up to Montserrat from the

junction of Barney Creek and Yamahra Creek. We all 15 droveback down to the Waterfall Creek campground.

Thanks everyone who joined me for the walk. Marion Laban

Snowy Mountains 10-17 March 2013

This was a joint BOSQ/QBW trip and there was a well balancedgroup with 4 from each club. We all met up at Canberra airportat noon on the first day and proceeded to the formalities ofsigning up for the two station wagons I had booked. These

proved just right for fitting in the bods and gear we had, and wewere soon on our way to Cooma to shop for supplies beforeheading up into the mountains to our first stop at CharlottesPass.

We had 5 nights in the Charlottes Pass area, staying at theSouthern Alps Ski Lodge when not out throughwalking. I hadstayed there on the previous club trip to the Snowies in 1984,and it's still a good place to stay. It was warm weather when wearrived (considering it's at 1900 m), but that evening there werethundery showers.

Next morning, despite predictions of early showers, it wasbrilliantly clear. It looked good for my second attempt to walk theMain Range from Mt. Kosciuszko to Mt. Tate and then toGuthega, the first being on another club trip 29 years before onwhich we turned back at Mt. Twynam because of foul weather.

Six of us set off with throughwalking packs on the closed road toRawsons Pass and Kosciuszko. John and Judy walked with uswith light packs, as they were going to do the 22 km Main RangeCircuit in one day. The mountains were looking great as therehad been 120 mm of rain just over a week previously, resultingin lush green alpine grass and lots of water in the creeks.

The road climbs quite gradually towards the pass, but the heavypacks and altitude made it feel like a slog. After a while we cameto Seamans Hut, which was worth a visit to see this historicstone structure. It brought back memories of a very crowdednight I had spent there out of the rain in 1984.

Lunch Along the TrackFrom there it wasn't too far to Kosciuszko. Once we got toRawsons Pass we met dozens of other walkers who had comeon the shorter approach track from the Crackenback chairliftabove Thredbo. We paid our obligatory visit to the summit thencontinued north on the Main Range Track - now much lesscrowded. We reached the first saddle, the one just beforeMuellers Peak, for lunch.

It came to light there that Patricia was not feeling at all well. Itherefore made a decision to camp there rather than furtheralong the crest. This proved to be a good move as there was alittle spring nearby (the only one we saw on the top of the range)and it was also the optimum point from which to tackle Mt.Townsend, the second highest peak. Judy and John left us here

to complete their circuit before dark.After putting up tents most of us set off to climb Mt. Townsend. Istarted off by contouring around the side of Muellers Peak, butafter the going became increasingly rocky I decided to dropdown closer to the stream to the west.

Not far down I encountered a likely looking foot pad marked byoccasional cairns, which as it turned out climbed steadilytowards the summit of Mt. Townsend.

One by one the others decided to turn back, but Di and Ipersisted as far as the wreckage of the trig station just below thetop. We didn't do the final, short rock scramble but there werestill great views. Townsend is a considerably better defined peakthan Koscuiszko.

We were able to follow the pad almost all the way back to thetents. Ironically, the only place where the pad disappeared wason the final approach to the Main Range Track.

That night was one of the best I've ever experienced on athroughwalking camp. There was a spectacular sunset andsunrise, it wasn't cold despite being at 2000 metres, and agentle breeze all night kept the tents dry. In the morning Patriciawas feeling well enough to carry on, so we set off north alongthe Main Range Track again.

The weather had changed somewhat - a breeze from the westwas bringing cloud in from that side, but it remained clear to theeast. We soon started meeting early walkers, including a partyof 3 nearing the end of a week-long walk from Kiandra. Theytold me about the rocky and difficult-to-navigate terrain north ofMt. Twynam, and an old 4WD track through most of it.

We got good but fleeting glimpses of Lake Albina as we went

past, but the top of Carruthers Peak was in cloud when wereached it. Not much further along we came to the parting of theways, where the Main Range Track turns downhill back toCharlottes Pass and an old 4WD track continues uphill toTwynam.

The going was about to get harder, and as Patricia was still notfeeling 100%, she decided to head back towards the Pass. Theremaining 5 of us embarked on the long slog towards the top ofTwynam. Fortunately the cloud stayed in the west and we hadclear views all the way.

We saw a large group of people milling around the summit trig,but they had mysteriously disappeared by the time we go there.It was the obvious place for lunch, and this time, in the absenceof cloud and sleet, I got sunburnt legs. Then we donned packs

again and, for the first time since 20 March 1984, I resumednorthbound progress from Mt. Twynam.

It was fairly rocky right from the start, but before long we foundthe old 4WD track the other group had mentioned. Apart from acouple of shortcuts, I followed it all the way down past Mt. Antonto the saddle before Mt. Anderson. Now able to see the terrainclearly, I realised that the decision to turn back in 1984 wasindeed prudent - it would have been extremely difficult tonavigate properly and safely through the rocky landscape in awhiteout.

Once at the saddle, we turned east and descended the shortdistance to the headwaters of a tributary of Pounds Creek. Thiswas our second camp. The tent sites were a little lumpy, butotherwise it was a great spot with a clear creek nearby.

That night the wind rose and cloud around the ridgetopsincreased, but it did not get cold. Packing up next morning in thewind was an interesting exercise. The wind and cloud reinforcedmy decision the previous evening not to go to Mt. Tate thendown Tate East Ridge to Guthega, but to avoid the rocky terrainby going direct down the valley of Pounds Creek instead.

The going was easy over alpine tussock at first, but when wecame to the dropoff to the lower valley it became apparent wehad scunge to contend with. Although it was generally wellunder a metre high, in places it proved so thick that you couldwalk on top of it.

Even though we had gravity to assist us, it took around an hourjust to go the few hundred metres to where the grassy lowerflats began. We had little time to admire the cascading creek

nearby, and at one point the scunge temporarily devoured thelower part of Helen's walking pole.

Once on the flats it was much faster progress down the creekand over one last ridge to the historic footbridge over theGuthega River.

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From there it was just a short walk to the Illawong Lodge skicabin, where I had arranged for Judy and John to meet us forlunch. Before they arrived, however, two fellows from theIllawong ski club turned up to do some maintenance on the hut.They very kindly put on tea and biscuits for us, and showed usover the hut - an unexpected bonus.

Then we walked to Guthega with John and Judy to be reunitedwith the cars for the short drive back to Charlottes Pass and atleast some of the trappings of civilisation.

Next morning the wind had dropped and it was clear again. All ofus except Patricia - who was still not completely well - went on aday trip up the Munyang River valley from Guthega powerstation.

On the way out we followed the powerline maintenance road upthe western side of the valley for about 4 km to the spur track toHorse Camp Hut. The side trip to see the hut proved veryworthwhile. It's in a beautiful forest setting with a clear creeknearby, and the historic hut is well maintained and looks as if itwould be great to spend a night in.

Then we continued another 3 km up the valley to the junctionwith the Disappointment Spur Trail, which we followed down theeastern side of the valley back to the power station. This alsofeatured an historic hut part way along, but it was much smallerand more basic than Horse Camp. An unfortunate feature of thewalk was the vast number of dead snow gums from hugebushfires a few years ago, with the only redeeming featurebeing that the views were more open than usual.

Way to Dead Horse Gap

Next day was basically a travelling day. We shifted fromCharlottes Pass to the YHA at Thredbo for the last 2 nights. Diand Gail were very lucky to get a lift up to Rawsons Pass withtwo botany students who were staying at the ski lodge. Fromthere they walked to Thredbo via the top of the CrackenbackChairlift and Dead Horse Gap. The rest of us merely ferried thecars around. Once settled in, people did their own localexploring for the rest of the day.

On our full day at Thredbo 5 of us did a daywalk from Dead

Horse Gap to The Chimneys, granite outcrops forming a smallrange above the headwaters of the Thredbo River. We made afairly early start as showers and possible storms were forecastfor the afternoon.

The first 2 km were on a gravel road that followed the riverupstream, and on our way we were overtaken by mountain bikeshurtling past - there was a school mountain biking championshipon at Thredbo at the time. Then we continued up the valley on abrumby (and walker) trail which was well defined at first butgradually became fainter.

After a few more km the main "Chimney" came into view in thedistance and we left the river to head south up the snowgumcovered slopes towards it. Even here faint brumby trails assistedprogress to some extent and, although there was some scunge

at times, it wasn't all that long before we were at the foot of thelast scramble to the top of the Chimney.

Three people elected to stop and have lunch on a rock ledge onthe southern side of the eastern subsidiary peak, but Di and Ipersevered over boulders to the main summit cairn.

The views were great - north to the main Kosciuszko massif andsouth over one range after another in Victoria.

As we were having lunch we could see the sky darkening in thesouth and west. It made for a more urgent walk back to the car,but although it looked very threatening, there were only a fewspits of rain on the way. We drove straight back to Thredbo,arriving at the YHA 15 minutes before the rain arrived - the firstwe had seen since the storms at Charlottes Pass on the firstevening!

Next day (which was cloudy and much cooler) we made an earlystart to drive back to Canberra to drop the cars off. We said ourgoodbyes and headed for home, most on flights that evening.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the trip in various ways,especially to the drivers and to Judy for keeping the trip kitty.Those who went with me were Di Thornthwaite and John andJudy Whitehorne (BOSQ) and Helen McAllister, PatriciaKolarski, Noelene McCay and Gail Cibilic (QBW).

Neil Douglas

Trekking the Larapinta 2012

Rocky Gully to Brinkleys Bluff

The next morning we left camp at about 7.30 am and walked

back along the track for about 200 metres before turning to theright up a short steep bank and heading towards Hugh Gorge.There were no major hills but the track was undulating androcky.

After about 8 kms we came to Ghost Gum Flats where westopped for morning tea. There was a table under a magnificentCorkwood Tree which was very welcoming. We rested for about30 minutes in the shade of 2 corkwoods and a large Ghost Gumwhich had 3 burls in its trunk.

That's Where We're Going

We then walked for a little over 3 kms to Hughview where werested for a while and enjoyed the wide expanse of thelandscape. There was a lovely little fern growing in a crevice ofone of the rocks which I think was a Woolly Cloak Fern. FromHughview it was only a 4 km walk to Hugh Gorge.

This is a lovely camp site even though it doesnt have a toilet.There are river gums and reeds growing throughout the riverbednestled between the high ridges of the gorge. We were in campearly enough to wash our clothes and nearly get them dry. Onlymy socks were still damp when we were preparing our eveningmeal.

The bird songs broke the quietness of the evening as the coldair started to seep into the camp. We hadnt heard a dingo sinceSerpentine Chalet Dam and today there were multiple clumps ofdry horse droppings along the track which lead us to hope wemight see brumbies at sometime in our walk through the gorge.

The next 3 days are over the hardest sections of the track andwe planned to take it slow and steady. Other walkers had told usthere was good water at Fringe Lilly and therefore we wouldnthave to carry double water tomorrow.

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I woke to birdsongs and frogs croaking the next morning whichis a lovely start to any day. The stillness of the air and thecoolness of the morning added to the tranquillity of theexperience. We left camp just after 8 am and made our way upthe gorge. The reflections of the jagged red rock walls in therock pools made for a very enjoyable mornings walk.

There were a couple of tricky areas but the walk to the junctionwasnt as bad as I expected. From the junction some of us tooka detour up to Hugh Gorge Waterhole. It was very similar toRedbank Gorge with steep red rock walls encasing a smallstream of water. From the Junction the walk up to the saddle

was quite challenging. The reflected heat from the surroundinghills made it relatively hot and at the top I was glad to stop forlunch.

Then it was downhill for just over a 2 kms to Fringe Lilly. Thewalk was steep to start with and care needed to be taken tonegotiate the rocky terrain. Then it was into a dried creek bed forthe remaining section of the walk.

The camp area at Fringe Lilly was basic with no toilets or watertanks. There was water flowing in the creek so we all manageda wash and collected water to treat before drinking/cooking thatevening. It was lovely to sit in the cool of the creek bed and relaxafter the days walk.

All Together NowLate in the evening Kerry and David arrived after 5 pm while wewere having soup. They were walking with 4 boys from Davidsschool who were participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Awardand had started at Brinkleys Bluff that morning. The boys wereapparently coping well and had formed into a good team. We satup later than usual talking and the weather was reasonably mildcompared with other nights.

Friday - 29/06/2012 1600 hrs.

How time flies when you are enjoying yourself! I could notbelieve that we only had a week to go until the finish of the walk.Sitting in the sand beside Birthday Waterhole enjoying a cup oftea made me think of how much I had enjoyed the walk and Istarted to think about the end and returning to normal life.

That morning we had slept until 6.30 am and after breakfastpacked up camp and said goodbye to Kerry and David. Afterleaving Fringe Lilly there was a steep climb up a loose shaleridgeline followed by a spectacular walk along Razorback Ridge.The track was narrow in sections and there was a stiff windblowing and care needed to be taken to reduce the risk of injury.

From Windy Ridge the track took us along a steep downhillsection and through a gorge strewn with large boulders. Thiswas slow going as I picked my way through the boulders andloose rocks.

At the bottom we came to Spencers Gorge which was a lovelyforested area with pools of water interspersed throughout withcycads with bright green new foliage. The rock pools had vibrantdark green swirls of moss in them that simmered in the sunlight.

At the end of Spencer Gorge the track took us over a saddle anddown a steep valley to Birthday Waterhole.

To get to the camp site we had to walk for sometime through asandy riverbed which was challenging at the end of the day.

What a lovely spot and well worth the walk. I must remember tobuy a pair of binoculars for my next trip as the birds are justamazing and I would love to be able to see them properly. Theyarrive at the waterholes on dusk to drink from the pools and thensit in the trees. Their songs are delightful and add to the beautyof area. David and Gil went for a swim in the water hole and Iadmire their spirit. I walked into the water to my upper thighs butit was too cold for me.

After setting up camp I went for a wash and then relaxed withmy book. I also enjoyed taking photos of the reflections the treesdisplayed in the water as the sun said goodbye to the day.

Brinkleys Bluff

The next morning it was up early to start the walk to BrinkleyBluff. As we packed up camp we noted dingo footprints about 5metres from our tents and we had heard dingoes howling duringthe night. As there is no water source between BirthdayWaterhole and Stanley Chasm we had to carry 2 days watersupply. We left Birthday Waterhole at about 8am and arrived atthe Bluff just after 1 pm.

The walk took us along the edge of a dry river bed through flatSpinifex terrain for just over an hour. We then crossed the creekand started the climb up a narrow track to Stuarts Pass. As theysay slow and steady saves the day and so it was up the steeprocky track to the top. Gil, Anne and I stopped at about 10 amand had a morning tea stop and rest. We then pressed on to thesaddle where we caught up with the others.

The track then took us down to Rocky Cleft which was a fairlysteep descent. The view from Rocky Cleft was incredible.Looking through the opening between the 2 ridge lines showedbeautiful cycads growing on the floor below and what would be aspectacular waterfall in the wet season. We then started a steepclimb up to another saddle which was the base of the climb tothe top.

We started the steep climb to the top just before midday anddecided we would stop at 1 pm for lunch. The climb up was verysteep and we took it slowly and enjoyed the expanding view ofthe terrain below. The track was very narrow and at times wehad to scramble over rocks and use narrow foot holds toprogress up the side of the mountain.

We were just planning to stop for lunch when we heard Lindacalled Hey Bob and we were only about 100 metres from thetop. It was a great feeling to have completed this verychallenging day and the scenery was our reward.

There were beautiful little finches and other birds chirping in thelow growing trees. The finches had a red patch of colour in thecentre of their chest and red at the base of their tail and weidentified that they had nests in the Spinifex. After setting upcamp we walked along the ridgeline to enjoy the views of thesurrounding landscape. The view included looking back towardsBirthday Waterhole and the river system we had traversed toreach the Bluff.

We had decided to sleep in the open to enjoy the elements andthe views of the night sky. Therefore my campsite consisted ofmy sleeping bag on top of the ground sheet for my tent. Thenext morning I woke to find a spot of ice on my bag even thoughI was warm throughout the night. The morning was quite coldbut the night sky which had been serene and beautiful wasworth any discomfort. (To Be Continued)

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