Newsletter
Newsletter
Newsletter
Newsletter
PO Box 2199 Sunnybank Hills QLD 4109 Email [email protected] Phone No (07) 3345 9543 http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/
October 2012
Baxter Lookout
Club News
Map and Compass Training
When Sunday 7 October at 12 mid-day Where 16 Ramita Street Holland Park West. There will be a training session in the use of map and compass for Club members. Following a short talk on theory there will be time to use a map and compass and follow a short course. Bring along your own compass if you have one, otherwise a compass will be supplied. Please ring Richard at 3345 9543 if you are coming so that sufficient compasses and maps are available.
Pilgrimage 2012
About 15 QBW members attended the Pilgrimage which was hosted by the Redlands Bushwalking Club. Overall about 130 bushwalkers attended from over 15 clubs. Member began arriving on the Friday afternoon and after registering and being tagged began putting up their tents in the shade of some large trees near the creek. There was a large kitchen and hall available and on the Friday night members were able to have a light supper of soup, coffee, tea and munchies. It was also a chance to put your name down for a walk. Redlands ran a Trivia Quiz that night and members were entertained by a Scottish poem and the chance to try some haggis. It was tasty but it was probably better not to know what the ingredients were! There were nearly 20 walks available to do on the Saturday and the weather was just perfect, with blue skies and not too hot. After returning from the various walks we were able to have a hot shower and then have happy hour or two. For those who ordered a meal it was a sumptuous feast with plenty left over for seconds. For those with any energy left there was a barn dance to finish off the day. Sunday and still Redlands were active with a sausage sizzle and games. QBW won a prize for having the most members at the Pilgrimage apart from the hosts. The president of Bushwalking Queensland, John Marshall, gave a talk on how Bushwalking Queensland was the voice of bushwalkers and that regular meetings were held with various government departments. Many thanks and congratulations to Redlands Bushwalking Club who put on a great Pilgrimage. The variety of events and activities showed they had put in a lot of time and effort.
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Meeting Place
General Information
0419 684 319 0408 753 052 0405 536 718 3341 7509 (H) 3343 3724(H) 3349 8238 (H) 3376 9454(H) 3345 9543(H)
Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at 7.30pm. There is no Club meeting in January. Meeting are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carl and 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. A coin donation would be appreciated.
Vice President
Membership
Probationary Membership A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Member on his/her first walk after signing the Acknowledgement of Risk form. No fee is payable to become a Probationary Member. A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on his/her second walk by filling out a Membership Form and paying the membership fee. Ordinary Membership A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out and signing a Membership Form, having a proposer sign the form and handing the form with the membership fee to a committee member or walk leader. The proposer may be a friend who is a member of the Club, a QBW walk leader, the Membership Officer or one of the committee members. Only an Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or be elected to a committee position. Members of Another Bushwalking Club Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated with Bushwalking Queensland Inc. (or an interstate Federation) and who are covered by the same Insurance do not need to become a member of our Club to go on our walks. However Club members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.
Compasses Steripen
Club Equipment
UHF Radios
The above are for free use by members. Garmin GPS. QBW has 4 GPSs which have a 20 metre contour topo map of the whole of Australia included. Some of these are on permanent loan to members. PLBs with inbuilt GPS The Club has 5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be made available at each Club meeting and will need to be returned at the following Club meeting. Back Pack for Hire Bivy Bags For Sale $5.00 charge $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00.
These bivy bags are 2 metres by 0.9 metres and are bright orange 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
YHA Bushwalkers
Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three walks 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
New Members
As at 5/9/2012 we have 69 financial members
Coming Walks
Any person wishing to come along on a walk must contact the leader of the walk first. The leader will organise the meeting place and the car pooling. The leader has full discretion on who can come on the walk. Nominations close 9:00 pm on the Wednesday prior to a weekend trip. For Wednesday walks, nominations close 9.00 pm on the Monday before.
An exploratory walk along a tributary of Enoggera Creek. There may be some walking in the creek, so wear old boots or sandshoes. Also wear protective clothing in case of scunge. We will meet at the Walkabout Creek Centre on Gap Creek Road at 7.00am.
Girraween T/W
Sat-Sun, 6-7 October 2012 Leader Petrol: Meet: Water: $50.00 Neil Douglas 8:00am Sat Girraween Park HQ 2 litres each day (camping at water Saturday night) Number limit: 8 M T6 F5 3875 1090
This year the Girraween TW is planned to go to some areas not visited for well over 10 years. From Park HQ we'll follow the graded track out to The Sphinx and Turtle Rock, then head off track to the Wallangarra Ridge with its huge granite boulders. Then we'll try to find a way that's not too rough down to the Wallangarra water supply dam. From the dam we'll follow the 4WD road that runs through the park as far as where it crosses Racecourse Creek at the foot of Billygoat Hill, where there's a nice place to camp. If there's time we may visit the intriguing old Round House along the way. On Sunday we'll climb The Twins / Mt. Dolly Parton before donning packs and heading to the Underground Creek, possibly traversing the Aztec Temple if people want to. Then we'll do a side trip to the Bald Rock Creek cascades before heading to the Roberts Waterhole carpark. The walk ends with a 4 km roadbash back to HQ, unless a car shuffle can be arranged. Hopefully there will be good wildflowers this year after all the summer and early winter rain
Notices
The Otago Youth Adventure Trust/Rotary Club of Milton Tramping Club Inc
We undertake the "Freedom Walks", where we use the very adequate Department of Conservation Huts, carry all our own gear & food (we supply food), and do our own cooking etc. We are a Tramping Club, and as such, as we operate on Public Lands, are required (by law) to run our trips at "cost recovery'' only, and hence can offer these adventures at very moderate cost. Trips include the Milford Track, Hump Ridge Track, Kepler Track, Borland Lodge Cycle, The Otago Central Rail Trail, Routeburn/Greenstone Track, Catlins-Tautuku Lodge, Mt Aspiring Lodge, Huxley Lodge, Sutton Camp. Full information about us, and the trips, contacts,,costs and dates, etc, is on our Website www.otagorotarytrusttramps.org.nz
This walk will mostly be on dirt roads and walking pads. Suitable for beginners and there will be time to do some navigation, either with map and compass or GPS. Meet at Ironbark Gully 7.00am.
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track. May need to use a rope on the steep sections of the Mystery Track. Meet at Canungra 7.00am. Not suitable for beginners.
(See database - Springbrook, Little Nerang Ck Pools and Falls) This is a walk of 9.4km mostly along the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk. After a short car shuffle we will walk along the Great Walk track down to Little Nerang Creek, then downstream for 1km. This will involve some creek walking on rock slabs, mostly (not rock hopping on rocks or small boulders). We then return to the Great Walk track and follow it up to the top of Purlingbrook Falls.
Past Walks
Byron Gorge
4 August 2012 Byron Gorge is a circuit walk in the Mt Mee section of D'Aguilar National Park, taking in Mt Byron and a walk up Mt Byron Creek through a small gorge. There were seven of us who gathered at Samford early on a Saturday morning as it had the potential to be a long day if the rocks were slippery. After organising the cars we drove up to the Gantry at Mt Mee and after a short stop there, drove another 5 kilometres on dirt roads to get to the start point. The track initially was on a forestry road and it took us to the top of Mt Byron. There were views from some rocky lookout points towards Wivenhoe and Somerset Dams. The road disappeared soon after and we followed a faint walking track down a ridge towards Byron Creek. The track was steep in places with some views of the gorge to our left. One section down a gully was quite steep and loose and we had to take care not to dislodge any rocks.
A walk never done before by QBW. Oakey Creek is in D'Aguilar National Park in the Mt Mee section, near the Gantry. The entrance and exit of this walk has been checked but not the actual creek walk. Expect to be walking in the creek with natural obstacles such as steep terrain and fallen trees. We will meet at Samford at 7.00am. Not suitable for beginners.
Mt Coot-tha
Saturday, 27 October 2012 Leader Gerry Burton Meeting Time: 7.30AM We will be meeting at the entrance to the JC Slaughters Falls picnic area (do not go all the way to the end). The plan is to walk along parts of the Pinnacle Track, Powerful Owl Trail, Eugenia & Fairy Wren Circuits, Jacksonia & maybe the Kokoda (depending on how people feel). M T4 F4 3376 9454 or 0408 793 715.
L T4 F4 5427 9369
An exploratory walk into Byron Gorge from the east. We will be going past a few waterfalls so plenty of time to cool off if it is hot. Not suitable for beginners.
We reached Byron Creek and there was no water flowing but as we ascended the creek we came upon some pools and running water. The rocks were fairly dry as we rock hopped up. Some of the boulders in the creek were as big as houses though, making an impressive sight. There were several waterfalls to negotiate and finally after a fairly difficult walk round one small waterfall I decided that it would be better to walk up a ridge which should take us to a forestry road. It was a steep ascent and we had to make our own path up the ridge. The walk and the heat were taking their toll on us. Our spirits revived when we got to the dirt road. It was then an easy amble back to the cars after a long day. We had our afternoon tea at the Gantry as it was quite late and any coffee shop would be some distance away, even if it was still open. Many thanks to my fellow walkers to completed a tiring but satisfying walk. Richard
We will descend into Coomera Creek via the Mystery Track and then go downstream to Gwongoorool Pool and exit via a graded Page 4 of 6
5 August 2012
This walk takes in part of the Sunshine Coast Great Walk. Eleven of us met up in Landsborough before taking the scenic drive through Montville to Flaxton. We started walking from Flaxton along the Great Walk and headed to the Flaxton Walkers Camp before continuing along the Great Walk downhill to Baxter Falls where we had a timely morning tea. Then we retraced our steps to the Camp before turning west along a firetrail ending up at a rocky lookout with views north/west towards the Kenilworth area. This was a lovely spot for lunch and a general relax. Our walk finished with a return to the cars. A lovely afternoon tea was enjoyed at the bakery opposite Landsborough Railway Station. Thanks to those who came along with a special thanks to the drivers. Patricia
To appease Dave a democratic decision (taken before Dave and Leader arrived) was made to visit the finger lime orchard via the fence. The orchard is some 2 km to the west, towards Mount Lindesay. Views from the clearing are to the north and make the extra distance worth the effort. After viewing and photographing, we trudge back along the fence to be de-gaitered and en-carred before a refreshing drive down the range to civilisation and coffee at Maccas. A day with plenty of variety, and promise for future walks. Shame about the group photo, but Ill name the starters. The Sheras (John, Julie and Justin) Maid Marion, Geraldine as her mother likes to call her, Gil of Larapinta fame, Mary of the same fame, David Sullivan (one of the gallant gentleman) and Dave Kenrick (the navigator), Dutch John and Bob Hammelswang (my mate). Im enjoying the social side of these outings so much that I think Ill organise a walk without the walk. Norm Johnston
12 August 2012
Mt Eerwah
25 August 2012
This walk was advertised at short notice and it was good to see 12 hardy souls front up for a relatively little known walk along the Queensland N.S.W. border fence. It was a day for the four-wheel drives. We left Maccas. at about 7.35 am and headed south towards Rathdowney before branching left and heading down the Lions Road towards Kyogle. After 15 minutes we turned right into Tartars Creek Road, travelled about two kms, and then turned left into Philp Road. Philp Road starts steadily uphill towards the range that is the Qld NSW border. It becomes both scenic and breathtaking as the climb develops with views to the west, to Mount Lindesay and Mount Barney. These views are quite different and worth a drive, with or without walk. The climb is not for the timid driver. We arrive at a locked gate at about 8.20 am. We de-car and head for the border fence, a walk of about four hundred meters. Turning left onto the fence and down, up-down, down-up (mainly down). At around 10.00 am we reach a point on the fence where we look back onto Long Creek Falls. Its a pretty impressive view into the falls, but hard to capture on camera. Morning tea was cool and breezy, with falling water as a sound backdrop. Here the real leaders take command (John, John and Dave)! At eleven we climb 50 meters back up the slope, hop the fence into cockroach country and descend down a steep but not-tooslippery bank before landing in Long Creek, some 30 meters above the falls. Some rock-hopping involved but no wet feet. A couple of places we shimmied around the edges of minor falls (Kolarski-style manoeuvres adopted) Tempting as it was to climb down the falls (a drop of about 3035 meters) we elected to head back upstream. Theres another adventure to be had here, with ropes and abseiling. A chance to follow Long Creek down the falls and climb back onto to ridge en-route to Richmond Gap (the old Lions Road tick gate). We spent some three hours wandering steadily upstream. Long Creek is surprisingly easy to negotiate. John Dutch did find a tricky log crossing that required a couple of steps of faith. Of equal interest was the terrain to the south. Whilst we didnt venture far from the creek, the land was surprisingly level. Perhaps we were on Levers Plateau, or the edges thereof, and didnt realise. It was always a relatively short uphill climb north to the Border Fence, so that when coffee was mentioned, the fence was the focus. Dave Kenrick, purist navigator that he is, was keen to reach the head of the creek, so as to emerge near the avocado (was avocado, but now a finger lime) orchard. Hwever, there was no stopping the stampede for the fence. Though Gerry made sufficient noise to wake the naked schizophrene with the shotgun but thats another story the gallant men got her over the fence, and the race for the coffee was on.
Mt Eerwah is one of the peaks near Eumundi. It had been walked once by QBW many years ago so it was time to check it out again. There was only Gil, Bob and myself so we drove up in one car. We found Mt Eerwah Road easily but it was the start of the walk which was more difficult to find. Finally we found a small track coming from an overlooked car park beside the road. The track from the car park looked like it was well used and we followed it as it went up and down three gullies. There was even a rope someone had tied to a tree to help walkers get up and down one steep gully. The track then wound round the edges of private property and then began the ascent. It was steep and rough with some lantana but again it looked like it was well used.
At one section where there was a bit of exposure there was another rope to hold on to. Finally on the top ridge we walked to the summit. There were views to the east and west and a Welcome sign so we knew we had made it. After morning tea at the summit we walked back down to the cars. It was only a short walk overall and so to fill in the day we went to the Eumundi markets. We had to park about 500 metres away as the streets were just jam packed with parked cars. Bob took the opportunity to by some presents for relatives, Gil bought himself a belt and I enjoyed some free reggae music. Many thanks to Gil and Bob for their company. Richard
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Six hours of bushwalking has a powerful immune boosting effect according to Japanese research. They actually found that communing with nature increased cancer fighting natural killer cells. They also found that bushwalking is a natural stress reliever, helping alleviate depression and anxiety as well as decreasing blood pressure. Another study, in which people spent two nights at a hotel in the country and went bushwalking for three leisurely strolls while they were there, showed that the cancer-fighting part of their immune system increased. The author of the study, Li Qing of Tokyos Nippon Medical School, also noted that the increase could still be observed 30 days later. It seems obvious that bushwalking promotes well-being, but its also great that research is being done on such a free-of-sideeffects therapy. With concrete evidence of bushwalking having an immune boosting effect, the enormous value of our forests may be appreciated by more people. More info at http://hhcc.com.au/immune-boosting-bushwalking/
The Queensland Bushwalkers Club Photo Competition is on again. Entries of digital images only. Sorry, no prints. Images must have been taken on a Queensland Bushwalkers Club event since the November meeting 2011. There are 3 categories: Pictorial: Photographs of any broad natural scene. Pictorial photographs can include for example creeks, seascapes, waterfalls, mountains, rocky outcrops, and clouds Nature: Photographs depicting flora or fauna, excluding domestic animals. This category should also exclude evidence of man. Examples of nature photographs are birds, animals, native flowers, forest, fungi, reptiles, insects etc Club Character: Photographs showing one or more people participating in a bushwalking type of activity and can be humorous as well as serious. 5 entries allowed per category per member (limit of 15 in total). Photos must be saved as a JPEG image file with no compression. Make them the maximum resolution from your camera and they will be resized to suit viewing. The images may be produced from a digital camera or a scanned image of a print or slide. Photos must be submitted on a CD or DVD, or USB Memory Stick (named, which can be returned). Please do not email your entries. Each entry photo needs to be titled as follows: Name_Title_Location_Category_Image Number.jpg eg. Patricia Kolarski_MtNorman_GirraweenNP_Nature_1.jpg Photos must be titled this way or the entries cannot be identified. Hand your entries to Patricia Kolarski or post them to 74 Kallista Road, Rochedale, 4123 by the November Club meeting 2012. The winners will be announced at the Club Xmas Party. Besides the winners in each category which will be decided by a panel of judges, there will also be the People's Choice award. Any questions call Patricia on 3341 7509.
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