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website: http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au email: redlandbushwalkers@yahoo.com.au

P.O. Box 101 Cleveland 416

October 2016

Next Club Meeting Wednesday, 9th November 2016 7:00pm for 7:30pm start

Indigiscapes Centre, Runnymede Rd, Capalaba

President’s Report

Hmm, it seems like I can predict the future, last month I wrote in my blurb: “ It might be very good news for me as well, as the last time I attempted to walk the Severn River it was bone dry and we had to abandon the walk on the second morning due to lack of water. This time there is plenty of water, but with my luck we will be flooded out.” Check out my walk report for the full story. As a service to the membership I will from now on predict the lotto numbers at each club meeting. We still have a few holes in our walks calendar, please find it within yourselves to become a leader, it is not hard and it is rewarding. Start with buddying up with someone that has done it before if you feel that the prospect is a bit daunting. This month is the month when our club does what it can to save the rainforest up at Springbrook. Four hours of digging out the invasive pest Aristea Ecklonii from the properties that the state government has purchased for inclusion into Springbrook National Park. The rest of the weekend is either spent in the old Lodge that is used for groups like us, or doing bushwalks at the beautiful Springbrook Plateau. Please find the time to come along, it is important work. Another thing not to be missed is our fabulous Christmas Party on the weekend of the 25-27th of November at Spring Gully, sign up, it is a lot of fun! See You On a Track. MATS

New Members

Welcome to: Meredith Day and Nick Day. We hope you enjoy your membership with us and we look forward to meeting you on the track sometime.

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CHRISTMAS CAMP 2016

Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November

at “Spring Gully Stays” Canungra

$12 each weekend costs +

$27.50 per night/per person for fixed tents or

$15 per night/person for BYO tent, caravan or camper

Please sign up and pay for the weekend at the November meeting You can pay cash at the meeting or pay online, details are:

Westpac Bank Cleveland BSB 034 070 Acc No 220127 Redland Bushwalkers Inc. Ref: Xmas16 and your surname Please send a confirming email to: hilaryriley2@hotmail.com

A very short rundown of your weekend: Arrive from Friday afternoon onwards.

o Tea and coffee is self-serve and wash up cafe all weekend o Bring your own nibbles and meal for Friday night o Walks on Saturday, dinner, listen and dance the evening away o Sunday breakfast

Quote of the Month

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:

"IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE, THAT PEOPLE OF

DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT,

UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Malcolm

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Activity Reports

Where: Appletree Park to Purlingbrook Falls When: Sunday 11th September 2016 Leaders: Julie Cummings and Amanda Fichna

A group of seven left the Redlands around 5.30 am, arriving at Apple Tree Park in the Springbrook National Park around 7:00 am. Departed around 7.30am. Still quite wet and slippery following the heavy rain the day before. The walk started on a fire trail before branching off through the bush and creek fording on the way to the Purlingbrook Falls circuit. Beautiful sub-tropical rain-forest with lots of bird life including the wonderful sound of whip birds. Amanda led the walk (setting a cracking pace!) with Julie bringing up the rear. The rain the day before provided some swollen creeks and the falls itself was in good spate – we were “privileged” to witness drone practice at the falls with some amazing flying but annoying noise! Following the falls circuit we stopped for a bite and were subject to a “leachalanche” which led to a rather short lived break as we jumped up brushing leaches off boots, clothes and bags!

We arrived back at Apple Tree Park at 1:30 pm for stage two of lunch and were treated to a one man mobile hot drink bonanza care of Julie! Not only was there an amazing array of hot drinks but an amazing orange cake whipped up by Julie. A lovely day and thanks to all! Walkers: Julie, Amanda, Margaret, Theresa, Claire, Nick and Meredith. Nick

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Where: Ship’s Stern When: Sunday 18th September 2016 Leader: Ted Wassenberg Due to the wet weather the base camp at Christmas creek was abandoned and instead, a day walk to the Ships Stern was arranged.

Thirteen members decided to attend this walk. We met at Binna Burra at 8:00 am and soon were ready to head down the track towards Lower Ballanjui Falls. On the way we passed several caves and massive gum trees. As we got lower into the valley, we walked through groves of palm trees. We had morning tea at the base of the falls. There was a lot of water coming down the falls and there were the usual discussions among a couple of us whether it was possible to climb to the top of the falls via the adjacent ridges. Others just enjoyed the ambience of the site.

We continued down Nixon Creek and eventually crossed it to go up to the Ship’s Stern. As we climbed higher the wind increased and it was getting cooler. At the very end of Ships Stern we stopped for lunch but the changing conditions soon had us putting on warmer clothing or parkas. The clouds were settling lower and there was a threat of impending rain. As we walked along the eastern rim of the range, the clouds restricted our views of Springbrook Plateau. Soon it started to drizzle as we walked in the mist. We opted for the direct route back to Binna Burra rather than the eastern track as there was now no view. The walk back to Binna Burra via the junction with Dave’s Creek circuit was now muddy and slippery. Once on the border track we veered left at the Coomera circuit track onto the Tullawallul track and returned to Binna Burra via the old border track – a much more pleasant route than the border track. Once we arrived at the shelter and toilets, the drivers brought the cars up from the lower carpark and we changed into clean and dry clothes; some discovering leech bites that had not been observed earlier. Bob and Jen kindly invited all of us back to his place for coffee and chocolate brownies that were much appreciated.

On this walk were Hilary, Betty, Bea, Jacob, Julie, Judy, Claire, Teresa, Aaron, Tracy, Amanda, Bob and Ted. Despite the wet conditions we all enjoyed the experience.

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Where: Lower Bellbird Circuit - Binna Burra (the walk formerly known as Daves Creek Circuit!) When: 9th October 2016 Leader: Lisa Harris and Leah Stephens When it was discovered that the Daves Creek Circuit was closed due to a planned back-burn in the area, a hasty change-of-plan was required! The Lower Bellbird Circuit was chosen as a replacement - it is a similar distance (12km), and degree of difficulty as Daves Creek, and departs from the same carpark. We followed Hilary's advice as neither Leisa nor myself had done this walk before, and our group of 17 followed the Caves Circuit first, through forest with great views over the Coomera Valley, and past the impressive caves. The track lead back to the main road and a little further down on the other side we continued on the Lower Bellbird Circuit. We had a morning tea stop at the base of the cliffs and then walked up through more beautiful rainforest and open grassy forest, with lots of little purple orchids and wildflowers and more great views over the valley and towards the Ship Stern circuit. Most walkers agreed that this track was just as lovely and possibly even preferable to Daves Creek in terms of scenery variety and ease of walking.

We returned to the carpark for our picnic lunch, just as some cold misty rain began to drift across the mountain tops. We sat in a small shelter shed out of the rain, shared some homemade cakes and muffins, and some even managed to bbq some sausages for lunch. Thanks to everyone for your lovely company, and especially your flexibility and good cheer about the last minute change of plan!! Participants - Nick and Meredith Day, Lynn and Peter Endacott, Claire Neeson, Fiona Bannister, Mike Vose, Hilary Martyn, David Westover, Helen McKenna, Gary Phillips, Amanda Fichner, John Hinton, Teresa Curnow and Sharon Devitt.

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Where: Copmanhurst NSW When: 1-8 October 2016 Leader: Kevin Bain Eleven people spent time camping at the Copmanhurst Recreation Reserve. This time around the weather was perfect during the day but a little chilly at night. Last time we tried this camp the river rose 13 metres and it was necessary to abandon the camp. Hilary, Trevor, Betty, Don, Heather, Joan, Geoff, Richard, Col, Yvonne and myself had the chance to see some of the attractions in this locality. Friday was spent travelling to the site and setting up camp. On Saturday a trip was taken to the Clarence River Gorge. This location carries the water flow of the Clarence, Mann, Nymboida and Boyd Rivers. The catchments cover an area extending from Queensland border, Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Guyra to Coffs Harbour. Fortunately the river flow was normal but in full flood the gorge is a spectacular site. A walk was undertaken along the gorge to view the rocky channel. A trip was undertaken on Sunday to part of the Nymboida National Park on the Nymboida River. The members who went on this trip had an opportunity to enjoy some remote wilderness of this park. A walk was attempted along the river to go to the Cunglebung falls. However this failed as we were unable to obtain a suitable crossing of the river and the side we were on became impassable.

Two enjoyable kayak paddles were undertaken on the river. The first run covered about 17 kms, with several minor gravel races to negotiate. The second run of similar distance only involved one gravel race but we were able to get some wind assistance in several sections of the river. Those that did not kayak took the opportunity go site seeing down river and ride some cable ferries across the river.

A trip was also taken to the coastal town of Red Rock to investigate possible future camps. We returned from there through Sherwood State Forest (many good walk sites) then via Glenreagh to Copmanhurst. An exploratory trip was made up river to an old Cinnabar mine. This mine operated in the late 1800’s to extract mercury from the cinnabar rock. The old brick retort is still standing and some mine shafts are visible. Every one returned home at various stages during the week to pursue other activities. I hope all had an en-joyable time and thank you for attending.

Kevin Blain

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Where: Severn River, Sundown When: Weekend 1-2 October 2016 Leader: Mats Andersson

Water, Water Everywhere

This is how the legend of the Fellowship was born. They set out in good spirits along the Weather Hills down across the plains of Enedwaith towards The Great River Anduin. Gandalf was striding in front. Crossing the river at the ford, the Hobbits, Elves and Humans were afraid of being swept away, but Gandalf showed how to swim across. On the way they were joined by Strider, who also was on his way to Helms Deep. Sauron had conjured up the most terrible downpour and as the brave friends were getting deeper into the chasm, they could hear the roar from the Falls Of Rauros which they had to cross. After they had scaled the Misty Mountains they found to their dismay that the Plains of Orthank was flooded and all the fellows were now so wet that even Gandalf could be mistaken for Gollum. To get past, they were forced to penetrate the deep, mysterious Mirkwood. Any hope of an afternoon meal at The Prancing Pony in Bree was dashed as the River Isen was in flood. My apologies to JRR Tolkien. We had a beautiful cool and sunny Saturday walk from the old homestead site up Mount Lofty and down towards the Severn River. After setting up camp on the rise above the river we went down to fill up water bladders and a dip. The river was much bigger than any of us had seen it before, we were wondering what tomorrow would bring? As we sat talking in camp a lone bushwalker came past, it was Kevin from Lismore and he was going to camp a bit further on. The night was cold, Ted had frost on his backpack when we woke up. We dawdled for an extended period of time as our condensation-soaked sleeping bags and tents were drying in the sunshine.

Now, for those who have not done this walk, usually the morning goes like this: Walk to a cliff line, zig zag down into a gully, jump across the river and stay on that side until after the falls, cross back and follow the river criss-crossing as it suits. This time was Different! The river was raging, the jump across was now three(!) thigh deep wades. The excitement started straight away, Leah fell in when a branch she was hanging onto snapped, her hiking pole disappearing in the torrent never to be seen again. The next wade saw the demise of one of Julie’s poles as well, as she slipped mid-stream. It was a glorious morning for walking, cool and sunny, the rock areas around the falls were just magnificent and Nundubbermere falls in

flood is a sight to behold. We now were faced with the problem of where to cross, in the end Ted suggested that we swim across the billabong at the widest point, approximately 20 meters, where the current is not as strong.

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And so we did, much to the astonishment and amusement of a fisherman standing on the bank. At this point it was clear that we had to stay on the eastern side of the river all the way to Red Rock Creek campsite. This was not as tricky as we had expected, but it forced us to walk on the sunny side of the river and the heat reflection from the rocks was quite intense in spots. We bumped into Kevin again. He had lost his map whilst attempting to cross the river so Tracy donated one of her photocopied maps to him. He was unsure about the way out through Red Rock Gorge so it was decided that he would join us the next morning for the walk out. When we arrived at Red Rock Creek it was quite different, for starters there was water in the creek, our campsite now an island. Where we used to have a campfire, water was gurgling past. Normally the only water you come across in this creek is a few leech infested pools along the way. Tomorrow loomed as an interesting prospect. Another effect of all the water was the masses of mosquitoes, some of them the size of helicopters.

The Monday started with an ominous sign that it would be an extraordinary day. For those not doing throughwalks, the never before broken rule is that Ted is up at the crack of dawn and Tracy is always last. This time, when I poked my head out of my tent, Tracy(!) had already packed and was ready to go, this is a unique event. Kevin arrived at 7:00 am and so did the first raindrops so we donned our raincoats and started up the gorge. It was slippery and therefore slow going but we did steady (if slow) progress up the creek. When we got close to Red Rock Falls around lunchtime a huge plume of water thundered over the edge, we had never seen water in this creek before so we were amazed at the spectacle. The problem was that the way out of the gorge is right up against the

wall of the waterfall, now drowned by the massive amount of water coming down. Ted blazed a new trail on the northern side of the creek that led to the steep scramble out. Leah was a bit jaded at this stage and Tracy and I tried to encourage her along(up) with words such as – It is just this bit that is hard, once we get up to the top it is an easy walk downhill to the cars. Little did we know! If we had not been totally soaked from head to toe, our pants would have been on fire. When we got to the viewing platform above the falls, the promised sweeping vistas were a complete whiteout. Up at the top the promised easy road walk out began, it was a bit muddy and not too bad, but….. As we started the long downhill along the disused 4WD road, the road soon started to resemble a creek in places, then we hit the REAL creek. It was a torrent, the first wade was about knee deep. The worrying thing was that the road crosses this creek a number of times and the further down the hill we got, the harder the crossings became. When we had finally got to waist depth we decided to stop crossing as it was too dangerous, especially as we could see the creek getting bigger and bigger as it was surging down the hill. To get to the cars we had to scrub bash on a compass bearing over a ridge through a maze of thick vegetation, very hard work and not what you want after a whole day of hard walking. We finally broke through out into the open and onto the other 4WD road and got to the cars

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at 4:00 pm. This is more than two hours later than expected and we had walked more or less non-stop for nine hours. As we changed into dry clothes and climbed into the cars there was excited talk about what to eat at our afternoon meal at Maccas in Stanthorpe. Leah and Tracy had been hallucinating about Bacon and Egg Burgers for the past four hours. Finally done, dry and on our way home we drove out of Sundown, waving goodbye to Kevin as we passed through the gate. Two kilometres down the road our exit was blocked by another flooded creek, no way out. The Bacon and Egg Burgers had to be substituted for Soya crisps and a few leftover grapes. We sat in the cars for four hours until the flood water had receded to a safe level. The Burgers were had as an evening meal instead. We all slept well on Monday night. The Waterlogged Walkers were: Tracy, Leah, Julie, Judy, Ted, Kevin and Mats.

Important Information WALK GRADINGS:

Distance Terrain Fitness

S Short Under 10k, per day 1-3 Graded track or open terrain, no scrub

1-3 Easy. Suitable for begin-ners

M Medium 10-15k, per day 4-5 Off track, bush, minor scrub, rainforest, rock hopping, minor

scrambling

4-5 Medium, reasonable fit-ness required

L Long 15-20km per day 6-7 As above + thick scrub. Major rock scrambling using hands.

6-7 As above + agility required

X Extra Long 20km+ per day 8-9 As above + rope and technical ability required

8-9 Hard strenuous, fit walk-ers only

AB Abseiling DW Day Walk TW Through Walk

BC Base Camp SOC Social XT Extended Trip

R Bike Ride TR Training

EXAMPLE: The Albert River Circuit at O’Reilly’s is 22km long all on graded track, it would be graded as: DW X 3 5

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Guidelines for Club ethics

When nominating for a walk, members and visitors have an obligation to write legibly on the nomination form.

• Please contact walk leaders at least early in the week before a walk. If you leave it till Thursday or Friday night you may be disappointed to find that the walk has been cancelled, due to apparent lack of interest. Also dates, details etc. can & do change. Leaders give their time to organise walks and need to know if they are committed to lead a walk. The leader may assign you to a car for the trip.

• Read the walk description and note the rating. If you are unsure of your abilities, please discuss this with the leader before nominating. Neither you nor other walkers will have a good day if your fitness is not of a suitable standard.

• The leader of a walk has the final say on whether a person can come on a walk. Members and newcomers should be aware of this and accept it.

• Do you have a health problem that may affect your performance on a walk? It is important that you inform the leader of this and discuss the matter.

• If you have commitments after a walk please discuss this with the leader before commencing a walk. Leaders cannot guarantee the time of return, due to weather, terrain & the expertise of walkers.

• Arrive at the agreed meeting point before the set time. We try to be punctual. Late walkers can be left behind! • It is a normal practise to share the costs of transport to and from a walk. This may vary between car owners and may be as simple as

sharing the cost of the fuel among the passengers or a fixed amount for example: (10-20kms - $5/person; 20-50kms - $8/person; 50-100kms - $10/person; 100-200kms - 15/person; 200-250kms - $20/person; 250-300kms - $25/person) Discuss this with your driver.

• Please have a change of clothes and shoes available in the car for the return journey as a courtesy to your companions and the car owner. DAY WALK CHECKLIST: Please ensure you have the following items so you are prepared for any eventuality whilst on a day walk. ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS:

• Boots (must be fully enclosed – no sandals. Boots are preferable although joggers are suitable for most social walks). • Gaiters or long pants (unless otherwise specified). • Daypack of sufficient capacity to carry all your needs. • Water – Minimum of 2 litres – (bladder or two separate containers). • Torch/headlamp with spare batteries. (Lithium batteries are lighter and last longer than alkaline batteries). • Raincoat or Poncho. • First-aid kit • Whistle • Lunch and snacks.

RECOMMENDED:

• Light fleece or Thermal top. • Pack liner and pack cover. (protects pack contents in case of rain) • Sunscreen and insect repellent. • Rubbish bag (we take out what we take in; also for wet muddy gear). • Map and compass (ideally the leader is not the only one with these items). • Toilet paper and trowel. • Spare change of clothes in a bag to be left in the car for the return journey – be considerate of fellow passengers and those who provide

the transport. OPTIONAL ITEMS:

• Camera or binoculars. • Walking poles. • Gardening gloves or similar for off track walks.

IMPORTANT:

1. Trip leaders can choose to leave you behind if you are not properly equipped.

2. Keep to walks within the bounds of the walk grading as shown on the walk calendar.

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RBI Walk Leaders Guidelines

Just Before the Walk Starts:

• Arrange cars and passengers before the walk starts. Make sure everyone knows what is happening and can put changes of clothing etc into the appropriate cars.

• Check that people have sufficient water and appropriate clothing for the trip. • Make absolutely sure you know how many people are on the walk, count people and check against names on the list. Call out names and

tick the boxes. This sounds trivial, but mistakes have occurred. • Make sure all members of the party are fully aware of what is planned. The leader using a map could show the planned route. • Explain the significance of the route (e.g. "We go up this steep hill shown here.”) to any inexperienced walkers. • Make sure everyone meets each other. Normal tradition is to stand in a circle and introduce yourself in turn. This is a good chance to count

heads and make sure everyone is ready to go. • Nominate a ‘tail-end-Charlie’ to be at the rear of the group. This is even more important on walks off-track where there may be thick vegetation

with poor visibility. Explain the role of ‘t.e. Charlie’ to keep stragglers with the group and note if anyone needs to duck off for a moment. • Explain any rules you would like group to adhere to e.g.: toilet stops, keep person behind you in sight, people in the lead to stop every 15-

30 minutes for tail to catch up, and stop at any track junctions to regroup, Do not separate the party. • Do not start until everyone is ready to leave, and check soon after leaving that everyone is there. It is a good idea to call for a stop soon

after the start of the day's walking (about 5-10 mins) to provide an opportunity to adjust shoelaces, remove pullovers, adjust packs. • At the end of the walk, before leaving the carpark, have everyone sign off on the walk nomination sheet to ensure everyone is accounted

for. • Return completed trip sheets to the outings officer. • And last but not least; Enjoy your walk ....

Ted Wassenberg