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

P.O. Box 101 Cleveland 416 September 2015

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Next Club Meeting Wednesday, 9th Sept. 2015 7:00pm for 7:30pm start

Indigiscapes Centre, Runnymede Rd, Capalaba Walks Planning Session.

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President’s Report

A lot of our club members have returned from their travels, but our own 21st Century Hannibal and his lovely wife are assumed to be still crossing the Alps, wonder how their Elephants are coping?

Thank you to those who have recently added walks to our calendar; don’t forget our September Walks Planning meeting is another opportunity to fill in the gaps.

This year’s Bushies Pilgrimage hosted by Queensland Bushwalking Club held at Kalbar was a great success.  Along with many other clubs, 12 Redlander’s camped for the weekend and on Saturday we walked and danced our socks off.   Watch the calendar for next year’s Pilgrimage dates….it’s a great weekend.

See you in the bush,

Hilary(Vice President)

Is your friend missing out?Do you know of a club member who is missing out on Ramble On and club emails? If so, it might be because we have a shiny, brand new email address and in the transition their data might have fallen into a mossy crevice. Please ask them to email our secretary, Julie at sec-retary@redlandbushwalkers.org.au We don't want anyone missing out!Your committee

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Quote of the Month

“Sorry madam but we will have to confiscate your $250 Jet Boil stove top and the cup and the bag as we call smell gas!! (Lady from Victoria travelling via Jet Star to Cairns).

Macolm

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Upcoming Activities

Photo Competition!

Don’t forget to bring your photo’s for the comp at the September meeting on Wednesday 9th.

Categories and entry details can be found on the RBC website…

http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/photocomp.html

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Activity Reports

Where: Mt Matheson Circuit, Spicers Gap, Main Range National ParkWhen: Sunday, 23 August, 2015Leader: Hilary Martyn

Ten club members met at the Aratula BP and after a quick coffee we drove to the picnic ground at Spicers Gap. It was a bit misty but ideal walking temperature and after a group photo we headed off. The first few kilometres were uphill through eucalypt forest to a view-point overlooking the Cunningham Highway. Still a fair bit of mist so no view of Mt Cordeaux and Bare Rock.

We walked along the ridge and through a rocky area where we had to climb over boulders and squeeze through gaps in the rock. Then the scenery changed and we walked through rain-forest and open grassland to the remains of an old timber jinker left over from the days when bullock teams hauled timber from the area.

We stopped for morning tea where the trail connected with the heritage track built around 1860. Jen-nifer had a close encounter with a leech which had taken a fancy to her snack, but she quickly man-aged to cling-wrap it!

On previous occasions we have turned left along the heritage track but this time we had decided to add an extra 4km loop, so we turned right and headed down the gravel road, crossed the creek and turned left. However, a huge washout had us retracing our steps across the creek where we found a new track which followed the telephone line up the ridge. It was an easy walk, the main highlights

were when a couple of our eagle-eyed walkers spotted a flowering ground orchid and a broken bird’s egg-shell (yet to be identified).

The sun was shining when we reached Governors Chair Lookout where we stopped for lunch and we had good views of the surrounding mountains. Then it was all down-hill to the cars in the picnic area

We finished as usual with coffee at the Aratula cafe. Thanks to Malcolm, Mike, Jane, Julie, Judith, Jennifer, Susan, Bill and Richard for their company.

Hilary Martyn

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Where: Hinchinbrook Island – The Thorsborne TrackWhen: August 8th – 16th 2015Party:- Bev, Carmel, Kerrie, Leah, Malcolm, Mike V, Soraya and Wayne P.

When Mike asked me to write up the walk I imme-diately thought it would be easy – really short.

After all, “what happens on the track, stays on the track”, doesn’t it?

It all began in March when Mike sent out an “Ex-pressions of interest” email.

I can’t speak for all but my acceptance was imme-diate. Hinchinbrook has been on my bucket list for at least 30 years.

So, from March until August there followed a flurry of meetings and millions of emails. We discussed all sorts of things including, but not limited to, how to cook fish over a small gas stove without coals,

alfoil, oil etc. Now you may wonder why this topic came up at all and I can tell you why. Some fool thought we could live off the land by catching fish.

Some of us had not camped out for many years, some of us had no modern camping gear to start with and most of us had never done a six day through-walk where one has to carry everything on one’s back, I mean everything. The State Government allows only 40 walkers on the island at any one time. There are no facilities (with 2 critical exceptions) and open fires are not permitted. The two facilities that the island does have are a small handful of composting toilets and big steel boxes at each camp ground. The steel boxes are where one learns very quickly to deposit all foodstuffs. The island is inhabited by a couple of hungry native species – the white tailed rat (big) and millions of fawn-footed melomys (small). Hard to see but they sure do scuttle about after dark as they look for any Mars Bars you may have forgotten in a pocket somewhere.

Little by little we each took on jobs of things to be arranged. Four of the party decided to spend a further week in North Queensland after Hinch-inbrook and thereby hangs another tale.

In essence, working from a beautifully scripted “final” itinerary issued by ex-bureaucrat Soraya, we flew north to Cairns, bussed south to Lucin-da, water-taxied north,( in a leaking boat), to the walk start, walked south for six days, water-tax-ied further south to Lucinda, bussed north to Cairns and flew south to Brisbane. That’s it – not very hard at all as long as you know two of the compass points!

The walking itself comprised spending a few hours each day moving from one camp site,

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crossing a pink granite ridge or two and a rocky head-land to take in the views to reach the next camp site. All but one was right on the beach. Some days were longer than others but every walk was different – veg-etation, creek crossings, wildlife, views. Every camp site was different. The only constant was we had bril-liant sunshine, not too hot or cold, no wind and no rain. We almost got tired of watching perfect sunrises and sunsets. We did get two good feeds of oysters, and did I mention the crocodiles ? No ? Well we did not see one despite the dire warnings. It is not some-thing I usually do when washing up after dinner but the constant scanning of the immediate area with my headlamp looking for floating logs with red glowing eyes almost gave me a cricked neck. We did see

quite a few croc. cousins – goannas.

Every night was different – the roar of the incoming tide, the hum of the sand flies and insects, the rodents scuttling, the frogs and toads croaking, the scrub-fowl shrieking, the fruit bats squabbling, the snoring, coughing and farting of old men and none of it heard by Kerrie. She wears earplugs and missed the cricket (insect) that Soraya noticed had “perfect pitch”.

We didn’t take on the usual putrid odour of “the great unwashed” as every day we got to bathe, some days both our bodies and our undies. One pool had the qualities of a spa but for the puzzling fact that the upper layer of water was cold and the lower metre or so and the sandy bottom was al-most hot – go figure. Two other pools were deep, cool, waterfall-fed havens for both humans and large dewy-eyed jungle perch (fish) looking for a dropped biscuit or two.

From North to South we camped at Nina Bay, Little Ramsay Bay, Zoe Bay (two nights), and Mulligans falls. We started day 1at the boardwalk, all 100 metres of it, where the ferry dropped us off, and we finished on day 6 at George’s Point, the southernmost point of the island.

We had plans to maybe climb Mt Straloch to see the Liberator B24 crash site (1942) on day 7 but the pulling power of the Lucinda pub was too strong once we could see it so the script was tossed out, and we grabbed the first ferry to come over.

There were three trip highlights for me:- One was the whole walk itself – best I have ever done and with a great bunch of compan-ions. I make a special thanks to the photographers who recorded our journey so brilliantly, and I just loved the way everyone instinc-tively assumed a role to help make the walk successful.

The second and most humbling experience was the driftwood tree at George’s Point and nobody knows from whence it came. It ap-peared during cyclone Yasi. WOW!

My third highlight was not on the island. It was in the men’s quar-ters at Lucinda the night before we started.

Let me explain.

No, not that sort of “mens quarters” ……!!!!!

At dinner Mike announced that his pack may be a bit too heavy (20kg is not light for anyone) and very politely he asked Carmel to

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conduct an audit.

Wayne and I dutifully cleaned our teeth, put on our ‘jamies and then rather than turning on the telly for entertainment we sat on a couch mesmerised by proceedings which went like this………….

Carmel – Mike, empty your pack out – here – on the floor - now!

Mike – Er, OK Carmel – now what?

Carmel – Howmany days will we be on the is-land – howmany breakfasts, lunches and din-ners ?

Mike – Er, six I think?

Carmel – well why do you have seven days of food? – Oh dear or dear what am I going to do with you!

Carmel - Why do you have a shaving mirror, why a razor for that matter, why 3 torches, two jumpers, a tuxedo, a kitchen sink, why this and why that?

Mike – Er, what do you think Carmel?

Carmel - Right, now put that in the bottom of your pack, right down, come on, push harder – lie it straight – hurry up.

Mike – Er, righto Carmel.

And so it went on for the best part of an hour.

Wayne and I were almost blue with apoplexy….that is until Wayne muttered something about maybe she will start on the two of us, next…

After that we became very still and slipped silently to our beds.

We all have stories to tell, photos to show and memories to cling to. If you are interest-ed in details, just ask.

Oh, and by the way, apart from some vermin snagged by Wayne and one small “grunter” by Bev., we never did catch any fish!

Oh, and one more thing, if anyone asks, we were NOT responsible for the burning down of the derelict Resort!

Malcolm

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Fellow walkers have added the following personal observations on this walk:

'A highlight for me was walking out on the beach to watch the sunrise, and apart from those of the little night-time creatures, mine were the very first footprints on that beach, in that big beautiful picture-perfect landscape'also…

'To camp on the beach at Zoe Bay, walk through the rainforest, then through a bushland with wildflowers, jump on rocks across a creek, and swim in a deep green pool under a waterfall with a bunch of friendly fish... it sounds like something out of a storybook!!’

Can’t get my photos out of my head!

….just remember, “Dewey” caught the only fish!!

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Where: Mt Cordeau and Bare RockWhen: Saturday 5th September 2015Leader: Hilary Martyn

Twelve walkers met at BP Aratula for a cuppa before dri-ving to Cunningham’s Gap to start the walk to Mt Cordeaux and Bare Rock. We’d moved the walk to Sat-urday in the hope that there would be fewer other walk-ers on the track. Fat chance! The carpark was packed and there was a large group from Northern Rivers Bush-walking Club getting themselves organised. However, we managed to set off ahead of them. The walk was book-ended by the two Hilary’s. As this was a quiet walks, tail-end Hilary Riley armed herself with notepad and pen to write notes if necessary!

It was a perfect day for walking – blue skies, not too hot. It was a steady climb through rainforest before it opened out and the grass trees appeared. At one stage we heard what we thought was a cat bird sounding very like a crying baby, and rounding a cor-ner we came across three young women one of whom was carrying a crying baby, so no cat bird.

A note came up the line from tail-end HR to leader HM asked when morning tea would be. So we stopped shortly after, as I had planned, at the Mt Cordeaux lookout and this is where the Northern Rivers Club caught up with us. We then continued on across a rocky saddle where we saw many huge spear lilies just starting to open up. I reckon in a few weeks they will be magnificent.

Just before we reached Bare Rock the track divided. By this time the group had also split into two and the notepad and pen were again put to good use to leave a message for the slower walkers, pointing in the right (left) direction. Lunch was eaten at the top of Bare Rock

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and we had some good views of the surrounding area. A big black cloud appeared and we thought the forecast 30% chance of showers had arrived, but we only had a couple of drops. The Northern Rivers Bushwalking Club caught up with us again, but at least they were able to take a group photo for us. Then it was all down hill, back to the cars and a stop at Aratula for a cuppa before heading home.

A good group and an enjoyable day.  

Hilary Martyn, Walk Leader

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Important Information WALK GRADINGS:

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

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.

Distance Terrain FitnessS Short Under 10k, per day 1-3 Graded track or open terrain, no

scrub1-3 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 re-quired

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

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• 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 own-er.

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.

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• 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 vege-tation 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 mo-ment.

• 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

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