201106 newsletter
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QUEENSLAND
BUSHWALKERS
CLUB Inc.
PO Box 2199
Sunnybank Hills
QLD 4109
Email [email protected]
Phone No (07) 3341 7509
http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/
Newsletter June 2011
Mt Alexander
ClubNews
Walk Leaders First-Aid Refresher Training
Expression of Interest (Jul / Aug 2011)
This is a reminder to all walk leaders to let me know if you wouldlike to do the St John Ambulance refresher First-Aid training forCPR.
This course provides the skills to recognise and then manage acasualty who is unconscious and is not breathing. CPR is a lifesaving technique which can sustain life until an ambulancearrives. St John recommends, in line with AustralianResuscitation Council guidelines, that a CPR refresher programis undertaken every 12 months.
Ten QBW members did a refresher course last year. Under thebylaws of QBW any QBW member who leads a walk is entitledto 50% reimbursement of First Aid fees while a leader who leads5 walks or more in a financial year is entitled to 100%reimbursement.
I need an expression of interest to get this going. Please let meknow if you want to attend this training and also let me know anypreferred / or non-availability dates for me to do my planning.
Stuart Mackay Training Officer
Leader Training 22 May 2011
There was a training session on GPSs at Dave Rae's place ledby Richard Kolarski. Members had a chance of using therecently purchased GPSs and learning about waypoints, routesand tracks. Notes on how to use the GPSs were handed out.
The Club has 4 of the new GPSs and they will be held byRichard Kolarski, John Brunott, David Haliczer and David Rae.However other members may be able to use the GPSs if any ofthe four are not using them at a particular time.
Walks Planning 22 May 2011
Following the training session there was a BBQ and members
had a chance to add to the walks on the Calendar.The Club would like to thank David and Margie Rae for the useof the house and for preparing a superb salad.
If any member wishes to lead a walk, he/she should contactDavid Rae at [email protected]
Donations
QBW has received several donations in the last month andwould like to thank Danuta Gur who has donated 5 maps of theGreat Walks in Queensland and June Greenaway who hasdonated notes and brochures on walks.
The maps and brochures are available to Club members from
David Rae.Also the Club has received a donation of the book Walks onFlinders Island from the author Ken Martin, The Gemshop andWhitemark.
Committee Meeting
A committee meeting was held 31/5/2011. Below is a shortsummary of the proceedings.
After reviewing the Club's finances it was decided that themembership fee did not need to be increased for the 2011-12financial year but that there would be a review of the financesearly next year to see if an increase may be necessary for the2012-13 financial year. If an increase is necessary a General
Meeting will be held so that members may vote on the matter.A Steripen has been purchased via the Gambling CommunityBenefit Fund. This will be available to club leaders on multidaywalks. Contact Richard on 3341 7509 for further information.
A motion was passed that any new member paying formembership in June will remain a visitor for the month of Juneand become an Ordinary Member on the 1st of July.
Trevor Davern who coordinates abseil training with StuartMackay was present at the meeting. Discussions were heldabout any future purchase of equipment and training days.
It was also decided to increase the hiring fees for the use of theClub ropes and harness equipment for both Ordinary Membersand Probationary Members. The new charges are:
Ordinary Members - $10.00 charge for use of the Club rope andanother $10.00 charge for use of harness and accessories .
Probationary Members and members of affiliated clubs - $15.00charge for use of the Club rope and another $15.00 charge foruse of harness and accessories.
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General Information
Meeting 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.
Membership
Probationary Membership
A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Memberon his/her first walk after signing the waiver form. There is nofee payable to become a Probationary Member.
However a Probationary Member must become an OrdinaryMember on his/her second walk by filling out a MembershipForm and paying 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 committee
member or walk leader.The proposer may be a friend (who is a member of the Club) ofthe applicant, the leader of the walk that the applicant is on, theMembership Officer at a Club meeting or if the MembershipOfficer is not available, one of the committee members.
An Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or beelected to a committee position. A Probationary Member hasneither of these rights.
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 Club
members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.
Club EquipmentCompasses Topo Maps UHF Radios
Emergency Lights First Aid Kits
The above are for free use by members.Contact David at 3395 1838 or email [email protected]
PLBs with inbuilt GPS
The Club has 5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be madeavailable at each Club meeting and will need to be returned atthe following Club meeting. Contact Richard on 3341 7509.
Abseil Gear (ropes, harnesses, helmets, karabiners etc.)
Ordinary Members - $10.00 charge for use of the Club rope andanother $10.00 charge for use of harness and accessories .
Probationary Members and members of affiliated clubs - $15.00charge for use of the Club rope and another $15.00 charge foruse of harness and accessories.
Contact Stuart at 3890 8196
Back Pack for Hire $5.00 charge
Contact David at 3395 1838
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.
Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.Space Blankets For Sale $2.50 each.
Light weight and take up no room at all. A must for all walkers!
Contact Patricia Kolarski on 3341 7509.
The Management CommitteePresident Gil Gunthorpe 0408 980 694
Vice President Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)
Secretary Sue Ward 3844 6389(H)
Treasurer John Hinton 3343 3724(H)
Outings Officer David Haliczer
David Rae
3879 8334(H)
3395 1838(H)
Membership Officer Geraldine Burton 3376 9454(H)
Editor Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H)
Social Secretary Lynn Nicol 3219 6228(H)
Training Officer Stuart Mackay 3890 8196(H)
Other Voluntary Positions
Equipment Officer David Rae 3395 1838(H)
Supper Convenor Mary Sherlock 3209 8514 (H)
Librarian Noelene McCay 3889 0264(H)
BWQ Rep Stuart Mackay 3890 8196 (H)
BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 3341 7509 (H)
Campsite MonitorsJohn Brunott Ballows, Paddys KnobKerry de Clauzel Throakban, Barney Gorge and
Lower PortalsAnn Kemp Spicers Peak (east & west)Richard Kolarski Running Creek FallsBarbara Makepeace Rat-a-tat, Spicers/Doubletop saddle
Rum JungleJohn Shera Panorama PointJohn & Julie Shera Mt Superbus & Rabbit Fence Jct
Lower PanoramaKen Walters Mt May saddle & Paddys Plain
Editors Pic
Track Maintenance Volunteers
Track Maintenance Weekend 14-15 May 2011
Bushwalking Queensland Inc. held its first Track MaintenanceWeekend at Binna Burra over the weekend 14-15 May 2011withsix bushwalkers from as many clubs participating.
Under the supervision of ranger Steve Ressom, participantslearnt how to properly clean and re-profile the graded trackinverts (rock drains) and over the two days managed to attend toall the drains between the Main Border Track entrance and theCoomera seat, and beyond for a couple of hundred metres
towards Nagarigoon. Participants also tidied up the 20 minuteCircuit Track near the carpark.
The intention at this stage is to run another volunteer trackmaintenance weekend in a couple of months time. Kindly Replyto [email protected] if any areinterested. John Marshall, President, BWQ
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Special Coming Events
The Shepherds Walk: Saturday 16th July 2011
Organised by the Historical Society of Beaudesert Inc.
"In memory of the three Chinese shepherds and Aboriginalswho lost their lives in the early settlement of the district c1850"Christmas Creek Monument.
The Walk begins at the Historical Museum, 54 Brisbane StreetBeaudesert, at 8am, where walkers must check in, sign thedisclaimer form and pay for the day.
Children under 14 must be accompanied by their responsibleadult, and his/her name included on the disclaimer form, signedby the responsible adult.
Buses will leave the Museum at 8.30am and travel to ChristmasCreek to view the Monument, and hear a short address on thehistorical significance of the day.
The walk will then commence at Christmas Creek and walkerswill walk over the Jinbroken Range to the Wash Pool on theAlbert River in the Kerry Valley
On the grounds near the river crossing, Society members andmembers of the Restored Auto Club will have everything readyfor participants to enjoy a real Aussie sausage sizzle, with tea,coffee, cordial and fresh damper and syrup.
Buses will return to the Museum about 2.30pm.CHARGES:
Adult walker: Bus fare and sausage sizzle: $20-;
Adult walker in by private vehicle: Sausage sizzle: $20-;
Non walker in private car: sausage sizzle: $5.00
Children Under14 Travelling on Bus $10.00
Bookings and enquiries by 13th July.
Ph 07 5541 3740
Pilgrimage 2011 26 to 28 August 2011
The Pilgrimage is an annual bushwalking and social eventattracting members of affiliated clubs from throughout the south-east corner of the state and sometimes further afield.
This year the pilgrimage will be hosted by the Sunshine andGlasshouse Bushwalkers Clubs at the Kenilworth ShowGrounds between Friday 26th and Sunday 28th August.
The Sunshine Coast Bushwalking Club has the BWQ PilgrimageInformation on their club website at:www.sunshinecoastbushwalkingclub.com
The Festival of The Walks in the Maleny - Montville area will runseparately from the Pilgrimage from 19 to 28th August.http://www.festivalofthewalks.com.au/
However, both organisation committees are liaising with eachother to arrange some bushwalker leaders to assist with theFestival during the week leading up to the Pilgrimage. If any
bushwalking club member wishes to help out (and attend bothevents), please contact the BWQ secretary [email protected].
Myrtle RustMyrtle rust has now been confirmed at 131 sites in Queensland.Myrtle rust can not be eradicated and will continue to spread inQueensland, as it produces large numbers of spores that areeasily spread by wind, human activity and animals.
Myrtle rust is a notifiable disease in Queensland and if yoususpect that you have seen myrtle rust, notify BiosecurityQueensland on 13 25 23 or call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on
1800 084 881.
For more information about reducing the spread of myrtle rust inbushland areas, and what to do if you suspect you have comeinto contact with it, visit the Biosecurity Queensland website atwww.biosecurity.qld.gov.au
Risk Management GuidelinesThis will be a continuing series about Risk Management usingthe guidelines as proposed by Bushwalking Australia.
QBW began officially developing Risk Management guidelinesback in 2005. However even before then, the Club had in placea few checks and measures to ensure that bushwalking was assafe and enjoyable for everyone as possible.
In 2007 QBW developed a full set of Risk Managementguidelines when it hosted the Pilgrimage that year.
However Risk Management is not something you set up andthen forget. It is an ongoing process and all members need tobe aware and to be involved.
The Basics
A risk management program aims to implement actions thatreduce the likelihood and consequence of undesirable events.
Insurance is the safety net that provides financial protection inthe event that something goes wrong
These guidelines are only to do with risks to health, safety ofpersons and damage to property, that is, those events that fallwithin the ambit of public liability. There are other risks that aclub may wish to consider and decide if controls are appropriate.These include risks to the environment, and risks to the publicimage and standing of bushwalking itself.
Duty Of Care And Liability
Duty of care has been described as follows:
Duty of Care is the responsibility to refrain from causing otherpersons injury or loss.
In terms of bushwalking clubs, the test of an activity leaders orparticipants duty of care could be: What a reasonably prudentperson would do to take reasonable care to avoid exposingfellow participants (having regard to their knowledge, age,experience and skill) to unreasonable risks of injury or loss.
Furthermore, in the case of bushwalking clubs there is normallya high level of expectation on the part of club committees andactivity leaders that participants will take responsibility for their
own welfare and safety in a manner consistent with theirknowledge, age, experience and skill.
Therefore all participants and leaders need to take reasonablecare to avoid exposing any person including other participants tounreasonable risk of injury or loss. In some clubs all or someactivities may be peer based
Liability occurs when a duty of care was owed and that duty wasthen breached. Public liability is when the loss, injury or damageis to person or property although these are decisions for courtsto make.
Risk Management is a four step process.
Step 1: Identify hazards
A hazard is a situation with the potential for harm to life, health
or property. For example bush fire, extreme heat and floodedrivers are situations with the potential to harm life, health orproperty.
Step 2: Assess risks
A risk is the chance of this potential for harm being realised. Atable or matrix can be used to formally rate the likelihood of risksagainst the consequences of the risk.
This will be explained further next month.
Step 3: Control risks
Having identified the hazards and assessed the risks of thehazard, determine if the risk should be controlled and if so whatan appropriate control of that risk is.
Step 4: ReviewA regular review once a year is important to check that theprogram is achieving its purpose.
It is recommended that this process is documented for reviewingrisk management guidelines in the future
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Past Walks
Mt Zahel 26 March 2011
John Brunott had put on a Base Camp at Laidley Valley for thisweekend. The camp ground was at Centenary Park which was afairly small park but had toilets and hot showers, all that a hardygroup of bushwalkers would need. Some of the walkers wentdown the Friday night but I arrived on the Saturday morning tofind the others had had a rather chilly night out.
Mt Zahel
We started the walk from the park and walked along a dirt roadto a farm gate. John had already received permission from thelandowner to traverse this section of private land.
We followed a rough dirt road for a short distance but then wentacross a small ridge to ascend another grassy ridge. This led usto a dirt road and we made steady progress up to another ridgeline.
At this stage some were feeling the effects of the ascent and thehot day and two decided to return back to the park. Perhapsthey knew something of what was to come as there were moresteep sections including a small rock scramble before reachingthe top of Mt Zahel.
Here we gratefully sat down in the long grass in the shade andhad our lunch. We returned via another ridge that John knew.This ridge offered some great views but it was steep and grassyand most went down it sliding on their bottoms. On reaching asmall saddle we detoured and found a 4WD track. We followedthis road down which made the going a whole lot easier.
We had a rest in the shade in a small creek before walking thelast section back to the park. Many thanks to John for leadingthis walk and for showing us a new way to descend from MtZahel. Richard
Mt Beau Brummel 27 March 2011This walk was the second walk to be done on John Brunott'sweekend basecamp at Laidley Valley. Again the route was overprivate property but John had received permission from afriendly landowner.
Mt Beau Brummel
The start of the walk crossed a couple of paddocks beforeascending a steep slope up onto a ridge where there was awalking pad. We followed this along towards Beau Brummel andit was obvious that his section was used regularly, probably by anearby Outdoor Eduction Centre.
The final ascent up to Beau Brummel was up a steep slope butropes had been strung between trees and they were a help toget up the slippery sections. There was a small saddle justbefore the two peaks of Beau Brummel and there was evidencethat it had been used as a camping area.
From the summit there were terrific views all the way round andwe enjoyed a lengthy lunch before starting our return.
Our return route was down a different ridge and we werefortunate enough to spot two koalas in the trees along the way.
On reaching the road someone had to go back to retrieve thecars and give some of the walkers a lift back. However othersstill had the energy to walk back to the park.
Again many thanks to John for putting on this walk. Richard
Mt Alexander 3 April 2011
Mt Alexander is in the Kerry Valley and is on private property.However Norm J knew the landowner and we had permissionfrom him to do this walk.
Ten of us met up in Beaudesert and then drove down the KerryRoad to Darlington Park, the start of the walk. The park was fullof campers for the weekend and we had to skirt round a fewtents to get to the walking pad.
John B had done this walk several times before and he led usslowly up a ridge. There was a faint walking pad to follow withviews of the surroundings. At the top of the ridge there was alarge rock cairn where we stopped for a rest and to have a lookat the maps to check our position.
We walked along the ridge and came to a fence, the NationalPark boundary. We continued past the fence and further on wehad views of Duck Creek Road as it wound its way up toO'Reilly's from the Kerry Valley. After reaching a small knoll itwas time to turn back and retrace our steps.
On the return there was a small diversion to find a cave thatNorm had been to many years ago but it could not be found.The final part of the walk was along a dirt track on the border ofthe creek which took us back to the camp ground.
Afternoon tea back at Beaudesert helped to finish off the daynicely. Many thanks to John B for leading and to Norm forgetting permission to do the walk. Richard
Mt Ngungun and Mt Coochin 10 April 2011
These two mountains are part of the Glasshouse Mountains andboth give great views of the surrounding countryside.
We met up at a small park on the Steve Irwin Way and thendrove to the Ngungun car park. This small mountain is popular
with the public as part of it is on graded track and is signposted.However the second half of the walk is rough and can beslippery when wet. We met a few people along the way. Somewere doing it for exercise, some to get fit for other events andsome just a family group. We did meet a mum and dad withthree kids but they had to carry two of them!
At the summit there were terrific views in all directions. We did ashort walk along the top plateau and found some abseil anchorsover the high cliffs.
The walk was fairly short and we were back at the cars by11.00am. After some discussion it was decided to do MtCoochin as less people had done this walk than MtTibberoowuccum.
We drove to the start of the walk at the base of Mt Coochin andbegan up a grassy slope. We soon came upon a small walkingpad and we followed it to the first summit of Coochin. It was thena walk down to the saddle and up the other peak. We had lunchin the shade overlooking one of the fast developing estates inthe Glasshouse Mountains area.
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On top of Ngungun
Searching around I found that the summit had been used as acamp site in the past and a vuvuzela had been left behind. Ofcourse we had to try it out and the peace and silence wasshattered by the noise from the instrument.
We returned back to the cars via a different ridge and hadafternoon tea in the township nearby. Many thanks to Kerry forputting on this walk. Richard
Kennedy Lookout 17 April 2011
Kennedy Lookout is on the Springbrook Plateau and can beapproached either from the Natural Arch in Numinbah Valley orfrom the Repeater Station Road on the Plateau itself. I chosethe easier way from the plateau and seven of us drove up toSpringbrook on a cloudy day that threatened rain.
On Springbrook in the Cloud
As we drove up to the plateau it became cold and we wereenveloped in cloud. We found the start of the walk and wefollowed a trail of tape through rainforest along a barely therewalking pad.
On reaching Kennedy Lookout we were still in cloud and therewere no views, just a blank wall of white. It was here thatPatricia found she had lost her day pack cover and so decidedto go back and find it. The rest of us continued on along theescarpment, hoping the cloud would lift and give us the views.
There was still a trail of tape to show the way but the foliage wasall wet from the cloud and a fine rain. We crossed over a fewstreams which flowed over the escarpment but we were unableto get views of the falls or the valley below.
After about an hour and a half of walking we stopped beside astream and had our morning tea. We returned the same wayand met up with Patricia. She had found her pack coverpractically right at the start of the walk and then walked back to
meet up with us.Back at the cars we drove to a rest area and had our lunchunder cover just as it started to rain. Of course we couldn't missout on afternoon tea so we stopped at a cafe and enjoyed a hotdrink to warm us up. Many thanks to my walking companions.
Richard
Tasmanian Walk ReportContinued from last month
Long Walk #2 This walk was in Mt Field N.P. ski fields whichfeatures a number of moderate to long day walks. This area is a16km drive up the mountain from the Mt Field NP campground(The campground area features several interesting short walks& an abundance of wildlife).
The walk I completed was around 25 km & went along the MtField West track out to Mt Field West Peak, returning to K Col &taking the K Col track followed by the Tarn Shelf track back to
the carpark.
Mt Field
I started from the carpark a little after 0700 & returned around1520. It was a big day & I swear that the hardest part was thewalk uphill from the carpark to the start of the walking trailswhich took me the best part of 30 minutes. It was a cold morningwith moderate winds but as the day progressed it got warmerand the winds lightened off. I took a little under 3h30m to reachMt Field West Peak, leaving at 1045 after a good look around,lots of pics, an early lunch and a phone call to my wife.
This first part of the walk features around 45 minutes of rock
hopping out to K Col, followed by a relatively easy track walk tothe top of West Peak. Upon my return to the K Col intersection Iwas delayed for 30mins by NPWS who were carting bags ofrock by helicopter from near The Watcher Peak to my section ofthe track.
Tarn Shelf
I had completed the remaining part of the walk in early 2008 inwhat I would describe as blizzard conditions so I was keen tosee what the views were like on a good day. This part of thewalk starts as a relatively level track walk, followed by amoderate descent via Newdegate Pass to Lake Newdegate thenreturning via the Tarn Shelf. The walk is certainly worth doing
but from my point of view, is clearly the least spectacularcompared with all the other areas of Tassie that I have walked.However dont let me put you off as everyone has a differentopinion on scenic beauty. Go for it, as it is a great walk withmountain views, interesting rock formations & vegetation pluslots of tarns & lakes.
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Would I do this walk again? No, but I am glad I did & wouldrecommend walking in this area to others. I plan to return oneday to complete the Mt Field East circuit which I have not yetdone.
Long Walk #3 - Set in the Mt Freycinet N.P., this was to be thelongest day-walk at around 32 km, taking around 9h 30m tocomplete, although I could have saved 15 to 20 mins if I hadntmissed the unmarked track turnoff to the summit of Mt Freycinet.
The walk I completed was the Freycinet Peninsular Circuit plusthe summit of Mt Freycinet. I left the carpark at 0610 and walkedacross the saddle to Wineglass Bay then along to the southernend of the beach where the track up to Mt Graham begins. It is amoderately easy walk to the top of Mt Graham where I arrived at0910 after a few short side tracks to take advantage of greatviews over Wineglass Bay & The Hazards to Cape Tourville.The summit of Mt Freycinet was reached at 1016 but wouldhave been a little quicker if I hadnt got lost.
Freycinet Circuit Walk
A couple of young English hikers, who were doing the circuitover 3 days & had a proper map & compass, steered me backuphill for 400m or so to find the unmarked but relatively obvioustrack. The views from the summit of Mt Freycinet are about asgood as it gets when it comes to a combo of mountain, island &coastal views. These 360 degree views go on forever on a clearday like the one I experienced. Scenery wise, the remaining partof the walk through forest & along beaches was relativelyuneventful & for me quite monotonous but I was glad to havecompleted it as part of the Circuit.
This would be a great 3 day walk with an early start providing aneasy day 1 finishing at Cooks Beach to camp then spending theafternoon down at Bryans Beach. With a full pack, the next daywould be a good workout with around 7 to 8km of uphill to thesummit of Mt Freycinet (Mt Freycinet is about 1 km off the maintrack & mainly a walk with minimal scrambling to the top. I took35 mins to the top & 28 mins coming down -got lost a couple oftimes) then over Mt Graham. It is then around 6km downhill tothe Wineglass Bay campsite. The next morning could be spent
exploring this beautiful area before an easy walk back along thebeach & over the saddle to the carpark.
Would I do this walk again as a day-walk? No, not the fullCircuit. However if the body is still capable next time I visit, Iplan to do the first part of the walk to the summit of Mt Freycinet& then return the same way for stunning views all day long.
Medium Walk #1 This walk was located in Lake St Clair NPwhich is at the southern end of the Overland Track walk. I foundthe Mount Rufus circuit at 18.5km & a 680m climb, acomfortable medium length walk. It is basically a well formedtrack all the way with any steep sections featuring rock steps. Ihad an absolutely magical day for a Queenslander.
I started the walk in windy & cold conditions with occasionalperiods of sunshine. Within the first hour I experienced 3-4mmhail followed by about 30min of snow. It then cleared for 30minutes or so until I reached the top of the ridge where again itsnowed. I phoned my wife from here to share this memorableexperience. It then cleared for the next hour & after reaching thesummit (Telstra service available at the time) & finishing lunch, I
again experienced hail for about 15 minutes on the way down.After this it was fine weather all the way home.
Mt Rufus Peak
The track winds through Richea Valley which features beautifulgardens of pandani & flowering scoparia plants. You wouldswear that it had been especially planted, it is so beautiful. Theviews of nearby peaks & lakes along with the variety of weatherconditions I experienced made this an absolutely stunningexperience. On a high & on a mission to get home quickly, I fellheavily on the way down nearly knocking myself out. I thought Ihad broken my leg but thankfully I escaped with a twisted knee,badly bruised thigh & sore head. After drugging myself with twopanadiene forte & a muscle relaxant I limped home with the aidof a stick, finishing in 7h 15m. They say to allow 7hours butwithout mishap I would have completed it comfortably in around6 hours.
This was probably the most scenic day-walk that I have everdone. I think I could see as far north as the Du Cain Range &The Acropolis. The varied weather conditions from brightsunshine to snow & hail certainly enhanced the visualexperience. There are both close & distant views of manyrugged & not so jagged peaks. There are lakes both large &small, nearby & in the distance. It was just a great day. On apositive note, even my fall & struggle home added to the
challenge & experience. PS Julie & Kerry If you think I waswhinging on the South Coast Track you should have heard mecursing my stupidity most of the way home to the carpark.Luckily no-one else had to listen.
Would I do this walk again? Yes, again & again. It is just one ofthose walks that you do if the timing is right because, on areasonably clear day, the scenery will always be great (If youare really lucky you may even get snow).
Short Walk #1 - The walk to the summit of Hartz Mountain is arelatively easy walk of 3.7 km from memory. It took me 65min toreach the summit from which you get views all over the south &south-west of Tasmania. It is a well formed track nearly all theway to the top and there is only one short steepish section about1 km from the top but it is still only walking not scrambling.
There is about 200 metres of rock scree to walk over as oneapproaches the summit.
I did this walk very early in the morning & had relatively clearweather. To the south I am convinced I could see PrecipitousBluff, to the west Federation Peak & peaks of the ArthurRanges, to the north I believe the Mt Wellington area and to theeast coastal areas including Bruny Island.
Would I do this walk again? Definitely yes because of theinteresting distant views of both mountain peaks & coastal areasplus it is a short relatively easy walk which I would do at adifferent time of the day just for a change.
The walks I have reported on were the highlights for me on thistrip and I hope that some of the info may assist others who are
considering visiting & walking In Tassie. Before leavingTasmania in mid March I hope to have another crack at the day-walk to the summits of Barn Bluff & Cradle Mountain taking theeasier OT route on the way out. Hopefully fine weather willprovide the opportunity.
Safe travels & happy hiking. Greg Mackrodt
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