june 201 6 issue 269 - bushwalking victoria...e: [email protected] | t: 03 9846 1132...

Bushwalking News Victoria. Issue 269, June 2016 of 21

Walking and Talking with the Bushwalking Victoria President ....................... 2

New telephone number for Bushwalking Victoria office: 9846 1132 ................. 3

Bushwalking Victoria Leadership Forum and AGM - Notice ............................ 3

Keynote Speaker at Leadership Forum ............................................................... 4

Administration Assistant Required ..................................................................... 4

Help Identify Tracks at Risk ................................................................................ 5

Future Directions .................................................................................................. 5

Fed16 – Update ..................................................................................................... 8

Fed 16 - Walk Leaders and Co-leaders Wanted .................................................. 9

Track and Conservation Activities ..................................................................... 10

Walk the McMillans Walking Track .................................................................. 11

Mount Worth State Park – Local Landscape Enhancement Grant ................. 13

Volunteering for Parks Victoria at Mount Buffalo, Easter 2016 ..................... 14

Club Anniversaries.............................................................................................. 15

Donate to VNPA Campaign to Restore Parks Victoria Funding ..................... 16

Walking Interstate – Western Australia ........................................................... 16

Victorian Nature-based Tourism Forum ........................................................... 16

Australian Walking and Cycling Conference 2016 ........................................... 17

Lake Mountain Recruiting Volunteer Ski Patrollers ........................................ 17

Fundraising Challenges – Australian Alpine Walking Track .......................... 18

Flora and Fauna of Wilsons Prom ..................................................................... 19

Contributions ....................................................................................................... 19

Discount Offer ..................................................................................................... 20

Who’s Who at Bushwalking Victoria ................................................................. 21

June 2016 Issue 269


Walking and Talking with the Bushwalking Victoria President

A personal reflection

This is my last column as President of Bushwalking Victoria. When I

became President in 2013, I felt (as I still do) that I had some very

big shoes to fill. Throughout my time as President, my job has been

made much easier by the support, hard work, and willingness to try

new things that the board members and volunteers I have been

privileged to work with have shown. Everyone on the Bushwalking

Victoria boards I have served on has worked very hard and quite

selflessly to further the interests of bushwalking. Our volunteer

support has been outstanding.

When I began my presidency, I asked the board to start acting

more in the mode of a cabinet than a committee, with every board

member taking on specific tasks and projects. This was essential

to let us begin delivering against the ambitious Strategic Plan we adopted. I believe this model has

been effective and has allowed us to make the most of our limited resources, but it has asked more of

every board member.

We also began the system of asking every board member to liaise with a group of clubs in order to

understand their problems and issues and to help the board connect better with the clubs. I think this

too has been very successful. My impression is that board members are better known and less remote,

and that helps us respond more effectively when clubs want assistance or advice.

On a more trivial note, I recall that back in 2013 I tried to read every club newsletter for a given month

and came to the conclusion that my brain had given out part way through!

I have lost count of how many meetings I have been to, on behalf of Bushwalking Victoria and how

many emails and letters I have written, but it has all been interesting, challenging and worthwhile. I

have always felt, and still do, that Bushwalking Victoria has done a great deal for the bushwalking

community in Victoria, and I am confident it will continue to do so.

It has been a privilege to have served as your President for the last three years, and I hope that my

successor will enjoy their time as much as I have.

Volunteers

I thought I would focus, in my last column on the tremendous role played by volunteers in the

bushwalking world. I know that Bushwalking Victoria could not survive without the dedicated efforts

of many people who give their time and effort unstintingly.

This is just as true of bushwalking clubs. Every club is run by volunteers who give their time and skills

to work for their fellow bushwalkers. Not only the club committee, but the walk leaders, whips,

meetings organisers, librarians, support people in a myriad of roles all play their part. Bushwalkers

are very good a pitching in to help. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our clubs and we couldn’t exist

without them.

Tony Walker, President, Bushwalking Victoria


I have noticed that, at a time when the membership of many recreational and sporting clubs has

sharply declined, bushwalking clubs are better than holding their own on average. I believe this is

largely due to the quality of the people we have in our clubs that make them function, thrive, and be

valued in their communities. Long may this continue!

Leadership Forum and AGM

By the time you read this column, invitations will have been sent to all clubs and Individual Supporter

members inviting them to the Leadership Forum and AGM on Saturday 18 June.

This year, we will have a keynote address from Bradley Fauteux, CEO of Parks Victoria. As we are all

very well aware, Parks Victoria is the land manager of most of the parks and reserves in which we do

much of our walking. In my recent meeting with Bradley, he was at pains to emphasise their wish to

work more closely with stakeholder organisation like Bushwalking Victoria. We have agreed to work

with Parks Victoria on a plan on how we can make this happen. This will put some specific actions

around the Memorandum of Cooperation we have had with Parks Victoria for some years.

Bradley will talk briefly about his vision for Parks Victoria, and hopefully will have time to field a few

questions.

I would encourage as many clubs and members as possible to come to the leadership forum. It is always

an instructive and interesting day, and always seems to throw up some good ideas and initiatives we

can all share.

Thank you once again to everyone for your support and help over the last three years.

See you on the track!

Bushwalking Victoria has been, and will continue to be the strongest voice it can for the Victorian

bushwalking community.


New telephone number for Bushwalking Victoria

office: 9846 1132

Bushwalking Victoria Leadership Forum and AGM - Notice

Saturday, June 18, 2016

The Bushwalking Victoria Leadership Forum and AGM will be held on Saturday 18 June 2016

at Templestowe Valley Primary School in Templestowe (the link shows its location: 2016 Templestowe

Valley PS map.pdf).


Further details will be emailed to clubs as they become available. If clubs have topics that they would

like to be discussed at the forum, please email either Tony Walker at

[email protected] or Patsy Scales at [email protected] as soon as

possible.

We look forward to catching up with you on what will be a very interesting and informative day.

Patsy Scales. Office Manager

E: [email protected] | T: 03 9846 1132

Keynote Speaker at Leadership Forum

Bradley Fauteux, the CEO of Parks Victoria, will be the keynote

speaker at the 2016 Leadership Forum. Prior to joining Parks

Victoria in late 2015, Mr Fauteux was the Managing Director of

Ontario Parks and a Board Member at the Canadian Parks Council.

He has extensive experience in park management, environmental

issues and stakeholder relations and is a champion of the Healthy

Parks Healthy People approach to park management.

Administration Assistant Required

Bushwalking Victoria is looking for the services of a proactive Administration Assistant to work with

the Office Manager and the Board.

Administration background in a busy environment will be an asset.

Intermediate Microsoft Office Suite skills, including Excel, typing, strong attention to detail and ability

to follow through are a must for this role. Experience in online applications such as Salesforce, Joomla

and MailChimp is preferred, but not essential.

Liaison with Bushwalking Victoria members, general office administration and secretarial support

where required will keep you challenged and busy.

If you are a proactive person with a strong customer-service focus, take pride and ownership of your

contribution, and want to be part of a growing organisation this could be for you.

Please email your CV with a covering letter to Patsy Scales at [email protected] or

telephone 03 9846 1132 for further information.

Administrative Assistant Job Description 184.03KB

Patsy Scales. Office Manager

E: [email protected] | T: 03 9846 1132


Help Identify Tracks at Risk

Bushwalking Victoria recently met with Bradley Fauteux, CEO of Parks Victoria. At that meeting, we

emphasised the importance of the volunteer work we have been doing with Parks Victoria, which is

focussed mainly on tracks and conservation work.

We also made the point that some important tracks are being lost due to lack of maintenance.

He has asked us to nominate up to 10 tracks state-wide where we would like to see priority given to

remediation work. In 2015 the Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation (BTAC) committee compiled a

short list of ‘tracks at risk’.

We need your input and knowledge to complete that list, and identify the priorities. I am therefore

requesting that club walks coordinators or walk leaders tell us about the tracks that need some TLC!

Ideally, we would like you to send us a short list of tracks you consider to be at risk, with a brief outline

of the major problems associated with each track at present.

The BTAC committee, led by Megan Major, will then coordinate and review the list, and liaise with

Parks Victoria to hopefully get some priority action.

The next BTAC meeting is Monday 6 June, so please provide your input by Friday 3 June. Please send

responses to Megan Major, the Bushwalking Tracks & Conservation Convener, at

[email protected]

We'll give you feedback on the outcomes we achieve.


Future Directions

Communications

Bushwalking News Victoria

The Bushwalking Victoria website contains a great deal of valuable information for both members and

the non-members. During 2015 the Board tasked a website subcommittee, led by me, with reviewing

this large and complex website to assess how easy and intuitive it is to use, especially for those not

necessarily familiar with it, with the objective of making specific recommendations for any required

changes.

A website committee report has been presented to the board, which accepted its recommendations.

Prominent among the many recommendations was the ‘elevation’ of member information so that this

resource for club committees and club members is easier to find.

Implementation of the recommendations will entail a redesign of the website. Some of the changes you

can expect are a ‘flatter’ menu structure so that there is less ‘drilling down’ to find information; make

all major topic areas ‘visible’ at menu level so that users can see what information is on the site; making

user accounts easier to understand and manage.

The new version of the website will be launched later in 2016.


Bushwalking News Victoria

We conducted a survey of readers (and non-readers) of Bushwalking News Victoria. 323 responses were

received – more than sufficient for the survey to be statistically valid. There were good levels of

response from metropolitan and regional club members, as well as Individual Supporter members and

bushwalkers who do not belong to any club.

Comments received about Bushwalking News Victoria were generally favourable. But we asked about

what content readers would like to receive. Three items were prominent: news about what

Bushwalking Victoria is doing on behalf of bushwalkers; news from land managers; and news about

Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation activities.

We are now planning to undertake a restructure of Bushwalking News Victoria, which we hope will

fulfil these desires of readers. We are also planning to redesign the newsletter and its delivery

mechanism to give readers the option of reading it on a mobile device as well as having a print-friendly

version of the newsletter.

The new version of the newsletter to be launched later in 2106.

Joslin Guest, board member

Promoting bushwalking

At its May 2016 meeting, the Board of Bushwalking Victoria approved a Marketing Strategy and Plan

with implementation to begin in July 2016.

For an organisation like Bushwalking Victoria, ‘marketing’ is about identifying and attracting potential

bushwalkers into bushwalking as a recreation and also as members. Bushwalking Victoria has

identified three groups to be targeted over the next three years and a number of specific activities for

each group:

• Pre-retirees and retirees

People in this age group are often looking for an alternative to competitive sport with a view to

increased participation on retirement. This age group is the most likely to be interested in

joining a bushwalking club and therefore is an ideal target group for clubs interested in

increasing their membership.

Bushwalking Victoria will work with interested clubs and local governments on programs to

attract new bushwalkers and members. Club participation is entirely voluntary and each

participating club will determine what activities it wants to undertake. Bushwalking Victoria’s

role will be to advise and assist as agreed with the club.

• People aged in their 20s and 30s

People in this age group are much less likely to join clubs and generally prefer to walk with

friends, often at short notice.

Specific promotional activities targeted at this group will be:

o A digital campaign to attract and engage with people in this age group and encourage

them to become Individual Supporter members of Bushwalking Victoria and to


participate in Bush Search and Rescue and Bushwalking Track and Conservation

activities

o Investigating creating an app particularly targeted at younger walkers and potential

walkers

o Working with existing walking groups of younger walkers (eg, Meetup groups) to ensure

they are operating safely. We will encourage these groups to join Bushwalking Victoria

as a member club.

• Families with young children

This group consists of people who are looking for a flexible and fun way to spend time together.

They are time poor and unlikely to join bushwalking clubs.

The initiatives planned for this group include:

o Increasing the number of family friendly walks on where2walk

o Looking at applying the software used for younger walkers to create another app

targeted at parents and children using the family friendly walks on where2walk

o Working with local government on family focussed local activities.

A presentation on the Marketing Plan will be given at the Leadership Forum in June. If your club is

interested in participating in any of the promotional activities described above, please contact me at

[email protected].

Elaine Towers, Strategy Consultant

Training

Training is available from Bushwalking Victoria for leadership at both day-walk and extended-walk

level, including navigation theory. Training materials in the day-walk and extended-walk skills are

available on the Bushwalking Victoria website for clubs to use or adapt to conduct their own training.

In addition the Training Coordinator can assist with training if requested by a club. This can be for

either course; either as a whole block or as single units. The final format and presentation can be

arranged as agreed to with the Training Coordinator and the club.

To date, I have worked with different clubs to provide training on a specified topic and the presentation

of the day-walk leader training course over two days. There is a booking for another weekend course

covering topics from both day-walk and extended-walk courses.

Planning has started for a day of practical navigation training to be held later in 2016.

Clubs might like to combine to offer training in their region to assist in skill development for leadership.

Judy Hunter, Training Coordinator


Fed16 – Update

The 2016 Federation Walks Weekend will be held on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 October 2016. The

event is being hosted by the Wimmera Bushwalking Club (based in Horsham). Horsham Rural City

Council has kindly provided funding for the event which will be based in the Laharum / Wartook Valley

area in an effort to aid their fire recovery efforts.

The walks program has been published. The walks range from Easy to Hard. Walk notes are available

for 19 of the 20 walks. A summary of the walks and detailed walks are available from the Walks

Program page.

Participants are urged to check all aspects of a walk when choosing their preferences, including grade,

duration, length, total uphill, gradient, path and cautions. Participants should choose a walk within

their ability. Participants should also take driving times and distances into account. Some walks are

close to the Laharum hub; others involve a bit of a drive. Walk locations range from Mt Zero in the

northern Grampians to the Chimney Pots in the south and across to the Black Range and Mt Arapiles

in the west. A map showing the location of the walks is available from the Walks Program page.

Registration will open on Friday 8 July and will close on Wednesday 31 August.

Registration fees:

• Two-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday): $20

• One day only, Saturday or Sunday: $15

• Additional cost for the Saturday evening meal: $24.

Information of the Saturday social evening is now available on the website.

Visit the Federation Walks 2106 website at http://www.fedwalks.org.au/ for more information.

Example of Walk Notes


Walks Program

Fed 16 - Walk Leaders and Co-leaders Wanted

Whilst we have already had a number kind volunteers for walk leaders for the Federation Weekend,

there are still a number of walks that require a leader and/or co-leader.

If you would like to volunteer for either role, please email us at [email protected] for a list of

outstanding walks. Once we have enough names, walks will be allocated accordingly to leaders and co-

leaders.

Both walk leaders and co-leaders will be encouraged to attend a training day and

should also scope their walk at least once prior to the event.

A big thanks to all those who have currently registered their interest.

Chris Dunmill, President - Wimmera Bushwalking Club


Track and Conservation Activities

BTAC program

Date Location

26-28 Aug Wilsons Prom Lighthouse area

For information and to register interest, contact Charlie Ablitt, Bushwalking Tracks & Conservation

Projects Coordinator, at [email protected].

Chainsaw Course

Saturday 25 June at Drouin

Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation (BTAC) will again be

running a chainsaw training course. Chainsaw accreditation

is mandatory for the use of chainsaws in Parks Victoria and

DELWP parks, reserves and forests.

There is a course fee for participants. (The cost of the last

course was $130 per person.) The cost will be refunded when

you have done three track work events using a chainsaw.

Note: You will need to own a pair of steel-capped boots, the wearing of which is mandatory when using

a chainsaw on Parks Victoria land.

For more information and to register interest, contact Charlie Ablitt,

Bushwalking Tracks & Conservation Projects Coordinator, at

[email protected].

Regent Honeyeater Planting Weekends 2016

Date Location

30-31 Jul

13-14 Aug

27-28 Aug

10-11 Sep

24-26 Sep

Lurg Hills near Benalla

Activities

Plant wildlife corridors for endangered birds and animals

Participate as a club or as an individual, for the weekend or a

day. For more details check out the flyer and

planting weekend details PDF.

To register contact Ray Thomas, Coordinator, Regent Honeyeater Project at

[email protected] or (03) 5761 1515.

The Regent Honeyeater Project is supported by Bushwalking Victoria.

Photo: Jody McCormack Source:

http://regenthoneyeater.org.au/


Walk the McMillans Walking Track

Unless you have a high level of navigation skills and are prepared to bush-bash, not all of the 220km of

McMillans Walking Track is currently suitable for walking. But thanks to the recent efforts by

DELWP, Parks Victoria and the Ben Cruachan Walking Club several sections have been cleared and

remarked, making them very suitable for club outings. Clubs and independent walkers are encouraged

to experience the wonders of McMillans Walking Track.

McMillans Walking Track follows tracks cut by Angus McMillan in 1864 when he was commissioned by

the Colonial Government to construct a track to link the goldmining communities in the Gippsland high

country. The track starts on the Great Alpine Road near Omeo and winds its way through the high

country above Dargo and Licola to finish at Woods Point.

Recently volunteers Joe, John, Michael and Anna from Ben Cruachan worked on behalf of Parks

Victoria and the DELWP to upgrade some 10km of three off-road sections of the track. In addition

DELWP engaged contractors to clear and upgrade 4km of the track leading into Woods Point.

Volunteers Anna, Joe and John

Volunteer Michael checks his GPS for the position

of the track on Treasure Spur

Treasure Spur

From a camp on the Mayford flats on the upper Dargo River, John, Michael and I put in almost 50

hours of labour to upgrade the marking and clear the route on Treasure Spur from Mayford up to the

King Spur Track. It will now be much more straightforward to follow the track and the walking will be

easier.

Mayford is a delightful and remote location. It has 4WD access only between November and the

beginning of May, but is accessible on foot all year round subject to weather conditions. It is a 9km

walk and a drop of 800m in from the Dargo High Plains Road.

A rewarding overnight back pack with a car shuffle would be to walk down the Dinner Plain Track from

Dinner Plain and descend into the Dargo River via the Mayford Spur Track. Then camp the night(s) on

the grassy flats adjacent to the Dargo River, once the site of the bustling goldmining settlement of

Mayford, not that you can recognise any of it now, but the fishing can be rewarding. When you are

ready to move on, climb Treasure Spur up to the King Spur Track, then follow King Spur Track taking

in the views into and over the Devils Hollow to its junction with the Dargo High Plains Road. Have a

vehicle waiting for you here.


On this 20km walk you will experience 14km of McMillans Walking Track. You will not need a 4WD for

this trip.

Talbotville to Eaglevale

From a camp on the banks of the Wonnangatta River at Eaglevale, the volunteers cleared and upgraded

the marking on the track from the suspension bridge over the Wonnangatta River up to the top of the

Cynthia Range, marked on some maps as Station Track. The work hear revealed some of the original

benching of McMillans Track.

Before, during and after clearing work on Station Track

They then went on to clear the track from the Wongungarra River up to Brewery Creek Road, not far

from Talbotville. They had to deal with quite a lot of blackberry on the lower half of this section of

track.

The track from the Wongungarra River to Brewery Creek Road has arguably some of the best examples

of Angus McMillans work, where rock was hewn and stone walls constructed to form an eight foot

(2.4m) wide track along steep slopes.

Examples of Angus McMillans work

After some 120 hours of volunteer effort there is now an easy to follow 11km system of tracks linking

the pleasant camping areas of Talbotville and Eaglevale. But you still need to take your maps. You

will need to ford the Crooked and the Wongungarra Rivers, which is straight-forward at low flow.

There is a suspension bridge across the Wonnangatta River. You will observe some of the construction

work carried out by Angus McMillan and his men over 150 years ago.


Bald Hill to Woods Point

Much closer to Melbourne, the eastern end of McMillans Walking Track now provides for a pleasant day

walk in the Woods Point Gold-Mines Historic Area, thanks to DELWP at Mansfield which engaged a

contractor to clear and upgrade the track from the turn off from the Bald Hill Track down to the

Goulburn River. It is now a pleasant 8km walk down from Bald Hill into Woods Point or a challenging

16km return walk involving a 350m climb. Check it out.

Ben Cruachan Bushwalking Club has a club walk on this section of the track on Monday 13 June,

the Queen's Birthday weekend. Members of other clubs are welcome to register to join in.

Contact Anna at [email protected].

Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge James Noonan, Forest Manager - Macalister, DELWP Heyfield; Sarah Noonan,

Ranger Team Leader, Parks Victoria Heyfield; Vicki Jones, Ranger, Parks Victoria Dargo; Dan 'Dargo',

DELWP Dargo; and Catherine Spencer, Forest and Fire Planner, DELWP Mansfield for their

facilitation, support and encouragement. Thanks also to John, Michael and Anna for their unselfish

time, companionship and hard work. Special thanks to John for the use of his vehicle and equipment

and all the 4WD driving to get us to and from the work sites and coming all the way from Mt Gambier.

For further information about walking McMillans Walking Track contact Ben Cruachan Bushwalking

Club at [email protected]; website: http://bencruachanwalkingclub.com.

Joe van Beek, Ben Cruachan Bushwalking Club

Mount Worth State Park – Local Landscape Enhancement Grant

The last six months has been a very exciting time for the Friends of Mount Worth State Park. Through

the support of Parks Victoria and a lot of hard work by our members and other volunteers we have

successfully delivered on the Local Landscape Enhancement grant. This Victorian Government grant

allowed us to:

• Replace a large vehicular bridge near the start of the Moonlight Creek track

• Refurbish the 800 metre long Moonlight Creek ‘all access’ section of the track to the Australian

Standard

• Rebuild four bridges along the Moonlight Creek ‘all access’ section of the track, including the

use of Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic grating

• Install six information signs, two along the Trevorrows Mill track, one at the end of the Giants

circuit and three along the Moonlight Creek ‘all access’ section of the track

• Lay cloth and install two drainage pipes then cover with stones on the Moonlight Divide track.

This work was celebrated on 30 April with an official launch of the All Access Track by Harriet Shing,

Member for Eastern Victoria. The event began at 10am with about 40 people in attendance and after a

few speeches we walked to the start of the Moonlight Creek ‘all access’ section of the track. After the

cutting of the ribbon, a few people went for a stroll to have a look, and then we all returned to the picnic

shelter for a sumptuous morning tea and lots of chatter in beautiful weather.


Vanessa, the youngest member of the Friends of Mount Worth State Park, prepares to cut the ribbon,

assisted by Merrin Butler (left) and Harriet Shing, Member for Eastern Victoria (right)

We are now in the process of catching up on our normal track clearing work and if you enjoy being

outdoors we would really appreciate your help at our first-Sunday-of-the-month working bees. We meet

in the carpark at 10am and you can contact us via e-mail at [email protected] and come and

look at our newly installed and locally made ‘seed’ table in the picnic shelter.

Tony Castle, Friends of Mount Worth State Park

Volunteering for Parks Victoria at Mount Buffalo, Easter 2016

It was a privilege and a pleasure to be part of the Parks Victoria Park Ranger Volunteer Program. The

pleasure was to be given the opportunity to walk in one of the most spectacular areas that north-east

Victoria has to offer and to camp near the picturesque Lake Catani. It was a privilege to be included in

the Parks Victoria Volunteer Program as a volunteer park ranger stationed at Mount Buffalo.


This program is very popular for anyone wanting work

experience in the field of recreational/adventure tourism or

with Parks Vic. Over 70 expressions of interest were

received by Parks Victoria for the eight volunteer positions

available at Easter, yet other public holidays also require

similar numbers.

Ian T and I spent Easter Thursday at an OH&S session at

the Parks Office in Tawonga to prepare ourselves to

participate in the volunteer program. We were joined by other volunteers who would spend Easter

volunteering at Mount Bogong, Federation Hut and walking between Falls Creek and Mount Hotham.

Our role was to be a friendly face for the visitors to the Chalet and the camping spots. We also took

every opportunity to engage in conversation with walkers and cyclists on the tracks. We were asked

may times: “What is happening with the Chalet?” With the assistance of the books provided by Parks

Victoria, we appeared knowledgeable on all manner of plants and weeds found on Mount Buffalo.

I estimated we walked about 60kms over the three days, checking tracks for fallen trees, damaged

signage or equipment, weeds and overall track conditions. We were required to take GPS readings and

photos to accompany the report we made at the end of each day.

One of the highlights was on our walk out to Mollison Gallery. I was sitting on one of the many large

boulders, when above me, first one, then two and finally four large wedge-tailed eagles played together

using the thermals to glide above. It was magic!

Our hosts, Iris Curran and Blair Hume, genuine park rangers, kept in regular contact with us. The

support they provided, along with friendly campers at Lake Catani and the glorious autumn weather

contributed to a fantastic Easter weekend of walking and talking.

Cindy, Border Bushwalking Club, Footprints May 2016

Club Anniversaries

Warrnambool Bushwalkers Celebrate 40 Years

Source: The Warrnambool Bushwalker May 2016


Donate to VNPA Campaign to Restore Parks Victoria Funding

Victoria’s amazing national parks are suffering from neglect due to a serious lack of funds. Weeds and

pest animals such as deer are causing major damage, and tracks, signs and other facilities are in

disrepair. The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) has launched a donation drive to help

convince the government, raise awareness, build support for a petition and generate stories in the

media, just like the one that ran on the front page of The Age newspaper with the aim of restoring

parks funding to at least 2010-11 levels – an additional cash input of at least $30 million a year. The

recent state budget did provide some additional funding for park infrastructure, but that was only

about $5 million a year, far from what is needed. It is not enough to rescue Victoria's parks. The

awareness campaign is necessary because most Victorians are simply not aware of how underfunded

our parks are.

Please donate today so that together we can win the fight to get funding restored to protect and manage

our parks properly.

-------- Click here to donate today to help rescue our parks --------

Matt Ruchel, Executive Director VNPA

Walking Interstate – Western Australia

Most bushwalkers know about the Bibbulmun and Cape to Cape walks in Western Australia. But if

you are planning to holiday in WA, you should visit the Trails WA website and have a look at the Trails:

Bush Walk page which lists 67 walks ranging in location, distance and grade. After you have walked a

track, you can submit a review.

Victorian Nature-based Tourism Forum

15 June 2016

One-day intensive focus on nature-based tourism policy, innovation and networking

Following last October's successful inaugural nature-based tourism forum, Outdoors Victoria is

delighted again to be partnering with Parks Victoria to deliver a one-day intensive forum:

• Date: 15 June 2016

• Time: 10am - 4pm

• Location: Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne

• Keynote speaker: Bradley Fauteux, Chief Executive, Parks Victoria

Last year, you told us that it was great to have multiple government agencies and industry voices in the

room at the same time, so we're focused on packing as much policy intelligence, powerful stories, and

networking opportunities we can into this day.

You'll hear about latest policy developments from a wide range of government portfolios, including

Parks Victoria; Regional Development Victoria; Department of Environment, Land, Water and


Planning; Visit Victoria, and others - plus opportunities to discuss your issues directly with government

and industry bodies in a specialised forum.

Full details and registration information will be available in the coming days. We

hope to see you there.

Chuck Berger, CEO Outdoors Victoria

T: 0417 447599 | [email protected] | www.outdoorsvictoria.org.au

Australian Walking and Cycling Conference 2016

This conference will be held at Flinders University Victoria Square, Adelaide on 18-19 July 2016. The

theme is: Walking and cycling across our lives. A quick perusal of the program indicates that cycling,

rather than walking, is the primary focus. The attendance fee is $390-440 for two days and $225 for

one day.

For more information visit the website at http://www.walkingandcycling.com.au/ or contact

http://www.australiancyclingconference.org/index.php/contact.

Lake Mountain Recruiting Volunteer Ski Patrollers

Lake Mountain Ski Patrol (LMSP) is recruiting volunteers to join the weekend

patrol team for the 2016 winter season.

Ski patrol is an integral part of Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, helping keep the

mountain safe for visitors, providing first aid services and general advice to the

public, and assisting with searches if the need arises. The importance of LMSP is

highlighted by the fact that Lake Mountain is the closest alpine resort to

Melbourne, attracting almost 130,000 visitors last winter.

So, if you are a fit and competent skier, and looking to volunteer with a difference,

then LMSP might be for you.

Patrollers:

• Are required to have a minimum of Level 2 First Aid

• Need to be fit, competent skiers

• Need to be available to be rostered on weekend days throughout the

winter

• Receive free entry to Lake Mountain Alpine Resort

• Have access to on-mountain accommodation on rostered weekends

• Are subsidised to gain Australian Ski Patrol Association (ASPA) certification

• Have fun working as part of a team of like-minded people.

The 2016 winter training weekend for current and prospective volunteer patrollers will be held at

Lake Mountain on June 4 and 5.

For further information please contact LMSP Secretary, Cathy Sutton on 0403 146 378 or

[email protected], or check out our website at www.lakemountainskipatrol.org.


Fundraising Challenges – Australian Alpine Walking Track

27 October – 7 November 2016

The Australian Alpine Walking Track is a 655km track from Walhalla in Victoria to Tharwa in NSW.

This challenge involves walking a third of the track. The challenge will be very physically demanding,

requiring both physical and mental stamina.

Funds raised will help fund research projects on diseases such as oral cancer and gum disease, and

promote the importance of general oral hygiene.

Itinerary

Day 1 - 28 Oct - Mt Hotham to Cope Hut 21.8kms 8 hrs

Day 2 - 29 Oct - Cope Hut to Big River, 19.7kms, 7.5 hrs

Day 3 - 30 Oct - Big River to Mt Wills, 19.8kms, 9.5 hrs

Day 4 - 31 Oct - Mt Wills to Taylors Crossing, 26.1kms, 12.5 hrs

Day 5 - 1 Nov - Taylors Crossing to Johnnies Top, 23.6kms, 8.5 hrs

Day 6 - 2 Nov - Johnnies Top to Buckwong Hut, 23.8kms, 9 hrs

Day 7 - 3 Nov - Buckwong Hut to Bulley Creek, 24.5kms, 15.5 hrs

Day 4 - 4 Nov - Bulley Creek to Tin Mine Huts, 27.9kms, 8.5 hrs

Day 9 - 5 Nov - Tin Mine Huts to Thredbo River, 22.7kms, 6.5 hrs

Day 10 - 6 Nov - optional extras

Cost and fundraising target

• 10 days: $1,800 registration plus an expected fundraising target of $2,200

• 4 and 6 days: $1,600 registration plus an expected fundraising target of $1,400

More information

• The challenge:

o Brochure: http://www.adavb.net/Portals/0/News/Alpine_Walking_Track.pdf

o Contact: Roula Papatheodorou at [email protected] or 03 8825 4600

• eviDent Foundation: http://www.evident.net.au/

To register for or sponsor the challenge

• Register for information session: Roula Papatheodorou at [email protected]

• Complete the online booking form available at

http://www.evident.net.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fgwXtIfL5eo%3d&tabid=192&language=en

-AU

• Fundraise/sponsor: http://www.gofundraise.com.au/beneficiary/eviDent


Flora and Fauna of Wilsons Prom

Images captured during Waverley Bushwalkers’ base camp at Wilsons Prom, 10-15 April 2016.

Source: Walklines, May 2016

Contributions

Email or post news, views, club profiles, articles, photographs, sketches and letters on any topic of

interest to bushwalkers (publication is subject to editorial approval) to:

[email protected] or

24 Moorhouse Street, Camberwell Victoria 3124

Deadline for the July 2016 edition: Monday 20 June 2016.

The statements and opinions expressed in articles are those of the author and do not necessarily

represent the views or position of Bushwalking Victoria.

Editor: Joslin Guest


Discount Offer

Henty Bay Beachfront Holiday Park

We invite Bushwalking Victoria to stay with us at Henty Bay Holiday Park whilst

exploring the many stunning walks throughout Portland and surrounds.

Explore parts of the famous ‘Great South West Walk’, ranging from 2 hour to full day

walks - areas such as Cape Nelson National Park, the extinct volcano at Mount

Richmond, Cape Bridgewater blowhole or the ‘petrified forest’.

We have dormatory style brand new accommodation and facilities - 9 bedrooms which can

sleep up to 50 people. Bring your van or stay in one of our cabins or villas.

At Henty Bay we are fully licenced, offer newspapers and café-style coffees, beachfront, fish &

chips, a great beachfront BBQ area, a billiards room with 4 tables and bar plus a lovely lounge

and kitchen facilities for your convenience.

Location in a quiet oasis only 5 minutes along the coast from Portland.

As a special offer for Bushwalking Victoria -

Receive 10% off our best available rate.

Stay 5 nights or more and receive up to 20% off.

Quote code BUSHWALKING when booking to receive your discount.

Valid until 31 December 2016.

[email protected] or 035523 3716

www.greatsouthwestwalk.com and www.hentybay.com.au


Who’s Who at Bushwalking Victoria Reg No: A0002548Y

ABN: 88344 633 037

Office:

Patsy Scales Office Manager [email protected] 03 9846 1132

Office Bearers:

Tony Walker President [email protected] 0414 278 121

Charles Ablitt Vice-President [email protected] 0400 967 054

Philip Davis Secretary [email protected] 0447 447 525

Robyn Shingle Treasurer [email protected] 0419 501 666

General Board Members:

Megan Major [email protected] 0425 702 788

Peter Conroy [email protected] 0425 721 479

John Creaser [email protected] 0498 654 091

Peter Campbell [email protected] 0409 417 504

Hadi Hezaveh [email protected] 0406 177 130

Joslin Guest [email protected] 0400 988 668

Standing Committees:

Peter Campbell Bush Search & Rescue Victoria Convener

[email protected]

Megan Major Bushwalking Tracks & Conservation Convener

[email protected]

Specialist Officers:

Bushwalking Australia Insurance 1300 723 810

Joslin Guest Publications & News Editor [email protected]

Peter Conroy Federation Walks Coordinator [email protected]

Chris Towers Web Manager [email protected]

Phil Brotchie Land Management Submissions [email protected]

Charles Ablitt Bushwalking Tracks & Conservation Projects Coordinator

[email protected]

Dave Rimmer Bushwalking Track Development Officer

[email protected]

Judy Hunter Training Coordinator [email protected]

Consultants:

Elaine Towers Strategy [email protected]

Stephen Skaleskog Honorary Auditor & Accounting Consultant

Representatives on other Organisations:

Bushwalking Australia Victorian Delegate Tony Walker

Victorian Deputy Delegate Chris Towers

Organisations where Bushwalking Victoria Members Provide a Bushwalking Perspective:

Grampians Peak Trail Task Force Phil Brotchie

Living Links Steering Committee Tony Walker

Address:

PO Box 1007

Templestowe VIC 3106

june 201 6 issue 269 - bushwalking victoria...e: [email protected] | t: 03 9846 1132...

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