In March/April 2010 I went trekking in Nepal with a group from the Bankstown Bushwalking Club. The 3 week trek was to Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp. I’d said last year (2009) that

it would be interesting to see what effect high altitude has on me. Well, now I know!

I had bronchitis for the 2 weeks prior to leaving & as we were leaving had just finished a course of tablets to try to improve my low iron levels . The sprained ankle had been rehabilitated by some intensive physio by this time.

We flew via Bangkok, to Kathmandu (1300m),

enjoying some sightseeing trips in the city envi-rons, then on to Lukla (2800m) 2 days later to start our trek. The very first day of trekking, dur-ing our overnight stay at Phakding (2600m) I got a major gastro problem, so the next day I took a long time to gain the 800m height to Namche (3450m) and was way behind the others, eating only 4 small Mars Bars and a few mouthfuls of rice that day.

Next day was an acclimitization day at the same altitude level – but I only made it half way (to Phurte, not to Thamo - the village aimed for and reached by the rest of the group) and so I came back to Namche early. The next day we climbed even higher to Khumjung (3780m). I was taken via a shorter route as I was still slow and weak due to sickness, while the others went via the

Everest View Hotel. They didn’t see Mt Everest but I saw it with a bit of cloud on it, and I also got views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse, and other beautiful Himalayan mountains.

Unfortunately overnight at Khumjung, two of the

group developed HAPE (High Altitude Pulmo-nary Edema – fluid on the lungs) and so the next day the others went on (and all 8 made it to both intended destinations and back) and we 2 came

back to Namche, via my shortcut from the previ-ous day, with my guide Ringi (he carried my day-pack for several days while I was separated from the group during the daytime, by slowness) and Pemba our porter. This time we were treated to the clearest view of Everest, with no cloud, so we counted it a successful trek.

It was quite a chore to move around the steep

streets and houses of Namche, with our lungs

not working well. We found a clinic where we

could get oxygen and did this for a few days. My oxygen levels were remaining low when I was off the breathing mask, and unfortunately the drug used to treat my HAPE, gave me edema of the legs, so arrangements were made to evacuate me by helicopter to Kathmandu.

It was a long cold 4 hr wait from 6.30am, on the chopper pad overlooking Namche and the sur-

rounding mountains. Bad weather conditions prevented the chopper from leaving Kathmandu earlier. (In fact the weather got worse in the high mountains around that day and was hazy all over the country for many months around that time.) At last the chopper came and I spent my travel time filming the countryside in the 1.5 hr flight back to the lower altitude, via Lukla for a refuelling stop. The whole country appears to be covered in

terraced fields, despite the incredible steepness of the terrain and remoteness of these areas in the Everest foothills.

Lynda stayed over a week longer in Namche, then met the rest of the group returning, while I filled in my time with other adventures. First I visited an International Clinic in Kathmandu and after a few days of diuretics I was OK to take up new travel

plans. (cont’d page 2)

Nepal 2010 trek—the group at Everest Base Camp Back row—Lianne, Ron, Helena Front row—Garry, Linda, Kim Not pictured—Peter, Kate

2012 No. 1&2 AUTUMN/WINTER

BANKSTOWN BUSHWALKING CLUB INC. THE OUTDOORS CLUB THAT DOES IT ALL!

NEPAL 2010—Everest region B y T h a ï s T u r n e r

BUSH TELEGRAPH

Nepal 2010 1

Prez piece 2

Nepal 2010 (cont’d) 2

AGM President’s report 3

AGM Walks, Social, and Abseil Committee re-ports

3

Barefoot Bowls 4

Mobile Phones & Emer-

gency Numbers

4

PLBs 4

New members 4

Preventing Blisters 5

How to load your pack 5

Club Awards 5

Use for Lemons 5

BWRS info 6

Snippets 6, 7

Inside this issue:

Club email address:

bankstownbush@gmail.com

Postal address:

PO Box 7061,

Mt. Lewis NSW 2190

Phone no.:

(02) 9773 9141

All opinions and recommenda-

tions contained in this maga-

zine are the individual authors’

alone, and do not constitute

official endorsement by the

executive or members of the

Bankstown Bushwalking Club

Inc.

Before Christmas Louise and I enjoyed a driving holiday up around

the Warrumbungles and through to Cathedral Rocks and the coast. We were very happy to see the land so lush. Farm dams full; creeks flowing; happy cows doing happy cow things; road verges green; trees sprouting and crops flourishing. All sounds good but what surprised us was the extent of some of the cropped fields. They can be huge. All crop and nothing else. Sometimes rarely a tree to break your vision. I'm sure this is all good for the farmer as less barriers etc create better economies of scale re amount of planting, production per hectare, reaping costs etc.

But where do the birds perch? We found out....on the overhead wires, looking onto the roadside verges or crop edges for their next meal. This must severely limit the food source for birds in this area and ultimately bird numbers overall.

On the Saturday I toured some temples, and due to it being Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival time I saw cultural dances and a craft/food festival, but by mid-afternoon it was obvious something unusual was going on with choppers circling, traffic jams, a public transport shut-down, and the Red Shirts gathering in the street next to my Hostel (which is in fact a 2-storey award-winning restoration of a traditional Thai house, which won best YHA in the World in 2009). I got inside and all the guests staying here had to eat at the hostel restaurant that

night, as tear gas was being dropped in the immediate area for the next few hours from the Army choppers. (At night the black choppers kept their lights off but the Red Shirts gave away their location on the streets by letting off firecrackers).

The Internet was the only way of finding out what was going on. The protestors were fighting the government (Army) it seemed, in some way, sirens of emergency vehicles were blaring all Saturday night and

loud broadcasts were going on all night from the next street junction – the Democracy Monument.

Sunday seemed quiet, the streets were quite empty and I was able to go and tour the Royal Palace and take a boat ride on the river. How-ever the usual festivities of Khao San Road were very subdued as I found out that 22 people had been killed and 300 injured overnight – both sides were at fault, and both sides had dangerous weapons, and both sides lost lives – civilians and government.

I didn’t feel unsafe out on the streets by day, but both I and Linda

(who’d been staying at another hotel closer to some of the fighting) booked our taxis for early on the Monday, expecting traffic jams to the new airport (20kms out of the city) but the roads were actually quite clear. Tourist buses and other transport were cancelled. We had too many hours in the airport then, but were glad we’d left early.

I was glad to get back home to Australia though and will plan a re-turn when both my health and fitness improve, and the countries I want to visit are a bit more politically stable.

Our trek’s main guide Ambar, has a relative (with a similar name - Amber) who operates a travel agency and organises development programs for some of their Tamang villages in the Everest foothills. Amber met me when I came back to Kathmandu via chopper, showed me around some more tourist sights, and made my ongo-ing travel arrangements. Travel insurance is a must-have in these situations, but I never found out what the chopper cost! Amber was appreciative of the contributions of books for the village

school library (and my thanks to those who were able to add these books to their luggage on the way over) and for contributions I’ve been able to send to Nepal since then.

So I flew on to Pokhara, further west, near the Annapurnas, for a look around. There’s an amazing Mountain Museum there, the pretty Lake Phewa, and a low peak – Sarangkot, just out of town, and while I was there a huge hailstorm and deluge hit the town,

such that the locals said had never happened in March before and was like monsoon weather from June. It cleared the air for a quick

look at snow covered peaks as I was then driven by car to Chitwan National Park, near the Indian border. Being driven by car or bus in Nepal, beside steep gorges with wild rivers deep below on roads that can’t really be described, is an experience you have to have to believe!

At Chitwan I stayed 3 days for the full safari experience, riding on an elephant, seeing crocs and rhinos and experiencing some of the culture of the region as well as meeting a very old elephant that’s

allowed to wander where he pleases in the park, but always knows his way home at night. I also saw the twin baby elephants at the elephant breeding centre – only the 2nd set ever born in captivity.

Then I flew back to Kathmandu, after the expected delays at their smaller airports. I visited all the other main features of the City, met our trekking group when they returned, then went off to stay 2 days at Nagarkot, which is meant to have a view of the Langtang

Range. The haze that prevented views from Sarangkot at Pokhara (hiked up there at 5am for a sunrise not seen) also prevented any views from Nagarkot. All the activities and things I did see, places I

went, people I talked to, were fascinating however, and I had a great time. The traffic chaos, the colour and crush of crowding humanity, and infrastructure installations in Kathmandu have to be seen to be believed! The country also copes remarkable well with the uncertain electrical supply – rationed on a rotating 6 hr basis. Consequently many noisy generators are in action in the 6 hours

when there is no power supply. Adapt and overcome seems to be the Nepalese motto and they do this with ingenuity.

Various people from the group left Nepal on different days in our last week, and the last 2 of us had both independently planned a weekend in Bangkok on the way home. I was glad of Linda’s prior experience here, but we didn’t know a state of emergency had been declared 2 days before we arrived, and that the roadblocks and friendly people who allowed us through the roadside barriers

when we arrived late on Friday night, to find the YHA I was staying in, were in fact the Red Shirts - protestors.

P A G E 2

I know food production is very important for our growing population

(even if overseas countries are buying many of our farms) but biodiver-sity is important too. I would like to see a few more tree corridors through these areas (yes, I'm a greenie). What about you?

And to support all our bird friends I have altered a well known ditty that we can sing along too. Come on, you know the tune!!

Kookaburra sits on the electric wire

Gone, many old gums trees you desire

Cry, kookaburra, cry

Some Aussie farmers must raise your ire

Mikey, El Pres PS...If you rearrange energy you get greeny!!!

B U S H T E L E G R A P H

Left to right: Pemba, Thaïs, Ringi—Everest at far rear of middle be-tween Pemba and Thaïs.

NEPAL 2010 ( c o n t ’ d )

President’s report by Mik e ro b in so n

Bowls, the Bundeena Art Trail, a Variety Show, Winter Soup-a-thon, Astronomy night, a Care Flight Base visit and afternoon tea at the Camellia Gardens - just to name a few. Unfortunately some events were cancelled due to lack of interest, weather or other cir-cumstances.

Also on the program were the usual restaurant evenings, the annual bush dance and Xmas party. These events are always well attended and enjoyed by members. Our Walks Committee also encourages members to come along on base camps to socialise. The Bungonia weekend had a very large turnout which included a catered Mexican fiesta dinner. The quarterly BBQ’s at our meeting hall are turning out to be very popular with many members enjoying a good supply of sausages and

bread rolls prior to the Club’s meeting. A special thanks to Kathie who organises the food and to our BBQ chefs for giving their time to help feed the hungry hordes. Once again the Club would like to thank all those members who have supported, attended and organised activities for our programs. We would like to add a very special thank you to Janelle, though no longer a member of the club gave up her time to prepare many of the delicious salads for the Xmas party and looked after the kitchen and

all of us on the night. The Social Committee Louise & Vicki

ABSEIL COMMITTEE REPORT

Your abseil committee is very happy to report that we have had anoth-er year of safe and enjoyable rope activities in the club. Unfortunately Rick’s dodgy knee has prevented him from participating as fully in club

and abseil committee activities as usual last year.

We ran our usual 3 beginners practice days and all were well attend-ed. 8 members also attended an advanced rescue skills day. It’s a

tribute to the membership of the club that so many of our abseilers are willing to come along and regularly brush up on their skills. It makes leading our canyons and caving trips so much more enjoyable for our

leaders when they know that they have a group of skilled safety con-

scious people on their trips.

We didn’t need to replace any ropes or gear this year, however we will

be checking the ropes carefully to make sure that they haven’t picked

up any damage during the last canyon season.

Speaking of canyons, we were able to run quite a few canyons de-spite the cold and wet summer we have had this year. It seemed warmer in the usually cold canyon waters than it did in the car parks.

Once again we had many enthusiastic participants on our canyons, with many old favourites revisited and the club visiting Hat Hill Canyon

for the first time.

There were some difficulties in early 2011 with obtaining caving per-mits. After some investigation and a review of the National Parks Cave Access Policy we were able to clarify that if we could provide an

insurance certificate demonstrating that the club holds appropriate public liability insurance, then permits would be issued. Our thanks to the members of the management committee for their support as we

worked through the issues. We have subsequently had no problems obtaining the necessary permits and now have a lot more caving trips appearing on the program. We’d like to thank Liam for joining the

group of caving leaders and adding to our opportunities for getting

down and dirty together.

The cavers would also like to thank club members for approving the

payment of permit fees out of club “abseil” funds. This makes it much

fairer and easier on our leaders.

Danny, Lynda, Mike, Peter, Rick & now Tim too

Your Friendly Abseil Committee

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Hello everyone

It’s been another good year for the Club with lots of varied activities in many of the wonderful places around Sydney, further afield and of course, for the lucky ones, travelling to various parts of the world. I hope you have enjoyed what the Club has offered this year.

And we are fortunate, as this is a well organised and run Club. This is all due to the members who volunteer on Committees and gener-ally help out throughout the year. Management is probably a little

remiss for not thanking these people enough and publicly. So let me go on record as saying a big thanks to all the members on Man-agement, Walks, Social and Abseil Committees; the leaders who lead trips; the supper suppliers at the meetings; all the helpers at the BBQ nights which continue to be very popular; Louise and Janelle for all the work they do for the Xmas Party and the people who happily clean up after; Thaïs for her single handed organisa-

tion of the Bush Tele; the guest speakers who attend meetings;

Kevin for arranging many of these guests; all the people who help get out and put away the chairs and generally assist at meetings and all the others I’ve absent-mindedly omitted but who assist in ways that truly makes our Club a great place to be a member of. Why don’t you come to a meeting one night and see how it all fits together?

To each and every one I wish a happy and healthy year.

Mike Robinson

El Pres

WALKS COMMITTEE REPORT

Apparently Hobart has bragging rights over Sydney as this

summer they have had 5 consecutive days over 30degrees,

where we haven’t. And, unfortunately this fickle summer has

put a dampener on many of the programmed trips which

had to be cancelled, some due to the rain and some as a

precaution. Walks are OK in the rain but canyons and

storms don’t mix and member safety is paramount so many

of these trips were cancelled.

However, looking back to last year we had a great run. Very

few activities cancelled with many attracting good numbers.

And the variety of activities on offer was as attractive as ever.

Walks to all the National Parks around Sydney, many up the

Central Coast (thanks Sue); bike rides galore; caving trips;

abseiling trips and training days and the ever popular base

camps. This year also featured some new activities: the Light

to Light extended walk was new, as was Archery which was a

lot of fun. Unfortunately backpacks took a hit this year with

a number of scheduled overnighters cancelled…we’ll have to

do better in this area! And the usual overseas trips saw Club

members off all round the globe. Thanks to the members

who arranged these trips and invited other members along.

So, to the leaders of each activity, a big thank you. Without

you we wouldn’t have the variety we do and we wouldn’t

have a Club. We hope this year is bigger and better and eve-

ryone continues to volunteer to lead as you have energetical-

ly done in the past.

See you in the bush.

The Walks Committee

SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT

Over the past year Club members provided a number of social activities for all members to enjoy and once again we managed to have a fairly full calendar. This year saw some new and reinstated events on the Club’s pro-grams which included Ten Pin Bowling, Archery, Barefoot Lawn

P A G E 3

AGM reports

N O . 1 & 2 2 0 1 2 A U T U M N / W I N T E R

Sunday 15th January saw 15 hardy Devils and Bankstown BW assembled at the Ingleburn Bowling Club for a game of

barefoot bowls.

It had been raining steadily overnight and there were seri-ous doubts as to whether we should go ahead. But ahead

we went.

There was much laughter and some serious discussion as to which bowls were to be selected for each person. Teams of

three were formed and our games commenced.

The sky was an angry grey but nothing dampened the feel-

ing of fun and frivolity generated by the group.

Many of us decided to play in several rings at once enabling

the group to wonder at our skills.

There were a few near misses as bowls flew in all directions

but no toes were crushed or permanent injuries received.

replaced to ensure a good signal can be sent if and when required in the future. If the PLB has been activat-ed on a multi-day trip, it can be turned off and reused if required on the remainder of the trip. One supplier of our PLB’s is GME Standard Communi-cations and they have an office at Gladesville. If the PLB has been activated in an emergency, GME will re-place it free of charge. If the PLB has been activated in error it will be replaced at the cost of an equivalent unit.

Q: What happens when a PLB (Personal Locator

Beacon) is activated?

A: When a PLB is activated a signal is sent to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. They then con-tact the Emergency Contacts of the PLB to verify the validity of the call. If a mobile phone has been in-volved in the Emergency it will also be contacted. The PLB has a battery with a life of 7 years. If the PLB has been activated, it is recommended that it be

P A G E 4

Rino's skill was apparent as he took to the rink. Helen, Maureen and Glenys showed natural talent. Kevin & Kerry were extremely good as were all the others in the group. However there was one poor thing that struggled with her

bowls, her name started with M. Well everyone has to learn!

After a couple of hours we all headed for the well equipped and very pleasant club Bar-b-que area. The games were dis-cussed in detail. Each detail becoming bigger and better (as

with fishing stories).

As we finished our afternoon the rain began to fall again and

again.

The Bowling experience was enjoyed by all with lots of laugh-

ter and friendship.

Thank you all for attending and making this a very successful

club event.

From the vast majority of mobile handsets you can call Triple Zero (000) without having to unlock the keypad or key-in a

security-protection Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Dialling 112 from a fixed line telephone in Australia will not connect you to the Emergency Call Service. It is only available

from digital mobile phones.

You cannot use the SMS text facility to contact Triple Zero

(000) or 112.

Therefore if you need to call emergency services from a mo-bile phone, use 000 instead of 112 unless you are outside Australia. 112 will still work in Australia but 000 uses a fixed line system and maybe more reliable than 112 which places

more reliance on the mobile phone system.

Further information can be found at www.triplezero.gov.au

Dial Triple Zero (000) for police, fire or ambulance in a life or property threatening time critical emergency situation. Tri-ple Zero (000) can be called from any fixed or mobile

phone.

112 is the GSM international standard emergency number which can only be dialled on digital mobile phones, 112 can be dialled anywhere in the world with a GSM coverage and is automatically translated to that country’s emergency num-

ber.

112 is a secondary emergency number that can be dialled from mobile phones in Australia. Special capabilities, includ-ing roaming, once only existed when dialling 112, however mobile phones manufactured since January 2002 also pro-vide these capabilities when dialling Triple Zero (000) to

access the emergency call service.

B U S H T E L E G R A P H

Personal Locator beacons (PLBs ) B y L y n M c M i l l a n

Mobile Phones & Emergency numbers B y L y n M c M i l l a n

BAREFOOT BOWLS B y m a r g a r e t M c q u i l l a n

Please make all our new members welcome when you next see them on one of our club activities —

Kate Condie William and Dorothy Fernades Erden and Devlet Sizgek Joseph Strbik

Ania Kalisiak Rob and Jayne Gibson Casper Deng

NEW MEMBERS

properties like Coolmax, polypropylene or merino – not cotton!

Never wear unwashed socks and always carry a spare pair of socks when walking longer distances. Change socks during your walk if your feet become sweaty or wet. TIP: Dust the inside of your spare socks with talcum powder and place in a ziplock bag.

Keep Dry – apply foot powder or talcum powder directly on your feet.

Test lubricants like BodyGlide to reduce friction

Blister Blocks/Second Skin – If you have specific places that are prone to blisters, try applying a second skin prior to your walk. Blister kits are available at Paddy Pallin.

Wrapping and Taping – Tape any pressure points or ‘hot spots’ before they become blisters. Wrapping toes with moleskin or taping feet with athletic tape is also a common practice. Make sure the tape is smooth with no wrinkles and not too tight.

Always break your boots in before a long walk. Leather boots can take longer than other fabrics to break in.

Blistered feet causing pain and suffering through each step is not the way you want to remember your adventure. Alt-hough sometimes unavoidable, blisters are at least manage-able if looked after early and properly. Having said that, pre-vention is far better than treatment to help you avoid blisters and enjoy your trip for what it is.

10 Blister Prevention Tips:

The Perfect Fit - Ensure a 10mm space between your longest toe and the end of your shoe. Be sure that you have enough room to wiggle your toes inside the toe box and your heel does not slip when you walk. Lace boots firmly (not tightly) to help prevent any movement.

Choose shoes that breathe well and inspect the inside of your shoes for seams or worn areas that might produce extra friction.

When fitting the boots in store you should always wear socks similar to those in which you intend to walk.

Quality socks are just as important as quality boots. Many people prefer to wear two pairs of socks with new boots or on long walks. The best combination is a light liner sock under a heavier technical sock. Select socks with fabric for good moisture transfer

Trophies were presented at the

March AGM for the winners of

the Club’s awards:

Member of the Year: (joint winners) :

Kathie Graham and Lynda Paju

Most Active Leader of the Year:

Thaïs Turner

Ross Hamilton Shield (Paddy Pallin

Rogaine highest score for team with

a BBC member) :

Bobby Tucker

P A G E 5

Preventing blisters S o u r c e : P a d d y P a l l i n e - n e w s l e t t e r N o v 2 0 1 1

CLUB Awards

Folding, rather than rolling, your sleeping mat and load-ing it vertically against the frame on the inside of the pack helps prevent the contents of your pack from digging into your back.

Pack heavy items towards the frame of the pack to keep the centre of gravity close to your back, allowing you to walk upright.

Gear which is needed frequently or quickly should be easy to access. Lid pockets and back pockets are perfect for snacks, gloves, camera, map, compass, first aid kits and rainwear.

The pockets are the least waterproof areas of the pack and are a great place for stuffing rainwear.

Read more tips on how to load your pack in Paddy’s Diaries.

A well packed backpack can be the difference between pleasure and pain when you're out in the wilderness. It is worth spending some time at home loading your pack with the gear you expect to take on different trips just to see how it fits and how the comfort level of your pack changes when your packing is configured differently.

As a general rule it is best to find a way to get everything inside of your pack to best protect your gear from damage and water. If you're going to bother carrying it all, you'll want it to work when you need it.

Here are five tips which might help with getting the weight and position configuration correct:

Pack your sleeping bag in its stuff sack at the bottom of your pack. It is the last item you will need each day.

Thaïs receiving her award from Vice President Kevin

N O . 1 & 2 2 0 1 2 A U T U M N / W I N T E R

HOW TO LOAD YOUR PACK S o u r c e : P a d d y P a l l i n e - n e w s l e t t e r 2 0 1 1

USE FOR LEMONS Contributed by Gabriella Agoston

How to clean or make your electric water boiling kettle look

like brand new!!!

Fill up kettle with water

Put half a lemon in it

Boil up water

Leave it for a few minutes

Boil up water again

Repeat these steps as necessary

Pour out water and rinse kettle

Congratulations!!! Your kettle is nice, clean and looks brand

new!!!

Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad Inc.

http://www.bwrs.org,au

Contact Wilderness Rescue by phoning 0427 455 897

(The 13 number and pager number are no longer in use)

Check the website for information and course registrations

Remote Area First Aid Course (4 days)

For outdoor enthusiasts and emergency service members.

This comprehensive course is ideal for those people who may

find themselves in situations where medical help may be delayed

by hours or days.

Senior First Aid (1 day)

Oriented towards the situations that bushwalkers may find them-

selves in, where medical help is not immediately available.

Map Sale

Hundreds of maps for sale (bargain price)—topo maps covering

almost all of NSW and some interstate areas. Series 1, 2, 3.

Scale—1:25000, 1:50000, 1:100000

Suspension Trauma

Information on the medical effects of immobilisation in a vertical

position. At risk groups include those who wear harnesses and

have become immobilised or are immobilised in a stretcher.

Georges Hall Community Centre 188 Birdwood Road

Georges Hall NSW 2198

Club email address: bankstownbush@gmail.com

Trip planning could be made a little easier if you have a look at http://www.wildwalks.com. The website has a lot of

free info including maps and could also give you altitude profiles and likely mobile phone coverage.

In November 2011 the new facilities at Audley in the Royal NP were celebrated and the official opening occurred.

It was with sadness that club members would have learned of the death of the Ambulance Service of NSW SCAT para-

medic Mick Wilson who died while attempting to retrieve an injured canyoner on the South Coast on Christmas Eve

2011. Mick had won bravery awards for rescues of canyoners in various situations in the Wombeyan Caves and Blue

Mountains areas during his distinguished career and will be sadly missed.

Some years ago (2009) our club received information about a book that had been published by Canberra Bushwalking

Club. Titled ’Finding your way in the bush: how to navigate and plan bushwalks’ by George Carter, this book may still

be available. If you are interested contact the Club directly. Details may be found on the Bushwalking Australia website.

Lynda has found a very comprehensive resource with quite accurate information on HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary

Edema). To learn more look at http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/

Coal Seam Gas Mining poses a threat to many of our National Parks and outdoor environments. The NSW Environmen-

tal Defenders Office could be contacted to find out what exploration titles cover the area you live in and what your

legal rights may be.

At the start of 2011, John Miller spent a couple of months sailing on a catamaran around the Bahamas and Caribbean.

A friend Terry had bought a catamaran in Florida, and wanted some sailors, to help sail it back to Australia. Sailing from

Florida, down through the Bahamas and Caribbean, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Ocean, more or less

following the equator, and then Tahiti, Tonga, Fiji etc and then home to Australia. John has written weekly accounts of

his trip with plenty of pics. If interested in the full episodes please contact me & I’ll pass your email address onto John.

Snippets Com p i l ed by Th a ï s Tu r ner

Contributions to this newsletter are always welcome & can be emailed to Thaïs on

tmaturner@yahoo.com

Deadline for Spring issue is: Fri 27th July 2012

Meetings coming up in 2012: June 4th July 9th August 13th

We’re on the Web!

http://

www.bankstownbushwalkingclub.

org.au

CLUB MEETINGS EVERY MONTH

USUALLY HELD ON 2ND MONDAY OF MONTH—

EXCEPT JANUARY

P A G E 6 B U S H T E L E G R A P H

N O . 1 & 2 2 0 1 2 A U T U M N / W I N T E R P A G E 7

It was very sad to learn of the death from mesothelioma on 20 March 2012, of Lincoln Hall, 56, one of Australia’s

greatest adventurers, an internationally respected mountaineer and author, trekking guide and founding director of

the Australian Himalayan Foundation. Lincoln was a member of the first Australian Everest Expedition in 1984 and

made headlines around the world in 2006 when he was left for dead while descending from the 8848metre summit

of Mt Everest. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and all those in the outdoor adventure community.

The Blue Mountains Crossings Bicentenary 2013-2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the May 1813 journey across

the Blue Mountains by Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth, the subsequent survey by George Evans and the construc-

tion of the road led by William Cox in 1814. The event concludes with the anniversary of the journey of Governor

Lachlan Macquarie, his wife Elizabeth and their touring party, along the new inland road in 1815. A program of

events is being developed. Enquiries to crossings@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

A short distance from Sydney in the Southern Highlands you will find some excellent walking destinations. Morton

National Park is accessible from Bundanoon and many short and longer walks can be found in this region.

The new Dharawal National Park was officially gazetted in March 2012 and a community celebration was held on 5

May. Some wonderful views from an easily accessible lookout and walks to waterfalls are able to be made in this area

which is only a short distance from Campbelltown, at Wedderburn. Check out http://ww.wildwildworld.com.au

Did you know? In 1932 a Sydney department store F.J. Palmer & Sons Ltd teamed up with the railways and organised

5 mystery hikes. For a two-shilling ticket hikers travelled by train from Central Station to a mystery destination from

where they were taken on a guided bushwalk. These hikes attracted thousands of participants but they also had their

detractors. The first in June went from Waterfall to Audley in the Royal NP, next in July was Valley Heights Station to

Penrith Station (almost 3000 people participated), the third was Cowan to Hawkesbury River (12 trains were needed

to transport the 8000 hikers). Despite the wowsers and walking purists the Railways made a £3000 profit from the 5

hikes. The events were captured on film by a commercial photographer Tom Lennon (1908-1992) and the glass nega-

tives are held by the Powerhouse Museum. See them at http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has just finished it’s season in Sydney with some fantastic films. Until 28

June you might catch it in Katoomba, Newcastle and other venues around Australia. If you would like to see more of

the best in outdoor adventure sport films, look out for the Radical Reels film tour and for the Banff tour next May. War-

ren Miller’s adventure snow sport films have also been touring Australia every May/June for the past 25years—this

years shows will be at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Cremorne from 30 May to 3 June.

Enthusiastic cavers may be interested to know of the Hills Speleology Club. Further info http://www.hillsspeleos.org

Jenolan Caves is the best in Australia. They received two gold awards at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in the

categories of Tourist Attraction and Heritage & Cultural Tourism. If you haven’t been there lately, it’s time to go now!

The Blue Mountains Gazette continues to regularly report incidents where bushwalkers have become lost in the Blue

Mountains National Park and reserves, prompting continuous requests by the Police Rescue Squad that walkers ‘Think

before you T.R.E.K’ and always take a PLB with them. Be prepared, think safety first, no matter the type of activity or

the planned length of time to complete it. February 2012 was an ‘unpredictably busy’ month for the rescue squads.

ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia) is the most experienced and successful

whale rescue organisation in Australia. They maintain a 24hour marine mammal rescue hotline and their website is at

http://www.orrca.org.au

If you are interested in maintaining the biodiversity of our wildlife you may be interested in saving bilbies and support-

ing the building of a 25km² predator proof enclosure at Currawinya NP in western Qld. Check the website for further

info at http://www.savethebilbyfund.org

For updates on topics of wilderness protection and conservation see http://www.colongwilderness.org,.au

For events relating to bush regeneration, landcare, and sustainability in the local Bankstown area and to receive the

Council publication ‘sustainABLE Bankstown’ see http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au

Regular rogainers might be interested in trying the sport of orienteering. See http://www.orienteeringnsw.asn.au

In April the NSW NPWS completed repairs to the Blue Mountains NP Giant Stairway walking track at Katoomba and

re-opened this celebrated route at Easter time. It had been closed since a landslide on Feb 17th.

Downhill Mountain Bike riders have welcomed a Blue Mountains City Council decision to construct tracks for down-

hill and cross country in the Lower Mountains at the Knapsack Reserve area. Riders have been working towards this

decision for 2 years, since the closure of some previously established tracks.

A large number of high profile adventure events occur in the Blue Mountains each year, but the continual wet

weather early this year made conditions not only treacherous for residents and regular bushwalkers but also forced

the cancellation of events like the Six Foot Track Marathon due to an impassable part of the Cox’s River.

SNIPPETS (cont’d) Compiled by Thaïs Turner