national parks association of the australian capital ... 53 no 4 dec 2016.pdf · new field guide to...

Bilby trilogy to ACTprimary schools

PM’s Science Prizeto Rick Shine

Butterfly Bookto be launched

National Parks Association of the Australian Capital Territory Inc.

Volume 53 Number 4 December 2016

NPA Bulletin Volume 53 number 4 December 2016

CONTENTS

On the outcome of the ACT election........................................2

Rod Griffith

From the Committee ................................................................3

Rod Griffiths

NPA spreads the Bilby’s Ring story ..........................................3

Esther Gallant

NPA’s monthly get-togethers ....................................................4

Max Lawrence

Rosenberg’s Monitors on Mount Ainslie ..................................4

Max Lawrence

River Red Gum in the ACT ......................................................5

Martin Chalk

More trees for Gudgenby..........................................................5

Hazel Rath

Glenburn/Burbong Historic Precinct news ...............................6

Col McAlister

NPA Art at Gudgenby Cottage..................................................7

Hazel Rath

Another award for our lad ........................................................8

Max Lawrence

Max Day and the ‘unraveling’ of the Scribbly Gum Moth.......8

Dr Ken Green

A visual feast of native Rock Lilies..........................................9

Klaus Hueneke

Butters Bridge: a new crossing of the Molonglo ......................9

Max Lawrence

Articles by contributors may not necessarily reflect association opinion or objectives.

The ‘Butterfly Book’ and an invitation to its launch ................9

Kevin McCue

River rides, pitcher plants, and macaques in ...........................10

Malaysian Borneo’s Sarawak

Judy Kelly

Shimmering..............................................................................12

Gerry Jacobson

NPA outings program, December 2016 – March 2017 ....13–16

Bushwalks

Temple of Doom ...............................................................16

Philip Gatenby

Bungonia Gorge................................................................17

Philip Gatenby

A walk to The Rolling Ground .........................................17

Brian Slee et al

Some Central Queensland national parks................................18

Rupert Barnett

A few days in the Cockburns...................................................20

Philip Gatenby

Exploring the Kimberley Coast...............................................22

Esther Gallant

PARKWATCH ...........................................................................23

Compiled by Hazel Rath

NPA notices.............................................................................26

Meetings and speaker information..........................................27

NPA information and contacts ................................................27

2 NPA BULLETIN − DECEMBER 2016

The recent ACT election has seen amaintenance of the status quo with returnto government of the ACT Labor / Greenalliance. But what does the ACT electionmean for the NPA?

The election itself provided anopportunity for the NPA to flag its newnational park proposal to the politicalparties. This proposal seeks the creationof a single management unit for theACT’s lowland grassy woodlands. TheACT is blessed with some of the finestremaining examples of the ecosystemsmaking up lowland grassy woodlands.The NPA believes that these nationaltreasures should be given broadrecognition through the creation of anational park devoted to theirmanagement. While many examples ofthe ACT’s lowland grassy woodlands areincluded in Canberra Nature Park, theNPA believes that the creation of aspecific national park would help focusmanagement actions, promote furtherconnectivity and provide an appropriatenational level of recognition. During theelection campaign the NPA wrote to all

the major political parties. This interactionled to The Greens putting forward aproposal for a feasibility study into thenew national park, which hassubsequently been included in theparliamentary agreement between Laborand The Greens for the next 4 years. TheNPA welcomes this progress but wouldcontend the feasibility of a new nationalpark has already been confirmed as aresult of a report prepared for the ACTCommissioner for Sustainability and theEnvironment (OCSE). This report, by IanPulsford, forms Appendix H to the 2011Nature Reserves Investigation Report andcan be found on the OCSE website.

The election has also resulted inchanges to portfolio responsibilities in theACT Assembly. Of particular relevanceare the following:

Minister for the Environment andHeritage, Minister for Planning and LandDevelopment (including major projects)and Minister for Urban Renewal – MickGentleman:

these three portfolio responsibilitieshave the potential for conflicts and

there will needto be stronglobbying toensure theenvironmentdoes not suffer.

Minister for Housingand Suburban Development –Yvette Berry:

this portfolio will be directing greenfield development in the ACT, whichhas the potential for habitat reduction.

Minister for Climate Change andSustainability – Shane Rattenbury:

climate change will continue to havesignificant biodiversity impacts for theACT.

Shadow Spokesperson on theEnvironment – Elizabeth Lee:

one of the new Assembly members.

The NPA will be engaging with allAssembly members to flag theimportance of the ACT’s reserve systemand the significance of the ACT’sbiodiversity.

Rod Griffiths

On the outcome of the ACT election

NPA BULLETIN − DECEMBER 2016 3

Kaye Kessing’s Bilby’s Ring comprisesthree books for 8–12-year-oldsdescribing the perils faced by manyendangered native animals as a result ofhuman activities and the proliferation offeral animals. The National ParksAssociation of the ACT (NPA ACT)recently donated a set of the books toeach of the 108 primary schools in thepublic, private and independent schoolsystems of the ACT.

NPA ACT is a community-basedconservation organisation with a historyof more than 50 years working to protectour natural environment. A key objectiveof the NPA is to promote a greaterawareness of the issues facing theACT’s, and Australia’s, natural heritage.

When launching the Bilby’s Ringtrilogy at the Australian National BotanicGardens last year, Commissioner forThreatened Species Gregory Andrewscommented that every school libraryshould have the books. Donating themthus became a ‘natural’ for NPA. Herewas an epic tale stretching across thebreadth of Australia involving endearingcharacters taking action on some ofAustralia’s environmental challenges.

Bilby’s Ring iswritten as a queststory in which asmall band ofendangered nativeanimals (‘TheRing’) crosses thecontinent in searchof help. Along theway they are aidedby many friendlyanimals and a fewhumans, andthreated by quite afew predators.They pass throughmany differentecosystems andare amazed by thechanginglandscape.

Bilby’s Ringreaders learnabout geography and native animalbiology as well as natural and human-altered environments. Online teachingresources are available now for use in theteaching of English. Others are likely tobecome available in the future. The

Bilby’s Ring trilogy ticks many of theAustralian curriculum’s boxes, and theNPA believes that it will be a valuableresource for the ACT’s teachers.

Esther Gallant

NPA spreads the Bilby’s Ring story

From the committeeThe NPA ACT has continued its widerange of activities. A key recent focushas been the ACT election which saw theNPA:• interviewed on ABC local radio in

respect to the ACT Liberal Democrats’election policy to ‘open up’ Namadgiand the NPA’s own proposal for a newnational park

• lobbying political parties, whichresulted in The Greens adopting apolicy to investigate the feasibility of anew national park.

In support of its new national parkproposal the NPA has also helddiscussions with the ACT Conservatorand the Director of Parks andConservation.

The NPA has also been expressing itsconcerns in response to a privatelysupported proposal for the introductionof commercial helicopter tours inNamadgi National Park. These concernshave been raised at various levels of theadministration. A key point againsthelicopter tours is the banning of

recreational aircraft landings byNamadgi’s plan of management.

The NPA continues to engage theyounger ACT community in a number ofways. Recently, all of the ACT’s public,Catholic and independent private primaryschools have received a set of the Bilby’sRing trilogy of books as a donation fromthe NPA. This series of books (see articlein this issue) covers many of the issuesfacing Australia’s biodiversity in anengaging way through the journey andadventures of five friends, eachrepresenting an endangered species. Ifyou haven’t seen the books, there will besome for sale at the NPA’s Christmasparty.

The NPA has also continued itsinvolvement with ‘nature play’, aprogram to engage younger people inoutdoor activities and also a new versionof the junior ranger program.

The NPA’s publications subcommitteeremains active with work continuing on anew edition of the NPA’s tree guide and anew Field Guide to the Butterflies of the

Australian Capital Territory,the latter to be launched in December.

Fire management has long been anissue for the NPA and work hascontinued in the planning for a firesymposium to be held in July 2017.

On the cultural and heritage front, adetailed submission has been made onthe draft Conservation ManagementPlan for the Glenburn Precinct, KowenForest.

The NPA was pleased to commenton the well-developed new draft of theMt Ginini Wetlands Management Plan.The management plan provides for arange of comprehensive actions for theprotection of these important wetlands.

The above provides a snapshot ofthe many activities in which the NPA isinvolved. With so much to do there arealways opportunities to assist. If youwould like to deepen your involvementwith the NPA, please don’t hesitate tocontact any of the members of thecommittee.

Rod Griffiths

Esther Gallant from the NPA ACT Committee presenting 67 sets

of ‘Bilby’s Ring’ books to Jason Borton, Acting

Director of ACT Learning and Teaching.

Photo by Quentin Moran.

The NPA ACT management committee wishes all NPA members and their families a safe

and happy Christmas break and all the very best for the New Year.


As you know, one of the reallyrewarding features of NPA membershipis being able to come along to ourmonthly general meetings, communewith like-minded people, discuss directlywith our office-holders what issues arebeing looked at, what’s being done aboutthem, and share a cuppa and nibbles.

But, as the promo goes, wait – there’smore! And that ‘more’ is hearing thepresentations of our guest speakers. Theprogram for coming months is shown onpage 27 of successive Bulletins. Over theChristmas period we’ll be having a bit ofa break, but activities resume as normalwith the February general meeting.

NPA has had a wonderful series ofguest speakers in recent months, and thiswill continue in 2017.

In June our scheduled speakers had tocancel, but they did arrange for aparticularly good substitute in ScottRyan, Senior Wildlife Officer atTidbinbilla Nature Reserve (TNR).Scott’s topic was ‘An overview of TNRthreatened species programs’.

Accompanied by an excellentPowerPoint display Scott gave membersa lively and very expert insight into theextent and detail of TNR’s programs tore-introduce and preserve localpopulations of Southern Brush-tailedRock-Wallabies (SBTRWs), Eastern

Bettongs (complementing the program atMulligans Flat Sanctuary), and NorthernCorroboree Frogs. His description of theprocess of cross fostering of SBTRWsusing Yellow-footed Rock-Wallabymothers was very interesting, as was hisdescription of the breeding process atTNR for Northern Corroboree Frogs. Inthe latter case they are able tosuccessfully breed large numbers of frogsat TNR, but survival rates are low whenthey are transferred to their naturalhabitat of High Country sphagnum bogs,where they are just ‘hanging on by theirfingernails’.

In July, our guest speaker was KateAuty, Commissioner of the ACTEnvironmental Defenders Office, and inAugust Rod Griffiths spoke at the AnnualGeneral Meeting of his bushwalkingadventures in Tasmania.

In September Matthew Higgins, localhistorian and naturalist, chose ‘Ainslie toKossie: window on a wonder wander’ ashis topic. Matthew’s presentation focusedon the wonderful array of natural floraand fauna to be found in a traverse fromCanberra Nature Park’s Mount Ainsliethrough the urban areas, across theMurrumbidgee, and on through Namadgiand Kosciuszko national parks to thealpine areas above the tree line on theMain Range. The presentation was

accompanied by an excellent array ofphotos depicting examples of thewonders to behold, all of which he tookhimself during his wanderings over thepast 3 years. At the two extremes wereshots of Sugar Gliders on Mount Ainslieand Mountain Pygmy Possums abovethe tree line around Kosciuszko.Matthew’s main message was to urgepeople to be aware and appreciative ofthe wonderful natural world around us,and to enjoy it for what it is here andnow.

In October our guest speaker wasBrandon Galpin, a ranger with the ACTParks and Conservation Service.Brandon’s topic was ‘Old fella trees’,and his talk took a look at the dynamicsof the largely missing contingent of old-growth trees in the landscape, even inNamadgi itself, and how Australia’snational parks system can offer long-term restoration of forest ecology.Brandon noted that, in Namadgi,changes in fire regimes since Europeansettlement and logging, especially ofAlpine Ash trees in the Brindabellas,had meant that his old fella trees hadbecome increasingly scarce.

The feast continues in the new year.Don’t miss out.

Max Lawrence

According to NPA’s Field Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs ofthe ACT Rosenberg’s Monitor is a large ground-dwellinggoanna, over 1.5 metres long. Up to 19 eggs are laid in termitemounds; hatchlings are able to escape from the nest when thefemale parent reopens the mound.

At his presentation to NPA’s September general meeting,Canberra historian and naturalist Matthew Higgins reported thathe had observed Rosenberg’s Monitors on Mount Ainslie, andwas keeping an eye on a termite mound where they had laideggs. He was waiting for the adults to return and open up themound, and to observe the emergence of the young.

In the Canberra Times of 25 October it was reported thatMatthew has in fact observed the hatchlings emerging from thenest, and there are photographs of the happy occasion.However, the hatchlings are very vulnerable to predators, ofwhich there are plenty on Mount Ainslie. We hope that somewill survive. Matthew will be giving us a full report at ourMarch 2017 general meeting (see page 27 of this Bulletin).

Max Lawrence

NPA’s monthly get-togethers

Rosenberg’s Monitors

on Mount Ainslie!


More trees for Gudgenby

River Red Gum in the ACTThe River Red Gum (Eucalyptuscamaldulensis) is an uncommon tree inthe ACT. The NPA Field Guide to theNative Trees of the ACT records itsdistribution as follows: ‘In the ACTknown from a solitary large treeprobably predating European occupation,on a small creek south of Tharwa’.Indeed, I have driven past this tree manytimes over the years en route to pointssouth, but have been preoccupied withthe bumpy crossing of Spring StationCreek (the aforementioned small creek)and the activities that lie ahead. That is,until I recently organised a work party tostart ridding the site of its latest weedinfestation. However, I’m getting aheadof myself.

Over the past 20 years, ACT Parksand Conservation Service hascoordinated many community groups inweeding and seed collection activitiesaround this tree. The species’ droughtresistance and fire tolerance has made ita popular riparian revegetation treedownstream of the Gudgenby/

Murrumbidgee confluence.About 900 seedlings have beenpropagated from this tree andplanted to date, with a goodsurvival rate.1

This past volunteer activityhas included some of the NPA’smembers who participated inAfrican Boxthorn and AfricanLovegrass removal in 2008 andsubsequent follow-up work. (Anaccount of the 2008 activity canbe found in NPA Bulletin Vol.45, No. 2, June 2008.)

In September and October2016, the NPA undertook twomore work parties. The villainthis time was blackberryinfestation. Two distinct thicketscovered about a third of theenclosed reserve area. Also, thetree’s low-hanging deadbranches were vulnerable tograss fire, as was the overgrownstate of the three saplings at thebottom of the reserve. After two work

parties, all but asmall patch ofblackberry hadbeen cut/dabbedand removed fromthe site, the low-hanging branchescut off andremoved from thesite, and 22 RedGums located andmarked with tape(12 inside thereserve and 10outside).

During these visits I took theopportunity to look closely at the treeand was taken aback by the sheer size ofthe plant. The four trunks, each ofsubstantial size, stem mallee-form froma central bowl, which reflects anoriginal trunk of similar size.

Martin Chalk

Note 1. From information providedby Darren Roso, Senior Ranger –Murrumbidgee, ACT Parks andConservation Service

Last year in spring, a small group of‘Gudgenby bushies’ met at GreeningAustralia (GA) to plant some tree, shruband grass seeds in pots so that they couldbe planted out in the regeneration areathe following year. Then, over thesummer months, the seeds were nurturedand watered by GA, enabling all the tubestock to grow well and be at the rightstage when we needed them.

We planned to begin planting in earlywinter, but the wet weather commencedand it was impossible to use the firetrails in the Gudgenby area withoutdoing some damage. So it was Augustbefore the first plantings took place. Wehad to park our vehicles well belowPeppermint Hill and walk up to theplanned site. Fortunately, Ben the rangerferried all the plants and tools up on his

ATV even though it was his day off. Healso took Fiona for a ride so she could‘supervise’ as we worked. Fourteenworkers planted about 130 trees that day,placing tree guards around everythingexcept the grasses. The site was on awindy hillside that had been graded dueto rabbit warrens, although some grasshad started to grow again after the twoyear interval. However, the wind proved aproblem and Clive later had to take astaple gun to attach the tree guards to thestakes as many were blown away in astorm.

The remaining 100+ trees were to beused above Frank and Jack’s Hut, on aclosed fire trail that we had attempted torepair on several occasions. But again theweather defeated us and we had topostpone the planting until the weather

improved. We held an extra work partyduring the first week of the schoolholidays so we had some youngermembers to help out. The ground wasvery wet and soft and made diggingholes much easier. So after 3 hours workwe had completed the task.

We hope that most of these trees andshrubs will survive, as they have had agood start with all the rain. It is verysatisfying to see Gudgenby taking on amore mature environmental profile asthe work over the past 15 years or so ischanging the landscape from a sterilepine forest to a native woodland and ahome for wildlife.

Hazel Rath, Gudgenby Bush

Regeneration Group

It’s a big tree! Photo by Martin Chalk.

Clearing the blackberries bit by bit. Photo by Max Lawrence.


Since my last report in the June 2016Bulletin, there have been some importantdevelopments. Despite the wet weather,volunteers have carried out someimportant work in the precinct.

The Conservation Management

Plan (CMP)

During October I provided detailedcomments on two, near-final drafts of theCMP.

I am very pleased with the material inthe drafts.

They provide baseline data, includingsketch plans and many colourphotographs, on the physical layout andcondition of each of the historic sitestogether with comprehensive, practicaladvice on what should be done to each ofthem together with suggested priorityrankings.

Implementation of some of theadvice, particularly for the GlenburnShearing Shed, the Glenburn ShearersQuarters and Glenburn Homesteadwould be very expensive.

The challenge in the years ahead willbe for the ACT Government to providethe ACT Parks and Conservation Servicewith sufficient funds for it to put asubstantial dent in the high priority tasksthat need to be done in this importantACT heritage area.

The Friends of Glenburn, through theNPA will be able to provide some smallfinancial assistance from donations. TheFriends will also be able to continue toprovide hands-on practical assistance byits volunteers.

I look forward to receiving the finalreport in the near future. It will providethe fundamental building blocks for theParks Service to set its work programsfor many years to come in the GlenburnPrecinct, which is an important ACTheritage site.

More donations and volunteers wouldbe most welcome to help the NPA assistthe Parks Service. Tax-deductibledonations can be made to NPArequesting that the money be spent onGlenburn. Anyone interested involunteering can contact me on6288 4171 or [email protected] .

Interpretative Signs

Three more interpretative signs havebeen erected in the precinct, bringing thetotal to 13. They are for the sites of theGlenburn Hayshed, the Glenburn Hay/Machinery Shed and Yards, and theGlenburn Sheep Dip and Yards. The texts

of these signs, as wellas those for the other10, are on the NPA website www.npaact.org.auunder Friends ofGlenburn.

The cost of theplates for the latestthree signs was $1,631.This was paid for byThe Friends ofGlenburn from moneydonated to the NPA forwork on Glenburn. TheParks Service providedthe posts, andvolunteers assistedParks Service staff toerect them. Work isprogressing on thepreparation of the texts for aninterpretative sign for the GlenburnPrecinct overall, to be located at the newcar park on Charcoal Kiln Road, and for apamphlet on the Glenburn Precinct. Bothwill include a map showing the route ofthe Glenburn Heritage Trail.

The Friends of Glenburn will pay forthe plate for this interpretative sign also.Because it will be much larger than theother 13 interpretative signs, its costcould be as much as $1,500 to $2,000.

The Glenburn Heritage Trail

The trail for walkers and cyclists iseffectively three trails. The GlenburnHeritage Trail will link, via River Road,almost all of the historic sites in both theGlenburn and Burbong areas. TheGlenburn Trail will connect those in theGlenburn area and the Burbong Trail willconnect those in the Burbong area.

More than 20 route marker posts havebeen erected by the Parks Service andvolunteers. Also, four gates have beeninstalled by the Parks Service in thefences near the site of CurleysHomestead, near the Glenburn ShearingShed complex, on Charcoal Kiln Roadnear Glen Burn Creek and at theintersection of Charcoal Kiln Road andRiver Road to improve access forpedestrians and cyclists. The Friends ofGlenburn will pay for the manufactureand installation of two of these gates at acost of some $730.

All work on the trail should becompleted by early 2017. The mostsignificant work still to be done is theerection of the new, large locked gate(which has been manufactured already) inthe yet to be constructed car park onCharcoal Kiln Road, and theimprovement of the crossing of Glen

Burn Creek near River Road. Othertasks include erecting traffic signs onCharcoal Kiln Road, improving thesurface of some management tracks andslashing the trail where it passes throughsome paddocks.

The intention is that the ParksService will invite the relevant Ministerto officially open the trail, probablyaround Easter 2017.

I hope that the completion of theGlenburn Heritage Trail will encouragemore Canberra, Queanbeyan andBungendore residents to visit the area,which was once a small, vibrant, NSWrural community.

The Heritage Trail will provide agood exercise venue. And there is muchto see. The precinct contains many richrelics of early European settlement thatgive an insight into how the earlysettlers lived, worked, played andeducated their children.

Visit by Edmonds Descendant

On 27 September, Ross Edmonds andhis wife Robyn, from near TweedHeads, visited Glenburn Homestead.Ross’s grandfather, Stanley Augustine,was born in the slab home in 1898.

He was the first of John James andAgnes May Edmonds’ five children whowere born in the homestead before thefamily moved to Glencoe in northernNSW in 1906. A further six childrenwere born there.

Members of the Edmonds familyhave spread to the four winds. I waspleased to show the homestead to someother family members for the first time.

Col McAlister

Friends of Glenburn

Glenburn/Burbong Historic Precinct news

Ranger Sally Hatton, Brian Slee, Diedre Shaw, Matthew Higgins,

and Col McAlister with one of the first marker posts for

the new Glenburn Heritage Trail, June 2016.

Photo by Max Lawrence.


Gudgenby Cottage, Spring 2016The flames singIn the black fire box,The log turns white and redAs ash and coals accumulate.The heat warms the residentsOn this cloudy cold morning.

Out on the hillsideThe small roos keep warmHopping in circles around their

mothers

Or darting up the slope.No basking in the sunlight todayBut eating and movement.The cloud lowers and obscures

the hill tops.

Hazel sits at the deskPaintings orchids for the

exhibitionAnd Fiona writes a poem.

Fiona MacDonald Brand

The weather dominated the activities ofthe spring art week held in the firstweek of September at GudgenbyCottage. It delayed the planned earlystart at the beginning of the week dueto water on the roads and we had thesame problem at the end of the week!But in between the wind blew theclouds away and we had sunshine for afew days when we could sit on theveranda and enjoy the view. This iswhat makes art week so special. Timeto enjoy the birds, roos and lizards, andall the bush creatures that inhabit thearea around the cottage.

Nine people stayed for a night ormore, with some enjoying the wholeweek. We had visitors too. Sarah andJocelyn from the homestead; Clivecalled in for afternoon tea; and friendsof Adrienne’s from Queensland camefor the day. Rangers Ben and Mark alsostopped by to say hello.

Painting, poetry, prose andphotography were just some of theactivities during the week. Books werealso an enjoyable pastime as wehuddled around the fire, especially inthe evenings. During the day, theweather restricted many of the outdooractivities as the rain never seemed toofar away, but when the sun shone wefollowed it from the front veranda tothe back yard!

Friday brought a deluge of rain andthe creek rose quickly. The waterrushed over the banks forming a lakeand almost overflowing onto thefootbridge, bringing with it lots ofbranches and debris so that it had to becleared before it threatened a bridgecollapse. On Saturday the weather hadnot improved and the plannedGudgenby Bushies work party had tobe cancelled so, instead, everyonecame into the cottage for morning tea.The entertaining did not end there as inthe afternoon scones and cream wereprovided to the rangers Ben and family,Sally and Jess. This was supposed tohave been the afternoon tea post workparty but became an opportunity tothank the rangers for all their work inthe park and for looking after us whilewe were staying at the cottage.

Once again, a very enjoyable weekfor those who came to stay. Our workwill be on exhibition at the NamadgiVisitor Centre over the months ofNovember to January. Call in and seewhat can be achieved over a few days.

Hazel Rath

NPA Art at Gudgenby Cottage

Acronym

Water everywhereCottageAbundant poolsTeeming creekscompanyEddying alongmindsRestlessPaint, write, muse, cook

Dylan Thomas PortraitsHave you ever seen a swallow?Welcoming, diving, snuggling?

Have you ever tasted Hazel’sscones?

Light, fluffy, delicious.

Haiku

Civilisation.Thankfully it’s left behind.Peace has descended.

Free

GudgenbyCosy firesConvivialCreativeCarve.Relax!

Syllable Poem

LargeDiverseIntricate

InterwovenWith many large sticks

High off the groundSo the chicks

Can beSafe

Barbara Slotemaker de Bruine

Drawing lessons were the answer to bad weather during May art week. Teacher MariaBoreham (right) added her collection of insects and miscellaneous items to gatheredleaves and wood pieces; students Ailsa Brown (left) and Fiona MacDonald Brand

made good use of the materials and the marvellous instruction.Photo by Adrienne Nicholson.

Brooding A travesty of a name – Yankee Hat Onyong beckons Kevin McCue


Another award for our lad

A panel has recently been unveiled at theAustralian National Botanic Gardens inhonour of Dr Max Day and tocommemorate the work he did onScribbly Gums that began in the gardens.Max, the oldest working scientist in theAustralian Institute of Alpine Studies(aias.org.au), had his 100th birthday inDecember.

Max Day’s research found that thescribbles were made by the larvae ofseveral species of moth that make tracksunderneath the bark.* The scribblesbecome visible when the bark is peeledoff. The Scribbly Gum Moth researchwas published in 2012 when Max was97 years old, in a paper senior-authoredby Marianne Horak, with mountain mothstalwart Ted Edwards another in theteam.

Max was publishing on mountaininsects as long ago as 1954 with theclassic paper with Ken Key [Key, K.H.L.and Day M.F. (1954) A temperature-controlled physiological colour responsein the grasshopper Kosciuscola tristisSjost. (Orthoptera, Acrididae). AustralianJournal of Zoology 2, 309–338.]. I canrecall getting a question from him in2006 about the elevation to whichscribbles go on Snow Gums and whetherthey were present at Charlotte Pass. Icouldn’t recall seeing scribbles on SnowGums at all above the winter snowline soI went to check at Rennix Gap. At1,550 m elevation none of 25 snowgumshad scribbles on the bark, while slightlybelow at Wilsons Valley (1,440 m), 9 of20 did. Talking with Dane Wimbushabout this he told me that this is at aboutthe turnover from E. pauciflora toE. niphophila. Later, Roger Goodbrought Max up from Canberra and wedid a similar survey along the AlpineWay to above Thredbo. The results in the2012 paper confirmed that scribbles arefound only up to an elevation of about1,400 m and might be restricted to ‘ssp.pauciflora’. While some may distrust thetaxonomic split between Eucalyptuspauciflora and E. niphophila it seems asif the moths can tell one from the other.

Dr Ken Green

* The scribbly gum moth larvae(Ogmograptis scribula andO. fraxinoides near the elevationallimit of E. pauciflora) bore ameandering tunnel through theeucalypt tree’s bark at the level of thefuture cork cambium, first in longirregular loops and later in a moreregular zigzag which is doubled upafter a narrow turning loop. When thecork cambium starts to make cork toshed the outer bark it produces scartissue in response to the feeding of thecaterpillar, filling the doubled up partof the larval tunnel with highlynutritious, thin-walled cells. Thesereplacement cells are ideal food for thecaterpillar, which moults into its finallarval stage with legs, turns around andeats its way back along the way it hascome. It now grows rapidly to maturityand leaves the tree to spin a cocoon atits base, where it pupates. Not longafter the caterpillar leaves the tree, thebark cracks off and exposes the iconicscribbles beneath.

Anyone interested in alpine lakeresearch (and alpine researchgenerally) might like to log on tohttp://www.fs.fed.us/psw/cirmount/publications/mtnviews.shtml

Way back in 1967 NPA ACT conducted aschools essay competition, the winner ofwhich was a young fellow by the nameof Richard Shine. His essay was atreatise on the Red-bellied Black Snake.It was reproduced in the March 2010Golden Anniversary edition of thisBulletin, which may be accessed via theNPA ACT website. Rick was the guestspeaker at NPA’s 50th anniversarymeeting in 2010.

Since then Rick has gone on to greatheights in his chosen career, and thefocus has always been on reptiles andamphibians. Today he is Professor ofBiology with the School of Life andEnvironmental Sciences at the Universityof Sydney. He has had a very impressiveacademic career, but the crowningachievement must be winning the 2016Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.

The Prime Minister’s Prize recognisesthe research Professor Shine has done onthe Cane Toad invasion of tropicalAustralia, and the devastating impact theinvasion was having on the native reptilepredators of the region. As a result of thiswork Northern Australia’s peakpredators – snakes and lizards – are nowmore likely to survive.

After accepting the award Rick said ‘Iwas the kid who brought Blue TongueLizards to school. When my big brotherlearnt to drive, he took me out into thebush where I could capture snakes andbring them home’.

He went on to say ‘The PrimeMinister’s Prize for Science is anincredible recognition of the value ofbasic, simple science, it’s the kind ofthing Charles Darwin did when hewandered around the world. You go out

into the bush and you see what theanimals are doing, there’s nothing moresophisticated than a notebook involved’.

Max Lawrence

Max Day and the ‘unraveling’ of the

Scribbly Gum Moth


glauca). New to me but not to him. ‘Arare species, possibly endangered andvery vulnerable, used to be abundantacross the local area.’ I looked it up inWoodland Flora, the new encyclopaedicbible by Sarah Sharp and others. ‘Tufted,perennial forb with unbranched flowerstems, leaves onion-like’, they wrote inlanguage more scientific than mine.That’s it. I checked in the beautifullypresented Ngunnawal Plant Use but theyhad only Bulbine Lily. ‘Eaten roastedand rich in calcium and iron, harvestedwith digging sticks’, it said. Probablytrue for both species. I must try them –yum, yum.

Klaus Hueneke

conquering, years. Surely nothing nativecould survive here.

Then lo and behold, after passingsome cliffs, the first signs – a splash ofwaving yellow here and there, on high,among the rocks. Someone called, ‘mustbe Bulbine Lily’. A little further thecliffs opened on to a precipitous slope ofriotous, floral abundance right up intothe sky. Spying hundreds of nodding,arching, deep-yellow flower heads, thickas thieves, jostling for a bit of light, wewere, for a moment, quite spellbound.This was an Australia rarely seen byurban dwellers.

Rainer came to the rescue: ‘notBulbine Lily but Rock Lily’ (Bulbine

On 27 October, in the company of thecaring and down-to-earth Yass ValleyLandcare Group, the naturalist RainerRehwinkel and a superb bird imitatorfrom Greening Australia, I had thepleasure of stepping, snaking andstumbling up a narrow, rocky track alongthe Yass River (turn right at the lastroundabout in Yass town). The YassRiver was a creek no more but rather aturbulent cascade of thick brown soupwith piles of flood debris from fourrecent floods, the piles sometimes3 metres tall, 10 metres long and5 metres across. The earth was thicklymatted and sprouting with the weeds ofwhite man’s 200 unstoppable, all

A visual feast of native Rock Lilies

perspective of the rivercorridor. Park your car atthe carpark at the WestonCreek end of CoppinsCrossing, and it takes about15 minutes to walk downthe river to the bridge. The bridge is named afterSir John Butters, who wasthe first Chief Com-missioner of the FederalCapital Commission duringthe 1920s. Essentially, histask was to organise thebuilding of Canberra fromdusty paddocks to a nationalcapital. Details are providedon an interpretive sign at thesite.

Max Lawrence

The lower Molonglo has abig new bridge about akilometre downstream fromCoppins Crossing. However,it is not a road bridge. Itsprimary purpose is to supporta sewer pipe servicing thenew Molonglo suburbs,linking in with the sewermain to the treatment workson the northern side of theriver.

A beneficial feature ofthe structure is that it alsoprovides a substantial publicaccess walkway forpedestrians and cyclists tocross the river. At 242 metreslong and 25 metres above theriver the bridge provideswalkers with a whole new

Butters Bridge: a new crossing of the Molonglo

Butters Bridge. Photo by Mike Smith.

The NPA ACT is privileged to have been approached by Dr Suzi Bondwith an invitation to publish a book on the butterflies of the ACT. Suzioffered considerable enticement with a wonderful selection of photos sowe readily agreed. We ended up working out of Esther’s dining room,many pleasurable hours going through the text and photos, being kept alertwith freshly baked ginger snaps and fair-trade hot coffee or interestingsoups. Mariana Rollgejser turned good photos into artworks and we arethrilled to be part of Suzi’s book. All of us on the Working Group havebeen converted into Lepidoptera photograph hunters.

This book is a valuable addition to our series of field guides on naturalspecies of the ACT: birds, frogs and reptiles, trees, and orchids, all writtenby experts with beautiful photos or paintings and enough non-technical textto help you identify and value them and their environment. We hope youwill enjoy this new field guide as much as we will.

Kevin McCue

The ‘Butterfly Book’ An invitation

Field Guide to the Butterfliesof the ACT

by Suzi Bondwith Steve Holliday and John Stein

will be launched by

Genevieve Jacobs

Crosbie Morrison Building

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Tuesday 13 December 2016

3.30 pm.

All welcome.

Contact: Sonja 6251 1291 [email protected]

Photos © CSIRO


Photos by Ain

A trip outline under the auspices ofpitcher plant specialist, StewartMacpherson, and Canberra naturalist,Ian Fraser, tempted us to leave Canberrain early May 2016 for 3 weeks to see aselection of Malaysian Borneo’s naturalwonders.

We’d be avoiding the smoke blanketwhich results from Indonesia’s burningof rainforest to clear land for small-scalefarming and commercial palm oilplantations. Burning starts in early Julyand coincides with the dry season.

Straddling the equator, Borneo is thethird largest non-continental island in theworld. It is also north-west of dividinglines that scientist Alfred Wallace,biologist Thomas Huxley andbiogeographer Richard Lydekker,established in the mid to late 1800s tomark biogeographical differencesbetween the natural world of Australiaand New Guinea and that of South-EastAsia. Their lines follow the deep-seatrenches between continents whichformed during the ice ages.

Upward movements of moltenmagma, volcanic activity, tectonic platemovement, and the actions of ice overrock have moulded Borneo through themillennia. The areas we visited werelargely sedimentary with outcrops oflimestone and granite.

The sketch map shows how Borneois divided between Malaysia with thestate of Sarawak on the west and that ofSabah to the north-east, with Indonesiato the east, while Brunei is squashed intothe north-east corner of Sarawak. The

exaggerated clown-like snouts whichmight enhance their communications,and pot bellies. A noticeable feature ofthe male Proboscis Monkey is itspermanent erection. Why, we don’tknow.

Baby Proboscis Monkeys … entertained us with their acrobatics

Baby Proboscis Monkeys are darkbrown in contrast to the orange of theadults. The babies entertained us withtheir acrobatics, risky leaps, swings, andnear falls. Their alert mothers wereconstantly on the watch, grabbing theiroffspring if they started slipping off thebranch and cuddling them when they’dhad enough action. By contrast otheradults in the troop could be amazinglyrough with the babies.

Our two guides took us along awalkway through the forest, explainingthe Iban use of plants as medicine or inbuilding, with indigenous names whichweren’t always easy to match with abotanical name. The thorny trunk of theNibung Palm (Oncosperma tigillarium)is used for fish poles; a Calophyllumtree species yields the component of amedicine used in treating AIDS and HIValthough the vaccine is nowmanufactured synthetically and the treeis protected.

A highlight during the walk was apool with a resident turtle and twocatfish, like eels with two long ‘rays’near their mouth. Mossy-nest Swiftletswere flying into their nesting holes inthe sandstone above the pool, one justdiscernible on its nest. Emerging fromthe forest one of our group noticed a

British colonisedMalaysianBorneo, whereasIndonesianBorneo fell intoDutch hands.

Our group offourteen landedin the earlyafternoon in thehot and steamycity of Kuching,capital ofMalaysianBorneo, with itsgilded mosqueturrets, colonialbuildings, andparliamentwearing itsmultilayered roof shaped like a four-cornered hat.

Motorboats passed us, laden with

nets and their cargo of jelly fish

Leaving Kuching by bus, we transferredto motorised river boats that took usfrom the broad estuary flowing into theSouth China Sea, across a bay to Bako,our first national park in the state ofSarawak. Wooden houses perched onstilts formed small settlements along theriverbank. Motorboats passed us, ladenwith nets and their cargo of jelly fish fordrying and selling at markets. Verdantvegetation on the banks contrasted withthe brown water where plastic containersand bags bobbed along.

As in Australia, discarded plastic wasa noticeable problem. For health reasonswe and many others were drinkingbottled water, which was onlyexacerbating the problem.

Our two Malaysian guides were fromthe Iban tribe, one with the name ofRivas that a Portuguese Catholic priesthad given him. Both spoke English andthanked us for coming on the trip, sayingit was people like us whose patronageprovided them with their employment.

The path to our accommodation tookus past mangroves and through rainforestwhere we saw our first monkeys, thePig-tailed Macaques, smallish, bold,grey and very quick to swipe food froman unguarded lunch plate on the balcony.Silver-leafed Monkeys, darker than theMacaques, were also part of the mix.

Then the orangey-brown ProboscisMonkeys swung into view with their

River rides, pitcher plants, and macaquesin Malaysian Borneo’s Sarawak

(continued next page) Beach and cliffs, Bako National Park. Photo by Dave Kelly.


humour suggested one of us might haveto be sacrificed to a resident crocodile.Fortunately, the others returned tosupport our lame boat with jests as thedriver tried to restart the engine with thehelp of a drinking straw. Simple but itworked.

Crews skilfully manoeuvred rockyrapids as we passed the verdantrainforest with breaks where villagerswere growing spindly rubber plants andsometimes tobacco. Gouges on thebanks indicated where timber was beingharvested on a small scale. Surprisinglyheavy earth-moving equipment emergedevery now and then.

Unbroken stretches of forestalongside the river gave us a feeling ofisolation and a picture of times beforeany settlement.

Tying up under a rickety woodenbridge with a friendly village dogwagging a welcome, we climbed up toour Nanga Sumpa lodging. The villagersfrom Nanga Sumpa across the river hadbuilt the lodge from local timber afterdemanding that the English architectchange his Balinese design which ispopular in peninsula Malaysia, to onemore in keeping with their localSarawak buildings.

Nanga Sumpa Lodge is a cooperativeventure with the villagers, who benefitfrom the earnings. Village womenworked cheerfully in the kitchen,preparing our meals of steamed or friedchicken pieces and Australian beef (partof an Australian trade deal), stir-friedgreens and boiled rice. Small sweetbananas were a delicious dessert. Earlyevery morning we heard the roosters,prompting CK to wish all would bedispatched to the cooking pot.

water sparingly. Several times duringnight walks Stuart and Ian noticed thelack of insects and wondered if it wasrelated to the drought.

Strange round ant plants thatresembled desiccated succulents wereanother curiosity. The ants live in theplants, feeding off their nectar and, inturn, protecting the plant from beingeaten.

Birdwatching in Borneo presentedproblems for the beginner because birdswere quick and the foliage was dense.Malaysian bird specialist, CK Leong,known as CK, was on hand to help spotbirds and identify them. Of course thebigger birds like the Fish Eagle thatsoared overhead in Bako were easier tosee.

[Bako] park and its wildlife arevulnerable to climate changeand population increase.

As with many of Malaysia’s nationalparks, Bako is a relatively small areabetween water and the hinterlandmountains, close to settlements andhuman activity. The park and its wildlifeare vulnerable to climate change andpopulation increase. Again, as inAustralia, a supposedly developedcountry, park infrastructure needsmaintenance and renewal.

Our next experience in Sarawak wasa boat ride along the Delok River, asignificant local transport route, toNanga Sumpa Village near Batang AiNational Park. Foul-smelling fuelpowered our low, streamlined boats,each with two skilful crew who enjoyedracing each other.

Our transport stuttered to a halt inthe middle of a broad reach of water.Several attempts to start the motor wereunsuccessful. CK with his sly sense of

movement on a lower tree trunk. It wasa Green Tree Lizard that moved withlightning speed along a branch beforetaking a leap into space and landing on atree several metres away. It was like atranslucent toy on springs, similar incolour to the venomous Tree Pit Viperthat lay passively coiled on a low bushnear a building, merging with the leaves.

The pitcher plants (Nepenthesspp.), looked other worldly …

For one of Baku’s best surprises, weclimbed up a rough track to a sandstoneplateau to find pitcher and ant plantsgrowing amongst vegetation including aShe-oak or Casuarina sp. that remindedus of Australia’s sandstone habitat. Thepitcher plants (Nepenthes spp.), lookedother worldly, nature’s jugs with lidsforming the end of the leaf. The numberand diversity of these plants in a smallarea were striking, not to mention theirmechanics. Stewart showed how rain isfunnelled down the leaf into the pitcherplant. Little spikes or the white line ofhairs as in Nepenthes albomarginata or

the white-coloured pitcher plant attractinsects which fall into the pitcher,ultimately decomposing and providingthe plant with its food. The pitcher plantcolours varied from green to purplish-brown, with different shapes, stripes andsizes.

Theo, a Nepenthes enthusiast fromGermany, returned from a circular walkon the plateau saying that most of thepitcher plants on the far side had diedfrom the 4-week drought that had beenaffecting Borneo before our arrival.Notices in hotel rooms asked us to use

Orchid. Photo by Dave Kelly.

(continued next page)

River rides, pitcher plants, and macaques in Malaysian Borneo’s Sarawak (continued)

Nepenthes bicalcarata showing fangs.

Photo by Dave Kelly.


River rides, pitcher plants, and macaques in Malaysian Borneo’s Sarawak (continued)

… we spotted a striking AsianParadise Flycatcher

The most inviting part of the lodge wasthe open-air dining room with seatsoverlooking the river. From there wespotted a striking Asian ParadiseFlycatcher with its dark-blue head andlong white tail feathers rippling behindlike shooting stars. We also saw a smallMalaysian Blue Flycatcher, blue on topand orange underneath.

We visited the new village longhousewhich is being rebuilt with the help ofMalaysian and Australian funding afterfire destroyed the old one last year,killing two elderly occupants. About10–15 families, each with their ownroom, will occupy the longhouse whichhas a large communal space. Our guidetold us the village site had beenoccupied for 200–300 years and was oneof very few where most of the youngpeople had remained instead of movingto cities.

… orangutan nests … looked likeleafy hammocks formed fromintertwined branches

The next day we set off for a 3-hourwalk through the rainforest following arough path behind a machete-wieldinglocal Iban villager from Nangpa Sumpa.He pointed out orangutan nests, whichlooked like leafy hammocks formedfrom intertwined branches. The nestshad been made 2–3 weeks ago but theorangutans had gone.

Putting his ear to the stump of a sagopalm, our local guide heard sounds andunerringly dug out a caterpillar that thelocals eat. Another food source was theinner kernel of a rattan, which was usedas survival food during World War 2.

Conditions were steamy and tryingwith 99 per cent humidity and thetemperature about 35 degrees Celsius.Insects chirred, rasped and clickedconstantly like electronic toys. From aridge top, we looked across at a plot ofdry rice. As families increase, more land

to the lodge. That evening a tropicalthunderstorm broke, sending the rainbucketing down. The river roseimpressively, which made ourdownstream trip over the rapids easynext morning. The brilliant flash of theBlack and Red Broadbill and a long slimblack snake with orange belly that wasswimming across the river wereenduring memories as we made our wayback to Kuching.

Judy Kelly

is needed for food andcommercial crops like rubberor pepper. Rivas said that high-yielding crops, using fertiliser,lessened the need to clear evenlarger areas of land, which wasa win for conservation. Thevillagers lived and workedtheir land within the park aspart of an agreement with thegovernment.

Finally we reached ourdestination, the Enseluaiwaterfall cascading into a largeinviting pool. As we waded andsank into the pool, heat andfatigue dissolved.

… little fish used to treatpsoriasis at spas came tonibble at our limbs.

If we sat in the shallows longenough, little fish used to treatpsoriasis at spas came to nibbleat our limbs. Initially theytickled faintly but then grewunpleasantly bolder and morepersistent until it was time tomove.

We left our grotto to crossto the opposite bank where thelongboat crews with Rivas hadprepared a fire. What was forlunch? Lemon chicken and rice weresteaming separately in hollow bamboostems over a fire while Rivas preparedeggplant and garlic in a wok overanother fire. Stir-fried beef plus steamedspinach and green beans were also onoffer.

It was hard to believe our luck to besitting on the quiet stretch of river onseats from the longboats with a feast athand. The boat crews sat on theirhaunches, eating, talking and laughing.They seemed genuinely happy andrelaxed.

After watching a gracefuldemonstration of casting a fishing net,we boarded our longboats and returned

Waterfall near Nanga Sumpa.

Photo by Dave Kelly.

That recurrent dream. A rocky mountain ridge rises out of deep forest.

The sun shines on warm rock, and no one has been here before. Our

calendar’s on the fridge. I turn the page for April and it’s a frosty

morning on the Labyrinth plateau looking across the valley to misty

Mount Geryon. Were those the days my friend? Did they never end?

Shimmering

Gerry Jacobson

the dark cloud

slowly lifts and I see

snow covered

mountains shimmering

in distant sunlight

Points to notePlease help keep our outings program alive by volunteering to lead outings. New leaders are welcome. The Outings Convener ishappy to suggest locations suitable for a walk if you do not have something in mind. Feel free to send in suggestions for outingswith a suggested date to the Outings Convener by email to [email protected]

All persons joining an outing of the National Parks Association of the ACT do so as volunteers in all respects and as suchaccept responsibility for any injury howsoever incurred and the National Parks Association of the ACT, its office bearers andappointed leaders, are absolved from any liability in respect of injury or damage suffered whilst engaged in any such outing.

In voluntarily participating in these activities conducted by the NPA ACT, participants should be aware that they could beexposed to risks that could lead to injury, illness or death or to loss of or damage to property. These risks could include but are notlimited to slippery and/or uneven surfaces, rocks being dislodged, falling at edges of cliffs or drops or elsewhere, risks associatedwith crossing creeks, hypothermia, heat exhaustion and the risks associated with any of the Special Hazards listed on the Atten-dance Record and Risk Waiver Form provided by the leader at the activity.

To minimise these risks participants should endeavour to ensure that the activity is within their capabilities and that they arecarrying food, water, equipment, clothing and footwear appropriate to the activity. Participants should advise the leader if they aretaking any medication or have any physical or other limitation that might affect their participation in the activity. Participantsshould make every effort to remain with the rest of the party during the activity and accept the instructions of the leader. By sign-ing the Attendance Record and Risk Waiver Form participants agree that they understand these requirements and have consideredthe risks before choosing to sign the form and waiver any claim for damages arising from the activity that they might have againstthe association, the leader or any other participants in tort or contract.

Children under 18 years of age are welcome to come on NPA ACT activities provided they are accompanied by a parent,guardian or close relative. Parents or Guardians will be required to sign a specific Risk Waiver for a Child form.

Leaders to note: please send copies of completed Attendance Record and Risk Waiver Formsto Brian Slee, contact 6281 0719 or [email protected]

about 300 m. Two days exploring up- anddownstream from a base camp, thenretracing our inwards track back to thecars. A truly beautiful place to be.Gaiters, gloves for the walks in and out,possibly wear volleys for the walks upand down the river which may alsoinvolve some compulsory swims. Daypacks with waterproof liners alsoadvisable. We will need four-wheel drivevehicles.

Drive about 330 km, $132 per car.

2–5 December Pack WalkETTREMA GORGE

Joint NPA / BBC / CBC activityMap Nerriga 1:25,000Grading Overall 4 C/D/E/FLeader Barrie RContact 0437 023 140Limited numbers, deadline for bookings25 November.

A relaxed trip in the iconic EttremaGorge. Read, swim, paint, photograph. Awalk in of about 4 km and a descent of

4 December Sunday WalkMOUNT LEE AND ALPINE

WILDFLOWERS

Map Perisher Valley 1:25,000Grading 2 A/BLeader Brian SleeContact 6281 0719 or

[email protected] 6.30 am and drive to CharlottePass. Take trail to Snowy River thenfollow Club Lake Creek to the lake,looking for anemones. After a break,

NPA outings programD e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 – M a rc h 2 0 1 7

Bushwalk Grading Guide

Distance grading (per day) Terrain grading1 up to 10 km A Road, fire-trail or track E Rock scrambling2 10 km to 15 km B Open forest F Exploratory3 15 km to 20 km C Light scrub4 above 20 km D Patches of thick scrub, regrowth

Day walks Carry lunch and snacks, drinks, protective clothing, a first aid kit and any required medication.

Pack walks Two or more days. Carry all food and camping requirements. CONTACT LEADER EARLY.

Car camps Facilities often limited. Vehicles taken to site can be used for camping. CONTACT LEADER EARLY.

Work parties Carry items as for day walks plus work gloves and any tools required. Work party details and location sometimes

change, check NPA website, www.npaact.org.au, for any last minute changes.

Other activities include ski trips, canoe trips, nature rambles and environment or field guide studies.Wednesday walks (WW). Medium or somewhat harder walks arranged on a joint NPA, BBC (Brindabella Bushwalking Club)

and CBC (Canberra Bushwalking Club) basis for fit and experienced club walkers. Notification and details areonly emailed to members registered for WW. Only NPA-hosted WW are shown in this program. For WW emailregistration, contact the Outings Convener.

Transport The NPA suggests a passenger contribution to transport costs of 40 cents per kilometre for the distance drivendivided by the number of occupants of the car including the driver, rounded to the nearest dollar. The amountmay be varied at the discretion of the leader. Drive and walk distances shown in the program are approximate forreturn journeys.

NPA ACT members undertaking walks or other activities in this program are advised they should have PRIVATE HEALTH

INSURANCE or, at least, AMBULANCE COVER in case of an accident requiring evacuation by ambulance or helicopter.

NPA BULLETIN − DECMBER 2016 13


NPA outings program December 2016 – March 2017 (page 2 of 4)

climb ridge to Main Range Track. Divertto Mount Lee and descend to KunamaHutte ruins for lunch. Return via slope ofMount Clarke. Some steep climbs anddescents. 12 km. Afternoon tea atJindabyne. Book with leader by Saturdaymorning for weather check and departurepoint. Twice cancelled – third time lucky?

Drive 420 km, $168 per car plus parkentry fee.

10 December Saturday Work Partyand CHRISTMAS PARTY

GUDGENBY BUSH REGENERATION GROUP

Leader Michael Goonrey Contact 6231 8395 or 0419 494 142 or

[email protected] at the Namadgi Visitor Centre,Tharwa at 9.15 am. Car pool toGudgenby Valley. Weeding and sprayingaround Gudgenby Homestead. Toolsprovided. Stay for Christmas lunch at theGudgenby Cottage. Bring a plate to share,some drinks provided.

11 December Sunday ActivityNPA CHRISTMAS PARTY

NAMADGI VISITOR CENTRE

FROM 11.30 AM

Leader Rod GriffithsContact 0410 875 731 or

[email protected] year our Christmas Party is to beheld at the Namadgi Visitor Centre.

Bring your own lunch and somethingto share. Some drinks and Christmas cakewill be provided.

3–6 January Pack WalkHIGH COUNTRY

Map Geehi Dam 1:25,000 andJagungal 1:25,000

Grading 2 C/D/ELeader Philip GatenbyContact 0401 415 446 or jandp.gaten

[email protected] from Munyang and explore theareas north and east of DisappointmentRidge. The walk is partly exploratory andmostly off-track. There will be climbs ofabout 500 m on the first 3 days. Expectpatches of thick scrub. Note that the datesof the walk may vary slightly dependingon the weather. Contact leader for moredetails closer to the date of the walk.Limit 8. Bookings by Sunday 1 January,preferably by email.

Drive 430 km, $172 per car.

8 January Sunday WalkGUBUR DHAURA, GUNGAHLIN HILL AND

GUNGADERRA CREEK

Map UBD Street Directory, Maps29, 30, 39

Grading 2 A/B/CLeader Brian SleeContact 6281 0719 (h) or

[email protected] walk. Depart 8.15 am fromGubur Dhaura entrance (Diane BarwickStreet, Franklin – UBD map 29, locationP11) and after walking over hill, headsouth west across grassland reserves toGungahlin Hill. Some fence climbing.Return across grasslands to GungaderraCreek and follow path through wetlands toHarrison before returning to GuburDhaura. Gaiters useful. Brunch/lunch atthe district (pub), Crace, unless someonehas a better idea.

There are long unshaded sections sowalk can be shortened if weather is hot.

14–16 (17) January 3–4 day Pack WalkETTREMA GORGE

Map Nerriga 1:25,000Grading 2 DLeader Dave Kelly Contact 6253 1859 or

[email protected] walk from the creek 1 km north ofBullfrog Creek, down along EttremaGorge to Transportation Spur (visitingJones Creek), then return to TolwongRoad via Pardon Point. Scrub, rock-hopping, wading, and possibly swimming.Contact leader early.

Drive about 330 km, $132 per car.

25 January Wednesday WalkJoint NPA / BBC / CBC Activity

Leader Philip GatenbyContact 0401 415 446Details are emailed to those on theWednesday walks email list. Otherwisecontact the leader.

2 February Thursday OutingSECOND TIP TRIP

Leader EstherContact [email protected] or

0429 356 212.The Soft Landing Mattress RecyclingFacility received ACT SustainableCommunities awards in multiplecategories in 2016, only 6 months afteropening. Join this tour at Mugga Lanefollowed by morning tea and questions.Soft Landing will provide tea and biscuits.Spaces limited. Contact leader by Monday30 January to reserve your place and fordirections to meeting place and time.

4-5 February Canoe and WalkTALBINGO PADDLE AND WALK

Joint NPA / CBC ActivityMaps Yarrangobilly 1:100,000 or

Ravine 1:25,000, Yarrangobilly1:25,000

Grading 1C (for any walking)Leader Mike BremersContact 0428 923408 or

[email protected] by theprevious Wednesday

Paddle from “Sue City” (O’Hares RestArea) 4 km to the campsite on TalbingoReservoir. Options for the afternoon andthe next morning include paddling,swimming or walking up some of themany nearby hills for views over thereservoir. A beautiful location suitable forbeginners. BYO canoe or kayak. Limit 8.

Drive 450 km, $180 approx per car.

5 February Sunday WalkMOUNT TWYNAM AND MOUNT

CARRUTHERS

Map Perisher Valley 1:25,000Grading 2A/BLeader MargaretContact 0418 645 303 or

[email protected] 6.30 am and drive to CharlottePass. We’ll take the Main Range track tothe Snowy River, then to Blue Lakelookout. From here we’ll ascend steeplyoff-track to a ridge and then proceed toMount Twynam. After a break, we’llfollow the ridge south, with fabulousviews in front of us, and then re-join theMain Range track. If time and energypermits, we’ll follow the track up toMount Carruthers before returning toCharlotte Pass. Book with leader bySaturday morning.


7 February Tuesday Work PartyGLENBURN PRECINCT

Leader Col McAlister Contact 6288 4171 or

[email protected] in the Glenburn Precinct to benegotiated with the Parks Service. Meet atthe Canberra Railway Station, Kingston at9:00 am.

Drive 50 km, $20 per vehicle.

11 February Saturday Work PartyGUDGENBY BUSH REGENERATION GROUP


[email protected] at the Namadgi Visitor Centre,Tharwa at 9.15 am. Car pool to GudgenbyValley. Work will include weeding andspraying around Eleanor Grove andHospital Creek. Tools provided.


12 FEBRUARY Sunday WalkMOUNT TOWNSEND

Map Perisher Valley 1:25 000Grading 3 A/CLeader Brian SleeContact 6281 0719 (h) or

[email protected] 6.30 am. Drive to Charlotte Passand follow Kosciuszko Road to SeamansHut. Take footpad down to RawsonsCreek and climb to Mueller Pass, cutaround Mueller Peak and climbTownsend (2,209 m) for lunch. Returnsame way or via Mount Clarke.Spectacular views. Afternoon teaJindabyne. Contact leader by Friday fordeparture place and weather check.


14 Feb to end February Pack WalksTwo 6-day Walks

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF TASMANIA

Maps Walls of Jerusalem NationalPark, and Olympus 1:25,000.

Grading 2 C/D/ELeader Dave and Judy KellyContact 6253 1859 or

[email protected] 1 (partly on tracks). A circuit fromMersey Valley to the Walls of Jerusalem,Junction Lake, Cathedral Mountain,followed (after a break) byWalk 2. (mainly off-track). A traverse ofthe Traveller Range from Du Cane Gapto Derwent Bridge. Variable scrub andsome scrambling, visiting the wildest andleast damaged parts on the western edgeof the Central Plateau, with glacial lakesand alpine heathland.

Between the two, a short trip toTyndall Range is possible (glacial peaksand lakes).

Contact leaders for more details.

19 February Sunday WalkBRINDABELLA RAMBLE

Map Cotter and Tidbinbilla1:25,000

Grading 3 ALeader Steven ForstContact 0428 195 236 or

[email protected] walk in the hopefully slightly coolertall mountain forests of a south-facingfold of the Brindabella Range. The walkmainly on fire trail, follows Old MillRoad and Wark’s Road before climbingback up to the Brindabella Road.


22 February Wednesday WalkJoint NPA / BBC / CBC Activity

Leader Mike SContact 0412 179 907Details are emailed to those on theWednesday walks email list. Otherwisecontact the leader.

24–26 February Pack WalkSNOWY MOUNTAINS WALKING FROM

GUTHEGA (3 days, 2 nights)Joint NPA / BBC / CBC Activity

Maps Perisher and Geehi Dam1:25,000

GradingLeaders Terrylea R and Barrie RContact 0437023140, or

[email protected] is a lovely walk along the MainRange with time to explore. FromGuthega walk north up the ridge toConsett Stephen Pass where we camp onthe first night, with time in the afternoonto explore the Tate West Ridge. Thesecond day walk south-west along theMain Range to Mount Anderson wherewe spend the night, with time in theafternoon to explore Mount Anderson. Onthe third day possibly go up Mount Antonor Little Twynam before returning toGuthega via the lower slopes of LittleTwynam and Illawong Lodge.

Deadline for bookings 17 February(maximum number 8).

Drive 446 km, approx. $178 per car.

25 February Saturday Work PartyHONEYSUCKLE CREEK AREA

Leader Martin ChalkContact 6292 3502 In May 2015 and again in March 2016 weremoved a number of exotic plants fromthis area. This work party will continuethis activity. Cut and dab equipment willbe provided but suggest you bring glovesand your favourite bush saw. Meet atKambah Village shops at 8.30 am.

Drive 87km, $32 per car.

26 February Sunday WalkBIG HOLE / MARBLE ARCH

Map Kain 1:25,000Grading 2 A/BLeader Mike SContact 0412 179 907Meet Canberra Railway Station car parkby 8.30 am. A walk mainly on bush trackpast the Big Hole to the Marble Arch inthe Deua National Park. Wading acrossthe Shoalhaven River is required and itcould be slippery in wet conditions at theArch. Old footwear or sandals forcrossing the river are advisable.


4 March Saturday WalkSQUARE ROCK

Map Corin Dam 1:25,000Grading 1 ALeader Steven ForstContact 0428 195 236 or

[email protected] short morning walk, through subalpineforest high in the hills to avoid the heat.Meet at Kambah Village Shops at8.00 am.


11 March Saturday Work PartyGUDGENBY BUSH REGENERATION GROUP


[email protected] at the Namadgi Visitor Centre,Tharwa at 9.15 am. Car pool toGudgenby Valley. Work will includeweeding and maintenance of theGudgenby Track towards Hospital Creek.Tools provided.

11–13 March Pack WalkCanberra Day Weekend

THE VINES AREA

Map CMW BudawangsGrading 2 ALeader Steven Forst Contact 0428 195 236 or

[email protected] walk in to The Vines area in theBudawangs near the base of QuiltysMountain from the Nerriga entrance toMorton NP. Contact leader early asnumbers limited.


19 March Sunday WalkYANKEE HAT NORTH

Joint NPA/BBC/CBC activityMap Rendezvous Creek 1:25,000Grading 2 D/FLeader David Dedenczuk Contact 0417 222 154 or

[email protected] at the Yankee Hat car park, wewill skirt the southern flanks of themountain before following a tributary ofBogong Creek towards the saddlebetween the north and south peaks. Thewalk will be very scrubby. Meet atKambah Village shops at 8.00 am. Pleasecontact leader by Thursday 16 March ifyou wish to participate.


NPA outings program December 2016 – March 2017 (page 3 of 4)

22 March Wednesday WalkJoint NPA / BBC / CBC Activity

Leader Steven ForstContact 0428 195236 or

[email protected] are emailed to those on theWednesday walks email list. Otherwisecontact the leader.

25 March Saturday Work PartyBLUNDELLS FLAT WEED CONTROL

Leader Martin ChalkContact 6292 3502 This is a new work area for the NPA butcomplements the work we havepreviously undertaken on the slopesabove Blundells Flat. The area hasheritage-listed exotics but the weedsinclude wilding exotics and the usualsuspects – plenty to do. Some toolsprovided but a bush saw and/or loppersand gloves would be handy. Meet atCooleman Court (behind McDonald’s) at9.00 am.

Drive 45km, $18 per car.

26 March Sunday WalkCENTENARY TRAIL: CAMPBELL TO

WATSON

Map Canberra Centenary Trail map 1or UBD Street Directory

Grading 3 A/CLeader Brian SleeContact 6281 0719 (h) or

[email protected] 9.00 am from Treloar Crescent carpark, Campbell, opposite High School(UBD map 2, location L3). Climb steeplyto Mount Ainslie and follow track northbefore connecting to Centenary Trail.Continue to Mount Majura for lunch.Descend to Centenary Trail and continueto Federal Highway, North Watson. Carshuffle required.

29 March Wednesday WalkJoint NPA / BBC / CBC Activity

Leader Barrie R and Terrylea RContact 0437 023 140Details are emailed to those on theWednesday walks email list. Otherwisecontact the leader.

Temple of Doom

Date: Sunday 31 July 2016.

Participants: Philip Gatenby(leader), John Brickhill,David Dedenczuk, JanGatenby.

Weather: Fine, cool and windy.

Outcrops of large graniteboulders are a feature of manyof the ridges of NamadgiNational Park. The ridge to thesouth of Orroral Hill isparticularly well endowed inthis regard and one of its mostspectacular outcrops is knowncolloquially as the Temple ofDoom. It includes a number ofsubterranean passages that allowthe outcrop to be traversed. EricPickering was the first person Iheard to use this name todescribe the outcrop.

This walk started from theOrroral Valley on the well-usedtrack to Nursery Swamp. About2 kilometres in and 200 m abovethe car park the track goesthrough a saddle and curves tothe south on its way to NurserySwamp. The remnant of an older track,now a footpad, heads north-west upNursery Creek to Indigenous rock art akilometre or so away. The track, faint inplaces, keeps to the creek’s true leftbank. We intended to look at the art workthen go uphill to the Temple of Doom.After more than half an hour stumblingaround in the scrub beside Nursery Creekand not finding any sign of the paintingswe turned to the north-east for the climbon to the ridge, detouring in places toavoid collections of large boulders. Itwas the best part of an hour from thecreek to the Temple of Doom.

Arriving at 11.30 left plenty of timeto explore. We walked, crawled, slitheredand climbed through a number ofpassages. We crossed underneath therock outcrop, while at least one passagetook us back to almost where we’d

started. Torches were required and somepassages were quite tight and damp.

Lunch was at the base of the rocksthen a course was set back to the saddleon the Nursery Swamp Track. Flat andscrubby to begin with for a kilometre orso, then we went steeply downhillthrough more scrub until we re-joinedthe track at the saddle. This took lesstime than expected and we were back atthe cars by 2.30 pm.

I mention as a bit of an aside thatmuch of the walk was through scrub,regrowth since the 2003 bushfires, andthick and scratchy in places.Nevertheless, and maybe it was myimagination, but the scrub seemedthinner than on an earlier walk to theTemple of Doom in March 2014.

Philip Gatenby


NPA outings program December

2016 – March 2017 (page 4 of 4) Bushwalks

One entrance to the Temple. Photo by David Dedenczuk.

Vale Mike OgdenMike Ogden joined NPA only recently, butlate in life. Mike really appreciated hiswelcome-to-membership phone call fromGraham Scully, and decided he wouldwrite a letter to NPA stating his reasons forjoining. That letter was published in theJune 2014 Bulletin (page 5). It reads inpart:

I am 76 years old and, had myoncologists been correct 18 months

ago, I would not still be alive. Ijoined because I have very goodfriends amongst your membership. Iwell know and appreciate the goodwork NPA has done and is doing,and in its advocacy role member-ship numbers give strength.

Mike passed away on 26 October, andwill be missed by his NPA friends.


a pad known as the Red Track. Wherethe creek has carved a passage throughthe walls to form Bungonia Gorge slotcanyon, huge chock stones appeared toblock our way but the emergence of agroup from the Shoalhaven beliedappearances. A scramble under and overthe boulders took us upstream to aflatter, more open section of the gorge.Voices overhead indicated rock climbersprecariously scaling the cliff walls.Lunchtime entertainment at the junctionof Bretons and Bungonia creeks wasprovided by a male lyrebird. It was oneof a number we saw during the day andit scratched around on a nearby rock faceseemingly unconcerned by our presence.

Bungonia GorgeDate: Wednesday 23 March 2016.

Participants: Mike S. (Leader), JohnD., Jan and Philip G., Barry K.,John K., Terrylea R., Barrie R.,Phillip S. and Andrew S.

Weather: Warm and mostly sunny.

Bungonia is one of the oldest reserves inNew South Wales, dating back to 1872,the year after the limestone quarryacross Bungonia Creek from the reserveopened. Both are still going strong. Thereserve was established, so the sign inthe car park says, to protect watersupply, for recreation and, later (1902),to preserve the area’s limestone caves.For many years a state recreation area,Bungonia has been a national park since2010.

Mike led us on what’s known as theWhite Track down to the junction ofBungonia Creek and the ShoalhavenRiver, initially around the flank ofMount Ayre, then steeply down hill.Morning tea was at the junction, wheresome members of the partycontemplated a swim in the river’slimpid brown waters but didn’t venturein. From here we turned up the creek,passing numerous sparklingly clearpools and a number of signs warning ofrock falls due to explosions at thelimestone quarry. We admired a largefish in one of the pools and noticed aneel gliding above it towards us. We thennoticed the eel was glossy black with ared belly. Fortunately, when the snakepretending to be an eel noticed us itquickly about-turned and swam to theopposite bank.

Soon the massive limestone cliff ofTroy Walls towered above us. We joined

Bretons Creek was our exit pointfrom the gorge. A drainage path has beencut from one of Bungonia’s caves to thelower section of the creek, which isknown colloquially as the Efflux. Theclimb out on the Red Track was steepand slippery, especially where the creekwas trickling. Eventually, a series of zig-zags lessened the gradient as the RedTrack took us back to the car park toconclude a memorable walk. From twolookouts nearby, with spectacular viewsof the Shoalhaven Valley, Troy Walls andthe Marulan quarry, we had an overviewof much of our route.

Philip Gatenby

Bushwalks (continued)

Negotiating the boulders in Bungonia Gorge. Photo by Philip Gatenby.

We had not encountered much snowon the way to the hut but there wasplenty beyond, in firm condition, so webegan climbing west on snowshoes upthe ridge through trees.We had barely seen thesun in the morning andas we rose steeply intoopen country, cloudsdescended and thewind increased. At1,860 metres, less thana kilometre from TheRolling Ground, wehuddled beneath ice-encrusted Snow Gumsfor lunch, hoping thealmost white-outconditions would clear.They did not but wehad a delightful

NPA’s snowshoe walk to The RollingGround, scheduled for 21 August, wascancelled due to adverse weather.However, four of us decided, at shortnotice, to set out on a private walk fromMunyang the following Sunday,28 August, with the aim of getting toHorse Camp Hut and deciding whetherto proceed from there.

As reported in Kosciuszko HutsAssociation Newsletter (Winter 2016),Horse Camp Hut was dismantled andrebuilt between 15 November 2015 and16 May 2016. The main purpose was toraise the structure from the groundwhere it was rotting away. The onlyobvious change is that the wood stovehas been moved from the middle of thehut into the fireplace. The loft remainslocked for safety reasons. Acommendable effort.

descent of 500 metres back to the hutand Munyang.

Brian Slee with Margaret Power,

Mike Bremers and Max Smith

A walk to The Rolling Ground … almost

Australia has many environments verydifferent to the south-east aroundCanberra and, in July 2016, I drove toCentral Queensland to learn more aboutsome of them. My intention was to spendtime in national parks in central NSW,then the Carnarvon Range and ‘dinosaurtriangle’ of Central Queensland. Thereturn route would visit parks furtherwest.

I set off with fine weather projectedfor 10 days. As it turned out, that’s whenthe sunshine ended; days of rain closedmost parks and the dirt roads of the area,so I headed home.

One aim of the trip had been tofollow up the interest in scarred trees I’ddiscussed in the March 2016 issue of theBulletin. That had alerted me thatremoval of bark by Aboriginal groupswas done not only to produce items forboth practical uses but also to mark sitesof ritual significance, such as burials andbora grounds, by carving patterns innearby trees. The property ofCollymongle north-west of the village ofCollarenebri has a rare collection of suchtrunks.

The carved trees of Walgett and

Collymongle

The visitors centre in Walgett gave medirections to Collymongle, then asked ifI was aware of the town’s owncollection … and there by the BarwonRiver 6 kilometres to the west, weremore than a dozen trunks in coveredcages. It appeared the bark from thesehad been taken for practical uses, whileaccompanying information described thelong Aboriginal occupancy of the area. Italso answered a question I’d beendiscussing with passing travellers theprevious day – these inland rivers, nowalways muddy, had run clear beforeEuropean settlement.

The carved trunks at Collymonglehad marked a nearby bora ground. Lastused 1896, in the 1940s most of themwere removed to avoid furtherdeterioration; some have been housed forpublic viewing in covered cages on theproperty and, in 1949, a dozen or so weretransported to State museums in each ofSydney and Adelaide; two went toBrisbane.

The Australian Women’s Weekly of12 November 1949 gives an interestingaccount of that operation, and also asmall insight into the bora ceremonies,as recounted by a few of the men thathad been involved in its ceremonies.The reporter for the Weekly wrote:

I have a vision of a procession offrightened lads. Their tongues tiedliterally, so that they could make nosound, they were led at dusk fromone grotesquely carved and paintedtree to another, their eldersimparting dread secrets along thehalf-mile lane to the sacred circle.

The youths would spend the nightin the circle, in absolute silence,under kangaroo skins, awaiting andfearing the initiation rites to followon the morrow …

Informed general comment aboutmarked trees is available at

https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/land/aboriginal-scarred-trees.

White Mountains National Park. Left. Grevillea pteridifolia. Right. Grevillea decora. Photos by Rupert Barnett


Some Central Queensland national parks


Carnarvon Gorge east edge. Photo by

Rupert Barnett

stark white cliffs. Side gorges containferny waterfalls, fluted walls that pressclose, hidden sink holes. Here too areextensive galleries of importantAboriginal art and, on a hidden facebeyond all the paths, the incised namesof some visitors in 1897 – bogus, graffiti,or heritage?

On such a trip there are the expectedpoints of interest, such as the DinosaurMuseum at Hughenden or the Tree ofKnowledge at Barcaldine. This GhostGum was healthy when I saw in 2003 butwas poisoned 3 years later. Its remainshave been preserved and now standunder an impressive canopy as amemorial to its role in the ShearersStrike of 1896 and formation of theAustralian Labor Party. Its clones survivearound the town and in the NationalArboretum.

Many satisfactions are unexpectedthough – Pied Butcher Birds working as

Parks of the Carnarvon Range

The Carnarvon Range was named byMajor Mitchell on his way in 1846 toPort Essington, east of Darwin. Itincludes the popular Carnarvon GorgeNP and other parks and reserves to itseast and west, which here comprise theGreat Dividing Range, some 600 kmfrom the coast. The park has almost600 dicots, 100 monocots, 50 orchids,250 birds and over 90 mammals.

The three western parks had fordecades been grazing properties, and theexternal and internal access reflects this.Mount Moffatt NP is reached by a longdrive from the south. Much of it isgrassy woodland, with colourfulsandstone ridges and hills that includearches and pinnacles. According to onetribal memory, a European fitting thedescription of the explorer Leichhardt(d. 1848) was killed in one of the riverswhich starts in this park, the Maranoa.

A notable feature is Tombs Rock, animportant Aboriginal cemetery sitewhere wrapped bodies were placed innatural holes in the high face. At its foota gallery of rock art includes latticepatterns thought to be associated withthe burials, and a world-unique stencil ofa full size human torso.

The Carnarvon Range continues westof Mount Moffatt through the Ka KaMundi and Salvator Rosa NPs and wellbeyond; these parks are accessible onlyfrom the north side. They offer drivesand walks through open woodland – andon Homoranthus Hill the flashing cheeksof a squabble of Blue-faced Honeyeaters – or upwellings of artesian waters suchas the Major Mitchell Springs that greenparts of what is often a dry and dunlandscape.

Galleries of Aboriginal art

The plateau in Carnarvon Gorge NP issimilar terrain, but the popular trackalong the Gorge floor leads through thedifferent world of remnant subtropicalforest, tall fan palms (a Livistonia), taller

a team to distract me from my meal,spectacular red or orange grevilleas inthe midst of a swarm of flashing locusts,two bustards staging a warm-up for apair of brolgas, and they in turn for alarge snake with a shiny black head. Allgood, and inviting my return …

Rupert Barnett

Some Central Quueensland

national parks (continued)


Carnarvon Gorge Amphitheatre. Photo by Rupert Barnett.

Photos below by Rupert Barnett.

Left. Black-faced python, Torrens Creek Road.

Centre. Fluffed up Apostle birds at Injune.

Right. Big Bottle tree beside the

Dawson Development Road.

to the plateau, en route crossing a largelydefunct toad fence, then south across anundulating landscape of drywatercourses, knee-high dry grass andscattered small trees. The grass obscuredloose rock underfoot so the unwarycould easily stumble. Intermittentfootpads, from either wild cattle, peopleor both, eased progress. After a couple ofkilometres we were overlooking thehead of an extensive system of gorges. Itwas hot, we’d seen no water since EmmaGorge but were confident we’d findsome in the gorge even if it wasn’tflowing. A steep but easily negotiableridge gave us access to the gorge. Itshigher reaches were dry but about akilometre down a creek bed we came tothe first of a series of rock pools. We hadno hesitation about jumping in. Ourmood lightened considerably. It wasclear now that whatever happened,finding water would not be a problem.

… at the base of a cliff 30 m above

the creek was a gallery of art work

We set up our tent beside the pool in therocky creek bed, the only flat areaavailable. This was the same place thatLinda’s party had camped 2 years earlier.Nearby, at the base of a cliff 30 m above

(CBC) and others have completed walksin the Cockburns previously, typicallytaking over a week to traverse the rangefrom Diggers Rest in the north-west toEmma Gorge in the south-east. Our walkwas based on part of a traverse led byLinda Groom in 2014 and advice fromLinda on what to visit on a shorter ‘thereand back’ walk rather than a traverse,with the help of kml files of the routesfollowed by Linda’s party and an earliergroup led by fellow CBC member IanHickson. The environmental officer at ElQuestro, where we camped the nightbefore the walk, was also very helpful.We contacted him believing permitswere needed from El Questro forovernight walks in the Cockburn Range.This proved not to be the case with avery recent change in land tenurearrangements meaning El Questro nolonger has a lease on the range. Still, weleft our details and plans with the EOwho said we’d have the place toourselves (which turned out to be the

case) and who alsocontacted the relevant WAgovernment department onour behalf to let them knowour intentions. From Emma Gorge Resortwas a steep climb of 200 m

In June and July this year, NPAmembers Jan and Philip Gatenbydrove to the Kimberley and acrossnorthern Australia to Queensland.When the opportunity arose for abreak from driving they completeda multi-day walk in the CockburnRange.

The Cockburn Range lies south of theKimberley town of Wyndham and to thenorth of the Gibb River Road andPentecost River. The range is anextensively dissected red sandstonemesa which reaches a maximum altitudeof 580 m. Of main interest tobushwalkers are its numerous gorges,the result of millions of years of erosionmainly by water.

As time was limited, we started andfinished our 4-day walk at Emma Gorge,where El Questro have a resort with aninterpretive track that provides access tothe gorge, a couple of kilometres to thenorth. The Canberra Bushwalking Club


A few days in the Cockburns


A few days in the Cockburns (continued)


valley. With a 6.30 am start on the lastday of the walk, again largely retracingthe route we’d followed on the first day,we took advantage of the cool morningweather and returned to Emma GorgeResort by 10 am.

Philip Gatenby

more open, with a number of waterholesand honeyeaters in abundance, before aclimb to bypass an impressive 150 mpool. Another spectacular pool 500 mfurther on was passable only byswimming so we decided here was agood place to turn around. We returnedto camp, collected our gear and retracedour steps, camping our last night nearthe base of the waterfall in the four-way

the creek was a gallery of art work. Thatafternoon we explored 2 km downstreamfrom our campsite, where the gorgedeepened and rock pools became morenumerous and larger, to a cliff line and alarge, dry waterfall.

… the beautiful sound of flowingwater could be heard

Our route on day 2 headeddownstream, mostly on the creek’s trueleft bank. We found a way through thecliff and down to the base of yesterday’swaterfall, which was in a spectacularfour-way valley surrounded by toweringred cliffs. Approaching the falls thebeautiful sound of flowing water couldbe heard. At their base a pool of clearwater was replenished by a spring acouple of metres above, well below thetop of the falls which were dry. Near thepool were two wildlife motion-activatedcameras which we’d been told to lookout for. Continuing downstream througha narrow gorge (which we later namedGreen Ant Gorge) and, once againtaking Linda’s advice, we avoided acompulsory swim by climbing to andfollowing a ledge above the creek.Beyond the gorge the creek changeddirection and led to our secondcampsite., a sandy area at the base ofcliffs with a couple of Great Bower Birdbowers.

… the residents of a colony ofseveral thousand bats … whizzedaround our heads

That afternoon we explored a tributaryof the main gorge system we’d beenfollowing. Soon our side creek becametunnel-like and to proceed we had toswim. It was dark enough to need headtorches. This disturbed the residents of acolony of several thousand bats whichwhizzed around our heads. The walls ofthe bat cave were covered in batdroppings and great care was needed toavoid swallowing any of the poo-infested water we were swimmingthrough. The whole exercise had then tobe repeated because soon after we’d gotthrough the cave a small waterfallblocked our progress and the only wayout was the way we’d come in.

With day packs we explored furtherdown-stream next morning. First up wasanother gorge about 600 m long, then astretch of creek where the banks were

Bend.

Photos by Jan and Philip Gatenby.

Second Trip to the Tip Thursday 2 February The Soft Landing Mattress Recycling FacilitySoft Landing received 2016 ACT Sustainable Communities awards in multiple categories only 6 months after opening.

Join the tour at Mugga Lane followed by questions. Soft Landing will provide tea and biscuits. Spaces limited.

Contact leader by Monday 30 January to reserve your place and for directions to meeting place and time.

Contact Esther at [email protected] or 0429 356 212.


Exploring the Kimberley Coastwatched them surfacing andblowing until they finallyheaded on their way. Nightswe watched sharks and crocsswimming around the boatattracted by the small fish thatin turn came for insectsattracted to our lights.

Raptors and their nestswere seen throughout the trip:Wedge-tailed and White-bellied Sea Eagles, Osprey,and Square-tailed, Whistlingand Brahminy Kites. Themajestic Brahminy Kiteswere seen many times and puton an impressive show at ourlast anchorage where thecruise always either starts orfinishes. A nesting pair hasbecome accustomed to theboat. Captain Lennie hasenticed them to perform forthe passengers with amonthly supplemental feed ofmeat cubes. Both birdscaught cubes tossed in the airand one took them from a pencil held inhis hand (to protect from talons).

Apparently no Kimberley cruisewould be complete without a chance foran adrenaline rush at Horizontal Falls.We were there early to beat the crowdand had opportunities for both thehelicopter and boat trip. In addition, onthe return to Broome, we saw the fallsfrom our small plane – perhaps the mostinteresting view of all.

… our visits to various sitesneeded to be timed according to the massive 10+ metretides

The 13-day itinerary startedin Broome with an earlymorning bus trip to Derby.There we boarded thecatamaran DiscoveryOne(formerly a small Sydneyferry) for an all day cruise outof King Sound into theBuccaneer Archipelago. Fromthere we travelled sometimesin circles as our visits tovarious sites needed to betimed according to themassive 10+ metre tides.Especially notable stopsincluded Montgomery Reef asthe tide went out, St GeorgeBasin including PrinceRegent River and KingCascade (only about 15 km

Clear blue sky, calm waters, waterholesand plunge pools, salties at a safedistance, rock art and raptors galore!And that is just the beginning of thestory of my Kimberley cruise.

The 10 kg limit on luggage meantthat no one would ‘dress’ for dinner.Those who did chose sarongs, also wornduring much of the day under the upper-deck shade sail. The captain on hiseleventh year in the Kimberley is knownto some locals as ‘Lennie the Legend’.He dresses in T-shirts, shorts, a sly smileand bare feet. In addition to navigating,he leads all on- and off-boat activities.The boat has two tenders so that all22 passengers can go ashore together –no waiting in queues. The food wasdelicious, varied and seemed unlimited.A huge array of choices was presentedeach night, including fresh veg and pilesof baby spinach for all 13 days. And bestof all, the catamaran spends the nightsanchored in sheltered coves, all but onewith no other boats in sight.

There were numerous art sites tobe visited

The 2-metre draft of our boat meant wecould travel up channels big boatscouldn’t. And then we went further upgorges and creeks in the tenders. Therewere many ‘scenic’ tender tours upnarrow gorges and through theubiquitous mangroves. At times wewalked and/or climbed further to visitwaterfalls, swim in saltie-free plungepools and admire unspoiled nature.There were numerous art sites to bevisited. We learned the differencesbetween Wandjina, Gwion and Archaicart styles. At Fresh Water Cove an elderled us on a tour of Cyclone Cave andexplained three different styles of Gwionart. The traditional style of her mob wasthe one depicted in the SydneyOlympics opening ceremony and was asource of great pride for her. Aftermorning tea and damper she explainedthe stories illustrated in an enormouspainted banner in their open-air artgallery. Several of our group left withpaintings.

Nights we watched sharks andcrocs swimming around theboat …

We saw Saltwater Crocodiles, TawnyNurse Sharks, dolphins and HumpbackWhales. Three whales delighted us byswimming parallel to our course for atime and then directly toward us.Captain Lennie stopped the boat and we

from the end of a pack walk completedin 2014), the Anderdon Islands and theRoe and Hunter rivers. On the last daywe were picked up from a beach onNaturalist Island by a helicopter andflown across the Mitchel Plateau with acircle over Mitchell falls. From theMitchell Falls airstrip we flew back toBroome in a small plane with views ofplaces we had seen from the water. Amemorable trip indeed.

Esther Gallant

A very close look down the saltie’s throat. Photo by Esther Gallant.

Brahminy Kite. Photo by Esther Gallant.


Edited extracts from recent issues ofjournals and newsletters, andonline sources.

Dingoes and wild dogs: are we

just splitting hairs?

The autumn rewilding edition of NatureNSW featured a variety of perspectiveshighlighting the ecological importanceof dingoes, along with the continuedpressure and persecution the speciesfaces. Many of the views expressed arethose that have led Humane SocietyInternational (HSI) to campaign fordingo protection over the past decade,most recently through the submission ofEnvironment Protection and BiodiversityConservation Act 1999 nominations forCanis dingo as a ‘conservation-dependent species’ and the cascadingeffects of the loss or removal of dingoesfrom Australian landscapes as a KeyThreatening Process (KTP).

Since domestic dogs were introducedinto Australia, dingoes have been subjectto hybridisation with them. The term‘wild dog’ is widely used in legislationand management documentation togroup hybrid dingoes and feral domesticdogs, differentiating them from dingoesand attributing them little or no value.Hybridisation is frequently used as aground for ongoing control of ‘wilddogs’ under the auspices of dingoconservation, despite there being noevidence that it has led to apredominance of dog genes in dingopopulations.

A growing body of evidence suggeststhat hybrids not only look like dingoes,but share important aspects of socialbehaviour such as pack formation, homeranges, reproductive cycles and feedinghabits. There is also little agreementbetween genetics and morphology whenassessing dingo purity, so argumentsregarding hybridisation do little butdivert the debate from ecologicalfunction to superficial semantics. Sincehybrids share the same ecological role asdingoes they should be consideredequally as important to conserve as apexpredators in Australian ecosystems, andthe difficulty in distinguishing hybridsfrom pure dingoes means all ‘wild dog’controls are essentially indiscriminate.Conservation efforts should insteadfocus on understanding and managingthe role of modern dingoes in differentregions and habitats throughoutAustralia.

Indiscriminate control, particularly inthe most common method of baiting, isintended to reduce stock predation and isincreasing throughout Australia.

plus a few large stands of CumberlandPlain Woodland (e.g. Kemps CreekNature Reserve) surrounded by Sydney’ssuburban sprawl. Many of thesefragments have been disturbed bygrazing, logging, increased nutrientloads from fertilisers, dumping andurban expansion.

Considerable effort is being directedto restoring these remnant patches totheir former glory: but insect pollinatorsare rarely considered in restoration planseven though they provide a crucialservice to ensure the reproductivesuccess of an ecosystem. TheNPA (NSW) will be ‘bringing the buzzback to the Cumberland PlainWoodland’ with our new project fundedby the Environmental Trust Restorationand Rehabilitation grant. We haveteamed up with the University of Sydneyand three councils from SW Sydney –Camden, Campbelltown and Liverpool –to restore the floral diversity of sixpatches of Cumberland Plain Woodlandadjacent to new housing developments.

We are working with the councils tostart up new bushcare groups at each ofthe sites to encourage new residents innew housing developments to protecttheir local woodland. Concurrently,‘Bringing back the buzz’ will be runningan education program at school andcommunity ‘working bees’ to encouragepollinator-friendly behaviour insuburban backyards. We’ll be surveyinginsect pollinators throughout our projectto see how they respond to our bushregeneration effort and improved habitat.Hopefully the results will be un-BEE-lievably fantastic!

Nature NSW, Vol. 60,No. 3 (Spring 2016)

Flooding wilderness, wild riversand world heritage

Two weeks before the federal electionwith Warragamba Dam threatening tospill due to severe storms, the BairdGovernment committed to raising thedam wall to prevent potential floodimpacts on the marginally held seats inWestern Sydney. The economic case andenvironmental impact statement for sucha major project are years away, so itseems to be another case of decision,judgment later, for NSW.

This is not a new proposal. A similarscheme was defeated in 1995 following astrong campaign by the KowmungCommittee led by Andrew Cox, after theGreiner–Fahey Government hadcommitted to raising the wall in 1993.The subsequent Carr Government then

Research suggests that dingo controlefforts may actually be counter-productive when it comes to stockpredation, with intact dingo packsexhibiting behavioural boundaries thatlimit such predation. When packs arefractured through baiting, loss of socialcohesion leads to more opportunisticfeeding patterns. Additionally, thereduced ability of dingo packs to huntlarge prey such as kangaroos sees greaterherbivore pasture competition withstock – ceasing ‘wild dog’ control effortsmay be the most economically sensiblemanagement option for pastoralists.

Dingoes have been shown to play apositive conservation role by supressinga number of introduced pest speciesincluding rabbits, goats, pigs and deer.But perhaps the greatest ecologicalbenefit is their control of feral cats andfoxes. Dingoes are known to supresspopulations of these introduced speciesand, in areas where dingoes are baited,numbers of small predators tend toincrease along with their predatoryimpact on prey.

A healthy dingo presence isbeneficial for threatened speciesconservation, and this ecological rolewas the focus of HSI’s KPT nominationwhich, if successful, would lead togreater scrutiny on current ‘wild dog’management practices. Despite theweight of science supporting ournomination growing each year,meaningful dingo conservation measureswill take bold government action. Here’shoping 2016 is the year, as managementpractices have so far led to nothing but aloss of biodiversity, and time is runningout for our threatened species.

Nature NSW, Vol. 60,No. 3 (Spring 2016)

Bringing the buzz back to theCumberland Plain Woodland

Land clearing for agriculture and urbanexpansion in Western Sydney hasreduced the Cumberland Plain Woodlandto less than 10 per cent of its originaldistribution. The Cumberland PlainWoodland is a critically endangeredvegetation community that grows on theshale soils of Western Sydney with agrassy to herbaceous understorey and acanopy dominated by one or more of thefollowing tree species: Grey Box(Eucalyptus moluccana), Forest RedGum (E. tereticornis), Narrow-leavedIronbark (E. creba), Thin-leavedStringybark (E. eugeniodes) and SpottedGum (Corymbia maculata). Thisecologically significant community isrepresented mostly by small patches,

PARKWATCH



lights, the blaring music and the partyatmosphere in the carpark we werecondemned to be in with countlessothers. Fair enough, I told myself – thisis a special place, and the hordes ofpeople had to be constrained in someway.

However, by dawn the next morningmy patience was ground to dust, as red asthe dust at my feet. Desiring to watch thesun stream its first glorious rays of theday on our world heritage listed icon, weattempted to ‘fit’ into the designatedlocation in the pre-dawn. Desperately wefled, seeking to find a quiet place awayfrom the hordes of camera-clasping,video-clutching, ear-plugged touristscrammed together in the barricadedarea – all pushing for a front line spot.

After driving frantically to find an‘ecologically and culturally appropriate’place in which we could experience thismagic sight unhindered, we finally founda spot to ourselves by the side of theroad. Just as the sun’s rays met the Rockand the magnificent spectrum of coloursappeared, up pulled other vehicles,complete with music pumping.

The resounding stillness of the landwas shattered. Our moment was gone,our singular communion with nature lost.I longed for the Larapinta Trail and thatfeeling of being an integral part in a landso vast, so steeped in time that it wasbeyond mental comprehension. Theexperience also highlighted why nationalparks matter to me. National parksprotect nature’s beauty and diversity, andhelp stem the destruction of the naturalworld in the push for never-endingdevelopment. They are the last bastionfor conservation.

National parks connect us to ourcountry, our land. They contribute tobridging the gap between the traditionalpeoples and those who have come after.They provide a place of refuge from ourfast-paced and often stressful lives; andare invaluable in counterbalancing theurban life. National parks provide theopportunity to experience the glories,and the mundaneness of the AustralianBush. Superlative descriptions ofAustralia’s national parks abound,particularly in tourist brochures. For me,they ring true, they live up to theirexpectations. But national parks do morethan that, they take me beyond my small,human, constructed world to anexpansive, astounding, natural domain.The untamed wildness of the bushrealigns my internal compass and makesmy spirit soar!

Protected QNPA, Issue 10(August–September 2016)

(concluded on page 25)

2003 bushfires, which destroyed itshabitat in areas of Namadgi NationalPark. A study by the ACT Governmentand the Australian National Universityfound the species has recolonised burnt-out areas and returned to pre-firedistribution.

‘A decade on, the habitat hasrecovered remarkably,’ ACTGovernment senior ecologist Dr MurrayEvans told 666 ABC Canberra's Driveprogram. ‘Now that the habitat hasrebounded, the Broad-toothed Rat hasrebounded as well.’

The rise of the rat is an indicator ofwider recovery at Namadgi NationalPark. ‘Our ecosystems are pretty resilientto things like fire,’ Dr Evans said.‘Species we’ve seen return [to Namadgi]are arboreal marsupials like gliders,possums – there’s good populations ofthose. Some species are still struggling,like the Corroboree Frog, but overall I’dhave to say the report card for Namadgiis looking pretty good. I don’t know ofany species that we’ve actuallycompletely lost due to those 2003 fires’.

The Broad-toothed Rat is rare in theACT and is in decline nationally. ‘Aswell as climate change, which reduceshabitat in alpine areas, the species facesother risks such as predation by foxes,habitat degradation by feral pigs and thespread of exotic grasses and plant footfungus,’ Dr Evans said. He saidprotecting habitat and national parkcorridors would go a long way tosecuring the rat’s future.

‘It’s very important to have areas thatare well connected ecologically whereanimals can move through from onehabitat to another to recolonise if thosepopulations are lost,’ he said. ‘It’s alsoimportant to have large areas likeNamadgi that are conserved – ifNamadgi was highly broken up, there’s agreater chance that you’ll lose speciessuch as the Broad-toothed Rat.’

666 ABC News Canberra website,accessed 20 October 2016

The national park experience

(Written by Michelle Prior,President NPAQ)

A few years ago, I took a little jaunt onthe Larapinta trail. Somewhat satisfied(and astonished) at our completion of229 km, we moved onto the finalcelebrations – a family pilgrimage to theheart of Australia: Uluru and Kata Tjuta.The long-awaited destination was not theculmination I had naively believed itwould be. Despite the indescribablebrilliance of the rising of the July fullmoon over Uluru, the experience wasshattered with the glare of vehicle head

approved construction of a large spillwaybeside the dam, completed in 2002, toprotect it from major floods.

Raising Warragamba Dam’s wall willinundate over 3,000 hectares of WorldHeritage listed national park land,wilderness and wild rivers. Lower reachesof protected wild rivers, including theKowmung, Coxs and Nattai rivers, willbe flooded. Temporary inundation causedby the proposal will scar wildernessareas, kill riverbank vegetation anddeposit sediment. The affected parts ofthe southern Blue Mountains nationalparks, arguably the most protected parksin Australia, may have to be revoked asthey will be degraded if the schemeproceeds.

The Blue Mountains ConservationSociety is opposed to the development.Vice president Tara Cameron said: ‘Weare very concerned that betweenBadgery’s Creek Airport and raising theWarragamba Dam wall, the WorldHeritage values of the Blue Mountainswill be deemed at risk by UNESCO.Australia has an international obligationto protect these areas, not destroy them’.

The best way to reduce the impacts offlooding on people is to relocate low-lying homes and avoid further building inflood-prone areas. Floodplains are forfloods and the proposed higher dam walldoes not alter that fact.

Given Sydney Water’s new capacityto access water from the lower levels ofWarragamba Dam, and the water securityprovided by the desalination plant, a lessdamaging solution would be to reduce thedam’s full storage level by a third andallow that proportion to be used for floodstorage. The dam’s hydroelectric plantcould be refurbished and then operate tolower the stored water to desired levelsfollowing a flood, while generatingelectricity for the national grid. Efficientuse of existing dam capacity, along withbetter flood planning and emergencyresponse will save lives and the WorldHeritage area from an unnecessary $700million dam project and its contingentreal estate development boom on theflood plain.

Colong Bulletin, No. 264(August 2016)

Native Broad-toothed Rat makes

a comeback in the ACT

Rat populations are not usuallysomething to celebrate but an increase inBroad-toothed Rat numbers in the ACThas researchers excited. The Broad-toothed Rat is a medium-size nativerodent which lives in alpine andsubalpine swamps and grasslands. Therodent was nearly wiped out during the

PARKWATCH (continued)


Announcing Bushwalking101.org:

Look, Learn, Explore!

For a beginner, going bush is a verydaunting task. Bushwalking101.org is awebsite to help people better settle intobushwalking with the NPA (NSW). It’sabout sharing ‘bite-size’ information andpractical advice to new bushwalkers. Ourhope is to encourage our new membersto take up bushwalking as a lifelongpassion and to continue to grow andimprove their bushwalking skills. Viewthe website. We love feedback.

E-newsletter, NPA NSW,October 2016

Review: Restoration conserv-

ation: the Mulligans Flat and

Goorooyarroo Woodland

experiment

[Report of talk by Professor AdrianManning on 20 July 2016 atCanberra Bushwalking Club.]

Australia has an unenviable record whenit comes to species extinction,accounting for 28 per cent of mammalianlosses worldwide. The toll has beengreatest among small mammals weighingbetween 350 and 550 grams. AroundCanberra, the bettong has been gone for80 to 100 years. Birdlife has beenaffected too. As suburban developmenthas extended, the Hooded Robin and theBrown Tree-creeper have retreated fromthe city.

As a result of the declines, thecommunity’s understanding of ecological‘normality’ changes. Expectations growlower, and the constituency forconservation degrades. In a programdesigned to provide evidence to reversethese trends, the ANU, with partnersCSIRO, James Cook University and theACT Government, has implemented anambitious program of restoration ecologyat two dedicated nature reserves atMulligans Flat and Goorooyarroo.

ANU’s Adrian Manning took anappreciative CBC audience through thewide-ranging research that had beenundertaken. The principal aim is torestore Box Gum woodland as the basisfor supporting improved wildlifediversity. A key part of the restoration isbased on the reintroduction of thebettong, a small burrowing marsupialthat turns over and conditions soils as itsearches for food. In addition, identifiedwoodland compartments have been givendifferent treatment (such as removinggrazing marsupials) and the effects onbroad species diversity measured. Ninetysix 1-hectare sites are being carefullymonitored in this way.

was a good idea in principle. However,he said to make the extra land aworthwhile tourist attraction, therewould need to be additional fundingfrom all three levels of government. Hesaid funding would be required formaintenance of the initial infrastructureas well as an upgrade of roads, picnicand camping areas. ‘A lot of work hasgot to be done on what the impact of itwill be, not only ecologically butfinancially,’ Councillor Johnston said.

Dungog Chronicle,28 September 2016

Large increase in known

population of Night Parrots

A joint initiative by Australian WildlifeConservancy and the Queensland Parksand Wildlife Service (QPWS) hasuncovered the largest known populationof the endangered Night Parrot inDiamantina National Park.

A field survey led by AWC SeniorField Ecologist, John Young – who in2013 became the first person in over acentury to find a living Night Parrot –has confirmed a significant increase inits known population and distribution.

Exploring remote sections ofDiamantina National Park by helicopter,all-terrain vehicle and on foot, JohnYoung located three nests, observedbirds at these three nests and at anotherlocation, and identified birds at threeadditional locations by their distinctivecall. John was assisted by AWC SeniorEcologist Dr Rod Kavanagh, and by anumber of experienced volunteers.

AWC scientists have developed ahabitat model which indicates a largearea of Diamantina National Park ispreferred roosting habitat for NightParrots. It is hoped the model will helpidentify and protect additionalpopulations of the Night Parrot.

Australian Wildlife Conservancy.

Lachlan Valley National Park

The NSW Government has declared asnational park an additional area of over20,000 hectares between the towns ofHay and Balranald NSW. The area hasLachlan River frontage and linksseparate portions of the former KalyarrNational Park.

NSW Government GazetteNo. 88 (4 November 2016)

Compiled by Hazel Rath

The results so far are encouraging.Tasmanian bettongs introduced toMulligans Flat have thrived. The latestreintroduction is the Eastern Quoll. Someof the woodland treatments, such as theaddition of dead wood to provideadditional habitat, have been sosuccessful, that they will be applied toother areas in the ACT. Mostimportantly, the community is involvedwith the projects, through a managementsubcommittee that oversees a range ofland care activities, in partnership withACT Parks and Conservation. Theimpact of actually seeing bettongs backwhere they once belonged is the mostvivid possible demonstration of theimportance of ecosystem restoration.

it (magazine of the Canberra Bush-walking Club), August 2016

Barrington Tops National Parkexpansion plan presented

A proposal to extend the Barrington TopsNational Park by about 9,500 hectareshas been presented to Dungog ShireCouncil. The suggestion is to incorporatepart of the Chichester State Forest in theadjacent World Heritage-listed park inthe Upper Paterson and Allyn RiverValleys. The submission was prepared byNPA NSW (Hunter Branch) inconsultation with community groups inthe Dungog and Gresford area. NPANSW (Hunter Branch) president IanDonovan said the extension would helppreserve the area.

‘The park extension will protect highnatural and scenic values of the area,water catchments and rationalise landmanagement arrangements,’ MrDonovan said. ‘Importantly thesubmission to the NSW Governmentincluded an economic analysishighlighting the high tourism andrecreational benefits that the proposalcan bring to the area.’

A key part of the proposal was toimprove public access to the southernend of the Barrington Tops National Parkfor recreational use. The submission alsoprovided a framework for improvingmanagement of recreation in the UpperAllyn area. Additional NSW Governmentinvestment in tourism infrastructure hasalso been sought.

This year marks 60 years since theestablishment of the NPA in the HunterRegion. Mr Donovan said theorganisation had continued its supportfor nature conservation in the area afterhaving a key role in the establishment ofBarrington Tops National Park nearly50 years ago.

Dungog Mayor, Councillor HaroldJohnston, said he thought the proposal

PARKWATCH (continued)


New members of

the associationThe NPA ACT welcomes

Anastasia Sim and

Carol Anderson

as new members.

We look forward to seeing youat NPA activities.

NPA notices

Cover photographs

Front cover

Main photo. Grevillea sessilis, White Mountains CG track, Central

Queensland (article page18). Photo by Rupert Barnett.

Insets. Top. Yellow Admiral, butterfly wings close up

(see page 9). Photo by Adrienne Nicholson.

Centre. Rick Shine, winner of NPA ACT’s 1967 schools essay competition,

wins the 2016 Prime Minister’s Prize for Science (article, page 8).

Bottom. Bilby’s Ring books have been presented to ACT primary schools

(article page 3).

Back cover

Top. Cockburn Range, WA, from the Pentecost River crossing (article page20).

Photo from Philip and Jan Gatenby.

Bottom. Dargonelly CG waterholes, Mount Moffat National Park,

Queensland (article page 18). Photo by Rupert Barnett.

National Parks Association Calendar

Public holidays

General meetings

Committee meetings

Gudgengy Bush Regeneration 1

Glenburn work party 3

December

Sun 25–

Tues 27

—

Tues 6

Sat 10 2

—

January

Sun 1–Mon 2,

Thurs 26

February

—

March

Mon 13

—

—

Thurs 16

Tues 7

—

—

Sat 11

Tues 7

Thurs 16

Tues 7

Sat 11

—

NPA Christmas Party Sun 11

Further details: 1. GBRG. Meet at Namadgi Visitor Centre 9.15 am.

2. Includes GBRG Christmas Party.

3. Friends of Glenburn meet at Canberra Railway Station, Kingston at 9.00 am, or at

the locked gate off the Kings Highway at 9.20 am.

Call for volunteersAt every NPA general meetingvolunteers from the membershipset up the hall and the supper. Weneed more volunteers for 2016 asthe roster is by no means full.Please contact Quentin Moran ifyou would like to help [email protected]

Thank you

NPA books available from some bookshops (eg ANBG), or contact the association office

Deadline for the March 2017 issue:

31 January 2017.

Contributions for the NPA Bulletin

Contributions of articles, letters, poems, drawings and

photographs are always welcome. If possible keep contributions to no

more than 1,000 words. Items accepted for publication will be subject

to editing and may also be published on the NPA website. Send all

items to the Bulletin Team, email [email protected], or to the

NPA ACT postal address (see page 27).

This Bulletin was prepared by:

Editor, Max Lawrence

Subeditor, Ed Highley

Presentation, Adrienne Nicholson.

Its all happening at MulligansNote there is now a Facebook page for Mulligans FlatSanctuary where people can keep up to date withdevelopments there.You can find it by Googling

The Wild Things of Mulligans Flat.

NPA ACT

Christmas Party

Namadgi Visitor Centre

Sunday 11 Decemberfrom 11.00 am

Bring your picnic lunch and Christmas

cheer.

Nibbles, some drinks and Christmas cake

will be provided.

Check Burning Issues or the NPA website

for last minute details.

Contact an NPA committee member if you

need a lift, or for further information.

Butterfly

book in

press.


National Parks Association of the ACT Incorporated

Inaugurated 1960

Aims and objectives of the Association

• Promotion of national parks and of measures for the protection offauna and flora, scenery, natural features and cultural heritage in theAustralian Capital Territory and elsewhere, and the reservation ofspecific areas.

• Interest in the provision of appropriate outdoor recreation areas.

• Stimulation of interest in, and appreciation and enjoyment of, suchnatural phenomena and cultural heritage by organised field outings,meetings or any other means.

• Cooperation with organisations and persons having similar interestsand objectives.

• Promotion of, and education for, conservation, and the planning oflanduse to achieve conservation.

Office bearers

President vacant

Vice-President Christine Goonrey 6231 8395 (h)[email protected]

Secretary Sonja Lenz 6251 1291 (h)[email protected]

Treasurer Chris Emery 6249 7604 (h)[email protected]

Committee members

Isobel Crawford 6257 1660 (h)[email protected]

Esther Gallant (Minutes Secretary) 6161 4514 (h)[email protected]

Rod Griffiths (Immediate Past President) 6288 6988 (h)[email protected]

George Heinsohn 6278 6655 (h) [email protected]

Kevin McCue 6251 1291 (h)[email protected]

Quentin Moran 6288 9840 (h)[email protected]

Conveners

Outings Subcommittee [email protected]

Environment Subcommittee Rod Griffiths 6288 6988 (h)[email protected]

Cultural Subcommittee Quentin Moran 6288 9840 [email protected]

Publications Subcommittee Kevin McCue 6251 1291 (h)[email protected]

Promotion and Engagement Vacant SubcommitteeBulletin Working Group Kevin McCue 6251 1291 (h)

[email protected] Work Party Co-ordinator Martin Chalk 6292 3502 (h)

[email protected]/Burbong Work Col McAlister 6288 4171 (h) Parties [email protected]

The NPA ACT office is in Unit 14 / 26 Lena Karmel Lodge, Barry

Drive, Acton, together with the Conservation Council. It is staffed by

volunteers on an irregular basis. Callers may leave phone or email

messages at any time.

Phone: (02) 6229 3201 or 0410 875 731 (if urgent)

Website: www.npaact.org.au

Email: [email protected]

Address: GPO Box 544, Canberra ACT 2601

Facebook:www.facebook.com/NationalParksAssociationOfTheAct

Membership subscription rates (1 July to 30 June)

The subscription rate is $22, which includes a digital copy only of ourBulletin.

If you want to receive a printed copy of the Bulletin, the subscriptionrates are:

Household membership $44 Single members $38.50Corporate membership $33 Full-time student/Pensioner $22

Note: All the above subscription categories reduce to $11 if a

donation of $100 or more is made.

Advertising

The NPA Bulletin accepts advertisements and inserts. Contact

the NPA office for information and rates.

Printed by Instant Colour Press, Belconnen, ACT.

ISSN 0727-8837

General MeetingsThird Thursday of the month, (not December or January)

8.00 pm, Uniting Church hall, 56 Scrivener Street, O’Connor

Thursday 16 FebruaryEffect of coarse woody debris on

browsing inside woodland reserves

Joseph Stapleton

Joseph was the recipient of the 2016NPA ACT Student Scholarship at the

Fenner School, ANU.

High herbivore densities in ACTreserves can repress regeneration, oneecosystem feature that may reducebrowsing is coarse woody debris(CWD). Recently, CWD has beenmanually applied into endangeredwoodland reserves. This study looks atwhether this can help reduce browsingand how it compares to CWD fromnatural sources.

Thursday 16 MarchAdventures with Rosie: monitoring

Rosenberg’s monitor on Mount Ainslie 2013 –2016

Matthew Higgins

Historian and outdoor enthusiast.

Rosenberg’s Monitor, a large goanna rarelyseen in the ACT, is listed as a threatened spe-cies in NSW, Vic. and SA. Matthew looks atkey activities of these beautiful reptiles,recorded on Mount Ainslie. The project was apartnership between Matthew and ACTGovernment Senior Ecologist Don Fletcher.Rosenbergs lay their eggs in termite moundsand Matthew took what are probably the firstever photographs of egg-laying and hatching inthe Territory, and for a good distance beyond.

There is no

General Meeting in

December 2016 or

January 2017

For information on NPA ACT activities, please visit our website http://www.npaact.org.au

and follow us at www.facebook.com/NationalParksAssociationOfTheAct

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