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Splendour Rock 2018 – 70 years

By on 4 May, 2018 in Bushwalking history

Bushwalking NSW President, Alex Allchin, reading the program

This year there was a strong crowd of mid-week walkers present on ANZAC Day to remember the dedication of the Splendour Rock plaque 70 years ago in 1948. Background notes were read out about installing the plaque before the usual simple but of course moving ceremony. The service is roughly timed to have a spectacular climax with sunrise and cloud this year gave us a special sunrise over Kings Tableland.

The author and Bushwalking NSW President (in hat) Alex Allchin both assisted in this ceremony which opened to a welcome to country and concluded with the National Anthem. A bugler played ‘The Last Post’.

Splendour Rock is an outstanding vantage point with around a 220 degree sweep of view that goes well into the distance. It is also hard to tire of the “Wild Dogs” access walk with its mix of forest and rock pass / ups and downs. Overnight near Splendour Rock a little tent village pops up. There is a certain magic in an ANZAC Day visit to Splendour Rock. 2019 could be a good year to sense the magic of this place. Put the date in your diary now.

Keith Maxwell.

Splendour Rock 2018 sunrise

Myrtle Rust

By on 5 April, 2018 in Conservation

Myrtle Rust is a member of the guava rust complex caused by Puccinia psidii, a known significant pathogen of Myrtaceae plants outside Australia, and was first detected on the Central Coast of NSW in 2010.

It has now firmly established itself along the east coast of Australia from southern New South Wales to far north Queensland, and in some parts of Victoria. Its spores spread rapidly and by air, making whole eradication unfeasible.  However, areas such as Wambina Nature Reserve have eradication plans and are quarantined.

Tasmania’s efforts to educate bushwalkers included a Myrtle Rust ID card.

Studies have found that at least 347 Australian Myrtaceae species are susceptible.

The most notably affected are eucalypts (Eucalyptus, Angophora and Corymbia), paperbarks and bottlebrushes (Melaleuca and, formerly, Callistemon), and tea-trees (Leptospermum).

Myrtle Rust attacks young, soft, actively growing leaves, shoot tips and young stems, as well as fruits and flower parts of susceptible plants.

The first signs of myrtle rust infection are tiny raised spots that are brown to grey, often with red-purple haloes.

After infection, the spots produce masses of distinctive yellow spores.

The fungus is spread very easily by these spores through the air and water, and can also accumulate on clothing, gloves, hats, tents, watches, wristbands and other gear.

Bushland that we visit could be infected with Myrtle Rust. Remember to arrive clean and leave clean, pack light, carpool when possible and leave cars in carpark areas or away from bush.

If there is any chance that you have encountered the fungus, change into fresh clothes and wash your hands, face and footwear to prevent it spreading. Clean your shoes with a 70% methylated spirits or benzyl alkonium chloride disinfectant.

Standard washing-machine use with detergent will kill Myrtle Rust spores on clothing, gloves, hats and other items suitable for the washing machine. Brush up on how to Clean Your Gear and see our Solutions page for information.

 

Notes:

https://www.invasives.org.au/project/myrtle-rust

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/established-plant-pests-and-diseases/myrtle-rust

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/pestsweeds/110683myrtlerustmp.pdf

http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/myrtle.pdf

https://invasives.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Case-Study-Myrtle-rust.pdf

https://invasives.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/fs_myrtle_rust.pdf

Update:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-12-04/myrtle-rust-fungus-invasive-species-killing-native-trees/11730738

Bushwalkers & Rogainers 30th Annual NavShield

By on 2 April, 2018 in Awards & Recognition, Bushwalking safety, Events, Training

Press Release to Bushwalkers & Rogainers

30th Annual NavShield

23 & 24 June 2018

Great Navigation Training Opportunity!

Please add to your winter activities program

The NSW Emergency Services Wilderness Navigation Shield (NavShield), is a rogain event where teams
attempt to gain as many points as possible by finding their way on foot, through unfamiliar wilderness terrain
to pre-marked checkpoints.

The course covers an area of approximately 80 square kilometres with only traditional map and compass
navigation techniques permitted. There are both day and overnight event options.
The course is set by a team of skilled navigators from Bush Search and Rescue NSW (the oldest land
search and rescue unit in Australia) – the official Search & Rescue arm of Bushwalking NSW.

The course is set in a secret location (approx 2.5 hrs from Sydney) and will take place on the last weekend
of June 2018.

Encompassing the finest traditions and character of off-track bushwalking, NavShield is an opportunity to
get back to basics and work on important navigation skills, without the use of GPS technology.
It’s an ideal training opportunity for your club members to learn and practice on a fun and enjoyable
weekend. You can choose to make it as competitive or as amateur/fun as you like!

We ask all bushwalking clubs to please add this great event to their calendars and encourage teams to take
part.

With a successful 30 year history, we want to make this year’s event one to celebrate and are planning for it
to be a standout event. If you or your club has ever considered taking part, or perhaps attended past events,
we invite you to make a commitment to be a part of this 30th year celebration event.

To celebrate and thanks to the generous support of our friends in SES and RFS, we’ve reduced the entry
fee to only $40 per person. All the more reason to get involved!

Past events have seen entries from a variety of Bushwalking Clubs and Rogainers, Police, Ambulance, Rural
Fire Service, State Emergency Service, Volunteer Rescue Association and the Armed Forces.

Now is the time to organise and motivate your club to take part in this great event!

Registrations open 2 April.

For all details and registration, visit Bush Search and Rescue NSW.

Splendour Rock 70 anniversary

By on 18 March, 2018 in Bushwalking history, Events

Wednesday 25 April 2018

This will be a special day as it will be 70 years since the bushwalkers who had survived WWII gathered to remember their lost walking mates.  They dedicated a permanent memorial to them with the outstanding sentence “THEIR SPLENDOUR SHALL NEVER FADE”

A simple ceremony will be held in the half-light before sunrise over Kings Table Land and a cloud covered Lake Burragorang.  There is a special atmosphere in the overnight (dry; no water) camp of the 24th on Mt Dingo.

All bushwalkers should visit Splendour Rock at least once since it holds so many bushwalking memories.  The vista more than lives up to its ‘splendour’ name as you see a vast sweep of bushwalking country.  In 1948 the bushwalkers could still remember friends who had pioneered ways to visit so much of this country in overnight trips.

GETTING THERE

Splendour Rock is on the far end Mt Dingo in the Megalong Valley.  It is hard to tire of walking the Wild Dogs with its mix of place names and bushwalking challenges over and around Mt Mouin, Mt Warrigal, Merrimerrigal before finally Mt Dingo.

Bushwalking NSW will be supporting this anniversary.  In 1958 they started a new visitors’ logbook with a special title page.

The BNSW website has more information on these men from a range of clubs (some of which are no more).  See www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

Now is the time to start planning your 2018 ANZAC Day trip to this place of so much special importance to bushwalking.

 

Club committee tools and tips

By on 9 March, 2018 in Bushwalking club management resources

Running a successful club takes a few tools and skills that can be just as handy as a map and compass for keeping your club on track!

Great bushwalkers use their tools and resources exceptionally efficiently, so on this page we shares some tools and tips from Bushwalking NSW and our clubs. This is by no means all the great tips and tools employed by all our clubs, so if you’d like to add to this list, please share your tips here.

 

 

Phytophthora Cinnamomi

By on 4 March, 2018 in Conservation

Phytophthora Cinnamomi is a fungus that grows inside a susceptible plant’s roots, reducing its ability to transport nutrients to the rest of the tree, killing it or making the tree look sickly (generally known as Dieback).

Trees and plants infect each other by root-to-root contact. However, on a downward slope Phytopthora can travel up to 40 metres per year through soil and mud, and can lay dormant in dry soil.

Some examples of NSW affected areas are Wollemi National Park, Barrington Tops National Park and Mount Imlay National Park where flora and fauna have been radically changed by it. The flora suffering Dieback are quarantined to limit the spread. The infected flora are still important, providing a habitat for species and preventing salinity and erosion in the area.

 

As bushwalkers, we can play our part when walking nearby infected areas, by assisting in keeping other areas free of infection, limiting the spread and reducing our impact. It’s Sweet to Walk Soft!

Unlike diseases such as Myrtle Rust, studies have found that contaminated trees do not contain the fungus on leaves or branches, but the fungus can still be transported by touching infected roots, water, soil or mud.

 

Read all signage in our National Parks and follow their instructions, staying out of quarantined areas, as well as using Hygiene Stations when available to brush down gear. Unless with an experienced leader with background training and knowledge in the area, we must stick to tracks and paths while bushwalking and/or driving, and limit the amount of vehicles we take.

 

To learn more about responsibility in the bush, join your local bushwalking Club, take one of our FREE courses or try volunteering to protect our lovely National Parks.

 

 

Notes:

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/PhytophthoraKTPListing.htm

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=20026

http://www.cpsm-phytophthora.org/

https://www.dwg.org.au/

http://barmac.com.au/problem/phytophthora-cinnamomi/

Larapinta Trek 2018

By on 7 February, 2018 in Events, Walks

Trekking the incredible Larapinta Trail is an adventure on many people’s bucket lists.

Simpsons Gap, Northen Territory, Australia

 

Standing on ancient escarpments and gazing out upon the ochre-coloured landscapes of Central Australia, following Aboriginal Dreaming tracks and trekking beside one of the world’s oldest river systems is surely an adventure of a lifetime.

Our friends at Melanoma Institute Australia would like to invite you on their Outback Trek adventure in September 2018.

Not only will you experience a trek along one of Australia’s premier walking tracks, but you will be supporting life-saving research at Melanoma Institute Australia.

 

 

A view of Glen Helen Gorge on a clear winter’s day in Northern Territory, Australia

 

Australia has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world. The good news is that 90% of melanomas can be successfully treated if detected early.

However, in the other 10% of cases, life-threatening spread will have already occurred.

More than 1,800 Australians will die from melanoma this year alone and it kills more young Australians (20-39 year olds) than any other single cancer.

Research at Melanoma Institute Australia has made significant progress in developing life-saving treatments, but support is still needed as there is still no cure. No-one should die from melanoma, and you can help make a difference while doing something that you love.

 

Mt. Sonder, West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

 

By taking part in this unique adventure you’ll pave the way for new research to improve melanoma treatment, and ultimately find a cure.

Visit melanoma.org.au to find out more.

David’s Lane Cove River Minimal Impact Training walks

By on 29 January, 2018 in Conservation, Training, Walks

David will be leading two Minimal Impact Bushwalking Awareness Walks in Lane Cove National Park and this webpage shows the planned route. To book for these walks go to: Bushwalking NSW Minimal Impact Bushwalking Training Events

The walk will start at the Koonjerie Picnic Area in the Lane Cove National Park:

The walk will parts of the Great North Walk on the east side of the river after crossing at the Lane Cove Weir:

The walk goes back across the river near Christie Park where the river is not very wide or deep, and there are many rocks creating the crossing:

The walk will finish at the Macquarie Centre:

From here a 545 bus can be caught back to the starting point or Chatswood Station.

 

Chytrid Fungus

By on 19 January, 2018 in Conservation

Chytridiomycosis is a disease caused by the Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which has been causing sporadic deaths and other times a 100 per cent mortality rate to different species of frogs.

So where is this fungus?

According to research, the Chytrid Fungus is now widely distributed in Australia in water or wet soil and has caused six species of frog to become extinct.

In particular, the fungus is along the Great Dividing Range and adjacent coastal areas in the eastern mainland states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, eastern and central Tasmania, southern South Australia, and south-western Western Australia, and there is no known way to remove it.

In NSW, 22 species, more than one quarter of the total NSW amphibian fauna, have been diagnosed with the disease. There are 3 frogs at a high extinction risk in NSW, identified by their low population, ongoing state and predicted decline of population size. I’ve listed them below:

 

Spotted Tree Frog (Lioria Spenceri)

Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne Corroboree)

Northern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne Pengilleyi)

 

You can find out if these frogs are in your favourite walking area by using https://www.frogid.net.au/learn. Just plug the frog’s English name in the search bar for some info, pictures and frog sounds.

There are various fieldwork programs in place made from volunteers, frog experts and enthusiasts. The Northern Corroboree Frog Captive Breeding and Release Program is one example; the frogs take 5 years to mature, so breeding, raising frogs followed by their release and monitoring involves a timeline of over 8 years.

While there is not yet evidence of being able to remove the disease, some research has found that the frogs are building an immunity to the fungus, so with long-term methods like the Captive Breeding Program, our NSW frogs still have a chance to adapt.

As bushwalkers, we can play our part too.

If we’re sloshing through creeks near where frogs hang out, we might want to look at brushing up on our Solutions and have a think about how we clean our gear before and after the walk.

We can help mitigate controllable threats, such as habitat degradation, and preserve our wild places!

For more info, see the links at the end of this article.

 

 

 

Notes:

http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/279bf387-09e0-433f-8973-3e18158febb6/files/c-disease_1.pdf

http://www.publish.csiro.au/wr/WR15071

http://www.frogsafe.org.au/disease/chytrid_bg.shtml

http://www.fats.org.au/

https://frogs.org.au/frogs/search.php

Advice to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, including locations:

Spotted Tree Frog (Lioria Spenceri)

Southern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne Corroboree)

Northern Corroboree Frog (Pseudophryne Pengilleyi)

The Sutherland Bushwalking Club Adopts ‘Royal’ Tracks

By on 5 January, 2018 in Affiliated club news, Volunteering

Have you ever noticed an overgrown trail or track in your favourite National Park?

Ever wondered if you could do something about it?

The Sutherland Bushwalking Club is one of the clubs that has, and they continue to do so.

The Sutherland Bushwalking Club may be unique, having proudly contributed almost 600 hours of combined effort on various track projects, on over 12 separate work & planning days in what they have dubbed their ‘Adopt a Track’ project.

The Club’s success is a demonstration of what a Club does for its community, and an example of how a Bushwalking Club and the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) can work together to make parks available to all bushwalkers into the future.

Click to see the Royal National Park on Google Maps

The Club focused on the Royal National Park and initiated talks with the local ranger. Naturally, the agreement required lengthy negotiations with NPWS to meet government regulations and still be effectively managed.

It was eventually worked out that Sutherland Bushwalkers would ‘adopt’ The Burgh Track in the Royal National Park and help maintain it. At the time, the Burgh Track had become badly overgrown, blocked at many points by fallen trees and subject to erosion because of blocked drainage.

There were certain stipulations involved: NPWS determined which track and which part of that track; and a Group Co-ordinator was required to discuss with the Head Ranger track guidelines, cut heights, being responsible for walkers staying on the track and reducing trip hazards. There were also a non-members attending from Bushcare Australia, as well as youths from the Duke of Edinburgh Program.

NPWS supplied most of the tools, such as saws, secateurs, loppers and clippers.

Click for larger image of the Burgh Track

The Club provided their unbridled enthusiasm and experience, expert bushwalking gear, tender loving care and muscle power.

The first day was 10 August 2015 with several members meeting at Garrawarra Farm. Armed with tools mostly supplied by National Parks and Wildlife Services, the Club members walked the track and cleared it as they walked.

Since then, the track has now been fully cleared and looks like the best maintained track in the Park. The hardest work has been clearing fallen trees, but now only sporadic visits, checking culverts and looking out for storm damage are needed to monitor its condition.

The Club continues helping to this day, and more recently NPWS have requested they work regularly on the Uloola Track, between Audley & Uloola Falls every three months; which they access by driving down a fire trail.

The Club’s ‘Adopt a Track’ project now consists of a one day event every three months, from 9am to 12:30 and then finishes up with lunch in the bush. The event is run by a passionate leader who loves the park, and is a great way for Club members to meet and get to know one another, including new members. Those less experienced or mobile lend a hand with other tasks such as lopping smaller branches, cleaning track signage or even supplying a little something for morning tea.

If you’d like to join in the fun, contact The Sutherland Bushwalking Club via their website: http://www.sutherlandbushwalkers.org.au/

You can also head out and enjoy these great walks for yourself:

Sutherland Bushwalking Club is not alone in assisting NPWS and Councils with track maintenance. If your own club also does track maintenance, we’d love to hear from you. Just click here to send us an email.

Visit The Royal National Park