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Sydney Bush Walkers

By on 14 March, 2022 in Affiliated club news, Walks
A Week of Walks, Kosciuszko National Park, Christmas/New Year 2021/22, Sydney Bush Walkers, Report by John Kennett, Photos by John Pozniak

Between Christmas and New Year 2021/22 myself and thirty other members of Sydney Bush Walkers (SBW) travelled, walked and gathered on the trails and in the ski-lodges of beautiful Kosciuszko National Park.

Every day we embarked on a different walk and were rewarded with the sight of brilliant blue skies, beautiful weather and voluminous wildflowers. Among the fantastic locations we visited were the Iconic Trails, Mt Twynham, Ramshead, Dead Horse Gap, Guthega, Mt Anton and Mt Tate.

To cap off a successful week our visit concluded with 2022 New Year’s Eve celebrations which were thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Our March Club: Sydney Bush Walkers

Our club of the month, Sydney Bush Walkers is one of Australia’s largest and oldest Bushwalking Clubs. SBW was founded in 1927 and has a membership of around 850.

The club offers challenging day and multi-day walks including extended 12 day (or more) trips.  Canyoning is a very popular club activity in the warmer months.

SBW volunteer trip leaders are experienced walkers who aim to maximise members enjoyment of the outdoors while also ensuring the safety of all walkers. While SBW leaders foster group co-operation participants are also expected to be self-sufficient to ensure that all members cope with walk conditions and challenges that arise.

While the Sydney Bushies provide a range of bush experiences, they also offer a great social network of like minded, outdoorsy types. A SBW membership provides a unique opportunity for bush lovers to develop skills, increase confidence and meet new like-minded friends!

The club holds monthly information nights for people who are considering joining (book here). For more information visit the SBW website or Facebook Page.

 

 

Save Kosci

By on 18 August, 2018 in Conservation

How to protest about feral horses – on your feet

Pounds Creek, Kosciuszko National Park, photo by M Bremers

In June, the NSW Parliament passed the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018. It gives an introduced species greater protection than native animals in Kosciuszko National Park – a disturbing precedent. With BNSW’s support, some member clubs have responded by setting up a new organization, Save Kosci Inc, to run a protest walk from Sydney to the summit of Kosciuszko.

The walk will take about 35 days, including rest days, from 3rd November to mid-December 2018. The main group of walkers will follow a mixture of major and secondary roads, via Camden, Mittagong, Goulburn, Canberra, Jindabyne and Charlotte Pass. The exact route is being surveyed now, looking at the walkability of the road verges and the availability of budget accommodation or camping en route.

Water source, crossing point, Bill Jones Hut Mar 2014

In addition to getting the Horse Heritage Act repealed, the aims of the walk are to:

  • Support a range of methods to control feral horses in NSW national parks, including ground-based lethal culling, under ranger supervision and according to RSPCA guidelines
  • Implement the NPWS Draft Wild Horse Management Plan of 2016
  • Protect the habitat of the broad-toothed mouse, corroboree frog and other native species affected by horses and other feral animals.

Save Kosci Inc is looking for these kinds of helpers:

  • End-to-end walkers
  • Section walkers – from a couple of hours to a couple of weeks
  • Support vehicle drivers and other non-walking helpers – from a day or two upwards; people with campervans, here is your chance to do a road trip for a Good Cause!
  • People to lead a walk for their club to the summit of Kosciuszko, from any direction, timed to arrive at the summit with the main walk (probably midday 8th or 9th December, to be confirmed)
  • Desk-based helpers, to do one-off research and writing tasks
  • People to sew banners
  • Photographers to record the walk, especially the first and last days, or to visit KNP to get close-ups of feral horses eating, drinking, trampling etc in KNP

Water source, crossing point, Bill Jones Hut, May 2018

A new web site for the walk is now running: savekosci.org, with a supporter registration form coming soon. If you are interested, please use that form to register; the form should be available online by late August. Registration costs $12. Inquiries welcome – to convenor@savekosci.org
Linda Groom, Convenor, Save Kosci Inc, 0473 919 441

Photos supplied by Linda Groom

Horse riding in wilderness areas

By on 3 July, 2018 in Conservation

There is still opportunity for walkers to provide feedback on the proposed changes after trials of horse riding between 2014 and 2016 in parks managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

The amendments have been proposed to allow horse riding in wilderness areas, which includes 30km of the Nine Mile and Ingeegoodbee management trails in the Pilot Wilderness Area in Kosciuszko National Park, accessed via the Barry Way. The trial was from April 2014 to April 2016.

The public exhibition of these amendments has been available for comment since 22 June and will close 7 August 2018. You can also view the Horse Riding in Wilderness Trial Monitoring Program Final Report.

We urge Bushwalkers to make comment concerning the amendments particularly if you have walked in this area, your submission needs to be received by 7 August.

As per the guidelines:

Write clearly and be specific about the issues that are of concern to you.
Note which part or section of the amendment your comments relate to.
Give reasoning in support of your points – this helps avoid misinterpretation and makes it easier for us consider your ideas.
If you agree or support a particular part or idea in the amendment, please tell us.
If you disagree, please tell us specifically what you disagree with and why you disagree.
If you can, suggest solutions or alternatives to managing the issue.

 

Also note:

The proposed amendments can be viewed at https://engage.environment.nsw.gov.au/consult OR

  • OEH Customer Centre (Level 14, 59–61 Goulburn St, Sydney)
  • NPWS Narooma Office (corner Graham and Burrawang Streets, Narooma, NSW)
  • Braidwood Library (Park Lane, Braidwood, NSW)
  • Snowy Region NPWS Visitor Centre (46 Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne, NSW)
  • Tumut NPWS Visitor Information Centre (5 Adelong Road, Tumut, NSW)
  • Cooma Visitor Centre (119 Sharp Street, Cooma, NSW)
  • Tumbarumba Visitor Information Centre (10 Bridge Street, Tumbarumba, NSW)
  • NPWS Walcha Office (188W North Street, Walcha, NSW)
  • NPWS Gloucester Office (59 Church Street, Gloucester, NSW)
  • Walcha Shire Council (2W Hamilton Street, Walcha, NSW)
  • Walcha Visitor Information Centre (29W Fitzroy Street, Walcha, NSW)

You can provide your submission in one of the following ways:

  1. use the online submission form at https://engage.environment.nsw.gov.au/consult
  2. email your submission to parkplanning@environment.nsw.gov.au
  3. post your submission Manager Planning Evaluation and Assessment, PO Box 95, Parramatta NSW 2124. 

 

Your submission will be provided to a number of statutory advisory bodies (including the relevant regional advisory committee and the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council). Your comments on the draft plan amendment may include ‘personal information’. OEH complies with the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998, which regulates the collection, storage, access, amendment, use and disclosure of personal information. See OEH privacy webpage for details. Information that in some way identifies you may be gathered when you use our website or send us correspondence.

If an application to access information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 requests access to your submission, your views about release will be sought if you have indicated that you object to your submission being made public.