74 Kallista Rd.

QUEENSLAND Rochedale South

QLD 4123
BUSHWALKERS Email qldbwc@yahoo.com
CLUB Phone No (07) 3341 7509
www.geocities.com/qldbwc

Newsletter February 2002

Hippy Christmas to all our members

Club News Management Committee

AGM Secretary Danuta Gur 3345 3971(H)
The Club's Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 5th Treasurer Patricia Kolarski 3341 7509(H)
March 2002 at the end of the Club's usual monthly General Outings Secretary Ken Fraser 3852 1607(H)
Meeting at 7:30pm. Membership Officer Ken Walters 3344 1927 (H)
Social Secretary Barbara Makepeace 3245 2186 (H)
The committee members will give a report on the past year and Training Officer Steve Moyle 3800 3963 (H)
then the positions will be declared vacant. Editor Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H)
If you would like to nominate yourself or another person for a Other members who assist
position, please do so and hand the Nomination Form to the
Secretary, prior to the start of the General Meeting at 7:30 pm. Supper Convenor Marilyn West Artist Ruth Radovanovich
There is a Nomination Form at the end of this Newsletter. Meeting Place

Membership General Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at
the East Brisbane State School, corner of Stanley Street and
Membership Fees are now due. Membership is still only $20 per Wellington Road, starting at 7:30pm.
year. Membership forms are available at General Meetings, from
walk leaders, writing to the above address or by downloading one
from the Club’s website. From the Editor
Visitors pay $5 per walk to the Club to cover Insurance and other Thanks to all who have sent articles
costs. Any such monies paid are taken off the membership fee if and photos. The walks and photos
the visitor joins the Club. Due to Insurance demands, a visitor we weren’t able to fit in the
must become a member on the 3rd walk. Newsletter can be seen on our
The Club’s financial year goes from 1st February to 31st January website in glorious colour at
of the following year. www.geocities.com/qldbwc
Insurance The deadline for the next Newsletter
is 26/03/2002.
Our Insurance Policy contains a General Public & Products
Liability plus Personal Accident Cover. Articles accepted if clearly
handwritten or typed, but preferably
The General Public & Products Liability covers legal liability to
by floppy disc or emailed to
third parties for bodily injury, property damage and financial loss qldbwc@yahoo.com
anywhere in Australia.
The Personal Accident Cover is World Wide.

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 Coming Club Events Past Walks

Hinchinbrook Island and Northern Queensland

This two-week trip is on during the June School Holidays, 22nd
th
June to 7 July 2002.
We were able to get a permit for only six people during this busy
period. National Parks and Wildlife limit the number of people
going to Hinchinbrook Island. At present there are already six
people on the list, but if interested, you may put your name down
on the waiting list in case there are any cancellations.
Also, we will be climbing Mt Dalrymple (near Mackay), Mt Bartle-
Frere, (the highest mountain in Queensland) and Walsh’s
Pyramid on the second week of the holidays. If you are able to
join us in the second week, then ring Richard on 3341 7509.
New Zealand, North Island
This will be a 3 to 4 week trip to the North Island over the
Christmas school holidays, leaving just after Christmas 2002.
Walks will include a 4-day walk round Lake Waikaremoana, Castle Crag 2nd September 2001
another 4-day walk in Tongariro National Park, and a 3-day walk
in the Cape Reinga region. Mt Taranaki (Egmont) may also be on This walk was initially to be a day walk to Black Canyon but
the agenda for the energetic. recent wet conditions made it too dangerous. We opted instead to
go to Castle Crag via an old forestry camp and Lyre Bird Lookout.
The Lake Waikaremoana Track and the Tongariro Northern
At Castle Crag we had magnificent views out to the Main Range
Circuit are two of the Great Walks on the North Island. The
scenery is spectacular and diverse. but we were all somewhat disappointed to not do our original
walk. Black Canyon still awaits. Richard
The walks may involve carrying a through pack with sleeping bag,
Black Canyon Throughwalk 3-5 October 2001
tent and cooking gear as these are very popular walks and there
may not be any spare bunks in the huts. Also there are no huts
on the Ninety Mile Beach-Cape Reinga Walkway.
There will be a limit of 8 people and I will need to know definitely
who is going by the end of May 2002.
Ring Richard on 3341 7509 for more information.

Master Plan
The Queensland Government has released the Master Plan for
Queensland’s Park System. It can be obtained from Government
Offices or off the web at http://www.env.qld.gov.au/environment.
This 57 page document outlines the future direction of
management of Queensland’s protected areas over the next 20
years. Conservation of natural and cultural values will remain the
primary aim of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Most protected areas are National Parks with 212 National Parks
in Queensland, covering 6,646,137 hectares out of a total of
7,121,528 hectares of protected areas.
Parks are important for their biodiversity, as a way of preserving
cultural, scenic and spiritual values and for their economic and
social benefits.
Queensland has thirteen “bioregions” or “landscapes” such as
brigalow belt, channel country and wet tropics. Some of these
bioregions are not as yet adequately represented in our present
protected areas. However future acquisitions will seek to remedy
this to some extent.
One of the 12 principles to be used in managing the parks is the
consideration of local community needs and aspirations by
community consultation and participation as well as cooperation
with individuals and organizations.
The parks will be managed to support a range of uses to cater for
different types of visitors. High use areas will be developed to
sustain the impact of large volumes of people. Self reliant areas
which have few or infrequent visitors will have little or no
development.
Sustainable nature-base recreation in parks will be encouraged
as a legitimate use, but in some rare cases essential for
conservation, research or safety reasons, parks or part of them This walk was put on during the school holidays as it involved a
may be closed to visitors. three-day trek. There were just a few of us but it turned out to be
a most memorable walk.
Marine parks are not covered by the Master Plan, though island
national parks within the marine parks are included. We started off from O’Reillys and walked via Echo Point to Mt
Worendo. Progress was slow as the track on Mt Worendo
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occasionally disappeared but after a short look-around we were
able to find it again. On the descent to the saddle there was a
profusion of King Orchids in bloom which added to the beauty of
the scenery.
We camped in the saddle between Mt Worendo and the Lost
World. A short but steep scramble down to the Albert River
helped us to replenish our water supply.
The next day we took only daypacks each and descended to the
Albert River again and made our way slowly upstream. There was
a small but tricky waterfall that we had to scramble over, deep
pools to wade through, and two large tree trunks to inch our way
along to ascend up the creek, but this only added to the sense of
wilderness and isolation.
Large blue Lamington Crays were also seen in the river, but they
quickly scurried under rocks if they caught a glimpse of us.
Our reward after a couple of hours walk was to see the junction of
Thunder and Lightning Falls in a high narrow canyon. It was a
truly beautiful spot that held us in awe. Here we had lunch and
took some photos which really do not do this area justice.
On the final day we retraced our steps via Mt Worendo to
O’Reillys. The three days had not been overly strenuous but
immensely pleasurable. Many thanks to Patricia and Barbara.
This walk will certainly be on the calendar again. Richard
Eugenia Circuit 18 November 2001
Mt Coot-tha Forest is part of Brisbane Forest Park, a 28,500
hectare nature reserve. Mt Coot-tha occupies about 1,500
hectares and is managed by Brisbane City Council.
On a humid Saturday morning 14 bushwalkers met at Grey Gum
picnic area which is located between Channel 7 and Channel 9. A
short sealed section leads to the beginning of this circuit and then
turns into a graded track. At the intersection we turned left
manoeuvring over exposed roots, quite a few rocky steps, and
narrow turns going down to Simpson Falls. The falls were a
welcome relief to the heat of the day. A little further and we
stopped for morning tea in Peter’s Pound picnic area.
On the return journey a few energetic walkers veered off and took
the steep track to the tower. The others returned via a fire access
road. We got some relief from the sweltering sun under the
canopy of the eucalypt forest.
On return we had brunch at the picnic area and recapped the
morning adventure. The track is well sign-posted and is a good
short walk leaving time enough to go shopping or ….
Bob and I hope to see you on the next walk.
Obi Obi Gorge 8 December 2001
This was supposed to be an easy walk along Obi Obi Creek but
things didn’t quite go that way.
We had an early start as a car shuttle was necessary. We left one
vehicle at Baroon Pocket Dam and then drove to Kondalilla Falls
National Park. We set off along the graded track to the bottom of
the Falls. From here we rock hopped down Skene Creek to where
it joins Obi Obi Creek.
After a leisurely morning tea we began the walk up the creek, in
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more ways than one. After crossing to the other side to avoid a
cliff wall, we unwittingly began to follow a side creek. As I was the
only one in the group who had done the walk previously, (a few
years back), I had my suspicions that we were not in Obi Obi
Creek. However as I did not have my loyal and trustworthy wife
with me to tell me definitely that we were not on the right creek,
we continued. An attempt was even made to phone her on a
mobile phone but we could not get a signal.
On reaching a waterfall and after some discussion we all decided
to press on. This occasionally involved traversing some steep
terrain and scrambling over large boulders. After a particularly
steep climb, we came upon a rock pool where everyone enjoyed
a cool swim.
Finally a decision was made to turn back. When we finally got to
the real Obi Obi Creek, we stood dumbfounded. The creek was
50 metres wide at least. How could we have gone astray?
All of us made it back to the cars just as night fell. Though we had
not done the walk we intended, that side creek had a charm all of
its own. The walk had been harder and longer than anticipated
but there had not been one complaint.
My thanks to everyone who came along, for their understanding,
their good cheer and great tolerance. Richard
Araucaria Circuit 15 December 2001
Six of us left the Binna Burra car park around 9 am onto the
border track on an overcast day; luckily no rain fell all day. We
stopped for tea at the Joalah Lookout to make the acquaintance
of a few leeches.
After taking a left turn off the border track onto the Mt. Hobwee
circuit we steered towards the Orchid Bower Lookout on the
Araucaria track. Following a brief stop at the Orchid Bower
Lookout we arrived for lunch at the Araucaria Lookout at around
noon. Just before reaching the Lookout we saw what looked like
a young owl which wasn't too happy about getting disturbed by
six strangers.
After enjoying the views we headed back for Binna Burra. On the
way Evelene took on the responsibility to attract all leeches away
from the rest of our group - thank you Evelene. Despite being
preoccupied Evelene spotted a (tiger?) snake not far from the
track. Just before reaching the coffee shop some (rock ?)
wallabies crossed our? way.
Thank you to all participants for a most pleasant walk. Michael
Box Forest Circuit 23rd December 2001
Ten of us escaped the sweltering heat to Green Mountains. Box
Forest Circuit is a fairly easy circuit. Starting along the Border
Track, the track descends down the valley through a stand of
large Box Gums and Antarctic Beech.
Along the way we saw a Cat Bird and a Land Mullet. We stopped
for morning tea where the track meets Canungra Creek.
Following the creek upstream, we had a long lazy lunch at
Elabana Falls. In the rock pool there we saw the largest
Lamington Cray I have ever seen, plus a smaller one. Also seen
were a large eel and a smaller eel. We did our best to ignore the
person there who fished the Cray out with a stick to take a photo.
Being good bush walkers we know this is illegal (and potentially
painful!).
After lunch we headed back to the cars and had a lovely
afternoon tea at the Alpaca place.
Thanks to everybody who came. Steve Hill
New Zealand Extended Trip 26 December-
Impressions of NZ
NO snakes, NO leeches, NO ticks, HEAPS of rain.
Vertical snow capped mountains, flat boggy plains.
4 seasons in one day.
A rainy rhyme by an anonymous, soaking wet tramper.
It rains and rained and rained
The average fall was well maintained
And when the tracks were simple bogs
It started raining cats and dogs.
After a drought of half an hour
We had a most refreshing shower
And then most curious thing of all
A gentle rain began to fall.
Next day but one was fairly dry
Save for one deluge from the sky
Which wetted the party to the skin
And then, at least – the rain set in.
Milford Track
The Milford walk started with all of us catching a bus outside the
DOC office in Te Anau. The day was a lovely sunny one and as
we were to find out this was to be a rare and almost extinct thing
in N Z. We set off on our way to Te Anau Downs to meet the boat
that was to take us up Lake Te Anau to the start of the walk at
Glade Wharf.
After getting our packs off and the group photo taken, we were
off. Of course you can’t go far in Fiordland without meeting some
of the locals. You know the ones, SMALL BLACK WINGED
BUGGERS, and don’t they like to make themselves known.
The walk from the start to our first nights stop at Clinton Hut was
a very easy and enjoyable one that followed the Clinton River.
This is the shortest part of the 53-km ahead of us, being only 5.4
km. The river had some beautiful big trout swimming in crystal
clear water. About half way there we took a sidetrack that took us
to a bog area with some great views and signboards that
explained the importance of these areas.
After we got to Clinton Hut and settled in Barbara convinced Paul
and myself to go for a swim in the river. Sh*t it was cold. Funny
thing was that we could not convince Patricia to take the plunge
as well. The huts are very well laid out and the next day we were
all up early after a good nights sleep. We were off to Mintaro
16.3km away.
We passed through an attractive section of beech forest and
followed the Clinton River. We walked up this breath-taking valley
and eventually started to climb up to Mintaro Hut.
After finding a bed and something to eat, Brian, Julie and myself
decide to walk up to Mackinnon Pass and back in case it rained
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the next day. The walk was well worth the effort. That night it
rained and continued raining all the next day.
We saw the other side of the Milford Track and it was something
special to see all those new waterfalls and water in riverbeds that
were dry only hours before hand.
All day we were treated to the sound of roaring water, low cloud,
and did I mention rain. The walk from the hut to Mackinnon Pass
rose 500m, and, despite the clouds and rain, some views were
seen from the Pass.
From the Pass we started the descent, a 1000m drop in all. Along
the way we are treated to views of raging roaring water falls. At
the bottom, there was a walk to Sutherland Falls. It was well
worth doing as these Falls fall 600m and you can walk in behind
them. It is something not to be missed.
Back at the turn off it was about 1hours walk to Dumpling Hut, or
was that SANDFLY HELL HUT. That night we were treated with a
very funny hut warden whose name escapes me.
Our next day was the last and it was an 18km walk to Sandfly
Point. This part of the walk had more of those great views you
just can’t seem to get away from. At Sandfly Point we waited for
the boat to pick us all up and take us to Milford Sound. In Milford
you just can’t imagine how good it was to have a shower after 4
days and that cold beer in the laundry waiting to do the washing.
I can still taste it. (To be continued) Garry Woodward
FOR SALE
Garmont Boots New Zealand size 7½. Very little use. $100.
Phone 3863 4865
Down Sleeping Bag. Mountain Designs Travelite 500.
Brand new. Unwanted gift. Valued at $269. Will sell for $150.
Contact Patricia Kolarski Ph 3341 7509 or pjkolar@hotmail.com
MSR Whisperlite Internationale 600 Stove Used only twice.
Sell for $80.00 Phone Richard, 3341 7509
(Any member can place an ad here for free. Phone 3341 7509 or
email qldbwc@yahoo.com)
A new book has been published by the National Parks detailing
all the graded track walks in South East Queensland. It contains
114 colour photos, 61 locality & track maps, wheelchair
accessible tracks, facility guide, a degree of difficulty guide, safety
and fitness tips and overnight hiking trails.
The recommended retail price for National Park Bushwalks of the
Great South East is only $24.95. Queensland Bushwalkers Club
members will be able to buy it at a 10% discount from Naturally
Queensland at 160 Anne St. Brisbane.
 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST LIGHTNING INJURY WHILE BUSHWALKING
1. Before The Walk
Consult the weather forecast for the region, and if a thunderstorm is expected, select a walk which can be completed before the onset
of the storm.
2. During The Walk
Whenever possible, Keep a lookout for the development of thunderstorm clouds in the region. Once thunder can be heard, keep
estimating the distance to the lightning activity by counting the time interval between seeing the lightning flash and hearing the thunder.
The time-to-thunder provides an estimate of the distance to the lightning activity, eg,
3 secs = 1 kilometre, 15 secs = 5 kilometres, 30 secs = 10 kilometres.
If there is a good line of sight to the thunderstorm, reasonable estimates of distance can be made up to 10km.
3. When Should You Endeavour To Get Away From Exposed Locations And Seek Shelter In Safer Locations
Data from lightning location systems show that the distance between successive lightning strikes from a single thunderstorm cell rarely
exceeds about 4km (time-to-thunder 12 secs).
This suggests that you should get away from exposed situations whenever the time-to-thunder is less than 15 seconds.
4. What Are Safe Locations?
Safe places during thunderstorms are -
Inside a metal-skinned car or vehicle. Keep completely inside.
Inside a substantial building, but keep away from outside windows; do not handle appliances connected to outside electrical
conductors, i.e. do not use a telephone, a modem connected computer , a hand-operated electrical appliance or touch a TV or
radio set particularly if connected to an outside aerial.
If the above locations are not readily accessible, find a hollow or a low-level location away from tall trees, crouch low, keep your shoes
on and your feet together. If in a group, don't crowd together.
5. What To Do If The Thunderstorm Is Above You And Lightning Strikes Are Nearby, That Is The Time-To-Thunder Is
Less Than 5 Seconds
This might happen if you were not able to take the action suggested in 3 above, and this is quite possible if you are out on a walk
involving distances of over 15km.
Now, all you can do is to minimise the risk of being struck by lightning. You should try to –
(i). get away from the high ground - if possible, leave the top of a mountain range or ridge
(ii). if you are on a range or ridge, get away from the top edges of a cliff or an escarpment; lookouts are usually at such locations,
so get away from lookouts
(iii). keep away from large trees; particularly those located near a cliff edge or an escarpment. If you are in a forest, and so cannot
avoid being near to trees -
(a) choose to be near small trees rather than tall trees
(b) try and stay a distance of more than your height from the nearest tree trunk
(iv). if with a group of walkers, keep at least 5 metres apart; do not walk in pairs or in closely packed groups when lightning strikes
are all around you
(v). if you have found a somewhat safer location (as above), it is better to stop walking, to stand in a crouched position keeping
your feet together or sit with your feet tucked in close to your body, and wait till the thunderstorm cell has passed from your
location (it should be safe to move again when the time-to-thunder exceeds 10 seconds).
6. What To Do If One Of Your Party Is Struck By Lightning
Notes a) It is most unlikely that a second lightning strike will occur immediately to the same spot.
b) The total lightning discharge for a single strike only lasts a maximum of 1 to 2 seconds.
SO, IT IS SAFE TO TOUCH AN INJURED PERSON IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE STRIKE. YOU SHOULD -
(i). BEGIN FIRST AID IMMEDIATELY;
if there is no heartbeat and no breathing, give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the victim and apply cardiac massage
if there is a heart beat but no breathing, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation only
Be prepared to continue the cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for a long time. Even if it is apparently unsuccessful, keep the CPR going
until medical help arrives.
(ii). SEEK HELP as soon as possible, but only when it is safe to do so. It is obviously not wise to send someone for help if that
person has to move into or through a very exposed location.
7. General Lightning Protection
The precautions described above apply to any outdoors situation. The Australian Standard AS1768 (reference 2) sets out detailed
guidelines for the more general protection of persons and property from hazards arising from exposure to lightning.
Reference 1 also provides more general information about lightning protection and medical treatment.
REFERENCES
1. Andrews, Cooper, Darveniza and Mackerras, "Lightning Injuries - Electrical, Medical and Legal Aspects", CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida,
1992. (distributed by D A Books, Australia)
2. "Lightning Protection", Australian Standard NZS/AS 1768-1991, Standards Australia.
M Darveniza Professor
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 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Secretary herewith advises that the Club's Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday 5th March 2002 at the end of the
Club's usual monthly General Meeting at 7:30pm.
The meeting will be held at the East Brisbane State School, corner of Stanley Street and Wellington Road, East Brisbane.
The seven management committee positions as stipulated in the club's constitution will be up for re-election.
1. Secretary
2. Treasurer
3. Outings Secretary
4. Membership Officer
5. Social Secretary
6. Training Officer
7. Editor
If you would like to nominate yourself or another person for a position, please do so and hand the Nomination Form to the Secretary,
prior to the start of the General Meeting at 7:30 pm.
If you wish to vote at the Annual General Meeting you must be a financial member of the club and you must attend the meeting.
Proxy votes will not be accepted at the meeting. If more than one nomination is received for any position, a secret ballot will be held
on the night to determine the outcome. We look forward to seeing you at this meeting.

✄--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUEENSLAND BUSHWALKERS CLUB
NOMINATION FORM

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE POSITIONS

Nominator Seconder

Position Nominee’s Name Name Signature Name Signature

Secretary

Treasurer

Outings Secretary

Membership
Officer

Social Secretary

Training Officer

Editor

All nominations must be lodged with the Secretary before the start of the General Meeting

Also there are several other important positions to be filled but which do not have a vote on the Management Committee. They are
• Supper Convenor
• FMR Representative
• Federation Representative.
No nominations are necessary for these three positions.

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