H ello to all members and readers. This is the Club’s
very first newsletter. We hope you like it. The aim will be to make the articles interesting, W elcome to the following who had their membership applications accepted at the March and April Committee Meetings. entertaining and informative. Any suggestions for future Ordinary Members articles would be greatly appreciated. Bill Butler Mal Rees Damian Caniglia Wayne Rees MINIMUM IMPACT BUSHWALKING Barbara Cauley Helen Richards Those of us who go bushwalking hold certain values Barry Ellerington Ray Rowe such as the importance of preserving natural beauty, flora Ken Fraser George Smith and fauna, majestic views and wilderness type Suzanne Furstenburg Pat Vaughn experience. Glennys Gordon Jan Smith Most practices for minimum impact bushwalking are just June Greenaway Con Vink plain common sense, some you may not realise, but do the wrong thing and you spoil it for yourself and others. Patricia Kolarski Perrine Visini You may come across an irate land owner, who’s only Richard Kolarski Nicole Waller wish is to be informed that you are crossing his property, David Lodge Marilyn West or the local ranger who has banned camping because too Jim O’Meara Suzanne Williams many people had done the wrong thing. Probationary Members Points to Remember Bruce Dalyell Mal Walker ⇒ If you can carry it in, you can carry it out. Karen Picton ⇒ Don’t disturb or damage campsites or flora, cut or mark trees, or make fireplaces. MEETINGS - The Queensland Bushwalkers Club has its ⇒ Use a fuel stove. General Meeting on the first Tuesday of the month at ⇒ If a fire is lit, take precautions to stop the threat of it 7.30 pm at the Community Hall, corner Scott and Ridge spreading and never leave it unattended. Use Streets, Northgate. existing fire places and if a new one is built, The Committee Meeting is usually held once a month. If remove any evidence of it. you feel strongly about a matter come along and have ⇒ Leave campsites in their original condition. Do not your say. Ring the Secretary to confirm the time and dig trenches. Use a tent with a floor. place as it varies. CLUB SUBSCRIPTIONS. Ordinary Members and ⇒ Do not wash with soap or use detergents in creeks Probationary Members $15.00 per year. or lakes. This also means biodegradable soaps/ detergents. ⇒ Use whatever tracks are present, do not form new We would like to hear what you think ones. and how this newsletter can be ⇒ Keep party sizes to a manageable and appropriate improved. We’d also like to receive size for the area you are walking. articles about any matter of ⇒ Go to the toilet at least 100m from creeks and dig a bushwalking. hole at least 15cm deep. All articles must be either clearly printed, typed, or sent on a 3.5 inch floppy disc ⇒ Respect other campers. (ASCII, Works, Word or RTF formats are compatible). ⇒ Always tell someone of your intentions. The articles can be handed in at any meeting or mailed to:The Editor, 74 Kallista Rd. Rochedale, 4123. ⇒ Be self reliant. Ken Fraser E-mail address is pjkolar@hotmail.com. Take nothing but photographs Leave nothing but footprints Committee Members Secretary Suzanne Williams 3865 3223(H) Treasurer Bill Butler 3266 8330(H) Outings Secretary Richard Kolarski 3341 7509(H) Membership Officer Jim O’Meara 3851 0597(H) Editor Patricia Kolarski 3341 7509(H) Should the Club have a logo? Yes? Then give us ideas of Training Officer Barry Ellerington 3886 3451(H) what you would like to see or better yet design one Social Secretary Marilyn West 3265 4834(H) yourself and send it in. Federation Rep Ken Fraser 3852 1607(H) FIRST AID KITS Gibraltar Range National Park Monday 5th April to Friday 9th April Base Camp A ccidents happen, it's a fact of life. While it's possible to identify and reduce risks taken, there is always the G ibraltar Range lies midway between Grafton and Glen Innes. Dramatic and diverse changes in the possibility that some unforeseen landscape are typical with dry sclerophyll forests, granite accident will happen. tors, sub-alpine swamps, lush rainforest, plummeting A well stocked first aid kit is one of the waterfalls and wild streams. They offer refuge to a rich variety of wildlife including many rare and endangered most important items you can have on species. The park was granted World Heritage status in any walk, and above all, training in First Aid is highly desirable. 1986. On an extended trip it may even be important to stock Patricia and I had done the sixty kilometre circuit forming items you wouldn't normally carry, such as medications, the Gibraltar-Washpool Heritage Walk last year but rain but consult your own doctor for advice.It may be a good had prevented us from fully appreciating the views. We idea to complete a first aid course, and for one member of were eager to go back and explore more of this seldom a party to have a First Aid certificate. visited area. The Red Cross and Saint Johns supply good kits for We drove down on bushwalkers and campers. First aid kits are also available Easter Monday in the at outdoor shops. rain, but the weather forecast was hopeful. We The following First Aid Kit assumes that a minimum group set up camp at Mulligans of 4 persons could provide sufficient bandages to Hut and were later joined immobilise one person who suffers a major injury. by Russell. On remote walks, safety dictates that, if there is an accident, one person should stay with the victim, and at Despite the rain, we did a least two should walk out for help. short walk that afternoon to the top of Dandahra Falls, the highest in the park with a drop of 240 metres. The falls were at their best with the recent rain adding to the ITEMS FOR A GENERAL FIRST AID KIT volume of water plunging into the deep gorge below. Essential: (To be carried by each walker) Tuesday awakened with not a cloud in sight. We quickly A waterproof carrying case ate and set out for the Needles, six granite columns sitting 2 crepe bandages 10cm x 2.3m 300 m above the edge of the Great Escarpment overlooking a wilderness of vast forest. We explored the 1 waterproof dressing 8cm x 10cm Needles and then headed for Tree Fern Forest where we 1 Triangular bandage had lunch amongst the oldest plants in the world, 1 Emergency reflective foil blanket predating flowering plants by 200 million years. Small note book and pencil Wednesday dawned clear and fine. We drove to the Pain killing tablets (Aspirin/Panadol) forestry gate along Moogem Road. A brisk 2 hour walk Optional and we were on the Haystack, an impressive rock formation. From the summit are stunning views of Band-Aids Sticking plaster untamed wilderness in all directions. We lunched on the 1 Eyepad Saline eye wash banks of Grassy Creek with nearby tin mining relics Tweezers Scissors dating back to 1860. We took a detour off the forestry Safety pins Small plastic bags track to explore more of the wilderness. Patricia with her compass steered us to within 20 metres of where we had Alcohol swabs Steri-strips left our cars. Russell and I were left speechless. Plastic disposable gloves Antihistamine tabs Thursday was bright and clear. We had spotted a sign a 1 "Stingose" 25ml spray Antiseptic cream few days earlier marked “Junction Spur Ridge, 8 Hours” Water treatment tablets First aid booklet We couldn’t find the walk on our maps but the spirit of ITEMS FOR A GENERAL EXTENDED FIRST AID KIT. adventure was upon us and we decided to leave it to serendipity as to what we would find. It turned out to be All items essential and optional as listed above the highlight of the week with a steep downhill track Blister kit/corn pads leading to the junction of the two Dandahra Creeks. Along Sports injury spray and lotions the way were stunning views of the falls and rugged Tablets to reduce the runs, e.g. Imodium landscape. We rested at the junction, in complete isolation from the rest of the world. Gastrolyte or similar rehydration treatment Friday, the rain set in, and though we tried to do a short Antibiotic pills, (prescription required) walk, Patricia and I felt that we had already done the best Flagyl, tablets for Giardia, (prescription required) the park had to offer. We decided to leave that day with fond memories of our stay. Please consult your Doctor if you are on any regular Many thanks to Russell who came with us to share the medication. Some of the areas visited may require a 2 or beauty that this country has to offer. 3 day walk to the nearest help. Richard