Newsletter of the
ESSENDON
BUSHWALKING CLUB INC.
P.O. Box 32, Moonee Ponds, 3039
Internet Edition.
To protect personal privacy, all references to personal telephone numbers and home addresses have been deleted.
From the Editor.
The newsletter has taken off! Thanks to all who have submitted items, including many first timers. Keep them coming. In this edition you can read about the club leadership training next November; Coming trips to New Zealand and winter skiing from Bright; Recipes to delight the taste buds on walks; Trip reports for Mt.Everest Base Camp and the Twilight Walks; The club's new internet website; A search at Wilson's Prom; and more.
Articles for future editions can be posted to my home address or by email to cjjarvis@pa.ausom.net.au. Articles on floppy disk must be accompanied by a hard copy.
Article Deadlines
The newsletter will be distributed concurrently with each new walks program. To allow time for entry, formatting, mastering, printing, folding and labelling, please submit articles by no later than the LEADERS MEETING PRIOR TO IT'S INTENDED ISSUE. Articles received after that date will held over to the next issue. Preferably, they should be submitted as early as possible.
The club looks forward to your contributions.
Chris Jarvis
Editor
URGENT NEWSFLASH!
The Essendon Bushwalking Club requires new leaders. To facilitate this the committee is organising a Leadership Training Weekend in November 1998. Any and all club members are welcome to attend.
Why do we need new leaders? Because some of our leaders have gone into retirement (for a variety of reasons) and if we don't replace them with new, active leaders, we will gradually become unable to publish a full program and walking opportunities for all of us will be decreased.
What is involved? One weekend of your time, attending a base camp, where you will be taught basic leadership skills. After this you will be able to become a leader for the club. Will I be obliged to lead walks? No! All leaders serve the club on a purely voluntary basis. There is no obligation (or coercion) for any leader to program walks for the club. What do I get for being a leader? Two things. First, the satisfaction and enjoyment of doing something worthwhile for your club. Second, the ability to ensure that the types of walks that you are interested in are included on the program. At the very least you will acquire a greater appreciation for the walks which you do.
If you are interested in the possibility of becoming a leader for your club, either contact any one of the committee members, or put your name on the booking sheet at any general meeting.
Martin Doyle
CLUB'S NEW WEB SITE
The EBWC is now on the internet and has been in operation since Nov 1997 and can be found at:
http://www.netspace.net.au/~trekker
The site contains the latest walks program as well as information about the club that would be useful for new and existing members. In the near future photo's of past walks will be included.
Other interesting web sites are: Vicwalk, which contains information on the Federation and links to other clubs in Victoria. It's address is
http://avoca.vicnet.net.au/~vicwalk;
Australian Bushwalking Web This is a very interesting site as it contains links to all clubs in every State as well as all aspects of bushwalking. It can be found at http://www.bushwalking .org.au
email: trekker@netspace.net.au
Russell Christensen
Your Committee
President Martin Doyle
V-President Stephen Bocquet
Secretary / Treasurer Paulene Sunderland
Ian Tovey, John Hempenstall, Bryan Folie, Ron Bell, Sylvia McLean & Russell Christensen
Members Discount
Don't forget that you can obtain a discount on production of your club membership card at Bogong Equipment, 374 Little Bourke Street.
They offer a 10% discount on all non sale items.
Hire Equipment
The contact for hire of equipment is Janet Doyle.
| Hire Rates |
W/End |
Week |
| Tent |
$10 |
$20 |
| BackPack |
$6 |
$10 |
| Sleeping Bag |
$5 |
$5 |
| Japara |
$5 |
$5 |
| Stove |
$5 |
$5 |
| Sleeping Mat |
$1 |
$2 |
Maximum hire rate $25 each week. Each additional week a further $25 fee will apply.
TICKS (Part 2)
In the last edition, Nicole Lowe told of her encounter with a tick. Here's Rodney's account of the same event.
The Easter break took us to Mallacoota on Brian Foley's base camp at the YHA. Many people were attacked by ticks. All were removed, except for one. Nicole was enjoying this ferreting parasite drilling it's way into her back. A visit to the local doctor removed the tick, placed it in a bottle to take home, and presumably placed on her mantlepiece. The news is: don't place oils, sunscreen, metho, matches or anything on ticks. It aggravates them and they bury themselves even deeper! Simply and slowly prize them out with tweezers or lasso them with dental floss or cotton and gradually tighten until they release their long legs. If the legs are broken and stay in it can become infected.
Rodney Williams
TWILIGHT WALKS
The end of daylight saving means the last of this season's twilight walks, which once again proved very popular.
We would like to thank all those who participated and aided in their success. We are also grateful for two dry, hot successive summers, as we experienced excellent warm balmy evenings for all of the six evening walks.
Anyone who has participated will be aware of how popular they have been, but just to give you some details: overall there have been 185 participants (not to mention dogs and prams). Approximately half of these in each summer season with an average of around 31 per walk.
As they have had such continued popularity we certainly look forward to organising them for the '99 daylight savings period and would be very happy if anyone would like to suggest any alternative venues.
Ian & Sylvia McLean
RECIPES
Katrina's Bolognaise Sauce
4 kg Mince meat (diet, lean)
5 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 jars of tomato puree
Two 425 gram cans of tomatoes (chopped)
1 glass red wine
1 whole broccoli head (medium, chopped)
2 carrots (medium, chopped)
3 large mushrooms
1 teaspoon of Italian herbs
1 teaspoon of ground chillies
1 tablespoon of curry
1 teaspoon of lemon grass
1 teaspoon of Oregano
Instructions - NO OIL
Place meat into 8 litre stock pot, and cook while stirring. Add all other ingredients then simmer for 2 hours. Once cooked let cool then put in 500 gram butter containers.
Two containers will be enough for one meal for two people.
Katrina Howes
OATMEAL SQUARES
as obtained from Loris Howes
1) Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup quick oats
1 cup crushed cornflakes (21/4 cups uncrushed cornflakes pressed firmly into a measuring cup)
2) Melt 1/4 lb (approx 115 g) butter / margarine in saucepan and mix with one dessert spoon of golden syrup.
3) Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4) Press into scone tray (approx 28 cm x 22 cm).
5) Cook in moderate oven (350F , 175C electric, 165C gas) until golden brown (approx 12 minutes)
6.) While still warm, but not hot, cut into squares.
7) When cool, re-score and remove from tray, placing on paper towelling to soak up some excess margarine.
8) Eat one and lock the rest away in a time release safe!!!!
MD Howes
GLUHWEIN RECIPE
What will you be drinking as you while away a night in a snow cave, tent or lodge during your ski tours this winter? Are you sick of drinking shellite / methylated spirits and black currant juice as a substitute for port. Gluhwein is your answer to your prayer.
Ingredients
One four litre cask of red (Charlie's rough red is OK)
200 grams of sugar
20 grams of cinnamon sticks
20 grams of cloves
A handfull of sultanas
Method
The best way to make Gluhwein is to use a wok. Put all the ingredients in a wok on a low heat. Time is essence of a good Gluhwein, as the longer you let it stew the better it tastes. Take care that it does not boil or the alchohol will be lost. Powered cinnamon and cloves are not recommended except in minimum amounts; if powered spice is used Gluhwein will have to be heated longer to get the same taste.
After 45 minutes or whenever the Gluhwein starts to get close to boiling lade it out. A four litre cask is enough to make four people forget about the greenhouse effect, park entry and trail fees and the pressing need to replace that ten year old sleeping bag. If you leave the remains of mixture in the wok there are two additional benefits: the rest of the Gluhwein eats into the bottom of the wok and leaves it shinier that when it was new; the puffed up re-hydrated sultanas that are marinated over night can be used to turn your scroggin into alcoholic vitamin pills.
Bryan Folie
WALK PREVIEWS
The Aspiring Experience
Summer 1998
Want to sample New Zealand's spectacular mountain scenery - or if you've just returned from walking the Milford Track, see some more of it? Got a spare gorilla*? Next summer I hope to do a 6 day pack walk in the Mount Aspiring National Park, in New Zealand's South Island (near Queenstown). Possible dates are from mid January through to April. Ideally I would like to pick a week in February or March as this would give the best chance of good weather and fewer people on the track, but I'm leaving the dates open at this stage. I have two possible trips in mind. Option 1 is the Cascade Saddle Route. This involves walking up the Matukituki Valley to Aspiring Hut, over Cascade Saddle and past the Dart Glacier, and then down the Dart valley. Aspiring Hut is the jumping-off point for climbers climbing Mt. Aspiring. If the weather is clear we will get some great views of the mountain. This trip would be a 'Medium/Hard' grade, due to the very steep climb and descent over Cascade Saddle. Option 2 is the well-known Rees-Dart track; up the Rees valley and down the Dart.
This would be a 'Medium' grade trip, without the difficult mountain pass, but still with good scenery and possibly a side trip to see the Dart Glacier. Total cost (in case you're still puzzling over the gorilla) is likely to be a bit (but not much) under $1000, including return airfare to Christchurch, travel to Queenstown, budget accomodation before and after the walk, hut fees and bus to and from the track ends.
Think about (1) whether you'd like to go, (2) whether you can get the time off work (a week for the trip, but you might want to take more time to see more of NZ), and (3) whether you can afford it. If the answer is yes to all three, let me know. Assuming I get some takers, I will be looking to firm up the details and make bookings about September - let me know by August if you are interested.
* as seen on the Wood Royal Commission video.
Stephen Bocquet
BRIGHT SKIING BASE CAMP 29 AUGUST - 6 SEPTEMBER
The annual skiing base camp at bright is on again this year. Skiing will be at Buffalo, Dinner Plain, Hotham and Falls Creek all of which are within a distance of 60 km. The trip is open to all people interested in Cross Country Skiing of a novice to intermediate standard. Alpine (down hillers) skiers are also welcome to come. There are limited number of vacancies.
The accomodation is at Berry Lodge which is a luxury 4 bedroom house, nestled on a hill about 1 km out of Bright.
The house has 2 toilets and bathrooms, a dishwasher and cloth washing machine, drying room, wood heater (pot bellly stove). The cost will be approximately $100 (depending on numbers). A deposit will be required in late March or early April to reserve your place. Positions are limited so get in early.
Bryan Folie
PORT FAIRY BASE CAMP QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY
WEEKEND JUNE 6 - 8
On the Queen's Birthday a base camp is being held at picturesque Port Fairy.
Port Fairy was originally a whaling station and now has over 50 buildings classified by the National Trust. Bike rides and walks will include the world famous Mahogany Ship Trail and the Tower Hill Game Reserve, The Crags, Griffiths Island and Yamuk Lake.
A boat cruise will also be organised for those that are interested to visit the seals and penguins that are close by.
A continental (or light breakfast) is available at the Hostel for $2. This consists of cereals, fruit juice and a choice of breads, preserves: vegemite, honey, peanut butter and tea or coffee. Bring your own lunches. Dinner will be at the Celtic style Hotels that are famous for their great fresh seafood cuisine, or self catering facilities are available at the Hostel. Also you may enjoy the music and the performing artists at the "RHAPSODY FESTIVAL" at the various locations around Port Fairy.
Accomodation will be in the Port Fairy YHA, 8 Cox Strreet, Port Fairy, (03) 55682468. The cost will be $10 - $15 per night.
NOTE: SLEEPING SHEETS MUST BE USED. NO SLEEPING BAGS ALLOWED. These are available for hire from the Hostel for $2 or bring your own sheets.
Petrol money will be approximately $20.
For more details contact: BRYAN FOLIE
Bryan Folie
FOR SALE
New Outgear backpack, Kakadu model. 75 80 litres (large size). $300 (New $430). Contact Rodney Williams
SEARCH & RESCUE - WILSONS PROM 16.3.98
At 3.00 pm on Sunday March 15 a seven years old slightly retarded boy dissappeared while walking with his family near Lily Pilly Gully. After premlininary searches by rangers failed to locate the boy, the Federation was called to assist Police, SES and Parks personnel.
That night Pam McHardy (the club's No. 1 S&R Contact) was called by a Federation Police Liaison Officer and asked to call out the club's S&R members for a 4.00 am departure from the Police transport depot in Brunswick. Four club members responded: David Forster, Martin Doyle, Stephen Bocquet and Chris Jarvis. These four members became part of the massive fifty six member contingent sent to Wilson's Promontory by the Federation (Probably a record for an initial call).
After arriving at the search base the group was fed and prepared to go into the field. Just as the groups were leaving base the boy was spotted from a media helicopter, and a FVWC search team was immediately despatched to collect him. He was retrieved with little obvious harm despite his night out alone. The FVWC group returned to Melbourne by 2.00 pm.
An excellent result.
Chris Jarvis
MAIN PRACTICE MAY 23-24
For current and prospective members. A base camp in the Warby Range, just outside Wangaratta. Workshops on various topics on Saturday, and search practice on Sunday. Please see me for more details prior to the May club meeting.
Chris Jarvis
TRIP REPORT
MT.EVEREST BASE CAMP
In early January Therese Ryan, Neville Hesketh, Russell Christensen and Chris Jarvis trekked to Kala Patar, a hill overlooking Mt.Everest Base Camp. The following is a brief description of their journey.
Dec. 31. Arrived Kathmandu after a one day stop over in Bangkok. Kathmandu is all ablaze with decorative lighting in preparation for the new year celebrations. The Thamel district (the tourist part of town) also appears to be much cleaner than on an earlier visit nine years ago. We spend the next two days sightseeing and preparing for the trek.
Jan. 3. Fog in Kathmandu delays our departure for Lukla. Eventually take off in a Russian cargo helicopter and arrive at Lukla at 2.00 pm. We were met at the airstrip by Sonam, who was to be our Sirdar (trek leader). After lunch at Sonam's tea house we set off for Phakding with our guide, Jungbu. Sonam joins us again that evening.
Phurba
Jan 4. Gentle paced walk to Namche, following the Dudh Kosi (Milk River), during final climb up to Namche we get our first views of Everest. Snow covers a lot of the ground, and the streets are icy in places.
Jan 5. Rest day in Namche for altitude acclimatisation. Namche is at 3440 metres, and a gradual ascent is critical in helping to avoid altitude sickness.
Jan 6. We move on to Tengboche, site of a key Buddhist monastery. Situated high on a saddle at 3870 metres, it probably has some of the finest mountain views in the world, including Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Everest. On the way we see our first Yaks, and wild goats, the Himalyan Tahr. We spend the next day resting and acclimatising.
Jan 8. We move onto Pheriche, 4240 metres, passing Ama Dablam, whose summit towers more than 3 kilometres above the valley floor. The snow on the valley floor and hill sides enhances the beauty of our majestic surroundings.
Jan 9. To Lobuche, 4930 metres, which is to be our highest "camp" (we stayed in lodges throughout the mid-winter trek). Walking pace is now very slow and measured, as exertion at any faster rate quickly brings on breathlessness. We are now adjacent to the Khumbu Glacier, which is fed from Everest's Western Cwm. Temperatures that night did not go as low as we expected, with the minimum being around -15§C.
Jan 10. Rest day to acclimatise. We're still 600 metres below our highest point, so Sonam takes us on a short excursion up to a knoll at 5060 metres to help us adjust. Everest is now out of sight, behind Nuptse. The next day we will do a day walk to Kala Patar, 5545 metres, a hill on Pumori's south ridge. Plans to visit Everest Base Camp are shelved, as the lodges at Gorak Shep, the jump-off point for that trip, are closed for the winter.
Jan 11. Therese has altitude sickness and withdraws from the walk to Kala Patar, and instead descends with a porter escort to a lodge at Dhugla, 300 metres lower down, to aid recovery. Chris, Neville, Russell and Sonam set off at 6.00 am for Kala Patar. Our route includes a section of the Khumbu Glacier. We rest briefly at Gorak Shep, and are joined by a flock of snow pheasants. Then the final climb up the barren slopes of Kala Patar. Every step is slow and short, with frequent breaks to catch one's breath. At this altitude, the atmospheric pressure is half that of sea level. As we climb higher the views gradually open up, with more and more jagged peaks appearing on the horizon. All except one. Cloud obscures the summit pyramid of Everest, on one of the few cloudy days for the whole trip. We reach the rocky summit at 11.30 am, it's -8§C, plus a twenty knot breeze. We look down onto the Khumbu Glacier, Everest Base Camp, the Khumbu Icefall, and up into Everest's Western Cwm. We look into Tibet, just four kilometres away. It's spectacular. It's barren. It's remote. It's cold. It's a land of rock, ice and snow. We depart at 12.00 noon.
Jan 12. We begin our gradual return and pick up Therese at Dhugla, who has fully recovered.
Jan 17. The trek ends in Lukla, staying at Sonam's lodge. At the start of the end-of-trek party we present Sonam with US$250 to help educate his son, Phurba. Phurba is one of two children whose education is assisted by the club's Memorial Education Fund.
Baghwatti
Jan 20. The other recipient of the MEF donation, Baghwatti K.C., is presented with the US$250 during a visit to her home on the outskirts of Kathmandu.Sagarmatha National Park - A PerspectiveSagarmatha National Park takes in the area which includes Mt.Everest. In the year '81-'82 the park had 4000 visitors. By '96-'97 the number of visitors had increased to 17500. This increase has placed severe strain on the resources within the park. The major problems include severe depletion of firewood, poor sanitation, and the accumulation of non-burnable and non-biodegradable rubbish (22 tonnes annually).
On the plus side, tourism brings increased employment and income for locals, increased spending at shops, and much needed foreign income.
There is also increased use of satellite communications, and solar panels abound. Foreign aid has helped to improve sanitation and electricity supply, for example, the Austrian built hydro electric plant which supplies the Namche area.
The major problem remains transport. There are no roads in this area. All goods are carried by people and yaks, and in some cases, by helicopters. Weather conditions, particularly during the monsoon, frequently prevents the use of aircraft. Expense also makes manual transport the preferred means. Major floods, caused by the collapse of natural lake walls, monsoons and other events, frequently destroy bridges, paths, and even parts of villages. Major landslides frequently occur, changing the shape of valleys and destroying routes. This makes even the maintenance of reasonable walking paths a difficult task.
Chris Jarvis
SEA KAYAKING IN MACQUARIE HARBOUR - SOUTH WEST TASMANIA
In January 1997 Vince Aitkin and Marice Simpson spent a week exploring historic Maquarie Harbour on Tasmania's west coast. This is the second and final article describing their great adventure. Ed.
DAY FIVE
Previous campsite to Birchs Narrows and Birchs Beach area.
Distance - 8 kilometres.
Weather- Hot - 28 degrees. Calm with a late breeze.
The south wind awoke with the dawn and remained to blow our fully laden kayaks down the inlet to our next camp site at a sheltered beach sited on the western side of the mouth of Birchs inlet. The site is marked by a small railway bogey which stands near some rocks just above high water mark. In rain forest just behind the beach are the moss covered ruins of an old hut which would have been part of a camp established there during the days of the piners. It may even have been used as an outstation camp by the convicts. Piners is the term given to those timber loggers who ranged across the country looking for Huon pine and other timber many years ago.
The shallow waters leading up to the beach were littered with submerged long timber beams which were used to station and secure the boats. The shallow harbour bottom was littered with large timber chips that had been cut from trees long since moved from that site. We even spotted an old leather horse harness which had survived many a year lying on the muddy bottom.
A small fresh water stream flows into the harbour at this point. We set up our tents and hammocks on the sandy strip amongst the trees just above the water's edge. Large old huon pine logs washed up onto the beach edge served as our seats and table. There was evidence that a chain saw had been used to trim off (and no doubt take away) parts of the logs that were more easily accessible above the level of the beach sand.
During the afternoon we crossed the inlet entrance to the eastern harbour shore to inspect an outstanding array of driftwood that had been blown ashore in storms. These forest giants were bleached white by many suns and they were scattered some five kilometres along the beach, known as Birch's Beach, which lies between the mouth of the Gordon River and the entrance to Birch's Inlet. Trees of all shapes and sizes including King Billy, Celery Top and Huon Pine littered the beaches and we spent several hours in the hot sun wandering through this amazing museum of timber.
Our camp site afforded spectacular views of Frenchmans Cap and surrounding mountains that glowed in a kaleidoscope of shaded colours. In the light of the setting sun we enjoyed this spectacle whilst sipping our pre dinner cocktail. A gentle warm breeze wafted onto the beach.
DAY SIX
Birchs Narrows to Sarah Island and nearby areas.
Distance - 10 kilometres.
Weather - Hot - 30 degrees. Calm conditions.
We loaded up mid-morning and paddled our way leisurely northwards and hugged close to shore inspecting all the small nooks and crannies and enjoying the unique and primeval charm of this amazing place. Calm water made for a dream-like trip as we lazed our way along, occasionally hoisting a sail in the hope of catching the fickle breeze that sometimes came from the south. We eventually rounded Rum Point and Sarah Island came into view.
We lunched at Murderers Beach, which was the site of our first night's camp, and there was no evidence of anyone being there since we left. Early in the afternoon we made the crossing to Sarah Island and stood offshore watching the tourists being conducted on an afternoon inspection of the ruins that were once the ship building yards and adjacent ship-wright workshops. In the early 1830's Sarah Island was the busiest shipbuilding yard in the Australian Colony. Here convict labour sought, cut, dressed huon pine and other timbers and built all manner of vessels that were later used by or sold by the Government. Much timber was also exported from the Island to Hobart and mainland cities.
As the tourists left in their aluminium hulled, one thousand horse powered, sea going chariot we gently came ashore in our thin-shelled fibre glassed kayaks. We carefully set up camp in the spongy soft green grass that grew thickly amongst the ruins of the buildings constructed during the convict occupation. The men's dormitory, a stone structure perched on a cliff above the sea on the south western shore, is probably the best preserved amongst the surviving ruins.
We saw a large brick bakers oven and the crumbling foundations of the goal lay nearby. This looked to be a single storied, double bricked building and careful inspection revealed that there were a number of names carved into the brickwork of the eight cells still visible. These were made by convict inmates during occupation of what would have been narrow, cold and damp cells. A closer inspection revealed that the internal walls were whitewashed and in several places could be seen etchings of names and initials made into the brickwork lining the cells.
Brick-making was another industry of MacQuarie Harbour during convict occupation. Hundreds of thousands were made and used in the construction of buildings and other structures on Sarah Island, Grummet Island and other places around the harbour. We occasionally saw handmade bricks lying in moss-covered ground at some of our campsites. One of the brick making facilities was at Muddy Cove, which is a sheltered landing site situated on the harbour shoreline some two kilometres west of Sarah Island.
Most of the brickwork and stone remaining after Sarah Island was abandoned in the 1830's, was later used in the construction of the nearby mining port town of Pillinger. I would speculate that some even found their way to Strahan and were used there for various building purposes. Many of the handmade convict bricks that we saw bore a thumb print and occasionally a name was engraved into the texture of the brick, this being made prior to baking in the large wood fired kilns used at the time.
As evening approached we reflected on the hard times that must have been the norm for the prisoners, soldiers and administrators who lived in this place in the early 1800's. During winter, storms rage with reckless abandon and strong winds blow from the south and west, and driving rainstorms bombard everything in sight. There is also the cold. In contrast our week in these parts, albeit in the height of summer, was blessed with the most agreeable weather conditions you could imagine. I guess we were lucky.
At about 10pm that night we silently slipped the kayaks into the water. The air was balmy and absolutely still. On the mirror finished water surface we paddled out into the harbour for several kilometres. There was no moon. Every star shone brightly and this heavenly view was faithfully reflected in the calm peaceful waters of MacQuarie Harbour. We stayed in this luxurious star lit theatre for quite some time and eventually paddled back to our launching site which was marked by my flashing bicycle lamp. In the darkness it would have been dangerous and difficult to locate our home base on Sarah Island without this beacon.
DAY SEVEN
Around and about Sarah Island.
Distance - 5 kilometres.
Weather - Hot day - 30 degrees. Calm water.
The hour before sunrise in South West Tasmania is probably the coldest part of the day. Our last day was no exception. We tumbled out of the down sleeping bags and denying ourselves the pleasure of a morning cuppa, we donned our warmest clothing and life jackets, and headed off to the kayaks which were waiting patiently in the old shipyard.
We launched and paddled out into the calm cool waters and into the intermittent fog banks that streamed across the water's surface to a height of about 10 meters. As the morning light appeared we could see massive fog bands rolling out of the nearby Gordon River and scattering across the harbour at its mouth. Silently the sun rose and the whole harbour and surrounding countryside lit up with that special morning light. There was no noise except that of an occasional swan that drifted across the water only centimetres from its surface. We photographed and paddled about in this spectacle and soon the sound of an approaching aircraft reminded us others too were enjoying this wonderful occasion.
Sitting on the wharf looking towards Frenchmans Cap we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and romanced over past walking trips to that lofty white topped peak. We soon packed our gear and with clockwork timing, at 10.30 am, the tourist boat surged up to the wharf with its fresh cargo of visitors anxiously awaiting to inspect the island once the home of convicts of yesteryear.
With heavy hearts we silently loaded our kayaks and equipment on board. The noise of engines, public address systems and the chattering of the tourists, even the servings of fine food felt brash and intrusive after a week of hearing the murmur of the breezes, feeling the bite of the sun and listening to the silence of the wilderness. Several hours later we were back in Strahan township and loading the kayaks onto the Suzuki Vitara and heading off towards other remote South West waters for more adventure.
We enjoyed a wonderful week on the harbour. The weather was exceptionally kind to us and an added bonus was the almost complete lack of any troublesome winds. MacQuarie Harbour is a large waterway covering some 300 square kilometres and most areas within its boundaries are ideal for extended sea kayaking expeditions. It's a place to which we will certainly return.
Vince Aitkin
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