Old Man Emu

To maintain privacy on the World Wide Web, references to private phone numbers and addresses have been omitted from this edition.

The contents says it all. Enjoy!

Articles can be sent to Chris Jarvis, E-mail: cjjarvis@labyrinth.net.au

Photographs, including scanned or digital photos, are most welcome. Prints can be sent to me for scanning to enable easy insertion into the newsletter.

The ‘Ideal’ Cover Photo? Identifiable club members somewhere significant, such as a mountain top or place of interest. Good B&W contrast is helpful.

If you’ve been hibernating for winter you may have missed the AGM in June and the annual election of office bearers. The retiring committee members who chose not to seek re-election included president Frank Szentmiklossy, vice president Paulene Sunderland, treasurer Lauren Eagle, along with Inge Lingham and Sylvia McLean from the general committee. They take with them the enormous experience they’ve accumulated in building the club to its present healthy state. Their enthusiasm and dedication is universally acknowledged and will be missed. We thank them for the time they’ve devoted to the committee.

Nicole Lowe will continue as secretary, John Atkinson has taken over the treasurer’s books, while Ron Bell and Neil Campbell stay on, giving the committee some continuity. The new members are Keith Hart as vice president, Carmel Roads, Ian Tovey and Michael Howes on the general committee and me in the president’s chair. It’s your club so please feel free

to contact any of the above if you have any matters for consideration with respect to the way your club operates. We can’t promise solutions to please everyone every time, but we will endeavour to recognise and react to your concerns, no matter how seemingly trivial. Again, it’s your club, your committee.

The new committee was given little time to settle in before it was confronted with changes imposed by the new insurance schedule. Regretfully it means that snow activities are not covered by the new public liability policy and thus all these activities have been removed from our program. We can still participate safely in our core activity of bushwalking, along with canoeing, bicycle touring, track clearing and maintenance, swimming and Liloing, but no club event will go into the snow, deliberately or intentionally.

All is not lost, however, because it’s possible that our insurance may be renegotiated next year or after, so it’s possible that coverage for snow trips may be reinstated. In the mean time it would still be possible to put a snow trip on the program if it was organised by an adventure tour operator with appropriate insurance. Stay tuned. Of course, you can still head to the snow on a private trip with friends, but do so in the knowledge that it can, in no way, be associated with Essendon Bushwalking Club.

So please come along to monthly meetings, participate in the range of activities on the program, and contribute by getting involved in leadership training. It’s a great club.

Trust me, I’m a leader.

Rob Hughes

However, the ten Essendon bushwalkers who attended Ron Bell’s weekend at Mt Disappointment in May 2002 were far from disappointed as the excellent facilities, generosity of the hosts, the unique big tree rainforests in this area, and the friendship of the forty YHA members who joined us there made it a really special weekend.

A large open fire place, freshly picked apples from the nearby orchard, an endless supply of tea and coffee and freshly baked fruit cake set the tone for our Friday evening arrival.

After a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning, we had a choice of walking with Ron Bell, or experiencing navigational training with Colin Cody.

With the sole supply of our own lunch on Saturday, the whole weekend’s catering was efficiently arranged on schedule by our hosts, and included little treats like fruit scones, jam and cream for supper on Saturday, and an apple crumble dessert to supplement our chicken and kangaroo roast with Sunday’s lunch.

While walking in this forested area is memorable and invigorating, the evening’s spontaneous social events around the log fire also provided many happy moments for all visitors too.

Sunday morning, and another hearty breakfast, offered horse riding or further walks in the King Lake forests, with a memorable highlight of seventeen walkers with arms fully extended required to "hug" the base of one of the largest mountain ash Ron has discovered in this area.

Ron continues to discover and share his food and accommodation packages with great enthusiasm, and we consider, at a mere $40/head, that this is one weekend trip you should not miss.

We’ll certainly be attending again, and we hope that Club members will provide greater support to Ron next time he arranges a trip to Mt Disappointment

Rochester Weekend 27/28 April.

Well, yet again, thanks to the Hansen family for hosting a sucessful weekend. 12 members from the club attended the final weekend. It was an afternoon of brillant sunshine, chatter, and a rekindling of associations developed over the years. After erecting the tent under the 100 year old peppercorn trees, we were greeted by the Hansens with a country cuppa. A roaring fire was the gathering point outside the garage, as people chatted, chewed and laughed. Inside the garage was a smorgasbord of food and a large pot belly type stove that kept the huge garage cosy and warm as the sun started to set and the chill of the evening was setting in.

People came from Tasmania and South Australia to enjoy the festivities. Following a warming meal, Denny and Val orated a heart felt speech, which moved quite a few people to tears – that was the type of weekend it was joyful, but also reminiscient of Glen Hansen. A clock from the club was presented to Graham and Joy Hansen who were obviously delighted by the framed letter, poster size written for the occasion, [thanks to Neville Hesketh for doing the calligraphy.]

Graham, emotivally spoke on behalf of himself and his wife expressing his gratitude to the club for all the support and friendship over the years.

At 11 o’clock we did our traditional midnight 6 km.walk to the old school house along the gravel road. [yes we left an hour early!] Being a full moon, the walk was brisk and chilly and certainly necessary to work off some of the food. Unbeknown to us, Graham jumped onto his 4 wheel motorbike, cut across the paddock and gave his unsuspecting nephew a shock by his warlock type laugh whilst switching the lights on full beam as we made our way to the school house. He did such a scary job, we could hear the laughter the following morning at breakie.

Around 1.00am most people went to bed with extended stomachs.

As expected, the following morning was sunny, in fact Joy was commenting we haven’t had one single wet weekend over the last ten years during our gatherings together.

After a walk along the Campaspe River around 10 am, we drove back to the farm for more eating!!

For those of you who have been part of the Rochester weekends, you cannot leave without feeling elated by the presence of the Hansen’s hospitality, friendliness, generosity and as Val mentioned in her speech, the feeling of love that pervades the atmosphere at Glenhaven, their home in Rochester.

Melville Caves Base Camp Report

What better way to spend a weekend – with B1 and B2, a history lesson on Captain Melville, a didgeridoo, toasted marshmallows, plenty of bad jokes (where did those camel jokes come from) washed down with a bottle of Margaret River.

The weekend of 11 and 12 May 2002 ended up being one not to be missed but we almost did. Our illustrious leader, might not only be a deserved nominee for the Monkey Award but also a contender (not) to conduct the navigation training for the Leader’s course later in the year.

We travelled from Melbourne to Malmsbury via Ballan ("oooops" - or a stronger word even – "we are supposed to be on the Calder Freeway not the Western Highway"). Perhaps one of our leader’s issues was that he was driving two blondes. Notwithstanding his little faux pas this was the start of a very funny weekend.

We arrived in Malmsbury one hour late to meet with our Malmsbury party-in-waiting who were very awake after the numerous cups of coffee they consumed. At least with the mobile phone it was great to be able to tell them about our leader’s faux pas (ha ha). Then it was off to Melville Caves.

It was not too much longer before we arrived at Melville Caves and met our last party-in-waiting. We had some more laughs about the distracting drive up. We took off on a 12-kilometre walk from the camping ground. It was not long before we lost B1 and B2 (AKA Bill Casey and Bill McHardy) and this was on a straight stretch of road. They caught up with us with some excuse but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were exchanging some of those rude camel jokes.

We stopped for morning tea at around lunchtime. Discussions about the night man failed to put anyone off their food.

We reached a big boulder on the peak of Mt Kooyoora where each of us climbed atop for a ‘glam’ photo shoot. Jan and I had put our packs on a large rock and Jan generously made the offer to the group "would you like to join us on our rock". Our leader told us the history of Captain Melville. Some parts of the telling of this story are best left unsaid. Maybe the author was innocent but there was a lot of double meaning in this history telling story. And, I might add those listening to the story laugh at camel jokes.

After lunch we walked on and climbed up to the Melville Caves where we were rewarded for our efforts with magnificent views of the surrounding areas.

We returned back to camp and set about torturing each other with our gourmet delights. The bottles of red wine began to breed on the table. Amongst them was a bit of a faux pas of my own. A last minute addition to the packing, (when I had my eyes closed), ended up being a nice bottle of Margaret River cabernet merlot which was not originally meant to accompany my own sad camping gourmet delight – pasta and tinned meat sauce. However, it was pleasing to note that everybody enjoyed this very special wine. We can cellar our wine or we can enjoy it with our friends. Or perhaps next time we can select a nice wine with the lights on.

Later that night (felt like 10pm but it was only about 6:30pm) and a few more bottles of red wine down (let’s face it a few of us were enjoying the wine too much) –our leader brought out the didgeridoo. Rob decided some time ago to take on some lessons at CAE. He tried to transfer some skills to B1 and B2. With some success B2 began to develop the drone but B1 was too busy in hysterical laughter.

B2 delighted us with his perfect squishy marshmallow. They were quite scrumptious and Hannah passed on some tricks for drinking coffee through Tim Tams. But this trip was not just about food and wine. We had plenty of laughs, shared plenty of jokes and had some really really good walks.

We set off on a mild Sunday walk at about 9am after we had packed away camp. B1 guided us to an Aboriginal watering hole protected by the northern sun. We arrived back at camp at around 12 noon and returned to Melbourne via the Calder Freeway.

Anyway it was a great weekend, great walks, perfect weather, great company, and perfect wine. Let’s hope that the jokes are just as good on the inaugural jokes walk. Little less camel perhaps!

Saturday 6th of July

On Saturday July 6^th we had our first Track Clearing day organised in conjunction with the Essendon Bushwalking Club and the Great Dividing Trail Association. We had 11 people who attended the day. We managed to do a bit of track clearing around Slaty's Creek & also around the Chapel's flat area along the Creswick section of the Federation Trail. We also had time later to do a bit of a walk around the track as well, but unfortunately the weather wasn't too kind to us on the day. Because Track Clearing is rather popular in both Essendon Bushwalking Club & The Great Dividing Trail Association, I'm planning to negotiate with the GDTA to hopefully put two Track Clearing events per year, with the two clubs, one along the Lerderderg area of the new Trail from Blackwood.

The You Yangs were a pleasant surprise to the few of us who hadn't walked there before. The only downside to the 18km or so stroll was the overbearance of South African Boneseed that has taken a stranglehold on the park. It is less unsightly and prickly than our beloved Blackberries, but a threat to our native species nonetheless.

Cheers Keef!

The first two stages of the 500km walk from Point Lonsdale to the South Australian Border have been held. The first stage from Point Lonsdale to Barwon Heads attracted 45 walkers, and 35 completed the next section to Point Impossible.

Stage 3 from Point Impossible to Bells Beach, a distance of 14km, has been scheduled for Sunday, August 18. However, owing to several factors, the same walk will be conducted on the previous day, Saturday August 17, as well. There is no other Club walk on the Saturday, and several people have indicated that they are unavailable on one day or the other. Furthermore, the large numbers on the first two stages made the organization of the required car-shuffle quite difficult and time-consuming. I will lead the Saturday walk while Des Sunderland has kindly volunteered to look after the Sunday group.

I will be asking participants whether they prefer these walks to be held in future on Saturdays or Sundays, or if they are happy with the current arrangement of alternating between the two days.

The route for Stage 3 starts from the Point Impossible ("optional dress") Beach, but I wouldn’t expect to see any bare bodies in mid-August. It then continues past Fishermen’s Beach, Torquay Main and Surf Beaches and Jan Juc. In a few spots we may need to leave the beach and follow the cliff top track, but, as the pre-walk was done close to high tide, and the actual walks will finish at low tide, I can’t be sure if this will be necessary.

The grading of the walk is easy-medium, and anyone with a little walking experience should have little difficulty in completing it.

If you have missed Stages 1 and 2, don’t be discouraged. You can start the 500km trek at Stage 3, as the earlier legs will be repeated some time over the next 5 or 6 years. Imagine telling your grand-children how you once walked the whole western Victorian coastline, even if it did take seven years.

So why not look to the future and put your name down tonight for either next Saturday or next Sunday, and be with us when we reach South Australia.

(Stage 4 from Bells Beach to Point Roadknight will be held in early November, and Stage 5 to Cinema Point in mid-December this year.)

24km. Easy / Medium

25 km ENE of Melbourne, a long but rewarding walk!

Commencing in Park Orchards, through beautiful remnant bush corridors (containing splendid bird life) along the Mullum Mullum Creek to explore the Currawong Bush Park and picnic area for morning tea. (Free ranging, uncaptive kangaroos were spotted here on the prewalk!) We will encounter a wildlife sanctuary, wetlands, scar tree and information centre to explore. We were quite surprised to find camping facilities here also. The walk proceeds along the Mullum Mullum until is enters the Yarra. Then it continues through a bushland corridor along the Yarra past the Diamond Creek tributary on the opposite bank, along Petty's Orchard, its wetland area and through Candelbark Park via good stretches of boardwalk and onto Westerfolds Park, Templestone.

Lunch will be enjoyed in the vicinity of the "Manor" or Mia Mia Aboriginal Gallery and Café (free admission). We have had assurances that there will be aboriginal lunchtime entertainment.

The return is along Ruffy Creek, onto Ruffy Lake. This was a former orchard area. Apart from being a very picturesque lake formerly used for orchard irrigation, it has many historical features with interpretation boards. These include, former farms and orchards, historic Monterey and Bunya Pines, coke manufacture pits for the blacksmiths, timber harvesting, and stone quarrying used in local historic buildings. One of these buildings, Schramm's Cottage can be inspected by those who wish to (admission $2).

The return continues via a string of green areas and reserves to avoid as much street walking as possible to regain the Mullum Mullum a short distance away from the cars.

Afternoon tea to follow at Beasleys Nursery and Tearooms, Warrandyte Road.

I’m not really a horoscope person, but the name did seem appropriate with many of my Essendon friends celebrating birthdays close in time to mine. This mid-September walk has become almost traditional to bring the Virgos together. We are not completely self-centred in that we do allow non-Virgos to join us, classing them as "honorary Virgos" for the day.

The 2002 walk will be very easy, consisting of a tour on foot of many of Ballarat’s statues and monuments.

If you have driven through Ballarat, you may have noticed the extraordinary number of such features in the wide median strip of Sturt Street. Although I have spent much of my life in Ballarat, I have never really had a good look at them, and I don’t know much of their history. But I hope to change all that on Sunday September 15!

We will start the walk near the University of Ballarat SMB Campus and walk along Lydiard and Sturt Streets, drop into the Old Ballarat Cemetery, and then around the north side of Lake Wendouree to the Botanic Gardens. Our return walk will continue around the southern side of the lake, passing some of Ballarat’s old mansions along the way.

Afternoon tea paid for by the "honoraries" will follow (only kidding!).

17km E, 120 km N of Melbourne.

Starting in the wide main street of Heathcote there is a tour east and west to observe the historical buildings, some dating back to the gold rush days of the 1850's. In addition to the council offices, churches, banks, hotels etc. there is the Camp Hill area where the remaining buildings are the stone lock up and hospital.

The walk then takes us southwest out of town to the Pink Cliffs. This interesting and colourful phenomenon was brought to light by early gold mining activities.

After morning tea in this reserve we head back north across town through the Valley of the Liquidambars, over the McIvor Creek into the McIvor Range Reserve. There is an historic Powder Magazine to see along with other curios. The walking track continues from this reserve easily upwards into the more fertile side of the McIvor Range. Orchids can be seen here in spring. The foot pad continues as a loop with rewarding views over Heathcote and district. It continues past an interesting rock formation known as the Devil's Cave and onto a lookout known locally as the Viewing Rock. It was from here that the jail, powder magazine and gold assay house could easily be "viewed" by the police guard, during the gold era. This is an ideal lunch spot with extensive views to Mt. Alexander and surrounding countryside. From here, a 3-4 km circuit around the top of the McIvor Range is undertaken.

Hopefully we may catch some more wild flowers in amongst the Long Leaved Box, Red Box and Red Stringy Bark Eucalypts. Then back past the viewing rock to complete that loop and return to town and afternoon tea at the Gaggle of Geese Restaurant.

6km. Easy & social Saturday night

These are well renowned flora reserves in what we describe 'as in our back yard' and we would like to share their beautiful spring displays with you. Last year within about 0.5 km. into Conglomerate Gully in mid October I saw no less than seven different varieties of orchids! So come see for yourself.

The plan is to drive to and between these two short walks allowing plenty of time for wildflower spotting and identification. Hopefully we will emerge with a long list. Since the walks are so short (though fascinating with plenty of 'walk/talk and gawk') this will be an afternoon commencement at 2pm, followed by a social evening back at our place in Riddells Creek and a casserole night.

Everyone please BYO a casserole and drinks.

Usually when I see a "mystery" walk on a program, I assume that at the time of program preparation, the leader has not made up his or her mind where they are going to walk. BUT, that is not the case here.

This base camp has been carefully chosen, and I know where it is – trust me, I’m a leader! All you need to know is that it is about two hours from Melbourne in an area where we have not walked in the eleven years I have been in the Club.

We will gather in Ballarat at 8pm on the Friday night, and then leave for parts unknown, travelling in the growing darkness, arriving about an hour later at the campsite. You may walk the whole weekend without knowing where you are, (did someone say "a common experience for leaders"?), but we may visit a nearby large town on Saturday night for some social relaxation. The area contains mining and aboriginal features as well as interesting forest contrasts. The only facilities are bush toilets.

Walk either 10 or 13 km at Yarra Grange, Coldstream (Melway 277 B8). See many birds, indigenous flora, native animals with river and cliff views. Cool drinks and billy tea en route. Relax in the lovely gardens under the shade of the majestic American Pin Oak, which has been classified by the National Trust, to enjoy the BBQ lunch. Adults - $15, children under 14 - $5, family includes 2 adults $40. Yarra Valley wines available. This is a fund-raiser for the Coldstream Fire Brigade. No dogs please. RSVP by October 18th.

By the time you read this, there will be only three-and-a-half months to go till the ninth annual long distance day walk in the Central Victorian ranges.

This year’s event will start from the peak of Mt Alexander, just off the Calder Highway near Harcourt, and will follow parts of the Leanganook and Dry Diggings Tracks of the Great Dividing Trail via the old gold-mining areas of Chewton, Spring Gully and Fryerstown to the finishing point at Vaughan Springs.

As usual, the distance will be in the 40-45 km range, divided into seven stages each of which can be tackled as individual walks from 5 to 8km long.

The first section involves a drop of several hundred metres in only a few kilometres, with the balance of the route consisting of undulating tracks.

We intend to follow the usual practice of rising in the early hours and driving to the finishing point of the walk from where a bus will take us to the start. Support cars will meet us at six points along the way. The traditional end-of-walk dinner will be arranged at a nearby hotel.

To assist with the planning of the walk, the walk sheet will be tabled at the September meeting, and it will be appreciated if you can put your name down then if you are thinking of doing the walk. To save precious time on walk day, bus fares will be accepted at the November meeting.

This is one walk which is suitable for everyone – you only need to walk the 5km down Mt Alexander if you wish!

15 km, Easy, 40 km NE of Melbourne

An undulating walk on foot tracks and country lanes through open forest and farmland offering picturesque views over the surrounding countryside and a glimpse into Victoria's gold mining history.

The walk involves around four short, easy climbs and a brief downhill scramble through the bush at the very end of the walk to reach the start point. This walk offers many points of interest along with excellent views from the ridges traversed.

Afternoon tea planned at the Watson's Creek Antique Café.

Where would you like to travel?

Aspiring Trekking NZ Mt Aspiring; Lonely Planet guidebooks---Scotland Karakorum Hindukush; Media release Mt Everest Paul Weller adventures Outdoor Travel 2002 advertising Omtrek newsletter Nepal trips till November 2003; Northern Territory Willis Walkabouts; Falls Creek 2002; Flinders Island, Cape Barren Island walks; Aurora expeditions to Antarctica 2002/3

Contact Nicole to read all about it!

For 2002 – 2003 is:

President: Rob Hughes

Vice President: Keith Hart

Secretary: Nicole Lowe

Treasurer: John Atkinson

Committee: Ron Bell, Neil Campbell, Carmel Rhodes, Ian Tovey & Michael Howes

Members’ Discount

Don’t forget that members can obtain a discount at Bogong Equipment, 374 Little Bourke Street. They offer a 10% discount on all non-sale items.

(Snail) Mail: The Secretary, Essendon Bushwalking Club Inc., P.O. Box 32, Moonee Ponds, 3039

E-mail: Russell Christensen trekker@netspace.net.au

Club Web Page: www.netspace.net.au/~trekker

Are released three times each year, at the April, August and December club meetings.

One copy of the program is included within the club newsletter, Old Man Emu.

Additional copies are available from the Secretary or Treasurer for 20¢ each.

Are held on the second Wednesday of each month, at Hall 3, St. Thomas Church (behind the church), Mt. Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds Junction (corner of Mt. Alexander and Pascoe Vale Roads). Meetings start at 7.30 pm.

The contact for hire of equipment is Nicole Lowe

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.

Annual Membership $ 25

Visitors Fee (per event) $ 5

Annual Membership fees apply from June 1 to May 31. Membership fees not paid two months after the June AGM render the member unfinancial. There are no pro-rata membership fees as the club is required to pay an annual Federation / Insurance premium

An unfinancial member is required to pay the visitors fee for every event they attend until they have paid their full membership fee. As an unfinancial member, the Club's Personal Accident and Public Liability Insurance on any club activity does not cover you unless a visitor's fee is paid.

Unfinancial members and visitors attending more than three events in a club year are required to pay the full membership fee.

New members must pay the annual membership fee within 28 days of their membership application being approved by the committee.

Many of you will be familiar with Bryson's other works, including Notes from a Small Island and Down Under. A Walk in the Woods tells of Bryson's attempt, together with his buddy Stephen Katz, to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, one of the world's longest walking trails (2,200 miles / 3,500 km through the Appalachian mountains which run north / south along the United States' eastern seaboard).

The book is effectively a lengthy yet entertaining walk report. Often amusing, as you would expect from this author, it is also spiced with many anecdotes and observations which will entertain, enlighten, or fill you with a chilling awe. Quite apart from his own experiences on the trail, and there are certainly plenty of those, you will be introduced to some extraordinary figures who have completed the walk in its entirety; Pennsylvania's extraordinary anthracite region; and some interesting snippets regarding the American Civil War, among other things. Botany and geology buffs definitely get their fill!

Of particular interest is the similarity between the mountains along the trail and those of our own Great Dividing Range, particularly those in southern New South Wales and east and north east Victoria. The mountains along the AT, like our Great Divide, are not all that high, and experience similar climatic conditions, i.e. warm in summer; snowbound in winter; and capable of sudden change. Thus it provides an interesting insight as to what it might be like to hike our own Australian Alps Walking Track. An enlightening as well as entertaining read. Highly recommended.

If you are not feeling up to a 3,500 km hike along the AT, perhaps the 680 km Australian Alps Walking Track might be more your go! Formerly the Alpine Walking Track, the Australian Alps Walking Track starts (or finishes, depending upon which direction you walk) at the historic township of Walhalla in Gippsland, and finishes in Canberra.

Siseman's book, now in its third (1998) edition, provides a brief history of the trail and an overview of environmental and safety factors. Most of the book is devoted to track notes and accompanying diagrams, with the track being covered region by region. Includes black and white photographs, colour plates, and profiles which show the track's up and downs. Unfortunately does not contain any practical tips on how one might go about a full traverse. Nevertheless, a must for anyone contemplating walking part or all of the trail, or who simply has an interest in the magnificent alpine and sub-alpine areas which embrace the track.

Occasionally, however, this is forgotten and food scraps are discarded in the bush. This may even be done deliberately under the belief that food scraps are bio-degradable and therefore they will decompose without trace, causing no harm to the environment. This belief is wrong. The environment

will be harmed.

Discarded, uneaten fruit and food can take years to decompose.

While our apple cores or banana peel are slowly decomposing, the bush will take on the appearance of a rubbish dump. Not only will this visually degrade the environment that we treasure, but also it will encourage others to add their own food waste to the Australian bush. While it remains visible, a discarded banana peel is a scar on our environment in the same manner as a discarded plastic bag, bottle or can.

Discarded, uneaten fruit and food can introduce damaging microbes and species to an ecosystem.

Apple cores or fruit peels are a foreign source of organic nutrients in the environment. They disturb the pre-existing environment, even if only in a small way. This is especially true for delicate eco-systems occurring in watercourses. It may seem insignificant, but several such disturbances over time can ruin the natural beauty that is one of the attractions for us bushwalkers.

Please take home your banana peel, apple cores and orange peel.

500 g mixed dried fruit

1 cup of apricot nectar

1 teaspoon of honey

1 cup of mashed cold pumpkin

1 2/3 cups of self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

Method:

1.Grease a 14cm x 21 cm loaf pan; line base with baking paper.

2. Cook pumpkin and mash, set aside to allow it to cool.

3. Combine fruit, nectar and honey in a medium pan, bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and allow to cool.

4. Stir the pumpkin and sifted dry ingredients into the mixture; spread into prepared loaf pan.

5. Cook in a moderate oven for about 1 1/4hours, or until cooked when tested.

6. Cover cake with foil and cool in pan.