Greetings Members,

Another AGM has passed and we have a new committee consisting of myself, Neil Campbell (Vice President), Brian Smith (Secretary), Ian Yarde (Treasurer), with Darren McClelland, Jan Edwards, Ron Bell and two new members Tamara Hycenko and Ryan Davies as general committee members. It should be an excellent committee and I’m thankful for their experience as well as their time and enthusiasm. We are all quite approachable so if you have any questions or queries about the club (or good ideas), don’t hesitate to talk to one of us. Remember, it’s your club.

Thanks to our outgoing President Keith Hart for the excellent job he has done over the past two years and also to Bryan Folie for his effort as Membership Secretary.

In Autumn 2007 we will be running a leaders training weekend, hopefully at the Blackwood Scout Camp, where we stayed on the Saturday before Fedwalk 2005. The provisional date for the training is March 24-25 – to be confirmed.

The format of the training is being revamped by a sub-committee consisting of Chris Jarvis, Fiona Richardson & Rob Hughes, who I’m sure will improve the already high standard of content. The leadership training is mandatory in our club before you can lead a walk.

If you have any ambitions to be a leader with our club, now is the time to come forth.

The training will be very informative, with relevant theoretical & practical exercises in a friendly and social atmosphere. There will be no pressure on people to lead walks after they have completed the training. However, we would prefer this to be their aim eventually. There will be a walks sheet out in the following months, so if you are interested please put your name on the list and Have A Go.

The autumn/winter program has given us a wide selection of walks and activities and we must again thank our leaders for their time & enthusiasm and I’m sure the spring/summer program will be just as good.

Happy walking!

President

Twilight Walk

Jan 1, 2006

Review by Colin Cody

The nightly exodus of bats from their tree-top roosts is an eerie sight at Yarra Bend Park, Fairfield. The total colony is an estimated eleven to twelve thousand bats located on the banks of the Yarra River. Around twilight on this night it looked like every bat in the colony was on the wing in a never ending line across the sky. In the background just across the other side of the river we could see the tall spires of the century old Abbotsford Convent.

This Sunday evening walk led by the McLean family on the first day of the new year followed a very hot new years eve the previous night. Sadly, the media reported 300 mainly young bats perished at Yarra Bend in this phase of extraordinary heat. Some were saved by animal welfare volunteers. Following our visit I raced off to the local library eager to find out more about the Bats and the Convent – icons of the landscape of this highly notable area of Melbourne.

This is a colony of the ‘grey-headed flying fox’ (pteropus poliocephalus). The ‘flying fox’ is a bat which has characteristic ‘foxy’ looking features; furry face, large eyes and small ears. There are four types of flying fox which inhabit coastal areas of Australia but this is the only one you will find in Melbourne or southern Victoria. With very good night vision and a keen sense of smell they feed off native flowers, fruits, nectar and tree blossoms. The Yarra Bend colony travel up to 100km around Melbourne on their nightly search for their favourite food. They will only eat orchard fruit if native food is scarce. They are believed to use natural landscape features to navigate such as major rivers or valleys. Their ‘camps’ are commonly located near water like on river banks or on islands.

The smell of a camp of bats has been described as ‘fetid’ (dictionary definition ‘having a strong, offensive smell’). A bit like a bushwalkers socks? As we navigated the Yarra River trail that night under their tree-top roosts I recall the pungent odour (of the bats). A ‘camp’ is the actual name for a nested colony of flying fox (something else us bushwalkers have in common with bats – not the smell – we love to camp!). There a few other interesting things about the flying fox. We all know they hang upside down. But they don’t have a muscular grip - they just hang there by specially adapted claws. In this position they eat, sleep, copulate and give birth but face their head up to defecate (you probably wouldn’t want to do this upside down!). And their blood doesn’t rush to their head either (reasons for this are something to do with how their heart and vascular system works). They drink by skimming the surface of water in flight and then lick the moisture from their fur. Bats are the only mammals that can actually fly (compared to some mammals which glide).

The ‘flying fox’ is unlike the ‘microbat’ species, which is much smaller, has large radar-like ears and uses echolocation signals to hunt insects. The vampire bat is a type of ‘microbat’ famed for drinking the blood of its victims. Fortunately you will find none of these in the belfries of the Convent (vampire bats are native only to Mexico, Central and South America).

The historic Convent buildings are very significant to this unique area of Melbourne. First European contact dates back to 1803 when Charles Grimes explored the Yarra up to Dights Falls. The aboriginal Wurundjeri people hunted and fished around the Yarra River’s rich river flats. In 1838 the Convent land was first subdivided and sold. Settlement and farming began. In 1863 the ‘Sisters of Good Shepherd’ established a welfare shelter for women at the Convent site. In 1912 at its peak the Convent supported 150 sisters and 1000 girls and women. The complex was totally self-sufficient and the original farmland is now the ‘Collingwood Children’s Farm’. The oldest surviving building was built in 1868. The current site of eleven buildings and extensive gardens cover 6.8 hectares. In 2004 the site was saved by the State Government and a multi-million dollar project to preserve and develop the complex for the benefit of the wide community has begun.

Newsletter of the

ESSENDON

BUSHWALKING CLUB INC.

P.O. Box 32, Moonee Ponds, 3032

Hi Folks, I can’t explain why, but this edition took a bit of filling – there is too much ‘white space’. Maybe you can help? Many thanks to the contributors who have put something in, including Colin’s most interesting piece of research on those furry inhabitants of Melbourne’s inner parks, the ‘bats’.

I look forward to your contributions for the next edition.

Submitting Articles:

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

Contributors must ensure their articles comply with copyright laws. The editor cannot be expected to be aware of the original source of an article or its contents unless informed by the contributor. Failure to comply with copyright law could result in legal action against the club, the editor and contributor.

Some statistics:

Four members completed the whole walk: Jan Rhodes, Sylvia Mc Lean, David & Vickie Bass.

Western side was eleven sections with a total distance of 193km.

Eastern side was seven sections totalling 127km.

Total distance of 320km over eighteen sections, average 17.75km per section.

We had a total number of forty-seven members walk one or more sections of the bay and there were four members who walked ten or more sections.

Started 22/2/2004, finished 2/7/2006.

Thank you to everyone that joined in the experience of following our bay and discovering areas unknown or never visited before

WANTED

Weekend March 24-24, 2007

(Provisional)

As Ian mentioned in his Presidential spiel, the club will be conducting a weekend of training for new leaders.

Prior to leading walks for the club, all leaders must do this course. The course introduces aspiring leaders to the skills and roles of leaders and prepares them for leading walks. Activities will be a mixture of lectures, group discussions and practicals. The venue will be the Scout Camp just north of Blackwood, and participants will need to be available from Friday evening to late Sunday. Instructors and assistants for the course will come from within club membership.

Are you interested? Then talk to Ian Tovey and register your interest at a club meeting.

Monday September 4

18km, Easy

Sylvia McLean

Discover a unique collection of historic buildings which form Westgarthtown: An 1850’s bluestone German village includes Ziebell’s, Graff’s and Wuchatsch’s Farmhouses’, the Luthern Church (dedicated in1853 and believed to be the oldest surviving as such) and the attached cemetery dates back to the early 1850’s and 125 early German migrants are known to be interred. This heritage area is tucked away and surrounded by suburban Thomastown. To gain access we will walk a circuit via the Western Ring Rd, Craigieburn Bypass, creek side trails and a lookout point.

Start time will be 9.45am from the McDonalds car park, SE of the Mahoney’s and Sydney Road intersection in Campbellfield.

Refreshments, and toilet available afterwards at McDonalds.

Weekend September 9 - 10

18km, Easy - Medium

Darren McClelland

This walk was featured in an edition of Wild magazine last year. The Mitchell River is north-east of Bairnsdale, and is popular with canoeists. It promises to be a scenic walk along a river popular with canoeists. It would suit fit beginners who want to try out pack walking. A short car shuffle is involved at either end.

Monday October 2

15km, Easy/Medium

Sylvia McLean

A lovely forest walk through the Wombat, experiencing lush vegetation at 600-700 metres altitude. This area can be subject to cold and mist…. this is at its best, so preparation for the cold may be essential. Morning tea at the historic Paradise Mill site, and lunch at Colbrook Reservoir. Boots would be advantageous especially if there is a wet spell prior to the walk. Afternoon tea Bacchus Marsh or Ballan.

Weekend October 7- 8

20km, Medium

Chris Jarvis

A classic Grampians walk through a variety of un-burnt country. Starts and finishes at the Beehive Falls car park, going south down the east flank of the range to a delightful campsite. On Sunday it’s across to Mt Difficult on the west side of the range and back to the cars via Briggs Bluff.

Suitable for fit novices with a spirit of adventure.

Thursday October 12 to Sunday October 15

6 - 14km, Easy - Medium - Hard

Tony Creedy

We will be based at Dadswells Bridge Caravan Park, which is halfway between Stawell and Horsham on the Western Highway, about 260 km from Melbourne. Attending for all or part of the time (e.g. just the weekend) is an option. Cabins and on site caravans can be rented at the park. There are also sites for camping, towed caravans, and campervans.

It is planned to offer two walks on most days, one graded easy/medium, the other graded between medium and medium/hard. These will take place in the northern Grampians Ranges, requiring a 12 to 20 km (each way) car trip from the caravan park. There will be one easy walk on the afternoon of the first day, near the caravan park. The ranges have a variety of scenery formed from layers of sandstone raised well above the surrounding country. There should be a good show of wildflowers to see.

For more information on the caravan park and the day walks see Tony Creedy.

A pack walk may run in conjunction with the base camp, depending on interest, to be led by Colin Cody. This is expected to be graded ‘medium plus’ and to take in back country in the Mount Difficult and Mount Stapylton areas of the ranges. For more information on the pack walk, see Colin.

Weekend October 20 – 22

Base camp with accommodation

Ron Bell

Accommodation plus meals (except Saturday lunch); Shared room $55 each, private room for two $60; Activities: Easy and medium bushwalks in rainforest, horse riding, table tennis. A pamphlet covering the weekend will be available from Ron Bell. No alcohol, please.

Weekend October 28-29

105km, Easy - Medium

Darren McClelland

This trail traverses Southern Gippsland between Leongatha and Foster. It is made of fine gravel, is gently undulating in nature and suits hybrids and mountain bikes. We'll ride from Leongatha to Foster on the rail trail on Saturday. Overnight in Foster at "luxury accommodation" (ie. we're not camping) then return to Leongatha on the Sunday via Dumbalk on mainly quiet country roads. We may take a short detour to a coastal settlement on either day, time permitting.

Saturday November 11

42km, Easy – Medium

Bill Casey

This year’s marathon walk is the thirteenth since the first back in January 1995. Start is on the summit of Mt Buninyong near Ballarat, and the finish is forty-two kilometres away at Creswick. The marathon is suitable for all walkers as it consists of seven easy stages of length between five and eight kilometres, and you need to carry very little as support cars meet the walkers at the end of each stage. If you haven’t done so before, why not have a go this year? Weekend accommodation and Saturday night dinner are optional.

More details from Bill Casey

Saturday November 25

14km, Easy/Medium

Tony Creedy

Deep Creek and Jacksons Creek meet in a deep gully just west of Tullamarine Airport to form the Maribyrnong River which continues south towards Brimbank Park, etc. This might not be the geographical source of the river but it makes a good name for the walk. The walk will start at Organ Pipes National Park and follow Jacksons Creek east through proposed Sydenham Park to the creek junction. We’ll return to OPNP also via Jacksons Creek, using an alternative route. Most of the walk is on tracks but there are some climbs and descents over uneven ground as we switch from walking near the creek to the creek valley escarpment, to get around thick bush. There are good views along the valley. Afternoon tea at the ‘Eiffel Tower’ in Tullamarine.

Sunday November 26

19km, Medium/Hard

Ian McLean

Sounds like a wedding invitation, doesn’t it? Well, it has as many challenges and ups and downs as a marriage! This area is located to the southeast of Warburton. It commences in Warburton with side trips to Lal Lal Falls, Lyrebird Lookout and Mount Tugwell. See if we can identify any old timber tramways we traverse.

Boots are a necessity. The reception (um, a well earned afternoon tea) will be in Warburton following the proceedings to celebrate our successful union of all these peaks and points of interest.

Thursday November 30 (Evening)

Saturday December 9 (All day)

Chris Jarvis

This course will introduce to novices the basic principles of reading topographic maps and using a compass to navigate through trackless terrain.

The course consists of two parts, an evening of theory followed by a day of practical at the Lauriston Orienteering Course, near Kyneton.

For the theory session you will need to bring some note-paper, pens and pencils, a ruler, and, if you have one, a base-plate style compass (If you don’t have one, don’t worry - we’ll scrounge some for temporary loan.) For the practical you will need some basic day-walking gear, a camp chair, your notes from theory, and of course, the compass.

Weekend December 2-3

30km, Medium

Stephen Bocquet

Mount Buller is probably best known to bushwalkers as the blot on the landscape visible from many places in the high country. This walk will show you another side to Mount Buller, away from the ski resort. Starting from Sheepyard Flat on the Howqua River, we reach the summit via a walking track up Four Mile Spur, a steady climb of 1300m. After admiring the views we descend the rocky West Ridge to camp in a saddle, collecting water from a nearby spring. On Sunday we follow 4WD tracks to Mount Timbertop, and take another walking track from there back down to Sheepyard Flat. There should be time to relax over a coffee in Mansfield before we return to Melbourne. Friday night departure from Melbourne; Bring sufficient water for Saturday as I don’t recommend drinking the Howqua River water.

Wednesday December 6

18km, Easy

Ron Pearce

On the western side of the Ballan – Daylesford Road, this circuit walk will be on tracks through both pine and native forest. The walk will start near Korweinguboora Reservoir and will go past a fascinating tree on the Spargo Creek Road – no more information about that, you will need to be on the walk to see it. Then it is through the forest to Barkstead where there are some Giant Californian Redwoods. From Barkstead, it is through the pine forest to the cars and afternoon tea, probably at the Spargo Creek Hotel.

Meeting places will be decided nearer the time together with leaving times. The drive to the start will take about eighty minutes from the Essendon area.

Saturday December 16

15kms, Easy

Neil Campbell

Not having lead a walk for quite some time it would be a great way to get back into the swing again.

It will be an easy 15km circuit walk along the southern coastline, with Bass Strait behind us all the way. We will start the walk from the car park near Pyramid Rock itself and overlooking Storm Bay. We will then walk along the coastline high above the cliffs until we reach a lookout at Red Bluff. We will see magnificent views of the Nobbies in the distance. We will stop for lunch on the beach at Hutchison beach along the way. After lunch we will pass an old shipwreck at Watt Point before arriving at our turning point at Kitty Miller Bay.

This is definitely a walk for people who like coastal walks, and it’s easy.

We will leave from the Moonee Ponds Car Park at 7.30 am sharp.

Saturday December 30

12km, Easy

Ian and Sylvia McLean

Meeting at 6pm for BYO tea prior to the walk. The walk starts at 6.30pm SHARP from the Western Oval car park (the most western oval of the group of three) in Park Street, Parkville. (Melway ref 29 E10). This walk traverses Royal Park, Melbourne University, Exhibition Gardens, Spring Street and onto the Treasury Gardens. Possum and fruit bat sightings are guaranteed. Return via Princess Park will include Lygon Street for supper.

Monday January 1

17kms, Easy/Medium

Neil Campbell

This almost a repeat of last year’s Hangover Walk, but is an enjoyable walk, particularly if you like walking along near parks and rivers.

We will start the walk from the Ripple Side Park in North Geelong, walk across Victoria Street Bridge over Melbourne road and head through the industrial area towards Thompson Road. From here we will walk along the old Cement Works Railway (Fyansford), which in fact still has the rail and sleepers intact, for 3kms, passing through the parklands of Herne Hill. We will explore the old Cement Works at the end of the Railway at Fyansford before descending down to the old historic Fyansford Pub. From here it will be following the walking trail along the Barwon River, to Queens Park, and then on to a great coffee shop that I discovered last time. Then passing the rowing clubs along the way before turning back in to the centre of Geelong at Eastern Beach.

A car shuffle will be required for this walk.

We will leave from The Moonee Ponds Bowling Club Car Park at 8.00am.

Mid 2007

91km, Medium

Neil Campbell

As a lead-up to the trip over to the west, doing the Bibbulman Track, (or should I say pretending to do it on a budget!!), we will be walking the newly completed Great Ocean Walk.

We will be walking from the Apollo Bay end, visit the numerous waterfalls in the area including Hopetoun Falls and the Fly Timber top Walk.

We plan to camp out along the way, but we have arranged someone to transport equipment before our campsites.

This is a good chance for either the people coming with me to WA, or just to do a moderate pack walk.

More details in the next edition of Old Man Emu.

115 kms

Eleven days

October 2007

Limit 10

Neil Campbell

At this stage this trip is starting to generate plenty of interest.

I’m pleased to report to you that I have been in touch with Richard and Beverly from Wanderer tours in Perth, and have advertised in VicWalk News and have a website <www.wanderer.com.au> if you want additional information, and who specialise in leading walking clubs along the BibbulmanTrack.

At this stage I can give you an idea in what we plan to do on this walk. Most importantly we will be transported to the start of the walk from Perth to Balingup. We will have a leader/tour guide on this walk to show us areas of interest along the track. The accommodation will be a mixture of camping out some nights, and other nights we will stay in backpackers etc., for a chance to clean up before heading out the next day. Will be arranging transfers to our backpacker accommodation nights and food supplies. We will see the old cheese factory at Balingup before heading along the track toward Donnelly Mill. From here we then walk through the lush forests and visit BeedelupFalls. From here it will be into the heart of the GIANTS - The giant and magnificent Karri Forest. If you’re game you can even climb the fifty metres Gloucester Tree, which incidentally is used as a fire tower, and is situated just outside Pemberton. Then we will walk along to the Timber Top walk, which is part of the track, and check out more waterfalls as well. The wildflowers should also be out in full bloom. The scenery starts to change as we start to head out of lush forests and out to William Bay, as we follow the open coastline of the Southern Ocean as we walk on towards Denmark.

In the final section we will visit the Mutton Bird rookeries along near the sand dunes as we walk towards the finish at Albany after eleven days of walking. We will be transported from the end of the walk to our motel at Albany. We will tour Albany the next day as part of our recovery, and visit Whale World. Then back to the motel and pick up our minibus for Perth.

Some people have indicated that they would like to stay on in Perth including myself to visit relatives, or go to Fremantle before flying home.

At this stage I will organise the flights return to Perth with Qantas or Virgin Blue from Melbourne Airport, as well as Jet Star having an afternoon Airbus A320 flight from Avalon to Perth as well as an afternoon return flight from Perth.

I will continue to keep you all informed with more details about the itinerary and costs, and will have a walk sheet out shortly.

For 2006 - 2007 is:

President: Ian Tovey

Vice President: Neil Campbell

Secretary: Brian Smith

Treasurer: Ian Yarde

Committee: Ron Bell, Tamara Hycenko, Darren McClelland, Jan Edwards & Ryan Davies

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

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

One copy of the program is included within the hard-copy version of 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 the Moonee Ponds Bowling Club, Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds. Meetings start at 7.30 pm.

The contact for loan of equipment is Ron Bell

Equipment available for loan:

Tents; Backpacks; Sleeping Bags; Rain Jackets; Stoves; Sleeping Mats.

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.

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.

Simaka diamond pattern

Fit 13" or 14" tyre sizes

$50

Stephen Bocquet

By Kathy Bocquet, following sampling by club members near Mt Feathertop on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend

1 cup self raising flour

2 cups oats

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup coconut

¾ cup chopped dried apricots

1 teaspoon cinnamon

125g butter

3 dessert spoons honey

1. Mix dry ingredients in bowl.
2. Heat butter and honey in saucepan until butter melts.
3. Tip melted butter and honey into dry ingredients and mix together.
4. Press into lined tin (approx 16x27cms). Smooth top.
5. Bake 180C for 20-25 mins.
6. Cut into pieces while warm and cool in tin.

*For a sweeter slice add an extra spoonful of honey.

*Dried fruit other than apricots can be used or the fruit left out altogether.

By Lucy Hayward

Neither distance nor difficulty made this walk one of the greatest and my most memorable.

It was just before midnight when I stepped from the helicopter onto the Ross Ice Shelf. The sun was twenty degrees above the horizon and there was not the slightest hint of a breeze.

Less than a kilometre, and over perfectly flat terrain, I traversed the area, which had been deemed by leaders to be safe and free from crevasses and ice bridges. Having covered all of the laid out area, I sat down and contemplated where I was. Well away from my fellow adventurers, I allowed the stillness and remoteness to penetrate. There was ice and sun and sky! The thought that early explorers made it here without any of today’s navigation and communication equipment is mind-boggling.

We hiked on Campbell Island to see the albatrosses on their nests. We covered distances from our landing spots to the huts of Shackleton, Scott and Borgenevick. We walked the three miles from McMurdo Station (USA) to Scott Base (NZ). There was even a hike on Macquarie Island to the various penguin rookeries.

But none will compare with the experience on the Ross Ice Shelf.