PO Box 2199
QUEENSLAND
BUSHWALKERS
CLUB Inc.
Newsletter
QBW on Mt Edwards
Club News
From the editor
Welcome to the November newsletter.
Inside are write-ups of recent club walks at Mt Edwards
(see photo above), Sundown National Park and Spring
Mountain. Also Aileen continues with Part 2 of her walk
in the Italian Dolomites. Thank you to all contributors.
We are gearing up for our big Christmas party event at
Bigriggen. It's just a 90 minute drive from Brisbane and
we'd love to see you there. Read on for more info.
There is a brief Pilgrimage 2018 wrap up and other
items of bushwalking interest.
Enjoy your reading and see you on the trail.
Michael H
2018 Photo Competition
A final reminder to get your photos in to the annual
QBW photo competition. Full details are in last month's
newsletter, so in brief:.
The categories are Pictorial, Nature, Club Character
and Non-Club Walk.
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Sunnybank Hills
QLD 4109
Email qldbwc@yahoo.com
Phone No: 0401 527017
http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/
November 2018
Photo: Ron Owen
Limit of 5 entries per category per member (20 in total).
Submit your JPEG un-edited photos on a flash drive
by the November meeting to Patricia labelled as:
Your Name_Title_Location_Category_Image Number
eg: TomJones_MtMay_Boonah_Nature _ 1.jpg
Speak with Patricia if you need to make a late entry.
Winners are announced at the Club Xmas Party where
there is also voting for a People's Choice.
Christmas Party
Date: 30 November - 2 December (Friday-Sunday)
Venue: Bigriggen Campground – on Bigriggen Rd off
Yellowpinch Rd about 10km west of Rathdowney
Cost:
The overall cost is $50 per person for two nights or
$37.50 for one night. It is a requirement of the
Bigriggen park management that site bookings have to
made directly with them therefore this year the
payment needs to be made in two instalments.
Firstly you need to book with Bigriggen directly via their
website and pay for the number of nights you are
staying - $12.50 per person per night. Then you have
to pay QBW $25. This amount helps cover the cost of
hall hire, entertainment costs, etc. If anyone has
trouble complying with this arrangement please don't
hesitate to speak with a committee member for help.
Saturday night will be a bbq meal - please bring your
own meat or substitute, drinks, and a dish to share -
either nibbles, salad or dessert.
Theme:
The dress up theme for the Saturday night party is -
'A book character'.
You will need to bring:
An outdoor chair Camping items
Cutlery and crockery Food and drink
A wrapped gift to the value of $10 for Secret Santa
(it's not compulsory to participate but you need to bring
a gift if you wish to participate)
Accommodation:
Bring your own tent, campervan, camper trailer or
caravan. A site will be cordoned off for club use.
Membership
The club currently has 55 members. We welcome
Lynette O'Neill to the club and look forward to joining
with you on some walks.
The membership fee for 2018/19 remains at $30.
Please send your payment to Helen McAllister or by
direct transfer into the club bank account. Payment
details are on page 8.
The same membership form is used whether you are a
new member signing up or a current member wishing
to renew – it is on the club website. Please complete
the form, sign it and either post, email a scanned copy,
or hand it to Helen (at a club meeting or on a walk).
The club email is qldbwc@yahoo.com.
Go Mary Go!!
We are delighted but not too surprised to hear that
Mary not only completed the Noosa Triathlon last
weekend but also came first in her category. The
course included a 1500m swim in open water (choppy
waves, lots of kicks in the head and gulps of seawater),
a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. Mary overcame a
serious knee injury during her training. Well done Mary!
(Ed. Attend the club meeting to request her autograph.)
General News
Pilgrimage 2018
The venue for Pilgrimage was Jimna Base Camp. This
facility used to be Jimna Primary School. It proved to
be an excellent site for groups of our size and purpose.
Most participants camped in tents, camper trailers or
caravans around the school oval. Some stayed in the
ex-teacher house accommodation. The school house
with three large class rooms (complete with library) and
an open area underneath the building proved excellent
for group activities and socialising. The camp
managers also catered for the event, and provided
some beaut soups on Friday night, a fine meal on
Saturday night, and a superb breakfast with the lot on
Monday morning. Tea and coffee was available at
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most times. The layout enhanced the opportunity for
group chats and plenty of inter-club socialising.
About 70 attendees came from most clubs across
southern Queensland, including Bundaberg, Gladstone
and Toowoomba. Around ten walks were offered on
both Saturday and Sunday, with a good variety of
length and difficulty. Most were accessible from the
venue. The Peters Falls walk which includes part of the
Conondale Range Great Walk required a 15km car trip.
The weekend weather was variable with hot fine
weather on Saturday while Sunday was quite wet until
after lunchtime. A storm on Saturday night didn't
dampen spirits as most people were dancing
underneath the school house. The fairly heavy rain
(some even experienced hail) on Sunday did curtail
some walks but hardy walkers soldiered through it.
A crowd of about 30 stayed on after Monday's cooked
breakfast to hear the latest bushwalking news from
Gavin Dale (Qld President) and John Marshall, and to
witness the passing of the boot from Gavin to Gavin
(BWQ plan to coordinate Pilgrimage next year for the
50 year anniversary).
We returned to Brisbane with an increased awareness
of the walking and base camping opportunities that
Jimna and the Conondale Ranges offer, and many
pleasant memories of an enjoyable weekend in good
company. The Glasshouse Mountains Club overcame
a number of last minute hurdles to enable the 2018
Pilgrimage to run smoothly, though the low number of
attendees this year requires some review.
We extend a warm thank you to the volunteers for their
hard work in ensuring the success of the event.
Michael H
Vale Margaret Thorsborne AO
The bushwalking fraternity is saddened by the recent
death of Margaret Thorsborne. Together with husband
Arthur, the Thorsbornes were committed to raising
awareness and preserving the wonders of the North
Queensland wilderness, especially on Hinchinbrook
Island. The Thorsborne Trail, walked by quite a few of
our QBW members was named to honour their service.
Margaret was the patron of Wildlife Queensland from
2001, as the successor to Judith Wright. Margaret's
funeral in Cardwell on 25 October was attended by
many friends from far afield. See the Wildlife Qld
website for more details of her remarkable life.
Wildlife Queensland dinner
Wildlife Qld is holding it's annual dinner featuring
'A Conservation Conversation' hosted by Prof Darryl
Jones at 6.30pm on 17 November at Bulimba Golf
Club, 105 Quay St, Bulimba. Cost is $75. For more
details and/or to book go to the Wildlife Qld website.
Proposed Mt Coot-tha zip-line
The Brisbane City Council is pushing development of a
zip-line on Mt Coot-tha. For more details or to have
your say about this project phone 3403 8888 or go to
the BCC website.
Qld National Parks alerts
The National Parks website is carrying a number of
alerts that may impact on people's bushwalking plans.
Roadworks just north of Binna Burra may affect access
by car. Roadworks on the Green Mountains road can
cause delays. Duck Creek Road and the Mudgeeraba were eight of us which I considered to be a good
to Springbrook road remain closed. Remote campsites turnout. Our late start and short walk allowed us to
on the Lost World plateau are closed due to a bushfire. have lunch on top.
Carparking at Noosa National Park is now limited to Unfortunately South East Queensland was in the grip
four hours. The Mt Coolum summit track is closed. of a severe dust storm that day due to strong westerly
For these and other alerts please see the website at winds on the previous day but did not destroy the
https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/park-alerts/ . enthusiasm of our group of hardened walkers.
Strangely the dust was not as gritty as I remembered
Coming Walks from past events which perhaps may be a by-product
of the currently widespread drought conditions.
Any person wishing to come on a club walk must
Visibility was markedly down and appeared more like
contact the walk leader first. The leader will organise
grey smoke or a misty haze. The understory vegetation
the meeting place and car pooling and has full
on the mountain was mostly dead and larger trees
discretion on who can come on the walk. If possible
appeared to be stressed. Also the track was severely
provide leaders with plenty of forward notice if you wish
eroded compared with a decade ago so it was a sad
to nominate for a walk or if you change your plans.
day indeed for Mt Edwards itself.
Nominations close 9:00pm on the Wednesday prior to
a weekend trip or by 9.00pm on the Monday before
Wednesday trips, at the leader's discretion.
More details are available in the club calendar. It's
recommended that you look at the on-line calendar to
ensure you obtain the latest walk information.
November 2018
3 Sat Byron Creek (Mt Mee) D/W
Gerry Burton 0408 793 715
6 Tues Club meeting (Buranda) 7.30pm
Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017
7 Wed Wednesday Wanderer D/W
Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
10 Sat Walks planning BBQ (3PM) SOC
36 Falstaff St, Sunnybank Hills 0403 821 525
11 Sun Paddy's Knob (Killarney) D/W
Patricia Kolarski 0448 526 618 Back at the dam wall Photo: Ron Owen
13 Tues Northbrook Mtn to White Cedar D/W On the upside the water level in the dam was well up
Patricia Kolarski 0448 526 618 and discharge from the outlet valve into Reynolds
17 Sat Creek spectacular. We had morning tea at the Rocky
Gorge Lookout and tea/coffee at Lake Moogerah Café
18 Sun
at day end. Thank you Helen, Jim & Julie, John B,
21 Wed Wednesday Wanderer D/W Dave S, Michael H, and Sandy for your company and
Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
companionship.
24 Sat Ron Owen
25 Sun Additional walk
27 Tues Western cliffs (Green Mtns) D/W A relatively short distance away from the dam wall
Patricia Kolarski 0448 526 618 along the eastern side of the lake lies a gorge that is
30-2 Fri-Sun QBW Christmas Party (Bigriggen) SOC now largely flooded by the dam waters. John was keen
Sandy Thomas 0403 821 525 to re-visit this site so with Ron's permission a smaller
group of John, David, Sandy and myself departed
December 2018 lunch a tad earlier and returned down the main track to
4 Tues Club meeting (Buranda) 7.30pm the dam wall. We then followed a bit of a walking pad
Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017 around the eastern side of the lake. To save time we
cut across a ridge but the small sapling regrowth
resisted our progress.
Past Walks
Mt Edwards D/W 1 September

Being an old favourite of this leader and not visited for

perhaps a decade which was with young
grandchildren, there was a nagging desire to revisit so
why not with bushwalking members. From the picnic
area at Moogerah Dam the 6km walk starts and
finishes by walking over the crest of the concrete dam
wall. I had memories of a relatively clear trail albeit
steep in parts and constantly up. On the day there

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Before too long we regained the shore line and from a
rocky promontory we could see the inlet lined with
vertical cliffs. A remote camping site is adjacent to it
and this would be quite suitable for an easy kayak
excursion. Apparently there is a fire trail higher up the
ridge and a waterfall that would make this an
interesting circuit walk but we didn't have time to locate
that trail. With the other walkers most concerned for
our welfare (and needing a key to access a car) we
made all speed to return to the walk start.
Michael H
Sundown National Park B/C 19-21 October 2018
This basecamp was held in the southern section of
Sundown National Park South West of Stanthorpe and
50km east of Texas. The Broadwater Campground is
adjacent to the Severn River.
Entrance to Sundown NP Photo: Michael H
As is often the case, on arrival we found someone else
on one of our sites. It is very difficult to book a site
unseen and know if it is suitable. However, with a bit of
diplomacy we were able to organise a swap and
everyone was happy.
It just so happened that Birds Queensland was also
having a basecamp there so we saw many people
either wandering around with cameras with huge
lenses or groups of people with binoculars staring up
into trees.
Permanent Waterhole Photo: Patricia
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Friday evening we, of course, were just happy to settle
down for Happy Hour and a bite of dinner. Michael and
Sandy did get a fire going but I was off to bed and
didn’t see it. Others may have enjoyed it for a while.
Saturday we followed Ooline Creek upstream to the
first waterfall. It was easy going and the creek was
pleasingly clear of any weeds. This was a good
morning tea spot.
Ooline Creek waterfall Photo: Michael H
There wasn’t unanimous agreement to climb up the
waterfall so we decided to climb up the side of the
gorge. It was steep and quite loose underfoot and
there was no clear way to contour around to the top of
the falls so we just kept going up.
Finally, we arrived at the Park boundary fence and
rested for lunch before following the fence back
towards camp. Being conditioned to following the
fence, when we came to a sharp turn, the leader (me),
stuck to the fence. Not the best idea of the day! It was
a rough, steep, trackless scramble down to the creek.
Arriving back at camp was a relief.
Severn River Photo: Michael H
A storm was building up so we had dinner and climbed
into our tents just as the rain started. While the tents
were wet in the morning the rain had moved on.
Our walk Sunday morning was a 4.5km circuit up to a
high point with views north-east towards Mount
Donaldson. This track was constructed in 2008 with the On our way to Spring Mountain we had a faint trail to
help of volunteers. follow after leaving the roads.

Most of us were on our way home via Tenterfield.

Michael had recommended a cafe in the Tenterfield
School of Arts building. The food was good and the
coffee welcome.

Thanks to Helen, Lynn N, Michael H and Sandy for

joining me on this enjoyable weekend camp.
Patricia
Additional walk
After farewelling our friends, Sandy and I considered
our options for more exploration of Sundown. The park
track notes indicated that McAllister Creek offers good
scenery. With a nod to Helen, we chose it for our walk!

On top of Spring Mountain Photo: Patricia

Morning tea was had on the knoll just before our

destination. This spot has a great view across
Springfield towards the City. The actual mountain top
was open and far too hot for us to linger for long.

Along McAllister Creek Photo: Michael H

The creek joins Severn River directly opposite the

campground so it was very easy to locate and follow.
We spent a fun couple hours exploring this creek which
features some prominent cliffs and pleasant
waterholes. We didn't quite make it to the dramatic
gorge section but chose instead to commit the time to
a most welcome dip in a 'plunge pool'. The creek was
flowing - possibly due to the rain we'd received on
Structure on Spring Mountain
Saturday. We saw wallabies, bees and plenty of
Photo: Patricia
birdlife. It was a quiet and relaxing walk, and certainly
offers good possibilities as a full day walk or longer.
Back on the roads for a short while before following a
We returned to Brisbane via the cafe in Tenterfield and
ridge line down to the creek. While the under story was
Byron Bay – a delightful drive through green scenery!
fairly open there were a lot of tangled dead branches to
Michael H
get around so we took a ridge earlier than shown on
the database map.
Spring Mountain D/W 24 October 2018
Of course, I managed to find a little lantana for us to
Just for a change we approached the start of this
scramble across but everyone was quite stoic and
Spring Mountain walk from the east travelling through
hardly complained.
Greenbank. Actually finding the start of the walk was a
bit of a challenge and needed the old TomTom plus
Finally this circuit walk led us back to the cars, hot and
Richard’s directions in his Walks Database.
tired. Gerry left us here and the rest of us returned to
our meeting place at Calamvale Market Place for a
This is definitely not a Summer walk and was even a
drink in the airconditioned cafe.
bit too warm for us in mid-Spring. Our route was mainly
on gravel fire trails with a bit of off-track through open
Thank you to everyone who came with me and a
sclerophyll forest. There seems to be a web of
special thanks to drivers, Helen and Ron.
numbered bike trails according to a map at the start of
Patricia
the walk but no labels on the actual roads.

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 The Alta Via, Italy (Part 2 ...CONTINUED from last month)

Day 7 The rain cleared overnight and the crisp

morning air greeted us as we started to walk up
to the first saddle. We were fortunate to sight a
marmot feeding on the grasses near its burrow
and we all tried to get a good photo. Noelene
was the most patient and was rewarded with a
great photo. On reaching the crest, Lago Coldai
came into view. This is a beautiful small lake
which is apparently a popular picnic spot. The
track skirts round the side of the lake and we
were again onto a scree slope that lead through
another pass and continued on with the
astonishing high cliffs of Civetta to our left. This
was a very impressive formation with blocks of
ice still visible in the many crevices above us.
There were impressive views down to the valley
floor and Lago di Alleghe as we neared the steep
track that lead up to Rif Tissi where there are
apparently incredible views of the sunset. After a
brief visit to the rifugio we retraced our steps to
the junction and continued on downhill
eventually entering farm land and a beautiful conifer wood to Rif Vassoler. This rifugio had a small botanical
garden and served an impressive vegetable soup.

Day 8 The next morning’s walk started down a gravel road through a conifer forest and after a couple of
kilometres we found the track that lead uphill through woodland. We crossed a small stream and continued
upwards through birch forest. It was then an undulating uphill climb on a scree slope towards the west wall of the
Moiazza where the track became very narrow and we had a steep clamber up a narrow exposed ridge to Forcella
Col dell’Orso and relatively safer ground.
The views of the surrounding landscape were
stunning and we took time to appreciate them
before continuing.
A narrow track took us down over some exposed
tree roots to a wire cable imbedded in the rock
face as an aid to negotiate a rocky outcrop. The
track was hard to find in places and we had to
scramble over and around some large boulders
initially but it levelled out as we approached
Forcella del Camp. It was a short steep climb up
a damp grassy slope then down a greasy slope
on the other side. There was a well-placed bench
beside a crucifix at the bottom of the slope and
some fellow walkers took the opportunity for a
rest. The track then continued on through larch
wood forest and eventually Rifugio Carestiato
came into view perched on a grassy hillside. It
seemed to take forever from when we first
sighted our accommodation till we actually
reached it.

Day 9 We woke to a beautiful day and walked down a forested lane way with cows grazing in the adjacent
pasture. The lane became narrow and steep as we descended to a road where 2 rifugios stood a short distance
apart. The track followed the road downhill across a stream then branched off into a densely forested conifer
woodland. We climbed steeply to an open grassy field where an old hut with a water trough stood. We filled our
water bottles and continued on the track which zigzagged up a white scree path through dwarf mountain pines to
the crest where the view of the Cordevole valley lay before us (see photo next page). What an amazing sight – it
makes you realise how insignificant we really are when compared with the awesome power of nature.
The track wound its way around the side of the Malga Moschesin through larch and pine trees as we climbed
slowly to reach the saddle. Abandoned barracks remain as a reminder that this area played an important part in
the defence of Italy during the 2nd World War. It was then a walk into Rifugio Pramperet. This is an older
establishment with the dormitories separate to the dining room. There was no road access and no way visible for
supplies to be delivered. I assume they must be via helicopter drop. The Cicerone guide book had a photo of a
dormitory with three tiered bunk beds – we were glad there were only two tiers and we were in a six bed dorm.

Page 6 of 8
Day 10 The guide book stated that the track to Rifugio Pian de Fontana involved a steep slog to an exciting ridge
whose flanks plunged crazily and included a 20m exposed climb up a near vertical ridge. All I could think of was
the ladder on Mt Greville and the fact that I could not climb that with a day pack and not being one for exposure I
decided to forgo this section and exit to Forno De Zolda. Glenis had very kindly offered to take my 16kg pack up
the exposed sections which I appreciated immensely but I was not willing to put her at risk in doing so. Noelene
later told me it wasn’t as challenging as the book inferred.
We woke to the sight of a reindeer grazing on the foliage
outside our dormitory window. We all rushed for our cameras
to capture a photo before he disappeared into the
undergrowth. Breakfast was very controlled with bread
rationed to 3 slices each and no muesli just cornflakes.
Most of the rifugios had a smorgasbord style breakfast and
we were able to take an extra couple of slices of bread,
butter, jam and sometimes a boiled egg for lunch. Most of
them also willingly filled our thermos for us. The walk down to
the village was steep and the scenery through the grassy
woodland was stunning. Open pastures with views of the
surrounding mountains and masses of wild flowers made for
a stunning walk. There was a little hut beside the road and
when I looked inside there were bunk beds. It was obviously
an emergency shelter but I was unable to read the
information provided. On reaching Forno De Zolda I
purchased some fresh fruit – delicious - and waited for the bus to Belluno.

The Alta Via 1 was an incredible experience and we were all awe struck by the beauty of the mountains. The walk
in itself was not difficult and after we had mastered the guide book the track was relatively easy to find. We
averaged just over 11 kms a day with an elevation gain of around 650 metres each day according to the guide
book. We were informed before we left that we may have to supplement our food as breakfast in the rifugios was
mostly bread and jam. The rifugios were all great value and the food excellent – we certainly had more than
bread and jam in all of them. When you consider their geographical location and the difficulty some of them would
have in accessing supplies you can appreciate the quality of the services they provide to walkers. I recommend
this walk to all those with an adventurous spirit and like the Larapinta would do it again in a heartbeat.
Aileen

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 General Information Club Equipment
QBW Management Committee Compasses Topo Maps
Garmin GPS First Aid Kits
President Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017
5 GPSs which have a 20 metre contour topo map of the whole
Vice President Lynn Sawtell 0419 686 559
of Australia included.
Secretary Lynn Nicol 0400 705 041
PLBs with inbuilt GPS
Treasurer Aileen Elliott 0457 144 012
5 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be made available at
Outings Officer Patricia Kolarski 0448 526 618 each club meeting and will need to be returned at the following
Membership Officer Helen McAllister 0419 684 319 club meeting.
Media Officer Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017 Contact Gerry Burton on 0408 793 715 to book these items.
Training Officer Vacant
Social Secretary Sandy Thomas 0403 821 525 Reciprocal Walks with Other Clubs
Other Voluntary Positions Redland Bushwalkers Club
Equipment Officer Gerry Burton 0408 793 715 The only stipulation is that Redland club members have priority
Supper Convenor Mary Sherlock 0457 990 067 over visitors. Calendar is available at:
http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.html
Librarian Noelene McCay 0407 658 023
BWQ Rep Gerry Burton 0408 793 715
Bushwalkers of Southern Queensland (BOSQ)
Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
walks per calendar year. This will be with the agreement of the
Insurance Hotline 1300 574 980 activity leader. Members of BOSQ have priority for nominations.
Calendar is available at http://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/
Meeting Place
Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at YHA Bushwalkers
7.30pm. There is no club meeting in January. Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
Meetings are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carl walks per calendar year. Calendar is available at:
and O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Entry is via the gate on Carl St. http://sites.google.com/site/yhabushies/outings
There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street. Gold Coast Bushwalkers
Tea/coffee and cake/biscuits are provided after the meeting. Gold Coast Bushwalkers may admit as honorary members
A coin donation is appreciated. financial members of bushwalking clubs affiliated with BWQ.
Membership This dispensation will be at the discretion of the Management
Committee. https://sites.google.com/site/goldcoastbushwalker/
Probationary Membership
Ipswich Bushwalkers Inc
A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Member
on his/her first walk after signing the Acknowledgement of Risk Intending walkers must contact the leader in advance. The
form. No fee is payable to become a Probationary Member. newsletter also contains a full description of the grading system
and a list of Committee members and their contact numbers.
A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on Calendar available at www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au
his/her second walk by filling out a membership form and paying
the membership fee.
Ordinary Membership Feature Pic
A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out and
signing a membership form, having a proposer sign the form
and handing the form with the membership fee to a committee
member or walk leader.
The proposer may be any current member of the club.
An Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or be
elected to a committee position.
Members of Another Bushwalking Club
Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated with
Bushwalking Queensland Inc. (or an interstate Federation) and
who are covered by the same insurance do not need to become
a member of our club to go on our walks. However QBW
members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.
Payments
Pay fees or other items direct to the QBW club account at:
BSB: 124-057
Account No: 20421276
Account Name: Queensland Bushwalkers Club
Reference: Include your name and what the payment is for –
eg “RSmith member fee”. Jimna Fire Tower.
Website
Photo: Michael H
Additional information is available on the club website at URL:
https://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

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