A tarn on the south-west Scabby Range, very near the crest forming the ACT-NSW border. It drains west down to the Cotter River. Photo: John Evans

Mt Bowen reflections, Hinchinbrook Island.Photo: Jacqui Warnock, Narrabri Bushwalkers

The Official Publication of Bushwalking NSW Inc

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016ISSN 0313 2684

The Bushwalker | 3Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Editor: Roger Caffin editor@bushwalkingnsw.org.auGraphic Design & Assembly: Barry HanlonProofreader: Roy Jamieson

Bushwalking NSW Officers:President: Mitchell IsaacsExecutive Officer: Kirsten Mayer admin@bushwalkingnsw.org.au Phone: 9565 4005Website: www.bushwalkingnsw.org.auAddress all correspondence to: PO Box 119, Newtown, NSW 2042

Bushwalking NSW Inc representsapproximately 68 Clubs with a totalmembership of about 12,000bushwalkers.Formed in 1932, Bushwalking NSWprovides a united voice on behalf of allbushwalkers on conservation, accessand other issues.People interested in joining abushwalking club may write to theExecutive Officer at:admin@bushwalkingnsw.org.auThe Bushwalking NSW websitewww.bushwalkingnsw.org.aucontains a list of clubs and lots of usefulinformation on bushwalking, includingthe Australian Bushwalking FAQ.

Front Cover: It's just a gum tree, Rocky Crossing walk,Mt Barrington. Photo: Roger Caffin.Back Cover: Double Rainbow off Korowal Knife Edge,Blue Mts NP. Photo: Hugh Spiers

IndexWouldn’t you like to be here? 2From the Editor’s Desk 3‘Up the Putty’ 4Join a Club 5Groundtruthing Around Jugungal 7Kakadu June 2015 8The Gang Gang Tunnels and Falls 10Holts Heaven and Waratahs 13Book Reviews: Exploring the Jagungal Wilderness 15 Australian Alps 15

From theeditor’s desk. . .As the caption on the cover says, it’s just an Australian gum tree ...

Sometimes, when walking around the sides of Barrington Tops, you get tofeel just a little dwarfed by the gum trees. How they manage to grow thatbig I have no idea; how they managed to survive the rapacious desires ofthe loggers, again I have no idea, but thank heavens, they did. This one was in amore open area; there were equally huge and wonderful trees in the rainforestsections of the Rocky Crossing walk there. True, up top the trees were a littlesmaller, which is only to be expected. They get snow up there sometimes.Is nature all that benign? Doubtful: while we were there we saw severalmonumental Strangler Figs of immense height. They were ‘hollow’: the tree theFig had climbed up had long since been literally strangled and died, and rottedaway. The view up inside the Fig tree was weird, like looking up a knitted tunnel.You have to go and see them yourselves.

Roger CaffinEditor

Articles for PublicationWe are always happy to receive pictures for publication, even if there is no story. Sendthem in! To those who have recently sent me photos, like the ones opposite, my thanks.

If you are an adventurer or a stroller, a natureenthusiast or enjoy fitness, you’ll discovergreat company, amazing landscapes andexiting activities when you join a bushwalkingclub!

Visit the Bushwalking NSW website to find aclub near you to join:www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

KeepExploring.Be amazed!

4 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

This is a story about two days ofadventure in the eastern WollemiWilderness in October 2015. To setthe scene, the following paragraphs arequoted from a review by D D. McNicholl of‘Putty Tales and Trails’ by KatherineMcKenzie, 2011.

‘In the early 1800s, a local Aboriginecalled Myles led explorer John Howe overancient tracks used by the local tribes totravel from the Hunter Valley to the Sydneybasin. Their route became the Putty Roadand as soon as it was opened the land-starved people of Sydney rushed to settle inthe all but hidden valleys that then andtoday make up Putty.

The original road was too rough for cartsor carriages but it was a good stock routeand pack horses could carry heavy loads ofgoods up and down. As McKenzie recounts,from dozens of interviews made over thepast decade with the valleys oldestsurviving residents, it was not long afterthe first farm was established in 1824 thatPutty residents were growing crops andbreeding livestock that were driven orcarted on the better bit of the road runningnorth to Singleton and Newcastle.

One of the first successful farmers raisedturkeys and pigs - and he drove flocks andherds of them on the six day trip toSingleton markets. Each night the turkeyswould be driven up trees and kept there bywatching sheep (turkey?) dogs and eachmorning the birds would be forced througha run of warm tar, followed by sand toprotect their feet from the punishing roadsurface.

For 30 yearsfrom 1880, theGovernment spent£35,000 upgradingthe Putty Roaduntil it was suitable for carriages and drays– but it was still an official stock route. Itwasn’t until WWII that the road fromWindsor to Putty was improved to theextent that someone driving a motorvehicle could expect to get to Singletonwithout being bogged or wrecked.’

Significantly, author Kathy McKenzieand her partner Tim Spooner were ourhosts. It was a privilege to be staying with alocal historian and even more so that therooms we occupied was the original tworoom dwelling built on the property in1867.

Before European settlement the valleywas home to the Darkinjung Aboriginalpeople. It is thought the name ‘Putty’derived from a Darkinjung word whichsounded like ‘Booty or Parbooty’, and wasunderstood to mean ‘place of plenty.’ Thearea is rich in Aboriginal and culturalheritage. In the early 1800’s when the firstnorth road from Windsor passed throughthe valley, the explorers Parr, Howe andSingleton on their journeys north all notedthe lush native grasses, plentiful waterwaysand abundant wildlife.

Day 1We chose to do a short circuit walk startingwest from Bakers Road down into PuttyCreek. Putty Creek flows through wildterrain bounded by the Tollagong Range in

the west and the BakersRoad ridge (Mellong Range)in the east.

At 1053 the vehicle wasparked and we set off alongthe crest of a west trendingspur. As this was formerlylogging country it was nosurprise to find cut stumps,mainly of TurpentineSyncarpia glomuliferaeverywhere. Equally,finding the remains of aformer logging road was nosurprise. This was a boomto making progress along

the ridge. Very noticeable everywhere onthe forest floor were Caladenia groundorchids, possibly C. curtisepala.

Twenty minutes later we reached thediscernible end of the former road. All thistime we had seen little in the way ofexposed rock. The forest is on rotting shale,which in part accounts for the quality andsize of the trees. A few minutes later wesighted our first blocks of free sandstone;soon after the terrain started droppingaway steeply. A collection of cliff-edgesandstone blocks were negotiated by anatural slot that dropped down about 4 m.Minutes later it was a succession of steepdescents into Putty Creek.

Putty Creek was lush with moss coveredboulders and clear pools, together withactive Water Boatmen skimming over thesurface. Great logs from ancient floodsalternated with short sandy strands andrough aprons of water worn colouredpebbles. A delightful place.

We kept walking upstream noting that itwas wet enough for Lawyer Vine Smilaxaustralis to flourish. Marion and Yuri bothproved to be succulent targets for leeches aswell. Lunch was taken sitting on a midcreek sandbank. [The theory is the waterstops the leeches - Ed] After lunch wefollowed the eastern bank of Putty Creeknoting flood debris several metres up intothe tree canopy. This would not be a goodplace to be in a flash flood.

Perhaps the finest stand of Blue Gumsstill living was found along the tributarycreek we decided to exit. Some individualtrees had a diameter at chest height ofmore than 3 m. Total height was difficult todetermine but 80 m plus would be average.This side creek is home to a great selectionof epiphytic species with just about everyniche occupied by some species of fern ororchid. High up in the canopy werenumerous large specimens of the BirdsNest Fern Asplenium australasicum. Nearly akilometre long, this is a magic valley. Thelast visitors here were probablydisappointed timber getters upset thatthere was no way of extracting mill logs if

‘Up the Putty’Michael KeatsThe Bush Club

Authentic accommodation

Deep in Putty Creek. Photo: Brian Fox

www.bwrs.org.au

The Bushwalker | 5

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016 The Bushwalker | 5

they cut them. We made a delightfulprogress up this side creek enjoying therainforest. On the forest floor there was abrilliant sulphur yellow fungus, very likelyAntrodiella citrea, a basidiomycotid fungus.

When we decided to exit, we made ourway up a series of ramps and slots where adrink stop was welcome. This location alsoprovided an opportunity to again study theforest. The number of huge trees of severalspecies is magnificent. Thank heavens thisarea is now safely in the Wollemi NationalPark. The walk out was to experience againthe forest and vegetation regime met onthe way in, but in reverse.

Day 2The Sheep Cave is one of the mostintriguing Aboriginal art sites in theWollemi Wilderness. It is extraordinarilydifficult to access and for obvious reasonsthe location is not disclosed. The images inthe cave are large and the technique ofpainting is quite different from handstencil art where ochre is mixed with spittleand blown across an object. This is art thathas been applied with a tool of some kind,possibly a brush made of reeds or rushes.While the first impression is that theimages are of sheep, an argument can bemounted that they are of the now extinctthylacine. If that is so then the images areat least 2000 years old and could be older.

The following information is extractedfrom notes prepared by the AustralianMuseum.

‘The Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus:dog-headed pouched-dog) is a largecarnivorous marsupial now believed to beextinct. It was the only member of thefamily Thylacinidae to survive into moderntimes. It is also known as the TasmanianTiger or Tasmanian Wolf.

The Thylacine was sandy yellowish-brown to grey in colour and had 15 to 20distinct dark stripes across the back fromshoulders to tail. Although the large headwas dog or wolf-like, the tail was stiff andthe legs were relatively short. Body hair wasdense, short and soft, to 15 mm in length.It had short ears (about 80 mm long) thatwere erect, rounded and covered with shortfur. Jaws were large and powerful and therewere 46 teeth. Adult male Thylacine werelarger on average than females. The femaleThylacine had a back-opening pouch. Thelitter size was up to four and the youngwere dependent on the mother until atleast half-grown. Interestingly, males alsohad a back-opening, partial pouch.

The Thylacine was mainly nocturnal orsemi-nocturnal but was also out duringthe day. The animal moved at a slow pace,generally stiff in its movements. TheThylacine hunted singly or in pairs andmainly at night. Thylacines preferredkangaroos and other marsupials, smallrodents and birds.

At one time the Thylacine waswidespread over continental Australia,extending north to New Guinea and southto Tasmania. In recent times it wasconfined to Tasmania where its presence

has not beenestablishedconclusively formore than seventyyears. In Tasmaniathe species wasbest known fromthe north and eastcoast and midlandplains regionrather than fromthe mountains ofthe south-west.

Why did itbecome extinct?Although theprecise reasons forextinction of theThylacine frommainlandAustralia are notknown, it appears to have declined as aresult of competition with the Dingo andperhaps hunting pressure from humans.The Thylacine became extinct on theAustralian mainland not less than 2000years ago.’

Track NotesWe knew that the day ahead was going tobe a challenge. The terrain is precipitous,the creek system is home to leeches andLawyer Vine. We had only vagueinformation about the locality. We werequite prepared to have to return withoutfinding anything.

Having bid ourhosts farewell thenight before wewere up, dressedand breakfastedand on our way at0535. At 0617 wewere climbing arise to follow thecrest of a spur. Wehad onlyprogressed 50 mwhen theunmistakableprofile of a loggingroad heading ourway was pickedup. Given what layahead in terms ofchallenge we werehappy to have amade track towalk on while itwas available.

On the‘roadside’ at 0648,we came across afolding steel chair,and nearby therusting remains ofa portablebarbeque. Thedesign of bothitems screamedvintage 1960s. Wecould onlyimagine that theseitems were left

behind by loggers. By 0702, the road endedand from there it was downhill some 120 minto the gorge.

What a perilous downhill journey it was!We were all rather glad when it was overand we were down. The creek at this pointmakes a 90 degree tight bend, is joined by atributary creek, and immediatelydownstream there is a huge pool.Fortunately upstream a bit the creekchanges character: it becomes rocky andshallow and we made a dry crossing. Thisside creek has a section about 50 m longthat is an open rock platform pepperedwith small potholes. It is flanked with huge

The cave: Sheep, or Thylacines? Photo: Yuri Bolotin

嘀愀爀椀漀甀猀 爀漀氀攀猀 愀渀搀攀砀挀椀琀椀渀最 漀瀀瀀漀爀琀甀渀椀琀椀攀猀昀漀爀 礀漀甀 琀漀 最椀瘀攀 戀愀挀欀  琀漀 琀栀攀 䌀漀洀洀甀渀椀琀礀⸀

䈀甀猀栀眀愀氀欀攀爀猀 圀椀氀搀攀爀渀攀猀猀刀攀猀挀甀攀 匀焀甀愀搀

眀眀眀⸀戀眀爀猀⸀漀爀最⸀愀甀

愀爀攀 氀漀漀欀椀渀最 昀漀爀 戀甀猀栀眀愀氀欀攀爀猀 眀椀琀栀 猀漀氀椀搀 猀欀椀氀氀猀 琀漀 戀攀 椀渀瘀漀氀瘀攀搀 椀渀 猀攀愀爀挀栀 

愀渀搀 爀攀猀挀甀攀 愀挀爀漀猀猀 一匀圀⸀

www.bwrs.org.au

6 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

Join a Club!Bushwalking Clubs are established across NSWand ACT. Visit our website to find your nearestclub at: www.bushwalkingnsw.org.au

Member Clubs ofBushwalking NSW Inc:All Nations BushwalkersArmidale Bushwalking ClubBankstown Bushwalking ClubBatemans Bay BushwalkersBarrier RangersBlue Mountains Conservation Society

Bushwalking ClubBlue Steel DashBrindabella Bushwalking ClubBrisbane Water Outdoors ClubCanberra Bushwalking ClubCatholic Bushwalking ClubCentral West Bushwalking ClubClarence Valley BushwalkersCoast and Mountain Walkers of NSWCumberland Plain Walkers

Fairfield Bushwalking ClubGeehi Bushwalking ClubGoulburn Bushwalkers ClubHappy WanderersHill View BushwalkersHunter Area Walkabout ClubInverell Bushwalking ClubKu-ring-gai Bushwalkers Activity & Social GroupLake Macquarie BushwalkersMacquarie Explorers ClubManly Spit Bushwalking ClubManning River Canoe ClubMountain Devils Bushwalking ClubMudgee Bushwalking ClubMurray Valley BushwalkersNarrabri Bushwalking ClubNational Parks Association of NSWNational Parks Association of the ACTNewcastle Bushwalking ClubNewcastle Ramblers Bushwalking ClubNimbin Bushwalkers ClubNorthern Rivers Bushwalkers ClubNSW Nordic Ski ClubOutdoor Club of NSWShoalhaven BushwalkersSouth Coast Bushwalking Club

Southern Highlands BushwalkersSpan OutdoorsSpringwood Bushwalking ClubSuboir United BushwalkersSutherland Bushwalking ClubSydney Bush WalkersSydney Christian BushwalkersSydney University BushwalkersTamworth Bushwalking & Canoe ClubThe Bush ClubTumut & District BushwalkersUp and Downers Bushwalking ClubUpper Blue Mountains Bushwalking ClubUpper Lachlan BushwalkersWanderers Bushwalking ClubWarringah Bushwalking ClubWatagan WanderersWEA Illawarra Ramblers ClubWEA RamblersWeekday WalkersWingecarribee BushiesYarrawood Bushwalking ClubYatra Bushwalking ClubYHA Social & Outdoor Club - Sydney Region

spreading Water Gums Tristaniopsis laurina.A glorious sight after our verticalexperiences. We pushed upstream in thistributary to where it became crowded withboulders and difficult to negotiate. Time tomodify the plan and climb a different andbigger spur than planned.

About 30 m up from the creek we founda rock big enough for the four of us to sitdown and have ‘morning tea number 1’.After this break it was climbing time,fortunately at a more benign angle so therewas time to look around a bit. The mostnoticeable vegetation was the Woody PearXylomelum pyriforme. This species wasdominant and we passed hundreds ofplants in bud. Also on this spur were driftsof the Wedding Bush Ricinocarpos pinifolius.Another amazing sight were thousands ofLeafy Purple Flag Lilies Patersonia glabrata.

This whole vegetation assemblagedisappeared when we climbed through a 20m cliff line towards the crest of the spur.On the top it was typical dry Wollemi forestand the pink and white Caladenia orchidsprovided the only patches of colour. Thecrest was reached at 0907. Minutes later wepicked up evidence of yet another old

forestry road. Checking on the map thisroad would have had to connect to anextended network and is probably one ofdozens if not hundreds of such roadspushed through to harvest nature’s bountybefore the area was declared a nationalpark.

The short stub spur we had beenfollowing south soon joined a longer onetrending east west. The road became morepronounced and surprise, we found therusting remains of a 1960s Holden stationwagon and another rusting, steel fold upchair. An old aluminium cooking potcompleted the inventory of artefacts.Nearby, there was a solitary specimen of aDaisy Bush Olearia nernstii, looking verymuch out of place.

By 1035 we were feeling ready for oursecond morning tea. An open clearingsurrounded by huge eucalypts was chosen.The eight minute break was most welcome.We had been pushing ourselves hard and arecharge with food and water was overdue.While we replenished our bodies the mapcame out together with some notes aboutthe cave location. The cryptic notes saidsomething about searching the area in acreek.

Here we as experienced bush walkersmade a fundamental error – a decisionto leave our packs. All around the forestwas dense with very tall trees and nodistinguishing identifiers. Blithely we setoff and after about ten minutes stood onthe lip of a remarkable gully that droppedaway steeply. The tall forest in the gullycontained some of the largest specimentrees I have ever seen. There was aTurpentine that would have exceeded 80 min height and several Blue Gums of equallyoversize proportions. The fern-carpetedvalley floor beneath was a mix of Blechnumand Bracken species. The view north was ofa rich well-watered forest. The western edgeof the gully was flanked by a large fallenrock covered in Rock Lilies Dendrobiumspeciosum in full flower.

From our direction of approach we couldtell that beneath our feet was a massivecave. Getting to it was not easy: an

awkward scramble down several metres wasrequired. The cave is in two discretesections. The western section is about 10m long and 2 m high and contains a seriesof hand stencil images all executed in whiteochre on a dark background. Moisture andtime are degrading these images. Thesecond section of the overhang is separatedby a 4 m stretch of wall and is larger, about15 m in length, about 2.5 m high and about4 m deep at the maximum.

The back wall of the eastern half of thiscave is more vertical and a better surfacefor creating images. There are four almostidentical images of creatures that at firstglance could be seen as ‘sheep’, or ‘sheep-like’ creatures.

Unlike most east coast indigenous caveart these four images are organised, twopositioned ‘head to head’ and twopositioned ‘tail to tail’. There is nooverlapping, although several underlyinghand stencils can also be seen inphotographs. Also in the case of the twoimages positioned head to head, the head isrotated so that each image shows two eyes.The other strange feature is the presence oftwo short erect spurs or horns positionedapproximately where the neck becomes thebackbone.

Questions arise. Are these images part ofan Aboriginal ‘dreamtime’ story? Are theypost-European fakes? The issue of the two‘back bone horns’ does not equate with anyliving or extinct Australian animal species.We don’t know.⧫

Taping down the scarp to the cave.Photo Yuri Bolotin

Brian, Yuri & Michael, in the cave.Photo Brian Fox (preset)

http://walkinglegends.co.nz/

The Bushwalker | 7Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk

Tongariro Crossing

Coromandel 4 day Hike

12 day Bucket List Walk!

Small Packs, Fun Groups Request a brochure…

1800 646 584

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The 2003 fires inKosciuszko National Park(KNP) destroyed 23 hutsand did enormous damage toecosystems, but it’s an ill windthat blows no good. There werein fact some beneficial sideeffects.

One of these was to bringabout a general recognition, bythe National Parks & WildlifeService and others, that thehigh country huts had a realheritage value which was indanger of being lost, and thatgreater efforts had to be madeto protect that heritage.

A second benefit arose out ofthe nature of the firesthemselves. Because they wereso destructive a substantialamount of regrowth wasremoved, and this revealedgeographical features such astracks and ruins which hadbecome overgrown. This meantthat old tracks were revealedwhich, although not forgotten,had largely disappeared. Thisgave an opportunity for the oldtracks to be rediscovered andrecorded by GPS, so as to recordfor posterity precisely wherethey went.

Quite separately, at first,several bushwalkers began towalk and record some of theseold tracks. Greg Hutchison haswalked the area for yearsrecording old tracks and wheelruts. Of particular note is hiswork in identifying the fullroute of the old bridle trailbetween Kidmans Hut andMawsons Hut and the discoveryof a stockmen’s campsite nearKidmans Hut. Greg has also,

very helpfully, provided detailsof his GPS records.

Graham Scully of the Hutsand Heritage section of theKosciuszko Huts Association(KHA) and Phillip Cramptonlocated the old track betweenDaveys Hut and theBurrungubuggee River. CraigDoubleday traced the route ofthe original track betweenJindabyne and Mt Kosciusko.John Williams located andrecorded many of the old hutsand features in the NationalPark.

Graham Scully’s work withthe Huts and Heritage sectionof the KHA is worthy of specialmention. For the best part of 30years Graham has beenrecording the history of thepioneering families in theregion. It was his work in theDiggers Creek area which gaveencouragement to others tolocate old huts, other ruins,graves and mine sites.

Also important was the workof David Scott. David is aconservation architect who hasa vast knowledge of the historyof the Park. He has amassedthousands of records about thePark and its people. Includedamongst his material are copiesof Snow Leases, Mining Leases,the original Crown Grants ofland parcels in the Park, oldmaps, records of the routesused by miners, stockmen andthe Snowy MountainsAuthority.

All of this led to an effort to“ground truth”, i.e. verify theprecise location of, many of the

old sites in KNP. A spreadsheet,combining information fromthe NPWS’ HHIMS database,the records of Kosciusko HutsAssociation, David Scott andothers, was compiled whichincluded all the knownEuropean sites in the Park.Many of the positions were“groundtruthed” by GPS tolocate precisely where they arelocated. Six huts, not previouslylocated, including CharlieCarter’s hut at Diggers Creek,Campbells Hut, Macgregors Hutand Crooks Hut (near CrooksRacecourse), were found as wellas graves, diggings and otherfeatures.

One revelation was that theold bridle and other trails usedby pioneer graziers and minersmade perfect sense and thattheir routes are just as usefulfor bushwalkers today. Theywent around things sensibly,whereas later 4WD tracks oftenjust bull-dozed through.

Robert Green is bringing allthis information together in anew book, hopefully to bepublished fairly soon. Yes, wewill review it. It will cover thearea generally between Tin Hutand Mt Jagungal. Its aim is to

fill a gap in the literature byidentifying routes, tracks andplaces of interest in this part ofKosciuszko National Park.Those routes were shown on oldmaps but are not always shownon current maps. The book willinclude extracts from old mapswhich show dray tracks andbridle trails, together with theGPS positions which showwhere the tracks went. (I findold maps fascinating.) The lastchapter will feature a list ofshort and long walks for thosewho venture into the JagungalWilderness.

Sadly, we have to add thatnot all is good. Some very oldand useful tracks are nowbecoming badly overgrownafter the fires. The miner’strack up Arsenic Ridge hasbecome almost impossible. TheStrumbo FT from Bulls HeadsRocks to the Dargals Range iseven worse: an impenetrablethicket of wattle. There aremany others. We suggest thatthe NPWS should realise thatold tracks have just as muchhistoric significance as old huts.They do not have to be clearedto 4WD state: just to walkingstate.⧫

GroundtruthingAround JagungalRobert Green and Roger Caffin

Charlie Carter’s hut on the Snowy Plains, near Diggers Creek(1930s photo)

http://walkinglegends.co.nz/

We started our walk from the Jim Jim Falls carpark.The carpark was jam-packed because it was theJune long weekend & the road had just beenopened to the public after the ‘Wet’. The crowds quicklythinned out though as we made our way up the escarpment

Above Jim Jim Falls

KakaduJune 2015Steve DeardsSutherland Bushwalking Club

We camped by lunchtime

Mud wallows courtesy water buffaloes

8 | The Bushwalker Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

to our first camp beside Jim Jim Creek. It was a tough 200 mclimb in the hot afternoon sun, especially with our full packs,& we weren’t acclimatised to the heat.

This was the only time on our walk where we followed amarked track. From here on, it was all navigation by map,compass & GPS. Ray had down-loaded the Jim Jim map & ourcampsites onto his smart phone & he was our ‘backup’navigator. We camped beside water every night & there wasusually a hole deep enough to swim in after the daysexertions. Sometimes we camped on a sandy creek bank or atother times, flat rock slabs. Most of us cooked on the campfire, but 2 of us carried fuel stoves.

Daytime temperatures in June are 30-32 C, dropping toaround 16-17 C at night. Most days are clear of cloud, but onthis trip we had a couple of showers around lunchtime on oneday. Quite a bitof the park hadbeen burntalong ourroutes, whichmade walkingeasier. Thespear grass canget very tall &thick in un-burnt areas.

On mostdays, we started walking ataround 7.30 am & had setup camp by lunchtime. It’sbest to avoid walkingbetween 11 am and 3 pm.On most days there was agentle breeze blowing &this helped keep walkingconditions more pleasant.Our longest day was 10hours duration & we had walked only 14 km.

Overnight walking in Kakadu National Park is limited to approvedroutes. Details of proposed routes & camp sites have to be submitted tothe Permits Officer for approval before a permit will be issued. This wasall arranged and approved months before our trip date, but two daysbefore I was due to fly to Darwin, I was told that our route was no longerallowed because of controlled burns in the upper Jim Jim Creek area.We could walk up to day 6 of our plan, but after that, a new route had tobe approved. Of course I wasn’t very impressed, because it took me 4hours of re-scanning maps and altering spreadsheets to re-submit thenew route for approval.

I was surprised at the number of feral animals that we saw. Theseincluded water buffalo, feral cattle, pigs & cane toads. The toads weredispatched using Di’s walking poles. Dealing with the buffalo was

Easy walking in burnt out areas

www.svmaps.com.au

Walk Safely—Walk with a Clubsomething altogether different. There are largeareas of the park that show signs of trampling, mudwallows & pig damage, caused mainly during the wetseason. A new Plan of Management is beingformulated for the park, so hopefully the feralanimal problem will be addressed.

We found 14 art sites during our walk. Some ofthem were quite extensive & well preserved, whileothers were just a few drawings that are fadingaway. Some attempt has been made to protect themby placing silicon drip lines along the roofs of theoverhangs to divert water away from the art. Webecame quite good at picking areas that mightcontain art, and I also had some information fromothers who had walked in the area.

We didn’t see many native animals during ourwalk, but birds were numerous. John said thathe saw quite a few fresh water crocs on his last walkalong Twin Falls Creek some years ago. The absenceof them & water monitors are typical of areas thathave been infested by cane toads.

When we reached Maguk at the end of our walkwe had a swim in the beautiful warm pool at thebottom of the falls. It was like bath water. Uschi, ourcharter bus driver, was waiting for us & she laid outa beautiful chicken & salad lunch, including colddrinks & fresh fruit. It was like manna from Heavenafter 13 days of biscuits & peanut butter.

We finished off our drive back to Darwin with avisit to Nourlangie Rock with its famous art sites. InDarwin, the place was buzzing due to the V8 supercars racing that weekend.⧫

Rock art

Falls and pool at Maguk

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016 The Bushwalker | 9

www.svmaps.com.au

10 | The Bushwalker

Walk Safely—Walk with a Club

Volume 41, Issue 1, Summer 2016

With a crew ready for adventure tobe told by indisputable signagethat the road into the plannedwalk area was closed for reconstruction,plan B had to be activated. What was planB? Between us we had no map of the area,however we did have vague memories of anadjoining creek system that had provedpretty good in the past. And so we set offfor an entirely different adventure.

The weather was a mixed bag, overcastearly becoming totally clear for about 2hours before clouds rolled in from thesouth west and by the time we completedthe walk there was a threat of light rain. Itwas cool, temperature range, 7 to 10 C.

So where were we going? Essentially toexplore the headwaters of a tributary creekof the mighty Carne Creek on NewnesPlateau, west of Sydney. Gang Gang Creekhas its headwaters on the eastern side ofCarne Creek and western side of Gang GangRoad. This road was named by Eric Lane,former Newnes State Forest foreman in theearly 1980s, due to the large flocks of GangGang Cockatoos Callocephalon fimbriatum inthis locality. The creek flows in a generallynorth east and northerly direction for 4.9km to its junction with Carne Creek. Withinthis creek system we have:

* Gang Gang Canyon, about 500 m long.Its width varies between 5 m & 25 m. Thecliffs on either side vary from 20 to 40 m.The creek and canyon were named byMichael Keats on a Bush Club walk, 12thNovember 2012. Cullen Bullen Topo Map,canyon start GR 401 039, end GR 405 044.[These are not official GNB names - RNC]

* Gang Gang Minor refers to a rising sidecanyon on the western side of Gang GangCanyon. This side canyon contains a hugehemispherical chamber with a steep slopingfloor. This chamber is 20 m high, 20 m deepand the opening is about 20 m across. Its analmost perfect sphere. Named by MichaelKeats on Bush Club walk 12th November2012. Cullen Bullen Topo Map 405 043.

* Gang Gang Playground is an areaencompassed by the mid-section of GangGang Creek. Named by Michael Keats on aBush Club walk 27th April 2012 after theroad and creek with this name and theplayground of the pagoda bedecked cliffline and views. Located between 405 046 to410 035, Lithgow and Cullen Bullen TopoMaps.

* Gang Gang Swamp is located on thecreek tributaries within the radius of GangGang Road, 2 km north north east ofBungleboori Camping Ground. LithgowTopo Map, 400 018 to 405 032.

The significance of these closelypositioned features is that they are allsubject to destruction by the plannedexpansion of Springvale and Angus Placecollieries. The discoveries made on thiswalk emphasise the need for both furtherurgent exploration and documentation aswell as strengthening the case forconservation.

Our convoy of vehicles was relocated toGR 414 034 on North Ridge Road. Walkinggot underway at 0906. We had no detailedmap [oh, classic! RNC] but hazyrecollections of very beautiful dissectedcountry. Heading west we soonencountered a network of roads and tracksconsistent with old forest logging. Thecynic within me reckoned that this isForests NSW taking out the last millabletimber of old forest before coal miningwrecks the area or (better? worse?) it ishanded over for addition to a national park.

As we walked west towards the maincreek line, three species of banksia wereencountered: B. ericifolia, B. spinulosa var.spinulosa and B. cunninghamii. Minutes laterwe stood on the top of vertical cliffs thatdescribe an almost perfect arc where thisunnamed tributary of Gang Gang Creekdrops some 30 m and morphs from a gentlysloping shrub swamp into an oversizedeucalypt and fern filled gully.

The cliff edge views were spectacular, thewestern side particularly with deepcaverns complimented with a needle likepagoda located close to the cliff line. In avery few minutes we relocated to thewestern side of the deep gully and closed inon this amazing sandstone needle which Icalled Lots Wife. As goes the biblical story,Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt fordisobedience. The light play on the columnmade it reflect brilliantly.

To get a good photo we clambered outonto an adjoining small cliff edge platform.The cavernous weathering erosion hadcreated a deep fern filled gully surroundedby precipitous walls: a little piece of naturalwonder. A few metres on was anotherequally unusual feature: a narrow blade ofsandstone less than 1 metre wide some 10m high projecting into the valley. Brianscrambled onto it to provide a sense of scalefor the party photographers.

Apart from this unique naturalarchitecture the view east and north eastwas of the Gang Gangs Playground, acomplex cliff line full of pagodas and otherintricate and bizarre residual landformsthat had kept us completely amused forhours on 12th April 2012.

The Gang GangTunnels andFalls Michael KeatsThe Bush Club

Gang Gang Playground. Photo: Brian Fox

Lots wife. Photo: Brian Fox

Brian was the adventurous one.Photo: John Fox

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Tearing ourselves away from all thiswonder we headed north to a minor cliffline that is less than 20 m high and doesnot even rate a mention on the topo map. Itis however a point where the ground dropsaway steeply and there are more extensiveviews north down the tributary creektowards the Gang Gang Creek junction.

This site was chosen for morning tea.Moving on afterwards, we were forcedto break our due north journey and travelwest, initially to cross a minor creek. Plansto revert to the northern direction weretemporarily shelved as we spied an amazingcliff line from the crest of the next ridgewest. It had to be part of Gang Gang Creek.So, like bees to a honey pot, our totallyflexible plans were again modified as wehastened to yet another cliff edge.

The view at the cliff edge was anotherjaw dropper. West of our position was agaping hole, an example of cavernousweathering of vast proportions.Immediately in front of us was a squatpagoda that was rapidly climbed. The viewwas really special. To the far left of ourposition, south east, was a secondarygaping cavern, this one perched high on thecliff face.

Below, Gang Gang Creek was in such adeep canyon we could not see the bottom.At best we saw the tops of very tall trees,possibly Acacia elata. Slightly west of southfrom here Gang Gang Creek performs anamazing ‘S’ bend in a tight, deep defile, sotight we could not do more than guess whatfeatures lay concealed. The cliffs oppositewere up to 50 m higher than our positionand heavily eroded and topped with fineironstone tracery.

Could we get to the bottom and exploreupstream? Time for the advance scouts togo looking. What was established was thatthe last ten metre section was verticallysided and not possible to enter withoutgetting totally wet. We then pusheddownstream for about half an hour,fighting to keep a foothold, and there wasstill no option to make it down to the creekbed.

After this time expenditure we agreed tochange tack, head up higher and see

whether we could descend at the end of apeninsula where the contours appeared tobe reasonably spaced and no cliffs lineswere shown. [Ho Ho Ho - RNC] At GR 406043 the peninsula started to show signs ofallowing access and nearby here we found abroad ramp that looked promising. It didnot go all the way. Brian and Yuri thenraced ahead as they went to explore optionsfurther north.

Their report was not encouraging. Theterrain was wild and there still appeared tobe issues in reaching the creek. A possibledescent point to the east was then followeddown, and down, and down. Underfoot therich mulch of centuries crumbled away. Therocks were festooned with epiphytes,mosses dripped off rock edges. Then it wasthe great reveal. A sand strand and a fastrunning little stream. But that was not thewhole story. The stream disappearedunderground and above there was now agreat tilted rock. There was also a place sodark that headlight torches were retrievedand activated. It was now real adventuretime.

As our eyes adjusted to thegloom we jumped the creek inthe dark then climbed a sandhill. At the top there was againlight streaming in from a bigopening. Then to ourastonishment there was anothersection of stream and even morehidden amazing naturalwonders. A rock scree wasclimbed and one of maybe sixentrances to this open cavernousarea as well as more tunnelstructure was revealed. We werenow enchanted. Hiding in thegloom was a reflective pool.Somehow a shaft of light foundits way in and a section of thecreek became phosphorescent,glowing in the dark. We were inan explorer’s heaven.

Putting the euphoria to one side I triedto find a logical explanation for thisamazing system of short tunnels separatedby open areas. It would appear that at leasttwo very large creek side sculpturedpagodas had tilted and partly collapsedacross the creek, falling in such a way as toprovide caverns and slots where nature hadworked magic in turning the whole systeminto a wonderland.

We were totally engrossed in our newplayground and the time just flew. Afterdeciding to call these tunnels the GangGang Tunnels we finally put our packs onand headed upstream with the furtherrevised plan of walking up to the head ofthe valley seen at the beginning of the walkand then make our way back to thevehicles.

In the next twenty minutes we walkedthrough a narrow defile of this minortributary creek for about 300 m. The cliffsare only about 30 m high but so close toeach other they create a sense of enhanced

A secret hidden stream. Photo: Michael Keats

Looking down into the Playground.Photo: Brian Fox

Spelio time. Photo: Brian Fox

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height. This illusion was further emphasised by the number ofhuge eucalypts, both standing and fallen, that filled thenarrow valley.

Then rounding a great rock wall we had another experiencethat just blew us away. Suddenly we were in the presence ofanother major waterfall. This completely unexpected waterfallon a tiny creek with a very small catchment was close tounbelievable. Checking the map later, we had crossed thefeeder creek for this waterfall just after morning tea! It was sosmall we just stepped over it, and we had been less than 200 mfrom the falls. We had not heard it and nor would we haveexpected it.

Some 40 m high this waterfall is yet another example ofincredible beauty that needs to be protected fromdestruction, or at least from desecration by pollution. Thesefalls are an absolute joy and add to the number of amazingfeatures that have remained unreported and we presumeunvisited on the Newnes Plateau. No map shows and no aerialphotograph is able to detect that these falls exist. We feltprivileged to have seen them. Another block of time justdisappeared.

Given that it was now 1300 we decided to seek a way up thecliffs and find a sunny position for lunch. Almost opposite thefalls there was a nick point in the cliff line that lookedpromising. Up we went steeply, sometimes rising as much ineach step as we went forward. Some of it was wet and slipperyand a lot of it was just pure fun.

Twenty minutes later the ideal lunch spot was found. It waswarm and sunny and if you looked hard to the south you couldsee the falls through the trees. After 20 minutes we were backon the job, pushing through Leptospermum/Isopogon/Casuarina scrub. Fortunately this did not last andsoon it was easy going using logging tracks once more. TheNorth Ridge Road was then intersected and the vehiclesreached at 1402. ⧫

Gang Gang Falls. Photo: Brian Fox

www.nswrogaining.org

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unprotected Crown lands. Environmentallydestructive mining is taking place at depth,destroying the natural water table andaquifers; the continuous whining of a mineventilation shaft has contributed todiminished populations of most animalspecies; successive unthinking governmentshave introduced exotic tree species creatingbiological deserts for native species bothplant and animal…

Thankful for what we still have left weset off on a journey deep into themysterious interstices of the pagodas, downa succession of steep ramps into a creeksystem in the very heart of Holts Heaven.

Down in this terrain there are wonderfulbanks of violets,colourfuloverhangs andinviting narrowgauge slots thathave to beexplored. Aparticularlyengaging slotforms part of a veryspecial placeknown as a Slice ofHeaven*. It is also aplace of intensebeauty whereironstone filigreedevelopment is

very advanced. Wind eroded caves areperforated by many holes; naturalstaircases have developed that enticeadventurers into ever more precarioussituations where each seduction issucceeded by another.

Climbing up a slot the lead walkersdisturbed a Boobook Owl. It flew only ashort distance into a side slot and remainedthere, allowing Brian to take the amazingpicture shown here. 43 x optical zoom is sohandy!

This playground becomes even moreinteresting as the southern wall of the slotis climbable. One would expect that in aplace called heaven you could go anywhere,well almost. We scrambled up this rock facevia a zig zagging approach, reachingwondrous heights, finding detailed winderoded caverns and walking along frettedledges.

It took time for everyone to enjoy all thesights and the best part of an hourdisappeared as individual explorations wereundertaken, photo images recorded and oursenses adapted to being in heaven. Whenwe finally left it was via a ramp to the northeast, over a low spur and down into anothergully. While we could have descended thisgully with its wonderful narrow cleft,(setting a tape would have been required)we elected to climb the next ridge north

Holts Heaven is a pagoda-filled arealocated some 500 m above and onthe southern side of BunglebooriCreek. Named by Peter Fox on a NationalParks Association bushwalk, July 2003after his friend Michael John Holt who wasone of the walkers on the day. Michael hadseen ‘something interesting’ on an aerialphotograph in this area prior to the walk.

Bungleboori Creek is a watercourse,about 36 km long. It rises on the easternside of Glowworm Tunnel Road atBungleboori Camping Ground and flowsinto the Wollangambe River. For themajority of its length, it generally flows inan easterly direction. According to Reed AW ‘Aboriginal Words and Place Names’1977, p. 22, Bungleboori means ‘crookedbend’. The GNB names register records theprevious name for the southern tributary,which rises about 3 km south west ofMount Horne, as Nine Mile Branch.

We gathered at the start of the walk tohear Yuri’s thoughts on what we might seeand experience. I think we were all alreadyfeeling overwhelmed by the thousands of

Waratahs we had seen driving in from theGlowworm Tunnel Road. A combination ofthe intense fire in October 2013 thatconcentrated nutrients and a bountiful wetseason in 2014 resulted in one of the mostspectacular flowering seasons for Waratahsin decades.

Progress down the old access road wasslow; every 5 m or so there was another

clump of stately, torch like flower headsthat just had to be photographed. Thetiming for this walk could hardly have beenbetter. There were so many shades of redand deep pink, so many stages of budevolvement; so many flower heads thatwere the biggest or brightest. By 0938 wehad moved about 400 m. Our keenestphotographer, Emanuel reported that he

had already taken 120images.

A change in terrain,fewer Waratahs andthe pace picked up. At0944 we stood on apagoda thatcommands one of thefinest views on theNewnes Plateau, theplace known as HoltsHeaven. This singularlocation is pagodacentral. A 180 degreeview from south tonorth looking westover the BunglebooriCreek catchment iscrowded with platypagodas, separated bydeep slots, pockedwith fenestrated caves,decorative overhangsand enriched with

numerous micro environments where plantand animal species have evolved. Smallhanging swamps dripping with NativeViolets Viola hederacea contrast with mininatural pagoda plantings of golden PagodaDaisies Leucochrysum graminifolium.

This heaven seemed like a good spot tohave an early morning tea. It was alsoreflection time – this entire area is

Holts Heaven andWaratahs Micheal Keates,The Bush ClubPhotos by Brian Fox

Waratahs en masse

Pagodas en masse

Pagoda Daisies, unique to this area

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and later descend a spur towards theBungleboori Creek. Before making thedescent we studied the view north. It is acrowded one with lots of spectacularfeatures, such as Angels Rest, AngelsWindow, Quadrant Rock, The Wall andAscension Point*.

At 1227 the Bungleboori Creek wascrossed. Following the 2013 fire, thisenvironment is still undergoing recovery.Large areas of sand are yet to be colonisedand the creek itself is full of great fallentrees that provided bridges to cross fromside to side.

Everyone made a dry crossing, includingyours truly. My mistake was to go back towash my hands before lunch. My choice oflog was poor and a wet foot and a bruisedego resulted. Lunch was in the shade of awelcome overhang protected from theincreasing heat.

After lunch it was all uphill as a long spurwas followed from a tight bend in the creekall the way back to the vehicles. This spurprovides a very easy walk out withreadymade ramps punctuated by meadowlike broad but impoverished platformsdotted with purple Patersonia longifolia andblue Damperia stricta.

A lookout slightly north of the slotprovided an excellent site to view into HoltsHeaven where we had so much fun in themorning. From a distance it lookedimpressive. Another major viewing point ishigher but closer to The Slice of Heaven. Italso provided a different perspective ofAngels Window and an apparent massiveslot.

For more adventures in this area consult‘The Gardens of Stone National Park andBeyond,’ Book 4, by Keats and Fox.

NamesMany of the following are Bush Club namesand won’t be found on topo maps.Slice of Heaven refers to a pagoda studdedarea which lies between two magnificent,50 to 100 m wide, parallel slots. It is withinthe general region of Holts Heaven, hencethe name.

Angels Rest is a 360 degree view atop apagoda with extensive views into theincised convolutions of the BunglebooriCreek, where each twist and turn isembellished with pagodas, cliffs, caves anddecorated walls, while deep dark patchesindicate the presence of hidden canyonsections.Angels Window was named to match theheavenly theme of other features in thisarea. This single pagoda on the northernside of Bungleboori Creek gives impressive180 degree views of apagoda studdedlandscape, particularlysouth east towardsHolts Heaven.Ascension Point is theend of a small spurabove the northern sideof Bungleboori Creek.Other features in thisarea include HoltsHeaven, Angels Windowand Angels Rest.Quadrant Rock refersto the unusual rockformation which hastwo 90 degrees slots andappears as though agiant has taken a hugeknife and sliced throughthe rock, then moved aquarter segment out ofit some distance.Located on the westernside of Ascension Pointand above the northernside of BunglebooriCreek.The Wall is a highlyeroded almost verticalrock face within anarrow canyon that isaccessed via GlowwormTunnel Road andWaratah Ridge Road.Named by DavidBlackwell, 19thSeptember 2010.⧫

Editor’s NoteThe photographs from this trip wereamazing: I could have filled the whole 16pages of this issue with them. And the areais not even in a National Park!

Southern Boobook Owl

The Slice of Heaven wall

The bowels of the boulders

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Exploring the JagungalWildernessA bushwalker’s guide to KosciuszkoNational Park

Robert Green

ISBN 9780994451590

The 2003 fires in Kosciuszko NPdestroyed 23 huts and did enormousenvironmental damage. But they had somebeneficial side effects. By clearing theundergrowth they revealed things whichhad been hidden or forgotten. This bookreveals some of what was found in theJagungal Wilderness.

In the Years after the fires six previouslyunknown hut ruins were found.

But the real revelation was that thebridle trails and dray routes which had beenused by graziers and miners for over 100years were very sensible routes. They arejust as useful for bushwalkers today as theywere to the old-timers then. Many of thosetracks were found and are recorded here.’

Thus the Foreword to this small book.Robert has dug up every old map he couldfind, with all the old tracks and routes

which you won’t find on the current topomaps, and he and others have investigatedthem all. And there are all the old ruins ofhuts and gold mines in the area,assiduously logged by many enthusiasts(including the KHA) now that they can beseen. Think there won’t be many unknownbits? Ha - even the very obvious 4WD trackused by thousands of walkers from BlueLake north to Mt Tate is missing from themodern topo maps. To be sure, in manycases time has erased most of the signs, butthey are there, and in many cases the routesare still good. There are tons of GPSreadings for the routes, although personallyI deplore any reliance on the thing.

This makes for a very useful field guideto the Jagungal area. The book concludeswith a list of recommended walks, from oneday to many days. you could have a lot offun.

Disclosure: I had a small input to the book.Roger Caffin

Obtainable via rvhgreen@outlook.com

Book Reviews . . .

Subscribe to The BushwalkerKeep up with all the news and developmentshappening in the NSW bushwalking scene foronly $15 per year. This is to cover posting andhandling: the magazine itself is free.Send your name and address and cheque ormoney order to Bushwalking NSW Inc,PO Box 119, Newtown NSW 2042. Make thecheque or money order payable toBushwalking NSW.Please indicate which issue you want yoursubscription to start with. We don’t want toduplicate copies you already have.

BU S H W A L K I N G N S W

Australian AlpsKosciuszko, Alpine and Namadgi Nationalparks.

Dierdre Slattery

ISBN 9781486301713CSIRO PublishingPaperback, 320 p

There are two classic guides to theAustralia Alpine region: KosciuskoAlpine Flora by Costin et al and Field Guideto Wildlife of the Ausytralian Snow-Country by Green & Osborne. This bookstands up there with them, to make a third.

The book is encylopedic in scope,covering the Parks, the weather, geology,flora and fauna, history (both aboriginaland settlement), and lots more. I amreading my way through it, but it is notsomething you can skim. It is solid,meticulous and has gorgeous and veryrelevant photos too. The author does nothesitate to point out some of the disastersinflicted on the area, such as grazing, feralhorses and the SMA diversion of the rivers.All quite political, but all quite destructive.

Yes, you could take this with you on alpinetrips. The risk is that you would spendmore time reading it than walking. Or that

your headlight batteries would run out. Butyou would enjoy it.

Roger Caffin

Obtainable from publishing.sales@csiro.au,$45

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