PO Box 2199
QUEENSLAND
BUSHWALKERS
CLUB Inc.
Newsletter
Getting wet feet in Northbrook Gorge (see report p2)
Club News
From the editor
Welcome to the April newsletter.
Club members took advantage of slightly milder
conditions in March to go on a number of outings,
including somee close to the suburban area –
Northbrook Gorge, Springwood and Moggill.
Write-ups of these walks are inside, as well as
Aileen’s Tasmanian adventures.
Looking ahead though, the need to restrict the spread
of the COVID-19 virus means that all our activities are
suspended for some time. We will keep you informed
as this situation proceeds. It is my plan to keep
publishing the newsletter and the committee also plans
to meet in the virtual world.
At the time of publication, it is still possible to go out
for a walk in the fresh air, provided social distancing is
observed. The information in this newsletter about local
walks may be helpful for you to find places nearby for
exercise and/or mental breaks. And remember – we
are social distancing but can still smile and say hello...
Keep safe during the pandemic and do keep in contact
with each other. Michael H
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Sunnybank Hills
QLD 4109
Email qldbwc@yahoo.com
Phone No 0401 527017
http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/
April 2020
Photo: Michael H
The Bushwalk Database has a new home
The site recently had to be moved, and is now located
on the BWQ website. Click on the following link to go to
the portal page: http://qldbushwalks.online/ .
The link provided in last month’s newsletter didn’t work
initially but that problem is now resolved.
If you have any queries about the database please
contact Richard.
QBW Membership
Membership is on an annual basis. The fee for 2019/20
is $30. Payment by direct transfer into the club bank
account is preferred. Payment details are on page 8.
Note that you also need to fill out a membership form
(same form for new member or renewal), sign it and
either post, email or bring it to a club meeting. The club
email is qldbwc@yahoo.com.
Jokes: I named my dog 5 kilometres so I could tell
people that I walk 5 kilometres every day...
Always give 100% unless you’re donating blood.
Daisy Hill Dinner (Social) 14 March
At 4pm a group of seven met at Springwood
Conservation Park to do a relatively easy stroll around
the tracks to work up an appetite for dinner. Although
this park is well known for ‘The Springwood Stairs’, we
decided to leave them to the numerous people who
were obviously using them to exercise. Besides, Mary
has gone up them so many times there was no novelty
in it for her, and Patricia, Lynn and Sandy felt much the
same.
So we headed off up the gully to the ridge walk and a
lookout. From there we proceeded to explore all the
side branches we could find. Eventually we made our
way back to the top of the stairs which meant that we
only had to go down them. We restrained Mary from
going back up! The park offers four different tracks
leading from the bottom to the top of the ridge which
are of varying challenge (the stairs are the steepest
route) and they all link up. Altogether we walked about
4 kilometres.
A short drive to Daisy Hill placed us in Christopher’s
Fine Foods, a gourmet cafe / restaurant that combines
good food and ambience. A tapas meal was the
preferred choice and it was enjoyed by all with wide
ranging conversation. We finally departed with an
awareness that further tightening of social gathering
rules would mean that this may well be the last social
for quite some time. Thank you to all who joined us.
Sandy
General News
Bushfire Impacts
The ABC news website published an article in
February with the title ‘How Heat and Drought turned
Australia into a Tinderbox’. The piece contains
dramatic satellite imagery that shows the extent and
intensity of the recent bushfires along the eastern
seaboard of Australia. It also includes before and after
aerial photos of the Sarabah to Binna Burra fires.
Binna Burra Lodge recovery
The Commonwealth and Queensland Governments
have made a commitment to jointly fund $1.775 million
dollars towards the clean up and recovery of the Binna
Burra Lodge site. This includes stabilisation of the cliff
face. TheNational Bushfire Recovery Agency assessed
the lodge proposal as a Queensland priority.
Click here for the full media statement.
Wildlife Queensland News
The Federal Government’s Environment Protection
and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is being
reviewed. Submissions on this review are invited and
the due date has been extended to 17 April 2020.
Wildlife Queensland is preparing a submission.
For details about the review, submissions, and updates
on a variety of wildlife and environmental issues see
https://wildlife.org.au.
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Coming Walks
Any person wishing to come on a club walk must
contact the walk leader first. The leader will organise
the meeting place and car pooling and has full
discretion on who can come on the walk. If possible
provide leaders with plenty of forward notice if you wish
to nominate for a walk or if you change your plans.
Nominations close 9:00pm on the Wednesday prior to
a weekend trip or by 9.00pm on the Monday before
Wednesday trips.
More details are available in the club calendar.
Due to the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic, all QBW walks and activities
have been suspended.
Updates will be posted on the website.
Proposed Events
Bibbulmun Track WA
At the beginning of September 2021 I am planning to
walk the 1000km track from Perth to Albany. I will do it
slowly or with like-minded people.
I will be driving to Albany taking approximately 14 days,
leaving my car in Albany and catching a bus to Perth.
The walk should take about 50 days with food drops
along the way.  There are three sided huts with water
and drop toilets. If you are interested please let me
know..
Mary Sherlock
Past Walks
Northbrook Gorge 7 March
We met up at Samford on a morning that promised to
be a delightful autumn day. A quick trip over Mt
Glorious brought us to the start of our walk at the ‘bee
hives’ (except that there aren’t any bee hives there at
the moment).
A short plunge down the slope put us on Northbrook
Creek which appeared to be flowing well. As we began
to follow the track upstream it quickly became evident
that we were not alone as several groups passed us
heading downstream. This wasn’t surprising as it had
become a beautiful sunny day.
Soon enough we came to the first waterhole that
required getting our boots wet so in we went. The
water was refreshing, rather than freezing. Quite
welcome in fact as we were warming up. The water
was also quite clear and there was evidence that the
recent rains had given the creek a fairly good clean
out. Much of the vegetation around the creek,
especially the ferns appeared very green and vibrant. It
is a delightful creek to ramble along, with a bit of rock
hopping effort and a willingness to get wet.
After a couple of pools that we had to ‘wade’ through,
there was the waterfall pool. This required a brief swim.
The swim was ok, but the climb out of the pool up
through the waterfall was more of a challenge. There
was also a bit of a bottle neck of people at this point,
as a group of adults with young children was
attempting to go downstream over the waterfall.
Everyone eventually got through without incident.
A few hundred metres past the deep pool we met some
fairly large boulders that seemed like a good place to
pause and have some morning tea. Our chat over
biscuits and trail bars solved a few of the world’s
problems and also led to an awareness that the walk
up to that point had been really enjoyable, and it
probably couldn’t get much better. A quick reccy by a
couple members of the group confirmed that the next
few hundred metres of the creek looked much the
same as what we’d already seen, so a decision was
made to turn around and retrace our steps and swims.
A leisurely break Photo: MH
Northbrook Gorge descent Photo: MH
Getting down the waterfall seemed easier on the
return, perhaps with the benefit of our earlier climb up
it. It didn’t take long to exit the gorge and get back to
the car where damp clothes were replaced with dry
ones. Then it was off to Samford bakery for our reward.
Thankyou Helen for leading and Michael F, Aileen and
Sandy for your excellent company.
Michael H
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Moggill Conservation Park 21 March
Aileen originally put this walk on the calendar, but due
to a series of mis-steps entirely of my making, I ended
up walking it alone (Don’t worry – Lynn, Aileen and
Noelene knew where I was). Therefore it was not
technically a club walk, however as readers may be
interested in walking there, I’m providing a couple of
tips and observations based on my experience.
Moggill is 22km west of Brisbane and lies between the
Brisbane River and the foothills of the D’Aguilar Range.
The park is nearly 500 hectares. It contains a network
of walking tracks which follow fire trails along creeks
and ridges. The names of some of these don’t sound
really inviting – Lantana Break, Ugly Gully Break, and
Powerline Break, but they do make it possible to walk a
variety of loop trails. And the views and various
vegetation types are quite attractive. It’s just not
possible to avoid steep hills. There are a few pockets
of rainforest along creeks. Mostly it’s dry open forest
with grass trees and wattle understorey.
Along Centre Road Photo: MH
I arrived at the Chalcot Street carpark just prior to 8am
to find it full with around a dozen cars. The park is very
popular with people walking dogs. Horse riding and
biking are also permissible. It was notable that a lot of
the dog walkers were returning as I set out – this
indicates that the best time to walk the trails is from
daybreak. It certainly did get quite hot going up and
down the hills later as the sun got higher.
I walked the Devils Break circuit of approximately 7km
(adding on an extended loop along Tower Break) in the
recommended clockwise direction. After virtually
skating down the very steep final hill descent on quite
loose gravel (fortunately I’d taken a walking pole) I
decided that it would be better to walk it in the anti-
clockwise direction. I had noticed that I’d passed a lot
of walkers earlier on who had obviously gone the
opposite way to me.
The highlight of the walk for me was the undulating
ridgetop along Devils Break which featured rock
formations, glimpses of Brisbane City and views to the
southwest. I think the park is a good training walk
destination. It certainly has a number of hills
guaranteed to get the heart rate up!
Michael H
 Central Plateau, Tasmania
Lake Mackenzie to Dixon’s Kingdom February 2020

In 2017 I stood on Forty Lakes Peaks above Ironstone Hut on the Central Plateau in Tasmania and looked
out towards the Walls of Jerusalem at the numerous lakes and tarns that lay in between. Since then I have
been challenged by the thought of navigating a way between the lakes on this unique glaciated plateau -
that were formed in the depressions left by ice sheets about 15,000 years ago – to Dixon’s Kingdom. My
dream came true in February when Patricia, Gail, Noelene and I flew to Launceston with a plan to walk from
Lake Mackenzie to the Walls of Jerusalem.

There is no formed track across the Central Plateau and I spent considerable time researching other walkers
blogs about their trips across this very isolated area. I found a basic map of the old Ritter’s Track on line but
details on the map were limited. Information on Bushwalk Australia Forums online gave no clear details
other than you can see the Walls of Jerusalem at times and to head in that direction. John Chapman’s book
“Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair and the Walls of Jerusalem National Parks” provides a number of maps with
the Ritter’s Track marked on them and a basic description of the route.

We needed three maps - Lake Mackenzie, Pillan’s and Walls of Jerusalem - but Patricia and I only had two
of them. The Pillan’s 1: 25,000 map is out of print and is a special order. Noelene and I downloaded digital
maps using the Avenza app on our phones which then meant I had to carry a battery pack to keep charging
the phone but this worked well. Using the information gained from my research I was able to plot a course to
ensure we were heading in the right direction.

The first day we started by following the Lake

Mackenzie track which is on the right of the dam
wall. The height of the water was relatively low
so it was easy to find our way to the end of the
dam. Crossing the Fisher River without getting
our feet wet was a bit of a challenge and we had
to backtrack a bit to find a suitable crossing.

It was then difficult to pick up the Lake Explore

Track and we had to bush bash and weave our
way between small streams and through dense
foliage as we turned left and climbed to a low
saddle. Eventually we found the track and
walking became easier.
Explorer Creek cascaded in waterfalls on our
right as we negotiated the narrow track which
was boggy in parts. According to the map the
Lake Explorer track only goes about half way
around on the right side of the lake but we were
able to pick up a faint foot pad that took us to
the right of Snake Lake and onto the Higgs
Track near Lake Nameless. Sections of the
walk were very pretty and the reflections on
the lakes were just magical. We stopped to
rest and enjoy the scenery on our journey.

The narrow track beside Lake Nameless is

challenging in parts especially with a heavy
pack and care was needed negotiating the
area that traverses close to the water’s edge.
Eventually we arrived at Ironstone Hut - our camp for the night. Ironstone Hut or Lake Nameless Hut was
built in 1918 for a cost of £70 to encourage trout fisherman to the area and is actively maintained by
Deloraine and District Improvement Association. My memory of the hut and the quality of mattress on the
bunks from 2017 was very vivid. It was amazing to find that someone has carried vinyl covered foam
mattresses into the hut making the bunks very comfortable instead of the ratty blankets that were on the
bunks in my memory. The hut also contained a small table and stools, a wood burner and emergency
supplies. An open door loo was a short walk down and up and over the hill.

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What a relief it was to drop our packs and settle down for the afternoon in such comfort. There was a small
axe and a steel hammer so I was able to split some of the wood that was near the door and get a fire going
which lasted well into the night and warmed the cold air. The view from the cabin was priceless and the
water from the lake made for a very cold and quick wash.

The next morning we woke to overcast skies and a cold wind. We had a leisurely breakfast and packed up
ready to leave by 8.30. We followed the track that leads to the toilet and continued to the left of Forty Lakes
Peak where the track was hard to find as we negotiated a boulder field and continued on a course around
the low slope of the mountain to a small saddle. We had to weave our way through very prickly scoparia and
other low growing vegetation on our way to the top. Once over the saddle we could see the countless lakes
and tarns that were before us. Our plan was to head to Lake Gwendy where we planned to camp overnight
before heading to Zion Gate and Dixon’s Kingdom. The first challenge was to negotiate a course to the left
of Lake Evans. This was challenging as finding our way through the lake system wasn’t easy. Sometimes we
had to go a long way in one direction to avoid deep water and then weave our way back to the direction we
needed to go. Eventually we found a way and stopped for a well-earned break.

It was shortly after this that we found the first cairn.

Everything I had read about the Ritter’s Track
indicated that there was a system of cairns that
marked the old track but they were difficult to find and
irregularly spaced. Once we found the cairns we
managed to follow them to the rise overlooking Lake
Gwendy which made for easier walking. You needed
to concentrate and continually look ahead as the
cairns were often difficult to find hidden behind foliage
or a fallen tree. Weaving our way through the
countless smaller lakes and tarns and over small
streams hidden beneath the dense undergrowth was
problematic at times especially keeping our feet dry
and maintaining our balance. What one person can
step over presents a challenge for another person so care needed to be taken at all times. We were very
aware of how remote our location was and the consequences of any injury.

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Though the weather was overcast we had very little rain, but the wind was icy. We had all donned our rain
coats when we left the hut and it wasn’t until we had a break for lunch that we thought of putting our rain
pants on when we experienced a brief shower. Shortly afterwards we came to a rise above Lake Gwendy
where we found a small steel structure with a solar panel on top. Seemed strange in such a remote location
but maybe it powered a form of repeater. We headed to the lake shore to find a camp site for the night and
found a small flat area near the water’s edge and set up camp around 1 pm.

It was lovely to sit and

relax and enjoy the
scenery. Dark clouds
floated overhead and
the sun, when it broke
through, dazzled on
the water. Cushion
plants and Mountain
Rocket grew near the
water’s edge and the
water in the lake was
crystal clear. Scuds of
rain came and went in
a hurry and it got cold
very quickly. Soup
and dinner happened
in quick succession
and we were in bed
very early.

We woke to ice on our tents which confirmed that the night had been very cold. We waited a while before
packing up to try and dry our tents but got underway about 8.30. We headed away from the lake and sought
higher ground in an attempt to locate cairns to make the way easier to find. I knew we had to follow a course
closer to Lake Nutting than Lake Butters and after about an hour we found the cairns again and managed to
follow them till lunch time.

As we wove our
way around Lake
Nutting we found
a wooden cross
with a memorial
plaque to Bill
Nutting a
mountain
stockman who
died between July
and November
1927. The plaque
was placed
between the
multiple trunks of
a King Billy pine
and was a
peaceful resting
spot.

After we
negotiated Lake
Nutting the cairns
became difficult to find. We finally lost them when we stopped for lunch which made the rest of our journey
quite difficult. We knew we had to head to the right of Mount Jerusalem to access Zion Gate which is the
break in the cliff line into the Walls and a distance of about 4 kms in a straight line from where we were. The

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vegetation had become thicker and we had to negotiate a tangle of fallen logs, boulders, tall leptospermum
and low growing trees as we descended to the final series of lakes. We were all getting very tired by this
stage and questioning our sanity as we climbed the rise leading to the break between the cliff line. The start
of the final descent was rugged and the first thing I saw as we reached the bottom was a cairn marking the
track.

It was a slow journey down the track into the

Walls of Jerusalem with our goal being
Dixon’s Kingdom. It was hard going to climb
the rather gentle slope up towards the base
of The Temple but the low growing foliage
made it very easy for weary legs to trip and
we decided to camp for the night near a stand
of pencil pines overlooking Mt Jerusalem.
The camp site was a bit damp but water was
nearby and it was close to 4.30pm. It had
been a long tiring day but we had made it
without injury.

The next day we woke to beautiful sunshine

and slowly packed up camp to walk to Wild
Dog Creek. The Ranger appeared out of the
trees as we were packing up and chatted for a while wanting to know what sort of spade we had and
explaining the problems they are having with increased visitor numbers and toilet paper everywhere. When
we arrived at the Dixon’s Kingdom camp site there were people camped everywhere.

We took a photo stop at the old hut and then slowly made
our way up and over Damascus Gate stopping to enjoy the
spectacular views as we went. On the way to Wild Dog
Creek camp site we walked to the Pool of Bethesda to enjoy
the tranquillity and reflections of The Temple in the Lake and
had morning tea looking at people scaling Solomons
Throne. Following the boardwalk down to Lake Salome a
couple of Tiger snakes scurried into the undergrowth and we
arrived at our next camp site in time for lunch. We spent a
relaxing afternoon enjoying the sun and having a good wash
in the privacy of the toilet.

In planning the trip we had left a spare day in case we experienced difficulty with the weather in negotiating
the walk. It was enjoyable to be able to relax and appreciate our walk out to the car park the next day. We
took time to take photos of the reflections in the lakes as there was very little wind. We stopped at Trappers
Hut for a snack before the final
descent to the car park in plenty
of time for Oscar from Wild
Island Adventures to pick us up.
The bakery in Deloraine has the
most delicious cakes, pastries
and coffee – a fitting reward for
any adventure.

Thank you ladies for a

wonderful adventure.
Hopefully we can tackle the
Lake Myrtle Track next
February.

Aileen

(All photos provided by 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
Vice President Michael Freemantle 0427 198 496
5 GPSs which have a 20 metre contour topo map of the whole
Secretary Lynn Nicol 0400 705 041
of Australia included.
Treasurer Aileen Elliott 0457 144 012
PLBs with inbuilt GPS
Outings Officer Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
3 PLBs with inbuilt GPS. The PLBs will be made available at
Membership Officer Helen McAllister 0419 684 319 each club meeting and will need to be returned at the following
Media Officer Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017 club meeting.
Training Officer Vacant Contact John Brunott on 0448 761 097 to book these items.
Social Secretary Sandy Thomas 0403 821 525
Reciprocal Walks with Other Clubs
Other Voluntary Positions
Equipment Officer John Brunott 0448 761 097 Redland Bushwalkers Club
Supper Convenor Mary Sherlock 0457 990 067 The only stipulation is that Redland club members have priority
Librarian Noelene McCay 0407 658 023 over visitors. Calendar is available at:
http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.html
BWQ Rep Ralph Hales 0422 205 120
BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
Bushwalkers of Southern Queensland (BOSQ)
Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
Insurance Hotline 1300 574 980 walks per calendar year. This will be with the agreement of the
Meeting Place activity leader. Members of BOSQ have priority for nominations.
Calendar is available at http://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/
Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at
7.30pm. There is no club meeting in January. Bushwalking Adventures Queensland
Meetings are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carl (formerly YHA Bushwalkers)
and O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Entry is via the gate on Carl St. Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street. walks per calendar year. Calendar is available at:
Tea/coffee and cake/biscuits are provided after the meeting. https://bushies.org.au
A coin donation is appreciated. Gold Coast Bushwalkers
Membership Gold Coast Bushwalkers may admit as honorary members
Probationary Membership financial members of bushwalking clubs affiliated with BWQ.
This dispensation will be at the discretion of the Management
A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Member Committee. https://sites.google.com/site/goldcoastbushwalker/
on his/her first walk after signing the Acknowledgement of Risk
form. No fee is payable to become a Probationary Member. Ipswich Bushwalkers Inc
A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on Intending walkers must contact the leader in advance. The
his/her second walk by filling out a membership form and paying newsletter also contains a full description of the grading system
the membership fee. and a list of Committee members and their contact numbers.
Calendar available at www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au
Ordinary Membership
A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out and
signing a membership form, having a proposer sign the form Feature Pic
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”.
Website New growth after the bushfire –
Additional information is available on the club website at URL: Grand Canyon, Blue Mountains, NSW
https://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/ Photo: MH

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