Kosciuuszko Summit Technical Committee (KSTC)

A few days later Alan Vidler of the Canberra Bushwalking Club represented Confederation at the half yearly meeting of the KSTC, which focussed on the track upgrading work between Charlotte Pass and the the summit. Naturally a visit to the new composting toilet was included. (This innovative design possibly warrants a later report because the amount of composting material is still less than the minimum needed for a complete trial. The Contractor will monitor the operation for up to 2 years before receiving his final payment) Incidentally portaloos have been provided at Rawson’s Pass where there is management vehicle access, at least during summer

Three casual employees have been working on the old Summit Road, stabilising the surface, rectifying erosion, narrowing the track in places and restoring the path through the rocky area near the summit.

The committee members were pleased and impressed with the works. About 100 walkers were met on the track in about 2 hours. (Visitor surveys indicate about 52 000 people walked to the summit between December and early April

with probably 70 % coming via the Thredbo chairlift, with a peak of 4,500 on Easter Saturday 1999.) No one really wants to have limitations on visitor numbers and such a plan would be very difficult to implement but continuing increases in numbers may make it essential.

Maintenance weeding was proceeding in the two-year-old revegetation area near the summit.

A "high wear and rubbish " hot spot was noted at the Kosciuszko Lookout on the walkway from the Thredbo chairlift because many walkers lunch and/or turn back at this point. There is also concern about phosphorus build up at camping sites just outside the Blue Lake catchment.

The proposal to reroute the AAWT down Spencers Creek is still a possibility, but obviously has a much lower priority than the summit and other popular existing tracks.

Methods of making the Snowy Crossing stepping-stones more stable and user friendly are still being considered. A bridge to withstand the peak snowmelt would be a massive structure and neither environmentally nor visually acceptable. Using the crossing is only a problem for a few days each year and so the priority is not high.

Further to the T&A report in the February issue the President of the Queensland Federation of Bushwalking Clubs has provided some more information on the lost walking party, based on the debriefing of the S&R participants and thus not necessarily the complete story. The National Parks Service requires bushwalking parties to apply for a permit by completing an 18-page questionnaire detailing the proposed route, the number and ages of party members, their experience and equipment etc. The reported statement by the NPS District Manager that the party had met the self reliance & experience criteria would have been based on the completed document. (I speculate that whilst the answers given by the party may well be completely true, their problems after missing their intended track might have arisen from a failure to agree on one plan and to stick to it. This is a lesson that we all may need to remember)

For Rugged Remote Areas of Lamington and other Queensland National Parks, signs at entry points warn that there are no maintained