This 250 kilometre loop boasts a variety of scenery probably unmatched by any other Australian trek. Sure, other walks may have vistas of heathland or forest or mountain or river or rugged coast. This one has them all.

From Portland the track passes many coastal historic features before heading inland at Henty Bay to turn west through farmland then north to Cubby’s Camp. A short distance from camp a wandering Don Brooks discovered a pair of romantically inclined Brown snakes. Some exciting moments were spent photographing this spectacle.

Next comes the Cobboboonee State Forest, a poorly drained area of extensive swampland. The forest contains Messmate (E. obliqua), Brown Stringybark (E. baxteri), and Swamp Gum (E. ovata). Cut Out Camp is reached via Ralph’s Bridge, an impressive and lengthy structure built by members of The Friends of the Great South West Walk. Just 13.5 km this day brings us into camp early, leaving ample time for some to tackle the Hodgett’s Grove track through the natural fern gully of Surry River Gorge. A couple of Koalas were spotted on this excursion.

Day 3 takes us on past Cobboboonee Camp to Fitzroy Camp. The forests here have suffered from an extended dry spell and the colours have been somewhat flat. Now, the change at Cobboboonee, from sandy, dune soil to the richer basaltic soils originating from Mount Deception to the north has revitalised the forest. We now see Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), a highly prized furniture timber. Manna Gums are present but Koalas remain elusive.

The track swings west from Fitzroy Camp towards the Glenelg River. Back into poorer sandy soils once more the Brown Stringybark replaces the Messmate as the dominant species.

Lunch is taken at The Inkpot, a large pool of water, stained black by decaying vegetable matter. The depression, resulting from a collapsed cave or from water dissolving the underlying limestone is some 10 metres deep.

The valley of Moleside Creek leads us to camp and the Glenelg River. After four days of slightly desiccated forests the first glimpse of the river sends the spirit soaring.

The Glenelg, rising in the Grampians, winds its way over 400 kilometres to the Southern Ocean at Nelson. Over eons of time the river has cut deeply into fossiliferous limestone deposited millions of years ago, leaving vertical, yellow-orange cliff faces of the gorge that cradles this majestic stream.

For three days the track followed the river, approaching at the low, landing sites, retreating as the high cliffs at the outside bends dictated.

Patterson’s Canoe Camp, with its 1834 ‘heritage’ boatshed, magnificent River Red Gums and ‘feral’ Walnut tree - complete with Walnuts marked the culmination of a memorable three days.

Next day we walked to Hirth’s Landing, hitched a ride on the Nelson Endeavour downstream to Nelson, the halfway point of the walk. A delectable dinner of Jewfish and a mountain of chips were a celebratory feast after a week of camp fare.

The second week began with a marked change in terrain, from the benign forest and placid river to the ever breaking waves of the Southern Ocean and the endless beach of Discovery Bay with its immense arc of sand stretching into the dim distance.

Left foot, right foot - the temptation is to count the steps to the far, unseen end of the bay. To do so would be to court insanity. To resist the temptation you wrench your gaze from the foot prints ahead - look towards the vegetated frontal dunes - towards the advancing waves arriving from an ocean uncluttered by land - photograph people - photograph Shipwreck Rocks.

Beyond Noble’s Rocks an inland track through Coastal Wattle, Tea-tree and She-oaks reaches and skirts Mombeong Lake and on to the campsite. A swim in the clear, fresh water is most acceptable after 23 kilometres of beach, rock and sand dunes.

Next morning a blanketing mist has rolled in from the Southern Ocean - Don’s tent, less than 30 metres distant, is not visible.

A short inland track returns us to the beach and it’s beach for 15 kilometres to the access track to Swan Lake Camp. Sadly, Swan Lake is devoid of swans - and water.

Track notes for the next day read: "The beach alternative on this section is NOT EASY GOING. The sand is soft and the beach slopes seaward, making comfortable walking difficult."

The inland track passes between extensive dunes and a pine plantation, then into Mount Richmond National Park.

Mount Richmond is a volcanic tuff cone some 2 million years old, now covered by windblown coastal sands. The park contains a rich diversity of flora including gums, wattles, banksias and hakeas.

Tarragal Camp is reached soon after leaving the Park.This inland retreat from Discovery Bay adds a day to the walk but has the advantage of including Mount Richmond, a morning- tea break at Bridgewater Lakes and an early arrival at The Springs Camp next day.

This allowed time to visit the cliff-base spring, via the ramp built by hand in 1920 to give cattle access to the water. We walked on along the cliff base to Green Pool where breaking waves top the protecting, black-rock rampart to become a waterfall of white foam flowing into the sheltered pool.

The track from The Springs hugs the cliff edge, past Blowholes (now collapsed), Petrified Forest, the Australian Fur Seal colony near Cape Bridgewater and around to the Cape Bridgewater Kiosk - yes, it IS on the map. Here a steak sandwich contains so much it is speared with a skewer to hold it together. It is so good that care must be taken to avoid eating the skewer.

After the wrench of leaving steak sandwich and cappuccino we tackled the sand of Bridgewater Bay, then a low, rocky headland sent us inland to Trewalla Camp.Then we were back on the sand to the end of the bay where a short climb leads to sandstone ledges on Cape Nelson headland and eventually to the Lighthouse. We are welcomed with a sausage sizzle, compliments of the new lessee.

We reach Mallee Camp - named for the rare Soap Mallee (E. diversifolia), this area is thought to be the eastern extremity of its range.

From here it is a stroll into Portland, but still the walk has surprises - the Enchanted Forest, an old land slip covered with dense, almost tropical vegetation including extremely tall Melaleuca - Yellow Rock - Crayfish Bay.

The walk draws to a close - past the Smelter Nature Walk, the Gannet rookery, Bill’s Walk, enough cannons to excite Capt. Kidd and some wonderful, early, stone buildings - the history of Portland.

As impressive as the Walk is, it is outweighed by the audacity of the concept and the construction.

The sheer volume of works: bridges, boardwalks, stairs, platforms, built and maintained by volunteers must be seen to be believed.

Erosion control works alone must run to thousands of hours. They are innovative and they are working - they are bringing vegetation back to grazing-ravaged limestone.

Gordon Page was walk leader. He has obviously spent an incredible amount of time working on the track, such is his knowledge of all of its 250 kilometres. The group owes him very special thanks.

Undoubtedly there must be many other volunteers, but of course for our walking group the most visible were - Friends of The Great South West Walk.

With many visitors to National. Parks complaining about the level of maintenance in recent times, a survey was undertaken, revealing some surprising results. If the really big problems are set aside, such as the stinking pollution of the once pristine Myall Lakes, it was found that general maintenance in many Parks can only be described as very ordinary. Instead of rolling-up the sleeves & tackling the problem, the NPWS has CUT-BACK on some of it’s work, by no longer supplying FIREWOOD to existing FIREPLACES, & we are officially advised that fireplaces will shortly be dismantled.

Note that this is being done in a secretive way, with apparently no reference to the taxpayer, or any of the outdoor organisations, which should alarm you. After all, YOU own the Parks & YOU employ these people to manage & maintain them for you.

Rather than continue to supply FIREWOOD, they have decided to discontinue, The FIREPLACES are still all there, but there is no firewood to go with them. Not only that, but new signs are going up, threatening heavy penalties if you gather your own.(Imagine if you camp in high, cold Parks like Kaputar or Warrumbungles in winter, and having to climb into your sleeping bag at sundown because it is just too cold to sit up without a fire.)

As a walker & camper & Park uses for over sixty-five years, and an Honorary Ranger for many years, I deeply resent such an outrageous policy. It denies our most basic freedom - THE

In the Central Region (which is central between the West Coast and the Russian border and between Helsinki and the Arctic Circle) there are two long distance track networks. The "Trail of Pirkka "is a network of 330 km of marked tracks north of Tampere connecting seven towns or villages. It was set up in the 1950’s by one,Tuomas Vinha, who negotiated rights of way over private land where necessary .

The Maakuntaura (Provincial Track) zig zags through the province centred on Jyvaskyla and has been progressively established over the last 15 years

Finnish Lapland is above the Arctic Circle and is almost totally wilderness, State Forest or other protected lands. It has lakes, swamps and treeless rocky fells. Trekking Maps are not available for all areas, but in most there are shelter huts for each days stage so that you don’t need to carry cooking gear. if you are really confident in your navigation skills.. This part of Finland is about 200 km wide, so if you can carry enough food as well as your all seasons clothing you could traverse all the way to the Russian border zone.and maybe not see another person.

70 % of Finland is covered by forests which apart from the Strict Nature Reserves and other protected areas are periodically clear felled for the timber and paper industries..

10 km from the centre of Helsinki along the motorways you will be in the "bush" the hills being covered with regrowth pine , birch and spruce. Road cuttings are fenced to try to prevent the elks from falling onto the road. Cars and their drivers often don’t survive an elk collision. The elk might!

So this bushwalker was not lost for lack of opportunity because he is also interested in Finnish history and engineering, what he lacked was time..Three weeks is not enough so personal experience has been limited to shoe walking in the bush

The Wilderness Church is near Inari about 300 km north of the Arctic Circle. The church is in a cleared area, which was one of the venues for the annual get together of the nomadic Sami people. They traded reindeer, and celebrated marriages and christenings. The church is still a popular destination for walkers and it is accessible by boat or skis for wedding parties. I thought that a classification of "medium’ could not be true of a 4km track in Finland but this was one of several occasions when I wished I had brought my boots. The track is so littered with rocks and exposed tree roots so you really must stop to appreciate the scenery

Pyha- Hakki National Park.

This is 1200 ha of primeval forest protected since 1912.

As far as possible it has been left undisturbed so has trees of all ages from seedlings to the dead grey " snags" which provide nest holes for the red squirrels and owls, goshawks, ravens and woodpeckers.

On display in the information shelter are two sections of Scots Pine showing how they can survive forest fires

and how growth rings relate to historical records. One sample has heart wood dating from 1694. It fell in a storm in 1981, Another tree section with 1594 heartwood is misshapen by fires in 1634, 1666, 1721, 1766 ,1816 and 1911. The averages fire frequency for any tree is about 50 years, but until 1850 there were fires in this forest every 9 years. There has not been a major fire since 1921 so the fire sensitive spruce is flourishing. This park is one of the very few remaining wild locations of this species.

A feature of the park is Iso Puu (Big Tree) estimated to be nearly 500 years old and still growing.,The two nature trails in this park are part of the Provincial Trail mentioned above.

Punkaharju is a rocky ridge seven km long left by the Ice Age glaciers that carved out the lakes on either side.Tree felling was prohibited in 1802 by the decree of the Grand Duke who happened to be Czar Alexander 1. However. Later, the lower slopes of the ridge were the only locations for the road and rail corridor In 1938 –1945 the ridge was again part of the Finnish defence line against the Russians and some evidence of this is still visible. There are still good walking tracks away from the upper road and you could also catch a bus in & out of the town.

When in 1889 a later Grand Duke,. Czar Alexander III, expressed a wish for a fishing lodge to be built for his use on his favorite rapids (In Finnish " Koski") the local authorities did not hesitate to built a simple two story four bedroom "cottage" where the czarina could cook for the family and the czar could carry wood and water. With only a minimum of Court staff. The town council also built some wooden fences in the river to ensure that not too many fish would evade the imperial rod and line.

The surrounds are still natural and the Finns do not make any great distinction between National Park, people’s park, nature park , scenic park and historic site, all of which are applicable

And Engineering ? Loviisa Nuclear Power Station in Finland and the submarine Lembit built in England in 1936 for the Estonian Navy

As the above all happened so we could avoid the predicted shambles of the Olympics for those not interested in competitive sports I have to report that the Opening Ceremony looked marvellous on TV in a youth hostel in a Finnish Village whose name dates from 1743 when it was on the eastern frontier between Sweden and Russia.

Also that in Estonia the "community cauldron" at the yachting venue for the 1980 Olympics based in Moscow records only the names of Russian winners! (The three Baltic states were under Russian occupation until about 1990)

It has been suggested that an alternate route be established.

It would benefit many sections of the community if direct access to the Blue Mountains National Park could be provided from Glenbrook Station. Glenbrook is unique in that it is the only station in the Blue Mountains that is ideally suited to direct access to the national park.

Why should this be done?

1) On any weekend there are numerous hikers who leave the train at Glenbrook station and walk along Bruce Road to gain access to the Blue Mountains National Park. For some distance either side of the boom gates hikers and cars share the narrow roadway, not an ideal situation.

2) School groups from the city could catch the train to Glenbrook and hike directly into the BMNP directly from Glenbrook Station. Access could be to Red Hands Cave, for example, for Aboriginal Studies, or Euroka Clearing to camp or study natural history.

3) It would not be an expensive exercise - the track in its entirety would be approximately one kilometer long.

This plan is entirely practical, but would rely on co-operation from the Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC), the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), and the State Rail Authority (SRA). The proposed walking track is to the Blue Pool; from here other walking tracks can be accessed. It could be built as follows:

1) Extension of the present footbridge above the Glenbrook railway station to the southern side. (S.R.A.)

2) Construction of a new walking track along the gazetted public roads "Station Street" and Watson Street", with permission of BMCC. (These ‘streets’ are still virgin bushland.)

3) Construction of a walking track from "Watson Street", bordering the BMNP, to a walking track built by volunteer labour in 1909. This section of walking track within the BMNP is listed as having ‘regional heritage significance’. (Walking Track LG3, Walking Track Heritage Study, managed by the NPWS.)

4) A replica of the original footbridge be constructed at the site of the original 1909 abutments.

5) Erection of suitable signage.

6) Clearing of vegetation from all connecting walking tracks:

Blue Pool to the causeway (connects to Red Hands Cave and Euroka Clearing walking tracks.)

Blue Pool to the Duck Hole walking track. (Connects to St Helena fire trail and Kanuka Brook track.)

The proposal to have direct access to the BMNP direct from Glenbrook station is not new. To date the following people or organisations have been approached, with little interest shown:

Blue Mountains City Council

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Blue Mountains Gazette

Mr. Bob Debus, NSW Minister for the Environment

Faye Lo Po, State Member for Penrith

Mr. Bob Carr, NSW Premier

If you would like to write below is the address of the relevant MP.

Dear Editor;
I have recently read that feral cats have been documented having weights of
21kg as they revert back to their genetic makeup of the wild past. Our moggie
is a generous 4 kg brute and eats half a tin of whiskas a day not to mention
snacks. It is no wonder then that the native species are endangered and quolls
are competing for food supplies. Do your readers have any other information on the subject?
Domestic bliss (with bells on)

Dear Editor;

During the Olympics I was escaping to the Ruined Castle and en route my friend and I ran into a foreigner who may have been lost. He asked us something but we were not sure and smiled and pointed to the track leading back to the golden staircase. When we looked back he was completely disappeared. Is this a common occurence? Worried Walker

Dear Editor;

My husband and I want to get away for awhile but have little or no budget. Please don’t recommend the Hydro Majestic or another spiffy joint mentioned in Good Weekend. Where should we go for a decent night under the stars? Frustrated

Dear Editor;

I finally picked up a copy of the Bushwalker and found it interesting and full of in depth articles. It would look even better if you had more pictures of the beautiful bush. Avid reader

Dear Editor;

I was walking in Heathcote National Park during the Olympics and was disgusted by the rubbish at the Kingfisher Pool. While I took out two bags of rubbish it was barely enough to touch the sides. How often do the relevant authorities look here and remove this detritus? I would hardly want to go back after seeing the slimy plastic bags and used food containers at the bottom of the pool.

Search Team – Bravo

Task – walk the main track from Wog-Wog car park via Korra Hill, Corang Peak, Burrumbeet Brook, and then Bibbenluke to check camp caves and sites.

Leader – Constable Mark Goode, Braidwood Police

Team Members – 5 on Monday and 2 on Tuesday (3 returned to Wog-Wog car park Tuesday morning).

Steve Irwin, BWRS Field Officer

Rick Nieunhuis, BWRS trainee team member

Malcolm Hughes, BWRS team member

Michael Course, BWRS team member

Clive Wilmot, BWRS trainee team member

Communication – 1 Police radio

Weather and Conditions – Conditions were poor during the entire period we were out, with only one period from about 0800 to 0930 Tuesday when there was clear sky. Otherwise weather consisted of low cloud cover and mist, rain (heavy at times), thunderstorms overnight, and wind increasing on Tuesday.

General – From the point of view of a team member I was satisfied with the team and the outcome. We performed the given task in difficult conditions, covering approximately 11.5k/s on the first day and 21.5k/s on the second day (almost 33k/s in a 24 hour period). Constable Mark Goode of Braidwood Police, who lead our search team, was an excellent choice due to his bush fitness and previous bushwalking experience. All team members were happy with his leadership and decision making.

What went well –

· The decision to delay a general call-out of BWR squad members until the results of Tuesday were known was good.

· I believe our response time was reasonably good. From an initial call received at 0900 (at work) we had people at the start point walking at 1445, (despite the fact that I was 30 minutes late!).

· The allocated task was completed.

· As we were on top of the plateau most of the time the Police hand held radio worked reasonably well despite a couple of black holes in valleys.

· Support from Command Post was good, eg offer to be airlifted or winched out after the missing person was found was much appreciated despite being unable to use this due to weather conditions.

· The 3 person team that continued to Mt Tarn on Tuesday was able to continue and stay another night if required.

What could be better –

· Our members turned up to field two teams. For a track search of this type a team of 3 or 4 would have been sufficient. This is the principle reason for the slower team of 3 members returning to the car park.

· Team members should generally be prepared and equipped to stay out at least 2 nights.

· The alternative track to Corang peak via the Corang River would need to have been checked (via Cascades). The second team could have done this, however communications would have been required. There was insufficient time to arrange an extra radio. I was aware of the capabilities of our walkers present and this task would have been possible.

29/9/2000

The above report is an edited version of the debrief notes of the involvement of BWR in the search for an overdue solo woman walker during the Olympics. She had started her four day Budawangs walk on Tuesday 19th September, 2000. A search was started when she had not returned by Saturday.

On Monday morning the Police called on the local Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA – BWR is a member) Regional Coordinator, Rod Roderick to utilise VRA resources in this search. BWR was asked to search parts of her planned route with two small fast teams.

The typical Budawangs weather suggested that this was going to be a repeat of the major search in May, 2000 for four Scouts. In that search many resources were hastily called in and hence difficult to coordinate. To avoid a repeat it was decided to put designated resources on standby for an early start on Wednesday, if required.

During a brief break in the weather the 35-year-old woman from Killarney Heights was sighted by a police helicopter (Polair) at the junction of the Clyde River and Hollands Creek about 9:30am AEDT 26th September. Landing was not possible so she was winched out.

Police Search Coordinator Peter Cornelius says it is thought she took a wrong turn on difficult to follow tracks. Unfortunately she lost a lot of her gear (including map and compass) when her rucksack fell into a rock crevasse. She was slightly injured retrieving her pack and rested in an overhang during the bad weather before attempting to walk out. Without her map she wandered off her planned route.

"The area up there is criss-crossed with little tracks, but some of them are no more than a slight indentation in the grass, and you can be excused for thinking they’re animal tracks," he said.

"It is certainly very easy to get lost if you don’t know your way around there."

It is with feelings of great sadness and loss that we acknowledge, and each in our own way, come to terms with the passing of Don Rice. Some had the opportunity to know and appreciate him more than others. I personally only recently had the opportunity to sit and talk and get to know him a little. I remember walking away from that meeting feeling honoured that he had been so willing and happy to share his time and knowledge with me and me not even a ‘real’ bushwalker.

On behalf of all our membership I would like to acknowledge our gratitude and desires to keep the Club running as Don would have liked.

Eulogy by Maurie Bloom: My close association with Don goes back to the mid sixties. Don and I were both active members of the scout movement and both worked at Lucas Heights. Don was a keen out doors person with a strong love for the bush.

In the late sixties Don encouraged his close scouting friends and his work colleagues to participate in overnight bushwalks covering his favourite areas in the Budawangs. His forays into this area and the Blue Mountains continued through the years with the group slowly but surely expanding. Don would prepare meticulous notes and kept a log of trips that he would later distribute to the participants.

As time went on it was decided that our group should become more formalised and that we should become affiliated with the Federation of Bushwalkers. A constitution was drafted and "The Sutherland Bushwalking Club" was born.

Don was very protective of his beloved bushwalking environment and on occasions was seen demolishing unnecessary cairns. Often lunchtime excursions at Lucas Heights were interrupted by Don darting into the scrub to drag branches and logs across the tracks to discourage errant trail bike riders. Don was active on club committees. He also ran the navigation and abseiling courses.

Don built a large circle of friends in the bushwalking fraternity. He was an active member and participant in Federation and Bushwalkers Search and Rescue.

Many of Don’s bushwalking friends, work colleagues and others rallied around Don and Lorraine and the family when their home was burnt in the devastating Como bushfires.

Don’s ever helpful and friendly nature will be missed by all those who knew him.