Table of contents for Issue 163, Jan-Feb 2018 in Wild

Dear Wild, A little over a year ago I lost the most influential figure in my life; my teacher, my guide, my best mate, my dad! after a short but tough battle with cancer, dad was peacefully laid to rest. This sudden loss left me and my family shell-shocked and lost. For 12-months we all fumbled and bumped our way through life, and while the pain hasn’t diminished, the loss I still feel every day has changed. Rather than continue to mourn my dad, we’ve instead started to remember the times we all enjoyed together. Our family grew up on the banks of the Snowy River. I remember days when we’d all go home early because the banks of the river would rise and we’d be stranded at home until…

Pinochet felt the Carretera Austral, to be a testament to his power, his ability to create such a difficult road through a jigsaw puzzle of alpine mountain ranges, yawning fjords, and rugged forest-lined valleys The Carretera Austral (“CA”) is the southern-most section of road in Chile, approximately 1,200 kilometres of Highway 7, much of it unpaved and heavily corrugated. The brainchild of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, construction of the road commenced in 1976, finishing 14 years later. Pinochet felt the CA to be a testament to his power, his ability to create such a difficult road through a jigsaw puzzle of alpine mountain ranges, yawning fjords, and rugged forest-lined valleys. The road was designed to link towns where no town should probably ever exist, and it has become something of…

LOST MOUNTAINS The tropical island of New Guinea is transected eastwest by a range of high mountains which owe their origin to the active collision between the Pacific and north-moving Australian tectonic plates. In the remote far west of Papua New Guinea (PNG), near the border with Indonesian West Papua, this range narrows to just a single ridgeline which comprises the drainage divide for the entire island, the Star Mountains. The Star Mountains were named from afar by a Dutch military mapping expedition in 1914 but the first attempt to reach the PNG part of the range wasn’t until 1963, by an Australian patrol officer. An Australian scientific expedition in 1965, lasting several months and utilising many locals as bearers and track cutters, made the first ascents of Mts Capella…

America’s Colorado Plateau is home to more than a lifetime’s worth of canyons. It’s an adventure paradise drawing canyoners from around the world, eager to journey through the narrow sinuous corridors ofsandstone beneath the desolate landscape. Australia has a thriving canyoning community, mainly concentrated in NSW’s Blue Mountains, where 100’s of creeks have carved their way through our sandstone. The Colorado Plateau is a natural objective for Aussie canyoners looking for a different and more challenging experience. US canyons are typically narrower, longer and higher quality than those found in Australia, demanding higher technical skills and present challenges not encountered in the Bluies. For example, keeper potholes, mandatory technical climbing, high bridging and improvised anchor creation. For this reason, it is essential to be thoroughly prepared, and select realistic objectives…

One of the great coastal walks of New South Wales, the Bouddi Coastal Walk on the Central Coast, is relatively short, well-trodden and is never too far from civilisation. The walk is easy to medium, on well-defined and maintained trails and fire-trails. There are fantastic views along the coast, including several picturesque beaches, rock formations and coastal plant communities. The walk can be broken into several smaller sections with several points at which to gain access. The entire walk can be completed year-round, although this part of the coast is renowned for whale watching between May-July. GETTING THERE Bouddi National Park is located about 100 kilometres north of Sydney (1.5 hours by car). Access is via Putty Beach in the south ($8 per day parking) or free from MacMasters Beach…

The Nature Conservancy 2017 Photo Competition www.natureaustralia.org.au…

THE LAST FRONTIER Over the past few millennia the last remaining blank spots on the world map have been slowly but completely explored, photographed and documented. Even the most remote corners of Antarctica and the Amazon have been reached by modern day explorers. Today’s trailblazing explorers are now largely confined to the exploration of the ocean floor and the subterranean depths of cave systems. While advances in autonomous mapping have opened up even the deepest ocean trenches, no technology has yet been developed to explore caves. A cave system comprises a complex web of interconnected passages, rooms, squeezes, canyons and rifts. And there is no other way to explore and map them other than good ’ol human manual exploration. And all of this in absolute and impenetrable blackness. You cannot…

Ask any first time tourist arriving from overseas what they want to see while visiting Australia and it is a good chance Fraser Island will be on their ‘must see’ list. Stretching over 120 kilometres long and with over 98 percent of its 1,840 square kilometres of land mass protected as national park, this World Heritage listed area rarely fails to deliver on its reputation. Fraser Island has a long and a rich history, from its Aboriginal beginnings through to European discovery, logging, sandmining and tourism. Called K’gari by its traditional owners, the island got the name ‘Fraser’ from Eliza Fraser and her story of survival from a shipwreck on the island in 1836. The Fraser Island Great Walk is a 76 kilometre trail through the heart of the island…

It appears the mix of beer, university and mountains were key ingredients in the founding of outdoor apparel companies during the 1970s. I’d run out of fingers to count on if I had to name the number of North American (and Australian) outdoor brands that have all these elements at the core of their origins. California-based Marmot is no exception. University of California Santa Cruz students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley formed the idea of a ‘Marmot Club’ while on a university project in the Alaskan Juneau Icefield during 1971. The name ‘marmot’ refers to a group of large rodents that live in mountainous areas. To become a Marmot, you had to climb a glaciated peak with another Marmot. The Marmot Club grew, mainly as a social group, but with…

Rising early at 5am, we set out to reach the lookout on the summit of Mount Robert, in New Zealand’s Nelson Lakes National Park. As we approached the main ridge, we were amazed to come across a large group of teenage hikers coming back toward us, returning from a week of wilderness adventure. I thought it fantastic that this culture exists, where the younger generations are exposed to outdoor pursuits and the love of the outdoors. Letter of the Issue Andrew wins a Petzl Actik Core, valued at $99.95. Weighing in at just 80g, this powerful (350 lumens) headlamp provides two beam patterns (wide or mixed), several lighting modes and red light for night vision. The Core is powered by a USB rechargable battery or standard AAA batteries. SUBMIT A…

The idea behind creating the Sea to Summit Alpha Cookware and DeltaLight Dinnerware was the desire to create both an extremely lightweight and high-quality cooking system, without compromising on either durability or functionality. Well-known for their innovation in outdoor products, Sea to Summit have made a step-change in a field that has largely remained unchanged over many years. Both the Alpha Pot and Alpha Pan are made out of a high specification hard anodised premium alloy. This allows for a much thinner and lighter shell, while still maintaining strength and durability. The sandblasted base provides texture, making the pots more stable while on a camp stove. The Alpha Pot includes two new patent-pending design improvements. The Pivot-Lock handle rotates on a single horizontal axis, locking into place while cooking. When…

I know something is wrong the second I hear a popping sound, but there’s no time to stop: I’m approaching a blind bend on the wrong side of the road. The steel rim of my car tyre grates against gravel. The wheel is beginning to smoke. Up ahead, a truck grades the road. It ambles. I accelerate. If I don’t get past it then I’ll block the entire road, and this unravelling nightmare will lurch into even rockier territory. I’ve been driving up and down the Old Glen Innes Highway for the last hour trying to find the start of the Bicentennial Trail, my entry point into the bowels of the Guy Fawkes National Park where I’ll be river rambling along a secluded valley. Perhaps there is a reason for…

Like many great 21st Century adventures, this one was conceived with a text message: “Warrumbungles? How does your October look?”- Dave. Buying the Farm, Grade 20. 190 metres. Serious.” Dave reads out-loud, squinting at his phone, the bright screen illuminating his exhausted face through the darkness. We’d landed ourselves on a sloping ledge near the base of Crater Bluff, a striking 250 metres tall spire in the Warrumbungles. It’s about 9pm and our party of four has finally reached the bottom of the last rappel. With another hour of scree and scrub bashing between here and camp, this climb had long since become an epic. AN ADVENTURE BEGINS Like many great 21st Century adventures this one was conceived with a text message: “Warrumbungles? How does your October look?” – Dave.…

For most people, a trip to Australia’s red centre will see them exploring the big draw cards like Uluru, Kings Canyon, and the West MacDonnell ranges. But tucked away behind the red dust are two gems from outer space, literally. Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve GETTING THERE AND AROUND Located 145 kilometres south west of Alice Springs is Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve. Follow the Stuart Highway before turning left (from Alice Springs) onto the unsealed Ernest Giles Road. A short distance along, turn right into the reserve. At the end of this dusty 13-kilometre dirt road you’ll arrive at the craters. While the roads can be travelled in a 2WD, you might consider hiring a 4WD to be on the safe side. Once there, your legs will get your around the…

As humanity’s appetite for seafood continues to grow, global fish stocks are increasingly threatened by over-fishing. It’s estimated that Australians consume around 25 kilograms of seafood per year, per person, causing demand to outstrip what wild fish stocks can supply. Fortunately, consumers have a wealth of information available to assist in making better decisions. Since 2004 the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has been compiling a range of information contained within a single document; the Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide (ASSG). The guide is also available as a free smartphone app. THE CONSCIENTIOUS COOK As people become more acutely aware of the toll a growing human population has on the planet, many begin to consider ways to change their behaviour so as to minimise any impact. However, when it comes to…