Table of contents for Issue 164, Mar-Apr 2018 in Wild

Dear Wild, I had never heard of your magazine until last weekend. The result was tragic and almost cost us our lives! But let me start at the beginning…. I sat in a little café in Maryborough (QLD) waiting for my husband and I noticed that they had an amazing selection of magazines. I grabbed a coffee and started to devour your beautiful magazine. I was completely taken with the stories of adventure and nature in our own backyard! I was mesmerised and looking forward to my husband arriving so I could show him this new discovery. When he arrived, he was busy doing things on his phone and as I tried to show him the story of the couple who had been white-water rafting in Victoria (Wild 162) he…

In The 1822, Lieutenant William Lawson became the first European to explore the Goulburn River, naming it After the tehn Colonial Secretary, Henry Goulburn. Surveyors followed during the 1820s with the first settlements in the area. During the 1830s, the first pastoral holdings were established along the Goulburn and adjoining rivers. However, the marginal nature of farming meant that many areas away from any major rivers were left largely undisturbed. Limited logging occurred in the park, most notably during the 1970s and evidence still exists of logging in the far west of the park, although is generally limited to scantling dumps and disused trails. Exploration for shale oil also occurred, although little remains of these activities. Grazing has occurred intermittently throughout the park and fence lines and bush stockyards are…

When the banks backed off funding Guatam Adani’s coal mine in 2017, was that really due to petitions? Or was it due to people withdrawing their accounts, the lobbying face-to-face of board members and CEOs, protests outside bank headquarters and in their annual general meetings, or the real risk that the mine would end up a stranded asset? In 1980, the Tasmanian government was set to decide for or against the Franklin dam. There were press photos of mailbags of the petition, carrying a record 30,000 citizens’ signatures pleading to save the wild Franklin River, being delivered to Parliament House. It was the biggest petition in the island’s history and carried real oomph. In July that year, the cabinet of the gallant Labor premier Doug Lowe voted against the dam…

Discarded items of human manufacture are normally classed as litter. Most of us dislike seeing it strewn about and generally find it particularly off ensive to see it in natural places where even small amounts become more noticeable. Th at’s why Dispose of Waste Properly is one of the seven principles of Leave No Trace that were initiated to counter the negative and long lasting impacts that heavy usage can have on outdoor areas. These principles provide a comprehensive guide for how to visit a natural area without leaving long lasting signs of having been there. While litter has a definite aesthetic impact, the trampling of plants, the subsequent formation of a defined track and the erosion that follows is a more serious impact of popular use. Th at’s why…

Although only 653 metres in altitude, climbing the Cook Islands’ highest mountain, Te Manga, is still a pretty serious hike. In fact, I would consider this one of the more challenging trails I’ve undertaken over the past few years. There are two key reasons leading me to this view: 1) seaveral very short, but incredibly steep rock sections (almost vertical); and 2) some pretty wicked exposure higher up (for a hiker anyway). Te Manga lies on the island of Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands 15 major islands. Although largest is somewhat an overstatement. The entire land area of Rarotonga is just 67 square kilometres, with a circumference of 32 kilometres. It takes about 30-minutes to drive right around the island. Rarotonga is a volcanic island, rising over 4,500…

When it comes to buying a new daypack, there are literally dozens and dozens of different brands, sizes and price points to choose from. The challenge oft en becomes being able to differentiate one brand from another or one model from another. I’m testing the MOAB JAM 24, from Jack Wolfskin. On their corporate website, the MOAB JAM series falls within their biking category of packs. While there are some biking specific features, there are a range of additional features that really make this pack way more versatile. The pack is designed to be worn close to the skin, hence less movement when riding a bike. Nevertheless, Jack Wolfskin’s ACS (Air Control System) still allows air movement between the pack and your back, and the padded shoulder straps also contain…

When Åke Nordin first designed an aluminiumframed backpack from his basement in Sweden in the 1960s, he couldn’t possibly have known he was taking the first steps to creating one of Scandinavia’s most recognisable outdoor brands. But such were the humble beginnings of Fjällräven. Nordin later experimented with condensation-free tent designs and, in 1968, he created the Greenland Jacket – a functional garment that would prove a success for the fledgling company, that has inspired the launch of the Greenland Updated collection. Today, the new Greenland Updated collection has built on Fjällräven’s reputation for reliable outdoor apparel by continuing the brand’s timeless aesthetics while incorporating the latest in sustainable textiles, including their own G-1000 fabric and PFC-free EcoShell. In creating the new collection, Fjällräven designer Sarah Isaksson and her team…

Rainforest grew down to the shores of the river in a palette of greens. Mixed in with the leatherwood, myrtle and sassafras was the feathery foliage of the occasional Huon pine. These trees grow exceptionally slowly (only 1-2 millimetres in diameter a year), so even though most were saplings, they were already older than me. The Pieman River stretched ahead, undisturbed except for a raft of ducks that flapped their way to lift off at our approach. We were hardly stealthy: our family rendition of Christmas carol favourites gave the ducks plenty of warning as we followed them down the river. Drizzle dimpled the surface until the sun broke through, dappling the water in a scene of summer perfection. Wisps of mist hung above the trees like lost snippets of…

Australia Road & 4WD Atlas (Hema, RRP$39.95) If you’re trying to get anywhere in this darn HUGE nation of ours, then you’re likely going to need a map. Hema, have just released the 12th Edition of their Australia Road & 4WD Atlas. Coming in five different sizes, with each atlas contains over 188 maps, every corner of Australia is covered. Internally the maps are of differing scale, depending on the region covered. More popular destinations (city CBDs, Fraser Island, Cape York etc) include more detailed maps, with other areas utilising a larger scale. Many maps also include 4WD tracks. Maps include camping sites, fuel, national parks and other points of interest. The atlas won’t provide the level of detail of a 1:25,000 map, but being able to do so would…

The cover photo on Wild #162 certainly made me smile. I took a very similar photo in that same spot of one of my best mates proposing to his long term girlfriend! A group of us make the trip from Adelaide to the Blue Mountains every couple of years to go canyoning, and one of our group decided this would be an excellent place to ‘pop the question’. Much planning secretly ensued amongst the group, and once we got to the spot, the rest of us fanned out under the guise of taking some artistic photos. Once in place, my mate got down on one knee and took his girlfriend (now wife - she said yes :) completely by surprise. It’s been a couple of years since that trip and…

Twenty-two years ago, pack manufacturer, Osprey, managed to generate significant attention upon arrival at the peak industry event - Outdoor Retailer. As Osprey’s Erik Hamerschlag recalls, “with just three weeks left before the show, we received word from a supplier that they’d just finished a new fabric.” “The new fabric was a blend of 500D high tenacity nylon with a Spectra Ripstop grid. This offered wear resistance equivalent to the heavy-duty cloth packs but at a much lower weight.” In fact, the new textile matched the weight of Osprey’s standard 500D Cordura packs, and was ultimately much tougher by comparison. As a result, Osprey’s team went into overdrive in order to create a prototype pack to showcase at Outdoor Retailer. “We caught some incredulous looks from our competitors who couldn’t…

Also known as warabi or Burbridge’s rock weasel, the monjon is one of three diminutive species of rock-wallaby found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Of these, the monjon is the smallest, weighing around 1.5 kilograms on average, thereby giving it the title of World’s Smallest Rock-Wallaby since its discovery in 1976. James Smith, Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) regional ecologist (northwestern), has worked closely with the monjon and its nearest relatives, the nabarlek (Petrogale concinna) and the short-eared rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis). “Comparing the three species, the biggest difference is in the size of the short-eared rock-wallaby, which can weigh up to five kilograms and the fact that it tends to be more distinctively patterned, while the nabarlek is quite similar to the monjon, even down to its weight at…

Ever since the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, which caused the death of 1,134 people, mostly lowpaid garment workers, the working conditions of those who produce our cloth-ing has been a hot topic. While the disaster was caused by structural failure, upper-floor factories under production pressure from socalled ‘fast fashion’ brands had forced their employees to return to their machines the day After cracks were discovered in the base of the building, a move which sealed their fate just hours later. The fact that citizens of poorer countries are paid less than us is not news; that is the way the world works. Indeed, it is not uncommon for garment workers in Bangladesh and Myanmar to work for eleven hours per day, six days per week, for a…

CORKER TRACK This is an aptly named trail. It is a corker of a walk; a strenuous climb from the Allyn River valley to the sub-alpine heights of the Barrington Tops National Park. In the first 10 kilometres, the walk gains 870 metres of altitude, starting at 670 metres and rising to 1540 metres. There is no easing into the ascent. From the car park the trail rises steeply and immediately. However, when it snows on the Barrington Tops each winter, this is oft en the only way to reach the white wonderland of the plateau as access roads further north are closed to traffic. GETTING THERE The Corker Track begins from Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area, which is 43 kilometres from the town of Dungog in NSW (3½ hours northwest…