Table of contents for Issue 153, May-Jun 2016 in Wild

Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek used a rudimentary microscope to demonstrate the existence of microorganisms in the 17th Century, our investigations of biological processes beyond the range of the naked eye have progressed rapidly. Unfortunately, those worlds that remain beyond our vision often remain beyond our collective imaginations. For the degree to which these biological interactions – at the level of tissues, cells, and the organelles within them – influence our existence, this is an unfortunate state of affairs. In the above (rather lengthy) quote, the American biologist, Eugene Odum describes an idea that occurred to him while testing a hypothesis in the mid-50s. He had theorised that a high rate of primary production for the entire reef system ‘was an emergent property resulting from symbiotic linkages’ between the entire…

When a long-time researcher of dwarf minke whales had the opportunity to work on the latest Sir David Attenborough documentary, it led to a breakthrough in his work beyond expectations. Dr Dean Miller is a marine biologist with a love for these whales that began with his first encounter just out of university, but it’s his proficiency with technology that led him to working with Canon’s latest 4K video technology, and subsequently on Attenborough’s new Great Barrier Reef documentary. According to Miller, both Attenborough’s and the general public’s interest in dwarf minke whales arises from the air of mystery that surrounds the species – despite annual encounters with the whales in the vicinity of the reef each year, researchers are still yet to witness feeding or breeding behaviour. With the…

The new – and somewhat controversial – 46-kilometre Three Capes Track in Tasmania’s Tasman National Park opened to the public late last year. The controversy stems from the fact that this is the first commercial walking track developed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (TPWS), and that a fee applies (adult: $495, concession: $396, child: $396) for a four-day, three-night walk with accommodation supplied. Some people feel aggrieved by the imposition of a high fee to enjoy a national park. However, the whole enterprise (construction of the track and accommodation, planning, project management, website and marketing) has cost $25.3 million, with the key aim of making the walk accessible to more than just the extremely fit. Ben Clark, business enterprise coordinator of the Three Capes Track, tells me initial…

The carpark is a dustbowl. Nearby, a dry creek bed weaves between some old river red gums. There’s a walking trail too. It starts out by straggling into eroded gullies and crests of bare, silty dirt. This is tatty, rain-shadow country. It looks extra-terrestrial and anything but promising as a beginning to a bushwalk. However, the stroll in question just happens to be one of my favourites. Before long you reach a saddle and a slender, hidden valley opens up below. Flanked by a sweep of saw-tooth hills, this gorge looks startling, like it’s been freshly scooped from the ranges. It’s not just the reveal of the view or the ribs of vivid earth-colour in the exposed geology. Nor is it simply the chance to slip quietly into the sheltered…

Why does a woodland exist in a particular area and not a rainforest? We know that factors such as soil, topography and climate play a role in determining where plant communities are found and the species they are composed of. But the past history of a continent as unique as Australia is just as, if not more, important to understand. As part of our exploration of the past, we also need to consider how plants have been able to (or not able to) respond to natural disturbances, such as fire, since these influences continue to mould our landscape. The vegetation history of Australia is complex but can be distilled into a few key phenomena. Rainforest dominated Australia until about 20 million years ago, when fragmentation of Gondwana and continental drift…

Issue 152, Mar-Apr 2016 LETTER OF THE ISSUE Leigh wins a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Voyager valued at $219.95. A comfortable sleeping mat combining the patent-pending stability of WaveCore™ construction with a reflective ThermaCapture™ layer for added warmth. FISHERMEN FIENDS? When visiting national parks I often enquire from the ranger/manager if it is ok to kill a possum or kookaburra - or maybe a snake that could be barbecued for a meal. The rangers are quite definite that killing animals is wrong, even for food. They inform me that harming wildlife in a national park is illegal. However, mention another animal – the fish – and the story is quite different. People can kill fish without impediment in many national parks. And in most rivers and marine environments of Australia it is…

For those unable to live and work everyday in the great outdoors, the physical and mental health benefits of a wilderness adventure are invaluable. But what about the rest of the year? An ever-rising number of Australians find themselves spending the majority of their day in urban areas, working long hours and spending more time indoors. Just four weeks in holidays every year seems scarcely adequate for escaping the grind and ‘resetting’ in nature. For this reason, experts recommend that we not only consider taking regular breaks for fresh air and exercise, but there’s also a growing push for people to avoid taking those breaks in man-made spaces. Evidence Mounts An increasing amount of research shows that even taking small breaks or exercising in natural spaces has greater rewards for…

Ferns fascinate us for many reasons, and one is surely their uncanny combination of resilience and delicacy. No fern embodies this more than the slender tree-fern (Cyathea cunninghamii). This fern is the tallest in Australia, with a crown of fine lacy fronds on a black trunk that stands up to 20 metres tall. Despite this height, the trunk is only about 15 centimetres in diameter, much narrower than the other tree ferns that grow beneath it. The slender tree-fern is so outrageously lanky that it seems impossible it could survive in real life, and it seems likely it might pay for its extravagance by being pushed over by the slightest puff of wind. Slender tree-fern does indeed shelter from the wind. It grows in the deep cool rainforest gullies of…

I puff up the final slope. It’s humid, and sweat is running off me like the earlymorning dew dripping from the leaves of the rainforest. I reach the top of the steps and turn to look out over the ceremonial terracing that comprises the heart of Ciudad Perdida – The Lost City. It’s taken us two days to get this deep into the jungle, to where an ancient, pre-Colombian civilisation once thrived, and the view of the ruins, atop a levelled ridge and surrounded by jungled peaks, is just magnificent. I turn to congratulate Dave but he has been replaced by a stern-looking man in combat fatigues holding an automatic rifle. He gestures toward me with the barrel, and smiles. In September 2003 eight foreign hikers were kidnapped on this…

Anyone who has spent some time in the outdoors will have had what I call an ‘epic day’. You know the kind – it’s that day when there was an accident, or your summit time was severely underestimated, or you were caught out by the weather. Whether you prefer running, climbing, ocean kayaking or walking, everyone experiences one of these days from time-to-time. These are the days we train for. These are the days you want to be robust, the days that you want to have the stamina to go on long after you’d planned. To live an adventurous life, we must all train for endurance, for stamina, for robustness. To be able to keep going all day long and do the same again tomorrow. We must train to be…

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SHERPA from director Jennifer Peedom (Felix Media) With a general release in Australia of April 2016, this documentary can’t help but to be compared to 2015’s Everest, which explored the 1996 mountaineering tragedy that first highlighted growing concerns regarding commercial exploitation in the Himalayas. Sherpa, by contrast, never intended to depict any specific disaster. Director Jennifer Peedom instead took her team to Everest following a fight between Sherpa guides and paying visitors to the mountain in 2013, hoping to investigate the root of growing unrest among the Sherpas. The documentary, while being dutifully insightful, lurches into an altogether more intense realm when an avalanche occurs in the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas. The subsequent footage offers stark insight into the tension that occurs at the intersection of commercial mountaineering, increasingly…

MACCHIATO ON THE MOUNTAIN Premier Hodgman should license a decent coffee shop atop Federation Peak. But first he will need to do something about a lack of clientele as fewer than 100 people get to the 1225-metre top each year. While Federation Peak (1949) was climbed before Mount Everest (1953), these days many more mountaineers get to the top of Everest than to the top of Federation. Fedder, as it is known in global bushwalking circles, is arguably wilder than Everest and one of the wildest peaks on the globe. It is hard to get to. For a green-shoe, coffee-shop developer in this age of conquering wildness, it is self-evident that a road, rail or, at least, dry-boot track is needed. Perhaps Sir Edmund Hillary felt the peak’s remoteness when…

We’ve been here many times before and every time is nothing short of magical. The changing waters, the quiet company, and the colossal gorge that keeps reminding you of your relative position in the world. We found ourselves back in NSW’s Morton National Park’s Lake Yarrunga, the home of Tallowa Dam and around 344 species of plants. Nestled near both the Wingello and Meryla State Forests, Lake Yarrunga welcomed us with its vibrant display of painted greens sandwiched between blues skies. Its surrounding forests – our home for three nights – provided us with privacy and protection with its thick-based trees dominating us in an embrace. A stark difference from the vulnerability we felt whilst on the water. Through the ever-wide gorge we manoeuvred through during silent days. Lake Yarrunga…

There are adventures and expeditions in almost every Australian urban backyard and wilderness park – if you know where to look. In each treetop is a distinct environment to which few humans have likely ever ventured, and where wilderness can experienced in a new and magical way. With our natural gifts and a bit of technology, we can explore the treetops of the koala, kookaburra and drop-bear. Australia is notable for many spectacular plants: towering gum trees, globally rare Southern Hemisphere rainforests, monsoonal rainforests of the tropical north and more. Even in the human landscapes of city and suburb there are native and exotic trees of all shapes and description. Let’s use our opposable thumbs and our stereoscopic vision as we clamber back into the treetops. We’ll review our arboreal…

Sometimes things don’t go to plan, sometimes we find ourselves in situations we have tried to avoid, but then need to deal with regardless. As climbers, or generally as outdoor enthusiasts, we become accustomed to changing conditions and the need to be adaptable, if things go a little wrong when we are on the side of a crag it becomes very important that we are able to utilise our adaptability in order to solve problems and improvise a rescue. There was a time when we went into outdoor adventure environments and had a very clear idea that we had to be self sufficient. We were very aware that the only realistic way to summon outside help, if required, was to remove ourselves from the situation and make our way to…