Table of contents for Issue 185, Spring 2022 in Wild

A little while ago, Gup, my father-in-law was visiting us. I can’t remember how the conversation came about, but he remarked to my 8yo son something along the lines of that it was never OK to break the law. I disagreed, and—with what’s happening in the Tarkine at the forefront of my mind—told my son that were the circumstances warranted, not only is it OK to break the law, there are in fact times we should break the law. There ensued some to-ing and fro-ing on the subject. It got to the point where it became sensible to drop the topic, and I let Gup have the last word: “The rules are the rules,” he said, “and they’re there for a reason.” Many rules and laws are there for a…

It’s enraging. The crystal blue ocean waters of Ningaloo and Western Australia’s northwest are some of the most biodiverse in the world. The region is known globally as a haven for whale sharks, humpbacks, endangered sea turtles and colourful corals. But fossil fuel company Woodside Energy is set to put it all at risk with its proposed Burrup Hub gas project—the most climate-polluting fossil fuel project currently proposed in Australia. Woodside wants to massively expand infrastructure in WA to unlock and extend two clustered sets of deep-sea gas fields, at Scarborough and Browse, with three new gas fields at each site. The company would dredge a combined 1,330km of ocean floor for its pipelines, and send out seismic underwater pulses every five seconds for months at a time—right through key…

“WHEN I WAS EIGHT, one of my aunties took me up Mt Roland. As soon as I got on top, I felt like the king of the castle!” “I’D SAY THAT 90% of the mountains I climbed were with the Northwest Walking Club. When we didn’t have anywhere to go, we’d look up the Peak Baggers List and say, “We’ll go and do that one for a few more points”. When Bill Wilkinson wrote his book of the Abels, a lot of them were on the Peak-Baggers Guide list as well, so I found I’d already done them. It wasn’t until 2015 that Louise Fairfax got in touch and asked how many Abels I’d done. Well, I’d never counted them up, but when I did there were only thirteen I…

FOR ME, DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY offers the future a view of the past. It bears witness in an age when publications turn towards entertainment, celebrity and spin. I have been photographing the struggle for Tasmania’s wild lands for over twenty years. During this time, exclusion zones—designed to keep media and the public out of the forests—have been declared. Those exclusion zones have made it illegal to protest, and to record the act of protesting, in Tasmania’s forests. Many of the contested areas I have photographed are now included in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, vindicating those that put themselves out there in front of the chainsaws and bulldozers. There are countless more hectares of forest still standing than otherwise would be, thanks to non-violent direct action. Nonviolent direct action is a…

The Budawangs, NSW. A region with a reputation that well and truly precedes it. A place rightfully deserving of its status in bushwalking guidebooks and blogs and travel guides as a must-see destination, one that snatches the attention of tens of thousands of hikers a year who, just like me, come in search of luscious, pristine rainforest, stunningly shaped rock outcrops, and jaw-dropping vistas of rugged gorges. But when I finally stepped foot in these esteemed lands for the first time earlier this year, I wasn’t expecting those first steps to nearly be in an actual pile of poo. Yes, you read correctly. There I was, wandering through the fern-clad rainforest of the Monolith Valley, having just been mesmerised by the Green Room—an oasis-like mini canyon decorated with vibrant emerald-coloured…

CRADLE MOUNTAIN IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S iconic natural destinations for both sightseers and serious bushwalkers. But most of the thousands of visitors who hit the trails starting in Cradle Valley miss some of the area’s most beautiful features. This isn’t through a lack of walking tracks; instead, it’s due to an abundance of them. Most day visitors don’t have time to see all the wonders the vicinity has to offer, and most long-distance walkers embarking on the Overland Track are on a tight schedule to get to Lake St Clair more than 60km away. But a multi-day exploration of the immediate surrounds of Cradle Mountain is a worthy expedition in its own right—the three-day route described here visits rocky summits and rarely visited alpine lakes with overnight accommodation at a…

WHEN I UNPACKED MY NEW Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody, my first thought was: “Holy dooley, this thing is light!” At just 360g, it promised to pack a punch for its weight. My second thought was this: “It looks super shmick”. With its streamlined, slick design, the Atom LT was guaranteed to seriously spruce up my bushwalking wardrobe. Luckily for me, when I took it into the mountains—Goulburn River NP and Brisbane Water NP—for a few mid-winter overnight trips, I was reassured to find that the Atom LT doesn’t just look sexy, it’s constructed efficiently and thoughtfully too. The 20d Tyono shell, with its DWR finish, aims to provide the wind and water resistance of a good outer layer; while I haven’t yet tested it in the wet, the moderately windy…

Tasmania’s forests are remarkable for many reasons. They are incredibly beautiful. They are home to iconic wildlife. And they capture a unique essence of Tasmania’s wilderness. But perhaps the most awe-inspiring quality is that they are home to giants. Massive eucalyptus trees can tower up to 100m above the forest floor. But while many people are familiar with Eucalyptus regnans—more commonly known as mountain ash, which is the tallest flowering tree in the world—what many don’t know is that Tasmania has another four species of eucalypts that are in the top twelve of the world’s tallest trees: southern blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus); manna gum (Eucalyptus vimina lis); brown top stringybark (Eucalyptus obliqua); and alpine ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis). These giant trees, all attaining heights of over 85m, store a lot…

“Oh my GOD!! RIJAN?!” My eyes rolled and an involuntary groan undoubtedly slipped out. Young Bull was up to his old tricks. It had taken almost two years of attempts—all crushed by the ‘spicy cough’—but finally we were here. Scotty, Rijan (pronounced Ryan) and myself had managed to line up a trip to Tassie, and were moments away from striking out. Slowly mind you; our spines were soon to be crushed under 30-something kilo packs. Our stepping-off point was the Lake St Clair Visitor’s Center, more commonly known as the finish line of one of Australia’s most iconic multi-day hikes, the Overland Track. Presently, a rucksack-wearing young lady who had just completed that very journey was now excitedly engaging in conversation with Rijan. Following what Scotty later described as “an…

I stopped counting trees along the route when I got to three thousand, seven hundred and eleven. It had seemed a good idea to start with, an alternative to the mantra “left foot, right foot, relax, breathe”. But just 22 kays into the 275-odd kilometre long run I was undertaking through Victoria’s proposed Great Forest National Park (GFNP), less than a tenth of the way into the traverse, I was reminded of the enormity of this forest and of this run. In any case, I’d already counted enough trees to get a sense as to what was at stake here. This is land of immense ecological and cultural value. It is home to some of the planet’s most carbon-dense forest, forest that replenishes our oxygen supplies. Home to mountain…

Change is inevitable, right? Very little appears constant, especially in light of COVID. As the years nonchalantly roll past—with all life’s charms, trials and tribulations—a lot of us become acutely aware that it’s also (and just as importantly) change at a personal level. Somewhere deep inside—whether we are receptive to it or not—questions pop up about our life choices. Who are we changing into? Who truly am I? What’s important to me? That’s where, from a personal perspective, wilderness journeys provide time and space for personal reflection. We earth ourselves, so to speak. Yet some rare experiences rise above that, and stand alone as a powerful metaphor for change and growth—a rite of passage you might say. This is one of those occasions. Numerous failed attempts. All-night evacuations. A near-death…

DAY 1 Dove Lake to Scott Kilvert Hut 5.5km; approx 3 hours (although several side trips are possible) Take the shuttle bus to its last stop at Dove Lake. At the time of writing, a new multi-million-dollar shelter is being constructed (its purpose isn’t entirely clear apart from allowing a view over the lake when it’s raining, when you likely can’t see Cradle Mountain anyway). When completed, it will presumably include toilets and the walker-registration books that are currently in portable shipping container style facilities on the edge of the construction site. From the car park, head left, following signs to Hansons Peak and Lake Rodway. The track follows the lake shore then splits at Glacier Rock—take the left fork to head uphill on a steady climb on the western…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER. And my first impression of Salewa’s Wildfire Edge approach shoe was this: These things are sexy. I mean, really. They have a suitably high end aura, the colour combination of teal and red/orange is right up my alley, and they look like what I’d imagine the offspring would look like if I left my day hiking shoes alone for a cosy night with my climbing shoes. I guess that’s not surprising given the alpine climbing and technical approach intent of the shoes. Before I’d ever got to see them in the flesh, though, I had to figure out which size to get online. I’m usually an EU39.5, but that size—along with some other in-between EU size options—was not available. I used the size chart tool on…

Commercial luxury cabins and glamping development in Great Sandy National Park remains a battleground issue within Queensland national parks. The proposal would develop five sites on private leases along the iconic Cooloola Great Walk, a 102km thru-hike from the Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach, with construction due for completion in 2024. But with adequate camping sites existing already, sites currently used for guiding outdoor programmes and personal trips, there is significant local opposition to the proposal; Keep Cooloola Cool and Protect our Parks are just two of the NGOs spearheading the fight. Lying north of the Sunshine Coast—home to the famous Noosa Everglades and Double Island Surf Point—the Cooloola region is both special and precious. It is one of the only remaining undeveloped coastal sand land masses on Australia’s…

“IN 2015, I WAS ASKED BY BILL Wilkinson to compile a list of the people who’d completed the Abels, or who had 20 or fewer to go. At the time, I don’t think there were any women on that list, and we both felt that was a failure.” “I MYSELF HAD PROBABLY done around 100 Abels at that point, but I became a facilitator. I offered to help one man by putting him in touch with others who needed the same peak, but he thought I was asking if he’d like some company, and about a week later I got an invitation to join him. So I began helping him by being his hiking partner, and eventually he said to me, “You’re amassing a lot of Abels, you could be…

Iyell to the team to turn around, but my words fade into the cold roar of gale-force winds. Meanwhile, my face is being peppered by icy needles blowing in the 80km/h blasts; I try to pull my balaclava up to protect my exposed skin. I’m only half successful. I sit there momentarily, hunkered low, thinking we can still push for Mt Tasman’s summit. It is so close. But then we are hit again by another big gust. This one nearly topples us. With a mixture of emotions—disappointment being the most evident—I realise the summit is out of reach. Mother Nature clearly has a different plan for us. On one knee, holding hard onto my ice axe, I shout again to Sam and Tom to turn around, and point back down…

THERE ARE SOME TRIPS you have where everything goes smoothly. Others seem to be precisely the opposite. This was one of those, a trip where it seemed everything conspired against us. We—me, Case Turner, and Doug Hollinger—had initially planned to meet in January, 2022, to put together a roadtrip climbing a variety of the amazing waterfall-ice routes that drip down the magnificent cliffs and mountainsides of the southern Canadian Rockies in British Columbia and Alberta. The problems, however, started from the outset. I lost baggage at Vancouver Airport. Bungled COVID testing protocols for international travel blocked the three of us from our planned January trip. I partially tore my ACL in February. My credit card was eaten by an ATM; a replacement never arrived. When I finally got to Revelstoke,…

IF THERE’S ONE THING that seems common among winter-slash-four season tents, besides the fact they’re bomber, it’s that they’re heavy. Compared to tents designed for the warmer months, these things weigh a ton. Well, OK, that’s figuratively, not literally. But many do weigh upwards of four kilograms, and one that hits three kilos on the dot is definitely on the lighter side. So when you’re on an alpine expedition, or on a long backcountry skin up the side of some peak, and you’re grunting away thinking, Man, I wish my pack was lighter, your thoughts immediately turn to the heaviest single piece of gear you’re likely carrying: your tent. The North Face’s Futurelight Assault 2 tent is a radical departure from the norm, though. The tent is made of a…

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