Wildの Issue 196, Winter 2025 の目次

Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd convicted of offences after overflows of coal-laden water near the Royal National Park Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, has been convicted in the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales for three offences under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW). Metropolitan Collieries was prosecuted by the Environment Protection Authority (‘EPA’) and pleaded guilty to two offences of water pollution and one offence of contravening its environment protection licence relating to the maintenance of a dam. Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd operates the Metropolitan Colliery, a small underground coal mine located in Helensburgh NSW near the Royal National Park and the Garawarra State Conservation Area. Camp Gully Creek, which flows into the Hacking River, runs adjacent to the south of…

“Oh, wow! That’s so cool!” Yeah, I know. Reviewing outdoor gear is one of the best jobs I can imagine, and hey—I get to do it! Neat, huh? Or is it? Well, it’s not quite the piece of cake it might seem. For starters, you need a deep understanding of outdoor gear. Seems obvious, but a lot of people think they know more than they actually do (myself included), a fact which becomes increasingly tedious the longer you work in an outdoor store. I did four years in the industry before tackling my first serious review. (NB: I’m now up to something like sixteen years, so my knowledge is growing at a rate inversely proportional to the shrinking of my memory.) Okay, so you’ve got the facts and figures. Now…

Perseverance, that’s what comes to mind when I look back at this image. We were on the West Coast of New Zealand, trying to find a way to reach the summit of Mt Aurora via its east face. It’s not a prominent peak, nor a very technical one, but its west face offers a very nice ski line and that was our plan for the day. The base of the east face is relatively steep, and the conditions at the time were very deep with a typical crust on soft snow. I was putting the track in, and it took me more than half an hour to progress 100m in the above-knee-deep snow. The rest of the group was waiting for me to be out of trouble to safely carry…

Sliding down the face of the wave, I can’t help but let out a little whoop. The clichés are true: It’s like flying, a pure thrill of movement. I don’t think; I just adjust my weight and turn to ride along the wave. I’ve been surfing for years, without much commitment, progress or skill. But this bit has finally clicked. Rather than putting in another stroke or two so I feel secure, I’m springing to my feet early, watching the wave drop away in front of me and then gliding down its slope. And each time I whoop with the thrill. (That’s on the good waves. There are plenty of others.) When it goes oh-so-smoothly, there’s not much conscious thought. Instead, I’m paddling for a wave and then suddenly on…

(RRP $40) WILD IS NO ORDINARY MAGAZINE. Since its establishment in 1981, Wild has been the inspiring voice of the Australian outdoors. It is a magazine of self-reliance and challenge and sometimes doing it tough. While it is not necessarily hardcore, what it certainly is not is soft-core. It is not glamping. It is not about being pampered while experiencing the outdoors. Wild does not speak down to experienced adventurers. And Wild does not look on conservation as a mere marketing tool. For over four decades, Wild has actively and fiercely fought for the environment. Campaigning to protect our wild places is part of our DNA. Show that you care about stories that matter by subscribing to Wild. WE’RE STOKED TO BE PARTNERING with Helly Hansen to offer a Beanie with…

It was halfway through a $12 coffee and a painfully slow lift line that I first caught myself staring past the ropes to the untouched, sparkling snow beyond. No crowds. No queues. Just silence and space. That’s when the seed was planted: What if I tried backcountry touring? From there, it became an obsession. For those ready to take the leap from lift-access to humanpowered powder, here’s everything worth knowing: Where to go; what to bring; and all the stuff nobody mentions until you’re halfway up a skin track wondering if this is how it ends. BEFORE YOU GO Build Your Skills: The backcountry is beautiful, but unforgiving: Ungroomed snow; hidden hazards; no help for miles. Make sure you can ski or ride confidently in resorts: Can you deal with…

[Letter of the Issue] RESPECTFUL DISAGREEMENT Dear Wild, Thanks for your excellent most-recent issue (#195) of the magazine. I read Ross Taylor’s piece on the Arapiles climbing ban with interest. Many excellent points are made in the article. I think Ross is missing a point, however, and is blaming Parks Victoria. They have unfairly become the whipping post. Reading the piece, I was constantly reminded of Jennifer Peedom’s movie Sherpa and the interview with a sherpa who says that he doesn’t want to climb the mountain as it is a deity to be respected and cared for, but that he has little choice economically. At Dyurrite, climbers do have a choice. In the movie, some of the climbers show little respect for the mountain, for themselves, or for the sherpas.…

Thirty degrees with the sun glowing hotly onto red rock feels good for a moment or two … if you’ve just stepped out of a cold, sunless cavern. But if you’ve been toiling up a long hill under that sun, carrying a pack full of climbing gear, as we did just a couple of weeks ago, it was something to escape from as soon as possible. Luckily for us, aspect favoured us. Shade had not long crept over our destination, so we could dump our packs, mix and drink a generous draught of rehydration salts—refreshingly lime flavoured—and then let the dry air suck up our perspiration while we admired the stunning surroundings in comfortable shade. The cliffline known as Moonarie—an amphitheatre of multi-faceted buttresses that forms Wilpena Pound’s outer southeast…

Here come the Scallywags. One moment they’re up high on the road; seconds later, it seems—having bounded down a steep bank, traipsed through some light bush, crossed the creek—hey presto, they are on my deck and we are shaking hands. It all happens surprisingly quickly. Over the years, I have watched many people make their way down this bank; it is not big, but it is steep enough and often slippery; most move hesitantly down it. But not the Scallywags. I have arranged to meet four members of the group—Liam, Rich, Matt and Remy—at my place before we head off on a rainforest walk in the Royal National Park, halfway between Sydney and Wollongong. And while none of the four are quite what you might call big and boofy, they’re…

From the edge of cliffs still dotted with snow, the canyon walls of the Koyukuk River hundreds of metres below loomed large. The thundering of the snowmelt-swollen river was the only sound in earshot. I was five days into a 28-day traverse across Arctic Alaska, and the terrain seemed steeper than the satellite mapping—the sole information source available to me when planning this section of the route—had suggested for this section. It felt like the immensity of this wild landscape was pressing in from all sides. While I wove through breaks in cliffs towards the river, a grizzly bear popped out on a shelf below, and I stood watching as she stalked across my only path down. Then the bear looked up. It erupted into motion, and charged uphill towards…

IT’S AN INCONGRUOUS ADVENTURE that fills a rucksack with hiking gear and a snorkelling mask, but tropical escapes are just that. Coral reefs and estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles and stifling humidity, coconut-fringed sand cays and irukandji marine stingers: The Great Barrier Reef islands offer intrepid hikers the quintessential tropical shakedown. This Wild Bunch pulls you off the Far North Queensland coastline for experiences that are about more than sublime vistas and swimming. From Hinchinbook Island (Munamudanamy) to the faraway Flinders Group, these are hikes for spotting wildlife, shredding shorts, unearthing Indigenous culture and cracking coconuts, all within easy reach of the sea but often very far away. And Queensland national parks do three things differently: There are no park-entry fees; trails are graded easy, moderate and difficult; and campsites cost…

“The outerwear equivalent of a one-ski quiver; it does it all.” REVIEW THE NORTH FACE VERBIER GTX JACKET AND BIB At home both inbounds and far beyond resort boundaries. LIGHT IS RIGHT FOR MANY in the backcountry. But not for all. Some prefer gear that’s heavier duty. Gear that’s burly, that’s bombproof, that’s truly functional. Perhaps more to the point though, many backcountry skiers or boarders—probably even the majority of them, myself included—enjoy time in lifted resorts as well. They want gear that can pull double-duty, gear that’s at home both inbounds and far beyond resort boundaries. If that’s you, you’re who The North Face’s Verbier Gore-Tex Jacket and Bib is aimed at. Designed for equal parts resort and backcountry, the Verbier combo (you can buy either item singly as well)…

We get it; we know ads aren’t the primary reason you read Wild. But without our supporters, Wild simply wouldn’t exist*. If you love what we’re on about here at Wild, if you’re passionate about both adventure and protecting our natural heritage, if having a magazine that’s full of well-written, crafted stories means something to you, a magazine that fights hard for our environment, then support our supporters; without them, Wild wouldn’t exist. We know that our advertising supporters aren’t, of course, your only options when it comes to choosing what gear you purchase. But if you’re in a situation where you have a few cool options to choose from, and one of them happens to be from one of our advertisers, then show them their support means something by choosing…

Bathurst Harbour without wind or waves? Doesn’t happen, does it? Or maybe I’d seen too many YouTube videos of Bathurst Harbour in filthy weather. Sure, one day we battled with waves that had me contemplating a glorious death, but out of our twelve days, we had ten just like this. How are those odds in Southwest Tassie?! JOHN MAINWARING Bellgrave, VIC John wins an awesome Nemo Equipment MOONLITE reclining camp chair valued at $249.95. The chair brings comfort to the backcountry, and is barely noticeable in your pack. A unique pulley system allows you to adjust your sitting position on the fly, and oversized tubes create exceptional strength and stability despite the chair’s light weight. nemoequipment.com SEND US YOUR WILD SHOT TO WIN GREAT GEAR! For a chance to win…