Table of contents for Issue 165, May-June 2018 in Wild

As I write, the weather in Australia’s southeastern states has turned cold. Snow has returned to Tasmania and autumn is beginning to make its presence generally felt further up the eastern seaboard. Trouble is, and in what has become something of a trend, this temperate change has come somewhat late in the year. The winter revellers are likely praying to the frost giants for an early start to winter, with flurries of powder followed by many a bluebird weekend. And with the inaugural Victorian Backcountry Festival slated for September, we’ve got even more to look forward to. Looking at some of the broader sociopolitical goings-on we now face around the world, it’s easy to think of the weather as a triviality. How can the subject of snowfall compare with Syria?…

My head slams into the roof of the small motorboat as we ride eastwards into the swell. Karta, my taciturn boat driver, smiles back from behind his dark shades and walrus-like moustache. I look past him to the sculpted forms of half-a-dozen icebergs trailing in our wake. Rugged, treeless slopes bound the fjord, vanishing quickly into a lid of thick cloud and swirling mist. The dark water below appears cold and menacing. “Sirmiq!” (glacier) shouts a suddenly animated Karta above the deafening whirr of the boat’s motor. He points to a gleaming, cream-white mass that seemed to hover in the distance, at the head of the fjord. For a fleeting few seconds I also make out a far-off fang of rock soaring and skewering the canopy of cloud like some…

“Would you like to come on a three-day hike at Pantoneys Crown in September?” This was the message I received upon regaining cellular reception at the end of July in Peru, having spent a month off the grid. “Sure.” I had no idea where we would go or what the walk would entail, but why not? Having returned to Australia, I was still of the belief the trip would be somewhere near my new home town (Newcastle, NSW), but after beginning to research logistics I discovered Pantoneys Crown is located in the Gardens of Stone National Park – a four-hour drive away. As a relatively new arrival to New South Wales, I’d never heard of it before. I now know Gardens of Stone is situated north of the Blue Mountains…

2:46am, Saturday morning. Junior shakes again in the violent wind waking me out of a light sleep. The rain doesn’t have that soft relaxing sound as it connects with the body of our van. It feels more like rapid applause from an excited crowd. Lying here, in the safety of our 17-year-old VW camper named Junior that we have rented for the week, I think of the 20-odd Russians outside, last seen making dinner in the only shelter available – the toilet block. Their tents didn’t look too strong. Let alone inviting. We have been here for five nights; this is our final. Gale force winds and rain. Lots of rain. I think back to all the people we had passed on the trail who were heading out to the mountains…

In the mid-19th Century, regent honeyeaters were among the most common birds in southeast Australia. Frequently seen in suburban Melbourne and Sydney, the species’ vast range extended in a broad swathe from the Adelaide hills to Brisbane. Since this time, the regent honeyeater has undergone a rapid decline. Without doubt the major cause of decline is the extreme clearance of box-ironbark woodlands. Regent honeyeaters nest in association with flowering trees, specifically those species that grow on fertile soils and hence produce the richest nectar. Because these tree species have been disproportionately cleared for agriculture, regent honeyeaters have lost 95 per cent of their breeding habitat. To compound the effects of habitat loss, regent honeyeaters are smaller than the species they compete with for remaining nectar sources. Historically, they compensated for…

There is no easy way to summit Tasmania’s Federation Peak. Its fortress-like form rises from the Eastern Arthurs, deep within the World Heritage wilderness of the Southwest National Park. The tough terrain poses challenges even for experienced bushwalkers. Bad weather thwarts many attempts. There are longer and harder routes but probably the most spectacular is the ridgeline traverse of both the Western and Eastern Arthurs. For years, photographs of the jagged peaks and alpine lakes of the Arthur Range captivated me. I dreamed of completing the full Arthur Range traverse and standing atop Federation Peak. But it is a serious undertaking. I needed experience. I began overnight hiking and I joined a bushwalking club, Adelaide Bushwalkers. I planned to walk less demanding Tasmanian hikes first, like the Overland Track, the…

THE ESCAPE Location: Nazare, Portugal Photographer: Aidan Williams Camera: Fujifilm XT2 Lens: XF14mm f/2.8R Settings: 1/400sec at F/4.5, ISO 1000 Date taken: 12/2017 BELMORE FALLS FROM ABOVE Location: Belmore Falls, Southern Highlands, NSW Photographer: Serena Coady Camera: DJI Mavic Pro Settings: f/2.2, 1/25, ISO 100 Date taken: 06/2017 HANGING OUT Location: Berg, Canton of Thurgau, Switzerland Photographer: Christof Sonderegger…

Ever since German outdoor gear and apparel brand Jack Wolfskin first announced its new line of eco-friendly apparel, (which it did at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor Show in June 2017) we’ve been waiting with baited breath to see the result first-hand. And even after nearly 12 months of building expectations, we can’t believe what we’re seeing. Jack Wolfskin promised a world first: a waterproof, breathable jacket constructed from all-recycled materials. Not only have they delivered on the specs, but the new line lives up to the brand’s reputation for a superior aesthetic. The selection of both ‘active’ and ‘everyday’ rain jackets have been introduced under the Texapore Ecosphere banner, speaking to the innovations Jack Wolfskin has made in textile development. The combination of waterproof, breathable membranes might not be cutting edge,…

We light a fire to guide the chopper down. Once the flames take hold, Dan adds armfuls of ironwood leaves, generating plumes of thick white smoke. We form a circle around the bush clearing to show the helicopter where to land. The pilot spots the smoke, passes overhead and banks away before returning to land cautiously on the uneven red ground. An intense wind gust blasts dust into our faces and rips hats from heads. The pilot introduces himself as Simon. In his worn moleskins, scuffed boots and blue shirt he’s the epitome of outback Australia. He guides Jake and Larry onto his craft and loads their packs. They wave as the chopper powers up and curls away above the dry woolybutt forest. Two down, nine left. Three days ago…

Rising up from the crystal-blue waters of Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand’s mountainous South Island is The Remarkables Range. Arriving in the area, if you harboured any questions as to why this range was thus named, these will be quickly answered by a simple glance upwards at the steeply jutting skyline. Home to a popular ski field, The Remarkables are also host to some of the best and most accessible winter ice and mixed climbing in this rugged region. To sweeten the pot even more, The Remarkables are also very close to an international airport along with the thriving mountain town of Queenstown. Given the aforementioned, it’s clear to see why the ‘Remarks’, as the area is known by locals, was chosen to host an annual Ice and Mixed Climbing…

The rocks that form the Grampians were originally sand, mud and silt deposited on an ancient coastline 430 million years ago. They were compressed then forced upwards by collisions of continental plates, with erosion shaping the dramatic landscape we see today. Indigenous people have had an association with the Grampians for at least 30,000 years. After the last Ice Age the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali people made their home here, hunting and exploring in the mountains they called “Gariwerd” which means, simply, “the mountain range”. European settlers arrived after explorer Major Thomas Mitchell climbed Mount William on July 14, 1836 and named the Grampians after a range in his native Scotland. Over the next 150 years the mountains were harvested for stone and timber, and the surrounding plains were cleared…

While being known as a ‘non-event’, the Hunt 1000 is not for everyone. Just going by the failure rate (50 percent) it’s for less than half of the population. But how tough is the Hunt 1000? Stale bread tough? Overcooked kangaroo steak? Or more like Lemon Solo thirst-quencher tough? A spoonful of cement on Nutri-Grain, Rambo kind of tough (First Blood, not the sequels)? I reckon I’m tough; Three Peaks, Audax, Taiwan KOM. Tick, tick, tick. But the Hunt 1000 is tough. Really tough. I mean Really F*ing Tough. For the 2017 edition, my team averaged 100 kilometres and 2000 metres of climbing for nine days straight. Slightly shorter than the official route, but tailored to our physical limits. Limits that were tested, torn up and thrown out repeatedly. But…

The hulking mass of grey and white hovers suspended in the clear blue water, completely filling my visual field—and this one is a calf, probably only a day or two old. Just as suddenly as I spotted it, the newborn humpback whale disappears, ushered away by its protective mother. Only then I exhale, and lift my eyes to the surface to find the rest of my group. I am swimming with 16 others in aquamarine water off Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. After motoring out of the river mouth aboard one of Sunreef Mooloolaba’s vessels, the crew spotted this humpback cow and her calf cruising less than 500 metres offshore. We have been given a thorough briefing by the crew, including rules about swimming with humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). This…

New Zealand’s South Island is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the world’s premier adventure playgrounds. The rugged mountains and rivers contained within this wild isle’s southwest corner, bordered by Mt Cook National Park, Mount Aspiring NP and Fiordland NP, would have to be the crown atop this jewel. The sheer amount of hiking opportunities in this part of the world is nearly overwhelming while being incredibly exciting. The same goes for mountaineering, ice climbing, mountain biking and paddling. You just need to figure out how much time you can spare. MUCH MORE THAN GREAT This part of the South Island contains what we rate as three of the best – and most accessible – of NZ’s nine Great Walks. The Routeburn Track, the Kepler Track and what is often…

At the beginning of April this year, MP for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney visited The Friends of the Eastern Otways to congratulate them in being awarded $2,200 by the government. The group, which members describe as a collection of individuals with a shared interest in the natural environment who wish to know more about the ecology of Great Otway National Park. The dedication of The Friends of the Eastern Otways to surveying and protecting the area has seen them provided the additional funds as part of a larger investment of $4.7 million provided by the government’s Regional Landscapes and Targeted Action Initiative. This funding is part of $86.3 million that has been announced to support the recently launched Biodiversity 2037 plan over the next four years. Dr Kim Lowe, director…

In a small village in the far north of Italy, at the base of the Dolomite mountains, cobbler Narciso Delladio began hand-craft ing wooden clogs and leather boots for farmers and lumberjacks who worked in the surrounding Fassa and Fiemme valleys. The year was 1928, and Delladio quickly converted the cellar in which he worked into a workshop to manage the demand of his high-quality footwear. During the Second World War, the fledgling company “Calzeleria Sportiva”, produced custom-made mountain boots for the Italian army, and after the war the demand for mountaineering boots continued to grow. Delladio began to hire new workers to supply footwear throughout the region. By the 1950s the company had again outgrown the existing workshop in the village of Ziano di Fiemme, and under Narciso’s son…