Table of contents for Issue 161, Sep-Oct 2017 in Wild

In our ongoing pursuit to support everything that is so awesome about the outdoors in Australia, Wild is proud to be sponsoring the following three great events. Keep an eye on our eNews for more updates. Now in its second year, the Snowy River Extreme race will be held on the iconic Snowy River in Kosciuszko National Park over the October Long Weekend. With two courses, Expert and Immediate, this event is a great opportunity to paddle an iconic river, to mingle with other paddlers, and to test out those paddling skills. Packrafts have been added as a new category for this year. Check out event organiser Johannes Henriks’ piece later in this issue of Wild. For more information and to register visit www.snowyriverextremerace.com.au…

I am standing in the forest that was the ignition point of mountain biking in Australia with the man who ignited it – Glen Jacobs. “Come down here,” says Glen, “I want to show you something special.” He leans his bike on a tree and gestures me to do the same. I wonder what “special” might look like in a habitat the world’s most renowned naturalist picked as his favourite place? Sir David Attenborough, who has explored more nooks than most over his 70-year career, describes Far North Queensland as “magical”. I’ve been spending the day with Glen riding the volcanic clay trails of Smithfield Mountain Bike Park, which twist through the world’s highest profile rainforest. It’s a 60-kilometre trail network hemmed in by the jagged ridges that overlook the…

It’s not hard to imagine Elyne Mitchell at the top of a 1400-metre drop down Hannels Spur letting loose the reins of her grey pony – rain from the west driving so fiercely she and her friend could barely see. Sometimes, you’ve got to trust your gear. The pony had proved himself ‘splendid’ in rough, steep country and he delivered Mitchell – later to become well known for her Silver Brumby books – to the rapidly-rising river at Geehi Flats in the nick of time. Hannels Spur rises from around 450 metres near Geehi on the Alpine Way between Thredbo and Khancoban to Abbott Ridge running south-west off Australia’s second highest peak, Mount Townsend (2,209 metres). The full Hannels Spur walk takes in all 1,800 vertical metres of the western…

STATISTICS Cutting through the densely forested Cardwell Range in Tropical North Queensland is the renowned and undeniably spectacular, Tully Gorge. Tully, both the town and the greater area, is probably best known for being right up there on the podium for the title of having Australia’s highest annual rainfall. Thus it stands to reason that with such mountainous terrain and abundant precipitation, it is also home to one of Australia’s premier easy-access whitewater rivers. Picture yourself negotiating your packraft down a river with turquoise waters, pleasant temperatures, smooth rocks, birds chirping and countless bubbling rapids. The entire time you’re also hemmed in on both sides by steep-sided walls of impenetrable tropical greenery. It’s really akin to something out of Jurassic Park. So much so that on arrival we were even…

It was 2002, and barely three months after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design’s Industrial Design program, when Cam Bresinger started NEMO Equipment. The highly regarded brand is famous for its air beam tents – dubbed AirSupported Technology by NEMO – which were considered revolutionary when they first appeared (at the Salt Lake City Outdoor Retail Show in 2004). These ‘new’ tents relied on air-inflated beams – rather than poles – to provide the tent’s structure - and its strength - and were easily pumped up via a foot pump. The air beam concept reflected Cam’s climbing experience (including tackling summits such as Denali and Mt Washington); those in extreme environments needed equipment that was durable and reliable – which he had proved the air beams were –…

NEW ZEALAND HIGH Location: Rome Ridge, Mt. Rolleston, Arthurs Pass, NZ Photographer: Ben Stott Camera: iPhone Approach toward Low Peak Mt. Rolleston, Arthurs Pass New Zealand GENTLE ANNIE Location: Tulloch Ard Gorge, Snowy River, Victoria Photographer: Andrew Barnes Camera: Nikon D750 AF S Nikkor 24-120mm Jayd Wieland smashing through Gentle Annie. Rapid: 3+ River gauge: 2 metres Gentle Annie is the last rapid in Tulloch Ard Gorge on the Snowy River, VIC FIXING THE FIRST ICE SCREW Location: Wye Creek, The Remarkables, Queenstown NZ Photographer: Sam Thompson Camera: Panasonic Lumix GH4 f/3.2 Date: 21/07/2017 Waking up in a comfortable bivvy underneath the frozen ‘Iron Curtain’, Julian and I headed out for a morning climb. We chose to embark on Trigger Finger (WI4), a 70m line involving some stemming between a relatively…

The Dongah Aluminium Corporation (DAC) has been developing products for the outdoor industry since the company was founded in 1988. Not only has the company’s founder and president, Jake Lah been on a quest to create a product that would lead the market for its strength-to-weight ratio, he’s also invested heavily into finding ways to reduce environmental impacts. When he began, aluminium tubes would be boiled in a mixture of nitric acid and phosphoric acid as part of the anodising process, creating noxious fumes as a by-product. What began with a need to improve things for the health of his employees, Lah would spend the first eight years at DAC finding ways to remove nitric and phosphoric acids from production, which turns out to be better for the environment too.…

While the geographical boundaries of Patagonia are somewhat vague, its reputation certainly isn’t. The region’s fame, or perhaps infamy, has swelled with each passing year to the point of legendary status. It is a lonely, windswept land, an enigma that quite literally stands at the end of the earth. It was Ferdinand Magellan who solved the last great puzzle of the New World in 1520, navigating the strait which now bears his name and splits the lower reaches of South America. That said, his “discovery” was predated by some millennia - a towering race of natives, the Tehuelche, inhabited the remote land and had done for some 14,500 years. Patagon, Magellan called them, thinking them to be giants. From the very beginning, Patagonia entered the European consciousness as a land…

I’m trying to shovel the last of a chocolate lamington into my mouth. Actually, I’m trying to do a lot more than just eat this delicious, yet incredibly unhealthy and completely inappropriate breakfast. Under my left arm I’m holding my bike helmet. The lamington is kinda half-in, half-out of my mouth, and standing behind a tree taking a last rest stop, I’m using my right hand to hold, well… I’m sure you’re imaginative enough to fill in the blanks. I once read that the most annoying thing flight attendants endure on flights are those passengers who decide to go to the toilet right before landing. “You’ve had the entire flight to go to the toilet, why couldn’t you go earlier,” is their common complaint. I reckon just before starting a…

The concept of walking between to fixed points along a suspended rope has existed throughout human history. Whether for practical reasons or as a form of entertainment, people have always enjoyed finding unique ways to thumb our noses at gravity. Most likely, the earliest rope walkers would have gone on to become the world’s earliest bridge builders. However, rope walking for entertainment reasons has also been known since antiquity, with ‘funambulism’ appearing as a popular spectacle in ancient Rome. Since those times, the activity has given rise to many different spins on the traditional format as each new daredevils seeks to leave their mark. Since World War II, subsequent increases in weekend recreation activities in national parks has found a new niche for rope walking. In particular, climbers visiting California’s…

For most Aussies visiting Canada, BC is usually the first port of call. For those keen on multiday hikes, there’s no ‘usually’ – this province’s numerous trails mean it’s definitely where you want to be for an epic hiking adventure. With its rugged coastline, dense forests and vast alpine regions, BC is the near-perfect location for a number of highly regarded multiday hikes, ranging from three days through to three weeks in length, with myriad distances and difficulty levels, but backed by excellent services in regards to well maintained campsites, an easy-to-understand permit booking system (where required), transport to and from, and the option of going fully guided with a local outfitter, or tackling a trail independently The sheer number of multiday hiking trails in BC would fill a book,…

Deep in our country’s arid interior, work has begun on building the longest cat-proof fence in the world. The fence is part of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC)’s vision for Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary: a large tract of feral-free land, perfectly suited for reintroducing at least 10 endangered native species. Not only will it protect the area from cats and foxes, but it’s also designed to be rabbit-proof as well. As it continues to develop, Newhaven is shaping up to be one of the most significant conservation projects undertaken recently, at a time when Australia has made an unfortunate name for itself in having one of the worst rates of mammal extinctions in the world. Among scientists, there’s now general consensus that Australia’s terrestrial ecosystems will benefit greatly from a network…

STATISTICS obtain a permit from the National Parks desk at the Nitmiluk Centre. Permits are available between 7:30am and 1pm on the day of departure or can be arranged the afternoon prior. Alternatively, the parks desk suggests pre-booking your permit by emailing them on parks.desk@nt.gov.au with details of departure and return dates, which campsites you wish to stay at, and the number of persons in your group. Camping is only permitted at Dunlop Swamp, Smit Rock and the 8th Gorge. Camping fees of $3.30 per person per night apply, or $1.65 per night for children. Newly opened in 2015 the Waleka Walk, in conjunction with the existing Yambi Walk in Nitmiluk National Park, gives bushwalkers the chance to complete a three-day circuit walk along the spectacular southern rim of the…

Prize Osprey Manta AG 28 Andrew Meek of NSW describes his most exhilarating, rewarding and enjoyable walk to date, as hiking the spectacular Eastern Arthur Range in Tasmania. Traversing Scotts Peak Dam, Arthur Plains, Pass Creek, The Dial, Hanging Lake, Moss Ridge, and topping it off with a summit of Federation Peak. “We always pose full monty for our summit shot”, says Meek. “Although, fortunately for everyone else it was also a bitterly cold day.” Andrew wins an Osprey Manta AG 28, valued at $239.95. Designed for lightweight hiking for the day or even overnight, the Manta includes Osprey’s LightWire frame, mesh backpanel, BioStretch shoulder harness and AG hipbelt for on-the-go comfort. SUBMIT A PHOTO OR LETTER TO THE EDITOR For your chance to win a quality piece of outdoor…

I am a paddler. Let me clarify that. I am a whitewater paddler. I like, no, I love nothing more than being in my boat and running rapids. Yet, as I sit at my desk, my mobile phone, my laptop and a notebook beside me, I ponder yet another weekend spent indoors and not on the water. It seems just yesterday that I was doing this all before. However, my déjà vu is not imagined. For just over a year ago, I had organised and run the first Snowy River Extreme Race. It was March 2016. I had just returned from an epic three-month, whitewater paddling trip through New Zealand. During that trip I attended two kayaking events; the Wairoa Extreme Race, and Buller Fest. The atmosphere and the stoke…

I wouldn’t normally consider myself a reckless paddler. When paddling whitewater, the consequence of a badly chosen line, a lapse in concentration, or a hidden obstruction, can be catastrophic. The power of water as it thunders down a river channel is something to behold. Yet the opportunity to paddle my local run, the Murray, in full flood was simply too alluring. As we prepared to push away from the safety of terra firma and point our kayaks into the swirling waters, I did consider that fine line between calculated risk and recklessness. Although the thought was fleeting, and as the adrenaline surged, all thoughts of endangerment quickly dissipated. The Murray River, south of Perth, travels over 130 kilometres from its catchment at Williams, before being dispersed into the Indian Ocean…

It seems to be a common sin that people living in Australian cities aren’t often aware of the natural splendour that lies just a short drive away. Such is the curse of Lerderderg State Park. While it only takes a little over an hour to get there from Melbourne, most Melburnians have never even heard of it, despite a rich cultural and natural history The area’s main feature is the Lerderderg River, which provides for many scenic walks among tall eucalypts and beautiful wildflowers (best seen in late winter or spring). The region was once home to many hopeful prospectors seeking to make their fortunes, and evidence of their work remains to be rediscovered by modern visitors. The park features its own Conservation Zone, which has been created to protect…

The musky rat-kangaroo, affectionately known as ‘hypsi’ (from Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) is the smallest kangaroo in Australia, 100 times smaller than the largest kangaroos (weighing in at around 620 grams). It is also the kangaroo that most resembles its ancient forbears, having characteristics shared with ~20 million-year-old fossil kangaroos. Characters include: a prehensile tail, mostly used for carrying nesting material; an opposable thumb on the hind foot, so that it can grasp and climb; a simple digestive tract for a generalised omnivorous diet; and the regular birth of twins rather than single young. They can have up to four joeys in the pouch. Although there are no records of four joeys surviving, triplets are sometimes reared through to independence. Perhaps the most significant trait of musky rat-kangaroos is their role in…

The base of Hannels Spur, on the western side of the NSW Snowy Mountains, is accessed from near the Geehi Flats campground on the Alpine Way, around 45 kilometres northwest of Thredbo, and 30 kilometres south of Khancoban. From the entrance to the campground, the best approach is via a short (150-metre), four-wheel drive track 900 metres to the south along the Alpine Way towards Thredbo. This track leads to the edge of the Swampy Plain River opposite Dr Forbes Hut, rebuilt by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Kosciuszko Huts Association in 2010. The river can be crossed on foot a few metres upstream from the hut above a small drop in the stream bed, although walking poles are recommended and care needs to be taken, especially in…

I received my first headlamp as a Christmas present from my parents back in the early 1990s. I still have it. A Petzl Micro E03. I can buy one on ebay now for about twenty bucks. However, this little incandescent bulb torch, with its twist-top zoom in/out feature has guided me through more underground caves than I can remember, and sat upon my head, beanie, helmet throughout my teens. Of course, if I ever really needed to see anything, I’d always pull out my baton size Mag torch and light up the night. Oh how technology has changed! Headlamps have come a long way over the years, and choosing a headlamp today is usually a balance between brightness, battery life, weight and, of course, price. However, even a cursory search…