Table of contents for Issue 169, Jan-Feb 2019 in Wild

To every thing there is a season When I began working on Wild in late 2014, I believed I was making a big move away from the world of corporate content marketing that I had worked in so far. I wasn’t disappointed. Working on a publication like this affords a unique perspective on the field of publishing. Gone are the heady days of the 80s and 90s when almost every household maintained subscriptions for three or four mags. Today, we consume content from a broad variety of platforms, rather than simply reading our favourite publication. Yet, in this noisy world of ‘online-only’ and ‘digital-first’, the continued and generous support of Wild’s community has helped to shield the magazine from these winds of change. Coming to recognise and understand this support…

The broad, snow-covered peak of Cho Oyu is nestled among the jagged mountains that separate Tibet from Nepal. Its summit stands at just over 8,200 metres, making it the sixth highest peak on the planet. Although, upon our arrival at the beginning of May, the skies were fine and sunny - Tibetans refer to Cho Oyu as the Turquoise Goddess - the mountain has a reputation for ferocity; winds commonly reach over 100 kilometres per hour, and temperatures can plummet to-35 degrees celsius. Many experienced climbers are prevented from reaching the summit. Staring up the valley from Base Camp toward the distant monolith, I thought back to how I had arrived at this spot, and what I was to embark upon. Having climbed Aconcagua the previous year, I’d been looking…

QUICK FACTS Adventure Destination Mount Kaputar National Park, NSW Activities available Hiking, Climbing, MTB, Birdwatching Size of location 36,816ha Contact information NSW NPWS Narrabri Office 02 6792 7300 www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au Permits No permits required Maps NSW 1:25000 Topo Series Kaputar 8937-3N Accommodation Cabins at Dawson’s Ck Campground; Campsites at Barks Hut and Dawson’s Ck Campgrounds With its deep valleys, dramatic cliff lines, volcanic dykes, lava terraces, and mountain peaks, Mount Kaputar National Park is nothing short of breathtaking. Described as ‘an island in the sky’, Kaputar—like its younger geological sibling, the Warrumbungles, famously known for their Breadknife formation—is part of the Nandewar Range. As our continental plate drifted 17-21 million years ago, lava spewed out of hot spots in the plains. The surrounding rock was soft and eroded quickly. But not…

East Gippsland is the only place on mainland Australia where continuous, intact ecosystems run uninterrupted from alpine environments to the coast. The undamaged status of these habitats makes East Gippsland a stronghold for nature, and its unique geography has given rise to an astonishing diversity of plants and animals. Primordial forests that lived through ice ages in protected refuges persist in East Gippsland. One such place, the Errinundra Plateau, maintains a sense of grandeur rivalling that of Tasmania’s Tarkine. Close relatives of ancient plant species once found thriving on the supercontinent of Gondwana—like the southern sassafras, Errinundra pepper and mountain plum pine—are commonly encountered in such spots. In others, sub-tropical plants that evolved in Indo-Malayan tropical rainforests have, over tens of thousands of years, migrated down the east coast; East…

Although this review is nominally of the CamelBak M.U.L.E., it’s actually been a six-month test, performed over numerous half/full-day MTB outings, of two separate pieces of kit: firstly, of the M.U.L.E. pack itself; and, secondly, of the CRUX hydration system (aka water bladder), the reason you need the pack in the first place. I’ll address the CRUX first, but only after a little history. In the late 1980s, EMT Michael Edison was competing in the ‘Hotter’n Hell 100’ bike race when he decided he wanted a hands-free hydration system. He slung an IV bag filled with water on his back, with a tube running over his shoulder to his mouth. Within months, he was selling CamelBaks. Since then, the company has become synonymous with hydration systems, continually developing and releasing…

THE GREEN ROOM Photographer: James McCormack Camera: Canon 5D MkIII Lens: Canon 16-35 f2.8L 1/25; f 2.8; ISO 1000 Dave McLoskey in the Green Room, Claustral Canyon, NSW. Timing is everything in terms of getting the greens to pop in a canyon. You want the sun overhead, but on bright days, the contrast is too great and the colours get washed out; on cloudy days, however, the entire sky acts as a magnificent softbox. TUNNEL OF SNOWGUMS Photographer: Andrew Barnes Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: Nikon 24-120 f4 1/200; f 4.0; ISO 125 Walking under the snowgums on the Bogong High Plains SLACKLINING TO THE SUN Photographer: Ryan Sleiman Camera: Nikon D750 Lens: Nikon 24-70mm f 2.8 1/2500; f 2.8; ISO 400 Paulo Ritter woke up super early on Monday to…

Perched on the gunwale of a fishing boat, I watched rain dancing on the water. At my side was Seumas, my best friend, a friend from childhood, who had flown down from Scotland to join me in perhaps the only place on Earth wetter and windier than home. Catching a fleeting glance beneath his hood, we shared the same unspoken thought: What are we doing here? ‘Here’ was the edge of the world, the hamlet of Puerto Eden. One of the most isolated inhabited settlements in South America, the town sees nearly six metres of rain per year, and the surrounding temperate rainforest is at the heart of southern Patagonia’s ice-capped wilderness. There are no roads to Puerto Eden, just a ferry, and a mere 200 people live here. And…

In the midst of a seemingly endless beach, I can feel the sun burning my retinas, bouncing off the blinding white sand and crystalline blue water to sneak under my hat and sunglasses. I tighten the sleeves on a long-sleeve top draped over my head like a tent and draw deeply on the tube attached to my dwindling water supply. There’s one overriding aspect dominating my thoughts as I hike the 135km Cape to Cape Track in Western Australia’s southwest—it’s exposed. Had I chosen to walk in the more popular southbound direction I would have had the sun at my back, but since I was already on the south coast—having just finished hiking the nearby 1000km-long Bibbulmum Track—I decided to walk north instead. It’s a decision I will be reminded…

Christmas Island, best known for its annual red crab migration, is considered the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean” for its rich and unique biodiversity. However, since settlement in 1888, Christmas Island’s biodiversity has undergone significant change. This is evidenced by significant population declines in most endemic birds, the loss of all but two endemic reptiles from the wild, and the extinction of all but one native mammal, the Christmas Island flying fox (CIFF, Pteropus natalis). However, the CIFF is listed as Critically Endangered and has undergone significant population declines; it too may become extinct without urgent conservation management. The CIFF is a medium-sized fruit bat that can be seen roosting in trees alone, or in small groups of 5-20 individuals, or in large camps with several hundred individuals. Uncharacteristically for…

When I first paraded my Chaco sandals through our lounge room (wearing socks), my wife pointed out that I’d likely fit right in anywhere, as long as anywhere was wandering the cobbled streets of a German village. It wasn’t even just the socks; let’s face it, even without them, for anyone over the age of ten sandals aren’t exactly mainstream fashion. But hey, we’re outdoorsytypes here, not fashionistas. There are times to choose function over form, and a comfy pair of sandals are often far more practical than thongs, and compared to closed shoes, a whole lot cooler (literally, that is, not metaphorically). Chaco sandals were never intended for the high-street anyway. The first model, the Z/1, released in 1989, was conceived for river rafting. It was so successful that…

Andrew Howieson, VIC Andrew wins an Osprey Manta AG 28, valued at $239.95. Designed for lightweight day or even overnight hiking, the Manta includes Osprey’s LightWire frame, mesh backpanel, BioStretch harness and AG hip belt for on-the-go comfort. SUBMIT A PHOTO OR LETTER TO THE EDITOR For your chance to win a quality piece of outdoor kit, send your photo or letter to contact@wild.com.au THE FRAGILE TARKINE The Tarkine is a fierce and fragile beauty. My wild walking partner and I recently celebrated 25 years together by exploring her charms. We walked from Temma to Arthur River, kayaked down the Pieman, climbed Mt Donaldson and explored an old-growth myrtle forest at Philosopher Falls. It was a week of Dombrovskis wonder and Kafkaesque confusion. However, we weren’t prepared for the extent…

On the 28th of May thirty years ago, Jon Muir stood completely alone on the summit of Everest, taking a leak. “People talk about the relief they feel at reaching the top of Everest,” he says to a captivated crowd at a recent and rare speaking event hosted by World Expeditions, “but my relief was something else.” Despite guiding infrequently these days, the 57-year-old still knows how to get a laugh out of his punters. “I’m sorry, but that’s my truth.” Muir describes himself as a ‘simple’ man but from the outside, he’s a smash of colour and contradiction. A larrikin but a loner, a leader but a recluse, he’s a muscular bear wearing a kilt, with a kindly-voice, an unruly beard, and his Nanna’s wedding ring around his neck.…

Ghost Lake Hut shook violently in the wind. Outside, meanwhile, sheets of rain hammered vertically, horizontally and every angle between at the whim of ex-tropical cyclone Fehi. A couple of days earlier, over dinner back in Christchurch, Laurence had informed me that, “It’s once in a blue moon that New Zealand’s South Island gets hit by a cyclone.” Viv looked apprehensive and 13-year-old Pearce really wanted to go surfing. But the 31st of January was indeed a blue moon (two full moons in a calendar month). Not only that, but it was a so-called Blue Blood Super Moon, an extremely rare trifecta of blue moon, lunar eclipse and the moon being closest to the earth. I looked at the can of beer, now empty in my hand. ‘Happy Daze’ was…