New Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail
launched
The Tablelands Bushwalking Club
P O Box 1020
Tolga 4882
Great Walks enews 14 October 2016
www.tablelandsbushwalking.org
[email protected]
President: Sally McPhee - 4096 6026
Vice President: Patricia Veivers - 4095 4642
Vice President: Tony Sanders – 0438 505 394
Treasurer: Christine Chambers – 0407 344 456
The Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island, South
Australia. Photo: Dinkum CC Wikimedia
Secretary: Travis Teske - 4056 1761
Activity Officers:
Philip Murray – 0456 995 458
Marilyn Czarnecki – 0409 066 076
The new 61km Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail
was officially launched this week by South
Australian Premier Jay Weatherill.
Health & Safety Officer:
Morris Mitchell – 4092 2773
The five-day, four-night adventure takes hikers
along the island’s rugged and remote south-west
coast through Flinders Chase National Park.
Newsletter Editor: Travis Teske - 4056 1761
[email protected]
Hundreds of people have already booked for the
Trail. There will be a variety of options available
soon from commercial operators, from basic
backpacker tours to gourmet food and wine.
If a Walking Trip is Delayed – What Your
Emergency Contact Needs to Know.
Occasionally trips are delayed due to unforeseen
circumstances. Before leaving on a Tablelands Walking
Club (TWC) outing you should tell your emergency
contact (family member or friend) where you are going
and give them a copy of the phone numbers of the
Committee Members as members of the Management
Committee will be the Contact Officers.
The Trail has also been mapped by Google and is
available on Google Street View, so anyone around
the world can check out Kangaroo Island’s new
walk, natural wonders and fauna.
For more information about the trail or to book
click here.
Contact should be with any member of the Tablelands
Walking Club Management Committee. The phone
numbers of the committee members are found at the
beginning of the Walks Program or the Newsletter. Move
down the list until you find someone at home.
Hike the Great Ocean Walk with Inspiration
Outdoors
Great Walks enews 14 October 2016
If there were a situation that required a search or
rescue, members of the Committee would liaise with
experienced walkers within TWC and with the Police
and SES. They will also hold membership details for all
TWC members, including the name of a family member
or friend to contact in case of delay or emergency.
Inspiration Outdoors offer their Great Ocean Walk
tour as a series of day walks on a seven-day endto-end tour or a four-day highlights tour.
Return to comfortable accommodation each night
for a home-cooked meal and a well-deserved
relaxed evening.
The articles and information in this document are printed in good faith.
The club does not accept responsibility for errors or omissions in this
document or for the manner in which the information contained in this
document is interpreted or implemented.
Inspiration Outdoors run small group tours and
only employ experienced guides who live and
breathe adventure.
1
The company is renowned for its excellent food due
to owner Emily’s background as a chef.
Regular bushwalkers are advised to equip
themselves with a proper tick removal device,
however if neither of these items are available, it
may be possible to place a loop of thread over the
tick, pull the loop down between the tick and the
skin and pull the tick out.
Inspiration Outdoors offer guaranteed departures
and a money back guarantee on all of their tours.
If they take a booking, the tour will go ahead. If
they don't deliver the tour as promised, then they
will give you your money back!
The use of mentholated spirits and other chemicals
to kill ticks are not advisable as they may respond
by releasing more saliva into the bloodstream.
People with allergic reactions to tick bites might
need urgent medical assistance. Because diseases
contracted from ticks can take a long time to show
symptoms, it becomes harder to treat as time
passes, and it's best to see your doctor after a bite
for a broad spectrum of antibiotics.
For more information about the tours click here.
Prevention is the best cure
To help avoid tick bites, wear light clothing so ticks
will be visually spotted and can be removed as
soon as possible. Using a repellent containing
DEET or Picaridin is beneficial for repelling as
many leeches away and only takes a moment of
your time to apply. Consider closet changes such
as wearing gaiters, tucking your pants into your
socks, and tucking your shirt into your pants, as
this ultimately makes it harder for leeches to get
onto your skin.
How to deal with ticks
Great Walks enews 20 September 201
Ticks, like leaches, are the bane of all
bushwalkers. Great Walks finds out more about
these little suckers.
Whilst on the track, try not to brush against foliage
or long grass when possible, and check yourself
and each other for ticks regularly. After a hike, try
putting all used hiking clothes in the dryer, setting
it on high for 20 minutes killing any ticks left on
your clothes. Many outdoor clothes nowadays are
washed in DEET, so it is worth purchasing any
washing products containing this for a thorough
clean.
Words_Ryan Pockram
With over 70 tick varieties in Australia, the three
that affect bushwalkers the most are the paralysis
tick (found within 30km of the east coast), the
bush tick and the dog tick. Found in all areas of
Australia, ticks can be divided into two different
types – the hard tick and the soft tick. Hard ticks
feed three times during their life-cycle, whereas
soft ticks feed more often through short feeds.
Recipe of the week: Garlic and chickpea
soup
When a tick is feeding, micro-organisms that can
cause lyme disease, relapsing fever and babesia (a
malaria like disease), can be transmitted from tick
saliva as these micro-organisms survive in the
ticks' gut.
More active in the warmer months, ticks can be
found in warm, moist bushy areas. Ticks can
detect carbon dioxide released by humans as they
walk past, and will attempt to reach out their front
legs and attach themselves to a host. Once
acquiring a host, it walks around until it finds a
suitable place to feed on the hosts' body.
Great Walks enews 20 September 2016
A hot bowl of soup is a very good go-to meal when
you are bushwalking, especially in cool weather. It
can be easy to prepare, easy to eat, warming and
provides fuel for your body. Soup can be as simple
as a drinkable fluid, or thick and hearty. It can
also be extended when you have more mouths to
feed by including solid dishes, such as rice or
pasta, making soup a very fluid and subtle ‘sauce’.
Garlic and Chickpea Soup
If you intend cooking this soup on the trail, then
smaller is better for the veggies to expedite cooking
time. Grate the garlic, onion and carrot while very
finely slicing the celery. Hint: You can substitute
lime juice for the lemon juice in this recipe.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or finely grated (on the
trail)
1 carrot, diced or grated (on the trail)
Where will you find ticks?
Checking warm, moist and dark places – like the
back of the head, behind the ears, arm pits,
crouch and the back of the knees; a fine pair of
tweezers can be used to remove a tick, but be sure
to get close to the skin as possible pulling the tick
out by its hyposome (mouth part). It is important
to avoid squeezing or stressing the tick, as they
can release their saliva under pressure.
2
1 onion, chopped or grated (on the trail)
2-3 sticks celery, finely sliced
400g tin chickpeas, drained
4 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 lemon or lime
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
Directions
Heat half the oil in a pot. Add the garlic to the pot
and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for a
couple of minutes. Add the carrot, onion and
celery. You could also add a dehydrated food such
as mushrooms at this stage of the cooking.
during this period. The parasite is located as far
south as the Dorrigo Plateau and northwards along
the Queensland coast into New Guinea. North of
Cairns and into New Guinea, the parasite carries
Scrub Typhus, a potentially life threatening
complication of the bite. To date, no one bitten
south of Townsville has suffered this problem.
Eggs are laid in the soil and, on hatching, the larvae,
which are 0.2mm long and scarcely visible to the
human eye, climb up grass or other low
vegetation. When an animal, including man,
brushes past the plant the larvae drop and, if
successful, land on fur or clothing whence they
scramble to secluded areas or high perspiration
zones.
Now add the chickpeas, stock or water, ground
cumin and coriander to the pot, and bring to a
simmer. If you are cooking larger pieces of
vegetables then you will need to simmer the
contents of the pot for about fifteen minutes, or
until the veggies are tender. If you are cooking the
grated veggie option, then you will only need to
cook the contents of the pot for about five minutes.
If you are pre-cooking this soup at home, allow the
soup to cool a little after cooking. Then take half of
the soup from the pot and put into a blender.
Blend this until smooth. Return the puree to the
pot with the remaining half of the soup. Then
vacuum seal in a bag or container. Doing this will
give you a creamy soup that still has lot of texture
to the completed dish.
Typically, humans are bitten at sites where the mite
can get entry: the collar line, belt line and tops of
the socks. The favoured sites are the armpits, pelvic
region and calves of the legs. The mite secretes a
saliva which dissolves the upper layers of skin - the
resulting fluid being sucked up. This process
rapidly produces a very itchy, angry, red lump with
the mite continuing the process for several days.
Itching, or abrasion, can cause secondary infection,
or possibly it causes the mite to relocate to another
site and the process recommences. After a few days
of feeding, the larva drops off and for the rest of its
life cycle is no longer parasitic on warm-blooded
animals.
Out on the trail
reheat the soup and
then squeeze
approximately half
of the lemon’s juice
into the soup and
taste. You may
need to add more
lemon juice as
required for your
taste buds. To increase the quantity you could
serve this soup with some pasta or rice and simply
warm it through with the soup. This way you are
adding carbohydrates to your diet without using
up water to cook the pasta or rice in.
Recipe_Lynn Bain
Prevention is the best recourse and our local
pharmacist recommends using Citronella Oil or Tea
Tree Oil, available in over-the-counter Preparations
of "Bushmans Extra" and "Walkabout”. The liquids
must be applied to the skin at places where the mite
can gain access. Putting these fluids on clothing
seems to be ineffective, but a past recommendation
of soaking clothing in Dibutyl Phthalate was
considered an effective repellent.
If you have been bitten, then an over-the-counter
lotion is Ascaboil, which will kill the mite, as will
dabbing with kerosene, petrol or alcohol, but these
fluids might produce their own reactions. If the
itching is really severe, then medical advice might
be necessary and the best relief will be to take some
antihistamine orally. Rubbing anti-itch creams on
the lumps is more likely to aggravate the skin
reaction.
Scrub Itch
Authored by: Bob Backhouse
Sourced from: STFC newsletter Dec 2001
Karijini Western Australia
Scrub itch is the irritation caused by the bite of a
small orange-red mite called a Trombiculid
larva. This animal is the same animal order as
other mites and ticks (Acarina). Various species are
found around the world and are known under
various names as Harvest Mite, Chiggers or Velvet
mites.
Great Walks enews 24 October 2016
The Pilbara is known for Karijini National Park’s
deep gorges with clear water, as well as the
region’s iron-rich ranges and unique flora.
Inspiration Outdoors’ 10-day Karijini National Park
tour is designed to give visitors an in-depth
walking tour of Karijini, with plenty of time to
swim in the gorges and relax.
Around Brisbane the mite is active in the summer
months in all rainforest areas, particularly above
the 300m altitude, where rain is more frequent
3
The trek is challenging, but there’s time to rest and
enjoy the surrounded by glacier covered peaks,
grand waterfalls, spectacular alpine passes and
wildlife unique to these wild places.
Departures are between January – April and there
are a range of three- to eight-day hiking options
available.
Check out the website www.wildwalks.co.nz for a
full list of departures and trip options, or email
at [email protected] for more info.
Put Tassie’s Tarkine Wilderness On Your
Bucket List
It also provides a good look at the Chichester
Range; the tour involves flying into Newman and
out of Karratha to minimise driving time.
Great Walks enews 1 November 2016
One of the world’s truly untouched landscapes is
tucked away in Tasmania’s northwest. Tarkine
wilderness, the largest tract of cool-temperate
rainforest remaining in the Southern Hemisphere.
Species of trees you would find fossilised in
Antarctica are standing proud and tall before you.
This forest is essentially a 65-million-year-old
example of Earth’s history.
Tarkine Trails offers guided walks in this largely
inaccessible landscape, suited to a variety of
different levels of fitness and experience. Currently
one four-day camp-based experience and two sixday backpack based walks are available.
Visitors will carry a day pack on the walks, and
there is often the option to turn back when they
wish to. A reasonable level of fitness, balance and
mobility is required.
The Tarkine Coast Trail – one of the six-day walk
options – heads south from Sandy Cape to
Northern Pieman Heads, ending with a boat cruise
down the beautiful Pieman River into the little
historical town of Corinna. The Tarkine coastline is
breathtaking, and with its rich Aboriginal history
combined with raw and wild coastal beauty, it’s
like being on the edge of the world.
This is one of their camping-based tours, with all
camping equipment provided, including threeperson dome tents, sleeping mats and stretcher
beds (guests can also hire a sleeping bag).
Guests spend six days discovering wide-open
spaces, connecting to culture (some of the largest
Aboriginal middens in Australia are found along
this coastline), and exploring the remarkable
coastal geology that borders the Tarkine.
The tour has departure dates in late April and in
May for 2017. For more information click here.
Take On NZ’s Toughest Guided Walk
Great Walks enews 19 October 2016
The Tarkine Trail is the other six-day walk on offer,
and it leads guests into the heart of the Tarkine
while showcasing the many landscapes it has to
offer. On this trail guests meander through open,
cathedral-like forests with mosses and fungi
carpeting the forest floor.
The eight day Gillespie Rabbit Pass trip with
Aspiring Guides is widely regarded as New
Zealand's hardest guided hiking tour.
Located in Mt Aspiring National Park and following
the main divide of the South Island, this route
offers some of NZ’s finest mountain terrain and
has exceptional views of the highest peaks,
including Mount Aspiring.
Like the idea of the Tarkine but not the thought of
carrying a large pack? The four-day Tarkine
Rainforest Walk is a great alternative. This walk is
designed to give people with a broad range of
fitness levels access to the stunning Tarkine while
still maintaining a level of comfort.
Hikers can expect challenging 6-10 hour days,
rough tracks and exposure as you make your way
over Rabbit Pass. No heavy packs needed, as you’ll
be staying in a combination of mountain huts and
pre-placed campsites.
Day walks are taken from the exclusive base camp,
Tiger Ridge. Carrying lightweight daypacks, these
walks are completed at a leisurely pace. Evenings
are spent accompanied by views of the deeply
4
forested valley while indulging in some fine local
produce.
coming from overseas; Mr Sanson said in February
that 600,000 visitors were expected at Milford this
year.
As tourism numbers increased in New Zealand, it
was important to protect the country’s point of
difference - its natural environment, Mr Sanson
said.
Tarkine Trails Director Greg Irons says as soon as
he encountered the Tarkine, he knew he needed to
help protect it. “I went there once and realised this
was a place that not only needed to be protected
for eternity, but also needed to be shared with
others so they too could enjoy its beauty and enter
the discussion around its future.”
Introducing differential charges on the Great Walks
was one potential mechanism to alleviate pressure:
foreign tourists could pay $100 and New
Zealanders pay $40.
For more info on Tarkine trail click here.
DOC Chairman Warren Parker said the
organisation could not afford to pay the growing
costs of infrastructure, waste removal and cleaning
campgrounds unless it introduced some kind of
user-pays charges for tourists.
Enjoy A Taste Of The Bibbulum Track
Great Walks enews 31 October 2016
The 1000 kilometre Bibbulmun Track meanders
through a diverse environment from granite peaks
and jarrah forest to majestic karri and tingle forest
and on to spectacular ocean views and beaches in
the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Bushwalkers already pay to stay at most huts on
Department of Conservation walks, based on a
three-tier system.
The Bibbulmun Track Foundation has specialised
in guided walks for over a decade and offers a
range of fully supported tours ranging from four to
nine days with all proceeds going back into the
maintenance of the Track.
Huts on Great Walks cost $54 a night for the
Routeburn, Milford, and Kepler tracks, $32 for the
Heaphy, Abel Tasman Coast Track, Tongariro
Northern Circuit, Whanganui Journey and Lake
Waikaremoana and $22 for Rakiura.
If you’re keen to complete a full section of the
Track without carrying a full pack – then the new
Town to Town tours are ideal. After enjoying a
day’s walk you’ll be transported back to your
accommodation each night for a delicious meal
and all the comforts of home. These tours are
perfect for walkers wishing to complete a sectional
end-to-end.
'The Abels- A Comprehensive Guide to
Tasmania's Mountains Over 1100 Metres
High'.
Editor: Bill Wilkinson
Essayist: Andrew Davey
The title is derived from Abel Tasman who noted
the notable mountains of Tasmania in his journal.
For a taste of all the environments this great walk
has to offer you can’t beat one of the Highlights
tours. You’ll travel the full length of the Track and
enjoy specially selected full and half-day walks in a
wide range of scenic landscapes.
These stunning books (Vols 1 and 2) reference all
the "free standing" peaks in Tasmania over 1100m
high (as opposed to ranges and plateaux, and with
a drop on most sides) and which therefore would
be of interest to bushwalkers undertaking walks
which offer spectacular views. Each entry is
accompanied by road directions, walk description,
maps, walk grading ... and fabulous photography.
Also included are essays on the geology,
exploration and surveying history of Tasmania and
the philosophy of bushwalking.
Again, all accommodation, meals, transport and
experienced guides are included.
For more information click here.
Changes Suggested For NZ’s Great Walks
Great Walks enews 3 November 2016
25K, 50K and 100K scale Tasmap titles with GDA
references are tabled. With 158 peaks described,
and many many photos, the books are probably
too heavy (and beautiful) to carry in your pack, but
they would be invaluable as a resource to leave in
the car as you tackle the many relatively unknown
summits described. Many of the peaks are of easy
grade and just a couple of hours duration one way,
so entirely suitable to include in any holiday in
Tasmania or as part of a longer bushwalking trip.
All the peaks have been walked by the Editor or
friends of the editor to ensure accuracy.
It might be time to start charging for the use of
New Zealand’s Great Walks, according to the
Department of Conservation director-general Lou
Sanson.
He said the country's Great Walks brand had
"exploded" but this popularity had created some
problems, nzherald.co.nz reported.
30% of international visitors came to New Zealand
to connect with nature, according to a report
prepared 18 months ago; that figure’s now 50%.
The numbers on the Routeburn Track were
increasing by 10% annually, with 70% of the users
5
Soft cover versions are priced at $39.95 each
Volume, plus postage.
Volume 2 covers the South West, Vol 1 the rest of
Tasmania.
Volume 1, Second Edition, has just been launched.
All info, ordering details, and fabulous photo
galleries, on the website:
www.theabelmountains.com.au
Upgrade For Williams Bay National Park
Great Walks enews 16 November 2016
The Western Australian Government has
announced that William Bay National Park will be
receiving an almost $10.55 million upgrade.
Various modes of transport were used to convey us
all to Russell Island. Sally, Wendy, Debbie, Lyn
and Gillian went on the Franklin Island Cruises
boat via Normanby Island, Grant and Casey (Maria
and Jake’s 2 sons) sped over to the island on their
jet ski while Maria and Jake drove their 4.6 metre
aluminium boat.
Located near Denmark on the south coast, the
park features sheltered bays, towering granite
rocks, turquoise green waters and several walking
trails; the Bibbulmun Track also passes through
the park.
"This is a much-needed upgrade because the park
attracts more than 238,000 visits a year and this
number is growing," Environment Minister Albert
Jacob said.
Rather than me tell the whole tale, I have
interviewed everyone who was there to find out
their perceptions and their highlights of this
weekend campout. Below are their comments: -
"Most infrastructure in the park is about 30 years
old and there is now a compelling need for facilities
that can withstand the coastal environment and
deliver what visitors have come to expect."
Lyn: Wonderful camp site. The convenience of
tables and benches, shady trees and toilets.
 Swimming in paradise with colourful fish.
 The taste of oysters.
 The fun of the Sally’s quick scrabble game.
 The thrill of it all was the Jet Ski ride with
young Casey who took us all for a spin around
the island.
The works will include purpose-built trails,
installation of signs, public art and interpretation
nodes, the construction of visitor amenities like
lookouts and picnic tables, and sealed roads and
car parks.
The trails will also be upgraded with realignment of
the Bibbulmun Track and Munda Biddi Trail, and
a further upgrade of the Wilderness to Ocean Trail
from Denmark to the park.
Russell Island Campout
4, 5 & 6 November 2016
After an aborted first weekend, the second
allocated weekend had perfect weather with calm
seas and blue skies and there was no holding us
back.
We all arrived at Deeral bright and early. Deeral is
just south of Fishery Falls on the Bruce Highway.
The Deeral boat ramp is located on the Mulgrave
River and it is about a 9 km trip down the
Mulgrave River to where it joins with the Russell
River which comes from the south and the two
joined rivers then flow out of Deeral Heads into the
sea. It is about another 9 km from Deeral Heads
due east to Russell Island. Normanby Island is
about 1 km north of Russell Island
Sally: Climbing to the high point overlooking the
island.
 Looking for buried treasure in the sea cave.
 Seeing a half dozen green turtles.
 Having personal conducted tours by a Marine
Biologist.
6
Debbie: Diving under the water and seeing a
myriad of coral species and fish with fabulous
visibility for an inshore reef.
How to get fit for Bushwalking
Great Walks enews 12 August 2016
Words: Darren Edwards
of www.trailhiking.com.au
Gillian: A weekend in paradise.
 The harmony of the Torres Straight pigeons.
 Crystal clear waters, stunning panoramic
views, luscious rainforest and a shady
campsite.
 Being part of a harmonious group.
 Being pushed a little bit.
Are you in shape for hiking? If you exercise
regularly, you may be ready for short trips and
easy terrain right now. But if you don’t get as
much exercise as you’d like, set up a basic training
regimen that wakes up sleeping muscles and
works your lungs.
Start walking
Begin with shorter, less strenuous hikes with a
day-pack or light backpack. Nothing gets muscles
ready for the trail better than the trail itself.
Gradually increase the length and elevation of your
hikes and increase your backpack load. As you
begin to strengthen your lower body and improve
your endurance, switch to longer, more challenging
hikes. Loading your backpack with the gear and
weight you will carry will help you become familiar
with conditions you will face deep in the
backcountry.
Wendy: Having our own boat for little trips over
the reef.
 Having my own personal conducted tour of the
reef with Maria while looking at the wonderful
coral and the colours of the reef.
Grant: Relaxing
Casey: Enjoying the Bushwalker’s sense of
humour.
 Seeing the improvement of the coral reef since
last time.
Hit the gym
Try stair-steppers, elliptical trainers and climbing
machines for great cardiovascular and strength
workouts. They isolate your lower-body muscle
groups and help build endurance. Consider step
aerobics and lift weights. Trained muscles are less
susceptible to injury and strains. Swimming is
another great aerobic workout – it's good for the
lungs and heart, and easy on the joints.
Use what's around you
Take the stairs: walking or running up and down
stairs on a regular basis is terrific pre-trail
training.
Walk instead of drive: if you can perform routine
chores by leaving your car keys in your pocket, do
it. If you have a bike, start pedalling: cycling is
another good way to condition your legs and
increase endurance. Jogging is also a popular
training option for getting in shape for
backpacking.
Jake: Enjoying boating in the calm weather as last
time it was extremely rough.
 Enjoyed everyone’s company.
Maria: Russell Island holds a special place in my
heart. I first went there when I was 12 and have
being going there on and off ever since.
 Walking to the lighthouse with beautiful ferns
under a rainforest canopy on an old, disused,
concrete track built to service the light house
when it was operated by carbide.
 Being able to walk off the island and onto the
reef.
 Great company with lots of ZEST.
Training time frame
How long does it take to get into hiking shape?
That depends on you: the better shape you’re in
now, the faster you’ll be ready for a long-haul trip.
Extra diligence and more lead time are also
helpful. Be patient and listen to your body. Aim to
do some form of exercise at least three times a
week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time.
Treating four common Bushwalking
injuries
Great Walks enews 12 August 2016
Words:_Laura Boness
Great Walks looks at how to prevent and treat
some of the common injuries and problems that
may occur when you’re out on the trail – with some
7
advice from Rich Hungerford, a Senior Survival
and Bushcraft Instructor at Bushlore Australia.
Snakes and spiders
Australia is home to a lot of poisonous snakes and
spiders, and the best way to avoid being bitten is
to leave them alone. If you are bitten or stung by
an insect, centipede, any type of spider (except the
Funnel Web spider), a scorpion or jellyfish (except
Irukandji and Box Jelly), Rich says that cold packs
should be used to reduce pain.
Blisters
Just about every bushwalker has suffered from
these painful little problems. Prevention is always
better than a cure – make sure your footwear fits
properly and has been worn in, dry wet feet as
soon as possible and pre-emptively tape any areas
that you think might be developing problems.
When you feel a hot spot developing, stop, clean
and dry the area, then apply something that will
reduce the heat and friction, such as sports
strapping tape.
If you or anyone else has been bitten by a snake
(including sea snakes) or a Funnel Web spider, call
Triple 000 and apply pressure immobilisation
bandages – one from the fingers or toes that winds
as far up the limb as possible and if you have a
second bandage, one over the bite site and wound
as far up the limb as possible. Immobilise the limb
further with a splint – don’t elevate the bitten limb,
remove the bandages once they’ve been applied,
wash the area or cut or suck the bitten area.
Rich says you shouldn’t burst blisters – they’ll
usually do that themselves – as pricking them may
introduce infection. “Cover broadly with Fixomull
stretch tape and change the dressing daily,” he
says. “Once blisters have burst apply the same
dressing with a small piece of sterile gauze and
bath liberally with Betadine.”
Auswalk – Walking Holidays
Sprains and strains
Sprains occur when a joint is forced beyond its
normal movement, while strains are the result of
over-stretching a muscle. Like scrapes and
abrasions, these are tricky to prevent –
preconditioning yourself before a long walk by
building up distances and weight carried will
certainly help, as will investing in good footwear
and exercises like squats and lunges, but there’s
still always the risk of putting a foot wrong when
you’re on the trail.
Bibbulmun Track
Overview:
The Bibbulmun Track is Western Australia’s
longest walking trail at almost 1000km, going all
the way from Perth to Albany on the south coast.
We’ve selected the most scenic and varied coastal
and karri forest sections between Walpole and
Albany and packaged them into a delightful seven
days of walking.
Hike through magnificent towering karri and tingle
forests, both unique eucalypts that are found only
in south-west Western Australia. At the Ancient
Empire Walk you’ll walk amongst tingle trees that
are large enough to park a car in! Fortunately
that’s no longer allowed though and Tree Tops
Walk has been developed to protect these giants.
You can stroll along the raised canopy at tree top
level for a birds-eye view of the forests.
If you have to keep moving, apply RICE – Rest, Ice,
Compress and Elevate – where practicable. Rich
says that, if you simply have to keep going, apply a
firm compression bandage to the affected joint and
minimise weight bearing within reason. “Provide an
expedient crutch for additional support and
stability and reduce the carried load of the patient
completely if you can,” he says. “Consider
evacuating the patient in line with the assessed
severity of the injury.”
More on what you'll see
Onwards to the ocean and a coastline that’s
liberally dotted with breathtaking beaches and
idyllic coves. We’ve deliberately avoided lots of
sandy beach walking though, focussing instead on
cliff top tracks with many elevated vantage points
offering stunning panoramas. Conspicuous Cliffs,
Peaceful Bay, Lowland Beach and Cosy Corner are
real gems.
A little inland, climb to the summit of Monkey
Rock for a birds-eye view over Denmark’s Wilson
Inlet. What a peaceful place this is to enjoy a
break.
On the last day the track meanders through the
Albany Wind Farm whose massive turbines
produce renewable energy. You’ll be able to get
close enough to touch one of the pylons.
There are stunning wildflowers all year round with
prolific displays in springtime and the rare ficofolia
flowering gum in summer. This track offers remote
hiking with a huge variety of scenery.
Heat exhaustion
If you’re out walking in hot weather, especially in
the middle of the day, you are at risk of heat
exhaustion if you don’t drink plenty of water
(before and during walking) and wear a hat and
sunscreen. This can lead to heat stroke – a rise in
body temperature above 41°C when their skin
usually becomes hot and dry – which requires
immediate medical treatment.
Try to avoid walking in the hottest part of the day
and avoid overexertion. If someone develops
symptoms of heat exhaustion – cool and clammy
skin, profuse sweating, rapid breathing, constant
headache, cramps, nausea – get them into the
shade and have them lie down. Remove
unnecessary clothing, cool them by sponging them
with water and give them cool water (carefully)
when the nausea passes.
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NOTE: This trip can easily be combined with
our Cape to Cape group guided trip for an
extended Western Australia walking holiday.
riverfront motels and apartments. Accommodation
and most meals are included so you’ll have a
excellent meal and a comfortable bed to look
forward to each day.
On some days you’ll walk in and out from your
accommodation, on others there is a short road
transfer to/and from each day’s walking.
This walking holiday starts and finishes in Perth.
There is a morning departure from Perth on Day 1
to the start of the walk at Augusta so ideally you’ll
arrive the night prior. After a celebratory breakfast
in Yallingup on Day 9, we’ll transfer you to Perth.
NOTE: This trip can easily be combined with
our Bibbulmun Track guided group trip for an
extended Western Australia walking holiday.
If you can’t make it on our scheduled date or
prefer to walk independently then have a look at
our self guided Cape to Cape trip.
Cape to Cape
Overview:
The Great South West Edge of the Australian
continent is the location of Auswalk’s group guided
Cape to Cape Walk. Spanning 135km of Indian
Ocean coastline from Cape Leeuwin in the south to
Cape Naturaliste in the north, this is the longest
coastal walk in Australia.
Mother nature was especially generous when she
shaped this extraordinary landscape, blessed with
squeaky white sand beaches, rocky bays,
wildflowers, wetlands, towering forests and
limestone caves, stacks and platforms.
Springtime wildflowers in vivid violet, topaz and
crimson provide contrast to the calming blue,
green and whites of the ocean, forests and
beaches. Many of the offshore reefs, points and
headlands you’ll see are coveted as quality surf
breaks by local surfers.
The area’s traditional custodians are the Wardandi
people with strong connections to the sea. The
limestone caves are believed by the Wardandi to
connect with the afterlife.
Heading north from the town of Augusta to
Hamelin Bay, Margaret River, Prevelly and
Yallingup, the Cape to Cape walk traverses
clifftops, deserted beaches, small but perfectly
formed hamlets and villages, coastal heathlands,
peppermint tree woodlands and majestic Karri
forests, tall open stands of eucalypt unique to this
part of Australia.
Spring Creek – top end.
More on what you'll experience
See some amazing photos of this track, as featured
recently in Australian Geographic. There’s also
a magnificent video of the walk.
Heritage and history buffs will appreciate
remnants of early pioneering days including stone
cottage ruins, shipwrecks, waterwheels and other
farming tools evoke the hard graft experienced by
early settlers.
The terrain offers a great deal of variety. Some
days you’ll follow rocky or sandy beaches leading
to secluded coves, other sections wind along
undulating, well formed walking or vehicle tracks
emerging onto coastal heathlands while others
traverse sections of wilderness and forested coastal
woodland. For good measure, there is the odd bit
of scrambling over rocky headlands and even a
sandbar crossing of the Margaret River.
With two guides to show you the way, you’ll have
the flexibility to walk at a pace that suits you,
walking an average of 17km per day (shorter if you
wish), apart from the final day when we transport
you back to Perth.
The often terrifying and arduous experiences of
shipwrecked sailors seeking refuge on this isolated
coastline are in stark contrast with the comfort
you’ll enjoy staying in our delightful choice of
lodgings each night, which include beachside and
Part of the Cairns Mail Track – bottom end.
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