Issue 5: NOVEMBER 2003
Welcome to the fifth issue of 'Kevin's Walk on the Wildside.' In this issue there is news of my latest trip to the Barrington Tops region in New South Wales, Australia. Yes, it was my Barrington Tops Trek, 2003.
There's also a bit of news regarding some issues that I've come across in recent weeks regarding bushwalking in Australia and New South Wales in particular.
Anyhow, I won't rave for too long - enjoy this latest issue!
CONTENTS:
BARRINGTON TOPS TREK 2003:
The big trip for 2003 has now been completed. Instead of the planned eight days, the modified walk was completed in five days and included a distance of about 76.5km in total. For all the information and photos see the link below.
http://kevinswilderness.com/NSW/trek2003.html
KEVIN'S WILDERNESS BLOG AND DIARY:
Formerly hosted at my-diary.org, Kevin's Wilderness Blog and Diary is now hosted at the same location as my wilderness journeys website. The reason for this was I was concerned that eventually the diary site may close down or crash for whatever reason and all the content there would be lost. So now it is hosted here as well, which means I have a back-up of all the content and should never loose it (also prevents adds being put up in the form of pop-ups, should the previous host ever decide to do so). The old diary no longer exists by the way.
So all the content from the previous site is available here, not that there is a lot currently. However, I do plan to add more to it over time, including all the news for my next back-packing trek over the Barrington Tops (except the date that I actually go - that will go up after I do so). Visit the Blog and Diary at:
http://kevinswilderness.com/blog/diary.html
KEVIN'S WILDERNESS WALKERS MAIL GROUP:
Associated with 'Kevin's Wilderness Journeys' web site is the 'Kevin's Wilderness Walkers Mail Group.' The mail group currently only has a few members and very little in the way of activity. One of the members (other than myself) has posted some photos in the photo album of her visits to the Colo and Wollemi wilderness area west of Sydney. Hopefully as more people join the group there will be an increase in activity.
Why join the mail group? A good question. The group gives an opportunity for those who love wilderness and the bush, especially in Australia, to share their experiences and perhaps pass on information about destinations, tack conditions, etc, to other group members. By doing so, there is an opportunity to assist others who are planning trips to the same area, etc. When you think about it the opportunities for the sharing of information are limitless.
Visit the group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kevins_wildwalkers/.
NATIONAL PARKS NEWS:
In the last couple of months I've stumbled across a series of situations in my travels within national parks in the Barrington Tops area that may very well have upset travellers to the area. What am I talking about? I'm talking about turning up to areas to find roads closed or limited access to areas.
Let me give you a bit of a list of areas currently affected in the Barrington Tops area:
- A road in the northern section of the Barrington Tops is currently closed because a bridge is washed out, yet you don't find out about it until you arrive at the road. Could this situation be improved by signage at the entrance to the national park?
- In the Allyn River area what is regarded as a circuit through the area is now no longer possible due to poor road conditions.
- Gloucester Tops Road is cut just inside the national park because of road work and concerns for public safety. Again, this information could be passed on to the travelling public at the beginning of the road route to the park on the main road to Gloucester. I only came upon this at the end of my trek, when I decided to make an early descent of Gloucester Tops rather than waiting for my lift a few days later - which obviously would never have arrived because of the blocked road.
- Then there is the waterguage track connecting the Barrington Tops Forest Road with the Big Hole. I came upon this closure just as I was about to take on my trek and had to change my plans. How? It was in the local paper in Gloucester. To be fair to the NPWS it is apparently listed on their website, so perhaps an idea for travellers is that they check the relevant websites before travelling to any national park, etc.
Now having listed these complaints, to be fair to NPWS some of the information is on their website, but still, not everyone has Internet access, etc. Perhaps some better means of passing out information is required, especially given the popularity of the Barrington Tops area. Again, some of the issues raised above are probably not all NPWS responsibilities (state forests, etc).
On a positive note, credit must be given to the NPWS for the very obvious improvements that I came across along the Gloucester Tops road, and the picnic and camping areas of the Gloucester Tops. The main camping area of Gloucester Tops is extremely impressive, as is the new carpark and picnic facilities at Gloucester Falls. Also the road is going to be far better than it was once the works are completed. I also have to mention the improved signage and facilities throughout the Barrington Tops region.
DISCUSSION BOARD:
Another feature of the 'Kevin's Wilderness Journeys' web site is the discussion board. As of yet there have been no comments or thoughts left in the forum. There are two comments/questions posted by me on the boards, but no responses have yet been received. This is another feature of the site that has the potential to be a real help to those travelling around Australia.
To visit the discussion board and perhaps leave a thought or two for further discussion among visitors to the forum, visit the forum: http://pub36.ezboard.com/bkevinswildernessjourneysdiscussionboards.
SCREENSAVERS (New One Added Today):
I have created a number of screensavers of various trips I have taken. These can be downloaded for free from the web site. There are screensavers of the Australia Trips, the Barrington Tops, Dangar Falls, Dorrigo National Park and the Great Ocean Road. Visit the screensavers page at:
http://kevinswilderness.com/SS/screen.html
SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE:
If you would like to subscribe to 'Kevin's Walk on the Wild Side,' simply send an email to Kevin at nrbcpastorkev@yahoo.com.au and let me know. If you want to unsubscribe, simply send me an email and let me know. Members of the mailgroup automatically get a copy of the ezine as part of the group.
To join or leave 'Kevin's Wilderness Walkers' mail group, visit the mail group's web site at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kevins_wildwalkers/.
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