JOURNAL
JOURNAL
WILD BLUE MOUNTAINS
Mount Wilson Search 16 December 2024 Today we were looking for a bushwalker who has been missing for a couple of days in Mount Wilson. Our first tasking was a side creek of Waterfall Creek and was easy.Our second tasking was below Wynnes Rock Lookout: this was a scrubby mess but it was interesting.The third tasking took us to a rocky outcrop. Surprisingly there was a track below the cliff line although there was nothing outstanding to look at.We were […]
Bush-Bashed 14 December 2024 It looked easy on the topo map: two fire trails and a track: two hours max should do it! Then off track to a creek and down to the major creek and some exploration. Little did we know! We left early, drove to the locked gate and we were on our way! The first fire trail was a bona fide one! The second one was a fire trail in a former life: this was confirmed by […]
Three Stone Arrows 12 December 2024 Another hot day, another creek! Today: Explorers Brook! The ridge we followed must have been a fire trail a long time ago: two tracks were visible in one spot but it was mostly covered with vegetation. The views were fantastic! The trifecta: Mount Hay, Mount Tomah and Mount Banks. We found an old campsite with rusty metal parts and further along a cairn in the shape of an arrow! We continued to the end […]
XXXXX 5 December 2024 This creek had been on my wish list for a long time. The upper section is nice and enclosed by cliffs. I was curious about the lower section… A few 100 metres in and the creek opened up, inviting the sun and the vegetation. There were a few interesting sections but nothing outstanding. In any case it was the right place to be on a hot sunny day!
Multi-Agency VR Practice 30 November 2024 Today’s training was a treat! The Blue Mountains SES Vertical Rescue team and BSAR had a joint training session with Blue Mountains Police Rescue and the NSW Ambulance’s Special Operations Team (SOT). Police Rescue demonstrated the use of what they called a game changer in their operations: the battery-powered personnel winch! The winch can be installed on the rope or at the anchor. This model can take the 8 mm lightweight rope. The range […]
A Peaceful Rainforest 23 November 2024 Another creek exploration on a hot day! Not knowing what to expect, we carried the abseiling gear… A bit of navigation and a bit of contouring and we arrived to a spur overlooking a tributary. We walked across the compulsory swamp and looked for an access to the creek: there were none! We then searched for an anchor and found a lonely gum tree. Accessing the base of the tree took some effort but […]
Rainforest Magic 17 November 2024 The beauty of the Linden area is slowly growing in me. This walk promised rainforest and a pleasant creek so I signed up, secretly hoping for a waterfall… We followed a ridge and eventually found a way through the numerous small clifflines down to a tributary of Linden creek. This was a typical rainforest creek in a coachwood forest setting including some lonely turpentine trees. It was easy to follow but alas, no waterfall! We […]
Secret Wild Swimming Spots 10 November 2024 Not one secret swimming hole spot but at least four! The water is divine, the cliff setting unforgettable but there is a catch! Three kilometres of bush-bashing, plenty of vines and scrub, cliff negotiating and a 350 m ascent including a steep 150 m ascent complete with a thick layer of lawyer vine! It took us three hours or so to reach a small creek and by that time, it was getting hot! […]
Numantia Falls: Leech Paradise? 8 November 2024 Victory Track is one of the many tracks under the Blue Mountains Council control that is affected by a “partial temporary closure” since 2022. Temporary: lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent (Oxford Languages). What are the odds that next year at the same time. the track will still be temporary closed? I was on a mission to find a waterfall in the area so we had to get creative […]
Warrimoo Lookouts 6 November 2024 The mid and lower mountains are so different from the Upper Mountains: lots of rocks and many large trees! This short walk is following the cliffline at the end of Greens Road Fire Trail. Great views of Martins Lookout, Bunyan Lookout, Lost World Lookout and Glenbrook Creek. Perfect walk for a forecasted hot day!
