JOURNAL
JOURNAL
WILD BLUE MOUNTAINS
Lightweight Gear VR Practice 26 October 2024 Today’s training was the use of the lightweight gear for vertical rescue. Lightweight up to a certain point as everything must be redundant! So we end up carrying one kg of hardware and software. The highlight was the use of the 8mm rope: it does require some finesse, attention and care. We set up the anchors and practiced going up and down. I got re-acquainted with the Shunt which is not my favourite […]
Property Protection Exercise 19 October 2024 No fire for the last 4 years… I am rusty! So we organised a property protection exercise with the help of the local residents. The goal was for the crews of Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls trucks to arrive in the street, deploy 38 mm hoses, throw some water in the bush so that the pumpies could practice their hydraulic skills (refill the truck while delivering water), make up, move to another location down the […]
Coach Galleries – Glow Worm Tunnel 3 October 2024 While “cleaning” my photo catalogs, I came upon photographs that I took in 2017 at the Coach Galleries. Wouldn’t it be nice to go there again? The plan was set in motion… The regrowth was not too bad and soon we were at the start of a cliff-enclosed valley. The galleries consisting of caves and overhangs were stunning. Although the 2019 bushfire had left its mark on the landscape, the valley […]
A 100 m Along Coolana Brook 29 September 2024 I had planned to do Scorpion Hill in May but Parks did a hazard reduction in the area: the plan was shelved! Then Coolana Brook and Scorpion Hill were on the program and I jumped at the chance! Four brave souls followed the Woodford Oaks Trail and descended towards Coolana Brook. The cliffs were easy to go through but things changed when we reached the creek that led to Coolana Brook! […]
Another Day Of Bushbashing! – TO DO 17 September 2024 The goal was a set of pagodas 1.5 km south of Noble’s Canyon. The navigation was straightforward, the vegetation was not! It took us two hours to reach the first set of pagodas: the views were worth it! So was the tea break! We continued on to the edge of the cliffline. After faffing around, we found a passage that led us among a maze of pagodas and ferns through […]
Tallara Ridge 10 July 2024 I was curious to see what was there: it turns out not much! I wanted an easy walk and this old fire trail fitted the bill. It was pleasant walking but there were not many views for most of the trail! The last kilometre was overgrown and with no break on sight, I turned back! One of the highlights was a rock with engravings although I am not sure that this is an authentic aboriginal […]
Redledge Pass To Rockpile Pass 11 June 2024 After some heavy rains in May, the Blue Mountains experienced several landslides, one of which to the west of Redledge Pass. We decided to check out the area and redo the walk we did two months ago. The winds on Narrow Neck were cold and strong. We had decided that we would abort if the ledge was windy and gusty: it turned out to be sheltered for the most part!After checking the […]
A Sydney Wander Before The Rain 6 June 2024 The rain was scheduled for noon so I went on a photographic wander while indulging in some retail therapy as well! On the list were Forgotten Songs, Barangaroo and Barangaroo Reserve. A surprise awaited me at Walsh Bay with the 2024 Sydney Sculpture Exhibition. I then made my way back to Circular Quay as the rain started!
2024 Vivid Sydney 5 June 2024 A trip to the Big Smoke! My other half had work to do in Sydney so I went along. Vivid Sydney was in full swing so I had a wander in Circular Quay. The last time I saw a Vivid festival was in 2012 and 2013: 2012 had been great, 2013 less so as the novelty had worn off! Fast forward eleven years and many changes have happened! The installations have spilled to neighbouring […]
2024 Remote Area Navigation Course DAY 2 WRITE UP 2 June 2024 On day 02 the participants were split in smaller groups and rotated through several stations: map reading/navigation, dry firefighting, RAFT trailer, first aid and helicopter operations. In spite of the poor weather, a great weekend!
