PO Box 2199
QUEENSLAND
BUSHWALKERS
CLUB Inc.
Newsletter
Morning light at Flinders Plum (see page 5)
Club News
From the editor
Welcome to the September 2021 newsletter.
It’s Spring already!! We are enjoying ideal weather
for walking – clear sunny days with not much wind or
rain and not too hot yet. It’s good to hear many of
you are making the most of it.
A very social walks planning bbq held recently has
resulted in some interesting walks coming up so
check the calendar. This month’s newsletter has
reports on Mt Blaine and Main Range walks.
Keep safe, maintain physical distancing and
hygiene, and we hope to walk with you again soon
Michael H
QBW Membership and Renewal
If you enjoy bushwalking with a fun and responsible
group then you are welcome to join QBW. Helen, our
membership officer, would be delighted to hear from
Page 1 of 6
Sunnybank Hills
QLD 4109
Email qldbwc@yahoo.com
Phone No 0401 527017
http://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/
September 2021
Photo: MH
you. The fee of $30 covers the 2021/22 club year
from 1 July. Feel free to contact a committee
member to chat about the benefits of joining.
Payment by direct transfer into the club bank
account is preferred. Payment details are on page 6.
Note that you need to fill out a membership form
(same form for new member or renewal), sign it and
post, scan & email, or hand it to Helen at a club
meeting. Those renewing their membership need to
organise this by 7 September or it may lapse.
The club email is qldbwc@yahoo.com.
Walks Planning Afternoon 29 August
A walks planning BBQ was held on Sunday 29
August at Sandy’s home. The afternoon included a
walk around the nearby Karawatha Forest Park. A
key objective of the walk was to confirm that Mt
Warning in northern NSW is indeed visible from
Paratz Lookout. This was a resounding success as
the viewing conditions were almost perfect. Other
features of the walk included The Rocks and the
quarry. A BBQ in the elegant garden surrounds at
Sandy’s followed and quite a few walks were added
to the calendar. Please check on-line for full details.
QBW Christmas Party Weekend 3/4 December
Our annual Christmas party preparations for the
weekend of 3&4 December are under way in the
capable hands of the QBW committee.
Christmas Creek Cafe & Cabins is the venue under
consideration. This facility offers bunk style
accommodation in several cabins, with kitchenettes,
BBQs, male & female amenities blocks, covered
camp kitchen, large indoor communal and dining
areas and a restaurant for
the main meal along with
recreational facilities.
The venue provides ready
access to the start of multiple
walks including Buchanans
Fort, Larapinta Falls,
Neglected Mountain,
Westrays Grave and the
Stinson Wreck. Details of
planned walks will be
available closer to the event.
Accommodation is bunk style in shared rooms with
up to 9 people per cabin. Cost is expected to be
similar to previous years subject to the number of
attendees, plus the cost of a meal at the restaurant.
All other meals are self catered or bring and share
for afternoon nibblies.
More information will be forthcoming. To help with
numbers please let the Social Secretary know as
soon as possible if you plan to attend. In the interim
please direct any enquiries to the committee.
Notice regarding Annual General Meeting
The club's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held
following the monthly club meeting on 7 September,
subject to Qld Health provisions.
The venue is the Little Kings Hall on the corner of Carl
and O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Note that relevant
Covid-19 protocols must be observed on the night.
To vote at the Annual General Meeting you must be a
financial member of the club. Proxy votes are
allowed if you are unable to attend the meeting.
The nine management committee positions which will
be up for election are:
President Vice President Secretary
Treasurer Membership Officer Training Officer
Editor Social Secretary Outings Officer
Other important positions to be filled but which don’t
have a vote on the management committee are:
Supper Convenor, Librarian, Equipment Officer and
two delegates for Bushwalking Queensland Inc.
Page 2 of 6
General News
Covid-19 Update
Queensland Health advice must be followed by all
club members while engaging in QBW activities
including social events and meetings. Note the
Covid-19 protocol on the club website and click here
for the latest Queensland Health Directions. Please
consider the safety of your fellow citizens and Health
directions prior to any outdoor activity.
For the latest advice about what rules apply in
Queensland national parks see:
https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/covid-19/.
Bookings can be made at https://qld.gov.au/camping
in advance of any planned visits.
National Park Updates
Most tracks in Lamington National Park are open
but Illinbah, Gwongorool and part of Bellbird Circuit
walks in the Binna Burra section remain closed.
Check Qld National Parks alerts for details.
Barrington to Boonah Walk Update
The Boonah Border Gate to Boonah section of the
1350km Barrington to Boonah walk is currently
under review by Bushwalking Queensland.
Other parties involved in this endeavour include
Bushwalking NSW, Newcastle Bushwalkers and
Armidale Bushwalkers. If you would like the details
about the proposed route or would like to provide
feedback on it, please ask the editor to email you a
copy of the documentation (pdf format).
Wildlife Queensland is seeking volunteers
So of course you really enjoy bushwalking already
but how would you like to make the bush an even
better place to be in? You can! Wildlife Queensland
Scenic Rim Branch is seeking volunteers to assist
with tree planting, fencing, surveying or promoting
the ‘Wildlife Corridors for the Scenic Rim’ project.
This project seeks to improve the numbers and
genetic diversity of wildlife like koalas and quolls.
The work has been made possible by funding
obtained through the Landcare Led Bushfire
Recovery grants program. See the website for more
details and how to volunteer.
Official opening of Bushwalkers Precinct
The Bushwalkers Precinct @ Binna Burra will be
officially opened on Monday 13 September 2021 at
10:30am on the site of Grooms Cottage. Steve
Noakes will be the main speaker and Melissa
Harper, author of ‘The Ways of the Bushwalker’, is
the special guest. Attendees will be introduced to the
Bushwalkers Bar and library in Grooms Cottage, and
the Bushwalkers Bunkhouse located adjacent.
Complimentary scroggin will be provided. To receive
an invitation please contact the editor and one will
be emailed to you.
It is a Covid 19 requirement that you pre-register for
the event.
BWQ Joint Walks Calendar for Clubs Just sayin’
BWQ has launched a walks calendar that members Eagles may soar but wombats don’t get
from all affiliated clubs can access. Richard K had a
key role in developing this platform. QBW has listed sucked into jet engines.
walks on this calendar. To see what other clubs are
doing see: https://qldbushwalks.online/calendar.
Proposed Walks
Girraween Base Camp 12-15 September
Head Road Temporary Closure Margie Rae is planning a three night base camp at
The Qld Main Roads Department website advises Girraween in the middle of September to enjoy the
that the Head Road will be closed for guardrail wildflowers, brisk Spring air, campfires, bushwalks,
repairs until 24 December 2021.This will affect and other delights of this unique part of Queensland.
access to walks at Wilsons Peak, Mt Superbus, To join this camp you will need to book a campsite
Teviot Gap and Queen Mary Falls from the Boonah independently with Qld National Parks.
direction. Access to nearby walks in NSW are also
affected by Covid 19 border closures currently. Point Halloran to Coochiemudlo Is Wed 29 Sept
D/W (T3 F3), approx 9 km
Coming Walks We’ll meet at the car park opposite Victoria Point
QBW provides walks and activities in accordance Kiosk (Rock n Roll Café), Masters St, Victoria Point
with current at 10am, then car shuffle back to the start on Orana
Qld Health Covid-19 Directions. Esplanade, Point Halloran. The walk back to the
ferry terminal is about 4 km. We catch the ferry to
Coochie – seniors $5 return, others $10 return.
Any person wishing to come on a club walk must
contact the walk leader first. The leader will organise The island circuit is a mix of roads, paved tracks,
the meeting place and car arrangements and has full bush tracks and beach walking. This five kilometre
discretion on who can come on the walk. If possible walk (including picnic lunch) takes about 1.5 to 2
provide leaders with plenty of forward notice if you wish hours. Then back to the mainland, possible coffee at
to nominate for a walk or if you change your plans. Rock n Roll Café, then car shuffle back to Orana
Nominations close 9:00pm a full two days prior to a Esplanade. Bring lunch, concession card and money
walk eg at 9pm Wednesday prior to a weekend trip. for the ferry. To nominate contact John or Lyn Daly
on info@takeawalk.com.au or 0417 611 810.
More details are available in the club calendar.
September 2021
2 Thur Lower Beechmont Explore D/W
Richard Kolarski
Past Walks
Lizard Point 21/22 August
4 Sat Bally Mountain Explore (Mudgeeraba) D/W
Richard Kolarski
7 Tues Club meeting & AGM 7:30pm
Ralph was the original leader for this walk and for
Little Kings Hall Cnr O’Keefe/Carl St, Buranda good reason. In 2019 he had walked to Lizard Point,
8 Wed Somerset Trail (Mt Mee) D/W
going the long way via the Lincoln Wreck and the
Helen McAllister Steamers, but ended up not seeing the sunset or
11 Sat Auracaria Circuit (Binna Burra) D/W sunrise show due several factors. So there was a
Michael Hoopmann point to prove (so to speak..). The 21/22 August
12-15 Sun-Wed Girraween (Castle Rock campground) B/C weekend provided a full moon, the campsite was
Margie Rae booked and paid for, all was ready. Alas for Ralph in
18 Sat Blue Lake to Pt Lookout (Nth Straddie) D/W the meantime he received a job offer too good to
John Brunott refuse and had to move interstate. I was deputised
23 Thur Love Creek Falls (Mt Glorious) D/W to lead the walk, and to ensure that Ralph received
Richard Kolarski photographic proof of our success. Easy!
25 Sat Mt Philp & Red Rock (Glen Rock) D/W It was no trouble to find six more walkers eager to
Will Taylor savour the delights of this impressive walk.
26 Sun Dinner Calamvale Hotel SOC
Sandy Thomas The pre-walk meet up at Boonah went surprisingly
29 Wed Pt Halloran to Coochiemudlo Is D/W well considering the challenges that came thick and
John & Lyn Daly fast in the lead-up. First there was quite a bit of
angst as to whether bushwalking was banned by the
October 2021 latest Health restrictions due to a Covid 19 outbreak
– this problem was solved thanks to an early end to
5 Tues Club meeting 7:30pm
Little Kings Hall Cnr O’Keefe/Carl St, Buranda the lockdown. Then there was word that the Head
9 Sat Pages Pinnacle (Numinbah Valley) D/W
road was being closed for 4 months to do guardrail
Will Taylor repairs – but luckily we discovered those repairs

Page 3 of 6
 were planned to start the day after we left the
mountain. We just kept forging ahead because after
all, we owed it to Ralph to see it through!
Mountain stream
The regular route out to the point had noticeably less
pink tape on it than usual and several large recent
tree falls. There were no navigational difficulties but
there was a small brush with a stinging tree and one
leech event. The day was fairly clear despite quite a
lot of burning off and vantage points provided good
views of Mt Superbus and the Steamers.
Sidling over Mt Roberts
The walk was done at a leisurely pace so the Lizard
South campsite was reached in about 4 hours. Our
style contrasted dramatically with three ‘walkers’
Page 4 of 6
who passed us on Lizard Point who were traversing
from Governors Chair to Teviot Gap in a day.
Suitably impressed but not at all envious we lay
languorously on the warm Lizard rocks basking in
the toasty August sunshine. Hardly a breath of wind
stirred the air. The wedgetail eagles didn’t even
make their usual appearance – perhaps they had
decided to take the afternoon off. The views were
sublime and sunset didn’t disappoint.
It was noticeable that there were more walkers
around than usual – and several times we were told
that it had taken them longer to do their walk than
they had expected so they needed to find a place to
camp. It seemed that they had seriously under-
estimated the challenge of the topography.
Sunrise
Just to satisfy their curiousity several of our group
went looking for water in Menura Creek, with mixed
success. The actual moon rise was missed as it rose
a lot earlier than expected, but it certainly made its
presence felt all during the night. It may have even
been suggested that there was a bit too much light
for sleeping comfort. Sunrise created a superb light
show for those who made the effort to wake up.
We broke camp by 8am and were over Mt Roberts
soon afterwards. At this point we agreed for two of
our number to do a reccy via Mt Bell and they
rejoined the group on the road at the base of the
ridge about an hour later. The walk to the cars was
uneventful despite some obstacles on the path (p6).
Lunch at Boonah completed a memorable outing.
Thanks to Mary, Gerry, Sandy, Bert, Michael F &
Richard for being such great company and a very
special thanks to Ralph for making it possible.
Michael H
Mt Blaine 15 August

4 walkers met at Flinders Plum day use area

at 8am. The car park was already filling up
but thankfully most of the other walkers were
heading to Flinders Peak. We set off along
the maintenance track to the east with a
noticeable dew still dampening the grass
(see pg 1 photo). The early sunlight lit up the
intricate patterns of orb weaver webs strung
between trees. These spiders are prolific in
this area and their webs are a regular feature.

The road swung around to the north and with

the steady gradient gained quite a bit of
height to provide glimpses of Flinders Peak to
the south. A signpost very clearly indicated
where a bushtrack leaves the road and heads
straight up to the summit. Scrambles across
and over scree slopes, through vine thickets,
and up boulder walls got us to the top with
hardly a scratch. Where were all the lantana
thickets we were warned about? We didn’t
miss them. Even though it was mid-morning
there was still quite a lot of fog in the low
lying areas contrasting with the clear winter
sunshine that we enjoyed on the summit. Mt Blaine
A pause at the top to eat, drink and pose for a
group photo gave us a chance to chat and exchange track notes with a group of walkers. It seemed they
had walked up the western side of Mt Blaine but lost the trail across a scree slope. This led to them
discovering cliffs, lantana thickets and other energy sapping obstacles that they recommended we avoid.

Taking their advice we made our way

down the western side and with a bit of
care managed to (mostly) stay on track
to the saddle. Here we all agreed to do a
side trip to another small hill just to
check the view. Next we detoured to Mt
Catherine where some skinks slipping in
and out of cracks in the rocks
entertained us.

Eventually it was decided to return to

Flinders Plum carpark where a shady
tree, log and green grass provided an
excellent site for lunch. During our walk
the carpark had filled to overflowing with
most walkers obviously heading up
Flinders Peak.

Starting elevation for our walk was 90m

above sea level and the top of Mt Blaine
is 455m so the height gain of the walk
Fog fills the valley near Ivory Rock was about 365m. The side excursions up
nearby knolls added slightly to this total.

It was an enjoyable walk and scramble – good value for a walk that is a relatively short drive from Brisbane.
Thanks to Will for leading and Neil & Sandy for your company.

Michael H

Page 5 of 6
 General Information Club Equipment
QBW Management Committee Compasses Topo Maps PLB
Garmin GPS First Aid Kits
President Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017
Vice President John Brunott 0448 761 097
5 GPSs which have a 20 metre contour topo map of the whole
Secretary Lynn Nicol 0400 705 041
of Australia included.
Treasurer Bill Reed 0408 090 754
1 PLB with inbuilt GPS may be made available at each club
Outings Officer Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785 meeting and will need to be returned at the following meeting.
Membership Officer Helen McAllister 0419 684 319 Contact John Brunott on 0448 761 097 to book these items.
Media Officer Michael Hoopmann 0401 527 017
Training Officer Vacant Reciprocal Walks with Other Clubs
Social Secretary Sandy Thomas 0403 821 525
Redland Bushwalkers Club
Other Voluntary Positions
The only stipulation is that Redland club members have priority
Equipment Officer John Brunott 0448 761 097 over visitors. Calendar is available at:
Supper Convenor Mary Sherlock 0457 990 067 http://www.redlandbushwalkers.org.au/static/calendar.html
Librarian Noelene McCay 0407 658 023 Bushwalkers of Southern Queensland (BOSQ)
BWQ Rep Ralph Hales 0422 205 120 Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
walks per calendar year. This will be with the agreement of the
BWQ Rep Richard Kolarski 0455 879 785
activity leader. Members of BOSQ have priority for nominations.
Insurance Hotline 1300 574 980 Calendar is available at http://www.bosq.bwq.org.au/
Meeting Place Bushwalking Adventures Queensland
Club meetings are on the first Tuesday of the month starting at (formerly YHA Bushwalkers)
7.30pm. There is no club meeting in January. Members of other BWQ affiliated clubs can join up to three
Meetings are held at the Little King's Hall on the corner of Carl walks per calendar year. Calendar is available at:
and O'Keefe Streets, Buranda. Entry is via the gate on Carl St. https://bushies.org.au
There is parking within the grounds and in Carl Street. Gold Coast Bushwalkers
Tea/coffee and cake/biscuits are provided after the meeting. Gold Coast Bushwalkers may admit as honorary members
A coin donation is appreciated. financial members of bushwalking clubs affiliated with BWQ.
Membership This dispensation will be at the discretion of the Management
Committee. https://sites.google.com/site/goldcoastbushwalker/
Probationary Membership
Ipswich Bushwalkers Inc
A non-member automatically becomes a Probationary Member
on his/her first walk after signing the Acknowledgement of Risk Intending walkers must contact the leader in advance. The
form. No fee is payable to become a Probationary Member. newsletter also contains a full description of the grading system
and a list of Committee members and their contact numbers.
A Probationary Member must become an Ordinary Member on
Calendar available at www.ipswichbushwalkers.bwq.org.au
his/her second walk by filling out a membership form and paying
the membership fee.
Ordinary Membership Feature Pic
A person may become an Ordinary Member by filling out and
signing a membership form, having a proposer sign the form
and handing the form with the membership fee to a committee
member or walk leader.
The proposer may be any current member of the club.
An Ordinary Member has the right to vote at an AGM or be
elected to a committee position.
Members of Another Bushwalking Club
Members of another bushwalking club which is affiliated with
Bushwalking Queensland Inc. (or an interstate Federation) and
who are covered by the same insurance do not need to become
a member of our club to go on our walks. However QBW
members will have priority if there is a limit on numbers.
Payments
Pay fees or other items direct to the QBW club account at:
BSB: 124-057
Account No: 20421276
Account Name: Queensland Bushwalkers Club
Reference: Include your name and what the payment is for – Having conquered the Bridge of Trolls,
eg “RSmith member fee”. our warrior walker enters the Tunnel of Lantana….
Website
Additional information is available on the club website at URL: All photos in this newsletter are by Michael H
https://sites.google.com/site/qldbwc/

Page 6 of 6