Takes you places!
Walking in Bateman’s Bay a couple of years ago a self-confessed ecologist opened his back pack to show me its contents. It was full of rubbish. He pulled out a can and explained that wherever he was in the world, he always carried a bag and picked up any rubbish he came across so as to leave any place he visited in better condition than before he came.
I am constantly being asked if I like my Aarn Pack and why I like it. My response is, “I love my Aarn Pack and would never go back to a conventional pack”. Not one to write formal reviews I felt it is time to enlighten the unenlightened and I say that without prejudice because here in South Australia we have very little exposure to the product being the only state lacking a retail outlet for Aarn Packs.
The final frontier… starts at your feet! I have to agree. There has never been a more exciting time to be a light-weight bushwalker. Gone are the days of the heavy and cumbersome canvas packs and huge and bulky tents. The quality and technology of even the humble sleeping mattress has finally reached space-age status with the application of high-tech lightweight materials and special insulation coatings.
These days, we are surrounded by excellent technical resources – both material and informational – ...
A campervan trip around Tasmania was the catalyst for my joining ABW. After several days of hiking near Cradle Mountain with some friends there was talk of the Overland Track and I thought that sounded like a great goal to aim for. I did some research and decided that ABW looked like the best group to join to work towards my goal whilst enjoying some of the walks available around South Australia as well. My first club walk was the new member’s weekend in Kuipto.
I joined ABW in May 2015 with previous experience camping and hiking, albeit very separate activities. Turning the big ‘4-0’ prompted me to set a new personal challenge and as I sat in the cinema watching ‘Wild’, I decided overnight hiking was going to be my new ‘thing’. I started trawling the internet for a hiking group abundant with good looking, successful, well dressed 40 year old single males ….but I found ABW instead.
Renowned art photographer, Harold Cazneaux, probably is best known in South Australia for his 1937 photograph of a large old river red gum near Wilpena Pound. Cazneaux titled the photo “Spirit of endurance”. Since 1991 when Cazneaux’s grandson, Dick Smith, funded a plaque on site, the location of the tree near Wilpena Creek has been easy to find.
In mid-December 2015, my son Tom and I, set off for a four-day walk across the Jagungal Wilderness area. Located in the centre of Kosciusko National Park north of the main range, the predominant peak in the region is Mount Jagungal (2061m), the seventh highest peak in Australia.
Rogaining is the name given to what is both a sport and a recreation and in it, teams of 2 to 5 people navigate across country on foot along a route of their own choice to collect as many control points as possible in the time available with events generally lasting 3, 6, 12 or 24 hours. Each event provides a different type of challenge physically but the 24 hour event is the classic and involves 60 or more control ...
Autumn nights are cooler and longer than summer, so the autumn skies will be on display before the weary walker hits the sleeping bags. This year there is a subtle penumbral lunar eclipse and some planet hijinks to brighten up the autumn night.
I’ve been making movies of trips for some years, and I share them with other walkers on the trip. Many of the movies consist of still shots and video clips – a few are all still shots only from scanning old slides. Here are some of these movies, dating from 1990 to 2015. Enjoy.
The River Murray is the 15th longest river in the world (2,520 kilometres) and the 3rd longest navigable river – 2,224 kms from the bottom of the Hume Dam to Goolwa - but in fact a kayak or other (very) shallow vessel is capable of starting from Bigarra located between Khancoban in New South Wales and Corryong, Victoria, thereby adding some 200 kms to this figure. While still 100 kilometres from its true source, this part of the “river” is not navigable because it is little more than a stream over rocks.
My cumulated knowledge has been used to transform myself from an obese dysfunctional 130 odd kilograms person to 70 odd kilogram hiker and marathon runner. This statement is not meant to impress you but to impress upon you, the importance of true health and the responsibility you have as an individual to take full responsibility of your own health and wellbeing.
ABW has opened lots of doors for me since joining 16 years ago to get back into my long lost interest of bushwalking. As well as walking and kayaking, ABW also offered bike riding activities, especially in the warmer months. These range from social day rides to extended touring and camping rides in the Flinders Ranges and elsewhere. Like a few other members I now enjoy the full range of bike riding from mountain bike to road riding.
I had the chance to go to London with the family for 10 days and I was determined to get a country walk or two in during this time. I began my internet research and quickly found the website of the Saturday Walkers Club. I highly recommend it if you find yourself looking for an easy way of getting out of London and enjoying a walk in the countryside.
Armed with a borrowed mountain bike and trailer, I set off on May 1 to do the Mawson Trail. I had allowed 15 days. Two others were with me - Brian Slater, the only ABW member who joined this ride, and purely by chance Adam Taylor; a young man who was riding from Melbourne to Darwin via the Oodnadatta Track.
We all know that person - the one whose pack seems to be a lot lighter than everyone else's. And they don’t seem to be wet, cold or uncomfortable. How is it that they’re carrying all the same essentials with a lot less weight and bulk? Here are a few new ideas to help you reduce your load.
Spring nights are getting shorter and warmer, so you are less likely to get hypothermia when viewing our splendid spring stars. You will still need to rug up when you walk away from the campfire to catch our spring gems. This spring, most of the bright planet action is in the morning skies, so you have to be prepared to get up early.