UNSW Bushwalking & Mountaineering Club

Newsletter - August 2001

Welcome back from the mid-year holidays! Many of us have been out and about, enjoying the freedom of the holidays, and the easy workloads early in the semester. But don't let uni work stop you now! We have lots of great things coming up: bushwalks, climbing, canyoning, and best of all, the year's second Boree Log. Check out the trips list at the end of this newsletter.

AGM

Our AGM has been and gone. Many thanks to the outgoing executive for all the effort they have put in. All have done a great job, and Scott in particular has been a president to aspire to. The amount of time and effort he has put into the club over the last year is really quite huge. We wish him well for his studies (and adventures!) in the US.

Here is a list of the new executive comittee:

Boree Log 2

This is it! This is the one you've been waiting for. The Boree Log is our not-so-annual big campout. Some of you may have been part of our Bungonia Boree Log earlier this year. Well, some of us enjoyed it so much, we've decided to run it again! Last time we had over 70 people attend! Its a great way to meet other people in the club, and get involved.

When

Friday 31 August - Sunday 2 September. People will be leaving Friday daytime, Friday evening, and Saturday.

Where

This semester, we'll be going to Deep Pass, a fantastic area in the Wollemi National Park, west of Sydney. There is a large open area for camping, as well as a number of overhangs (perfect for sleeping without a tent!). We'll probably be looking at about a 3 hour drive to get to Deep Pass from Sydney.

Transport

Hopefully, there will be enough car spaces for everyone. If you can drive, it would be great if you could help out, and give others a lift. If we don't have enough car spaces, then we will have to get some cars to pick people up from Bell train station. You may also want to mountain bike in from Bell, or beyond. We will have to walk the last 800m to the camping spot, so unlike the Bungonia Boree Log, we will not be car camping.

What will we be doing?

• Canyoning/Abseiling: There are two easy canyons near Deep Pass: River Caves canyon and Deep Pass canyon. Each take about half a day. Neither require you to get more than your feet wet, and have no abseils. If you haven't been canyoning before, these are an ideal introduction. If you have, they are still very worthwhile. There is potential to do some more challenging canyons (Tiger Snake?). Also, we may set up some ropes so you can learn or refresh abseiling and prussiking, two very important canyoning skills.
• Walking: There are heaps of good walks in the area, including one that heads down to the fantastic Bungleboori Creek. Also, there are lots of interesting rock features near the camp that are worth exploring.
• Climbing: Rumour has it that there are some 30m cliffs that are worth climbing, so we'll be taking some ropes! We will provide all the gear.
• Caving: There are a few easy caves to check out.
• Mountain Biking: It is possible to ride into Deep Pass. You might like to arrange for a car to carry your gear.
• Campfire/Feasting/Drinking: The Boree Log gains much of its reputation from what happens after the sun goes down!

Great, how do I sign up?

Send Arianna Cowling an email (ilikedaus@yahoo.com.au). Please put 'Boree Log' in the subject line. Include your name and student number. Also, tell us if you can bring a tent. We will be providing heaps, but may need more. If you can drive, tell us when you will be leaving and returning, how many people you can bring, where you will be leaving from, and your phone number. If you're not sure about all these details just yet, we'd still like to know if you can drive, or even if you only might be able to drive. You can split fuel and any other costs with whoever you give a lift. Transport is going to be our biggest concern. We would be very grateful if you can help out!

Keep checking our Boree Log page on our website for the latest information.

New gear hire system

Over the last year, hiring out of club gear has been handled primarily by one person - the indefatigable Bob Groneman. This year, we have more people who will be helping out. If you need to borrow equipment, find a time from our gear page that suits you, and contact that gear person directly. Since we sometimes run out of gear on busy weekends, you should also contact Bob (trafficnegotiatorman@yahoo.com) to see if we have enough of what you want. We will only turn up at the allotted time if you make an appointment. You must get in touch with us well before the allotted time, ideally at least two days, because not all of us can make it on short notice.

Gear hire is free for club trips. Generally, deposits are required, and are at the discretion of the gear person. A small fee is charged for non-club trips. See our gear page for more information.

Trip Report - Point Perpendicular

During the July holidays just past, Scott Morrison, Owain Williams, and I made an impromptu visit to the mighty Point Perp. We were staying at a house at Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay, having bailed on a mountaineering trip to Blue Lake. Poor snow and 30+kg packs had cut short our trip from seven days to just two. With packs that heavy, and bushes sticking thorough the snow, falling over on skis was inevitable. By my fourth fall, I knew I couldn't keep it up. I had fallen into the slope. Gathering my energy for a minute, I heaved myself into an upright position. Something was wrong. I had overshot it, and in a split second it dawned on me with great clarity that I had continued past the vertical, and was now falling headfirst down the slope. This time I couldn't move. Fortunately, my calls of "Scott, Owain, help! I've fallen and I can't get up" were answered. Its amazing how exhaustion and despair can blind you to the obvious. It had to be suggested to me that indeed I could get up, if only I unstrapped myself from my pack!

Anyway, after fleeing down to Jindabyne, we decided that if we couldn't live a frozen existence in the snow for a week, we may as well hit the coast in search of sunshine. Scott's family has a holiday house at Jervis Bay. Perfect! The contrast couldn't be more stark. Not a cloud in the sky, white beaches, and water warm enough to swim in! We managed a few walks in the Budawangs, and around Jervis Bay. Imagine our frustration when we discovered our shiny new $80 National Parks annual pass was not valid in the park we visited. Technically, the park is a part of the ACT!

One of the afternoons, we decided to head out to Point Perpendicular to check out the exposure, with a view to climb there the next day. The final dirt road in was terrible. One set of ruts sank over 50cm deep.We arrived just as the sun was setting. The exposure just did my head in. A near sheer cliff rises 100 metres out of the water. Far below, the surf pounds relentlessly on the rocks. The wind was blowing strongly - there is always a wind up at the Perp. After scoping out the bay side cliffs, we moved around to the sea side. Here, Scott unearthed the rap point he used last time he visited the area. We didn't have a guidebook, so it was decided we would do the route Ben, Scott and company did roughly a year earlier - Dreams and Visions (15). Scott and I would lead a pitch each. That night I slept with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

The next morning, with just enough climbing gear to go round, we headed off once again for Point Perp. Using Scott's wonderful new 60m double ropes, we first rapped to the halfway ledge. Pulling down the rope, we were committed. The second rap point was off a collection of very large boulders that were just sitting on the ledge. They didn't move an inch, but they did get the heart pumping! Looking back on it, it was a strange decision to see if a single rope (ie doubled over to just 30m) would make it to the bottom. The rap must have been 55m! Scott prusikked up, and we tried again. This abseil ends just by the surf, near a pile of large boulders. Looking up, seeing the rope plummet once again, I realised we were now fully comitted with only one way to go - up.

The bottom half of Dreams and Visions is characterised by the large horizontal bands of rock you can see in the photos. The above photo is of the cliff lines to the right of the climb, but shows just how amazing the area is. There was some pro in the crack to the left, and a little between some of the bands. Looking back on it though, I probably did run it out a bit. Part of the problem was that we only had limited gear, and I didn't want to run out of slings and quickdraws. Perhaps more disturbing was that all the holds were damp and sandy. Time and time again, I brushed a layer of sand off my holds. What fun!

The route traverses right towards an undercut arete. Here, the pro situation starts to pick up, as does the rock quality. Apparently the climb can be done as two pitches, but since Scott had nothing great to say about the pro in the belay cave, and because we had 60m ropes, I decided to punch it through to the halfway ledge. Perhaps the best part of the route was moving through a small, chossy bulge 2/3 of the way up. The moves were fantastic, the exposure huge. This was also my first climb on double ropes. With a 10m traverse on the route, I was an instant fan.

Sitting at the belay (again off those disturbing boulders), with the wind in my face, I knew exactly why I climb. While I was in a state of reverie, Scott was in a state of growing concern. As Owain was climbing, the surf was moving in at an alarming rate. Scott wanted up! Eventually, it was his turn, and he dispatched the route with great pace.

Now, it was Scotts lead. I'm not sure whether Scott genuinely thought the route continues up the corner/face we rapped down (it doesn't!), or he was just exercising his natural choss-finding skills. I suspect the later! Anyway, Scott made his way a few metres us this scrap of rack, all the time bombarding me with a shower of loose rock. At one point, he actually fell when a hold broke, but he came to a stop on an largish, unstable ledge. That was it, Scott decided to come down. After struggling to remove the first piece (Marc's all-too-large, self-placing nut), he was back on the ledge. We moved around about 100m to the Windjammer Wall. After eyeing off the stunning Grey Mist (17), Scott decided on Man Overboard, an equally amazing looking grade 16 corner crack. This time, there were no dramas. The rock quality was exceptional, the pro plentiful, and the climbing engaging.

We topped out, pleased to have our little scare with the loose rock behind us. Not having the guidebook, we decided to call it a day. That night, as we had all week, we pigged out on lots of food. For the fourth night running, we had potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. Exposure, great moves, and wedges. What more could you ask for in a days climbing?

Andrew Collins

Trips List