I’d been planning to walk the Mt Stapylton Loop for the last year or so and it was only last week when I finally got the chance to do so. For anyone unfamiliar with the Grampians National Park, this 12.2km circuit walk traverses a series of exposed sandstone peaks and shallow valleys in the parks… Continue reading Mt Stapylton Loop Walk
Author: Glenn Tempest
Glenn is an accomplished adventure writer and photographer and has authored a number of popular bushwalking and rockclimbing guidebooks. Glenn is the big kahuna at Open Spaces and lives in Natimuk (next to Mt Arapiles and the Grampians) with his partner Karen and two Burmese cats, Sushi and Pinot.
Arapiles iPhone App New Version 1.0.3 Now Released
What’s New in Version 1.0.3 This iCrag Arapiles App update is free to anyone who has already purchased the app. Additional features include… Nine new wall topos, 20 new routes and 18 new lower-offs. In response to user feedback, we have improved the Search functionality. A number of minor glitches were removed. Check out… Continue reading Arapiles iPhone App New Version 1.0.3 Now Released
Proposed Loddon River Walk
We walked the Golden Gullies Walk from Vaughan Mineral Springs (near Castlemaine) on Sunday to recheck our original notes used in our popular Daywalks Around Melbourneguide. We also completed a GPS track of the walk, which we will add to our downloads page when the new The Goldfieldsguide is released this spring. The Golden Gullies… Continue reading Proposed Loddon River Walk
Wildlife Friendly Fencing
There are few sights more sickening than seeing a kangaroo or wallaby hanging from its hind legs in a wire fence. It’s a scene that I’ve witnessed too many times over the years. The poor animal has attempted to jump the fence and has caught its legs in-between the two top strands of wire and… Continue reading Wildlife Friendly Fencing
Tarilta Creek Gorge
Karen and I joined a few friends (Greg, Michelle and Marriot) on Saturday to walk the lovely Tarilta Creek Gorge just south of Mt Franklin in the Upper Loddon State Forest. I was keen to GPS the circuit for our forthcoming Goldfields guide and see what effect the recent bushfire (early January 2012) had on… Continue reading Tarilta Creek Gorge
Problems With Falcons Lookout Walk and Ironbark Gorge Carpark
There are four official public entrances into Werribee Gorge State Park. The main entrance is via Myers Road on the eastern side of the park and is accessed via the Western Freeway from just past Bacchus Marsh. The other three entrances are located along Ironbark Road via Western Bluff, Ironbark Gorge and Ingliston Gorge Carparks.… Continue reading Problems With Falcons Lookout Walk and Ironbark Gorge Carpark
Jawbone Track Repairs Finished
Last week Greg and I walked up to the top of the North and South Jawbone Peaks in the Cathedral Range State Park. I was really keen to check out the new trail work on the Jawbone Track leading up to the Farmyard. The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires really hammered this part of the range… Continue reading Jawbone Track Repairs Finished
Camels Hump: Digging in the Dirt
Each of the three routes described below have been worked on in consultation with other local climbers and with the first ascentionists. These three climbs were all suffering from major issues and were either unclimbable, badly bolted and/or dangerous. Sluts Honour has had a slightly different start added (one bolt) by coming in from the… Continue reading Camels Hump: Digging in the Dirt
Jetboil Sol Ti Stove Review
For the last six years or so I’ve been using the Jetboil cooking system and I have to say it has performed flawlessly (except for the piezoelectric push-button igniter, which has never really worked for me). Lately though I’ve been shaving the weight I carry and when I heard about the Jetboil Sol Ti I… Continue reading Jetboil Sol Ti Stove Review
Mt Alexander Regional Park: Walking Trails Falling Into Disrepair
I was up at Mt Alexander Regional Park on Sunday checking out the main walking trail loop for our forthcoming guidebook, The Goldfields. I’ve done the Mt Alexander walk at least four times, the last time in 2005 for our Daywalks Around Melbourne guide. What really struck me on Saturday was just how run-down the… Continue reading Mt Alexander Regional Park: Walking Trails Falling Into Disrepair