Victorian National Parks Camping and Accommodation Fees – Regulatory Impact Statement The Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) has released a proposal for a user-pays approach to charges for camping and roofed accommodation in parks and reserves managed by Parks Victoria. Victorians are invited to provide comment on the regulatory impact statement by 22… Continue reading Healthy Parks, Wealthy People
Blog
When Is The Best Time To Walk The Overland Track?
Warwick Sprawson is our guest blogger. He is the author of Overland Track which is available for purchase in our bookshop. Here, he asks the question – “When is the best time to walk the Overland Track?” The ‘best’ season for hiking Tasmania’s Overland Track is as personal as your scroggin mix. Some thrive on… Continue reading When Is The Best Time To Walk The Overland Track?
Dog in the Mists
Back in 1964 my father wrote a short story for possible publication in England’s Popular Camping magazine. It was rejected by the editor and the original type-written manuscript was all but forgotten. It must have meant something to my dad since he carried it with him when he migrated to Australia a couple of years… Continue reading Dog in the Mists
Law Unto Himself
Last Monday Open Spaces in conjunction with the Victorian Climbing Club saw the release of Michael Law’s autobiography (of sorts) at Thousand £ Bend at Little Lonsdale Street. It was a wild Melbourne night of heavy rain and hail, yet despite this almost 70 people turned out to listen to one of Australian climbing’s most… Continue reading Law Unto Himself
The Art of Belay
So what sort of belayer are you? Are you a fashionable belayer? A safe belayer. Attentive or casual? Which belay devices do you use? Here are a few of my favorite belay scenarios, dug out of my dusty archives.
The Rust Bucket
This new Grampians sport-climbing cliff is located just near the Mount of Olives, a couple of minutes walk off the trail linking the Stapylton Campground with the Mt Stapylton Amphitheatre (total walk-in time is about 20min). The cliff is very short (only 12m or so) but the climbing is steep on generally good pocketed rock.… Continue reading The Rust Bucket
Arapiles Pocket Companion: Out Soon
It’s been five years since Simon Mentz and I released our Arapiles Selected Climbs guide. Although well-received by the climbing community, the guide did have one major problem. Weighing in at a hefty 715g meant that this was not something you could easily carry up The Bard or Skink. Great for bench-pressing but not really… Continue reading Arapiles Pocket Companion: Out Soon
Mountain Magazine: Brave New World
I bought my first copy of Mountain magazine at Bushgear in Hardware Lane. It was the January 1974 (no 31) edition which, due to a six month sea voyage, didn’t reach our shores until almost September. It cost 30 pence in the UK, $1.25 in the United States and $3.50 here in Australia. I remember… Continue reading Mountain Magazine: Brave New World
Australian Alps Walking Track: 4 Days
Ben Spencer is our guest blogger. Day 1: Walhalla to O’Sheas Mill Site (13km) Much dreaming came to fruition when dad and I tackled the first 45km of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) over the last Melbourne Cup weekend. We met in the historic town of Walhalla and immediately organised a car shuffle with… Continue reading Australian Alps Walking Track: 4 Days
Koh Yao Noi, Stepping Back in Time
It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since I first climbed in Thailand. Of course back in 1992 Phra-Nang was nothing like it is today. Tonsai was completely undeveloped with just a few rough huts set back in the jungle. Railay had a bunch of basic bungalow systems and it was only the… Continue reading Koh Yao Noi, Stepping Back in Time
