Ben Spencer is our guest blogger. Images by Grant Hawkins. Day 1 – Milanesia Beach to Ryans Den With much anticipation we were finally bound for the Great Ocean Walk – a 90km snaking trail along the Victorian coastline from Apollo Bay to The Twelve Apostles. Our crew comprised of my dad and three mates… Continue reading Three Days Along the Great Ocean Walk
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The Outdoor Gourmet and Drying Food
The article below was produced by Michael Hampton for an illustrated article published in OUTDOOR AUSTRALIA magazine (2005). This has been edited and enlarged for this post. Creaking under our novice bushwalker’s loads, my companions and I once joked that wouldn’t it be nice to have freeze-dried water, all you’d have to do was add… Continue reading The Outdoor Gourmet and Drying Food
Escape to the Beeripmo Walk
Ben Spencer is our guest blogger for this week. The First Day, Up, Up and Up! The luxury of a long weekend presented the ideal opportunity to undertake the Beeripmo Walk – a 21km, two-day hike. Located about an hour’s drive west of Ballarat in the Mt Buangor State Park and Mt Cole State Forest,… Continue reading Escape to the Beeripmo Walk
Mike Graham; a Day at Arapiles (1980)
California-based climber Mike Graham first visited Arapiles in 1980. He and his partner, Wendy, flew into Melbourne and stayed at my parents house in Lilydale. I think it was a relief for my parents to see that I actually had some ‘normal’ friends rather than the weird riff-raff that usually crashed on our lounge room… Continue reading Mike Graham; a Day at Arapiles (1980)
Mt Donna Buang, 1914; Sawmills and War
I found this really interesting article in The Argus from Friday, March 27th 1914. Reading it made me realise that logging in the Upper Yarra Valley was already of an environmental concern even 98 years ago. Exactly three months after this article appeared in the press, World War 1 broke out and Australia changed forever.… Continue reading Mt Donna Buang, 1914; Sawmills and War
The Mattress Backs of Taipan
We were walking down the trail from Taipan Wall when Michael abruptly stopped, dropped to his knee and pointed excitedly into the trees. I crouched down next to him and after a few moments I could make out something moving in the boulders. Two small faces, beanies pulled down over their tiny ears, large brown… Continue reading The Mattress Backs of Taipan
Mt Tongariro Awakens after 100 Years
Last night New Zealand’s Mt Tongariro erupted for the first time in 115 years. The eruptions appear to have occurred at Te Mari Crater, which is not far from the Ketetahi Hot Springs on the northern side of the mountain. It will be interesting to see exactly what impact these eruptions will have the 19.4km-long… Continue reading Mt Tongariro Awakens after 100 Years
Southern Gothic Vol2: Acropolis & Geryon
February 1983 and Chris Baxter, Miles Martin (UK), Dave Moss, Russ Clune (USA) and I spent a couple of weeks climbing at Mt Geryon and the Acropolis in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. It was one of those rare trips where everything came together like clockwork. Even the weather – notoriously… Continue reading Southern Gothic Vol2: Acropolis & Geryon
Southern Gothic Vol1: Acropolis & Geryon
In February 1983, Chris Baxter, Miles Martin, Dave Moss, Russ Clune and I spent a couple of weeks climbing at Mt Geryon and the Acropolis in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National Park. I was 24 years-old at the time and the campaign to save the Franklin blockade was at its height. Upon… Continue reading Southern Gothic Vol1: Acropolis & Geryon
The Tipperary Track: Trail Update
It was a miserable wet and cold mid-winter’s morning when Karen and I dragged ourselves out of the warmth of a Daylesford Cafe and started out along the Tipperary Track. For the first kilometre or so we debated as to whether this was such a good idea. Maybe we are getting soft but the thought… Continue reading The Tipperary Track: Trail Update
