Meetings: All meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month (excluding December), at Leongatha Community House, 16 Bruce Street, Leongatha.

Next General Meeting: Jan 26, 8:00pm at Leongatha Community House

Next Activity Planning Meeting: Feb 23, 8:00pm at Leongatha Community House

President’s Report
Christmas is upon us again - although I think the weather is not quite what we expect at this time of the year, I’m sure summer is coming. It’s great to see a variety of activities and leaders planning for the coming months.
I was very fortunate to spend a week with club members and Paula, visiting from N.Z., doing the Great Ocean Walk in November, a truly great week, scenery was magnificent, and definitely a walk well worth doing, for anyone planning future walks.
Having just had 4 days on a houseboat at Lake Eildon, again with club members, I realise how lucky we are to have friendship and support from such a great club.
Get well wishes to Pat, as she is on crutches for 6 weeks mending a leg injury.
I would like to wish all members and friends a very safe and Happy Christmas and New Year to follow. May we all have many more great activities together throughout the coming year.
Merry Christmas to all.
Ros S.

Trip Reports

Yanakie to Tidal River and Return, by bike - Nov 13
It was a beautiful sunny day with very little wind on Sunday November 13th. Peter had checked out distances the week before and we knew we were looking at 76 kms return from Yanakie to Tidal River. Peter had mentioned that the hills into Tidal River were easy by car but quite steep on a bike. We all hoped we did not have a strong head wind.
At 8 am Peter and I met at the Collins’ home in Meeniyan. Steve loaded his van with a sea kayak, boogie boards, food and his two boys - Will and Hugh - who were going to enjoy the beach while Dad put his kayak into the sea. Sue had to be at work at 2.30 pm so our ride time was limited. Steve would be the back-up to get Sue home on time and to transport me if the hills beat me. It was an excellent arrangement.
We set a good pace to the Darby River as hills were slight and wind was minimal.
The first hill from Darby River was OK, but it was a real test to climb up to Darby Saddle. Peter maintained that he was not fit. When fit he would be awesome on the hills as he certainly was able to power up them, leaving me in granny gear at the rear.
The ride down was fantastic. When I saw I was up to 60 km/hr, I slowed down and braked on the corners as there was a constant stream of oncoming traffic. Sue and Peter were able to maintain speed.
We had a quick bite to eat at Tidal River before Sue and Peter rode off to Darby saddle, while I took up Steve’s offer of a lift to the top. Sue then joined her family while Peter and I continued on to Yanakie, meeting up with Steve and the boys at their home in Meeniyan for tea and scones.
It was a great ride and needs to be repeated so we can improve on those two big hills into Tidal River.
Thanks to Peter and the Collins family for a great way to spend Sunday with no rain and wind.
Marg (Wally)

Great Ocean Walk, 13-20 Nov
Participants: from left -Tim Rothberg, Ros Spratt, Paula Henderson, Kerry Baggallay, Julie Johnston, Judy Speedy, Max Speedy and David Baggallay. At the 100m mark of 94km.

Planned 12 months ago, the original 10 participants - Baggallays, Johnstons, Ros Spratt, Pat Williams, Paula Henderson, Tim Rothberg and the Speedys took up residence in two of Bimbi Park’s 4-star ensuite cabins on Sunday afternoon, and filled the fridges and freezers. Val and Ian McDonald parked alongside with their campervan and boat making 12 of us in all.
The logistics of self-catering were hammered out by the girls on Tuesday walks, with shared evening meals and yummy nibbles the norm, together with welcome wine supplied by the fellas who know about these things. Daily transport to and from the track in a mini bus was booked for each day. We only had to carry day packs and had hot showers and comfortable couches to come home to.
And so began a week of wonderful and varied walking. Abby arrived in his mini bus promptly every morning with gentle advice about the track conditions for the day ahead. We walked every day for 6 days but with a half day on the second day. This allowed a very enjoyable detour to the Otway Fly and a walk in the tree tops. Otherwise, most days involved 6 hours or so of walking, with only one day graded hard.
We shared the track with snakes and leeches, wallabies and other wild life. We lived among the koalas at Bimbi Park and became expert on their habits both by day and noisy night. There was an abundance of wildflowers to look at and stunning, ever changing scenery.
Not everyone walked every day, so there were also tales of fishing and golfing around the dinner table. Thanks to Ian and David for the fish entrèe on Monday night - pity about the skin!! Pat and Phillip shopped till they dropped on Saturday for the celebration dinner of roast chook (cooked at home for fear of salmonella which apparently plagues cooked supermarket chooks in NZ) - good cooking Paula!
Most notable achievement of the week apart from lots of fun, and walking the walk was completing the whole exercise without one blister amongst the whole group - well done you wonderful crew!!
Judy Speedy

Lake Eildon - Nov 27 - 30
I met Sue at Healesville quite late on Sunday afternoon. Beryl (Sue’s mother) kindly made me a cup of tea which I was sorely in need of. I’d foolishly trusted my Navman to take me across the hills to Healesville. Nearing Cockatoo with the damn machine constantly wanting me to ‘perform a U turn when possible’, it seemed to spit the dummy and took me off in the opposite direction, one and a half hours from my departure point of Cowes, I found myself on Wellington Road and thought, good, I’ll go up here and turn down Lysterfield Road. Would you believe the Navman wanted me to turn towards Narre Warren! It was then I took control and went up Dorset Road. Phoned Sue who agreed to wait for me, turned off the Navman and headed towards Healesville. 2 hours and 40 minutes after leaving I arrived in Healesville feeling a bit hot under the collar. All could have been avoided if I had only looked at the map before I left. I think there may be a message here, but I can’t think what it is! We eventually arrived at Eildon in Sue’s car to join Janet & Brendan, Ros & Rob and Josie and Ross. After a very late meal and a game of Pictionary we headed off to bed.
The next day after a sumptuous breakfast, all but Rob headed off on a walk to find the mine hut. We walked up and up the steep hill with Janet eventually finding a track off to the left that went down, down, down. Sue and Janet stayed at the top of the hill and the rest of us headed down. The track petered out part way down and Josie continued to explore the possible track further down. We passed a fenced off area that was to save people from falling into an extremely deep hole in the ground (a legacy from the mining in the area). Further down there was another deep hole not fenced off. I don’t know what they were mining for, but they certainly dug well into the hills. I continued on with Josie and we could just see the little building in the distance through the trees, but it seemed too far away so we abandoned the idea of reaching it and walked back up to where the girls were waiting. Walking back to the boat we helped Josie pick up all the cans she’d been collecting along the way. These will be put to good use as a fundraising effort for the Disabled Bowls trophies (I think). After lunch there were various activities: kayaking; water skiing, cleaning the upper deck of the houseboat or simply laying around reading a book.
Tuesday was the pick of the days and the plan was to travel via Janet & Brendan’s speedboat to Jamieson, something that hasn’t been possible for a very long time. Rob was the driver and did a fabulous job as we sometimes had to try to find the actual river under all the water in the lake. With Janet’s help, he navigated to the Jamieson pub where we enjoyed lunch outside under the trees. The day was just delightful, beautiful sunshine, glistening lake and very comfortable boat. After lunch we waded to the boat, got in and started our journey back to Eildon. We’d probably gone about two thirds of the distance when the boat cut out. I immediately thought that Rob was having a bit of fun to give us a fright. Surprise, surprise, it wasn’t fun, we were becalmed near the mouth of Big River with not another boat in sight. We drifted a bit with Rob constantly trying to start the boat with no luck. After a few tries with the mobile, Janet eventually got through to Brendan who spoke to Peter at the marina and a rescue was arranged. I have to tell you it was nice to see the rescue boat appear but I was a bit nervous when they decided we may just be out of petrol and started to refuel with Peter mentioning that we would need both fire extinguishers at the ready. I was just as ready to jump off the rear of the boat in the event of an explosion. Sadly, the fuel did nothing to assist our boat to start and it was decided that the fuel pump had probably stopped pumping due to an electrical fault. The next plan was to attach a tow rope and we were towed back to our trusty houseboat. What an adventure!
There was a storm and heavy rain after we got back but this passed quickly. We discussed tying down the chairs again upstairs but decided it could wait till the morning. A great meal was prepared by Sue and Janet, we played another game and then it was time for bed. The girls were talking about a swim but I wasn’t up for that so went to bed. I was surprised at how warm it was so soon joined the swimmers in the lake, so refreshing! After cooling off it was easy to go to sleep. During the night there was a lot of strong wind and I lay there thinking that the chairs might fly off the top deck. Too cold and wet to go up and check though. Janet was also thinking of the chairs, but the decision to not take the boat back to its mooring that night also weighed heavily on her mind as she listened to the bad weather. She wasn’t confident about driving it back in.
Next morning a walk was planned but the weather was not conducive to a nice stroll. There was a lull in the wind just after 7 a.m. and Janet took advantage of this to drive the boat across the lake to its mooring. What a great job she did, getting in between the other boats first shot. Just after tying up, the weather turned again, so the timing had been perfect. By this time everyone had decided to pack up and leave. Sue and Josie paddled the kayaks to the bank, dragged them to dry (well wet,) land, and then swam back to the houseboat. We then packed up and everyone headed off home.
Once again we had a great time at Eildon. I thought many times during the few days there just how lucky we all are. Thank you to everyone for your great company. SGWAAC is such a brilliant club to belong to, our members are wonderful and I often reflect upon my good fortune at becoming a member and I sincerely appreciate the friendships gained through our club.
Lynn

Pioneers of Bushwalking Exhibition - Dec 1
Val and I caught the bus at Wonthaggi; Ros, Judy and Kerry caught the other bus from Meeniyan and Leongatha. The plan was to meet up at Koo We Rup where we’d all hop on the next bus to Southern Cross Station. The buses were so full that we had two buses go on to Melbourne and therefore didn’t meet up until then.
First stop was a funky coffee shop for refreshment, then we walked up to a’Beckett Street to visit the exhibition. We were amused at the attire the early bushwalkers wore as well as amazed at their stamina. There were great photos and memorabilia and we all thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition. Bushwalking gear has come a long way since those days. They often had extended walks and enjoyed the added assistance of pack horses in the high country. There were photos of them lying on the ground without tents with light snow around them. Not for me I thought. In other photos some of the hikers didn’t look much different to today’s bush walkers, really very interesting.
Afterwards Judy led us on the Golden Mile around Melbourne pointing out the buildings funded by the gold rush profits. It was lovely to take in all these old buildings, many of which are still in excellent condition. There was a smattering of rain, but nothing too serious. We visited historic arcades before heading to Little Bourke Street to inspect the hiking shops. Walking back to the station we were in time to enjoy a quick afternoon tea before boarding our bus home.
Many thanks to Judy for taking note of this interesting exhibition and putting it on our program. We had a lovely day (as usual).
Lynn

Lowry’s Road to Foster and Return Walk - Dec 4
Kerry had said ‘meet at Lowry’s Road’. No problem, I thought, I know where that is. However, I was on the South Gippsland Highway on the hill before Foster before I realised that I needed to be on the Fish Creek to Foster Road. A right turn down to Fish Creek quickly solved this geographical embarrassment.
There was a great turn out; Julie, Judy, Kerry, Kaye, Alison, Aileen, Les, Heather, Ros and myself . What can I say about a walk? We walked and chatted, swapped chatting mates, and walked some more; caught up with all the news, gave opinions, and discussed holiday options. To be honest I can’t really remember all that we talked about. I just know that we talked a lot.
Not confident that she could walk fast enough, Alison parked her car at Foster and rode her bike back to meet us.
The view at the Hoddle siding was spectacular; the tide was out and it looked so serene. When we reached Foster we met up with David and lunched at the Bakery. I think David was car back-up, but he walked one way and Rob cycled from Leongatha and met us at Lowry’s Road for a lift home. It really didn’t matter what we did; we were out getting fresh air and having a good time.
Thanks Kerry for organising the walk.
Chris Chiam

Tuesday Walk - Dec 6
Val, Kerry, Ilse, Paula, Julie, Chris and I met at the Wonthaggi Guide Park but had to move the cars to the rail trail parking area due to overcrowding at the Guide Park. Once again the weather was kind as we walked on the Rail Trail and then through bush and grasslands to the wind towers near Baxter’s Beach. There was a good breeze so the turbines were spinning away sounding like jet aeroplanes. Climbing over the wooden stile, we then walked along the newly mown trail to Williamson’s Beach (near the Desalination Plant).
Arriving at the beach we sat in the sand dunes to have our snacks. The view was stunning, the water clear, the sky blue and the golden sand stretching away into the distance. We sat for a while simply enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful surroundings before eventually standing up and continuing along the beach towards Baxter’s Beach. In no time we’d reached the sand dune and yellow marker indicating the track so turned off the beach, climbed the hill and headed back towards Wonthaggi along a very pleasant, shady track. Val had chosen to walk back along the road much to the dismay of some dairy cows grazing on the side of the road. ‘Stupid Cow’ may have been murmured as they chose to canter off in a group in front of us. We tried hard not to disturb them but they obviously found us very frightening and kept rushing off whenever we neared them.
We were soon at the end of the road much to the relief of the cows, and after walking along the road for a short distance turned left onto another pleasant track leading back to where we’d started from. Crossing the road and back into the mine park, across the grass, along the rail trail we reached the cars, said our goodbyes and went off in different directions. We’d started at 9.30 and it was now 1.15, so we’d had a good walk. Thanks Val for leading us on another lovely trek.
Lynn

For Sale
Swag, double with Fibreglass hoops, insect mesh and foam mattress $250 neg Ring Glen Dowlan (03) 5668 1623 (h) or 0488 5321619 (m)

Upcoming Events

Gliding - Another chance to soar like an eagle
Gliding day has been rescheduled for Sat Feb 25 (time for the strip to dry out!) at South Gippsland Aeroclub
Bookings essential Cost $50 per personl. Ross Sprett 0408 642 358 or 5664 2358

Gisborne/Ballarat/Skipton Pannier Ride
Kerry needs to know numbers for this ride as soon as possible for booking accommodation, etc. So if you are interested in doing this ride please let Kerry know immediately on 5664 7440

Mt Hotham
3 night stay at Mt Hotham: 11th, 12th & 13th April
Suggested itinerary:
11th Stay at Bembooka Lodge
12th & 13th
Option 1 - Hike to Feather Top, camp overnight then return to Lodge
Option 2 - Various day walks around Mt Hotham or relax at the Lodge.
Anyone interested please let us know ASAP as we need to confirm the booking and costs. Limited numbers. Contact Heather or Les 56574220 or 0408595008.

Australian Alps Walking Track Clearing
Bushwalking clubs and individuals are invited to join local Parks Victoria staff, Friends of Baw Baw National Park and the Strzelecki Bushwalking Club for a four-day track clearing activity on the Baw Baw Plateau (Baw Baw NP) between Friday 24 and Monday 27 February 2012.
The activity will focus on clearing a remaining 2km section of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) between Whitelaw Hut ruins and Phillack Saddle. This will complete a project that has seen the progressive clearing over a number of years of the AAWT through the entire length of the park.
Parks Victoria will establish a base camp for the activity at Jeep Track Flat, from early Friday 24 February 2012. Access to the base camp is via the St Gwinear car park or Baw Baw Village. Ample water, fresh fruit, general consumables and energy food will be available for all participants and people attending only need to bring camping gear and their own basic food requirements they would normally take on an extended bushwalk.
Participants are welcome for whatever time they can spare and there will be a variety of tasks to complete form very easy to arduous. All safety gear will be provided by Parks Victoria.
Contact Andy Gillam (PV) 5172 2186 or 0428 333464 or Ron Cann (SBC) 5623 5358

Other Items of Interest
Great South West Walk - April 2012
The Rotary Club of Portland Bay are offering a 14 day supported opportunity to complete the 250 km Great South West Walk from Portland to Portland via Nelson. Cost is $300 which includes transport of food and camping gear, walkers need only carry day packs. Numbers are limited to 15. Contact for enquiries is Karen Stock 0407042435 or email at kkstock@stockdental.com.au. For information on the walk itself visit the website www.greatsouthwestwalk.com.

Trip Intentions Fom
Bushwalking Victoria have advised that a new Trip Intentions Form has been developed by the Convenor of the Bush Search and Rescue organisation. The form, which can be downloaded from www.tripintentions.org provides a facility for you to enter the details of your activity/trip and the email addresses of two people you nominate to act as your contacts. When you complete the online form the details you have entered are automatically emailed to these two contacts and a copy sent to you. You can print the form and leave a copy in your vehicle if appropriate. The service is provided free of charge in the interests of improved safety for outdoors activities. It is up to you to check that the form you prepare on the Trip Intentions site is accurate and reaches the people you send it to.

Bushwalking Victoria - Membership Cards 2011/2012
For those who haven’t received one yet, the cards are available from the Secretary at any of the Club meetings. These cards are definitely worth having. Bushwalking Victoria has negotiated with a number of major retail outlets for camping and outdoor equipment/clothing to provide various discounts to Bushwalking Victoria members. Just present your card when thinking of a purchase and enquire re possible discounts - don’t leave home without one!

Track Maintenance and Upkeep
The upkeep of tracks and trails that Club Members use regularly is often discussed while out on foot and bicycles, and often the conversation tends to how the Club could effectively make a contribution, particularly in our local area. Recently, contact has been made with Friends of the Prom and the TheGreat Southern Rail Trail Committee for details of working bees that SGWAAC may be able to be involved in. Friends of the Prom dates have already been provided for 2012 and will be included in future SGWWC programs.
Bushwalking Victoria have advertised the following dates for areas further afield

• 26-29 Jan - track clearing on AAW - Limestone Creek Track - Cobberas No1
• 27-29 Jan - alpine restoration in the Alpine National park - Falls Creek
• 24-27 Feb - AAWT clearing - Baw Baw Plateau
• 22 April 2012 - Bunyip State Park and Kurth Kiln regional park

Wilson’s Prom Report
Recovery program is now focused on popular areas in the southern area of the park such as Mt Oberon, the Light Station and Refuge Cove.
Parks Victoria Chief Ranger, Wilsons Promontory, Helen Dixon, says that works have been progressing well on Mt Oberon Rd and that they hope to have the road cleared by Christmas to enable a small people-mover vehicle to ferry hikers to the Telegraph Saddle car park. Private vehicles will not be permitted on the road.
Work on the South East Track is scheduled to commence soon to provide access to the Roaring Meg camp site and the South Point Track, the Light Station, Little Waterloo Bay, Refuge Cove and Sealers Cove. Again, it is hoped the work will be completed in time for Christmas-New Year. It will be a major achievement to re-open this iconic section of the park.
However, walkers will still not be able to undertake the full circuit walk track out to Sealers Cove (between Telegraph Saddle Car Park and Sealers Cove) due to the extensive flood damage. Sealers Cove will be accessible only from the South East Track for some time yet while Parks continue the major repair works in consultation with its engineers and contractor.
The northern section of the park which incurred only minor flood damage continues to feature in the flood-recovery program with works commencing on the 5 Mile Road Track and other wilderness walks located in the northern end of the park.
This program of repair works is being supported by Bushwalking Victoria and the Friends of the Prom, with a number of volunteer activities taking place during November. It is anticipated that the Northern Wilderness hikes will also be open by Christmas, although at this stage Johnny Souey Cove will remain closed.
Tracks that will remain closed over summer
The following tracks will remain closed until scheduled repair works are undertaken to ensure that tracks are safely accessible:

• Loo-Errn boardwalk and fishing platforms
• Whisky Bay car park and beach access track,
• Cotters Lake
• Picnic Point
• Telegraph Saddle to Sealers Cove; Telegraph Saddle to Oberon Bay
• Little Oberon Bay to Oberon Bay
• Five Mile Beach to Johnny Souey Cove; Johnny Souey Cove to Tin Mine Cove; Tin Mine Cove to Lower Barry Creek; Lower Barry Creek to Five Mile Road junction walking tracks

Grand Strzelecki Track Update
This new track runs from Morwell National Park to Tarra Bulga. It is 85km long, but includes loop walks to enable day walks without a car shuffle. Construction of the track was scheduled to commence on Monday, 14 November and tentative dates for finishing the various sections have been set.
Reprinted from Bushwalking News Victoria

ICE
If you carry a mobile phone, don’t forget to put ICE in as a contact.
ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. This is the person to be contacted if you are injured or something bad happens and you cannot contact your overdue contact yourself. You can have more than one ICE contact. Police and other emergency service personnel will look for ICE information in your mobile.
If you don’t carry a mobile phone, carry an emergency information form detailing relevant information in your pack. And not hidden in the bottom or randomly placed among other stuff, but in easily identifiable container in an obvious place in one of the outside pockets.
Reprinted from Bushwalking News Victoria

Walks Program
For the web version of Footprints, the walks program is located on a separate page and is kept up-to-date with changes as they come in.