Issue 185, Spring 2022

Wild

Australia's Wilderness Adventure Magazine

Wild3 min read
Letters
Dear James, Apologies for the slow response to Dan Slater’s ‘Myles Dunphy’s Maps’ column in the Autumn 2022 (#183) edition. As I turned the page and spotted the little cut out from his Gangerang map, I could immediately name and picture the features
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The Cover Shot
This tree is called Big Lonely Reg. It’s a 76m-tall Eucalyptus regnans (AKA mountain ash) that was left in the middle of a logging coupe in the Florentine Valley, Tasmania. The way that I found this tree was actually quite unusual. I was hiking with
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Quick Thought
“For me, a benefit of a life in the outdoors is realising that I can never see everything, and knowing, at the back of my mind, there are places out there that have never been diminished by humans (to paraphrase Judith Wright).” TH EVERY published le
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Wild
EDITOR: James McCormack GREEN PAGES EDITOR: Maya Darby PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Caitlin Schokker PROOFING AND FACT CHECKING: Martine Hansen, Ryan Hansen DESIGN: James McCormack FOUNDER: Chris Baxter OAM CONTRIBUTORS: Matt Newton, Jennifer Sanger, Ro Pri
Wild4 min readCrime & Violence
In Praise Of Outlaws
A little while ago, Gup, my father-in-law was visiting us. I can’t remember how the conversation came about, but he remarked to my 8yo son something along the lines of that it was never OK to break the law. I disagreed, and—with what’s happening in t
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amrita, The Activist
Australian activists are not yet in the situation faced by Indian forest defenders in 1730, though some parallels are emerging. Maharaja Marwar wanted the Khejarli forest to build his new palace. The Bishnoi community, led by Amrita Devi, got in the
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To Plan Or Not To Plan?
I am fascinated by the idea of paddling across the Bass Strait. It seems magical, backlit by golden light: Imagine floating in a tiny boat surrounded by nothing but ocean, pulling up on uninhabited islands and bunkering down for days, waiting for the
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Brave New World
In Wild Issue #176, I mentioned in this column that the shopping landscape is changing, and this is nowhere more conspicuous than on our social media channels (if we have them). With advertisers now able to dial down to the exact end-user demographic
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Saving Cooloola
Commercial luxury cabins and glamping development in Great Sandy National Park remains a battleground issue within Queensland national parks. The proposal would develop five sites on private leases along the iconic Cooloola Great Walk, a 102km thru-h
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A Climate Disaster Is Unfolding In Wa
It’s enraging. The crystal blue ocean waters of Ningaloo and Western Australia’s northwest are some of the most biodiverse in the world. The region is known globally as a haven for whale sharks, humpbacks, endangered sea turtles and colourful corals.
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Stronging It Out
Early morning conditions had been stunning. A light overnight dusting of snow had covered the landscape in a sparkling, dazzling white blanket, forming a magical carpet for my skins to glide forwards smoothly and silently. Despite the cold air irrita
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Rogaining an Australian Success Story
What sport takes place on full moons, was invented in Australia, and now extends worldwide? The answer is ‘rogaining’. It’s a navigational activity where teams of between two and five travel (traditionally on foot) to visit checkpoints using only a m
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The Art Of planning A Hike
As an adventure filmmaker and photographer, I’m lucky enough to have hiked in Canada’s Pacific Mountains, NZ’s South Island, and Southeast Queensland’s lush rainforests, among other places. In the beginning, I often got things wrong, but it wasn’t fo
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Tasmania’s Forests a Climate Solution In Plain Sight
Tasmania’s forests are remarkable for many reasons. They are incredibly beautiful. They are home to iconic wildlife. And they capture a unique essence of Tasmania’s wilderness. But perhaps the most awe-inspiring quality is that they are home to giant
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The Abelists In Their Own Words
You’ve probably heard of the Munros in Scotland (284 summits above 3,000 feet), and/or the Wainwrights (214 peaks in the England’s Lake District favoured by erstwhile fell-walker and author Alfred Wainwright). You may even have dreamed of heading to
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MAUREEN MARTIN Year Of Completion: 2017 #13 Finisher
“WHEN I WAS EIGHT, one of my aunties took me up Mt Roland. As soon as I got on top, I felt like the king of the castle!” “I’D SAY THAT 90% of the mountains I climbed were with the Northwest Walking Club. When we didn’t have anywhere to go, we’d look
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LEWI TAYLOR Year Of Completion: 2022 #23 Finisher
“AT THE START OF COVID, I read an article about Zane Robnik and the Abels. I thought it was a cool concept to have these very simple criteria which sounded achievable but also diverse. I got in contact with Bill Wilkinson, along with Nigel Richardson
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LOUISE FAIRFAX Year Of Completion: 2022 #21 Finisher
“IN 2015, I WAS ASKED BY BILL Wilkinson to compile a list of the people who’d completed the Abels, or who had 20 or fewer to go. At the time, I don’t think there were any women on that list, and we both felt that was a failure.” “I MYSELF HAD PROBABL
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No surrender Two Decades Of Tasmanian Forest Activism
FOR ME, DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY offers the future a view of the past. It bears witness in an age when publications turn towards entertainment, celebrity and spin. I have been photographing the struggle for Tasmania’s wild lands for over twenty years.
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The reunion
“Oh my GOD!! RIJAN?!” My eyes rolled and an involuntary groan undoubtedly slipped out. Young Bull was up to his old tricks. It had taken almost two years of attempts—all crushed by the ‘spicy cough’—but finally we were here. Scotty, Rijan (pronounced
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The trap
Iyell to the team to turn around, but my words fade into the cold roar of gale-force winds. Meanwhile, my face is being peppered by icy needles blowing in the 80km/h blasts; I try to pull my balaclava up to protect my exposed skin. I’m only half succ
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Unridden Kangaroo Valley
IT IS A HUMID LATE AFTERNOON deep in Kangaroo Valley, December 2021, 160km south of Sydney. From the books I’ve read, I believe I am the first person to ride this lost track, dug in the 1880s by cedar loggers. As I progress, I notice a sudden change
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THE REASON WHY A Case for Victoria’s Great Forest National Park
I stopped counting trees along the route when I got to three thousand, seven hundred and eleven. It had seemed a good idea to start with, an alternative to the mantra “left foot, right foot, relax, breathe”. But just 22 kays into the 275-odd kilometr
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Seven Days, nine Wonders
THERE ARE SOME TRIPS you have where everything goes smoothly. Others seem to be precisely the opposite. This was one of those, a trip where it seemed everything conspired against us. We—me, Case Turner, and Doug Hollinger—had initially planned to mee
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Up Shit Creek In The Budawangs
The Budawangs, NSW. A region with a reputation that well and truly precedes it. A place rightfully deserving of its status in bushwalking guidebooks and blogs and travel guides as a must-see destination, one that snatches the attention of tens of tho
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A River is Calling
Change is inevitable, right? Very little appears constant, especially in light of COVID. As the years nonchalantly roll past—with all life’s charms, trials and tribulations—a lot of us become acutely aware that it’s also (and just as importantly) cha
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5 Walks In The nt’s Top End
WITH RUGGED ESCARPMENTS, PANDANUS-FRINGED waterholes and wildlife that reminds us who’s really at the top of the food chain, the Northern Territory’s Top End lures wanderers seeking a complete change of scene. Temperatures, even on winter’s coolest,
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Cradle Mountain Circuit
CRADLE MOUNTAIN IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S iconic natural destinations for both sightseers and serious bushwalkers. But most of the thousands of visitors who hit the trails starting in Cradle Valley miss some of the area’s most beautiful features. This is
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The Walk In Sections
5.5km; approx 3 hours (although several side trips are possible) Take the shuttle bus to its last stop at Dove Lake. At the time of writing, a new multi-million-dollar shelter is being constructed (its purpose isn’t entirely clear apart from allowing
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Assault 2 futurelight Tent
IF THERE’S ONE THING that seems common among winter-slash-four season tents, besides the fact they’re bomber, it’s that they’re heavy. Compared to tents designed for the warmer months, these things weigh a ton. Well, OK, that’s figuratively, not lite
Wild2 min readChemistry
Atom Lt Hoody
WHEN I UNPACKED MY NEW Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody, my first thought was: “Holy dooley, this thing is light!” At just 360g, it promised to pack a punch for its weight. My second thought was this: “It looks super shmick”. With its streamlined, slick desig
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Wildfire Edge
FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER. And my first impression of Salewa’s Wildfire Edge approach shoe was this: These things are sexy. I mean, really. They have a suitably high end aura, the colour combination of teal and red/orange is right up my alley, and th
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Dirtroamer Jacket + Storm Pants
PATAGONIA MAY NOT NECESSARILY be as well known for their mountain bike apparel as they are for their other outdoor gear, but perhaps they should be. The company’s Dirt Roamer collection, which includes shorts to go with the shell jacket and pants I t
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Wild Shot
“I set myself up deep within a dark and mysterious chasm at Frederick Peak, and stared out in awe as Marina Haintz threw herself around up the eversteepening cliff. Distracted by the colours and the echoes bouncing off the narrow walls, I almost forg

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