Expand your horizons with Australia’s longest running wilderness adventure magazine. With in-depth features and stunning photographs from some of the world’s greatest adventurers, WILD will keep you up-to-date on all aspects of wilderness pursuits.
Throughout human history, philosophers have looked to the wonders of our natural world for inspiration and wisdom. For some, the grand majesty of snow-capped peaks hold lessons in humility and the insignificance of man, while others contemplate a deep forest and wonder how to parse the wood from the trees. Yet it is in rivers that I find the richest material for reflection, as their ability to support metaphor after metaphor appears limitless. Take, as just one example, Quentin Chester’s column in this issue, ‘Streaming Lives’, in which he draws comparison between a person’s life and the movements of a river. This is a common theme, particularly among Western philosophers, who conceive of time’s passage to be like the inexorable flowing of a river, from source to sea. When we…
Issue 145, Jan-Feb 2015 LETTER OF THE ISSUE Leigh wins a set of MSR Swift™ 2 Walking Poles valued at $219. These adjustable aluminium trekking poles feature breathable straps and foam grips for continuous comfort. CAUSE OF DESTRUCTION One of the reasons why I like Wild magazine is that it fosters enjoyment of outdoor activities while promoting an environmental responsibility attitude. The editorial in the last edition (145) discussed how “our love for the world is killing it”. This is certainly true and it is great that Wild is not afraid to speak out about such issues. However, financial profiteering from activities such as mining, logging is causing major destruction, grazing etc., compared to bushwalking, climbing and canoeing. The key risk factor for recreational environmental degradation is vehicular access. If…
Until the second half of last century, the forbidding nature of the south-west corner of Tasmania with its impenetrable vegetation had constituted an effective barrier for human entry. However, in the 1940s an intrepid band of canoeists starting laying their claim to this unknown quarter of Tasmania, sometimes referred to as “Transylvania”. These men risked life and limb down these treacherous rivers. One of them was a man called Johnson Fletcher Dean. Born in Evandale (north-east Tasmania) in 1926, Dean was to attain many noble feats in his life, canoeing was just one of them. An accomplished farmer and an avid bushwalker – his family would venture along such walks as The Overland track and Lake Pedder. He even laid claim to making the steepest walking track in Tasmania –…
Photographer’s checklist: Watery journeys • The first and most important item to have when you take on such adventures is travel insurance. Be sure to get your camera gear covered by insurance in case of the worst. Travel insurance is an added expense, but can pay for itself if you break or damage your camera gear.• Second, an equally important consideration for a river journey would have to be a rugged, watertight case for your gear. These are bombproof cases that come in all shapes and sizes - perfect for travelling in tricky, dangerous and uncontrollable scenarios such as a river tour.• Once you have your important camera gear safe and insured, it’s time to enjoy your trip. River tours or white water rafting trips offer so much in way…
WA bushfires blast Bibbulmun Bushfires in south-west Western Australia raged through sections of the popular, 1,000-kilometre-long Bibbulmun Track, destroying several campsites and the historic Long Gully Bridge - an essential crossing over the Murray River. Three fires in the region ran out of control in early February, with the largest threatening homes and lives around Northcliffe, with two houses and several sheds succumbing to the blaze. Eventually, favourable weather conditions and hard work from WA’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services alongside the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) finally managed to bring this fire under control, with emergency services minister, Joe Francis dubbing it “the biggest in decades”. The fire burned so hot that it is being blamed for having melted tarmac on the South West Highway. While the…
Australian Alpine Walking Track maintenance continues Conservation Volunteers Australia is inviting last-minute attendees to join with rangers from Parks Victoria and assist with a schedule of works on the Australian Alpine Walking Track. There are two trips left in March (1-7 and 22-28) on which volunteers will have a chance to restore a piece of Australian bushwalking heritage while experiencing the best of our great outdoors. See www.conservationvolunteers.com.au for more. Rescues spike in summer spate The incidence of people requiring rescue after getting lost in Australia’s wilderness appears to have spiked in the summer of 2014/15. In one week in January alone, eight people needed to be airlifted in Tasmania’s south-west in three separate rescues. More recently, a 72-year-old man was reported missing on February 14 in the vicinity of…
