Batemans Bay Bushwalkers have shown their diversity over the past few weeks with one group heading into the Kosciuszko National Park for a three day Snow Shoe Camp, and just a week later some of those walkers joined a group in Mallacoota for 4 days of walks.
There is still enough snow in the mountains for snow shoeing, if interested. The bushwalkers camped in Jindabyne and on the first day drove to Perisher to walk an 8km circuit to Porcupine Rocks on the escarpment. Walking out of Perisher Village, they encountered quite a few cross country skiers and other snow shoe enthusiasts enjoying the magnificent snow conditions and fine, sunny weather in the valley.
The second day also dawned fine and sunny, and the walk through snow started at a carpark on Thredbo River and followed the Cascade Trail along the valley. After crossing the river they then headed up hill into the backcountry towards Horse Flat, arriving back at the road at Dead Horse Gap. This time they saw no-one else on their 8.5 km circuit.
The last day saw light snow in Jindabyne, and heavier snow up near Smiggin Holes. There was a fluffy covering of new snow over everything as walkers strapped on snow shoes and headed towards the Plains of Heaven and up to the trig station for views of the Main Range. Once again, they had the backcountry to themselves.
Above: Mary Marchant, Dave Sledge, Stan Marchant enjoying their snow shoe experience recently
And from the mountains to the coast where 31 bushwalkers enjoyed 4 days of walking around the seaside village of Mallacoota in Victoria.
A range of walks was on offer each day - Easy, Easy/Medium and Medium. The walks left from or were close to Mallacoota and included the Mallacoota Coastal Track, Heathland/Casuarina Walk, Captain's Creek Trail, Double Creek Nature Trail, Genoa Peak Trailhead, Narrows and Lakeside Tracks.
About half the group also spent an hour or so visiting the WWII Bunker Museum on the Airport Road, Mallacoota. The bunkers have been restored by local Volunteers and tell the story of Mallacoota’s contribution to coastal surveillance during WWII. Another afternoon a group enjoyed a cruise from the Jetty in Bottom Lake through the Narrows to Top Lake with one of the local commercial boat tour operators.
Evenings were spent in the rustic camp kitchen at the Mallacoota Foreshore Caravan Park cooking dinner and toasting jaffles over their two open fires, or enjoying a meal at the pub or local restaurants. And one can’t forget the local bakery for excellent breakfasts, lunches and sweet treats.
Above:Top of Genoa Peak - Brian Mercer, Chris Mercer, Tom Samal, Geoff Mitchell, Elizabeth Mitchell, Glenn Blunt, Gay Samal, James Taylor, Mary Taylor and Karen MacLatchy (who also went on the Snow Shoe Camp) For more information, visit www.baybushwalkers.org.au
