Category Archives: Grampians

The Gallery Work Day – 27th May, 2012

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Hi all,

trenches created by flood waters


So far I have only had 2 people put their hands up for the work day at the Gallery. I am going to need more than that for the work day to go ahead. Considering the size of the crew that was there on the day I inspected, I was hoping for a little more interest in looking after the area. This is your opportunity to contribute to climbers being involved in self regulating. Looking after the areas that we climb in goes hand in hand with this.

I have changed the work day to Sunday rather than the Saturday seeing as though Sunday is generally a shorter day for people anyway and would imagine that this is preferable. That way people can still get a good full days climbing in on the Saturday.

I really need to have a good idea of numbers so I can plan the work and tools required You can get an idea of the work planned by reading this. http://cliffcare.org.au/2012/03/30/access-environment-officer-report-april-2012/ I am hoping to get a brief lesson for the volunteers in the morning on the day, on how to construct water bars which will be the majority of what we will be doing. I am also hoping to get our chainsaw guy in again to help clear the trees that are down over the track
Drop me a line to let me know if you will be coming.

Sunday 27th May
Time: 9.30
Meet: Buandik picnic area

Cheers,
Tracey
cliffcare@vicclimb.org.au

Grampians Planned Burns update

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Following on from a previous post on Planned Burns in the Grampians http://cliffcare.org.au/2012/03/09/grampians-updates-and-planned-burns-9th-march-2012/ There is a planned burn happening today in the Grampians 27/4/12.  The burn is at at Boronia Peak just east of Halls Gap. The Terraces fireline along the east side of Fyans creek will be closed between Delly’s bridge and Tandara road from tomorrow until the burn area is declared safe.
If you have any climbing plans for the hillside east of Halls Gap on Saturday- this may affect you.  Further information is available on this document Microsoft Word – Newsletter Wimmera Planned Sentinal _4_ _2_

 

Access & Environment Report May 2012

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mt rosea volunteer crew
With a very defined set of tasks we needed to get through on the day and a small crew, I was thankful that the weather was perfect for our working bee at Mt Rosea.  That of course meant it was also perfect climbing weather but hey, there are plenty of perfect climbing weather days in the year ahead.
Tasks
Track delineation and stabilization across landslide intersection
Water bar/trenches above landslide track
Clearing of fallen trees and branches and delineation of track before last switchback.
Track delineation by trimming bracken
Any step stabilization repairs required on Giant Staircase

By the time we had all gathered, tools collected  from the depot and entered through the gated road to the Rosea carpark it was about 9.30. With 10 people in total this meant that I could assign 4 people to the two main work areas to tackle the jobs.  The landslide track area being one and  the second  treefall area near the last switchback which had also taken out the track a bit.  Frank,Cam,James and Ben took charge of the landslide gully and David,John, Sean(MUMC) and Gaeton(MUMC) . Sylvia and myself took on the job of clearing some of the track sections of overgrown bracken. A particularly exciting aspect for me (yes, sad I know)  with this working bee was that we had our very own chainsaw wielding climber volunteer.  All properly accredited – which is basically the only way we can have our very own chainsaw wielding maniac volunteer on PV managed land. With David along it meant that we could get the trees across the track sorted then and there and be able to complete the work how we needed to. He did a brilliant job quickly – I would have hated to see how long it would have taken with handsaws and there was no way with the small team we had that we would have got through the work.
The landslide gully was a difficult one to figure out.  Even in the time since I last inspected it, the gully has deepened. Our original thoughts to put water bars further up above the track in order to divert water off the new segment of the climbers track that has been delineated and stabilized, needed to be reassessed. Not strictly water bars – this would have involved building up the gully too much, the decision made by Frank, Cam,James and Ben was to construct a 4 tier diversion by filling in tiers across the gully with large rocks and boulders.  The hope is that this will slow and divert some water off our track section.  This repair is for normal rain and water runoff not a flood event. Some of the gully is still loose in sections and I’m quite sure we will need to revisit and rework bits here and there. The following pictures before and after will give you an idea of the work that has been done. As always, a massive thankyou to the volunteers who took the time and gave up their time to look after our side of the bargain with Mt Rosea and the climbers access track.
Before – landslide gully intersecting climbers access track
After  – Landslide gully repairs. Stabilized, delineated track joining undamaged sections
Before – Second treefall over climbers track
After – Second treefall cleared and stepthrough created for ease of access

Track wall collapse and sprawl past 2nd treefall area
Track wall containment, track delineation and stabilization

 

 

Mt Rosea working bee outcomes and photos

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Hi all,
I will have more info on this in my Access report but thought I would put up a few photos and a link to some more so you can see the work that was done.  Massive thanks to the crew of 10 volunteers who gave up their time to work rather than climb ……in the glorious weather that promised a perfect climbing day. Still they got a glorious one the following da

Landslide gully repairs. Stabilized, delineated track joining undamaged sections of climbers track . 4 x gully diversions above track to divert and slow down water

Second treefall cleared and stepthrough created for ease of access

For more photos of the day, visit our smugmug site here

 

Mt Rosea, Grampians working bee this weekend 14th April 2012

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Rosea climbers track damageAs posted previously, the Mt Rosea working bee is on this weekend. The working bee is to get the work done in the climber managed area in order for Rosea to be opened. Parks Victoria and VicRoads are handlling their side of things and the rest is up to us.

I would like to be at Rosea carpark at about 9am so will need to meet earlier. The roads in are gated and we will have a key to let ourselves in and out.  This means we will all need to go in together and out together.
As the lower Silverband road is out of action we will be coming in the long way. Access to this area is along the Stony creek Road from Glenelg River Road to Rosea track. There is a gate so park in the general area and meet there.  We can then car pool if needed. Meet here at 8.30am and the plan is to leave 4-5 pm dependant on work completed.
Please wear closed toe shoes, and if you are able bring some gloves to protect your hands from any rock carrying and branch/tree clearing.  Bring water, lunch and also dress warm as Rosea is known to be cool if its not a sunny day.

If you need to get in touch with me you can try me on the club phone 0419563733

Access & Environment Officer Report April 2012

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Reminder to all for upcoming working bees.  We need your help if the climbing sites we use are to be repaired and managed by us.
Araps Climb & Repair (Pharos gully project)     28 Apr
Rosea Repair and Bundaleer Climb Weekend     14 Apr
The Gallery climbers access track inspection
On Monday 12th March, I met with the walking track ranger at the Grampians, Kyle Hewitt and took the long and steep walk up the climber access track to the Gallery. As noted in a recent Argus and updates on the websites, sections of the track were closed off after the flood event in Jan 2011. After queries by members of the climbing community, Parks reopened a section so that climbers could continue to access the Gallery via their track rather than diverting back around past the art site which I what was happening.

art site where track shouldn't be used

The correct access track does need some work though in order to help prevent further damage. One of the main problems, especially with steeper tracks, is that besides some erosion that is created by those walking them, water finds these tracks as perfect little causeways to run down.

beginning eroded section of track and exposed roots

This is what accelerates the erosion process even more and causes rutting.  Add the flood event we had in 2011 and well, there are some sections that aren’t worth repairing a such.

trenches created by flood waters

After further discussion with Kyle, it was decided that the best plan of action at this point would be to put in preventative measures along the track in order to control and direct the water off its intended trajectory – the climbers access track. Much of this will be done by installing water bars diagonally across the worst sections with small trenches directing the water into the vegetated areas.  A few other tricks of the trade will also be employed. There are some sections of the track that have had large treefall and the track then becomes a little more confusing. This is where a chainsaw comes in handy – do we have any licensed chainsaw accredited climbers out there who might be available on the day.

trees down over track

Parks Victoria are also keen to install a sign at the intersection after the bridge that makes note of the direction of the climbers access track to The Gallery – noting also that it is not a PV maintained track. It is not immediately obvious that the track is there compared to the other one on offer which is very obvious. If you know the area, no problem but for new and visiting international climbers it’s very easy to head up toward the art site which is exactly what we don’t want.  And lets face it, if you go up that way you aren’t going to want to come back down and retrace your steps to get back on track – people will just continue up around the site.

So I am gathering volunteers for this work day and am hoping that climbers who use the Gallery will come forward and donate some of their time. I have it written down as Saturday 26th May but if I get enough interest for having it on the Sunday instead I will reschedule.  Drop me a line

 

 

 

 

.In other exciting news, those who are partial to camping in The Gums at Arapiles will have to make the trek over to the Pines toilets for a little while.  That famed building in the Gums that wafted its scent across the campgrounds on many a warm day and which truly tested the lung capacity for holding breath is now, no more.  In its place a long drop toilet, like the ones in many Grampians sites, will be installed. Whilst composting toilets are great in the right environment, when they’re not, they don’t compost and end up being more work.  Smell should be much better, though on a hot day it’s probably always going to be a little whiffy.

Pit is already in as is the slab.  The structure which is being done by another contractor will be a little while longer – Easter is an absolute must.  I would hate to see the queues at the Pines that would develop otherwise.
Safe climbing to all,
Cheers,
Tracey

Grampians Updates and Planned Burns 9th March 2012

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Rosea Track floor damageHiya all,
A big bazooka of a post here on the Grampians.
Here are the latest Grampians updates. It includes any recent road reopenings, Flood Recovery closures update from PV as well as some info about the planned burns program in the Victoria Range.

Hollow Mountain Walking Track –  reopen Tuesday 5 March
The Grampians Flood Recovery crew will be reopening the Hollow Mountain walking track tomorrow after four weeks of construction works.  Crews have installed new timber steps and approximately 400m of the walking track has been ‘lifted’ to reinstate the track surface to above ground level.
Coppermine Road – Reopened
Road crews have repaired the large washout on the road between Coppermine bushcamp and Mt Zero Road.

Download the road and track report hereRoad Report -2 Mar 2012

Road & Track Closures
• Silverband Road (Silverband Falls Carpark to Sundial
Road turnoff)
• Glenelg River Road (Boreang Campground to Mt Victory
Road)
• Stony Creek Road (Rosea Track to Rosea Carpark)
• Henham Track
• Mitchell Road
• Redmans Track
• Mount William Picnic Ground Road
• Emmetts Road
• Mafeking Road
• Syphon Road (From Glenelg River Road to Sawmill Track)
• Moora Track
• Fields Track
• Rosea Track
• Homestead Track
• Oslers Track
• Mt Cassel Track
• Chinamans Track
• Sanders Track

Campground & Site Closures
• Bomjinna Campground
• Kalymna Falls Picnic Area
• Golton Gorge Picnic Area
• Zumstein Area

Walking Track Closures
• Wonderland Loop (Halls Gap to Wonderland Carpark)
• Venus Baths
• Splitters Falls
• Mount Rosea
• MacKenzie Falls River Walk
• Zumstein Area (All walks)
• Tower Hill
• Bomjinna Track (From Bomjinna Campground to Mt
William Carpark)
• Brownings Loop (Mafeking)
• Golton Gorge Loop
• Tilwinda Falls
• Major Mitchell Plateau
• Fortress
• Wonderland remote overnight hikes.

You can also download a colour coded map of the open and closed roads 2012-03-09-Recovery-Note-Grampians-National-Park

Grampians National Park – PlannedBurn Program 2012

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and Parks Victoria will be commencing its autumn planned burning program in the Grampians National Parkduring April and May. Planned burns have been scheduled a little later this year because of the dryer weather conditions we have experienced locally.In line with the Wimmera Fire Operations Plan released last September; DSE and Parks Victoria intend to conduct seven separate burns in the Grampians area.  Planned burning is part of an integrated plan to reduce the bushfire risk to people, property and communities.  Please see the attached map of the Grampians that provides all planned

burns for this autumn.Favourable weather conditions largely influence when particular planned burns go ahead.

The final decision around planned burning will be made on the day of the burn and this will be based on the results from the monitoring of the ground and weather conditions. Where possible, DSE and Parks Victoria will provide notification prior to each burn, but it is your responsibility to check the DSE website regularly for planned burns information.


During the burning program, there will be some short term closures of roads, visitor sites and walking tracks for public safety.  The burn areas will stay closed until they are classified as safe. This may be up to a week after a burn. If you are planning a camping or walking trip, it is important that you plan an alternative route in case you need to change your trip at short notice.
 
Some of the areas that will be impacted by closures this planned burning season include:
  • All walking tracks and access within the Victoria Range (including Manja Shelter, the Fortress, Mt Thackeray, Goat Track and
Victoria Range Track)
  • Access to the Red Rock area including all climbing sites
  • The walking track from  Plantation to Mt Difficult, Boronia Walking Track
  • Terraces Track to Tandara Road and the Griffin Picnic ground
To find out where and when planned burns are happening visit www.dse.vic.gov.au, call the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667 or listen to your local radio station.
Information is also available at www.dse.vic.gov.au/fires and for information about fire restrictions, fire bans and fires on private land at www.cfa.vic.gov.au
For further information on the Wimmera Planned Burns program contact the Horsham DSE Fire Operations Room on 5362 0720 or visit www.dse.vic.gov.au.
To download an overview of the planned burns see hereGrampians_Overview_23022012

Access & Environment Officer report March 2012

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With the hot part of summer mostly out of the way, it was about time to slot in a few working bees. And as you will see, there are quite a few. I thought it best to look at the next 6 months or so and lock them into dates. As I noted in a previous Access report, Dave Roberts – acting Ranger in charge in the Grampians is keen for the climbers access tracks to be maintained by CliffCare and the climbing community. Besides repairing any damage to them as a result of a natural event be it fire or flood, the idea is also to check on a regular schedule, these tracks that we use to access the cliffs.  I am keen to get a few ‘custodians’ of various areas to report back to me each year on the state of climbers tracks in that particular area. Those that happen to frequent a particular cliff would make sense. If you would be happy to keep an eye on things at your favourite cliff, drop me a line please.

The You Yangs project – which we received a grant for in 2010 for early work in 2011 has now been locked in. Due to the floods, the park ended up being shut for a good part of the year so we were able to put the grant on hold until a more suitable time.  Some of the work we were originally going to do ended up being fixed due to further damage to the floods so after further consideration we have decided to work on a retaining wall at the Urinal Wall site.  This site is heavily used by groups as well as individuals and sees a huge amount of traffic. Standing area for people is getting progressively pushed further and further back into the vegetation. Using the same concept as the retaining walls at Summerday Valley, we will be constructing, with the help of a stonework contractor, a retaining stone wall that will stop further encroachment on the vegetation.

And now for dates for this years working bees.  I will be sending out reminders as each one approaches, but please, if you see any dates that suit, drop me a line.

Mt Arapiles Pharos Gully Project:
25th February 2012
28th April, 2012
9th June, 2012
18th August, 2012
pharos gully working bee

The Gallery, Grampians – access track repair
26th May, 2012

Mt Rosea, Grampians – access track repair
14th April, 2012

Rosea climbers track damage

Urinal Wall,You Yangs – retaining wall
12th May, 2012
You Yangs retaining wall site
Further information can be found on these work days on the VCC events calendar.

Cathedral Ranges logging season has begun again. Logging of the central pine block at Cooks Mill started this week. Two thirds of Cooks Mill sites are closed along with Little River track and St Bernards track.

There is also a  new track (Messmate track) linking Sugarloaf Saddle with Cooks Mill and  construction will being in March, with an aimed completion by Winter.  Volunteers will be needed for this project also so please contact me.  Although I haven’t scheduled a working bee for this as yet, I think it is something that would be good to have a climbers presence at.  Contact me for further details and hopefully I will have enough to put a group together.

Hope to hear from many of you soon!
Safe climbing,

Cheers,

Tracey

Climbing in closed areas

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Thought this might be an interesting topic to ruminate on and promote some lively debate whilst also informing the climbing community of a recent accident.
I was speaking to the Grampians Head Ranger last week re Rosea and re-opening timelines, work that needs to be done by them, by us etc when he told me of a rescue that took place the week before at Rosea. It being a currently closed area and all. This happened after hours and he didn’t really have too many more details from the SES except that it was a broken ankle. I did explain, and he is aware of this, that the information re Rosea and its current closure has been distributed to the climbing community. But of course, there will always be a small minority who choose to do their own thing and go ‘under the radar’. Which,being a small minority, for most of the time, stays under the radar. Except of course when you need/or want a rescue. Dave did ask me to reiterate to the climbing community, ‘ the respecting of closed areas’. Which I am doing now.

So climbers – thoughts?