[SUBW-A] Trip report - PBT 2004

[jbev1596 at mail.usyd.edu.au]

Presidents Bludge Trip October 2-4 2004

Party: Martin Pfeil, Sabrina, Jacqui Knox, Sheung-Ling, Dave Noble, Dave
Lee, Uli Mohr, Luke Binsted, Ben Kong, Eleanor, Nicole, Nazzih Chammas,
Ashley Burke, Jo Boyd, Rob Hynes, Alex Debono, Pete Harvey, Thorsten
Deppner, Albert Chetcuti, Wendy Au, James Bevan

We spent a rather wet friday night at the uni rover campsite. The next
morning ashley managed to get a fire going and we enjoyed a warm brekky.
After ben & co arrived we headed off. Ashley took Jo, Alex, Rob and a
rather unsuspecting Thorsten down to arabanoo creek. The rest of us spent
time enjoying the view of the very full falls from the tops. As we
wandered past Mt Maxwell Dave Lee discovered the first of his punctured
beer cans packed appropriately on his down sleeping bag. He promptly
scavenged what was left of its contents. We rested for elevenses at the
coal seam cave where martin hung upside down while practicing some
bouldering.

As we turned off to bullhead ridge huey began the first of his series of
moody outbursts. As soon as some donned raincoats and started walking
he subsided and the sun came out. On bullhead mntn Dave L recovered some
more empty beer cans and posed with the remains of the case. The day had
warmed up nicely by the time we lunched on cambage spire. After jaffles,
tea and other niceties we descended cambage spire. Huey groaned again so
most took the easier sidle to avoid the slippery scramble. We soon reached
the kowmung in full sunshine. Christys creek was up and the rapid formed on
the kowmung made for great fun.

After we set up camp Ashley arrived. I asked him how arabanoo went and he
replied with something along the lines of "not too well". A muddy Thorsten
trudged in a few minutes later to tell of how after getting to the first
waterfall they retreated back up to bullhead ridge. The night was spent
enjoying gourmet food. Notables were Dave's cheesecake and Martin's
handmade sushi with wasabi powder. Countless tales and songs ensured the
night progressed rather late (as was reported the next morning by those
camped nearby).

The next day Ben, Sheung-Ling, Eleanor & Nicole heading back up cambage
while for the rest of us, the bludging began with a stroll upstream. Along
the way we observed a fine red belly black snake and a goanna. Frisbee,
swimming and volleyball were enjoyed with lunch at church creek, which is
still a fine green, grassy campsite despite the efforts of the pigs. A
good hours worth of trogging followed with some nice big caverns separated
by a few dwarfish tunnels. There were many spectacular stalagtites, some of
which glowed and sparkled in the dark. We emerged clean as ever and set off
for the river. Dave L & I swam our way back while the rest walked along the
banks. That night huey was a bit moody, with numerous short spurts being
the only dampener on another riotous evening.

Monday began with a nice stroll up christys creek before a rocky ascent of
colboyd ridge. A lack of communication almost ended our partnership with
the volleyball on the bluffs just below stonehag hill...I decided against
climbing up one-handed so threw it up to Jo. The vball then proceeded to
tumble back down the rocky slope...luckily dave L managed to get it before
it found arabanoo creek. Fine views were enjoyed from arabanoo peak.
However we sould not locate the famed stinging tree at ay of the following
saddles- the drought must have got to it. We emptied our packs with a fine
lunch at mount colboyd before trudging past the Grotto of Uranus and some
scrub on pindari tops.

A fine way to spend a long weekend
cheers,
James

I've put some of my photos online at:
http://client.webshots.com/album/196078231ayJgcx







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