Photo: Baz – The Landy, in the Corner Country, Outback Australia…
photography
Looking for a mate…
Photo: Baz – The Landy, in the lower Blue Mountains, Australia.
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Dawn, in the Australian Outback…
I could never tire of watching the sunrise, especially in the Australian Outback…
Photo, Baz – The Landy, Welford National Park
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Abandoned – in the Australian Outback
Photos: Baz – The Landy, in the Australian Outback…
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Silhouette…
A Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo playing silhouettes by the Darling River in the Australian Outback…
Photo: Baz, The Landy
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The Darling River – A National Treasure
As regular visitors to the Darling River area in western New South Wales it was hard not to notice on our most recent visit how much the river level has gone down over the past few months.
Many Australian outback travellers will be familiar with the section of the river from Bourke to Menindee which is an enjoyable drive and a great way to spend a week or two. Just meandering across the far-reaching plains on the dusty track that follows the Darling…
Recently we spent a few days alongside the Darling at Trilby Station, a large sheep station not too far from the river port of Louth. Its owners, Gary and Liz are welcoming hosts and the Murray family can trace their settlement on the river back six generations to 1860 – truly, a pioneering family!
In days long gone river boats gently steamed their way from the coast to Bourke, their owners’ plying trade and carrying much needed supplies to the small communities that were established at varying intervals along the river. On the return journey, loaded with bales of wool, the boats were gracefully navigated to the sea port situated a long way from the dusty and, at times, desolate interior.
I am sure many will remember the Australian mini-television series “All the Rivers Run” that was based on the novel by Nancy Cato. Whilst it was centered around the Murray River, daily life on the Darling would have been much the same.
As my kayak gently rocked in the shallow waters on a cooling breeze, the sound of the rustling leaves on the river gums transported me to another time as I drifted downstream from our camp. I could hear the laughter of people long-gone, the toil of the boat crews ensuring the boiler had a head-of-steam, and the gentle sound of the paddle on the steamers as their river boat captains navigated their way along the river, skilfully and carefully avoiding hidden and submerged obstacles…
Camp Fire by the Billabong – Outback Australia
In times of drought and lack of rains further north many boats were trapped as the river turned into a series of water-holes as it dried up. Although in the days of the River Boat the Darling flowed far more freely than it does today as there were no weirs to hinder the gentle flow of the water, no cotton farms sucking the life from it or the surrounding country that depends on its precious water for survival.
Cotton farming arrived into the region in the 1960s after the Boon and Buster families established themselves in and around Bourke.
The fifty years since that time has seen a steady decay of the Darling and the greater Murray-Darling basin. One has to question the wisdom of growing cotton on the world’s driest continent at the expense of degrading the water in our rivers – some will rightly call it vandalism.
I am a avid student of aboriginal culture and histories, striving to read, learn and listen to as much as I am able to absorb. In April 2010, aboriginal people whose traditional areas border the Darling, Macquarie and Bogan catchment areas formed a group to ensure their views on river management were heard.
The following quote from Phil Sullivan, an Ngemba traditional owner, struck a resonance with me and perhaps it will with others.
“Water to me is the essence of life. And I’ve got to respect life, and I’ve got to honour life. If I don’t honour it and look after it, then it’s going to take my life away from me. It’s going to take the very essence of who I am away from me.
So that’s why I honour the river, the water, and give respect to it. Because in the end if I don’t look after that… then me and my family and my tribe and the gift that’s been given to us is going to be whittled away.
I got to give honour and I got to give respect to that, first and foremost. And then everything else will fall into place. It’s like a bit of a foundation.” 
The Darling River should be treated as a natural treasure for all, not dammed with weirs so the water can be whittled away on an agriculture crop that may have some economic value, but a huge environmental cost.
Whether visiting for the first time or returning to explore further, take your time and enjoy the Darling, a mighty river that breathes life into a parched and ancient land…
Cheers, Baz – The Landy
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Everything has changed – really?
Do you ever get that sense that wherever you look these days something has changed, perhaps for the better, often for the worse?
Seemingly, technology has made life easier for us, if you know how to use it!
Crikey, I have just worked my way through that whopping big manual that came with the VCR recorder and now they tell me they’re finished, kaput, and useless.
TomO, the crown prince, said it belonged in a museum anyway, adding that in fact that most of the contents of our house were starting to resemble a museum collection.
Strewth, isn’t that something else that has changed, the cheek of the young people these days…
And how about fast food?
Hell, I remember when fast food was a Chiko Roll and a can of coke from the local fish and chip shop. These days we’ve got so many choices that a bloke would starve before he got around to making up his mind.
Hey, what about GPS and smart phones?
Talk about change, I never had any problem finding the corner store, but seemingly the young and not so young need one to navigate around the local mall these days. And besides what was wrong with the old paper maps that you could spread across the bonnet of the car and then spend an hour chasing across a paddock after that big gush of wind turned it into a sail?
But they call this progress, change…
On a recent road trip, dubbed “Ocean to the Outback” we visited my mother’s hometown of Bundaberg situated on the east coast to the north of Brisbane. Fay reveled in the visit and we spent time visiting the property that her Grandfather owned and ran cattle on when she was a young girl. “The Springs” as it was known due to a spring fed creek on the property is now a scout camp.
As a young adult she worked in the Metropolitan Hotel in downtown Bourbong Street, the epicenter of the town. Mum insisted we stop, have a beer and a good old-fashioned counter-lunch.
I remember as a kid having a can-of-lunch there. At least that is what I thought they called it. It was a few years later when a cute barmaid in a small country pub fell into stitches of laughter when I ordered a can-of-lunch that I made the discovery; it was a counter-lunch.
But I’m digressing and Janet is peering over my shoulder asking about the cute barmaid…
There was much reminiscing as Fay walked through “The Met” and we were fortunate to spend some time with the owner who loved to hear about how the pub was in the days gone by.
As we sat down to our can-of-lunch and a few beers, Mum looked around and said that it had all changed, it wasn’t the same anymore, she said. You couldn’t see the old stairs that took you up to the accommodation rooms and the old kitchen had gone.
Sometimes things have the appearance of having changed, but maybe when you delve just below the surface you see that nothing really has changed after all – maybe it is just a matter of perspective!
As I sipped my beer I looked around and thought…
“Surely nothing has changed”
After all the main bar was full of people chatting, laughing, enjoying a meal…
And of course, drinking an ice-cold beer!
I’m betting nothing has changed at “The Met” in the last hundred years…
Do places or life generally really change or just our perspective?
Photos: Baz – The Landy
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Dusted and Rusted…
In the Australian Outback…
Photo: Baz, The Landy
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Renovator’s Delight…
The “Old Homestead” Trilby Station, Outback Australia…
Photo: Baz, The Landy…
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Love, in the Outback
One of the great things about travelling in Australia, apart from the wonderful colours of a never ending blue sky and the parched red-earth of the Outback, are the characters you meet.
And of course there is no better place to meet them than at the local pub.
On our travels we enjoy dropping into the “local” as you’ll most likely find a warm welcome and usually the publican will be a wealth of knowledge on the area…
Shindy’s Inn, situated in the small township of Louth, is one place you are sure to get a warm welcome! Centrally located on the banks of the Darling River it is the focal point of this small community, and it is little wonder why. The owners, Dave and Cath Marett, make all visitors feel at home just like they would a local.
Founded around 1859 by Thomas Andrew Matthews, Louth was a stopping off point for the river boat crews plying their trade along the Darling River.
Thomas, or “TA” as he was known, was married to Mary who passed away at a relatively early age in 1886, and to mark her passing he commissioned a monument be made from granite and with a large cross at the top.
What makes this monument quite special is that on the anniversary of her death, the cross, when viewed from the home they lived in, shines brightly from the reflection of the setting sun. And at other times of the year this extra-ordinary phenomenon can be viewed from varying positions around the town.
Apart from being quite an engineering achievement and not to mention it had to be made in Adelaide, well over a thousand kilometres away and transported by paddle-steamer on the Darling River back in the 1880’s, it has an ethereal feel to it.
Recently we camped alongside the river just a short walk over the bridge to Shindy’s Pub.
Just ahead of sunset Dave took us to the place where we could view the glowing cross do what it has done every other day for long over a century – it shone brightly, so bright that it was almost difficult to look at it.
To see is to believe, as they say, and we stood quietly during those few minutes before sunset, seduced by the hypnotic flicker of light radiating from the cross…
Sometimes you just need to “scratch” the surface a little in these out of the way places just like a prospector would searching for those little glints of gold. And the rewards can often be far greater than a finding a nugget at the bottom of the pan!
So be sure to drop by “The Shindy” if you are in the area and say hello to Dave and Cath.
And perhaps in the golden hue of a setting sun you can drink a toast to a remarkable man, Thomas “TA” Matthews as the love of his life casts her eternal glow over an ancient land…
Photos: Baz – The Landy
(updates a previous story)
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Swimming, between the flags
Moore Park, East Coast Australia…
Photo; Baz, The Landy
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Australian Wildlife – The Dingo…
The Australian Dingo, at home in the Australian Outback…
Photographed in the Channel Country, far Western Queensland.
You’ve just got to love the landscape, the flora and fauna, that makes the Australian Outback what it is!
photo: Baz – The Landy
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Lazy days on Australia’s East Coast
Scarborough is a small village situated on the northern end of the Redcliffe Peninsular where the fishing fleet brings its daily catch to market and the days move at a slow pace; perfect!
I always have a sense of returning home as I drive along the Esplanade with its sweeping views of Moreton Bay to the east and Bribie Island to the north – wouldn’t be dead for quids, hey!
Photo: Baz, The Landy
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Ocean to the Outback…
Kylie’s Beach
Trilby Station, Outback Australia
the beach
Camp-fire cooking over coals
scones
The Surf
One of the great things about Australia, apart from the laid back nature of the people, is the diverse landscapes in our sunburnt country.
The beauty of our never-ending beaches where one can walk for miles and feel the golden grains of sand between your toes, to the ochre red colours of the Outback…
In a couple of weeks we will be heading off on our first trip of the year and themed from The Ocean to the Outback.
Starting close-by to the World Renowned Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world we will make our way inland to Trilby Station, a large sheep property situated on the mighty Darling River in Outback Australia…
Hey, it will be great to have you along, so I’ll give you a shout as we are heading down the driveway in “The Landy” – strewth, if we’re lucky Janet-Planet might cook up some of those great scones of hers over a camp fire!
Photos: Baz – The Landy
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Vagabonds, Scoundrels and Highway Robbery
Vagabonds, Scoundrels and Highway Robbery, along with the shout “Stand and Deliver” would send a shiver down the spine of many in days past as bushrangers were an integral part of the Australian landscape.
Recently, we had the occasion to travel into the beautiful Southern Highlands region of New South Wales. Our destination was Tarago, a small town located on the eastern side of Lake George which has a couple of historic buildings in its midst, including a quaint Anglican Church and at its epicentre, the “Loaded Dog Hotel”.
Nearby is the Woodlawn Mine, which produced gold, copper and zinc up until 1998, providing employment opportunities to the local community. Today, the site hosts a “Bio-reactor” which converts waste product, transported by rail from Sydney, to methane gas. And given its proximity to the political capital of Australia and its resident population of politicians, the hot air produced may very well be matched by that coming from Parliament House.
The Loaded Dog, which takes its name from the story by Henry Lawson, has had many visitors since opening its doors for trade in 1848 and amongst these have been the well-known bushrangers, Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, and the Clarke Brothers.
It was at The Loaded Dog that this infamous bunch planned a robbery of gold being transported from the Majors Creek Gold Mine – the planned heist never unfolded but needless to say there was plenty of romance, skulduggery, a murder, and a brush with the “law”.
Tarago is a destination in its own right and an easy drive from Sydney. And if you enjoy live music the pub hosts some great Australian talent in the front bar regularly on a Saturday evening. I imagine the scene may be as boisterous today as it would have been back in the days of the visiting bushrangers!
Alternatively, if you have the time it is a pleasant way to detour if you are travelling to the New South Wales south coast region, which you can do via Braidwood along the King’s Highway. Just outside of Braidwood is a beautiful free-camp spot by the Shoalhaven River where we stopped for a leisurely lunch amongst the travelling caravan groups.
The Australian Bush is full of interesting towns and Tarago is well worth making the detour for, even if just to visit “The Dog”.
And if in the area, beware of that cry “Stand and Deliver”, after all you are only about 75-kilometres from what might arguably be the hang-out of Australia’s modern day bushranger, Canberra!
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Are we being ripped off?
Camping in a tent on the side of a mountain at heights above 6,000 metres has a number of considerations to take into account.
Selection of the site, safety from environmental factors, and of course, staying warm is paramount!
Much of my camping above the snow line has been in New Zealand’s mountain huts, and whilst it can still be cold, the huts provide protection from the elements. So up until now my sleeping bags have been sufficiently warm enough.
But they are unlikely to provide the protection I need for this year’s two expeditions to Nepal which involve camping above 6,000 metres. So I have needed to add another sleeping to the many that already reside in our “gear room”.
There are numerous choices available from the obvious manufacturers’ such as The North Face and other popular brands. The quality produced by North Face is first rate, and this is a piece of equipment that shouldn’t be driven by cost considerations.
You want the best and it won’t necessarily be the cheapest!
But I am very reluctant and discriminating when it comes to supporting these major brands due to the differential pricing they have in place. Dependent on which country you reside in it may cost more, despite the product being precisely the same.
Try and buy a sleeping bag from the North Face in the United States and you find that it will direct you back to the Australian website and the price increases considerably.
This is a hotly debated topic in Australia covering a range of major companies!
I like to support local businesses and Australian manufacturers, whom are a dying breed mind you due to the high cost of producing anything in Australia, but a company I have supported many times is One Planet.
One Planet is an Australian based manufacturer of sleeping bags of extremely high quality and I have used and tested them on my mountaineering trips to New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
Without hesitation I contacted the company’s owner and asked would he make me a specialist sleeping bag suitable for temperatures of around minus 20 degrees Celsius – yes, no problem was the reply; we’ll get on to that straight away…
Today I took delivery of this important piece of equipment, which came at a cost far less than the equivalent from the major global brands here in Australia.
Hey, I can’t wait to be wrapped up all snuggly and warm inside it on a Himalayan mountain!
Photos, Baz – The Landy
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Strewth – Bigger than Texas…
A termite mound “bigger than Texas itself” along the Plenty Highway, Outback Australia.
Photo: Baz, The Landy
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Nepal Mountaineering Expeditions – Gearing up
The call to climb amongst the highest mountains in the world has been echoing in me for a long time.
The allure of standing on top of the world and looking out, and importantly, looking down, has proven far too great to ignore these past few years…
I had expected to be in Nepal in 2013 and 2014 after spending 2012 and the early part of 2013 training in New Zealand with the world’s best high altitude experts.
But, somehow life has the propensity to throw a curved ball every so often, and I’ve had a couple to catch over the past 12-months!
Whilst New Zealand has some of the world’s most magnificent mountain peaks, it doesn’t have the altitude of the Himalayas’. My ability to adapt to the altitude is an unknown, but it will be put to the test on two expeditions to Nepal in 2015.
The first will be in April to climb Mera Peak, which stands at 6,476 metres, 21,246 feet, and in September I will attempt Himlung, a peak that stands at 7,162 metres, 23,497 feet.
Both of these climbs will be done without the use of supplemental oxygen, but there will be a rigorous acclimitisation process to ensure the best chance of success.
And hopefully these climbs will set-me up for an ascent of Cho Oyu, an 8,000 metre peak bordering Tibet and Nepal.
I am confident of my ability to adapt; certainly I don’t expect expedition life will be a problem given my remote outback experience and the hardship that often brings.
Training is in full swing, but as always, remains a work in progress, and I will be spending time climbing in the wonderful Blue Mountains in the weeks ahead…
The first ascent of Mera Peak was made on 20 May 1953, using what has now become the standard route from Mera La and no subsequent ascent occurred until 1975. We will just miss the anniversary of the first climb in 1953 by a couple of days.
We will have two camps on the mountain, camp one at Mera La and camp two, our high camp, at 5,800 metres. Our summit day will typically start before dawn and we are hopeful to summit in 4-5 hours. Some fix rope will be used near the summit where it becomes very steep.
As 2014 draws to a close, grab your climbing harness and a rope, or perhaps if you prefer, a coffee or tea and a nice comfy couch.
Either way please be sure to join me in on these climbs; one step at a time, we can do it together…
Baz – The Landy
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Bark Art…
Nature can create the most beautiful artwork…
Photo: Janet-Planet, an abstract look at a tree, in the Australian Outback…
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Simplicity, the greatest luxury of all…
Ratua Island, Vanuatu
200 year old beach cottage
Ratua Island, Vanuatu
And what better setting could there be to float away in a lover’s dream…than a remote South Pacific Island?
Photos: Baz – The Landy, on Ratua Private Island, Vanuatu.
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Out and About (Making tracks…)
Photo: Baz – The Landy…Out and About!
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Shapes (In the Australian Outback)
Photo: Baz – The Landy, on the Sandy Blight Junction Track, Outback Australia
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Reflections…
Around the camp fire…
Photo: Baz – The Landy, in the Great Victoria Desert, Outback Australia.
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Romantics, Lovers…
Sunsets are for romantics, for lovers…
For those who dare to lose themselves in the moment, entwined in a lover’s embrace as one, an embrace as warming as the colours of a setting sun…
Photo: Baz – The Landy, in a lover’s embrace with Janet-Planet 😉
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Dreaming…(again)
Arthur River Sunset, Outback Australia
Arthur River, Outback Australia
Full Moon Rising Arthur River, Outback Australia
Crikey, this place is sure to make you as happy as a dog in a hub cap factory…
The sun slips gently below a western horizon as a full moon rises above the eastern horizon at Arthur River, Outback Australia – and not another soul in sight!
Photos: Baz – The Landy
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Stand-off (I’ll stare you down)
The remote Gibson Desert, Outback Australia.
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Delicate beauty…in a sunburnt land
You can find beauty anywhere, sometimes you just need to look…
Photo: Janet-Planet (In Australia’s Great Victoria Desert)
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Wouldn’t be dead for quids…
The Bread-Knife, it would be a great climb, but I understand it is not allowed these days…
Photo: Janet-Planet
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Taking Flight…
Zebra finches, Outback Australia…
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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A Simple Life…
Nauro Village, along the Kokoda Track, deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea…
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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A Thorny Devil…
Don’t be so cheeky, I said a Thorny Devil…
For a Horny Devil ring 1800-BAZTHELANDY.
Oops, just kidding, Janet has spotted the mischief unfolding here…hang-on, she’s ringing my cell phone 😉
Photo: Baz – The Landy, in Australia’s Great Victoria Desert (It really is called a Thorny Devil)
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The Dreamtime…
Lay back on the dune, close your eyes and enter the “dreamtime”…
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Aussie Beach Bum…at play
Merewether, East Coast Australia
Terrigal, East Coast Australia
Terrigal, East Coast Australia
The Haven, East Coast Australia
Baz and TomO
Off to the beach for a paddle.
And there’ll be plenty of “sizzling” bodies down there today with the temperature pushing over 40 degrees celcius in the Harbour City…
Seeya! 😉
(Big Bad) Baz – The Landy
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A Flaming Red-Haired, Blue Eyed Beauty
A parched earth, kissing the sky on a faraway horizon.
Photo: Baz – The Landy
Edit: One of my good WordPress friends, Lavinia, suggested this is a flaming red-haired, blue-eyed beauty, so I have retitled from “Blue Skies (In the Australian Outback)” – which was a tad boring, really!
Besides, I’m madly in love with red-heads! Baz 😉
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Dreams come true (For those who believe)
High Altitude climbing
Mt Aspiring
The Buttress – Mt Aspiring
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in name, nor do the children of man as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
I have always been encouraged by these words penned by Helen Keller.
Living life to the fullest, taking risks, knowing your limitations, these are questions I frequently ponder.
Janet thinks the same way, and is the anchor that questions the balance between risk and reward, whether you have prepared as best you could, and are you ready?
My mountaineering goals are as high as the largest mountains. I want to explore further the joy and satisfaction, the freedom and beauty that mountains bring into my life.
But I have been cognisant of the impact it has on our son, TomO, negative and positive.
We are bringing TomO up in an environment where he is encouraged to pursue his dreams and to believe that anything is possible, and from an early age he has demonstrated a willingness to throw himself at life with no holds barred…
The exuberance of youth!
Next year I will travel to Nepal in both the pre and post monsoon periods climbing on two different expeditions, first and foremost to enjoy the experience. But the expeditions will also help prepare me for an attempt on Cho Oyu, the world’s 6th highest mountain peak, standing at 8,200 metres.
“And what about Mt Everest” TomO has asked.
“Do you want to climb it”
“Yes” I told him.
Prior to climbing in New Zealand’s Southern Alps he wrote me a note to say that one day he might be standing on top of Mt Everest with me.
I said to him “One step at a time”…
Explaining I am on a journey that may take me there, but it isn’t my real focus just at the moment.
In fact, the journey isn’t about climbing Mt Everest either, but hopefully it will form part of the dream, the journey, to experience high altitude climbing, to see what I am capable of.
I went on to tell him that having dreams and aspirations define who we are and is part of the mosaic that is life itself.
Perhaps it is no more than a child’s feeling of wanting to follow in the footsteps of those close to them, to emulate them. But it made me smile to think that he is developing a line of thought that gives him the confidence to pursue his dreams, whatever they are.
As parents, we couldn’t ask for anything more, besides it would be wrong to dismiss or ignore…
I’ve always been a dreamer, and always will be – dreams come true if you believe in them…
I asked him was that truly a goal he would like to pursue and what motivated him?
“Yes” he said.
“How great it would be to experience that feeling of the mountains you have described to me and doing it together makes it special”.
Janet told him there is plenty of time to think it through, adding that he will need to prepare for it if that is his dream…
Perhaps the enormity of the task is lost on him presently and we place no expectations on him whatsoever, but simply want to help him understand it is important to develop and set one’s own expectations of themselves.
But it puts to the test our resolve to support him in any endeavour he wants to undertake.
I asked Janet what she thought of “her boys” heading off to Mt Everest together?
Her reply was simple and uncomplicated.
“It scares me” she said.
“But if that time comes I will proudly walk every step of the way to base camp with you and will find the inner strength and courage to wait for news from the mountain, for after all, life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
Baz – The Landy
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Sunrise in the Australian Outback
Sunrise at Ourimperee Waterhole, Outback Australia…
Crikey, you wouldn’t be dead for quids, hey!
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Nice of you to drop in
Putting in a couple of leave applications the other day to cover my two climbing expeditions to Nepal in 2015 turned out to be a lot of fun…
My boss, let’s just call him Wayne, he’s a keeper, can’t afford to lose him!
“Baz”
“Yeah Wayne”
“Might be nice if you could drop into the office and do some work occasionally Baz, but don’t let it get in the way of your endless holidays, and how about you call me boss, just for once”
“Sure Wayne, I’ll make some arrangements”
“Janet?”
“Yes Baz?”
“You doing anything, the boss wants me to drop into the office”
“Just lattes with the girls”
“Meet me at the office, and um, bring the ropes”
“Ooo, we playing those games again, you naughty boy”
“No, well yes, if you like, but not just now”
“Hey Wayne, I mean, Boss, I thought I’d just drop in to see if you’ve signed those leave forms yet”.
These photographs show Janet-Planet (isn’t she awesome!) and me abseiling down the AMP Building, Sydney, Australia, in support of a charity fund raising day!
Baz, The Landy
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Solitude…
An earthen bed, a warming fire to stave off the chill and a canopy of stars to watch over you…
…solitude in the Australian Outback with a wonderful son!
Baz – The Landy
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Dope on a rope (In the Blue Mountains)
If you don’t live life on the edge, you risk taking up too much space…
Besides, the view is always better at the edge!
Baz – The Landy
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Well smack my bum (and call me Janet)
Girl next door?
Well yeah, Janet-Planet was my next door neighbour, but don’t be fooled by that coiffured hairdo of hers, she is no wallflower…
And how good is that we get to have this sort of aerial fun together…
Just remember, if all else fails, remain out of control and see what develops – it sure works for us and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Baz – The Landy 😉
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Beer – Magical and Medicinal
Like a couple of old Holden cars in the Australian Outback, I was feeling just a little rusty and worse-for-wear this morning as I headed out on a 10-kilometre pack walk with the mandatory 20-kilograms strapped to my back.
In the pre-dawn darkness the kookaburra’s were just stirring in the Harbour City, laughing as I trudged on up the hill…
As part of my training to prepare for two climbing expeditions to Nepal in both the pre and post monsoon periods in 2015 I pack-walk between 10-20 kilometres with a 20-kilogram backpack every other day, and do sprint running on the other days.
Unfortunately, a recurring injury I have suffered over the past 12 months or so has been a tight calf-muscle in my left leg. Well to be more specific, and for the medically inclined, it is the peroneus muscle group.
Over the weekend “The Kiwi” was in town so there was plenty of training on Saturday in the mountains and given the extreme heat a few beers were consumed at the day’s end!
Water would have been better wouldn’t have cut it…
Of course, many will know “The Kiwi” as my partner in endurance events both in Australia and his homeland of New Zealand, and he is the bloke who has dreamed up a 250-kilometre run, come walk, from Newcastle to Sydney in March next year – apparently in 60-hours!
Oddly, 250-kilometres seems to figure often in the things he dreams up, last time that number came up it was a 250-kilometre cycle, run, and kayak from the west to the east coast of New Zealand’s south island.
Yes, these plans have usually been hatched over a few beers, and you’d think I would have learnt by now that one always needs to be cautious of Kiwis’ bearing gifts of free beers…
Crikey, I wouldn’t have it any other way though!
But on beers, the pain in my left calf muscle was absent on my pack walk at silly o’clock this morning, confirming, I’m sure, that beer is full of magical medicinal properties – truly, nectar of the Gods’.
Well that is the story I’m sticking with anyway, let’s face it – when you’re on a good thing!
Photo: Baz – The Landy (on Trilby Station in Outback Australia)
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Beach Culture – Downunder
Merewether Beach, Newcastle, Australia…
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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The Australian Outback (At Sunset)
Photo: Baz, The Landy
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Feed the Rat (It’s gnawing away)
Since a young age I have been fascinated by the majestic beauty of mountains, of the peaks that poke through the clouds reaching ever higher into a deep blue sky.
Growing up in Australia has had mountaineering limitations given our highest is Mt Kosciuszko, a mere 2,228 metres high.
So I contented myself with walking through and over the hills and mountains, developing a love of the Australian Bush, the magnificent Australian Bush…
Like an unsatisfied lover, in recent years I started to look further afield with a desire to experience more from my affair with the mountains…
Three years ago I commenced training designed to assist and enable me to contemplate climbing an 8,000 metre peak in the Himalayan Mountain Range. The mountain of choice Cho Oyu borders Tibet and Nepal and is the world’s sixth highest mountain peak and possibly the most accessible of the world’s fourteen 8,000 metre peaks.
The fun is in the journey, right?
I have had some great times developing my rope skills climbing in the Blue Mountains not far from Sydney as well as undertaking an extreme fitness regime.
And talk about a good laugh here and there, strewth, I can’t even tie my shoelaces properly (it’s a long story) but here I am tying myself off on vertical rock-faces!
Climbing Sweet Dreams – Blue Moiuntains
The “Crack” on Boar’s Head
Sweet Dreams, Blue Mountains, Australia
Baz – Final pitch on Sweet Dreams
Baz – Blue Mountains, Australia
Unfortunately injuries over the past year or more proved to be a significant setback and at times had me questioning whether I should continue! But the injuries are now behind me and a solid fitness regime is under way to get me on track!
My head is back in the right place, the switch has been flicked once again…
And crikey, the “rat” is gnawing away and it needs to be fed – that’s a good sign, for me anyway, as Janet rolls her eyes with a wry smile breaking through ever so slyly.
Janet knows the rat well, it has led us on many wonderful adventures…
And how good is New Zealand’s Southern Alps playground – truly a mountaineer’s playground.
After a reasonably steep multi-pitch climb I crossed this snow covered Arête in the cover photo on the way to the summit of Auroa.
Whenever I view this photograph it reminds me that “standing back from the edge is safe, but the view is never as good” – it reminds me what I love so much about the mountains, it inspires me to pursue my goal…
So, one step at a time, let’s do this together!
Baz – The Landy
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Postcard – From the Outback
The Australian Outback – crikey, how good is it, hey!
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Watagan Mountains (The Australian Bush)
The Watagan’s is a great place to spend a weekend or few more days hiking. Situated just to the north of Sydney, it is a lush mountainous area full of wonderful flora and fauna.
We hiked a familiar route, the Great North Walk, overnighting at Barraba Trig, a picturesque site that overlooks the famous Hunter Valley wine growing region from its vantage point high on a ridge top…
The girl’s, Janet and Leah, packed their men, TomO, me, brother-in-law Ray (the Kiwi) and young Aubrey, off on Saturday afternoon, before glamming up and heading to a beautiful French restaurant in Newcastle…
And what an awesome effort by nephew 5-year old Aubrey, he walked half of the 25 kilometre hike!
And the Kiwi showed some great endurance carrying him and a 20-kilo pack the rest of the way! Mind you he did run 100-kilometres of this route just a couple of weeks back in 20-hours!
The Australian Bush hey, you’ve got to love it.
Photos: Baz – The Landy
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Tawny Frog-Mouth and Baby (Too Cute)
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Jungle Juice (In the Australian Bush)
Dr Jurd’s Jungle Juice, Wollombi, Australia
Photo: Baz – The Landy
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Windmills – In the Outback
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The Billabong
Situated on the Darling River not too far from the small township of Louth, Trilby Station is a working sheep station and home to Gary and Liz Murray.
The Billabong is a prominent feature of the property.
Situated a short stroll from the family homestead the billabong requires a flood event on the Darling River to fill with water.
In recent times this has occurred in 2000, 2011, and 2012, and when it does the homestead is isolated and at times has required the family to be airlifted to the safety of higher ground.
Mind you it has not always flooded so regularly.
Gary’s father, Dermie Murray, who was born in 1929 at Dunlop Station on the Darling River, was 21 years of age before he saw the mighty Darling break its banks in flood.
Dermie and his lifelong partner now live further downstream and nearer to the township of Tilpa.
We have been fortunate to visit at times when it has been full, but as is often the case in Australia’s semi-arid regions the billabong is now dry once again.
Gary and Liz are wonderful hosts and you can camp down by the river, or by the billabong, and if camping is not to your liking you can stay in one of the stockman’s cottages, or the shearer’s quarters.
If you are ever visiting the region, be sure to take the time to visit Trilby Station, where you can just sit back and relax as the Darling River gently flows by…
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