EPIC ADVENTURES

EPIC ADVENTURE IV

Dwellingup hike - canoe

July 2005

Overview: A fun 4 day adventure south of Dwellingup along the Murray River involving 2 days of hiking followed by 2 days of canoeing.

Start: Dwellingup townsite about an hour and a half south east of Perth WA.

Finish: Baden Powell Waterspout, 6km south of Dwellingup along the Murray River.

Difficulty and altitude: All parts of this trip are relatively easy and could be done by children as young as 12.

Getting there and away: There is no public transport to Dwellingup.

Permits and access: No permits are required however camping along the Murray River costs $5 per person collected each day by the ranger. Staying in the huts along the Bibbulmun track if free.

Maps: The Bibbulmun track Dwellingup Map 2 is sufficient for this trip. This is produced by CALM and available widely at outdoor shops. All GPS points are given as UTM's. Map datum used is WGS 84.

Accommodation and supplies: Dwellingup has a general store which stocks food and some basic hiking equipment. Any specialist hiking and canoeing equipment will need to be purchased in Perth.

We had arranged with Dwellingup Adventures two canoes and a kayak to be dropped off at the Murray Campsite hut along the Bibbulmun track. Paddles, PFD's and helmets are included with the hire. We also hired several dry barrels for storing equipment in 20L and 40L sizes. The canoes cost $30ea per day. The kayak cost $25 per day. Dry barrels were $3ea. Having the equipment dropped off at the Murray Campsite then collecting us and the equipment from Baden Powell Waterspout and returned to Dwellingup cost $90. We also arranged with them to drop our canoeing gear out with the canoes and have them collect off us any hiking gear we would not need for the canoe.

Dwellingup Adventures

Cnr Newton and Marrinup Streets Dwellingup

(08) 9538 1127

dwgupadv@westnet.com.au

www.dwellingupadventures.com.au

Best time to visit: This trip is largely dependant on the level of the river which is running best from May to November. The temperature can drop below freezing during July and August, as we found out! October / November are the best months with the wild flowers out also.

Health and safety: River levels can be checked on the Department of Environment website. When we completed the trip the conditions were as follows.

RIVER MURRAY RIVER

STATION NAME Baden Powell Waterspout

TIME/DATE 04:50 06 Jul2005

STAGE 11.629

RIVER LEVEL 1.529

HRLY RATE 0.007

TENDENCY STEADY

MAX REC LEVEL 17.995

DATE 05 Aug 1964 14.000

No other health issues apply.

Day 1

Overview: An easy 13km hike south of Dwellingup along the Bibbulmun track to Swamp Oak hut. Walking time 3hours.

Start: Dwellingup Adventures. (50H 0412048, 6380032) Head south of the town following the Bibbulmun track markers.

Morning tea day 1. (50H 0413545, 6376219)

Swamp Oak campsite (50H 0417372, 6372603). The hut along the Bibbulmun track can sleep 12 people. It provided good shelter from the rain. Fires are allowed in the fire place and the rain tank was full and the water of good quality.

Day 2

Overview: A more strenuous day walking compared to Day 1. 18km to cover with 2 or 3 steep ascents and descents. Walking time 4½ hours.

Morning tea (50H 0419616, 6369328)

Murray Campsite (50H 0419400, 6363015). This hut is larger than the Swamp Oak hut and can sleep up to 15 people. Perched right next to the Murray River. There is a fireplace, plenty of room to sit, easy access to the river for swimming (if warm enough!) and the water tank was full and the water of good quality.

Day 3

Overview: With water levels up this section took us 4½ hours to canoe. The canoeing was easy with a few low grade rapids along the way which caused a bit of involuntary swimming in the cold water.

Our canoes and kayak were dropped off in the morning, we packed our gear into dry bags and headed out into the misty river valley with one thing on our mind "Stay Dry!!!"

Just a few hundred meters downstream of the Murray Campsite is a cable across the river which could be used to traverse the river if needed.

There are some rapids upstream of Yarragil which caused some stability problems in the fully loaded canoes.

You then pass through the campsites of Yarragil, Stringers, Tony's Bend, Island Pool (no camping here) then Charlies Flat.

There are a great set of rapids heading down to Island Pool which caused us to test the water again.

We canoed down stream to camp at Charlies Flat

(50H 0416270, 6372670). There is no hut here just campgrounds with fire places and park benches. There are several places to camp here and the whole Charlies Flat area could accommodate up to 12 groups. Easy is access to the river and pit toilets at the campground. The ranger visits every morning to collect camping fees $5 per person. They are also a good source of information on weather conditions and river levels.

Day 4

Overview: An easy 1 hour paddle downstream to our finish.

Down stream about ½ hour you will come across Bob's Crossing where you will have to get out and drag the canoes across the road and put them in again on the other side.

Finish: Baden Powell Waterspout (50H 0414338, 6373641)

We were collected from here by Dwellingup Adventures at a prearranged time and returned to Dwellingup to collect our gear and cars before heading back to Perth.

Hike club is a branch of Epic Adventures that deals with the hiking trips. Thus far all the Epic adventures have been hikes but that may change as Epic Adventures explores more multisport adventures. Hike club is governed by a few simple rules:

The first rule of hike club is:

What happens on the trail, stays on the trail.

The second rule of hike club is:

The person who carries the wine on the first day of hiking gets priority when choosing their tent site.

The third rule of hike club is:

If you're the first hiker in a group and upon discovering what lies ahead you announce to the other hikers "Well I have some good news and some bad news" Make sure you always have some good news.

The forth rule of hike club is:

Thou shalt not put rocks in the packs of other hikers.

And finally

The fifth rule of hike club is:

"If you join hike club for the hiking, you're probably missing the point!"

Epic Adventure V

Epic Adventure V sees the crew head back to the Kalbarri gorges for the third year. Tackling the gorges in October will require additional thought as temperatures will be higher than the previous two traverses in July.

Looking forward to July 2006 it looks as if we'll leave the freezing nights of Dwellingup behind and head north to sea-kayak the world heritage listed Shark Bay region.  

Satellite tennis - the history and the rules

Satellite tennis was invented on Epic Adventure I when Brad and Karin were sitting back admiring the cloudless night. "We started looking for satellites, there were heaps out that night." "We kept count of how many we saw each, then decided to make a game of it." From there the rules for satellite tennis were drawn up.

Now… for those that don't know satellites orbit the earth and they can be seen on clear nights. They look like slow shooting stars.

The Game

This game can be played by as many players as you like or you can make teams. A satellite is the equivalent to a game in tennis, that's how the scoring system works. The first person or team to score six satellites wins the set. You can play as many sets as you like, a three setter or a five setter depending on the conditions of the day and how much time you have. If you want you can even introduce tie breaks, the rules are pretty flexible here!

The best conditions for playing satellite tennis are when you have a clear night, little moonlight and an open space to view the stars. Recently on our trip to the Stirling Ranges we read that one of the space stations was able to be seen in the night sky… that got us thinking…I don't actually know what it looks like or how to spot it but we decided that if anyone spots the space station that automatically wins them the set and you start a new set.

So plan your trips when the weathers fine and near the new moon. Go to flat open places and GAME ON

Meet and read about those that have "been there ... done that."

 

Brad Krokosz

Born in Kalamunda, Western Australia, Brad has completed several hikes in Western Australia, Victoria and has hiked throughout Tasmania. A co-founder of Epic Adventures, Brad has been a part of the team on Epic Adventure I, II, III and IV.

 

"My Favourite thing is my tent, it's been everywhere with me, I think of it as my second home." "It's seen me through hot days in Kalbarri to snow in Tasmania to sideways rain on the Stirlings" "I counted up the number of nights that I'd spent in my tent once, it worked out to be months."

 

 

 

 

Karin Hibbard

Born in Switzerland Karin's hiking resume reads like the who's who of international hiking trails. Having completed treks in Switzerland, Nepal, Sweden, Spain, Italy, England the US and Australia it's obvious why she's an asset to the team.

Along on every trip you'll find her trusty hacky sack in the top pocket of her pack, also tucked away will be her famous red pack-away cup an impressive addition to any space saving enthuiast.

 

 

 

 

Daniel Steinbeck

Born in Kalamunda, Western Australia, Daniel tentatively completed Epic Adventure II in Kalbarri, not a natural when it comes to heights. He found his feet on the Stirling Ranges quoting to the others, "Compared to the Stirlings… Kalbarri…Ha! , piece of piss." Along with his designer slippers, need for a radio (to hear the latest footy scores) Daniel has provided endless entertainment on both Epic Adventure II, III and IV.

 

Daniel's favourite thing is undoubtedly MR WHIMPY. What or who you might ask is MR WHIMPY? It, is a pillow that probably has more frequent flyer miles and more adventure stories than most of us. You see MR WHIMPY has travelled the world with Daniel. When others were using water bladders or sleeping bag covers for pillows to save weight and space, Daniel was throwing out water and food to keep room in the pack for MR WHIMPY!!!

 

 

 

 

Ben Crabb

Born in Kalamunda, Western Australia, Ben is known to the others as the "Rock Rat." Give this guy a rock face and he'll climb it! He acquired this name from the others after Epic Adventure II in Kalbarri. "We had to give him extra weight just to slow him down" says Karin. "He makes rock scrambling, pack drops and river crossings look like a Sunday stroll" says Brad.

 

An expert when it comes to food, nutrition and calorie counting or burning, Ben always has plentiful supplies of a variety of foods for the hike. Ben is now a seasoned campaigner having completed Epic Adventure II, III and IV

 

 

 

 

Paul Markovic

Born in Kalamunda, Western Australia, Paul's first trip was to the Stirling Ranges. He then backed this up with a gutsy paddling performance in Dwellingup (IV). Undoubtedly catching the hiking bug Paul has teamed up with Daniel to create a team within a team. Together they have created an ominous force in TEAM BLACKWOLF.

As a career fire fighter Paul brings important strength and experience into the team. A valuable asset to any Epic Adventure.

 

 

 

Travis Healy

Travis was raked into the icy depths of Dwellingup by Daniel his partner in crime fighting. Travis was ready for the challenge as he has been hardened by his seven years army experience which included a tour of East Timor. His hiking adventures will take on an international flavour later this year when Trav and his wife tackle the trails of Peru.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EPIC ADVENTURE I AND II

Kalbarri Gorges 03 / 04

Overview: A demanding 5 day hike through spectacular scenery along the Murchison River.

Start: Ross Graham Lookout. 40Km from Kalbarri

Finish: The Loop, 40 Km from Kalbarri

Difficulty and altitude: Terrain varies each day from easy to hard. Maximum altitude 150m.

Getting there and away: No public transport to the start and finish. Busses available from Perth to Kalbarri.

Permits and access: National Park Pass. Available from CALM. Permission to hike the gorges must be gained form CALM Kalbarri.

Kalbarri National Park

PO Box 37 Kalbarri 6536

Phone: (08) 9937 1140

Fax: (08) 9937 1437

Maps: Kalbarri 1:100 000, Topographic survey. Sheet 1742 (Edition 1). All GPS locations are given using UTM's Australian Geodetic Datum 1966.

Accommodation and supplies: A variety of accommodation is available in Kalbarri from motels to backpackers. General store in Kalbarri stocks a good variety of food and fuel for hiking.

Additional equipment: We carried a 2 person inflatable boat, the Explorer 200 (from Toyworld); a 10m rope for lowering and pulling packs up over edges; hiking poles with rubber ends for support and river crossings and a good quality water filter is a must.

Best time to visit: We have traversed the track both times in July with simular river levels both years.

Health and safety: No health issues. The river levels can change quickly and vary greatly from season to season depending on the seasonal rainfall. Check the river levels on the Department of Environment website. Other hikers have reported rapid changes of river levels overnight.

Day 1

An easy to medium walk with a few river crossings. This part of the walk took us 4 hours.

50J (0251058, 6921134) Ross Graham Lookout. Start the walk here and follow the path down to the river.

50J (0251271, 6920975) Having followed the path down from the Ross Graham lookout. Cross river West to East.

50J (0252473, 6922037) Cross river East to West. Depending on the water level you may find crossing the river difficult because of the T-trees.

50J (0251311, 6923041) Morning tea. Can also cross the river here taking the inside of the bend and making the trip easier.

50J (0250674, 6923491) Hawks Head

50J (0249524, 6924530) Cross River West to East

50J (0248664, 6927141) Camp Day 1. The water found near the camp site was of poor quality and quite salty. Next time we will consider carrying our own water in for the first day. The campsite can accommodate several tents.

DAY 2

A the walk starts easy then becomes tougher as the day progresses where you're required to scramble over rocks. This day took us 4 hours to walk.

Start walking on the East side of the river.

50J (0249161, 6928929) Cross river East to West

50J (0248579, 6929713) Morning tea, Big tree in middle of gorge.

50J (0248567, 6930096) Waterfall

50J (0250025, 6933031) Camp day 2. Having walked most of the day on the West side of the river we crossed here and camped on East side of river. Water was harder to find but we found some deep rock holes near the Little Z bend. The water was of good quality.

DAY 3

This section took us 4 hours and is of medium difficulty with some rocky scrambles and climbing sections making it more technical than the previous day.

We started the day on the West side of the river.

50J (0250190, 6934534) A good camp site used in 2003.

50J (0250037, 6936144) Morning tea

50J (0249475, 6937565) Karin's Island. Soon after Karin's Island there is a technical section called the sandpit, a scramble which involves removing packs and climbing up the side of the ledge then passing the packs up.

50J (0249205, 6937834) Having spent the day hiking on the West side of the gorge cross over and Camp on the East side. This camp site is just up river from the Z Bend and by completing a short walk you can see the Z Bend lookout. Water was found on the rock head platform on the East side of the river just upstream of the camp site. The water was of good quality.

DAY 4

This is the most technical part of the whole hike. I rate it hard as it involves swimming, climbing, scrambling and steep ascents. The distance of only 5 Km took us 7 hours.

From the campsite start on the East side of river and hike towards the Z Bend.

50J (0249193, 6938568) Z bend, Here we inflated our boat and put our packs in the boat and floated it down stream. We stayed mostly on the West side of the river. Scrambling along the rock face with occasional swims where we couldn't scramble.

50J (0250192, 6938006) Got out of boat on the West side of the river.

Packed boat away and started scrambling on the West side of the gorge staying close to the waters edge. Soon after this there is a technical section which involves crawling through a small crack in the rock face. This is later followed by an under hang which can be traversed by good climbers or alternatively, remove shoes and wade through the water.

Stay on the west side of the river. The bend in the river around 50J (0250600, 6939300) is where you start your ascent of the rock face.

The bend in the gorge 50J (0251050, 6939700) is impassable at lower levels and you have to climb over the crest (The Steinbeck pass). After reaching the straight towards 4-Ways, start descending. On decent to the campsite you may come across the Hibbard pack drop where a rope is required to pass packs down a face which you then have to climb down.

50J (0250672, 6940583) Camp at day 4 is on the West side of the bank. Water was easy to find near the campsite and was of good quality.

DAY 5

Although one of the longest days distance wise one of the least technical and is of medium difficulty but characterised by many river crossings.

Leaving the camp walk on the West side of the gorge where you will come across 4-Ways. Continuing on you will pass the canoe tour operators. Just after this section is the Crabb "Leap of faith". This can be avoided by heading up the face of the gorge where the canoes are. If not, packs must be passed up the rock face and rock climbing skills will be required. Once again wading/swimming is an alternative.

50J (0249357, 6941906) An alternative Camp used in 2003

50J (0249043, 6943901) Cross river West to East

50J (0248977, 6944896) Cross river East to West

50J (0248209, 6946808) Cross river West to East

50J (0248444, 6947762) Cross river East to West

50J (0247811, 6949709) Natures Window and the finish line

EPIC ADVENTURE III

Stirling Range 2005

Overview: A demanding 4 day hike through spectacular scenery following the ridge from Ellen Peak to Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges.

Start: Corner of Gnowellen Road and Boundary fence track.

Finish: Bluff Knoll car park

Difficulty and altitude: The terrain is steep throughout the hike. Characterised by long steep hills to climb and ridges to scramble across. You often have to climb up to 750m along thin tracks and through thick scrub.

Getting there and away: No public transport to the start and finish. Stirling Range Retreat offer pick-up and drop-offs.

Permits and access: National Park Pass. Available from CALM. All hikers must register their walks in a log book at the entrance to the park on the corner of Bluff Knoll Road and Chester Pass Road.

National Park office: (08) 9827 9230

Maps: Eastern Stirlings, 1: 15 000 Available from Department of Land Administration. All GPS locations are given using UTM's Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994

"Mountain Walks in the Stirling Ranges Part 2" by A.T. Morphet is essential to completing this hike.

Accommodation and supplies: Accommodation is available at the Stirling Range Retreat. They offer a variety of levels of accommodation from un-powered sites to fully serviced chalets. All hiking supplies and fuel should be brought from Perth or Albany as the Stirling Range Café has only take-away food and snacks.

Additional equipment: We carried a 10m rope for lowering and pulling packs up over edges. Water is a very limited resource. We did a water drop (see notes day three). Water is available in a water barrel on the third arrow however this was only 1/10 full when we were there. A good quality water filter is a must.

Best time to visit: We traversed the track in April 2005 after there had been heavy rain two weeks before.

Health and safety: No health issues.

Day 1

The day starts with a hike along the boundary fence track before heading towards Ellen Peak. From then it's a constant ascent which takes several hours to the peak. Total ascent for the day is 1000m, (6 hours).

(0627868, 6201690). Car drop at the corner of Boundary fence and Gnowellen rd.

(0621964, 6201749). Turn off the Boundary fence track and follow hiking trail heading towards Ellen Peak.

(0622830, 6198942)

(0622990, 6198542). The peak of the first climbing section and our lunch stop.

(0622875, 6197792)

(0622666, 6197575)

(0622316, 6197307) Camp Day 1 was in the saddle just to the west of Ellen Peak. This was a good camp site for 4 tents, the ground was flat and easy enough to get pegs into.

DAY 2

A tough but spectacular walk around Pyungoorup Peak then across The Arrows, collecting water in the barrel at the Third Arrow. (7 hours)

(0621300, 6197263) Bakers Knob

(0620558, 6197433) Water collection at Third Arrow. A hose coming down from the barrel can be used and works very well. The water from the hose ran out while we were there so we climbed to the barrel to check if it had run out and found the barrel about 1/10 full. We were able to collect water from the actual barrel and pass it down before climbing down.

(0620204, 6197517) Top of First Arrow.

(0619949, 6197542) Camp day 2 in Sheok col.

DAY 3

An easier day walking up until the climb heading to Bluff Knoll. (7 hours)

(0619180, 6197641)

(0618721, 6197565) Isongerup Peak

(0618504, 6197007) South Peak

(0617404, 6197047) Water was dropped at the camp site here a day before leaving.

(0616763, 6196620) Base of climb up East Peak

(0615463, 6195580) Camp Day 3 on top of Bluff Knoll. Not much space or flat ground. Ground is hard and many a peg was bent, spectacular views though.

DAY 4

After camping on top of Bluff Knoll the last day was a shorter walk down to the car park. (2 hours)

(0614206, 6196383) Bluff Knoll car park.

The first Epic Adventure was born in 2003 when Brad Krokosz and Karin Hibbard embarked on a 4 day journey through the gorges of the Kalbarri National Park in Western Australia. The trip was labelled by the two as an Epic Adventure as they faced a multitude of obstacles along the way. The route was not marked, little information was available about the walk, maps available were of little use and the hike primarily consisted of three things: rock scrambles, water crossings and pack drops. Along the way magnificent camping sites were found, the 5 star rating system of campsites was devised, satellite tennis was invented, and Hike Club was founded.

(Above: Brad and Karin at the Z-Bend,   Kalbarri,  Epic Adventure I)

In 2004 Brad and Karin returned to Kalbarri with two new members. This trip was labelled Epic Adventure II. The team spent 5 days traversing the same route, discovering new camping sites and methods of transport (see track notes). The rules of satellite tennis were passed down as the two new members, Daniel Steinbeck and Ben Crabb, were inducted into the Epic Adventure team.

(Above: Ben and Daniel surviving in their first Epic Adventure, Kalbarri)

In April 2005 the Epic adventure team embarked on their most testing hike yet, The Stirling Range Ridgewalk. A 4 day hike, scramble and  pack-drop along the ridge of the Stirling Ranges. This saw all the team, including newest member Paul Markovic, pushed to their limits.

(Above: Paul, the newest member, on left, in the Striling Ranges with Brad, centre and Daniel, right)

Looking for a change of scenery the team headed an hour south of Perth to Dwellingup for their first multi-sport trip. Two days hiking then two days canoeing down the Murray River. Needless to say the July trip occurred just as Perth experienced a cold snap sending the temperature below freezing most nights. Canoeing really provided all the excitement for this trip especially those sections which lead the team to some involuntary swimming. "Great trip… just not in July" says Paul.

(Above: Loaded up and heading down stream. Canoeing down the Murray River on Epic Adventure IV)