B-log ~ July 2012

We love wilderness!

high altitude heathland and forestsWhenever our energies need a boost, we go get lost… Nothing recharges us better than being totally alone surrounded by Earth’s beauty on a bright sunny morning with a tinkling stream vying with birdsong.

Spanning the eastern edges of the Great Dividing Range in northern NSW are striking granite outcrops and steep escarpments with wild rivers, woodlands, flowering heath lands and World Heritage rainforests. During the past 25 years, Jack and Jude have often wandered its magnificent natural beauty.

access map

Last week, a five day window of fine weather invited us to pack our kitbags and seek Earth’s beauty. But once out in the wilds, our first observations showed the streams full and running dangerously fast. This dictated we travel over high ground, indicating we should explore the high altitude wet heath and sedge lands that form isolated ‘hanging swamps.’ These have granite rock beneath shallow soil, trapping moisture and forming swamps with their own rich variety of plant life that holds large amounts of water that is slowly released to feed creeks long after the last rain.

route map

Giant Ant's Nest

Giant Ant’s Nest

On this route, Duffer Falls opens a massive view over World Heritage forests ~ watch this short YouTube clip. After a 6km trek along the North West Trail, the Haystacks are a prominent feature at 1160m. At this point we went bush to find a lovely camp in thick forest. Next day, after climbing this massive rock feature, we continued deeper into wilderness, skirting wet boggy areas in a southerly direction taking two days to a camp alongside the headwaters of Duffer Creek.

 

 

 

State of the Climate – 2012

State Of Climate 2012 ReportAnyone here in Northern NSW or Queensland would agree we’ve had some of the wettest summers in memory. Is it true that storms are becoming more severe? Is Climate Change just hype? Is it a political football used to score points? Or is our civilization truly changing Earth?

This State of the Climate is the second paper produced by CSIRO and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. It provides a summary of observations of Australia’s climate and analysis of the factors that influence it.

Fast Facts

  • Climate change is continuing
  • Concentrations of long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new high in 2011
  • Australia experienced record rainfalls and the coolest temperatures since 2001 due to a very strong La Niña event in 2010 and 2011
  • Rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has affected global temperature much more than natural climate variability during the past century.
  • Australian temperatures are projected to increase in coming decades

Downloads

State of the Climate 2012 Brochure (pdf – 1.64mb)

Related: The Tasman Sea: Australia’s ocean hotspot


Comments

B-log ~ July 2012 — 2 Comments

  1. Hi Jack,
    Just a quick, Love Tasmania Summer 2012 DVD
    I would love to do that trip one day, but how do you get the info (guide books) to do a trip like it?

    Also I would love a DVD on you guys sailing. A Jack & Jude Practical Boat Sailing Tips. I also love your books!. Anyway all I can hope is my wife and I have as happy life as you guys, keep it coming.
    Thanks Stephen

    • Hi Stephen, Glad you enjoyed our little adventures. As far as info, our Tasmanian anchorages can be found on our website including soundings to get into the Old River. Searching for Huon Piner remnants required online research and chatting with the locals. We will continue adding more Australian anchorages this winter.
      All the best from Jack and Jude

      http://jackandjude.com/books/tas-notes/

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