2012-05-17 23:06:24

BURNING OFF IN BLUE MTNS THIS WEEKEND

National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will conduct extensive hazard reduction work in the Blue Mountains from today (Thursday 17th May). A 974 ha burn at Glen Erskine Creek, 9km south of Hazelbrook, is scheduled to get underway from 11am today, Upper Blue Mountains Area Manager Richard Kingswood said.

“This burn will reduce fuel loads and limit the potential for wildfire to spread west to east and impact on life and property throughout the region,” Mr Kingswood said. “The burn will be carried out by dropping aerial incendiaries from a helicopter over two days and smoke may be visible between Katoomba and Springwood.

- “Red Ridge Fire Trail and Andersons Fire Trail will be closed for the duration of the work.

- On Friday, a small three-hectare burn is planned for Gladstone Street, behind properties on Valley Road, between Wentworth Falls and Leura villages. Residents of Wentworth Falls, south of the Great Western highway, are advised to keep windows and doors closed and remove washing from the line,” Mr Kingswood said. "Smoke will be visible throughout Wentworth falls, Leura and the Great Western Highway and may also be visible from Katoomba and Bullaburra.”

The burn will be carried out in partnership with RFS and Fire Rescue NSW.

The Nature track (Valley of the Waters) and rear accesses to houses on the western side of Valley Road (Gladstone Street trail) will be closed while the burn is in progress.

Also planned for Friday is the completion of the Lower Kedumba burn, part of which was completed mid-April.

- This burn will take place in remote country in the lower Kedumba Valley, 10km south of Katoomba, Mr Kingswood said. “Smoke will be visible from the three sisters, Katoomba and also at Leura, Wentworth falls, Kings Tablelands, NarrowNeck and Hampton and may linger in the area for several days afterwards,” he said.

HORNSBY PARK SUCCESS!!; 100+ MTBers OUT IN FORCE AT COUNCIL MEETING; COUNCILLORS SEE THE GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT FOR MTB

Read how the efforts of HSMBA club achieved 100% Councillor support, in gaining the OK for the council to proceed with MTB Trails at Hornsby Park, in TrailTalk


BEROWA VALLEY GETS THE NATIONAL PARK NOD

The northern Sydney home of the largest owl species in the country is about to become home to something much larger. The state government has introduced legislation to elevate more than 3800 hectares of the Berowra Valley to national park status. It's not just the local and loud boobook owl hooting with delight.

Environmentalists have been campaigning for the Berowra Valley Regional Park in the Hornsby shire to receive national park recognition for nearly six decades. Bob Salt, the Friends of Berowra Valley Regional Park chairman, said the society would not rest until the legislation had passed through Parliament. ''We've been writing to local members, we've made approaches to conservation councils, we've held exhibitions and we've created a guidebook,'' Mr Salt said. ''We are very pleased about this attempt to give it national park status.''

He said the move would make nature conservation, rather than recreational activities, the focus of the park's management.
But the Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, said public use of the valley would not be compromised, with well-used dog-walking tracks excluded from the legislation and the possible introduction of mountain-bike tracks.

TRAIL NOTES: YELLOMUNDEE: Gary - Yellomundee is definitely my favourite track. Living at the west end of Penrith it takes me just 15 mins to get there, allowing a heap of visits. It’s usually well maintained, however, at the moment, only about 3k’s of 10 are available due to washouts and erosion, arising from the recent floods. Plus, there are still no bridges… but there is quite a bit of ‘over’growth, so the track is now closed off in some sections (we walked past the closures to have a look & it is pretty bad!). Knowing the park ranger, Paul, it should be in good form soon. So, in future, if you’re riding and come across destroyed track you might want to contact the park management before anyone gets hurt or it becomes unrideable.

There are incredible amounts of wildlife out there at the moment, as well (especially in the morning). Wallabies, Foxes, Rabbits, Quails, Snakes and Lizards, to name a few.

Stay Safe and Ride well. Hope to see you out there!!

MUDDERS DAY

It's 8:40am on a crispy, spectacular May Saturday in a Park somewhere in North Sydney. Lactic acid (or something...) is building up in my shoulders and chest, as I'm making my way up a long set of concrete steps by hand - yes, one hand after the other - while my teammate, Mark, is holding my feet in a wheelbarrow position forcing me up. Through the humiliation and increasing agony, I'm thinking, "How in hell did I end up HERE?!"

I guess I'd always wanted to do a proper army style obstacle course. We'd done a few at work over the years, but they've been pretty UN-challenging; You can't go 'extreme' when you have a staff with a mix of ages, fitness levels and interest.

So when Mark told me he was well on his way to losing 15Kg to 'fitten up' for the September 'Tuff Mudder', I was impressed and intrigued. He could tell I was interested, and said, "Hey, do you want to be on the team? You'd be perfect!" I could tell I was being sold a line by a desperate agent of evil.

"What's the Tuff Mudder?"... I asked suspiciously, but he was suitably vague and I only came to realise the potential for actual hurt after checking the web page & YouTube. The whole palava looked pretty crazy, painful and challenging to me. But, being a masochist, I was naturally sold on the idea and agreed anyway. (Though, I have to admit, the stair walk has shaken my earlier confidence...)

My regular fitness is bike commuting, weekend MTB, a few runs & the gym: but even all that is not apparently enough preparation for the Mudder's 20km of 10m-high walls, ice cold mud ponds and 10,000 volts of electricity... Of the umpteen events you have to get the team of 4 through across the day, there's probably no muscle you won't work or organ that won't be knocked about along the way.

So after Pete - on another team - told us of a 14km army-style Tuff Mudder training session in North Sydney, I figured what the hell: let's give it a go; this should be easy...(famous last words).

What I did not figure, was shimmying up a playground fireman's pole 7 times in a row and knocking round the family jewels...

The 14km training run didn't sound too onerous at the start, but couple it with leaping up flights of stairs, hefting a log 3km uphill (or shouldering it along a rocky single track), and running through what must have been the last patches of mud in the city, I felt it was like being in Survivor or the Amazing Race...

From the first 'challenge' - piggybacking Mark's 85kg frame up a hill - to the last: jogging (not running) up aptly named Mt Vomit, it's about putting your all in NOW, so you don't let it all come out LATER ...

The Trainer, Roger, and the team as a whole, were a great bunch, so I'll be back next month, (but maybe after I buy a jock strap!)

A great alternative to a weekend ride; I came back as spent as if I'd ridden 50km... September here we come!!

www.toughmudder.com.au/about/

www.gettufftraining.com. Photos on their facebook page.

Cheers
Grant Shatford