We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 03 . 12 . 21 .

Hello, good morning and welcome to the first newsletter of the last month in the year 🙃

Well, the weather over the past week shaped up to be much better than originally predicted. And as promised, this week's newsletter is dedicated to some outdoor recreational activities in the Snowy Monaro region (where the Ngarigo, Walgalu, Ngunnawal and Bidhawal peoples are the traditional custodians of the land).

Whilst I absolutely love visiting the Snowy Monaro region, Covid-19 has had a profoundly devastating impact on the Australian ski industry and local businesses over the past two years. In the two weeks I had off between finishing uni and starting a full-time job, I decided to return to this area to support the local economy. If you're still looking for summer holiday ideas, I would highly encourage anyone to visit this region - it's stunning, full of really friendly people and is populated with good cafes (that serve epic coffee and baked goods).

GEO CACHING

Geo caching is a 'hide and seek' outdoor recreational activity. Participants use a GPS to hide and seek containers, known as "geocaches" or "caches", at specific longitude and latitude co-ordinates. As I soon learnt, this activity is not limited to Ngunnawal Country (commonly known as Canberra), but is already occurring throughout the world.

I was introduced to geo caching by my friend Danni, who has a 3 year old. During lockdown, it became a novel activity and challenge to go "caching" in their local neighbourhood. I was a little unsure who enjoyed this activity more - my friend or her son (who would have happily fallen asleep post swimming-lesson). Anyway, we drove to the top of the National Arboretum (on a very rainy day) and, not entirely sure what I was looking for, went exploring for a 'cache'.

The National Arboretum, Canberra - one of the locations we went exploring for caches.

I very quickly learnt that geo caching forges a connection between nature and modern technology, and can make outdoor exploration much more enjoyable.

In addition, it's frequently a social activity, enjoyed with family and friends, and can help participants learn about the natural resources and history of the land being explored. However, as with everything in life, I think this activity should be approached with caution. There is the potential for "cachers" to have a negative impact on vegetation if they forge their own trail, trample vegetation and compact the soil (making it difficult for natural flora to grow).

You can learn a little bit more about geo caching here.

EXPLORE KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL PARK

Running to the 'rooftop of Australia'

Standing at the top of Australia's highest mountain - Mt Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres (also referred to as Kunama Namadgi, meaning snow and mountain, by some indigenous peoples).

As the saying goes, "third time's a charm", and that's exactly what this summit was. Despite the fact that I did not have crampons, I did have a positive attitude and a mindset of perseverance (as I did not want to be defeated by the weather for a third time in a row), which helped when faced with 400m of snow/slodge traversing.

If you're not up to the 6 hour return walk from Charlottes Pass, or have little ones in tow, then you can catch the chair lift to the top of Perisher valley to shave off a few kilometres and elevation.

Ice hovering over the Snowy River.

To say that the summit trail from Charlotte's Pass is spectacular would be an understatement. Kosciuszko National Park is not only beautiful, but also an area of ecological significance - the area has 200 species of alpine flowering plants, is home to rare alpine ecosystems that cover 0.001% of the Australian continent and provides important habitats to many nationally endangered species, such as the southern corroboree frogs.

In addition to the impacts of climate change, KNP faces two key threats:

Wild horses (brumbies): there are approximately 14,000 wild horses that are destroying habitats, such as waterways and wetlands, and threatening native wildlife.

Noxious weeds: invasions of non-indigenous floral species are a formidable threat to local biodiversity and precious ecosystems of the region. The Orange Hawkweed is particularly hazardous to the environment, as it disperses easily and prolifically.

TRAIL RUNNING AND CYCLING IN JINDABYNE

Shared mountain-bike and trail running path along lake Jindabyne.

Trail running

With single trails, an abundance of wildlife, hills galore and stunning scenery, Jindabyne is one of Australia's best destinations for trail running. It doesn't matter if you're just getting into the sport, or an experienced ultra-runner, there are so many little gems that are perfect for all abilities. You've got the Waterfall Track, Main Range Track, Mill Creek Trail, the Hatchery Bay Trail and the Dead Horse Gap Trail (to name a few) - all offering a variety of distances, so you can pick one to suit your ability or time availability.

The lakeside town of Jindabyne in the distance.

Cycling

Whilst the Snowy region is well known for it's mountain biking, I'm a road cycling kinda gal. Alas, I decided to cycle from my little cabin at Jindabyne Caravan park to Thredbo village (and back again). Despite the magpies, which were more brutal* than the hills, the journey along the road is stunning. As someone who likes to challenge myself, the mountains in this region certainly made me very aware of my quads. Whilst I love trail running, cycling is a slightly quicker way to explore the natural beauty of a region.

When I made it to Thredbo, I made sure that I supported a local cafe - local businesses in the region have really done it tough as a result of significant disruptions to two consecutive ski seasons (thanks to Covid).

*At one stage, I was travelling 60km/hr down a hill and a magpie still managed to swoop me multiple times (which didn't bode well for the climb on

the way home).

Mid-way fuel stop - homemade gels (banana and rice) in reusable packaging, and a coffee 👌🏽

THE IMPACTS OF INVASIVE SPECIES

Invasive species such as feral deer and horses are threatening the iconic and vulnerable landscapes of Victoria and NSW’s high country. By nature, native Australian wildlife tread lightly on the earth - think of kangaroos, emu, dingoes, even the thylacine, years ago. However introduced species, such as deer, have hard hooves, and are causing devastating damage to extremely fragile landscapes, such as peat wetlands.

There are a number of extremely active groups working to control the number of invasive species across Australia’s east coast. According to the the Invasive Species Council (https://invasives.org.au/), “Deer are probably Australia’s worse emerging pest animal problem, causing damage to the natural environment and agricultural businesses. Populations are expanding and deer are invading new areas, many due to deliberate introductions by recreational hunters.” Despite deer numbers being in the millions in Victoria, they are not yet considered a pest. Meanwhile down in Tasmania, deer numbers are ballooning, and are starting to infiltrate

Reclaim Kosci aims to stop the damage feral horses are having on Koscisucko National Park. According to Reclaim Kosci, 14000 feral horses are estimated to inhabit the National Park, and 23 native plant species are treated by the compaction and habit destruction caused by horses.

In late November, NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean adopted a feral horse plan for Kosciuszko National Park that promises a significant reduction in feral horses, but leaves one third of the park available as a habitat for feral horses. To show your support for the protection of the vulnerable ecosystems of Kosciuszko National Park, sign the Reclaim Kosci petition here.

That's all from us this week 😀

If you're contemplating booking a trip to Jindabyne, or the surrounding Snowy Monaro region, and would like any additional accommodation or activity advice, feel free to reach out via our socials. We'd love to help.

🙏🏻 🙏🏼 🙏🏽 🙏🏾 🙏🏿

Elanor and the For Wild Places team.

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We acknowledge the the First Nations people who have been custodians of land, waters and culture for tens of thousands of years. We pay respects to First Nations Elders past, present and emerging.

We would like to recognise the Ngarigo people as the traditional custodians of the majority of the region we know as the Snowy Monaro region, where this newsletter was written. We pay respect to the knowledge holders and community members of the land and waters and to Elders past, present and emerging. We also acknowledge the connection of other groups to this Country, such as Walgalu in northwestern parts of the region, Ngunnawal in northeastern parts and Bidhawal (sometimes spelled Bidwell/Bidawal) is the south around Delegate.

Always was, always will be.

By For Wild Places

We're a group of adventurers who love to

protect wild places we run on