We protect what we love

FRIDAY . 01 . 07. 22 .

Good morning and happy Friday!

Here at FWP, our July is off to a stellar start - we’ve got our hands on the Pilliga Ultra short film, and we’re so stoked to share it with you. I’m keeping the introduction short this week, as I want you to get to the short film asap!

A few updates about us here at FWP - Freddie is back from his trip across the ditch, Hilary has landed in Lady Musgrave Island, where she will spend the next three weeks off the grid (unless she shimmy’s up a tower - illegally), Paige has commenced her mission of trying all US cereals and Lauren just returned from the UK where she had a crack at her first 100km ultra along the stunning world heritage Jurassic coast in Dorset.

In this week’s newsletter we’re sharing the Pilliga Ultra short film with you, Lauren provides a brief recap of her Jurassic coast ultra and we explain coastal erosion, and link you with a very cool resource that you can use to track the dynamic coastline in your area (or anywhere in Australia).

Paige didn’t quite make it to WSER, and Lara’s Broken Arrow Sky Race report will appear in next week’s newsletter. Until then, happy reading.

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PILLIGA ULTRA SHORT FILM: 21 MARCH

A run to save wild places

A still from the film.

On the sacred lands of the Gomeroi people, 76 runners set out to explore the rugged, wild and beautiful trails of the Pilliga Forest.

It takes a special kind of person to commit to running 6, 20 or 50 kms through rugged wilderness, whilst raising much needed funds for local communities. It also takes a special kind of person to dedicate their time to volunteer, support and cheer on others. The Pilliga was not only a celebration of wild places, but also of the amazing people, communities and organisations who work to protect them.

We stand by the local communities who are fighting against Santos to keep the Pilliga wild. We hope you like this film as much as we enjoyed hosting this incredible event. If you would like to support future events, such as the Pilliga Ultra, we’d love you to become a member.

You can watch the film here.

🎥 🎥 🎥

JURASSIC COAST ULTRA

Lauren’s race report

After missing the Tarawera Ultra Marathon in Feb due to ongoing border closure, what is more perfect than finding a 100km run that coincides with a visit home to the UK? The Jurassic Coast Ultra which follows the stunning UNESCO world heritage Dorset coastline of course.

9pm start line and a setting sun.

With a 9pm kick off (ouch) being a first for me, an afternoon nana nap + coffee was the perfect combo to get me to that start line. The first couple of kms was an urban section before we hit the South West Coast path just as the sun was setting. However, merely 6kms into my race, whilst traversing an overgrown track, my foot found a rabbit hole and I went down like a sack of potatoes. I hobbled for a little bit, tried jogging but to no avail. Out came the poles and I pushed on at a hard hike. Plan B was to get to the first aid station, strap it up and keep going.

Night navigation was tough. Our instructions at race briefing were to follow the signs for the coastal path denoted by a yellow acorn. There were no other course markings, signs or reflective tape (Editors note: makes the Pilliga Ultra signage look a little better 😂)

Up until the 45km mark, the course had been super flat and runnable. A couple of sharp climbs and descents into West Bay were a taster of what was yet to come. I got into a nice rhythm and the rising sun revealed the immense stretch of coastline that lay ahead.

 The undercliff single track to Seaton was a nightmare. The tourist sign advising “10kms in 4hrs” didn’t inspire confidence! The tree roots, mud, rocks, more mud and overgrown sections with stinging nettles and brambles made for an adventure.

Following two wrong turns, I truly thought I was done at the 69km mark. The heat of the day, coupled with fatigue, nettle stings and the thought of chasing cut offs, meant the race became a mental battle, just as much as a physical one. Whilst a well timed mantra message of “no shit quits” from my coach saw me stuff flasks and food into my back with new found energy, a final tumble at the 80km mark took me out. Whilst this was clearly not the race I had hoped for, I’m chuffed as this was my longest distance raced to date. The opportunity to run in my home county and have family crew for me made it that extra little bit special.

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WILD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION

Wild Magazine are donating 10% of the subscription amount to For Wild Places

FWP Founding Members would have received their free copy of Wild magazine by now - we hope you enjoyed it! If you did, now's the time to subscribe! Wild Magazine are donating 10% of the subscription amount to FWP to help us do what we do (you also get a free Thermos). Yet another act of awesomeness from the team at Wild!

Use this link to subscribe and encourage your friends to sign up as well - it's open to all FWP friends, supporters and outdoor allies.

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Week 7: A visit to Kurnell and Cronulla, Dharawal Country.

Last Saturday, I rode to Cronulla (via Kurnell National Park), Dharawal country, with some mates. I’ve seen images of coastal erosion on Cronulla’s beach’s in the news, so decided to learn a bit more about thisphenomenon.

Australia has a highly dynamic coastline of over 30,000 km, with over 85% of its population living within 50 km of the coast. Coastal erosion (also known as shoreline retreat) is the loss of coastal lands due to the net removal of sediments or bedrock from the shoreline. It’s the result of both human activities and natural environment changes.

These changes throw off the balance among the water dynamics of the sea, coastal sediments and coastal landforms. This means that the material that is transported away from the shoreline is not balanced by new material being deposited onto the shoreline.

Coastal erosion at Narrabeen Collaroy beach. Source.

Coastal erosion can  be both:

• Rapid-onset or acute, occurring quickly over a period of days to weeks
• Slow-onset, occurring over months or years (also known as transgression or sea-forwarding)

Whilst coastal lows, storm surges, sea level rise, loss of coastal grasses and urban development all contribute to coastal erosion and transgression, significant/acute episodes of coastal erosion are often associated with extreme weather events, such as storms, tidal surges and flooding.

Digital Earth Australia Coastlines

Digital Earth Australia Coastlines (DEA Coastlines) is a continental dataset that includes annual shorelines and rates of coastal change along the entire Australian coastline from 1988 to the present. The hotspots layer gives a broad view of coastal change across Australia’s entire coastline. Red dots represent retreating coastlines (e.g. erosion), while blue dots indicate seaward growth.

The larger the dots and the brighter the colour, the more coastal change that is occurring at the location. You can then zoom in to different locations to get more specific data.

DEA Coastlines' record of historical coastal change can enable scientists, managers and policy makers to understand how the coastline responds to these pressures, and potentially assist planning and forecasting for future scenarios.

Using this data, we can study how natural coastal features, like sandbars and river mouths, have changed over time and how coastal developments such as ports and buildings have changed coastlines.

The changing shape of natural coastal features in Safety Bay, WA.

You can check out this very cool resource here, and have a look at the dynamic coastline in your area (or anywhere in Australia).

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Take some time to get outside, find inner peace on the trails and we'll catch you next week.

And, as always, thank you for taking the time to support wild places!

Lauren, Elanor & 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.

This email was written on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. To these people, we pay our respects.

Always was, always will be.