Why Join a Club?
The Brisbane Catholic Bushwalking Club Inc enables walkers to go beyond the recognized tourist spots. Its sixty plus years of experience provide a breadth and depth of knowledge. Walkers have a common passion and provide great company for one another. The Club’s procedures and conventions promote safety, confidence and leadership skills.
Types of Walks
Day Walks depart from Brisbane in the morning and return the same day. The walks are often on graded tracks and can involve walking to the summit of a mountain.
Overnighters usually occur in areas some distance away, where one night’s accommodation allows a longer day for walking.
Base Camps involve camping or cabin accommodation from which day walks depart and return.
Through Walks require walkers to carry all gear and pitch tents at different spots each evening.
Annual Walks include the Mt Barney Walk and Mass each Exhibition Wednesday, an Easter Monday walk with another local bushwalking club and Shepherds’ Walk with the local historical society in Beaudesert. A combined bushwalking clubs’ base camp, known as The Pilgrimage, is held each September
Difficulty of Walks
Each walk is described according to the following Grading System to indicate the degree of difficulty.
| Distance | Terrain | Fitness/Endurance |
|---|---|---|
| Short: under 10km per day | 1 - Smooth reasonably flat path | 1 - Basic - Suitable for beginners.Up to 4 hours walking. Flat |
| 2 - Graded path/track with minor obstacles | 2 - Basic - Suitable for beginners. Up to 4 hours walking. Minor hills | |
| Medium: 10-15km per day | 3 - Graded track with obstacles such as rock, roots, fallen debris or creek crossings | 3 - Intermediate - Suitable for fit beginners. Up to 5 hours walking and/or minor hills |
| 4 – Rough, unformed track or open terrain with obstacles such as rock, roots, fallen debris or creek crossings | 4 - Intermediate - Suitable for fit beginners. Up to 5 hours walking and/or up to 300m gain/loss | |
| Long: 15-20 km per day | 5 - Rough or rocky terrain with small climbs using hands or rock hopping | 5 - Moderate - Up to 6 hours walking and/ or up to 450m gain/loss. Agility required. |
| 6 - Steep, rough or rocky terrain with large climbs using hands or rock hopping | 6 - Moderate - Up to 6 hours walking and/or up to 600m gain/loss. Agility required.Extra-long: over 20 km per day | |
| Extra-long: over 20 km per day | 7 - Climb/descend steep rock using hands or footholds. May be some exposure. Good upper body strength needed. | 7 - High - Up to 8 hours walking and/or up to 750m gain/loss. High fitness, endurance and agility required. |
| 8 - Climb/descend near vertical rock with exposure. Climbing skills may be required. | 8 - High - Up to 8 hours walking and/or up to 1000m gain/loss. High fitness, endurance and agility required. | |
| 9 - Sustained climbing or descending of vertical or near vertical rock with exposure. Advanced climbing skills and good upper body strength required. | 9 - Challenging - Up to 12 hours walking and/or over 1000m gain/loss. Very high fitness, endurance and agility required. |
Example: M48 is a medium walk, 10 to 15 kilometres long, over unformed, rough ground with obstacles. The walk is hard or strenuous, requiring fitness, agility and endurance.
Undertaking a Walk
- Walkers nominate to the leader at the monthly meeting, by phone or email at least two full days in advance.Nominations are accepted at the discretion of the leader and in accordance with the Club’s Constitution.
- The leader invites some walkers to drive and be reimbursed financially. Walkers who do not carpool each pay $2.
- Walks depart from St Brigid’s Church Car Park at Red Hill. Cars can be left there on Saturdays and Sundays.
- If walkers need to withdraw after nominating, they need to advise the leader promptly.
- All walkers are expected to be punctual, to heed the leader’s instructions and to stay together as a group by maintaining visual contact with the walkers in front and the walkers behind and by re-grouping at intersections and on other occasions. One nominated walker, the tail-end-Charlie, walks last.
- Everything taken in on walks must be taken out again. This includes all rubbish and used toilet paper.
The Emergency Officer System
- • The Emergency Officer is the first point of contact for any emergency involving an outing and needs to be contactable at all times during an outing.
- • All walkers should carry the Emergency Officer’s details and ensure that family members also have them.
- • Prior to an outing, the leader contacts the Emergency Officer to advise details of the walkers, the drivers, car shuffles and car parking locations as well as any changes to the plans.
- • Walkers who are late to the meeting point and unable to contact the leader can phone the Emergency Officer.
- • At the conclusion of an outing, the leader contacts the emergency officer to report the safe return of all walkers.
Delays:
- • If a walk is greatly delayed, the leader contacts the emergency officer. Family members can phone the Emergency Officer after 9.00 pm. Walks can be delayed for a variety of reasons and early concern is not necessary.
- • The Emergency Officer can contact any Committee member to obtain the next-of-kin details of walkers.
An Emergency:
- • An emergency could include bad weather, flood, fire, heat, lost property, animal attack, accident, injury, medical emergency, death, lost car, car breakdown, road accident or lost walkers.
- • In an emergency, the leader contacts the Emergency Officer.
- • The Emergency Officer contacts the President, Outings Secretary or other Committee Member for decisions about escalating the concern. Options include contacting Federation Mountain Rescue (FMR), organizing a Club rescue party or a car with provisions, etc.
- • The Club does not contact Police, Ambulance, SES, Helicopter, the media etc. This is the responsibility of FMR.
- • Unless there is a known accident or injury requiring immediate response, rescue is normally organized after 24 hours.
Equipment
Walk Costs
These are designed to cover the reimbursement of drivers and depend on the distance driven to and from the start of the walk. Drivers do not pay. Reimbursements are calculated by the Treasurer. As of 2017:
| Distance in kms | Cost per passenger |
|---|---|
| 0 -50 | $5 |
| 51- 100 | $10 |
| 101 - 150 | $15 |
| 151 - 200 | $20 |
| 201 - 250 | $25 |
| 251 - 300 | $30 |
Examples of Walks
- This list of walks undertaken by the Club over the years is just a sample, not an exhaustive list.
Grades track walks
- Mt Mitchell (Cunningham’s Gap)
- Shipstern Circuit (at Binna Burra)
- Coomera Creek Circuit (at Binna Burra)
- Toolona Creek Circuit (at O’Reilly’s)
- Warrie Circuit & Pinnacle (Springbrook)
Mountain walks
- Mt Greville (Boonah)
- Mt Ernest (Rathdowney)
- Mt Maroon (Rathdowney
- Mt Barney (East Peak) (Rathdowney
- Mt Sampson (Dayboro)
- Lizard Point (Boonah)
- Mt Castle (via Sylvester’s lookout - Goomburra)
- Mt Cooroora (Pomona)
- Mt Tibrogargan (Glasshouse Mountains)
- Mt Warning (Murwillumbah)
- Panorama Point (Boonah)
Waterfalls
- Stairway Falls (O’Rielly’s)
- Booloumba Creek Falls (Kenilworth)
- Love Creek Falls (Mt Glorious)
- Running Creek Falls (southern Lamington)
Other
- Moreton Island
- Stradbroke Island
- Girraween Basecamp
- Bunya Mountains Basecamp
- Fraser Island Basecamp.
- Lahey’s Tabletop (Canungra)
- Minnages Mountain (Boonah)
- Mt Lindesay (Rathdowney)
- Flinders Peak (Ipswich)
- Paddy’s Peak (Rathdowney)
- Minto Crags (Boonah)
- Knapp’s Peak (Boonah)
- Mt Goolman (Ipswich)
- Mt Alford (Boonah)