A friend recently sent me a copy of this splendid 1866 map of the County of Buln Buln, to the East of Melbourne. What a historic treasure it is! you can clearly see the route of what would later be ‘The Upper Yarra Track’ on it. This is what makes this fabulous walking track ‘Australia’s […]
In Australia (and elsewhere) it is quite common to encounter these beasties in wetter areas. They avoid sunny patches. They do you no harm, though many (like me) have an allergic reaction to their ‘bites’, so it is good to avoid them as much as you can. I have already recommended this antihistamine Anthisan ointment
The Pocket Shot might be a good choice if you want to add a bunny, pigeon or duck to your hiking menu and you have found perfecting your skill with a conventional sling too hard (See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/how-to-make-a-sling/) ‘With up to 350 feet per second, equals 350 km/h, double to triple the airspeed of conventional slingshots
Naismith’s Rule ‘Is a rule of thumb that helps in the planning of a walking or hiking expedition by calculating how long it will take to walk the route, including the extra time taken when walking uphill. It was devised by William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, in 1892. A modern version of this rule
As you can see I have completed the first prototype of this project which I have long threatened. I learned a lot in the process, so that there will be substantial changes between where it is at now and the completed project. Still, you can see that it works. I created four ‘sleeves’ along the
Leatherman just keep coming up with entrancing products to separate us from our hard-earned. Here’s a nice example, the Leatherman Juice B2: ‘Sometimes, all you need is a knife. The Juice B2 has one serrated and one straight-edge knife made from high quality steel and backed by our 25 year warranty. Closed Length 3.2 in
I recommended this App back in Nov ’14: It’s great for viewing eg Victoria’s Topo maps in a Georeferenced form, ie the GPS on your phone will work to show your location, route etc on the map. All Qld’s Topo maps will also work and are available free here: http://qtopo.dnrm.qld.gov.au/mobile/. Many folks have probably noticed that
Today my waterproof zippers arrived so I sewed them on (and they work a treat!) I also made up the small extra piece which can be used to close the tent up completely. This piece will weigh just less than 30 grams in silnylon on the completed tent bringing its total weight to approx 180
A year ago I thought this was the greatest head torch ever: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/let-there-be-light-great-new-head-torch/ Now, Black Diamond has a new model which blows it out of the water literally – being waterproof! Their new model boasts an incredible 350 lumens though it uses an extra AAA battery (4 rather than 3). It still has superb run
A recipe for folks who want to experience just how hard life was in the past. I think you should try it. I used to eat it with relish when I was a kid, but back then kids were always hungry and would eat just about anything. You only have to notice how much taller
