Bushwalk Australia

the council just upgraded one of my favourite walks....
now its terrible. theres no mud!, no steep slippery track to negotiate... it's now a, a, a, footpath!!! and even the mountain bikers are taking to it it's so easy...
all the fun has gone out of it...

.... they turn the final climb up Mount Feathertop into a stairway. A rustic rock stairway, but a stairway nonetheless. It's been like it for 10 or more years now, and it's turned Victoria's tallest alpine peak (I don't count Bogong as alpine in nature), into just another stair climb.

I haven't been up there for years now as I can't get over the disappointment I felt when I first saw it. I'm worried they will have put in balustrades, seats, information boards, and the obligatory "Mountain Risk Area", "Altitude Risk Area", "Creek Risk Area", and "Trees Close To Track Risk Area" warning signs.

Two words. Cape Hauy.

Strider wrote:Two words. Cape Hauy.

that was my first walk in Tas, had no idea about the upgrade, dutifully put my boots on and donned knee length gaiters for snake protection, and the track is built like some big city botanic garden walk.

alanoutgear wrote:...I don't count Bogong as alpine in nature

I don't count the Alps as alpine in nature!

Steve

Happy Pirate wrote:I don't count the Alps as alpine in nature!

Steve

I find it humorous that they are even called the Alps.

frenchy_84 wrote:

Happy Pirate wrote:I don't count the Alps as alpine in nature!

Steve

I find it humorous that they are even called the Alps.

The Australian Snow Lumps

The Australian Higher Hills

They're the highest we have, so you're just going to have to learn to love them.

north-north-west wrote:They're the highest we have, so you're just going to have to learn to love them.

The Australian 'special' Alps

north-north-west wrote:They're the highest we have, so you're just going to have to learn to love them.

Well, we do have Big Ben - just a bit hard to get to.

frenchy_84 wrote:I find it humorous that they are even called the Alps.

north-north-west wrote:They're the highest we have, so you're just going to have to learn to love them.

frenchy_84 wrote:The Australian Higher Hills

Examples for learning to integrate difficult truths:
- The Australian 'Topographically challenged' Alps
- The Australian 'Attitudinally challenged' High Alps
- The Australian Alps (Winner of the 'Non-alpine' division).

- - - or - - - most used current strategy:

The Higher Alps Deniers' collective

Steve

...people keep flogging a bad joke

alanoutgear wrote: (I don't count Bogong as alpine in nature)

Y'know, I'm still trying to wrap my skull around this one. In what way is it not truly 'alpine in nature'? It's higher and has far more ground above the treeline, after all. Is it not suitably craggy to satisfy you, or something?

I've been biting my tongue *&%$#! hard over this series of hoo hah.....I'm also interested in the
answer to your question NNW. Damn now I've spoken out.......no offence intended to the providers.

There is no one definition of 'Alpine'. But as a reflection of the original 'Alps" in Europe, Australia's Alps are a poor reflection and a poor (and embarrassing) excuse to name them after. Why not instead give them names that reflect their true nature. My previous gags were more about deriding the idea of naming Australian Hills after European Mountains many times their size. (OK, and about PC naming conventions).
Just as we seem to name most of our features in homage to grander or older versions in Europe, better perhaps that we take local indigenous names or at least names more true to the nature of the feature.

Interesting you think that the European Alps were in existance (original?) before the Australian Alps.........somewhat debateable and sad to see that theirs is bigger than your is an issue.
Nah only a gag

neilmny wrote:Interesting you think that the European Alps were in existance (original?) before the Australian Alps.........somewhat debateable and sad to see that theirs is bigger than your is an issue.
Nah only a gag

Of course I was referring to the names not the mountains themselves which I love to death.

To diverge back to the original topic:

. . . when you get a brand shiny new piece of photographic equipment totally different to everything you've ever used before and the box includes a card that says: 'DOWNLOAD USER MANUAL FROM...'
Aaaaaaarrrrrggh!
Download it, read it, try to understand it, print it all out so I can work out how to use the thing while I'm on the road . . . they should give a major discount whenever they pull that little prank on an unsuspecting customer.

north-north-west wrote:To diverge back to the original topic:

. . . when you get a brand shiny new piece of photographic equipment totally different to everything you've ever used before and the box includes a card that says: 'DOWNLOAD USER MANUAL FROM...'
Aaaaaaarrrrrggh!
Download it, read it, try to understand it, print it all out so I can work out how to use the thing while I'm on the road . . . they should give a major discount whenever they pull that little prank on an unsuspecting customer.

I feel your pain brother. But sometimes its better than having instructions come with the item as shiny new instructions on using a metal screw-driver for adjustment of an item I bought a few years ago may demonstrate:
"Use the base metal to actuate the handle precision timewise for good purpose"

Actually I don't hate it...I think it's hilarious!

Yes having to download manuals is a bit annoying but at least you get a single language version of the manual that way.
I hate it when...........a manual has about 10 different languages in it and takes about 10 times the paper
and therefore is 10 times the volume to carry around and every time you refer to it you have to find appropriate language section first.

.....and when you did "Use the base metal to actuate the handle precision timewise for good purpose" did it solve the problem...... that's a ripper

neilmny wrote:Yes having to download manuals is a bit annoying but at least you get a single language version of the manual that way.
I hate it when...........a manual has about 10 different languages in it and takes about 10 times the paper
and therefore is 10 times the volume to carry around and every time you refer to it you have to find appropriate language section first.

.....and when you did "Use the base metal to actuate the handle precision timewise for good purpose" did it solve the problem...... that's a ripper

Yeah - phonebook thick manuals with 3 pages of readable instructions.
I did "use the base metal to actuate the handle precision timewise for good purpose" in using an Allen key to adjust the string tension of my guitar

Happy Pirate wrote:I feel your pain brother.

Sister. Or sibling, if you prefer to be non-sexist. But I most definitely ain't no-one's brother.

north-north-west wrote:

Happy Pirate wrote:I feel your pain brother.

Sister. Or sibling, if you prefer to be non-sexist. But I most definitely ain't no-one's brother.

Apologies, bretheren, fellow member of humanity, human sibling, sister, friend...
My brothers are my sisters and my sisters are brothers...
I meant no offense; just a random term of friendship

Like this....After this point I usually had the place to myself.