Bushwalk Australia

Hi Everyone,

By now, some of you have seen my past logs. My name is Stephen Gerzeli, from Southern California, Santa Monica actually. I'm a writer/producer and I'm doing research about a bushwalk with a group of 4 (one the expert) and the 3 others not so expert. Who go on this adventure. Our expert isn't what he claims to be. Therefore, I am looking for horror stories that you or others you know of have encountered or experienced along the SCT. Including environment, insect, reptile, etc. encounters. This is a comedy set in the confines of nature; nature being the adversary. The hero puts himself and his group in worse and worse predicaments and yet with a bit of luck and book smarts figures things out. I hope my request makes sense. Also, the kinds of equipment (pros and cons) that they should take. I have been weighing the use of a guide, and I think I won't in the storyline so that the hero is really on his own who thinks he know it all (oh, actually according to his history, this is a reprised trip -- one he did a while back so everything he does has to have a ring of familiarity).

I look forward to any comments. By the way, Son of a Beach has given me his blessing in seeking out information from all of you experts and lovers of bushwalking. And just so you all know, the last time I've ever gone walking was when I was 16 back in Canada, where I grew up. I'm actually a city slicker by nature, but that doesn't mean I'm closed to doing this walk. Just not now.

Sincerely,

Stephen Gerzeli

PS you can e-mail me at: composer_music@sbcglobal.net

Biggest horror for bushwalkers along the SCT is the scary amount of others encountered along the way. That or the piles and piles of rubbish gathering at the campsites.... or maybe the awful condition of the track.......

Want more??

Why don't you do the walk yourself? That way you can see the potential problems and scout locations at the same time.

If you search this site you will find that most of the problems are bad weather and flooded creek crossings. It's nice that you want to show off the beauty of the SCT, but if it's a comedy, surely there are beautiful locations in Canada where you could present the same situations? I mean, it must be about the interaction of characters in the face of adversity, you could do that anywhere?

Of course, if it's film-making adversity you want, then negotiating permission to shoot on the SCT, and the logistics of actually doing it, plus the weather, then maybe this is your ideal location.

This is about a trip that branched off the SCT but may provide some food for thought on your plot.
http://www.subw.org.au/archives/vsm/vsm15/vsm15.5.html

eggs wrote:This is about a trip that branched off the SCT but may provide some food for thought on your plot.
http://www.subw.org.au/archives/vsm/vsm15/vsm15.5.html

The Hand That Bashed the Bauera
by Richie A. Scoparia
keywords: donga, Huey, Horrie, mud, rain

What a story
I have often pored over the SCT map and Google Earth and pondered the traverse of the full Ironbound Range and down to New River from the eastern end. This trip report certainly gives food for thought for anyone considering such a epic "off track experience"

I agree with Bodysurfer.. I can't understand why this needs to take place in Tasmania, and on the South Coast Track especially. Surely if you were trying to appeal to a international market you'd go for a walk that people have probably heard of.. eg the Overland Track. But either way, I'd rather you be doing it on home soil.
When are you planning on filming? I'll be making sure i'm not there at the time. I imagine that camera crews, (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong but) a bunch of B grade actors and helicopters flying you all around would detract from the experience.
However, i'm completely open to changing my mind so please, give us some more information if you think it will help.

Last time I did the track the weather conditions were atrocious and when we descended Ironbound Range we came to a point where a torrent had come down the gully and washed away a large section of track. We traveresed the stream and started to climb up a ank that looked like it was the track. after about 20 mins of going up hill I asked 'should we going up hill like this ? I thought we were descending'. A minurte later we came across a note pinned to a tree in a plastic envelope that said 'don't go this way ... wew did and it's a false track'. Bugger ! we went back the way we thought we had come (it was pouring and dense wet scrub so the track, such as it was, was washing out behind us) until we came to a ravine .. hang on we haven't passed a ravine before .. sh*t. I said to my mate lets just sit down and have a think about this. I was talking away and he didn't respond so I turned to look at he was out cold. He had fainted form dehydration and it took me a couple of scary miunutes to get him to come around. I made him a brew and got him to eat a couple of chocolate bars. A while later when he was coming good again, we decided we couldn't hang around here all day as night it was getting colder and darker. We got out the map and worked out that we were in one of four ravines and if we bashed down the ravine, twqo of them would lead to the coast (in which case we camp the night as best we can take back bearings and bash our way back to the track thru dense scrub), one of them leads us to a swampy area (in which case it would be unpleasant but at least we could get our bearings and navigate our way to the track) and the fourth option would intersect with the track. So off we started, bashing our way thru dense scrub, the streams turned into mini rivers and steep gullys became waterfalls which we had to rope down. 30 mins of hard going and I was starting to loose my nerve but my mate said 'what else are we going to do, hold your nerve and lets keep going'. The sugar was starting to kick in and he took the point. 20 mins later we intersected with the track. My instant reaction was to fall on my kneesand thank any passing deity. We turned left and headed down the track to Little Deadmans Bay. Fortunately it is the only plavce on the track you can have an open fire and we were able to light a big fire dry off and restore our shattered confidence. We consider ourselves to be experienced bushwalkers but it just goes to show ...... on the SCT you have to keep your wits about you all the time. I plan to do the track again in Jan 10, this time I'll buy a GPS and take that with me.

Wow... scary experience there, Roger! It goes to show that it can happen very easily, even to experienced walkers.

dee_legg wrote:I agree with Bodysurfer.. I can't understand why this needs to take place in Tasmania, and on the South Coast Track especially. Surely if you were trying to appeal to a international market you'd go for a walk that people have probably heard of.. eg the Overland Track. But either way, I'd rather you be doing it on home soil.
When are you planning on filming? I'll be making sure i'm not there at the time. I imagine that camera crews, (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong but) a bunch of B grade actors and helicopters flying you all around would detract from the experience.
However, i'm completely open to changing my mind so please, give us some more information if you think it will help.

As a filmmaker based in Tassie I come across so many hurdles in getting projects up, I am in the early stages of planning for a documentary series based in the Tassie wilderness, and you have no idea of the number of stipulations and costs involved of filming in any of Tassies parks, it is mind-blowing.
The aim of my project is to highlight many of the issues discussed on this forum and to celebrate a wonderful place.
A 'film crew' can leave a tiny footprint on a sensitive area if the producers know what they are doing and are respectful. Most doco crews consist of 4-5 people, and we can't afford helicopters to fly us around.
The power of a well made piece of TV as an agent for change is far more significant than the bleatings of a bunch of bushwalkers, and if there is some small interference with someone's wilderness experience such as dee_legg appears to be worried about encountering too bad. I'd suggest it would take about 10 minutes to walk straight past the location, only to get to a campsite with god knows how many campers.

In Stephen's case he would be put through the beurocratic wringer in order to film in the SW and I have no doubt any bushwalkers who stumbled upon the set would probably be intriged by the process.
The vast majority of filming for such a comedy, could be done on locations far more filmmaker(and bushwalker) friendly with only key scenes needed on the SCT.

Has anybody heard of any problems on the 20-odd productions that have been shot in WHA's in the last 10 years? Has anybody encountered a crew doing the wrong thing?

In stead of discouraging someone that has an artistic vision, and could god-forbid bring some local jobs into the Tassie film industry(that contains a higher density of environmentalists than anywhere else I have ever encountered), just perhaps we could inform ourselves of the issues, if there are any before giving them the cold shoulder.

Meanwhile, in summer there is a helicopter full of tourists doing laps of Cradle Mountain every half hour.

So give Stephen a go and understand that nothing get's shot down here without rigourous criteria being met.

Cheers

Not really a "horror" story, but the situation had us a bit "toey".

There is a bit in there about a group that lost heaps of gear and nearly drowned..... (but not us!)

http://frankinoz.blogspot.com/2009/03/s ... raway.html

Rubbish piles on the South Coast track?
Dunno what you mean...



OK, back on topic...
Here is a read well worth taking the time to...
It's freaking scary to think how much bother these two were in - the residents looking after the OBP observation project at Melaleuca were telling me they were concerned for them, they continued on to Port Davey and they had to borrow some tape to fix some footwear.

Quote - She didn't seem to be making much sense when I LEFT HER!!! O... M...G...

Click on this to open it in a new window so you can view it full size...

A comedy, did you say? Nothing at all funny about the encounter these people had.

Content deleted by poster

goof lol... Yer, looks like the 'good' folks have been gathering it from the beaches mostly...
Kate and Rob were lucky, I think this sort of thing happens a lot more often than the statistics let on...

To be fair, the second one was taken at Osmiridium Beach campsite, so there is probably a bit of Beach / Boaty litter there.
Problem is, this sort of a rubbish pile only encourages others to add to it.

Back on topic, did anyone read the story of Rob and Kate? What a shocker!

tasadam wrote:Back on topic, did anyone read the story of Rob and Kate? What a shocker!

Worst nightmare, I've followed a couple of false trails in thick rainforest(lost the tape markers), it is quite difficult to keep the panic in check, slow down and think about things.
When it's belting down with rain, it's more confronting. I think I would prefer to be on my own. To know you had 'left' someone out there.....OMG indeed.

On rubbish though, have heard of a group of surfers who take a fishing boat along the track every year or two, they camp, surf and pick up a heap of rubbish, from flotsam, but also bushwalkers rubbish.
Makes up for all the crap the surfers that walk into Sth Cape Bay leave

tasadam wrote:Back on topic, did anyone read the story of Rob and Kate? What a shocker!

Amen to that! South Cape Range was much worse for me than the Ironbounds - especially coming on day 2 with a full pack. Its very scary how being cold and wet and exhausted can cause you to make stupid decisions.

stepbystep wrote:On rubbish though, have heard of a group of surfers who take a fishing boat along the track every year or two, they camp, surf and pick up a heap of rubbish, from flotsam, but also bushwalkers rubbish.

I have heard of this too - there was something about it on the radio a while back.
I was thinking about it when I was on the walk, that a fishing boat could drop people off with large bags like wool bail bags, they do the collection and rope the bag up well, and the thing can be dragged onto the boat with a line. Getting the line to shore could even be achieved with a harpoon type setup, or an inflatable dinghy.
Alas, I am sure there are easier ways.
There really was enough rubbish to justify such a mission, sadly. Most of the rubbish I saw was stuff that had been washed up and stockpiled. On Cox Beach I found a recycle-bin sized plastic container, made a good camp seat. It came from a fishing boat that belonged to a Sydney fishmonger, by the logo.
It looked less obtrusive hiding at camp than it did sitting on the beach.
This rubbish thing might need its own topic, I'll think about that.

tasadam wrote:

stepbystep wrote:On rubbish though, have heard of a group of surfers who take a fishing boat along the track every year or two, they camp, surf and pick up a heap of rubbish, from flotsam, but also bushwalkers rubbish.

I have heard of this too.
This rubbish thing might need its own topic, I'll think about that.

Sounds like a good subject for a documentary
Stuff like the tub with logo on it should be documented(by photography) and perhaps a 'name and shame' site set up? Same with any walkers you see doing the wrong thing.
My last walk into the S.C. Rivulet, there were surfers having beers and flicking their cigarette butts around on the lookout over SC Bay, I gave them a dirty look and asked them to pick them up before they left, but it was a little confronting. They were South American tourists and didn't seem to understand me.
I figured I could run quicker than them

Hi everyone,

Okay, all you opinions have been duly noted. You all can stop sharing or giving me ideas. For logistics, we are looking at a different location.

Much appreciated.

Stephen

Stephen,
What other location can be more exciting than Tassy ?
Some of us were geed up by the prospect of an American heroic horror nature comedy on the South Coast
Previous posters were going easy with you, it can be scary just going to the toilet here.
You're going to have to visit before locals will even start talking about the Melaleuca Devil.