Bushwalk Australia

Bill Wilkinson's latest endeavour to get us out bush has hit the shops. First volume of The Poimenas is now available; a selection of hills, knolls, ridges and lesser mountains around the island. These are all daywalks, graded from "take the littlies" to "be prepared to suffer (a bit)". Some are on the Peakbaggers' list, many are not.

Suggestions for additions to the list - both in the area already covered and elsewhere - gratefully received (by Bill), but please make sure they meet the guidelines.

Now that is exciting

Nice. I'm back in Tasmania next Thursday and will pick one up.

Where is the Abel’s Volume 2 part 2? Looks like a great book regardless but I’m confused by why he wouldn’t prioritise that.

phATty wrote:Where is the Abel’s Volume 2 part 2? Looks like a great book regardless but I’m confused by why he wouldn’t prioritise that.

First it was sidetracked by Lewi's exploit (Bill was heavily involved with the planning and organisation), then by a French documentary on the Abels (no, I don't know how that came about) and in between and since he's been focusing on this. I think the primary impetus came from the pandemic lockdowns, with limited movement being allowed; this may have been exacerbated by issues with his personal health. He has promised me that once this is completed we'll be back with the Abels; there isn't a massive amount of work left to do on that final volume, as far as I know.

phATty wrote:Where is the Abel’s Volume 2 part 2? Looks like a great book regardless but I’m confused by why he wouldn’t prioritise that.

It's getting there, not much left to do, but understand it is a huge undertaking. The update from the previous Vol 2 edition is massive.

Anyone else even slightly concerned by the implications of further publications of the sorts? Not many “off track” walks left of the Abels without obvious sign of human impact (campsite formation, tape, pads forming across sensitive alpine vegetation), notably of a higher degree than five or ten years ago. Isn’t it worthwhile to leave some places to have a bit of a break from human impact? Do any funds from Bills books go into conservation or track maintenance? Did PWS sign off on this?

Bill is also seemingly taking the credit for many other peoples generous work..many walkers I know were contacted to essentially help him out composing these articles and photos..a huge task/burden/expense for individuals..what was their compensation? I know the books are pretty and inspiring for many - but again worry about the creation of yet another tick list into other reaches of our wilder spaces that were once a bit of a sanctuary. Maybe it’s just me..

Bill always gets feedback from TasPAWS about his books. You might be surprised how many alterations are made to allay any concerns they have. The only untracked Poimenas whose routes cross any sensitive ground are for the truly experienced walkers - people who know how to assess and traverse such terrain. Some routes have been altered to avoid sensitive areas.

I'm one of the people who is involved in doing the walks, making notes, writing, supplying photos. He covers my fuel costs and gives me a few free copies and the occasional feed. No-one is under any obligation to help with this - it's a friendly request, no guns are held to heads, people are free to say no. All contributors are acknowledged in the books and always have been.

weetbix456 wrote:Anyone else even slightly concerned by the implications of further publications of the sorts? Not many “off track” walks left of the Abels without obvious sign of human impact (campsite formation, tape, pads forming across sensitive alpine vegetation), notably of a higher degree than five or ten years ago. Isn’t it worthwhile to leave some places to have a bit of a break from human impact? Do any funds from Bills books go into conservation or track maintenance? Did PWS sign off on this?

Bill is also seemingly taking the credit for many other peoples generous work..many walkers I know were contacted to essentially help him out composing these articles and photos..a huge task/burden/expense for individuals..what was their compensation? I know the books are pretty and inspiring for many - but again worry about the creation of yet another tick list into other reaches of our wilder spaces that were once a bit of a sanctuary. Maybe it’s just me..

Yes.

After the carnage the wilderness has copped from the Abel books, there's very little positivity this style of publication could produce.
I'm sure the tourism industry are thrilled however

weetbix456 wrote:Anyone else even slightly concerned by the implications of further publications of the sorts?

Yup. Twenty years ago I thought The Abels were a great idea as I had moved to Tasmania from Scotland and had been collecting my Munros (Mountains over 3000ft in Scotland). Since then I have slowly ticked of most of The Abels, and many other Tasmanian peaks, but as time has gone on I have lost interest in completing a list. I have witnessed, in real-time, the very rarely visited peaks I climbed in Tasmania 20 years ago, that were Abels, becoming popular through this list and the subsequent impact of Abel focused YouTubers and Facebook groups. This has been quite profound, the overuse of tape on routes, oversharing of GPS data leading to erosion, litter, it goes on. I have come to realise the difference between Scotland and Tasmania's mountain areas, Scotland was already largely spoiled whereas Tasmania is largely unspoiled. I don't want to be a part of the problem, yes, I can admit that at one point I was part of the problem.

Wanting to climb a mountain because it's on someone's list or in a book? Not for me, I'm getting older, I prefer word of mouth or simply picking a place on a map to explore.

I can only see this book as an exercise in vanity. It serves no real positive purpose as there are already several books full of day walks in the state. Like The Abels, it's just a shiny new item for people to consume, spit out and move on to the next thing. While those who put the book together give themselves a pat on the back. Sadly very few give back to the environment after they have taken.

I think social media is a bigger threat; Instagram, YouTube, Fakebook, Xitter, etc. That's where the real exposure and reckless spread of information occurs.

To each their own. Given the actual locations this particular publication covers, I can't see much, if any damage to wilderness. Maybe have a look at what it covers before judging?

Why "the Poimenas"? Where does it come from?

The Poimenas, a Tasmanian Aboriginal word for “Little Hill”

I picked up a book today from Find Your Feet Hobart. Last copy left on the shelf. This book is only part A so Part B must come at a later date. I wish it was all in one though. No detailed maps of routes just numbers on a map. I can see this appealing to walkers just wanting some easier walks with decent views. I don't know a lot of these walks so unsure of current track conditions or any sensitive nature of the areas listed.

grunter wrote:I picked up a book today from Find Your Feet Hobart. Last copy left on the shelf. This book is only part A so Part B must come at a later date. I wish it was all in one though. No detailed maps of routes just numbers on a map. I can see this appealing to walkers just wanting some easier walks with decent views. I don't know a lot of these walks so unsure of current track conditions or any sensitive nature of the areas listed.

If the noted route - or potential alternatives - cross sensitive ground it's generally mentioned in the essay.
A single volume would have been better in some ways but, given the total number of walks involved (over 250 at the moment and growing) it isn't really practical.