G'day Sean. The burn was certainly hot. Pretty much all the standing snow gums are now dead above ground, so it is a sad sight, but they are re-sprouting from the base. So they will return. The knee high springy bushes (dunno what they are called, but you'd know them) that predominate in that area have also been nearly completely burnt to ground level, so the ground is basically back to grass and herby things. But the grass is regrowing. My guess is it will all regrow, so not too concerned in the medium term. From a skiing perspective, it has all been prepped nicely for the season, as all the knee high roughage and logs etc has been removed, so 30 cm of snow and you'd be good to go over much of the Kiandra area. But looking southwards from Tantangara Mountain to the north face of Alpine Hill for example, still lots of that rather unpleasant browny colour visible typical of a real hot fire going through. Looking north from Tantangara Mountain and it becomes at bit patchworky, because that was the northern edge of the fire. I'll stick a few other landscapy photos in a separate post. But the brumbies....with the reduced veg levels their impacts are quite pronounced in terms of mucking up boggy areas and leaving big stinky piles of poo.
Hi I have camped many times at Discovery jindabyne in a standard 8 person tent and been fine sure you will get some wind,just make sure you peg down well.My partner and I used a cheap -5 sleeping bag each inside a double,this was good enough for a -8 night.We ran a small fan heater for short periods to heat tent then switch off.As we stayed at Discovery caravan park we didn't buy expensive gear and had a great time.Spent 16 nights in the tent,comfortable and budget wise
Got an Engel Smart Battery Box and a 100 amp hour deep cycle battery to power the van freezer and for phone recharges.
Very surprised, island bend was booked out online but there would have been less than 6 groups there that I saw. No one around for miles. Rangers doing the usual parks pass checks and just asking if you had a booking but not actually checking.
That will likely be the peeps who were willing to forgo the $6 per booking after booking out the early days in case they decided to go. The Rangers might only start doing proper checking against vehicle plates when the sites get full and people who've booked can't get a spot. Even then they may fine a party but if everbody has had a few bevvies they can't be made to drive out.
Anyone know what the fine would be for not having a permit. I'm too web-lazy today to trawl through the NSWNP website.
Does it come with the 12v battery included? I was thinking of getting this one. https://www.anacondastores.com/camp...generators/companion-44ah-power-pack/90133490
No the battery is extra. I went for a deep cycle unit with 100 amp hours, exxy but hopefully it’ll give quite a few days power before needing a recharge. The next purchase will be a portable solar panel to recharge it on the go, though it can be recharged when the engine is running via the cigarette lighter / USB connector. Then maybe a 12 V heater!!!
I think you should setup an anderson connection straight off the battery. Usb or cig will be painfully slow for a big battery. Your alternator can recharge it much faster. Then if you have a flat battery, it will be able to dump it's charge into the car battery and get you going again. With a nice isolator switch, you can leave it all plugged in.
The ideal set up for flexibility is to use a DC2DC charger. It may be next year's purchase as they are exxy, but they permit you to put in a lot of charge from your vehicle when running AND they optimise the amount of energy you can get from a solar panel by having a MPPT regulator (which is the fancy word for more betterer type of solar regulator). Something like this for $350 or so (there are other numerous other brands now) https://www.projecta.com.au/dual-battery-charger-idc25
Having been to every splitfest since 2012 I'm still in shock Island Bend is booked out til end of August.
So clearly less than the cost of pretty much anything. So book every slot you can then show up when you like. Based on earlier posts about fully booked camp site being only 1/2 full I suspect there is this happening. Should be charged full whack first up, might reduce the number of no shows and empty slots that other folks would be happy to use.
Definitely inconsistency between website booking and actual appearances. On Wednesday last week Island Bend was quiet, and Thursday showed fully booked, but definitely not busy. Last Thursday night Nagarigo only had a very few open spots -definitely way more people rocked up and stayed than had booked, as it was close to regular capacity.
So the booking system is a waste of time, folks will just do the full book plan and attend when it suits for that sort of cost. A management plan this is not.
Its going to be a shit show. I pity the parks guys, some people will just punch them. Its not us back country folk that are clagging the place up.
Don't worry, there are plenty of people who don't realise you need to pre purchase a day ticket either.
It looks like a bunch of ppl have gone and booked out all the weekends, I was able to book a spot at diggings for the splitfest weekend, and at the time it looked like a few of the Aug weekends has spaces at diggings and nagario. Suspect i will still end up camping at Island bend though.
Any rangers checking for bookings? Makes a mockery of the new system is they are not checking for compliance,
What they should be checking is for no shows and cancelling the selfish buggers bookings so others can have a go at camping in the cold, dark, windy, wet, long drop only, bring your own wood places.
Didn’t see any rangers, but they have been around. Difficult for them to tell with late arrivals and early departures - e.g I arrived for my booking at Ngarigo at 8:30 and was gone by 7:00 a.m.....
Yes, and no shows should get all their other bookings cancelled without refunds and be made to serve a day in the stocks in Jindy for the townsfolk to chuck icy snowballs at them all day. Or put the blighters into orange vests and issue a a toilet brush and a spray bottle of cleanser to clean the aromatic amenities. Don't know if a booking can be cancelled by the booker but even then it doesn't help others to plan ahead for a stay if the cancellation can be done last minute. Forfeiting $6 isn't incentive enough to the lower denominators to behave well with respect to booking only what they are likely to use.
Methinks a cosy campervan is the way to go - you make it sound so enticing @skifree .....for masochists lol. Or for the hardy well-equipped ski forum folk.
Apparently there’s been massive sales of caravans and campervans as people gear up for domestic holidays realising international travel will not be happening for the foreseeable future.
If they are serious about it they need to be doing the rounds at post-dinner drinkies time, flaming torches and plague masks are optional, (which still won't get the midnight cowboy arrivals checked) and be there early some mornings at dawn,,,to check that early risers like @Chaeron had a valid booking (tic). Otherwise the modus operandi for campers with no booking is clear - arrive later, leave early and have breakfast where you put your ski/boarding boots on.
Well I tried to give back this week at Island Bend due to injury, just had all the stiches removed today. The system did not work to cancel, if any one wants a site until Saturday the 4th PM me and You can have the reservation number. First in best dressed.
Yep, unaware of pretty much any of the restrictions even. Even though there were big flashing signs saying the park was closed on the QBW, people were all asking where they could take the kids to snow play. Etc etc. It will be ongoing, people don't read, only see the words they want etc etc. I guarantee there will be people rocking up an asking why the windows are not open to buy a lift ticket. There will be vans full of toboggans etc etc. Be so much fun this next few weeks in particular!
Yikes! Iceberg ahead......there's gonna be big trouble on little slopes. Parks are making a monster out of an ad hoc family snowball fight.
Camping restrictions won't be a problem at Fall Creek because sadly there isn't anywhere decent to camp outside of the commercial parks at the bottom of the twisty access road. Falls needs an Island Bend. So does Hotham.
If it is any of you having a kids disco / drunken music blast out at island bend tonight, I really really don’t appreciate it. I’m nowhere near you, and I’ve been woken at midnight!! Almost willing to go over to complain, but too cosy.
Noise in camps after 10pm sucks when one wants to be up early to ski, walk, whatever. Very inconsiderate. You have my sympathy and it is not me. I'm a long way SW of KNP. Hope the idiots stop soon.
