Veronika Wild

The Goal - Hartz Peak 1455 m. It didn't look too difficult a climb when we were here a couple of weeks ago. I may have been late for Environment Week, but I am way ahead for International Mountain Day on December 11. Though I didn't make it right to the very top and can't yet claim peak bagging rights, we did have a lovely day and I should at least be awarded an “E” for effort. This is my real reward The weather was superb. Those incipient waratahs we saw a couple of weeks ago were now in spectacular bloom and we found ourselves walking between fields of wildflowers. The landscape itself is remarkable.  Hartz Peak is the highest in the region and its craggy cliffs rise up over mountain tarns and look out over row upon row of mountains. To the West you can see Federation Peak directly opposite and other famous peaks such as Precipitous Bluff, the Eastern Arthurs, Mt Weld and Mt. Snowy, as well as being able to look into the South West Wilde...

Still to come - December 2 -10  [ Greenpeace design - no time to make my own] I totally missed Recycling Week from November 13 th to   November 19. th    However, while it’s good to have a week to really think about what we are doing and better ways to do it,   recycling, like Mother’s Day, shouldn’t just be a one off thing which we forget about the rest of the year. Not everything sticks of course - we have abandoned our green bin since we rarely had enough to fill it and my attempts at rug making are languishing somewhere at the back of a cupboard, but the Bokashi composter which I bought last year is still going strong and we still have separate containers for batteries, plastic caps and so on. I am also proud to say that I haven’t used a single disposable coffee cup since I discovered what an environmental disaster they have become. There are also plenty of other things we can get involved in and new ideas to share. This is not exactly a...

The views get better as we ascend Since our first walk finished fairly early and the weather was still kind, we decided to walk to Lake Esperance as well. This is South West of the first walk and on the way to Hartz Peak. It takes about an hour and a half and starts beside the shelter at the same picnic area at the end of the road in the Hartz Mountains National Park.  The plant communities grow more compact at higher altitude Although this lake is a product of the same glacial processes, it lies somewhat higher in the mountains and the vegetation is noticeably different. Before we go in we sign the register – only two groups have done so before us, though we encounter several couples and a family group on this walk. If you need more incentive to do so, one of the first things you notice along the track is the prominent memorial to two members of the Geeves Family who perished after being overtaken by a blizzard, despite knowing this bush well and, as I write, s...