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Grampians - Overgrown Paths

28-Feb-2017
1:28:07 PM

Just a heads up to all the Victorian craggers. The paths to many of the crags are getting overgrown due to the heavy spring rains. Mulines path is very hard to follow. If everyone could do there bit (pruning Etc) it would really help. Ciao

Wendy

28-Feb-2017
2:10:29 PM

The path to Gondwanaland in December was non-existant. The path to Weirs Creek on the other hand was clear as a bell. Lost World was somewhere in between. I'm kind of surprised Muline was so hard to find, I know it's had its fair share of visits this summer. I've been told the Tower track is difficult to follow as well. Van Dieman's area has a lot of bushes in places (and massive orb spiders) but the foot pad underneath is very clear.

marky

28-Feb-2017
2:59:16 PM

Just a suggestion... Instead of "pruning" and damaging the re-growth and growth as it's most likely re growing after the fires. Why not focus on building more rock cairns to guide the way and maybe also tying a piece of colored tape to branches to follow the path.
Just a suggestion that may work?


JimmyS

28-Feb-2017
7:48:00 PM

I spent a few hours with Louis G last season on that Muline path, it gets reclaimed very quickly!

Wendy

1-Mar-2017
9:01:34 AM

On 28/02/2017 marky wrote:
>Just a suggestion... Instead of "pruning" and damaging the re-growth and
>growth as it's most likely re growing after the fires. Why not focus on
>building more rock cairns to guide the way and maybe also tying a piece
>of colored tape to branches to follow the path.
>Just a suggestion that may work?

I hate plastic tape marking. It eventually falls off and becomes rubbish.

marky

1-Mar-2017
11:26:22 AM

I don't think I've ever seen a piece of marking tape on the ground Wendy.... The only way it's going to end up on the ground is by someone deliberately pulling it off which is highly unlikely.
I know it's plastic and yes there may be an alternative material that is bio degradable that could be used.. I'd choose this over deliberately pruning and clearing re-growth vegetation which is fragile to some extent after the fires. We need to minimise our impact on the environment not contribute to it...

Dave_S

1-Mar-2017
11:42:36 AM

The amount of regrowth that would be trimmed to maintain a path is such a small proportion of total park area that it wouldn't even be worth considering. It's a drop in the ocean, and is likely to involve far less damage than allowing paths to become overgrown to the point where people end up bush-bashing because they can't see the path.

I say trim away.

1-Mar-2017
11:43:34 AM

You can't get through the undergrowth as it's so thick. Cairns and tape are fine in the dry areas but this is super thick, & certainly not fragile.

Edit: Wendy is definitely correct marking tape does fall on the ground over time.

Wendy

1-Mar-2017
12:15:43 PM

Even when the marking tape is in the tree, it is basically rubbish. Unless someone comes and collects it all up once the path is established enough to follow, which I am unaware of anyone doing, it is abandoned plastic in the environment. I haven't been up to Muline, but say take the track over to Vandieman's, it is a clear foot pad with overgrowth from the sides. No vegetation needs to be removed, just trimmed. This isn't really damaging the regrowth - the bush with it's root stabilising the soil is still there. the formation of new paths around patches that are grown over forms new foot pads, damages new regrowth and feeds erosion. Even if you mark out a path, if it involves bashing through bushes, people will go around via any easier break in the vegetation either on purpose or because they get lost between markers. Some sort of trimming is pretty much always necessary to establish a path and is the lesser of two evils. Have a look at the amount of "trimming" that Parks do to establish paths.


phil_nev

1-Mar-2017
12:37:05 PM

I was up there (Muline) on Sunday and I can say for sure, tape and cairns will be mostly useless. The regrowth has consumed the track (Same can be said for the Gallery). You can already see multiple new paths falling around dead trees. The most common sense option is one clearly defined path free from obstructions and cleared of the major shrubbery. This will be by far the least impactful on the environment.

marky

1-Mar-2017
1:39:39 PM

No doubt if the re growth is that dense then cairns would be pretty useless. I was just more making suggestions as to protect the re- growth and limit impact.

As Phil has stated one clear path seems the way to go rather than people making there own bush bash tracks causing more of an impact.

Dave J

1-Mar-2017
9:50:59 PM

On 1/03/2017 phil_nev wrote:
>I was up there (Muline) on Sunday and I can say for sure, tape and cairns
>will be mostly useless. The regrowth has consumed the track (Same can be
>said for the Gallery). You can already see multiple new paths falling around
>dead trees. The most common sense option is one clearly defined path free
>from obstructions and cleared of the major shrubbery. This will be by far
>the least impactful on the environment.

Agreed. Hve been up there 3 times in the last month or so and in spite of best intentions have ended up on a different path each time. One good path would have a lot less impact on regrowth than 6 semi paths.

marky

2-Mar-2017
3:46:14 PM

ODH, I was just suggesting other options and a discussion. No need to be a total dick.

I'm far from a hippy so before you get off slagging people you don't know maybe keep your opinions to yourself.

Like I said I was just making suggestions and a discussion and yes I do agree that forming a single track is the best option as Phil mentioned.

marky

2-Mar-2017
5:19:03 PM

1) For a start no one asked you for your opinion and to engage in a debate.
2) Sit back in your arm chair and have another drink instead of getting angry at the world. Oh wait... that's what old washed out ex climbers like yourself do.... Intoxicated keyboard warrior.

technogeekery

3-Mar-2017
1:19:52 PM

marky - being a total dick is what ODH does. There is an "ignore" feature in this forum which you can use - I haven't seen a single post of his for 3 years or so, and enjoy the forum so much more as a result.


Dane

3-Mar-2017
1:55:52 PM

Chockstone is quiet enough without ignoring people... and in this case ODH hasn't been a total dick, marky has been more offensive thus far, although I'm likely speaking too soon.

The only marking tape you can get nowadays is 'biodegradable', and it fades and falls off after about 12 months. Makes it useless for anything but short term marking, and hopefully not an environmental issue, but I haven't looked into what it actually breaks down into.

If the tracks need pruning then do it, but posting in a public place just leads to the above vitriol, making everyone less likely to do their part

gfdonc

3-Mar-2017
4:10:58 PM

On 3/03/2017 Dane wrote:
>The only marking tape you can get nowadays is 'biodegradable', and it
>fades and falls off after about 12 months.

This statement is untrue.
For example some marking tape was recently spotted in the northern grampians that was placed 4 years ago and was still there.

Jayford4321

3-Mar-2017
6:35:31 PM

Marky tha treehugga oughta B extatic!
More regrowth 2hug out there than E can poke a forky stik at!

Wen e getz2 tha real world of bushbashn 2 iz latest Booroomba/Gramps/Buff/etc classic, eelB 2 tired 2 climb afta all tha huggin along tha way!

Dont let it stop ya espousin tha doctrin tho marky my fiend, az itz entertainin no end.

hikingoz

3-Mar-2017
9:33:27 PM

Prune away! Braided/duplicated tracks cause much greater problems than pruning ever will. Not to mention it sucks to get lost.

martym

4-Mar-2017
7:17:10 PM

On 3/03/2017 gfdonc wrote:
>On 3/03/2017 Dane wrote:
>>The only marking tape you can get nowadays is 'biodegradable', and it
>>fades and falls off after about 12 months.
>
>This statement is untrue.
>For example some marking tape was recently spotted in the northern grampians
>that was placed 4 years ago and was still there.

Anything that lasts more than a few weeks will have some form of plastic blended in; which makes it NON Biodegradeable.
Degradable plastic exists, but this just becomes smaller plastic particles - which is what all the fuss is about with regard to ocean pollution.

IMO tape contravenes the "leave only footprints" rule of thumb. But then so does bolts & chalk.

There are 26 messages in this topic.