Outdoors: bushwalking, sailing, bicycling, kayaking & snorkelling, weekends away staying at hostels or car camping. Social: restaurant nights, theatre parties, trivia nights and picnics.
If you have a sense of adventure plus a reasonable fitness level and appreciate the great outdoors you’ll enjoy bushwalking with YHA. The club has a regular year round bushwalking program and also organises other outdoor events such as cycling, kayaking and li lo/canyoning trips. We visit many scenic and often relatively unknown places in and around Sydney with secluded swimming holes, kayaking, snorkelling and liloing often featuring in Summer. Generally we do day trips though weekends away, often staying in hostels or car camping, are also organised. The club provides leaders and various fitness levels are catered for with all of our walks graded. All participants however remain responsible for their own safety and should select activities that are appropriate to their level of fitness and experience. We generally have a lot of fun and for those who enjoy the outdoors these activities are a must.
Note - We are always looking for new bushwalking and outdoor leaders so anyone interested in leading walks is most welcome and our more experienced leaders are happy to offer assistance to newcomers if they find the prospect of leading a walk for the first time a bit daunting. Further information regarding walk gradings, expenses, equipment, bookings, cancellations and bush etiquette follows.
Gradings below are guidelines only as it is not possible to be exact due to the nature of the great outdoors and the various fitness levels of the people involved. Some walkers may find that walks are harder than expected so in assessing suitability for an activity all participants and inexperienced walkers in particular should refer to the description or ring the leader beforehand to enquire if unsure.
Easy Up to approx 10 km over mainly easy terrain with very moderate ascents up to approx 150 metres.
Easy / Medium Up to approximately 13 km, short sections may be a little rough or ascents could up to approximately 300 metres.
Medium / Easy Up to approximately 15 km, could have longer rought sections, some bushbashing or rockhopping or ascents up to approximately 400 metres.
Medium Up to approximately 17 km or that includes longer stretches of more difficult terrain such as bushbashing and rockhopping or ascents up to approximately 500 metres.
Medium Plus Long walks or ones that have higher either numerous or higher ascents (over 500 metres), possible exploratory sections or a combination of difficult types of terrain.
Hard Exploratory walks or those are known to have an extensive combination of difficult conditions or numerous high ascents.
Whenever car pooling all petrol/driving costs should be shared with passengers taking the initiative in offering payment to the driver. Please note that costs may vary depending on the number of passengers and the size of the vehicle.
A list of necessary equipment includes comfortable walking shoes, water (1 litre at least with more in Summer), lunch plus emergency food rations e.g piece of fruit or chocolate bar, raingear, jumper, basic First Aid Kit, hat/beanie, sunglasses, sunscreen, toilet paper and a daypack to put everything in. Other useful items are swimmers, towel, camera, whistle, signal mirror, mobile telephone, pocketknife, compass (if you know how to use it), water purifying tablets, matches and a torch. The last two items are essentials on overnight walks with additional necessities for overnight walks being a tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat, stove and fuel, a billy plus other cooking and eating utensils, mug, plate, scourer and sponge for washing up, toothbrush and toothpaste, extra food and additional water if not available on the walk.
If there is a lack of response, walks and other outdoor activities are generally cancelled on Friday or possibly slightly earlier if the walk is on Saturday i.e the leader is at liberty to cancel the walk if there are not at least 3 people plus the leader going by the end of Thursday night. If they wish leaders can extend cancellation times or go ahead with just 3 people including themselves however for safety reasons no official walks proceed with less than 3 people. Full weekend walks are a little different as they sometimes require extra organisation and flexibility so cancellation arrangements for these will vary from walk to walk depending on the situation.
Except for extreme conditions such as floods cancellations due to bad weather don’t normally occur until the day prior to the walk and often the decision is not made until the day of the walk. Unless otherwise stated in the program or by the leader the general rule is that if it is raining consistently where you are on the morning of the walk it is best to assume that the walk is cancelled rather than travelling to the meeting point or trying to ring the leader early in the morning.
Note: Unless requested in the program it is not necessary or even advisable to book more than a week and a half in advance as leaders haven’t always worked out arrangements prior to then. Bookings however should preferably have been made by the middle of the week prior to the activity both as a courtesy to leaders so that they know that there is sufficient interest and to avoid disappointment. Also note that some leaders may specify phone contact times and if so there are often good reasons for this so wherever possible please phone within those times. Finally please remember that it is always far better to book early in the week then cancel later if necessary rather than leave the booking to the last minute.
Participants should note that all YHA leaders are unpaid volunteers who are kind enough to lead people on walks. In most cases they will have done these walks before however this will not always be the case as they will not always have had the available time to check walks and even if done before conditions can change i.e maps can be misleading or leaders, who are only human, can make mistakes. Things very seldom go wrong however due to the nature of the bush no walk can ever be totally predictable. Walkers should always bring along their spirit of adventure and be prepared to expect the unexpected and if anything doesn’t go to plan they should avoid criticism and support the leader and the rest of the group by staying patient and calm and offering any useful advice.
Unless agreed to beforehand walkers should always stay behind or no more than a few metres in front of the leader. Always let the leader lead off after breaks and wait if they stop to look at a map, check a track diversion or to wait for slower walkers.
Wherever possible try to take toilet stops during breaks however if you do need to stop during the walk make sure that someone, preferably the leader, knows so that the group can stop and wait for you. Note that a bush toilet should be well away from water and toilet waste should be left in a hole approx 12 cm deep and covered over after use.
If you become separated from the group and are unsure how to find them stay where you are and signal at regular intervals by shouting or blowing a whistle. If you do move on leave a note in a prominent position indicating the direction you have taken.
When making a fire use any existing fireplaces. Fires should not be too close to trees or overhanging branches and the area near the fire should be cleared. Avoid overbuilding and ensure that the fire is totally extinguished before leaving it unattended including at night and especially in hot or windy conditions. Paper can be disposed of in a campfire however alfoil, cans, plastics and any other rubbish should be carried out.
Note that members of other clubs are welcome to join us on walks or any other of our activities and we hope that they enjoy themselves however, as a courtesy, we would appreciate that some discretion be used if discussing competing clubs and their activities.