Takes you places!

From the editor

Welcome to our first Tandanya magazine for a while, and a new beginning. A few words about this edition are worthwhile. 

Jules’s article is the jewel in the crown. It’s her words and photos from a travel diary, lightly edited and formatted into a web document. That’s also her photo on the cover. What makes it unique is the honest approach; there’s no bravado or exaggeration. Anyone planning the trip will get a clear view of the challenges ahead.

Lee’s article is a wonderful summary of Pyrenees walking that should serve as a primer and springboard for many future adventurers. Like any good walking article, it only makes us hungry for more.

We’re extremely lucky to have an unsung poet in our midst. When I heard Trevor’s reading of Steph’s poem from New Zealand I was immediately transported. I’m immensely grateful she allowed it to be published. 

This month’s ‘From The Archive’ is a fascinating Tasmanian document from 1977. Though nearly 50 years have passed, much has stayed the same, and in fact it’s more thorough than anything I can find currently.

I’ve contributed a short piece to coincide with NAIDOC week on local Kaurna names. Hopefully it will appeal to more than just the language nerds among us. 

There’s still something missing though: your special interests. They could be from anything outdoors, from geology, plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, fungi, even astronomy, history or meteorology. So if you have a great photo, please send it. You could even make it a “I saw this, does anyone know what it is?”

blue pinkgill mushroom
This little gem is Entoloma hochstetteri, the Blue Pinkgill or Werewere-Kōkako from New Zealand. You may be lucky to see it on trails in lowland broadleaf-podocarp forests.
It is the only mushroom to feature on a banknote anywhere in the world, where it is pictured next to the Kōkako bird. The Māori legend says that this is what gave the Kōkako its blue wattle, and indeed the blues are remarkably similar.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Walker

Here’s roughly what it will look like. Send photos to drandrewspanner@gmail.com or use the submission portal on the website. I’ll do the hard part, I just need the material.

And don’t forget that longer member-submitted articles are always welcome as long as you don’t mind some minor subeditorship. Remember: each of these pieces will go on to help hundreds of others make the most of the outdoors.

Finally, I hope you enjoy this edition even half as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I’ve been truly awed by the goodwill of so many members and the way it’s brought us together. And this is just the start.

Next Read : 6 Days On The Mt Anne Circuit

kōkako bird head
doug mak from San Francisco, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Swan Reach Conservation Park - Night Hike, 7 Dec
Half-day Oaklands Park & End-of-year lunch, 11 Dec
Sellicks Beach to Port Noarlunga - Night Hike, 14 Dec - 15 Dec
Onkaparing River East, 22 Dec
Belair National Park - Bah Humbug Hike, 25 Dec
Hiking gear for hire at reasonable rates. Try out gear before you buy your own.
Checklist of equipment, food ideas, water, first aid list, rules, minimal impact bushwalking and what to do if you get lost.
Meetings 7:30pm on the 1st Wednesday of the month, in the hall at the North Adelaide Community Centre.
Joining ABW takes you to new places you may never have heard of, off the beaten track, and to have new experiences.