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Bushwalking Victoria Bulletin 11 - June 2018

For the latest bushwalking news, click here to read our latest Bulletin! 

World Environment Day 2018

Bushwalkers enjoy and need a good environment for bushwalking. 

On World Environment Day it is important to reflect on how we are managing and protecting our natural areas, including National Parks and Crown Land, now and for the future.

Bushwalking Victoria commends Minister Lily D’Ambrosio for taking recent action to remove feral horses from the Alpine National Park.

We are disappointed that the NSW Government has abandoned their support for the removal and control of feral horses in Kosciusko National Park.

Forests are great places for bushwalking.  Bushwalking Victoria supports the creation of the Great Forest National Park and better protection of Gippsland’s forests to provide a wide range of local employment and excellent active recreational opportunties, including bushwalking.

We call for significantly more funding to manage Victoria’s National Parks and to “preserve and protect the park[s] in their natural condition for the use, enjoyment and education of the public” (National Parks Act Victoria).

In this “digital age” it is becoming more important for people to experience and enjoy our natural environment with benefits for our physical and mental health.

We are proud of our volunteer’s contribution to the maintenance and development of bushwalking  trails across Victoria and their hands-on conservation work.

Peter Campbell, President, Bushwalking Victoria

Bushwalking Victoria Leadership Forum and AGM 23 June

The Bushwalking Victoria Leadership Forum and Annual General Meeting were held on Saturday, 23 June 2018 at Templestowe Valley Primary School.

Key note address - Simon Talbot, Chief Operating Officer, Parks Victoria

Guest Speaker- Sarah Rees, Director, MyEnvironment Inc spoke about the Great Forest National Park opportunity

11.00 - Reports

• Achievements and challenges - Peter Campbell, President
• Bushwalkers Search and Rescue - Peter Campbell, Convener
• Bushwalking Tracks and Conservation - Peter Maffei, Convener
• Safety Committee - Julia Doughty, Convener
• Promoting Bushwalking project - Izolde Bensch, acting Office Manager

12.15 Lunch

1.00 - Leadership Forum

2.30 - Closing remarks

2.50 - Afternoon tea

3:00 - Annual General Meeting

Tips for choosing Portable Power Sources

With so many gadgets and devices relying on power these days, having a portable power source is very handy to have on longer and overnight bushwalks. With all the options available such as solar, chemical, thermal and mechanical chargers, it is tricky to know what is right for you, so look before you leap!

 Questions to think about before you buy:

• What types of devices do you want to power?
• How much power do you need?
• What types of bushwalks/camps do you go on most?
• How often will you use your portable power supply?
• Where and in what weather conditions will you be doing most of your bushwalking (remote places, extreme weather, extreme landscapes)?
• How many people need to use the power source? 

Other considerations:

• The type of power you need / technology used.
• Power storage as well as charging.
• How many charges does it provide?
• Size and weight.
• Durability
• Additional features such as multiple ports, the surface area of solar panels, etc. 

Choice Magazine has a handy review of power banks for mobile phones available here. Have a look here at tips to save the battery power on main devices such as headlamps, mobile phones, and cameras.