Thirteen BTAC volunteers worked on improvements to six kilometers of the Australian Alps Walking Track where it follows the Buenba Creek near the NSW border as follow up to the work completed in March earlier this year. The whole of the 12km section of the AAWT from Johnnies Top to Buenba Road is now a much easier walk.
Volunteers, including two from Canberra started arriving on Thursday afternoon, 12 Dec, to select and set up camp. They were joined by Omeo Ranger, Jo Durrant, on Friday morning. The key task for the day was to find and flag the alignment of the track and to identify and plan the work required. A team started on clearing logs and brush cutting. Saturday and Sunday were devoted to track improvements which included, clearing fallen trees, cutting back vegetation impinging on the track, repairs to creek crossings, placing logs in damp areas, erecting markers and generally making the track easier to walk. On Monday a team of four volunteers accompanied the ranger on a recce of the 4.5 km section of the AAWT from Macs Creek Track to Dead Horse Creek. They flagged the alignment in preparation for a BTAC activity from 28 Feb to 3 March 2025.
AAWT walkers that were met on the track were most appreciative of the work being done. 300 work hours were contributed by the volunteers and they spent some 150 hours on travel to get to and from the site.
Although the early mornings were cold, warranting beanies and jackets, the days soon warmed up and each day got a bit warmer to somewhere around 30 degrees on Monday. Early starts and early finishes allowing for cooling off in the creek before the camaraderie of shared nibbles, meal preparations and socialising.
Parks Victoria Ranger, Jo Durrant, expressed her appreciation. “A very big thanks from Parks to everyone for another fantastically huge amount of work achieved. With only one Ranger in Omeo at the moment able to do this kind of work I really can’t stress how helpful these working bees are in keeping the track in a state for walkers to enjoy. I continue to be amazed by the BTAC enthusiasm.”
Thanks to Jo for her support and thanks to the volunteers for making the effort to attend, their considerable contribution and companionship.
Joe van Beek
BTAC Activity Manager