It's snowing! Let's do a beginner friendly ski trip out in the backcountry. The plan is to drive down as early in the afternoon as possible on the 22nd of July, hire some gear in Cooma, then camp out at Island Bend campsite. We'll then head up into the snow, and work out how to use backcountry skis. There will be lots of falling over, don't worry, even if you've never skied before. Even if you have, uphill skis with a pack on are going to make you fall over. We will aim to make it to White's River Hut and set up camp. We can hang out and cook inside, there's a nice fireplace and some tables there. We will be sleeping in tents. The next day we will have a cruise around the area and play on the slopes. On the 25th we will have plenty of time to head back down the hill, and aim to get back to Newy at a decent hour. The ticket price should cover fuel for everyone, and hire of skis, boots, and poles. Think of it more of a deposit- There is definitely going to be extra costs! Camp food, snacks, extra clothing hire, road food... Please budget another 200 or so to avoid any problems. I'll be having a meetup at the gearstore sometime beforehand to go over maps and gear and answer any questions, but if you can't make it there's always email.  Send me an email at pokwas@gmail.com if you have any questions.

We've got two days of FREE intro to canoeing at Speers Point, run by Hunter Tafe, beginners welcome! As part of their certification, cert. 4 outdoor recreaction students need to demonstrate proficiency in teaching people to canoe, so the NUMC - in return for providing students as novice canoers - get a free introduction to canoeing! There are two days the TAFE has set out for training; Day 1 : Tuesday 4th June. Day 2: Wednesday 12th June Please select a FREE ticket for the event on the day(s) you wish to attend. This will reserve your place.  Car pooling will be organised once attendance has been sorted. On each of these days we can take up to 12 students on the water. We will be canoeing at Speers point (launching at boat ramp) Start time 09:30 Finish time 15:00 TAFE will provide boats, paddles, lifejackets.   UoN students to bring: Enclosed shoes to wear whilst canoeing                                           Clothes which can get wet                                           Towel and change of clothes / shoes                                           Packed lunch and water for the day                                           Wide brimmed hat / cap & sunscreen                                           Rain jackets / warm close if not nice weather.   Any questions, flick me an email at cooperwalters217@gmail.com

***EDIT*** Changed date and time to Saturday April 6, meeting at the gear store at 12 noon.  Welcome new NUMCies and welcome back to the old! Time for our semester 1 beginner climbing trip to Morna Point, off One Mile beach. This crag is tide dependent, so we'll be meeting at midday and leaving as soon afterwards as possible. Anna Bay and One Mile Beach are some really nice spots up near Nelson Bay, so the trip is worth it even before the climbing! We'll be climbing in a spot that overlooks the water, with a beautiful beach on our walk back from the crag to the cars, so bring a pair of swimmers and a towel! We'll also likely stop at a pub for dinner and a beer, so bring some extra dollars if you want in on the pub feed and a drink (or three). There is about a kilometre (~0.6mi) walk between the car park and the crag, plus some scrambling around the headland, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. There is also a small downclimb to enter the crag, we'll have people on hand to assist, but you must have a reasonable level of confidence navigating short rock scrambles. To join this trip you have to A) be a member of the club, and B) have purchased a ticket for the event, which pays for fuel and some gear maintainence.  This trip caters to all skill levels, we supply all the technical equipment and the training you need! What To Bring: - Food and Water for a day, a hat and sunscreen, sturdy shoes, hair ties for anyone with long hair.   - Swimmers, towel Transportation will be by way of a car pool, fuel for which is included in your ticket price. Please be at the gear store, located near the cul-de-sac around the back of the Forum gym ("Newcastle University Mountaineering Club" on Google maps) at or before the time specified to make sure everyone has the correct gear. Follow this link for a video from a previous beginner trip to Morna Point, it's worth it even just for the location https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oqExv0i6vo or look at the videos on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Jackie0630/videos/10217640642233205/. These trips traditionally fill up very quickly, so get in asap to secure your spot! Get keen, I'll see you all there! Any questions, hit me up with an email at cooperwalters217@gmail.com Cheers, Cooper NUMC President  

This is probably the only canyoning trip that will run before December, so first in best dressed because there are only 12 spots available! It'll take place from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, 8-10th of March.  This trip will be a weekend long trip to the Blue Mountains to see some of the most spectacular canyons in the region (cherry picked to avoid the atrocious hikes and bush bashes often associated with canyoning in the Bluies). That said, there will be several kilometres of hiking and some swimming, so a reasonable level of fitness and confident swimming ability are both essential. We'll be camping at Cathedral Reserve campground near Mt Wilson on Friday and Saturday night, and returning to Newcastle by Sunday night. There are no camp fees, and only portaloos (no showers). We'll aim to leave Newcastle around 5pm on Friday afternoon, which will put us at our camp site by 8:30. Earlier would be better, but this time is subject to uni and work commitments, so more detailed leaving arangements and car pooling will be sorted out in greater detail closer to the day. The exact plans will likely change depending on the groups and the weather, but at this stage the plan is: On Saturday we'll be swimming our way down the Wollangambe canyon, with a cheeky side trip up Water Dragon canyon to see one of the coolest (literally, it's cold) slot canyons that you can get into without having to bush bash your way up a hill for a couple of hours. There is about 6km of hiking, some of it up and down steep terrain.  On Sunday, we head for Grand Canyon, one of the highest rated (9/10) canyons in the bluies! It's a short bush walk in and out, and an amazing canyon, with only one short swim. After that it's home time, back to Newcastle. There is the potential for a half day of climbing as well, to be confirmed closer to the date. All the camping gear you need can be hired from the gear store, as well as wetsuits, backpacks and dry sacks. You'll be in charge of bringing your own food*, though there is the option for a pub dinner on the Saturday night.  *We will discuss meal planning once groups are finalised Remember, first in best dressed! A training night may be necessary before attending this trip, please keep this in mind.  An email will be sent out with further details regarding what to bring closer to the date. Any questions, send me an email at cooperwalters217@gmail.com Cooper NUMC President  

Beginner's trip - Williams river walk - Sunday the 3rd Read through all the information before you sign up. The trip is to do https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/rocky-crossing-walk except we will come back down the river rather than the returning down the track. The bushwalk up is nice, then it's a mix of easy canyon sections and rocky river sections. There is also a slide into a whirlpool towards the end. See the photos in the facebook post and you'll get the idea. Other highlights include the serenity, hearing a grown man squeal because he walked through a spiders web (it's fine just don't go first), echidna, lizards, yabbies, eels... No canyoning experiencing necessary but you need to relatively fit and coordinated. The distance is 18km+, most of it will be over slippery rocks, and it'll take 6+ hours. This is doable for most people but if you think that you are particularly slow or not steady on your feet then skip this one. We will be doing a shortened version of this trip in the future that will be more suitable. There is also one rock jump about 1.5m above the water if you are concerned about heights. Just a warning if you are particularly adverse to physical contact that there is a 1.2m drop that you have to lower yourself down which requires a trip leader to hold your hips to make sure you dont fall and sprain your ankle, and in the whirlpool I will have to grab you by the hand to stop you going round indefinitely. You also need to be a alright swimmer, the longest swimming section is about 15m. If you have any concerns about the above, anything about the trip, or particularly about medical info you can contact me (Corey) on facebook or by calling or messaging me on 0422233203. Having a medical/swimming/heights issue doesn't necessarily mean that you will be excluded so buy a ticket and then contact me and we can potentially make an adjustment. If you wear glasses let me know in the medical info so Felix can warn you at the two spots that your head is going to go underwater (rockjump and slide). You need to be able to come to the gearstore on Tuesday the 26th between 5-530 to try on wetsuits as in the past trying them on before the trip took too much time. Meeting at the gearstore at 8 on Sunday, you need to be there on time, it's a long day and we can't spare time to wait for people. I put that we are getting back at 9 but should be more like 730.   WHAT TO BRING - money for maccas on way home (optional) - lunch (sandwich), snacks, lollies, etc - 2L of water - wear swimmers to the gearstore - backpack that can get wet / dry bags if you have one otherwise borrow from gearstore - emergency clothing in case we got stuck over night  (just thermals or something light like tights) - headlamp if you have it - shoes with grip that can get wet, kmart has some for $8 https://www.kmart.com.au/pr…/low-top-canvas-sneakers/2106339 - sunscreen - waterproof camera - towel - clothes to get changed into at the end, probably what you were wearing plus underwear so you can get out of your swimmers. - hat, sunglasses AVAILABLE IN GEARSTORE - wetsuits - dry bags and backpacks Also let me know if you are particularly keen on spotting animals, you'll need to be up the front to see them before we all scare them off.  

For late payments

Beginner's trip - Williams river walk part 2 We are going to do the part of the lower williams that we missed out last trip. It'll be about an hour bushwalking up, and then 2.5 hours back down the river. After that we are going to Ladies Well for a swim. No experience necessary but you do need to be reasonable fit and coordinated. There will be a lot of walking over slippery rocks. You also need to be a confident swimmer, the longest swimming section is about 15m. Also there is a rock slide into a pool. We walk up this track about 1/3rd of the way https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/…/…/rocky-crossing-walk then back down the river to the picnic area. WHAT TO BRING - lunch (sandwich), snacks, lollies, etc - 1.25L of water - wear swimmers to the gearstore so you can try on a wetsuit - backpack that can get wet - emergency clothing in case we got stuck over night at 12 degrees (just thermals or something light) - shoes with grip that can get wet, kmart has some for $8 https://www.kmart.com.au/pr…/low-top-canvas-sneakers/2106339 - sunscreen - waterproof camera - towel - hat, sunglasses AVAILABLE IN GEARSTORE - wetsuits - dry bags - backpacks Meeting at the gearstore at 815, depending how much we u hangout potentially going to be back late that night. It's a 1.5 hour drive each way.

Alrighty my adrenaline junkies, time for the actual deets for our AGM!   Our 2018 AGM will be held at Dixon Park, just behind Bar/Dixon Beach in Merewether, from 11am on Sunday 4th of November. We will provide food and soft drinks, as well as banter and games, and some swims at the beach. There will be vegan and vego options available. The actual meeting will take about 15-20 minutes, and will be held around midday. We have received a couple of nominations for committee positions, but will continue to accept nominations until COB Tuesday next week. Any positions that remain vacant as of then will be open to nomination at the event. So click "going" on the Facebook event to keep up to date, and grab your (free) ticket at from tidyHQ so we can get a firm idea of numbers and dietary requirements. Fecebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1046974988803047/ Reasons to nominate for committee: - Implement ideas you've had for the club - Learning admin and leadership skills - Open access to the gear store - In house training in outdoor adventure sports - Altruism - Looks great on your CV. Role descriptions and nomination forms are available on the club facebook page or by request. Any questions can be sent to myself or committee@numc.org.au. Our committees are run in a very fluid way, each member gets to learn every job, so your learning will not be confined to any single aspect of club administration. You will learn both the administrative skills of how to plan a trip, as well as the technical skills required to implement one. Nominate for any position you feel you would like to learn, or be good at. You may nominate for more than one. We'd love to have some new committee members, we have so much to teach and share so that this great club can thrive for years to come! Give it some thought, check it out. It is so worth it.   I hope to see you all there! Cooper Walters President NUMC cooperwalters217@gmail.com

G-day, Cooper and i want to show you some cracking Aussie canyons before you lot head home! Thursday 1st / 2nd November. This is an opportunity to let those international students who other wise will miss out have a look at a few select canyons. Before we get into the gist of the trip I have to let you know WET CANYONS ARE COLD!! They can freeze the balls off a brass monkey, without a wetsuit you will freeze your freckle off! If the cold does not suit you please speak with either Cooper or myself in regards to this BEFORE THE TRIP and we will do our best to make it as comfortable as possible! We are having a “how to abseil” briefing on Tuesday night 30/10/18. On the same night we will all pack equipment bags (this includes your wet suit sizing) and have a trip briefing. It is essential that you are able to make it.   The plan is to get three canyons done, 2 on the Thursday and 1 on the Friday.  We will be arriving at Cathedral Reserve campground near Mt Wilson and setting up as early as possible on the Thursday. To get to camp on time we have to leave at sparrow fart! Not sunrise but earlier at 5.30am, sorry not sorry about this as we want to show you as much as we can in the little time we have!! Cooper and I will be picking you all up with bags pre-packed on the previous Tuesday. The drive down, you have 4hrs to eat, sleep and collect all your excitement and energy for the amazing day ahead!! Please pack a 2nd breakfast for eating on the way there! There will be a reasonable amount of fitness needed as we will have to do some moderate hiking both to and from the canyons both days. One of the canyons requires approximately 300mts of swimming.  There are up to 9 abseils the highest being 20mts. As we are doing two wet canyons the first day we have decided to have hot meals ready made and provided on the Thursday evening. Two words “carb loading” lentil pasta, healthy vegan deliciousness!! Any dietary requirements please see Amelia before the trip. Cannot wait to have an adventure with you. Any concerns, ideas or questions please contact myself Amelia, I am your trip leader and will do my best to help. Cooper is assisting on top of the workload he already has. Cheers Amelia

Beginner's trip - Williams river walk - TOMORROW (Tuesday, 23rd) Have 3 spots left in my car, and can take another 3 people if someone else with a car signs up. Sign up by commenting on this post, but read the rest first. No experience necessary but you do need to be reasonable fit and coordinated. We will be walking most of the day, and most of that will be across slippery rocks like in the first photo. The rest will be bush, or sections of canyon like in the second photo. You also need to be a confident swimmer, the longest swimming section is about 15m. Also there is a rock slide into a pool. The trip is the same as https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/…/…/rocky-crossing-walk except we come back down the river instead of on the track. The forecast for tomorrow is a high of 30 degrees and 5% chance of less than 1mm rain. WHAT TO BRING - $15 fuel money - lunch (sandwich), snacks, lollies, etc - 2L of water - wear swimmers to the gearstore - backpack that can get wet - emergency clothing in case we got stuck over night at 13 degrees (just thermals or something light) - shoes with grip that can get wet, kmart has some for $8 https://www.kmart.com.au/pr…/low-top-canvas-sneakers/2106339 - sunscreen - waterproof camera - towel - clothes to get changed back in to - hat, sunglasses - light raincoat AVAILABLE IN GEARSTORE - wetsuits - dry bags Meeting at the gearstore at 830, should be back at 530, latest 730. It's a 1.5 hour drive each way so you can see where cows come from.

LET’S GO CAVING!!!!! This trip has places for 12 peeps to come to Timor caves, not far from Mururruruurrurundi (Funny name for a place, ikr?).  When: 1-2/8, leaving about 2pm on Saturday, camping Saturday night and driving back to Newcastle Sunday evening. There are no toilets, showers or other facilities at the camp site. The nearest toilet is an hour drive away.  What: Now this is the fun part. First, we find the damn things, which is much easier said than done. This requires a reasonable level of fitness, we will be carrying light packs through light bushland up and down hills, though it is only about 10 minutes walk between each cave. Second, we put on our helmets, switch on our torches and dive (almost literally in my case) into the underground world of rock, darkness and awesomeness. Once inside we walk, crawl, slide, and swear our way through the tunnels, trying to see what we can find and where we can get. It’s the ultimate in terms of exploration, the only thing stopping you finding out what’s around the corner or in that tunnel is you. If you are claustrophobic, this is not the trip for you.  Skills: No skills required, just bring clothes you never want to see again. They will never be the same colour as they were when you started.  What to bring: - Food for one day including breakfast, lunch and snacks. A McDinner (dinner on the road, potentially from McDonalds or Hungry Jacks) will be had on both Saturday and Sunday nights. Saturday night will be relatively early for dinner, so if you'd prefer to bring your own dinners you are welcome to do so. You must bring your own lunch and snacks. - Water for one day (at least one litre in a sturdy or plastic bottle, each car will have a 10 or 20 litre water container for refills, but you NEED a bottle) - Clean clothes for the trip home - Camping gear (can be hired from the NUMC gear store or BYO) - Torches (can be hired or BYO) ***Head torch ESSENTIAL*** - Overalls (optional, limited number and sizes for hire, otherwise old clothes will do) - Spare batteries (Club torches take 4 AAA or 4 AA batteries, you MUST have a complete spare set.) ***ESSENTIAL*** - Backup torch (phones are not allowed in the cave, a $5 hand torch is fine) ***ESSENTIAL*** - Helmets (Store) - Sturdy and/or cheap shoes. Following the “they gon’ get dirty” theme. (You get the point by now, there is dirt. Everywhere. Like, EVERYWHERE. And also water. Water and dirt make mud. You get the picture.) - Wet wipes/baby wipes SERIOUSLY recommended.  - Cheap gardening gloves (Also highly recommended) For additional information, send me an email or Facebook message. You do have to be a club member to come, so if you've been holding out waiting for a trip, make sure you sign up at numc.org.au first. Additionally, you'll be required to sign a waiver before we leave Newcastle. That's all the info you need, so once you've got your ticket, make sure to be at the gear store by AT LEAST 1:30 pm on Staturday 1/8 for our departure at 2.  Gear can be hired on the Tuesday night prior, it's a first-in-first-served system.  That's all from me, get keen, sign up, you know the drill. Cheers, Cooper ~Prez

Welcome new NUMCies and welcome back to the old! Time for our semester 2 beginner climbing trip to Morna Point, off One Mile beach. This crag is tide dependent, so we'll aim to be walking in around midday, as the tide is on it's way out. Anna Bay and One Mile Beach are some really nice spots up near Nelson Bay, so the trip is worth it even before the climbing! We'll be climbing in a spot that overlooks the water, with a beautiful beach on our walk back from the crag to the cars, though it is probably a little too cold to go for a swim this time of year.. There is about a kilometre (~0.6mi) walk between the car park and the crag, plus some scrambling around the headland, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. There is also a small downclimb to enter the crag, we'll have people on hand to assist, but you must have a reasonable level of confidence navigating short rock scrambles. To join this trip you have to A) be a member of the club, and B) have purchased a ticket for the event, which pays for fuel and some gear maintainence.  This trip caters to all skill levels, we supply all the technical equipment and the training you need! What To Bring: - Food and Water for a day, a hat and sunscreen, sturdy shoes, hair ties for anyone with long hair.   Transportation will be by way of a car pool, fuel for which is included in your ticket price. Please be at the gear store, located near the cul-de-sac around the back of the Forum gym ("Newcastle University Mountaineering Club" on Google maps) no later than 10:30 to make sure everyone has the correct gear. Follow this link for a video from a previous beginner trip to Morna Point, it's worth it even just for the location https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oqExv0i6vo. These trips traditionally fill up very quickly, so get in asap to secure your spot! Get keen, I'll see you all there! Any questions, hit me up with an email at cooperwalters217@gmail.com Cheers my dudes and dudettes! Cooper NUMC President