Ml rock livers like those of Worn- 

 :",;.„ fjirtastic blUows and iratjshs 



luiiuhed yards across, bare of any 

 vcidure except the hatdv lichens and 

 1 t(lU g|i woolly version of (he 

 l- omW , Hemp-hush. Qyrunrt* n»i- 

 jjji^. Alpine -\*h and a white 

 , „fl|i,!d gum, eilher Manna 01 



i I ^jjelvik cn SOttlfttbitfS in between. 

 ^ ^1 and slender on the slopes 

 Ivnc the modest stream, a forest 

 |4| |, falrfl Iree of undergrowth. 



\ mbutarv creek coming "' 

 vneith a dripping stone wall sup- 

 •oried a prills fern gully shaded by 



I , h;ir e|v SassafrfiS and lomatia trees 

 Bj j , f cw Sof. Tree-ferns. Two 

 Ikvlinu-s uicw luxuriantly, the 

 Hard Waler-feni and the Ray Wider- 

 tent Two Splcenworts, the Moihci 

 Spleeiuvoil and the Necklace I em. 

 AtMial filmy-fern (Mrcmliuni OUS- 

 m lt) adorned Itie cliff face along 

 with dillereiit mosses ;ind a small 

 member of the- fjjjf family. Slender 

 Wire-tils (lilnrrio puUhrUu)- This 

 Ml a spreading plant with tutted 

 leaves and long wiry roots, locally 

 plentiful "The dry flower siems bote 

 liny long-stemmed sccdheads, aris- 

 ing in twos ..nd threes fiom a cluster 

 of bracts. Unfortunately an avalanche 

 nf lops and splintered trunks from 

 Kffiptnj operations on the spur above 

 ijvc almost obliterated this gullv. 



The weekend of ihc ol 

 Mirth began with it dense fog in 

 ilit high counitv that deepened to 

 m iMiii-.hi. hut the days were keen 

 and sunny ( attic mustering had 

 '•cenn nA pot^Hf of horsemen and 

 dog* Ji'UMbed I hi- tianoiidlm of Ihe 

 l,,t mountain cattle, tfccj 1*0* " 

 i „ (rtcturcsquwRfl M the lamkopc 

 n that we f.Miitd ourselves reenmg. 

 parages front Palersott and Kendall 

 m wc rvgr-.-ilullv passnl b\ llmntt 

 hui to loofc for ueeommodattoo 

 further up, 



1971 



The morning was perfect as our 

 small party set out for the final 

 assault on the summit of Ml Howill. 

 I'ipils perched on every rock lo 

 wiiicb vis pass and plain-clothes 

 robins and grasshoppers, invisible on 

 the brown-green earth, rose in Hocks 

 uhfisg of every footstep. At Macalister 

 Spring; the palatial Vallejo Gantnci 

 Mcmoiiat Hut is neuring completion, 

 ,. Stfitsiflg arrangement of copper and 

 glass in the heart of the wilderness 

 Down ill Ihe springs the myriad while 

 "wogs" ft the water barrel were duly 

 inspected and near here a specimen 

 of Ihe native slug. I \\ii//ulhi rwiicrtJl. 

 was picked up. Its semi-detached 

 mantle seems to stick out like a tiny 

 wing as it piogtesses. 



On the narrow ridge above T enable 

 Hollow the rods ledges were flushed 

 with the rose pink stars ot Crow fa 

 ■ xulfttfit and we wondered what trea- 

 sure*, animal and vegetable, might be 

 hidden among the spectacular steps 

 of Ihc Devil's Staircase jusl acioss 

 the tV*?, As 96 climbed on up the 

 track hundreds of Flame Robins, 

 flight after flrghi of them, came flip- 

 ping down ihe mountain past us. To 

 rest at last on summit, on a day of 

 pet feci sunshine: to ga?.c out across 

 thai high plateau patched with golden 

 or white everlastings ut the saw- 

 toothed peaks and purple depths that 

 surround it. is a never-to-be-forgotten 

 pleasure and satisfaction. 



As wc sal enjoying our lunches 

 there was conslanl passage overhead 

 ol big while butterflies with partertied 

 undersides, heading steadily and surely 

 north, without alighlmg. For jII their 

 heavy appearance thev ptoved too 

 agile lo DC caje,hi for identification, 

 Kestrels hung on the updraught at 

 the cUfi edge ami occasionally a 

 \\ ^levelled Fade or a Falcon s.uled 

 In EMU below on the headwaters nt 

 of the many nvers that rise from 



215 



