What did you do today?

[Yamaotoko]

Are you getting ready to travel?

Not specifically, but my wife is a Kiwi and swings between being homesick and wanting to move back there, being sick of her family and wanting to settle here, or when it gets windy here, packing the kids in a caravan and travelling Aus for 6 months!

However, 3x kids, old vehicles that require attention, dreams of moving to a self sufficient block, yet having to sort through accumulated 'junk' (wife's words) from having interested (eg, electronics) which tend to accumulate associated goodies...

 

[Yamaotoko]

Yesterday I had a day at home by myself, so I smashed out all my work by lunch time then:
-re-wrapped my hatchet handle, just with paracord, but it was still enjoyable to sit and spend time doing it.
-made a leather wrap for an old hip flask; I picked it up as a teenager in an antique shop, it had a super thin leather wrap which fell apart years ago, I re-wrapped it with some nice deerskin.
-took a walk and got lost in the wilderness for an hour, discovered a new secret spot I didn't know existed, will head out this afternoon to see if I can find it again and map a path.

 

[WanderOn]

Not specifically, but my wife is a Kiwi and swings between being homesick and wanting to move back there, being sick of her family and wanting to settle here, or when it gets windy here, packing the kids in a caravan and travelling Aus for 6 months!

However, 3x kids, old vehicles that require attention, dreams of moving to a self sufficient block, yet having to sort through accumulated 'junk' (wife's words) from having interested (eg, electronics) which tend to accumulate associated goodies...

It’s a lot to process
We’re fortunate we’re at a point where everything lined up which made the decision a lot easier. ( work, housing market, getting really built up and busy where I live)
Personally it was also the choice between convenience or freedom.
Hope it all lines up for you.

 

[WanderOn]

It was yesterday but got married.
Definitely not letting this one get away.

 

[Randall]

It was yesterday but got married.
Definitely not letting this one get away.

I'm happy for you WanderOn; congratulations!

 

[Kindlling]

snake today (python) , there is a few out moving around now
Saw a wild pig yesterday in the bush the pup got a look at it and got to use his nose checking it out , had a good walk where we had’nt been and found a waterhole where fish could be seen swimming .

When it rains tropical storms and big drops in the afternoon , you can work around it .

When it rains drizzly stuff most of the year and during the day you have to deal with it , we walk rain or shine anyway , there is no getting around needing a poncho / jacket or overheating .

One or the other or a lot of the time neither , just a change of clothes when you get in .

Trotters on the track

 

[OutdoorAcademy]

Hi all,
Well today I have been exdtremely busy planting our land with bushtucker and natives to our area. The goal of this is to restore some of the land back to its natural habitat (we do have grazing land for cattle), grow tress which can be used for craft, and grow edible plants for use, wildlife and plant identification.

We are fortunate to have the Barambah Environmental Education Centre which is designed for school kids particpating in environmental studies and participating in projects which include knowledge of local bush tucker, restoring the forest and bushcraft skills.

So we were lucky to have a tour (we are overgrown school kids!!!!) and be introduced to the local fauna. The bonus for us was that this centre also has its own nursery and we were able to obtain many plants and will be going back for more. What a find!!!!

So if anyone is interested this is what we brought home:

Causurina Totura - Forest Sheoak
Acacia Fimbrata - Brisbane golden wattle
Acacia Podalyriifo - Queensland silver wattle
Acacia Oshcinesii
Acacia Conferta - Crowned leaf wattle
Araucaria Cunnighamii - Hoop Pine
Araucaria Bidwilli - Bunya Pine
Bankia Spinulosa - Birthday Candles
Alpinia Caerulea - Native ginger
Hibiscus Heterophyllus - Native hibiscus
Eupomatia Laurina - Ntive guava
Hardenbergia - Native sarsparilla
Grevillea Robusta - Queensland Silky Oak
Castanospermum Australe - Black Bean
Dianella Coerulea - Blueberry Flax Lily
Syzygium Australe - Scrub Cherry
Westringia Fruticosa - Coastal Rosemary
Callistemon Formosous - Kingaroy Bottlebrush
Cassine Australis - Red Olive
Podocarpus Elatus - Australian Plum Pine
Hymenosporum Flauum - Native Frangipani
Viola Banksii - Native Violet
Brachychiton Acerifolius - Illawara Falme Tree
Ficus Macrophylla - Moreton Bay Fig




Well I hope I spelt the above correctly. The plants well define the region we live in. For your information the Native frangipani is the fastest growing tree in our area. I am so excited, can't wait till the frosts are over and plant other species in the warm weather.

Will post up photos when we fully establish our bush gardens.

Dusty

Awsome stuff. I am familiar with some of those species. What uses are there for the Sheoak? I have an abundance in my area between the tee tree and manuka.

 

[peter.]

I’ve never done much with putting together a fire kit or practicing with one, but decided that needs to change.
Sunday I made some char cloth. That was easier than expected. A few suares bit of a cotton tshirt, a small tin, popped in the front corner of our slow combustion heater. It was cooked in a few minutes.
Yesterday afternoon it was cold so I set the fire in the heater and lit it with a piece of the char cloth, a small tinder bundle and some sparks from a ferro rod. It went very easily and I’m a convert.
Thanks to a tip from here, today I had some flint and a steel striker arrive in the mail. I’ll try them next.

 

[Yamaotoko]

...Thanks to a tip from here, today I had some flint and a steel striker arrive in the mail. I’ll try them next.

I’ll be keen to hear how you go with it, I’ve been considering finding some myself lately too.

 

[peter.]

I’ll be keen to hear how you go with it, I’ve been considering finding some myself lately too.

I’ll let you know how I go after I try on the weekend - actually I just tried making some sparks and got plenty so don’t expect too much trouble getting them to catch in some char cloth.
for what it’s worth it was a straightforward ebay purchase, no hassles at all.
Purchased from here: https://ebay.com.au/usr/viceroybooks

 

[Yamaotoko]

I’ll let you know how I go after I try on the weekend - actually I just tried making some sparks and got plenty so don’t expect too much trouble getting them to catch in some char cloth.
for what it’s worth it was a straightforward ebay purchase, no hassles at all.
Purchased from here: https://ebay.com.au/usr/viceroybooks

Thanks for that, I might be tempted to buy some… I find it’sa tough call to buy something when you could (should?!) make or source it yourself… I’ve got lots of sharp rock around here, I’ve got an old file that I know makes a good spark, so why should I spend the money? (Answer: because I’m lazy!)

 

[peter.]

Thanks for that, I might be tempted to buy some… I find it’sa tough call to buy something when you could (should?!) make or source it yourself… I’ve got lots of sharp rock around here, I’ve got an old file that I know makes a good spark, so why should I spend the money? (Answer: because I’m lazy!)

Do you need to anneal the files or just use them as-is? I have a plentiful supply of them to play with sometime.
I didn’t get much time on the weekend. I did get a spark from the flint & steel to catch in a piece or char cloth. I just tossed it in the fireplace and let it smoulder away rather than starting the fire with it, but still it felt like a success. Oh I did make a bunch more char cloth too, but got flames coming out of the tin rather than just the white smoke I expected. The cloth looks ok though - fingers crossed.

 

[Yamaotoko]

Hi all,
Well today I have been exdtremely busy planting our land with bushtucker and natives to our area. The goal of this is to restore some of the land back to its natural habitat (we do have grazing land for cattle), grow tress which can be used for craft, and grow edible plants for use, wildlife and plant identification.

We are fortunate to have the Barambah Environmental Education Centre which is designed for school kids particpating in environmental studies and participating in projects which include knowledge of local bush tucker, restoring the forest and bushcraft skills.

So we were lucky to have a tour (we are overgrown school kids!!!!) and be introduced to the local fauna. The bonus for us was that this centre also has its own nursery and we were able to obtain many plants and will be going back for more. What a find!!!!

So if anyone is interested this is what we brought home:

Causurina Totura - Forest Sheoak
Acacia Fimbrata - Brisbane golden wattle
Acacia Podalyriifo - Queensland silver wattle
Acacia Oshcinesii
Acacia Conferta - Crowned leaf wattle
Araucaria Cunnighamii - Hoop Pine
Araucaria Bidwilli - Bunya Pine
Bankia Spinulosa - Birthday Candles
Alpinia Caerulea - Native ginger
Hibiscus Heterophyllus - Native hibiscus
Eupomatia Laurina - Ntive guava
Hardenbergia - Native sarsparilla
Grevillea Robusta - Queensland Silky Oak
Castanospermum Australe - Black Bean
Dianella Coerulea - Blueberry Flax Lily
Syzygium Australe - Scrub Cherry
Westringia Fruticosa - Coastal Rosemary
Callistemon Formosous - Kingaroy Bottlebrush
Cassine Australis - Red Olive
Podocarpus Elatus - Australian Plum Pine
Hymenosporum Flauum - Native Frangipani
Viola Banksii - Native Violet
Brachychiton Acerifolius - Illawara Falme Tree
Ficus Macrophylla - Moreton Bay Fig




Well I hope I spelt the above correctly. The plants well define the region we live in. For your information the Native frangipani is the fastest growing tree in our area. I am so excited, can't wait till the frosts are over and plant other species in the warm weather.

Will post up photos when we fully establish our bush gardens.

Dusty

So, just throwing back to where this thread started, we’re replanting a lot of our block after losing quite a few Eucalyptus Regnans, some Cephalocarpa and Acacia Melanoxylon (not to mention the forest of tree ferns which grew underneath) in last year’s storm. We’re lucky to have three native nurseries nearby, one has given residents a voucher for a number of tube stock, so we’re researching what plants will a) attract bees back into our area, b) be edible or have medicinal uses, c) grow (or at least bush up) quickly enough to block out the road and neighbouring cabin which we can not see due to the clearing!

After some reading this morning, I’ll be taking the kids out to hunt for and transplant many of the Acacia Melanoxylon seedlings which have sprung up with the wet… it’s amazing watching nature renew itself after such an event.

 

[Yamaotoko]

Nothing to really write home about, but last night sewed a basic axe-strap to my do-it-all day pack. I took the kids on a short adventure last weekend and needed/wanted to take my small hatchet. I just tucked it into the drawstring and it was secure enough, but found it a bit annoying that I had to take the hatchet out of place to get into the bag, so hopefully this will be an answer, I have a feeling I put it too low though I’ll take it for a walk this afternoon and see…

 

[Yamaotoko]

My brother and his family have been visiting from QLD, poor buggers, their son didn’t even own a real (ie, thicker than t-shirt material) jumper before this trip! There have been lots of camp fires, and forest walks ending with hot chocolates cooked on a furno, so, more ‘campcraft’ than ‘bushcraft’.

Today we stayed home and went a little more traditional; the kids helped build a crane to heat a billy full of hot chocolate.




Lunch was spicy pumpkin soup, which I made back at the house, but just to keep the theme going we made a quick damper to go with it. Of course, we got straight into the damper and I didn’t think to get a pic, but I’d have to say this was one perfect loaf!

 

[Timbo]

Finally got around to replacing the carry handle with steel cable. Also made a small grate that sits inside (to stop the damper from buring on the bottom)