Ewingar state forest

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I rang forestry corporation yesterday, not open north of Nabiac to Qld border and no timeline on opening.
 
More than likely After Christmas... With 124 Fires still burning in NSW and another near Timbarra that has just flared up, Its going to be a long time before they will Re-open...

LW...
 
Forestry Corp updated again today, forest closures north of Nabiac continue. Plan B for weekend.
 
By chance, has anyone heard word about Ewingar opening back up any time soon? I can see that the forestry closure is still current as of the last update on June 9, but was wondering if anyone in the community may have heard anything?

Id love to get back out there in this cold weather, maybe not so much the rain though.

Cheers
 
1602560566_ewingar_forestry_camp-3.jpg


1602560619_ewingar_forestry_camp-8.jpg


Memories! The Yowies would come around at night and pinch my food and drink my beer. Now the huts and the yowies are gone!
 
Thylacine said:
Bit of history, the first explorers that sailed up and down the East coast thought that Australia was a land of volcano's there was that much smoke over the land. As we know now, it was the Aborigines burning the land in front of them as they migrated from place to place. No CFS or water-bombers back then, no CSIRO or greenies saying that the fire is too hot or that it has burned too long and has to be stopped! We don't have any really old (300 years) trees in OZ, but many of our eucalyptus trees could reach this age. The first explorers that moved inland across the Great Dividing Range cut down trees for housing and kicked off the timber industry. They found some big trees but not many, no really old trees as seasonal burning at migration times killed them off and their seeds. After centuries of seasonal burning and fires caused by lighting strikes, some trees actually need a fire to set their seeds in the nutrient rich ash!

Burning by the Aborigines cleared their migratory pathways and allowed them to wander back months later and pick the green shoots that had sprouted post fire. This seasonal burning also stopped really hot, intense fires that we have seen in the last few decades from starting as the mass of underbrush and forest floor litter was kept to a minimum.

Big hot fires destroy plants, animals, homes and people, however, the smaller fires clear the way for regrowth and do more good than harm. Smaller fires move slowly allowing animals that can, to run ahead or to the sides of the fire, those that can climb stay above the flames and others burrow staying out of danger.
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Really old ones are rare (eg more than 500 years, although one Huon Pine in Tasmania is 2000 years, and some Wollemi Pine probably 400-450 years). There are at least 5 Moonah trees probably more than 300 years old in a clump 10 minutes walk from my house - I feel a bit in awe as I walk past them and know that they pre-dated Captain Cook by nearly a century.

The aboriginal burning is thought to have favoured development of some really big trees, mostly not high mountain species - they mainly did it outside thick forests (not great places to live), and it opened up large areas enabling widely-spaced trees to grow to an old age. Most of our trees actually require fire to propagate, and the high-altitude Mountain Ash is the only one I know that rarely regenerates after a severe burn. I have a 1960s report that discusses how the idea of aboriginal burning has always been raised after major bushfires (even then!) but that it has little potential in the thick mountain forests - which they did not burn because they did not live there). If so, it would not have helped much in the last NSW fires. However my own impression is that it would have some potential around white towns, because we also avoid the thickly forested mountain slopes in the main. But i'm no expert....

1602569735_moonah.jpg
 
Gold was sluiced at Rae's Point on Ewingar Creek (top of the mountain) in 1905. Even back then it was well known for its smokey quartz.

This illustration taken from a local newspaper of that era purports to show the diggings.

The illustration features a miner's hut.

A miner's hut stood at Rae's Point until about 20 years ago.

Most of the smokey quartz comes from this bend in the creek.

You used to have to walk in to the Point about 500 metres off the main drag (although some intrepid types used to bush bash the track in with 4 wheel drives); things may have changed of late but the gold and smokey is probably all still there.

1602636397_bulldog_diggings.jpg
 
Tibno said:
By chance, has anyone heard word about Ewingar opening back up any time soon? I can see that the forestry closure is still current as of the last update on June 9, but was wondering if anyone in the community may have heard anything?

Id love to get back out there in this cold weather, maybe not so much the rain though.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Hi Tibno, had a look about 4 weeks ago and the forest is still closed, the road through has signs saying roads through also closed to the public, real bummer that A.
 
Gunna said:
Tibno said:
By chance, has anyone heard word about Ewingar opening back up any time soon? I can see that the forestry closure is still current as of the last update on June 9, but was wondering if anyone in the community may have heard anything?

Id love to get back out there in this cold weather, maybe not so much the rain though.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Hi Tibno, had a look about 4 weeks ago and the forest is still closed, the road through has signs saying roads through also closed to the public, real bummer that A.
Click to expand...

Hi Gunna,

Thanks for that, it's good to know at least so I don't go planning any trips there anytime soon. Real bugger as I was meant to go there in October last year, and here we are a year later.

Oh well, lets hope it gets better soon and we can get back into it. :goldpan:

Cheers
 
Just wanted to ask about Ewingar State Forest. My understanding when I read the Forestry Corp website that the entire Ewingar SF is a no fossicking area now? (And also has a mining lease over part of it) Have I got that correct? Once it's declared a no fossicking area is that permanent or does it come and go depending on what is happening in the forest?

Thanks for any advice.
 
Thanks for the heads up just looked at the website and looks like no fossicking allowed in Ewingar. Hopefully only temporary because of fire damage or logging
 
I posted this in the 'General Section' a few days ago. The full list of State Forests Open and Closed.....

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=36806

Yes still closed and for quite some time..... Marked 'Long Term' on the list....

I hate to say it, but I have herd a rumour from a 'reliable source' that once Logging has finished, It Will become a National Park...

When/If this actually happens is any ones guess... 1000's of logs still to come out...

There is a massive land grab by NPWS NSW going on ATM.... :argh: :mad:

LW...
 
I just wrote a long rant about the NSW LNP and their slimy tactics. Deleted it. About how they offset new coal and gas developments with new national parks, for their public image.
 
Gimp said:
You will do just as well at the bridge if you dig in the right spot. If it's smokies your after, for gold Bush bash the smaller creeks and gullies.
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Hey Gimp, spent some good time looking down stream from the bridge and then dropped off into Hong hong creek and went for a good couple hrs down stream test panning, only found 2 small bits.
Ewingar being a big dome hill that drops off each side any chance of pointing me in what side creeks you recommend to look in =)
thanks Seneca
also taking the wetsuits etc to try sniping, but need to find the bedrock and some good cathes which doesnt seem easy in ewingar so far
cheers
 

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