In the 1980’s, Eden resident and author John Blay set off to spend a year trekking through the remote wilderness of the Wadbilliga and Deua National Parks.
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Travelling alone – except for a pack mule – he explored this rugged section of the South East ranges, starting west of Moruya before working his way down to the mountains outside Cobargo and into Brogo before finishing at Bemboka.
“As I walked I talked to a lot of the old time people there,” Mr Blay said.
“A lot in their 70’s or 80’s lived there from before there was television. They knew the country and could tell me stories like you don’t get these days.
“Everybody talked about dingoes, seen in all sorts of colours, and they all had dingo skins next to their fires.”
Writing about his expedition into this area, followed up by several more trips over the next few years, formed the basis of his re-released book Back Country: Trek through the Deua and Wadbilliga.
“I found it to be amazing,” he said. “The more you know about the bush, the more you want to know about it.
“I became familiar with all the plants, I knew what should be there and what was unusual which helped me find a lot of plants unknown to science.”
One such discovery only grows in the Brogo River catchment and is called the acacia blayana – or Brogo wattle – named after Mr Blay.
Mr Blay stills loves walking in the bush, but these days he tries not to use maps and instead lets the country tell him where to go.
“When your feet tell you where to go, you tend to find the old Aboriginal places. Like campsites, those places they used to go for some reason or other, or you find the best way to walk between different areas,” he said.
Originally published in 1987, a much-revised edition of Back Country has been brought up to date with additional information, including a preface, illustrations, afterword and index.
It will be launched at the Log Cabin, on the corner Bass and Maling St, Eden, on December 10 at 3pm.
In attendance will be National Parks and Wildlife Service longtime regional manager and now acting coastal director Tim Shepherd, and photographer John Ford who contributed photography to the book and was there at the inception of the project.
Pastor Ossie Cruse will be doing the Welcome to Country, and officially launching the book.
Mr Blay hopes the launch will be well attended, saying the book’s “a great introduction” to his previously released book On Track about the Bundian Way.
Back Country can be purchased in Candelo Books Bega and various outlets.