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Stinson Wreck

PostPosted: Sun 19 Mar, 2017 11:37 pm
by gregsmith
In 1973, when a member of a school air force cadet group, we did a three day walk from Christmas Creek to the Numinbah Valley. We walked the stretcher trail, Stinson wreck, Echo Point, Binnaburra and Numinbah Valley. Air force helicopters dropped us off into the Christmas Creek valley and we walked back to our camp near Egg Rock. The stretcher trail was heavily "blazed" but easy to follow. The Stinson wreck site was depleted but discernable. I recall a fellow walker taking a piece of the wreck as a souvenir and subsequently losing the piece on the walk. Such a selfish waste!
The walk was hard but I note that the sections these days are not in good condition. This is a pity as I have always recalled this walk as a great challenge and one I hope to repeat one day.
I gather our experience was unique and not often replicated by inexperienced walkers these days. Cadets have fallen from favour these days but they did challenge and teach great resilience and skills. I wonder what offers such challenges to the youth of today?
I will always dream of doing this walk again and hope to organize my two kids to accompany me. (They are very fit and capable - I hope I could manage it myself!)
Greg Smith

Re: Stinson Wreck

PostPosted: Tue 28 Mar, 2017 11:12 pm
by Nungulba
gregsmith wrote:In 1973, when a member of a school air force cadet group, we did a three day walk from Christmas Creek to the Numinbah Valley. We walked the stretcher trail, Stinson wreck, Echo Point, Binnaburra and Numinbah Valley. Air force helicopters dropped us off into the Christmas Creek valley and we walked back to our camp near Egg Rock. The stretcher trail was heavily "blazed" but easy to follow. The Stinson wreck site was depleted but discernable. I recall a fellow walker taking a piece of the wreck as a souvenir and subsequently losing the piece on the walk. Such a selfish waste!
The walk was hard but I note that the sections these days are not in good condition. This is a pity as I have always recalled this walk as a great challenge and one I hope to repeat one day.
I gather our experience was unique and not often replicated by inexperienced walkers these days. Cadets have fallen from favour these days but they did challenge and teach great resilience and skills. I wonder what offers such challenges to the youth of today?
I will always dream of doing this walk again and hope to organize my two kids to accompany me. (They are very fit and capable - I hope I could manage it myself!)
Greg Smith


Hard to believe that it's the 80th anniversary of the Stinson crash this year!