Gellies Hand tool Line?

[kanangra]

I went for a walk today out along Browns Ridge to a vantage point out over the Grose River and passed a sign in the middle of nowhere on the side of the track saying Gellies Hand Tool Line? I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Anybody any idea what this is about? Beautiful day for a walk by the way.

K.

[tastrax]

Nic Gellie was/is a fire ecologist - maybe he built a "hand tool line" somewhere nearby for some fire project?

I found his name in this document - http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/bull ... screen.pdf

[kanangra]

I wonder? Best lead I've had.

K.

[tastrax]

In case you are not into fires....a very basic description.... a hand tool line is where a firebreak is created (by hand tools such as rakes etc) and its used as one boundary to either light up a backburn or, depending on the type of terrain or vegetation, maybe even try and stop a fires progress. Not an easy job but a good technique where you are unable to get machinery and have lots of workers!

It might just look like a cleared line stretching off into the distance - depends on how much rehab was done after the event or the amount of leaf litter etc that has accumulated since.

[norts]

I hate it when we are told to grab the rake hoes

[kanangra]

The case is building. I couldn't see a cleared line on the ground but then it could have grown back? Mystery solved?

K.

[johnw]

The case is building. I couldn't see a cleared line on the ground but then it could have grown back? Mystery solved?

K.

Possibly. I've visited the same spot. Only once and it was several years ago. It also aroused my curiosity at the time but I could only establish that "hand tool line" referred to a firefighting technique (already well explained by tastrax above). My recollection is that there was what looked like a vague footpad going steeply downhill beyond the NPWS sign. I think it was already a little overgrown but appeared to be a cleared route of some sort. We were actually searching for the start of a route beyond the high vantage point, down to the Devils Wilderness area on the Grose. Ran short of time and haven't yet been back to explore further. I'll have a look at my photos but don't recall whether I took any of the point of interest.

[kanangra]

John,

It sounds like you were on the same mission as me. I may have found the top of the track down, there was one small length of old rope but no obvious way of route after that? I too ran out of time and will have to return unless that is someone on here solves it for us first.

K.