Frequently Asked Questions ~ FAQ

Table of Contents

1. Macarthur Bushwalkers Name & Logo
2. Group / club Information
3. Booking in for a ride / walk
4. Car sharing and costs
5. Bushwalk preparation and equipment
6. Macarthur Bicycle Users Group Links

Hard work and growing success

John Macarthur returned to England several times, leaving his wife and growing family in Sydney. In 1801 he was sent to London to be court-martial led (as he was still an officer with the Corps) for involving himself in a duel. He was not only able to get the charges against him dropped, but also secured approval from Lord Camden to establish a large sheep-run south of Sydney, which he named Camden Park on his return in 1805.

In 1808 Macarthur was in trouble again for his role in the Rum Rebellion, where Governor Bligh's efforts to stop the trade of rum in the colony were overthrown by an angry mob. This time, he resigned from the army in order to avoid another court-martial. He was, however, exiled from New South Wales and remained in England until 1817.

During this time Elizabeth ran the farm. Although she had many labourers and servants, she was deeply involved in its running and managed all aspects of its day-to-day operation. Her remarkable agricultural ability is still recognised today at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute. It is fitting that both John Macarthur and Elizabeth Macarthur should be remembered as joint founders of the wool industry in Australia.

In the early years of the 1800s world demand for wool increased as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. This meant that the Macarthur's' high quality wool was bought at a premium price upon its arrival in England and the family quickly became the wealthiest in New South Wales.

After his return to Australia in 1817, John Macarthur and his wife continued to work hard on their farm. In addition to growing their own fortune and further developing their flock, John Macarthur was involved in the first commercial production of wine in Australia, was a founder of both the Australian Agricultural Company and the Bank of Australia and was one of the earliest members of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

John Macarthur died at Camden Park in 1834 and his wife, Elizabeth, died in 1850 in Sydney. John Macarthur's image and that of the merino sheep was commemorated on the old two dollar note in recognition of the impact the wool industry has had on Australia.

The Macarthur's descendents continued to farm merinos and continued to live at Camden Park. The merino sheep still thrives in Australia; since 1796 their numbers have continued to swell and average well over 100 million.

from: Australian Government - Culture & Recreation Portal

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The Macarthur Bushwalkers is not a 'Walking for Pleasure' group but a genuine bushwalking group. MacBUG is a leisure cycling group whose activities include family rides, touring and riding off road in local areas and National Parks. If you would like to engage in any of these activities then you are in the right place.

We are not a formal club, there are no committees, club officials, regular club meetings, club rules etc. The exception to this are the periodic meetings to develop the bushwalking - hiking - cycling activities programme. Much of this discussion takes place on rides and walks.

The 'Golden Rules' for this group are safety and consideration for fellow members plus respect of the environment.

There are NO club fees or expenses.

All members of the group / club accept responsibility for themselves. MacBUG strongly urges riders to take out insurance, shop around. Bicycle NSW provides $20 million public liability insurance, personal accident insurance, Australian Cyclist Magazine, discounts on organised rides and a members handbook with the membership for cyclists only. In addition one can insure the bike and equipment through Bicycle NSW. Insurance is required in the event of personal injury and / or damage to other peoples property.

Every person participating in a bushwalking / hiking / cycling activity does so voluntarily and as such, accepts full responsibility for personal injury to himself / herself however incurred.

Each person accepts that outdoor activities inherently possess some risk and bushwalking / cycling are very physically challenging activities. A Waiver document must be signed and returned to the walk leader at the start of the initial walk. At the start of every other walk a Waiver must be signed.

This Web Site is the primary source of communication to group members thus eliminating printing, postage, stationary costs etc. There are no printed newsletters. Any other Communication is via E-mails or the telephone.

The cost of going on any trip is minimal (i.e. food, shared fuel, personal / rented gear, park entrance / camping fees, etc).

The Macarthur Bushwalkers / MacBUG group DOES NOT organize all trips, members who are volunteers offer their services. If you are interested in participating in an activity which isn't on the programme, try organising it or at least set it in motion by a suggestion. Members announce a trip they are interested in or an activity they would like someone to organise via the Web Site, group E-mail or even a meeting or activity.

The group is only as good as it's membership. Don't be shy. If you want to learn how to do something, want to go somewhere, need info on gear - whatever - post to the group using Email or discuss it on a ride / walk. Someone else out there might have the same query.

Children

From the age of 15 years participate with the group at the discretion of the Event Leader and with the full understanding that the parents are totally responsible for them. Parents must sign the Waiver for the child if accepted on a walk / ride. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Safety standards have been developed and established in the form of guidelines for the benefit of all participants, simply read and adopt them. The guidelines have been developed using information from other clubs, experience, Bicycle NSW, RTA Road Rules, Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Inc etc. The safety standards of the group are only as good as the practices of both leaders and participants.

A number of documents embracing all aspects of bushwalking / hiking / cycling have been designed to assist you and their links can be found at the bottom of this page, please read them.

The same links can also be found on the Group / club Info page - personal info, risk assessment, bush fire survival, responsible bushwalking, equipment page or the links found at the bottom of this page.

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1. Visit the Bushwalks page using the Bushwalk Programme / Macarthur Bicycle Users Group - MacBUG Cycling Calendar and choose from the programme.
2. The leader / organiser requires notice of any person wishing to join his/ her activity. Participants should book in on the Tuesday or Wednesday preceding the activity. Confirm the night before the activity.
3. The leaders role is to vet new participants prior to the activity and determine their fitness and eligibility to participate. This is generally done when they phone to book in prior to the activity.
4. The leader needs to know if a participant suffers from Diabetes, Asthma, Heart condition or other issue which may affect the overall activity and safety of the group.
5. Failure to inform the leader may jeopardise the event and the group
6. The leader should describe the activity along with known hazards at the time of the initial mid-week (Tuesday / Wednesday) call, then prior to the start of that activity.
7. The goals and objectives of the activity should be discussed.
8. The participant then signs the Waiver to confirm they have received and understood the activity description along with the hazard description. This legal document is then retained for a minimum of three years as protection against litigation.
9. People who have not phoned and confirmed may not be accepted on the activity. People who are ill equipped may be rejected by the leader.
10. The Macarthur Bushwalkers group / club bushwalks are limited to a maximum of eight walkers only on all categories of bushwalk with the exception of the EASY category.
11. The walk leader determines who accompanies him / her on any bushwalk and the numbers they are willing to take.
12. Some activities (bushwalking) require a longer booking period and may also need a deposit (camping in National Parks).
13. It is not the leaders role to chase up money for deposits.
14. If you intend to join a bushwalk, please call the nominated leader prior to Thursday on the week of the bushwalk and register by leaving your name and contact number. This is the ideal time to discuss your fitness and equipment issues with the leader. For a full pack overnight bushwalk, give at least 10 days notice to help with arrangements. Ride leaders may be more flexible dependant on the ride.
15. The night before the event, you are requested to confirm your participation. Circumstances may change on the day, the weather forecast may be poor rendering the activity undesirable or some other incident may affect the activity.
16. You only need to make one call, the leader may need to make many calls to cancel/change the activity which can be expensive, so please make that call.
17. In the past we have had people call and say they "might" join the activity, they rarely do so a "might" call is no call at all. If you cannot make the ride / walk and have booked in please call the leader and let them know. The group is then not left waiting for someone who isn't going to turn up.
    

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There is no such thing as a free ride!
The recommended method of sharing transport is the cost of the fuel used plus 50% divided between all persons in the car, including the driver.
Fill the vehicle with petrol or know your fuel consumption before you leave, then re-fill the vehicle on your return, this is the easy way to calculate the cost.
The cost of parking and entry tickets to National Parks is also shared amongst the participants.
If you wish to obtain transport to a bushwalk / cycling venue, mention this to the leader when registering.
Alternate vehicles on successive trips so that the load isn't falling on the same drivers all the time.

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1. Macarthur Bushwalkers - First walk advice
2. Macarthur Bushwalkers - Bush fire Advice
3. Macarthur Bushwalkers - Full Day Bushwalk Equipment
4. Macarthur Bushwalkers - Overnight Bushwalks
5. Macarthur Bushwalkers - Responsible Bushwalking
6. Macarthur Bushwalkers - Bushwalk Grades

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