Wearing period costumes and using ancient equipment, two young bushwalkers are about to lead a re-enactment of the 1914 Blue Mountains expedition of Myles Dunphy and Bert Gallop that gave birth to the bushwalking and conservation movements in Australia.
Alex Allchin, 19, and Sierra Classen, 24, will lead a team from Katoomba on September 26 to follow in the footsteps of Dunphy and Gallop into the heart of the southern Blue Mountains and along the Kowmung River.
Mr Allchin, from the Sutherland shire in Sydney, said he had read about the original adventure "and I thought it would be amazing to re-enact the original walk on the centenary and experience what Myles Dunphy and Bert Gallop went through".
"The idea of this current walk, the Dunphy's Kowmung Adventure, is to reflect back on how Myles and Bert experienced the walk and how things have changed between back then and today.
"At points along the way we will examine maps they used at the time and those they made on the walk. We will read from the notes that they took ... and discuss what they felt, what their experiences were like and how they compare to our experiences," Mr Allchin said.
The original pioneers took the first waterproof tent with them and also developed the "dungal swag", which allowed them to carry more equipment.
"People then wouldn't go on longer walks because they couldn't carry all their gear," Mr Allchin said. "But this meant that there were all these places you could now visit."
Ms Classen said the walk "marked the beginning of everything. After this walk young people started joining bushwalking clubs and engaging the bush in a really positive way. With this event we are commemorating the beginning of bushwalking and engagement with wilderness."
The walk will be in five stages, starting with Katoomba to Jenolan Caves. Mr Allchin and Ms Classen will be wearing and carrying gear as close as possible to that used in 1914. As each of the five stages progress, the team will move into more and more modern equipment, eventually finishing the journey in current day gear.
After Jenolan Caves, the next stages are Jenolan to Tuglow Caves, Tuglow to Boyd Plateau, Boyd to Yerranderie and finally Yerranderie out to Picton.
Ms Classen said the final stage would be particularly exciting as it crosses into the exclusion zone around Lake Burragorang, the reservoir that supplies Sydney with most of its water.
"The Catchment Authority has granted permission for the walk to cross the rarely visited exclusion zone," Ms Classen said.
This stage ... will bring attention to the changes between wilderness now and Dunphy and Gallop's day. It will be a good opportunity to reflect on the fragility of wilderness and safe drinking water for us all," said Ms Classen.
Mr Allchin said he started bushwalking with his parents but in recent years it had become a "passion". And while he has done a lot of walking in the Mountains, "some of the areas on the walk I haven't visited before so for me it will be similar to what they [Dunphy and Gallop] experienced".
There are opportunities for members of the public to join for various parts of the journey. For itineraries, maps of the walk, contact and registration details, go to www.colongwilderness.org.au and follow the links to the Dunphy Kowmung Adventure.
