This walk was organised as a Wednesday walk by the combined CBC/FBI/NPA clubs and led by Mike S:

('The weathers looking good and the Mt Franklin road is now open so I propose to do the classic Mt Gingera walk this Wednesday for those great views across lower ACT and northern KNP.   Will follow road from Ginini carpark to Priors hut then road and bush track to top of Gingera for lunch and views.   Return along top of Gingera to northern peak then down to road near Priors hut and finally the long slog along the road back to the cars.  Total distance about 14 km and climb from Priors hut about 200m to Gingera.   Not a particularly difficult walk: the upside is the stunning views but the downside is the long drive half on gravel, dusty roads.').

21 of us walked.  We met at Cooleman Court at 8.30am and drove via Uriarra Crossing, Picadilly Circus and along the Mount Franklin Road as far as you can to the Mt Ginini car park. The walk is number 9 in Graeme Barrow's Namadgi and Tidbinbilla Classics: Tough Bushwalks in Canberra's High Country (the moderate alternative).

Things looked a bit bleak as we drove south west along Uriarra Road towards the Brindabellas.  The sky was grey getting blacker and the forecast (at least for alpine regions) was for high wind, showers and possible snow.  But we pressed on through Picadilly Circus and Bulls Head along the newly opened Mount Franklin Road, closed over the last two and a half years since the January 2003 bushfires so that dangerous trees could be removed.  This was all new for me - the last time I was here was in 1968 on the back of a BMW motorbike when we rode right to the Mt Franklin trig point.  As we drove south the skies cleared and by the time we arrived at the Mt Ginini car park, it was a lovely blue sky day with a few fast moving clouds and a bitter wind.

We started to walk the 'road' at 10.10am.  It was an easy stroll, gently down to Stockyard Gap, then around the eastern flank of Little Ginini Mountain to Pryors Hut and its little arboretum.  We reached the hut in an hour and stopped for morning tea.  The northern end of the Gingera ridge (Spot Height 1847) was above us, looking quite inviting with its subalpine, open vegetation.  On, after 15 minutes, the additional one kilometre to the kink in the Mount Franklin Road, where the well worn foot pad (a four wheel drive track on first edition maps) took us through open country with snow gums to the trig stick on Mt Gingera.  A very easy walk to what is the ACT's second highest mountain.  We reached the top just after midday.

What magnificent views!  North east was Tidbinbilla Ridge.  Excellent views to this western side I don't often see.  I must soon walk the Mt Domain to Tinbinbilla Peak section!  To the east, first Mt McKeahnie then Booroomba Rocks were easily identified.  The Tinderry Range filled the horizon.  South east the peaks of the Bimberi Wilderness strutted - others identified for me Mt Namadgi, Mt Burbidge and Mt Kelly.  South was Bimberi Peak, the ACT's highest.  West lay the Goodradigbee Valley.  To the north, the communication towers on Mt Ginini identified it.  A few steps south of the trig pole opened up views down into the upper Cotter Valley and Cotter Hut could be seen.  Unfortunately the haze hid clear views south west to KNP.

We lunched and viewed for an hour, then set off NW along the lovely subalpine ridge to Spot Height 1847.  A few steps NW from there brought us to an open vantage point for views down into the Goodradigbee Valley again.

Next, NE to rejoin the Mount Franklin Road.  Lovely views across Snowy Flats and to Little Ginini Mountain as we walked down the relatively open mountainside.  1.50pm saw us regrouping at Pryors Hut, then the wander back along the road to the cars, which we reached at 3.05pm.

This was a tremendous walk!  Easy, but easily the best views of Tidbinbilla, Namadgi, Cotter Valley and Bimberi Wilderness that I have seen.  I'm keen to get to some of the areas I've seen on this walk!

Distance: 14.2km  Time: 10.10am-3.05pm, with 65 minutes of stops.