This walk was organised as a Wednesday walk by the combined CBC/FBI/NPA clubs and led by Bob H:
(' The walk this Wednesday will be from the Smokers Trail head off the Corin Dam Road. We will optionally visit a few rocky areas around hill 1457 then rejoin the Smokers Trail down to the upper reaches of Booroomba Creek where there is a light plane wreck. We will then return to the cars via point 1452 and the Smokers Trail. About half of the walk will be on track, with the off track parts mostly through open forest and light scrub. Approx 300 metre of climbing overall. Length: about 11 Km Map: Corin Dam 1:25,000 Forecast: overcast with a few showers max 25. Leader Bob H.'). The morning was grey with constant showers, so only 3 of us turned up at the appointed place and time. We drove via Point Hut Crossing, Corin Dam Road and the sign-posted track to the Smokers Trail car park. |
It was a cool and wintry-looking day as we set off along Smokers Trail at 9.20am in a slight drizzle. Around 330m along the trail we did a right turn and headed up towards Spot Height 1457. Some interesting boulders around the top. It was pleasant to to push through the wet regenerating scrub - new 'Kel' shorts on their first outing and new, lightweight boots with GoreTex lining (so dry feet). From near the spot height we then headed south through the bush, crossed a swampy creek line (the trick is to look for the biggest tree in the creek line and cross there via the hopefully driest way) and hit Smokers Trail. 2.2km and 1 hour and 5 minutes to here.
We then headed on down Smokers Trail, crossing Booroomba Creek at 10.50am and skirting the southern side of the frost hollow of Smokers Flat. By this time the drizzly showers were constant and we were in shells.
From the Link Track turnoff, Smokers Trail heads SW, S, then SE, with two steep-ish drops to the U-bend. There was fresh evidence of tree felling along the side of the trail.
At around 220m past the U-bend, we headed into the bush and down to Booroomba Creek, to a site where our trusty leader had camped around 10 years ago. From here we wandered the creek lines to the aircraft crash site. Again, our trusty leader did well, from memory, to find the site.
He asked that the exact location not be published and I respect that. It's somewhere in the grid square centred on 725645 (1st edition map). We reached it at 12.25pm. A wing lies in a creek line, with the fuselage a little way away on a flatish area. The plane went down in February 1991 and the four occupants were killed. I ran out of camera battery power, but I would not have published a photo either.
We lunched nearby for 30 minutes, then headed NW back to Smokers Trail. The constant rain caused us to leave Spot Height 1452 for another day and we returned to the car via Smokers Trail. 3 large tree branch drops nearby during the day.
A gentle wander on an atypical summer's day, 3 years to the day from the January 2003 fire storms. An opportunity to use new gear and to get my feet back into trim for next week. Thanks, Bob and Henry.
Distance: 12.7km Climb: 350m total. Time: 9.20am - 2.10pm (call it 5 hours) with 30 minutes of breaks.
