This walk was organised and (technically - we had a youth group leader) led by me as a private walk for the Parkway Empower guys:
Saturday 16 May – Parkway Youth Ramble - Gorilla Rock and Booroomba Rocks – M/M. From the Honeysuckle Camping Ground follow the AAWT N. Strike through the bush to Gorilla Rock, then E and N to the granite slabs of SH1396 and SH1372. Walk the cliff-top above Middle Rocks and North Butress to SH1353. Return via the Booroomba Rocks Walk and AAWT. Around 10.5km and 400m climb. Map: Corin Dam. Limit of 8 guys plus 2 leaders. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: Be at Parkway by 8am. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.
9 of us met at Parkway Church buildings and drove in 3 vehicles to the Honeysuckle Creek camping ground.
Pretty much the same as 28 Apr 09. There are some pics here to give you a taste of the area. We might try a group cohesiveness assessment (see here) afterwards.
We could allow around 6 hrs for this event, something like 9am-3pm, including lunch and a chat. It's about a 50 minute drive each way from Parkway. Let's hope it's not wet, unless the party members have waterproofs. This is a bushwalk with 4km off-track, not insignificant for first-time walkers. Party members may be strong, but you also need endurance and persistence.
When - be on time:
- meet at Parkway by 8am
- back by 4pm if you need to be picked up.
What to wear and bring - daggy is cool:
- closed-toed shoes - sneakers ok, something tougher like boots better. They will get wet and dirty
- wear old clothes, with extra for warmth and rain/cold protection; hat/beanie, gloves if it's cold. Rain protection if wet forecast. Bring a change of clothes and a towel in a spare bag and leave in the car to change/cleanup after
- lunch - maybe sambos and fruit; morning tea - maybe fruit and a couple of muesli bars; water (at least 1 litre) in a PET bottle or similar
- stick it all in some sort of backpack - got to have your hands free so can't carry anything
- bring a camera if you want some awesome shots, but wrap it up for protection.
Party dynamics - don't muck me about:
- I'm the technical (ie. bushwalking) leader, so follow me
- In this instance the body (1 Cor 12:12-26) is a caterpillar - the front stops and waits for the back to catch up and we all stick together
- Unless you want to be like Eutychus (Act 20:7-12) - and Booroomba Rocks is a little more than 3 stories high - be careful near the top of the cliff
Safety - be prepared:
- I recce-d the route on 28 Apr 09
- I carry a PLB, GPS, map and compass, first aid kit and kitchen sink
- at all times we are within 1km of a recognised walking track, so there are plenty of emergency or poor weather exits/alternatives
Most important:
- have fun!
Weather forecast: For Canberra, as at am Wednesday 13May - 'Saturday Shower or two. Windy. Min 8 Max 15'
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Here's the proposed route - |
Here's what we'll see - |
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Check out the recce in the area via Google Earth. If you have the application loaded, click here!
Walk
The severe weather warning of gale force winds above 1200m in the ACT had me a bit concerned and, with showers also forecast, I scurried to borrow a couple of spare raincoats to accompany my 2 spares. Jim, the leader for the day, also brought some spares. We had 2 current First Aiders in the party, so that was good.
We had a little bushwalking briefing before we set off and, with another hat on, I posed a couple of questions. Our theme for the day was 'Being a man of honour in a dishonourable world.' I was really interested in the guys' answers as I was old enough to be their grandfather and I need to keep in touch with this generation. Nice to be able to pray (out loud!) prior to and at the completion of the day.
We wandered along the link track, then turned right (left would have taken us over 600km to Victoria) onto the AAWT. Several bridges later (I counted 6 on the recce but only 5 today) we arrived at the place to go bush to Gorilla Rock. We dutifully did and you can see from the wandering track in via the KMZ file on Google Earth that I wasn't paying much attention (actually, I was trying to pick the best route!). We arrived at the granite tor, marked with an * on the map (see pic 1) and appreciated his profile. Time for a quick morning tea.
With a couple of issues in mind, including the high winds we were experiencing (which would have been heaps worse on the exposed granite slabs approaching Booroomba Rocks), I decided we would turn around. Josh led us out - just see his perfectly straight line of march via Google Earth, compared with my wanderings in. Excellent going, Josh!
Back at the AAWT I went back to get my car and the others walked towards Booroomba Rocks car park. I had time to walk back for 5 mins to meet the guys and we had an early lunch at the car park. It was really interesting to hear the guys' opinions on the theme of the day and we had a talk on the development of relationships and other issues.
Away again we wandered up the track to Booroomba Rocks. Nice view from the cliff top. We went on to SH1353 and took in the panorama. See pic 2 and pic 3.
Back down to the car park the drivers went back to pick up the other cars, we regrouped and drove to the Namadgi Visitors Centre for a poke around. The large map display there gave us a feel for where we were and how much more there is to explore.
After that we headed to Tharwa and walked along to the De Salis cemetery. One has to admire the people in those days who did what they did with so few tools. Saw an eagle soaring.
Back to Parkway.
Great fun and views. Thanks Andrew, Ante, Ben, Daniel, David, Jim, Joshua and Michael. Eat your hearts out, girls - they had a supervised sleepover but the apple turnovers offered to us when we met were excellent! Hats off to Ps Sussie, Jim and all the others involved to make this a great day. I'm up for more.
Distance: 10.8km Climb: 350m. Time: 9am - 1.30pm; 2.30-3.15pm
Grading: M/E-M; M(8)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Parkway Youth Ramble - Gorilla Rock and Booroomba Rocks; De Salis Cemetery
