30 January 2010 Billy Billy Rocks
Map: Corin Dam 1:25000
Getting There
This walk was organised and led by Mike B as an NPA walk:
Saturday 30 January - Billy Billy Rocks - 1 B/D/E. Leader: Mike B. Early start and early finish for this fairly short walk from Smokers Gap through patches of regrowth to Billy Billy Rocks for views over Tidbinbilla. We'll stop in at Bogong Cave along the way. About 6km, with a 400m total climb. Drive 80km, $32 per car.
9 of us met in Tuggeranong and drove to the Smokers Gap (Square Rock) car park.
Photographs
Access all primary pics here. All thumbnails in the walk report are active - click for a larger picture.
Walk
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A generally N then W 2-sides-of-triangle route to escape the worst of the regrowth took us 2.1km in 1hr25mins to Bogong Cave. Great to listen to party members who know their plants. All I can remember is that we saw several clumps of purple-berried Dianella (Blue Flax Lily). Passed through an area that was hopping with mountain grasshoppers. We stopped for morning tea in Bogong Cave, which a few of the party had not seen before.
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Next, a 700m contour around the top of Billy Billy Creek to the S flank of Billy Billy Rocks. Finding marker cairn 1 (UTM 55H 672009-6069117 (GDA94)), we spent a little time trying to find a way up to the top of the rocks from it - I'm sure I've been up here before. But we couldn't find an appropriate route, so sidled NE around the base of the largest boulders. Here, in quick succession, were marker cairns 2, 3 and 4 which took us to an excellent viewing area.
(Thanks to Mike B for pointing out that the location originally published for the first marker cairn in my walk report 12 Jan 08 was incorrect. It has since been corrected.) |
| Cairn 1 near Billy Billy Rocks | Cairn 2 near Billy Billy Rocks | Cairn 3 near Billy Billy Rocks | Cairn 4 near Billy Billy Rocks |
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Wonderful views from NW round to the E to the Tidbinbilla Range and the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The pictures on the left are worth a thousand words. |
| 1 View to Tidbinbilla Range and TNR from Billy Billy Rocks | 2 Mt Domain and Tidbinbilla Mountain from Billy Billy Rocks | 3 Billy Billy Rocks | TNR from Billy Billy Rocks |
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Mike had planned a return leg a little to the E of the inward one. Slow going. A short stop for lunch at 1pm (short because I was urging to get back for my second walk of the day - note to self and readers - don't do this. You never know the conditions (party, going, etc) on a walk and it's unfair to fellow walkers to be pushing.). We admired a pair of sulphur-crested white cockatoos nesting in a hollow in a tree. |
| Cockatoo in nest near Billy Billy Rocks (photo courtesy of Mike B) |
Back to the cars via the pig-rooted flats.
Thanks Mike and all, a nice stroll to a different part of Billy Billy Rocks for me.
Distance: 5.6km Climb: 350m. Time: 8.10am - 2.05pm (call it 6hrs), with 30mins of stops.
Grading: S/R; M(9); 1 B/D/E
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Billy Billy Rocks
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This page last updated 11Aug22