3 September 2011 long time walkabout - 12-hr walk

Map: Yaouk 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC walk:

Saturday 3 September - long time walkabout - 12-hr walk - L/E-M. Do you want to gently extend your walking limits? The aim of this trip is to just walk for 12 hours. A circuit from the Yankee Hat car park via Gudgenby saddle to join Sams Creek fire trail. Down the beautiful Naas Creek valley to Lutons Crutching Shed, a short walk down the Grassy Creek fire trail, then return via the Old Boboyan Road. View many sites of historical interest. All on fire trail and footpad. Guaranteed breaks each hour and a very manageable 3km/hr average speed. Around 30km and 600m climb. Map: Yaouk. Leader: John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$12 per person.

7 of us met at Kambah and we gained the 8th at Lanyon. We drove in 2 vehicles to the Yankee Hat car park, dodging the roos.

Further Information

The planned route:

1 From Yankee Hat car park down the Old Boboyan Road. Into Frank and Jacks Hut and the nearby stockyard and dip. Continue on well formed management trails to near Bogong Creek, turn left on the management trail to the point where we leave it. Follow footpad to top of creek flats. This leg ~5km, 90m vertical gain.

2 A well defined footpad, taped and cairned in places, leads to Gudgenby saddle. Pick our way through open forest down to the double blue tapes on Sams Creek fire trail. Follow increasing well defined footpad and old fire trail to the junction with the Maurice Luton fire trail. This leg ~5km, 270m vertical gain.

3 Follow Sams Creek fire trail down the Naas Creek valley, visiting the Richard Brayshaw Hut site and viewing the fork fencing by Naas Creek, to the Crawford homestead and orchard site and Lutons Crutching Shed. This leg ~5km.

4 Continue on the Sams Creek fire trail for a short distance, then SW along the Grassy Creek fire trail to view old fork fencing on Sheep Station Creek, Lone Pine Homestead site and the Baby Crawford plaque opposite. Return, visiting Alexander Brayshaws 1879 hut site. The junction of the Sams Creek fire trail and Bulls Flat fire trial marks the end of this leg of ~5km and 30m vertical gain.

5 Turn N onto the Old Boboyan Road, a substantial management trail. Pass yards on the side of the road. The crest of the spur N of Breakfast Creek marks the end of this leg of ~5km and 60m vertical gain.

6 Continue N on the Old Boboyan Road. Detour E along footpad to visit Hospital Creek Hut. Return and continue N to the cars. This leg ~5km, 70m vertical gain.

If necessary, the route can be shortened by 4km by omitting the leg to Lone Pine Homestead and by a further 0.7km by not visiting Hospital Creek Hut.

On Saturday 3 September, there is 12hrs +16min of civil daylight! Civil sunrise (just see in ideal conditions) 0555; sunrise 0621; sunset 1745; civil sunset (just see in ideal conditions) 1811.

Coordinate with WBB - don't run it same or consecutive weekend as WBB.

Photographs

You can access all photographs here.

Walk

Track maps: thumbnails are active - click for a larger picture
Track overview	Track 1	Track 2

A cloudy day as we began. Mt Gudgenby was hidden as we wandered down the Old Boboyan Road and in to Frank and Jacks Hut and Dip. NW then SW along the management trails to reach the spot where we cut across the creek flats. The nearly 5.5km to the start of the Gudgenby saddle taped footpad was covered in 1 hour, so with this party of racers it was not going to be a 12-hr walk.

True to my track record I lost the way 5 times going up to Gudgenby saddle. This is definitely not a good feeling with the Walks Secretary and several living legends in your party J. Did better going down to the Naas Creek - only because there is no continuous footpad.

We swung left and picked up the benched, initially overgrown Sams Creek fire trail after intersecting it at the quite indistinct area near the 'double blue' tapes. 3hrs 5mins to do the 10.6km to the junction with the Maurice Luton fire trail and view the 'Welcome 12 hr walkers' sign.

The day had cleared by now, weather-wise, into a blue-sky day. The banter was thickening. Out onto the edge of the cleared Naas Creek valley we followed the fire trail to the first of the historic sites. 'True believers' had a slight advantage over the 'skeptics' at this point, so the majority believed that the grass covered pile of granite directly beside the fire trail was indeed Richard Brayshaws hut site. However, CR was a formidable leader of the dark side.

Great fork fencing (to my mind, at least) down close to the Naas Creek. A couple of km further on we came to the Crawford Homestead site, piles of squared granite and exotic fruit trees adding credence to my tales. Up to the nearby Lutons Crutching Shed where we no doubt disturbed the serenity of a lone walker. About 4hrs 30mins and 15.5km to here.

Rob had mentioned a yard that he'd seen pre-2003 fires, up on the spur between Sheep Station Creek and Bulls Flat Creek, so we headed directly to Sheep Station Creek and a soggy crossing of same. It allowed for a close inspection of the fork fencing here. Up the spur for a while, to a flat area near granite remembered by Rob, but no yards. Perhaps we'll go back some time for another look.

With stomachs protesting because of early breakfasts, we quickly descended to the Grassy Creek fire trail and so to Lone Pine Homestead site for lunch.

A visit to the Baby Crawford plaque opposite, then back NE along the fire trail. A visit to Alexander Brayshaws Hut site by 3 of the faithful. 5 unbelievers waited on the track.

Down to skip across the Naas Creek ford, then the long, hard surface of the Old Boboyan Road taking us N towards the cars. A short detour to Hospital Creek Hut for arvo tea.

So back to the cars. At the early hour we sat on the picnic table and benches and consumed champagne, apple juice, biscuits and cheese, olives and chips.

It was reported - and accepted by true believers and sceptics alike - that ever-effervescent Jacqui went home and on to a Federation Ball, dancing the night away till midnight, then stacking chairs till 1.30am. She recommends this for any post-walk warm-down.

A great day. Thanks to Mark B, Rob H, Pam R, Chris R and Cynthia B, Jacqui R and Ralph Y.

Distance: 30.8km Climb: 550m. Time: 6.50am - 3.40pm (call it 9hrs - too fast), with 50mins of breaks.
Grading: L/E-M; M(11)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: long time walkabout 12-hr walk

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This page last updated 28Aug22