19 June 2012 More B&B Sites at TNR

View from seat at 1220m contour on Snowy Corner footpad

Map:Tidbinbilla 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 19 June - More Boot and Bulbeck Sites at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve - M/M,X up to L/R,ptX. Wander around TNR looking for a number of sites documented in the Boot and Bulbeck 1991 Cultural Resource Survey and Conservation Plan. If time and inclination allow, investigate the bottom of the Snowy Corner footpad, or even up it to Mt Domain. Around 11+ (up to 23) km and 150+ (up to 1000) m climb. Map: Tidbinbilla. Leader: John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ~$5 per person.

3 of us met in town, picking up the fourth at TNR.

Further Information

Sunrise at 7.12am, sunset at 4.58pm.

Walk 1

John Smiths 1894 KHA796 Boot & Bulbeck (1991) pp.76-78.

Walk 2

Investigate bottom of Snowy Corner footpad. Walk up to Snowy Corner cairn.

Walk 3

Ribbon Gum Theatre KHA844
Wildlife Enclosure Precinct KHA824 Extensively damaged Jan 2003 bushfire.

Walk 4

Eucalyptus Oil Distillery and camp KHA785 Boot & Bulbeck (1991) pp.110-113
Gauging station map-marked.

Walk 5

Animal House KHA819 Destroyed Jan 2003 bushfire
John Noones 1896 KHA801 Boot & Bulbeck (1991) pp.87-89.

Photographs

You can access all photographs here.

Walk

Track map: thumbnail is active
- click for a larger picture

Walk 1

We drove up the back, parking at the top end of Ashbrook Rd fire trail. Down the fire trail a bit, then an inviting footpad lured me down the creek. Tight going crossing Mountain Creek, then to the John Smith's 1984 site waypoint. Had a good wander round, but could not identify anything. A clearing to the S. We gave up, a very easy exit to the fire trail and across the ford back to the car. 1.5km, 40m climb. 40mins.

Walk 2

Drove to Mountain Creek car park. Walked the Cascade Trail, marking all the bridges and the 2 junctions of the Cascade and Lyrebird Trails. A stop at the waterfall and tree ferns - I always love this little nook. Around the Lyrebird Trail to the turn off to climb over the little spur. I photographed a burnt tree which marks the turn off point. From here, you go up to the crest of the spur, about 100m distance, and strike the old alignment of the Lyrebird Trail. Trying to sort this area out, we turned left (East) and walked 30m along to the seat. a couple of metres further E is a conglomerate rock with quite a view from it. The ground drops away over the other side. There is NO track - we faffed around trying to find it, but in the end turned back and went W-ish along the old Lyrebird Track alignment to the boulder at UTM 55H 670840-6074550 (MGA94) which was written up in pre-2003 fire years as marking the bottom of the footpad up the spur to the top of the Tidbinbilla Range. 30m further on, an upright burnt sapling which I photographed marks the bottom of the footpad up to the Snowy Corner cairn. Mark was interested in all this. As walk 1 had been most unproductive, I thought we ought to take some exercise, so we went up.

The footpad is quite recognisable at the bottom. It must be getting quite some use, as the way up was relatively easy to follow. There are a few pieces of tape and several cairns. A few of these I waypointed. A second stool is seemingly incongruously placed about half way up, at the 1220m contour. It does command a great view of the Tidbinbilla Valley. We had morning tea for 15mins. Deciding to go all the way, the vegetation through which the footpad passes is a little less dense on the top half. A bit of track braiding right near the top.

The trip up the footpad, from the bottom of the spur pad to the cairn at the top, is 1.4km, climbing 460m from the 990m contour to the 1450m contour. It took us 1hour, not counting our 15min morning tea. Coming down took 50mins. Weather was cool, sunny and sheltered from the wind - just about perfect. Still, I lost the footpad momentarily on several occasions and it was good having other party members to eyeball corrections. I'd not recommend this for a lone trip.

Once down we went E on the old Lyrebird alignment, over the crest and rejoined the new Lyrebird Trail. Completed it in an anti-clockwise direction. I haven't often come in this way and was unsure of where Lyrebird comes in. It comes in just off the in-road of the Mountain Creek car park and parallels this (you can see the gravel path) to arrive right at the low gate at the bottom of the Camel Back fire trail.

Sat at a table and had lunch.

Walk 3

We drove to car park which used to lead to the entrance to the Wildlife Enclosure Precinct pre 2003 bushfire and is now a side entrance to the Sanctuary. It can't be said that all my walks are tough - this one was 150m along a sealed path to the Ribbon Gum theatre. It's a lovely new place with beautiful indigenous paintings in vivid colour all along the back. All that remains of the old theatre, burnt in 2003, is the opening plaque.

Walk 4

Drove to the Black Flats car park for another tough walk of 230m up along the bank of the Tidbinbilla River. Found the gauging station with weir and had a look at where the river comes out of the Sanctuary. The car park has enveloped the Eucalyptus Oil Distillery and Camp site.

Walk 5

Last and least, drove back to a side management trail and wandered in to the burnt out Animal House area and further to the John Noone's site. Couldn't identify anything there.

I think we were all getting a bit sick of faffing around with no joy, so we headed for home.

Pity about the sites. But a nice stroll up to the Snowy Corner cairn on the Tidbinbilla Range. Thanks Eric G, Mark I and Peter J.

Distance: 10.1km Climb: 700m. Time: 9.00am - 2.50pm (5hrs 50mins), with 35mins of stops and a bit of driving around.
Grading: M/E-M,ptX; M(11)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: More BandB Sites at TNR

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This page last updated 30Aug22