120000 Fifteen Mile CB and 120010

Map: Hall 1:25000

Walk Description

This walk was organised and led by me a private walk:

Saturday 2 February: Border Markers in Dunlop Grasslands NR - S/E,ptX. Hunt border markers on the straight line from Dunlop Grasslands Nature Reserve.

Just me - I wouldn't ruin friendships by inviting anyone on this ramble! I came in from the western end of Gininderra Drive and parked just off the corner of James Harrison St and Waterworth St in (new) Dunlop.

Photographs

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Track Maps

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Track

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Track Notes

It would be nice to finish the ACT border in 2013, so I'll take every opportunity to do so. This little 2 hour ramble, limited by private property at each extent, yielded a number of markers:

6 markers/pairs of markers - 108000 Gas Pipe/108010, 114230.71, 115238.12, 116000 Gas Pipe covered by Mound/116010, 118773.3 Gas Pipe covered by Mound and 120000 Fifteen Mile CB/120010.

3 markers not on the ACTPLA list (the original field notebook for this area is not extant) - Unknown lockspit 1 at UTM 55H 684602-6105131 (MGA94), Unknown lockspit 2 at UTM 55H 684610-6105134 (MGA94) and Unknown lockspit 3 at UTM 55H 684773-6105246 (GDA94).

2 markers/pairs of markers possibly identified - 112000 Fourteen Mile CB/112010 and 122226.7 Cut on Bdy (Por 123 and Por 122).

The Gooroomon Ponds traverse markers (2 pairs) could not be identified - 109870.95 CB/109880.95 and 110166.9 Gooroomon Ponds traverse/110154.85.

The area has changed a lot since my last visit on 27 Mar 11. More houses close to the Nature Reserve.

I parked and wandered W-ish over to the border, to be greeted by signage about the border straight line. Turned SW onto the border which here is the Bicentennial National Trail. A clear view (along the straight line!) over towards the Brindabellas (Mt Coree). Down to Gooroomon Ponds which is a bit of a mess after flooding, with bits of the concrete ford displaced. So no sign of the Gooroomon Ponds traverse markers (2 pairs) - 109870.95 CB/109880.95 and 110166.9 Gooroomon Ponds traverse/110154.85. (I'll consider the pairs as one site, as they are 109880.95 - 109870.95 = 10.0 links = 2.01 metres and 110166.9 - 110154.85 = 12.05 links = 2.42 metres apart.)

Further on I came to the 108000 Gas Pipe/108010 pair. Popping over the (3) fences, I'll claim the site. Granite rocks by the NSW property fence line, none others in the area. I continued on a couple of hundred metres to the road into 'Jarramlee', but didn't want to go further as it was private property. Turning around, I saw the Border Walk 3km return signage.

I retraced my steps to the border straight line signage and continued to the NE. I'll claim a possible for the 112000 Fourteen Mile CB/112010 pair, as there was a scatter of granite rocks near the new fence. A little detour away from the exact straight line of the border, to get around the damp outflow from the West Belconnen ponds.

Back down on the line, 114230.71 was a yes - the only few granite rocks anywhere near the fence line. It certainly is a 'grasslands' NR - NSW farms on one side and Canberra suburbs over the grass to the other. 115238.12 was a similar yes - granite rocks nestled by the border fence once the long grass was cleared away. The pair 116000 Gas Pipe covered by Mound/116010 was again a similar marker - the fence had left me here. Yet another pile of similar rocks for 118773.3 Gas Pipe covered by Mound. (These are the original descriptions - in this area taken from ACTPLA data, as the original field notebook is not available.)

The pair 120000 Fifteen Mile CB/120010 site was quite spectacular (used as the theme photo for this walk report).

Next, near the bend in the 132kV power lines, came 3 obvious, straight lockspits that I had no GPS data for. As I've said, Percy Sheaffe's original field notebooks are not available for this area and I was working from ACTPLA surveying data. Must ask Alex P about them.

Finally, a possible for 122226.7 Cut on Bdy (Por 123 and Por 122) - obviously a possible identification of a resurveyed marker.

I continued on for a while, across a drainage line and a fence, but I know I was on private property and my conscience got the better of me.

Returned through the NR and around the ponds. This is a nice area - I could even live here.

Summary

Distance: 7.5km Climb: 50m. Time: 12.05 - 2.15pm (2hrs 10 mins), with no breaks.

Grading: S/E,ptX; E(5)