Pheasant Hill, a 1-point Percy

Tuesday 13 October: Bobeyan vales and hills. This walk at Bobeyan (officially Boboyan) visits several sites relating to the lives and deaths of the locally significant Brayshaw family.  We enjoy the valley landscape then climb the big timbered slopes of Bobeyan Hill and Pheasant Hill, returning to the start in a big loop.  Mostly off track, about 12k, 300m climb. Leader: Matthew H.

11 of us drove in 3 vehicles to the Old Boboyan Rd (South)/Naas car park.

Summary

Distance: 12.6km | Climb: 485m | Time: 9.15am-3.10pm (5hrs 55mins), including 1 hr 20 mins of breaks | Grading: M/M; M(10)

Photographs

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Waypoint and Track Files

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Track Notes

Another great 3-snake, 2-Percy day in the southern ACT with Matthew Higgins! The day was alive with history recounted, birds identified, land form and usage explained, great walking in pleasant conditions and excellent company. What more could one want?

We are indeed fortunate to have half the ACT set aside as Namadgi National Park. It was created with land resumed from farmers and graziers who loved the land then as much as we do now. The day was filled with many stories from their lives as we walked to homestead sites, saw timber clearing efforts and fence construction. Kangaroos grazed, birds twittered in the spring air – and snakes slithered.

Our route was a well-designed circuit that first took us via a detour across the grassy tussocks to James Brayshaws Hut site. This site is marked by the deciduous trees of the orchard and a few laid stones on the ground and always beckons from the west as one usually hurries along the Old Boboyan Rd (South). Today we visited and learned its history.

Back on the road, we paused at David Brayshaws cairn and heard of the tough and sometimes lonely lives of the European settlers of the region.

The huge chimney at the Boboyan Homestead site always impresses as one travel the road. A stop here to view the site and again hear some of the history of the occupants from Matthew’s vast knowledge.

A half kilometre or so further along the road we veered to the left across open and tussocky country. Reaching the edge of the Bulls Flat Creek area, we enjoyed morning tea on a little wooded knoll.

Our next leg took us along the eastern side of the Bulls Flat Creek valley, past several large tree stumps – all that remained from felling or ring-barking. Views opened up to Mt Gudgenby (‘Old Baldy’) and Sentry Box Mountain. At a convenient point our leader swung direction to the south-east and we climbed 200m over 1.3km through generally open woodland to lunch at Boboyan (or, more genuinely, ‘Bobeyan’) Hill. A 1-point Percy.

Having traversed the Naas and Bull Flat vales, but only made it to Boboyan Hill, we needed an additional hill. So it was south-east down from lunch to a lightly timbered gap or saddle and up to Pheasant Hill. This a lovely area, a little more open, with views south-east in the direction of Bredbo. Another 1-pointer. Here a most uncharacteristic for a Tuesday walk, but extremely appreciated, 30 minute laze was enjoyed. Some took in the view, others identified birds, many of us relaxed in a prone position.

We left Pheasant Hill and returned to the saddle, then began heading towards home. Examination of a fire scar on a tree and subsequent regrowth around the edges perhaps gave us an indication of how long it’s been since this part of NNP has experienced fire. A stop at an old fence line was made more lively by a copperhead snake slithering into a wombat hole, and a second as we passed through the tussocky top of a drainage line nearby.

The afternoon sky had mainly cleared after a grey morning with the cloud base quite low as we started walking. Very pleasant walking conditions. An uneventful descent through open woodland with a little fallen timber to the back of James Brayshaws Hut site. Here, both Chris and a third snake equally surprised each other. Chris felt it brush her gaiter as she went one way and the snake the other. Back to the cars.

Great to get back to day walking.

Timings
From To Distance Time
Car park James Brayshaws Hut 0.6km 10mins
James Brayshaws Hut David Brayshaws cairn 1.2km 25mins
David Brayshaws cairn Boboyan Homestead 1.2km 25mins
Boboyan Homestead Morning tea 2.0km 30mins
Morning tea Boboyan Hill 3.4km 1hr 20mins
Boboyan Hill Pheasant Hill 0.9km 25mins
Pheasant Hill Car park 3.3km 1hr15mins
Track Maps

Track

Profile

Party

11 walkers – Carol A, Melinda B, Douglas E, Chris  F, Eric G, David and Meredith H, Matthew H (leader), Quentin M, Lorraine T, me.

Next Tuesday Walk

Tuesday 20 October: Tallaganda National Park – L/R/ part X. The walk is in the northern section of Tallaganda National Park.  From the junction of the Forbes Creek road and the North Black Range fire trail, we follow the Black Range fire-trail for 8 km, then walk off-track for most of the day. We will take a long meandering route east then southwest, through forests, swamps and rocky, undulating ridge country back to the cars. This is a long exploratory trip with steep and scrubby ridges in places. Minimum distance: 20 km with ∼600 metres of ascent. Map: Bombay Leader: Ian W. Transport:  106 km return. Limit: 8.