Pleasant creek sections of the walk

Saturday 19 December: Southern ACT Walkabout – M/M,ptX
Enjoy the drive through the centre of Namadgi National Park to the ACT’s southern border. Walk the fire trail going east along the border through Burnt Hill. A little further on we turn north and go off-track down a drainage line to Back or Grassy Creek – it looks like open woodland on Google Earth. We then follow Back or Grassy Creek back up to the start. Expect border markers, geocaches and indigenous and European sites. Around 10km and 250m climb. Additional options (eg. Yerrabi Track) if desired. Maps: Shannons Flat and Bredbo. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au. Transport: ~$17 per person.

7 of met in the Lanyon Marketplace car park (opposite my new home) and then drove in 2 vehicles via the Boboyan Road to the ACT southern border.

Further Information

A fire yesterday and today near Mt Clear caused me to pop out to Tharwa yesterday evening to check that the Boboyan Road was open.

Summary

Distance: 8.5km | Climb: 280m | Time: 8.15-11.40am (3hrs 25mins), including 20 mins of breaks | Grading: S/M,ptX; E(7)

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.

Waypoint and Track Files

Download the .gpx file. (Right click, Save Link As…, Save – if you want to use it.)
To use in Google Earth, do File, Open… and select Gps or All files as the File Type.

Track Notes

A warm day forecast for Canberra at 36ºC, so we set off early. A stop at the Hospital Hill lookout to admire the big hills (Kelly, Burbidge, Namadgi) at the heart of Namadgi National Park, and the rocky dome of Gudgenby.

We parked on the west side of the Boboyan Rd near the stile. 55km from my new home. Set off at 8.15am and were pleasantly surprised by the agreeable temperature and tempering breeze. Walked east along the fire trail which heads to Burnt Hill. A couple of helicopters buzzing about, probably filling with water at the dam near the Mt Clear camping ground.

Some of the party had never seen an ACT border marker, so we called in at H41. (Readers who have not had the pleasure can view a thousand odd photos of border markers by drilling down through here.

Very soon after, because I’m an old codger living in a retirement village, I realised I’d not brought my GC1W6K9 Tour de South Namadgi multi-leg geocache working sheet with me, so trotted back to the car to collect same.

Continuing along the fire trail, we came to the W40 blaze tree and the story of the blaze finding its way into the Canberra Museum and Gallery was told. Heading up to Burnt Hill, we viewed the S40 cement-filled galvanised iron pipe border corner. A pause at Burnt Hill to view ‘The Far South Border’ signage.

Down the hill from Burnt Hill, we doubled back through a bit of Cassinia scrub to re-join our entry fire trail on the northern spur of Burnt Hill. Here we stopped in the shade and a bit of breeze for morning tea. Somewhere along here WP4 of GC1W6K9 Tour de South Namadgi was found (thanks Phillip), calculations correctly made (thank goodness for check sums) and the final GZ found.

We then headed east to join a major drainage line that runs down to Grassy Creek. Very pleasant walking, the area still green. Top pic in theme photo (above). On an old vehicle track for some of this leg, sort of paralleling the (not map marked, new since the 2003 fires) fire trail which runs from Burnt Hill down to join the Long Flat Fire Trail.

Down near Grassy Creek we visited Reg Brayshaws Hut site. Some info here. We next went to the Winston-Gregson knapping site, but could find no evidence.

Our final leg took us up Grassy Creek, first on the true right side then, as wisely suggest by Chris and Phillip, we crossed to the true left side to avoid some steepness. Again, within 500m of the road, more pleasant and green going, the bottom pic in the theme photo (above).

We hit the Boboyan Road at the Grassy Creek ford and wandered back to the cars.

That was it for the day, as a sore toe limited us. No one complained, as it was getting warm. And no one certainly complained when it was suggested we get cold drinks from the Tharwa General Store and have lunch there.

Stopped briefly at Glendale picnic area for Angus to find GC62PXX Glendale Gaol for me.

Never seen Val’s shop so busy. Ten or so young lads on road bikes with a support vehicle were having a break, and 4 motor bikes pulled in. So we took our drinks down to the open area near the bridge and found shade under a poplar tree.

Thanks everyone. Hope you enjoyed this little stroll … and the geocaching!

Track Maps

Track Walk 1

Track Walk 2

Party

7 walkers – Tina B, Chris F, Jenny H, Peter J, Angus R, Phillip S, me.