General Information
Distance: 16.8 kilometers
Total climb: 767 meters
Time taken: 6 hours 20 minutes
Map: Tinderry 8726-1S, 1:25 000
Guide: none available
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO: 72 kilometers
Starting point map grid reference: 55H GA 06863 43178
Destination map grid reference: 55H GA 05525 47202 [not achieved]
End point: same as start
Route
http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/
Description
The starting point for the hike was the small carpark off Tinderry Road where it meets the Round Flat Fire Trail,15 kilometers east of Michelago. We set out by following the Round Flat Fire Trail until it intersects with the East Tinderry Fire Trail, just over 3 kilometers into the hike. We followed the East Tinderry Fire Trail north for another 2.5 kilometers.
At a slight kink in the Trail at map reference GA802470, we walked due east through the bush until we met a minor road leading on the right to a pig trap at map reference GA073471. From the pig trap we followed Groggy Creek after it bends to the northwest to its source, but eventually left the creek travelling southwest to try to locate a spot to the south of Tinderry Peak itself where, based on other bushwalker accounts, we could climb to the summit. This is where we came unstuck, finding ourselves in the maze of rocks around map reference GA595471 only a few hundred meters from Tinderry Peak which we could see clearly.
Having had a fairly late start to the hike we were running out of time, so to be sure of getting back before dark we decided to head back and leave the Peak for another day. Initially we hiked in an easterly direction where we found a large rock platform around map reference GA066471 which offered an excellent view to the east.
Since the rock shelf ended in a high cliff to the east, we turned north until we cleared the rocks and using the GPS which I had programmed with the coordinates earlier, made our way back to the pig trap. From there we followed the small side track which actually took us all the way back to the East Tinderry Fire Trail just a bit south of where we left it on the way up. We then retraced our steps down the East Tinderry and Round Flat Fire Trails to the carpark.
While it was disappointing not to reach Tinderry Peak, we had taken the safe option to ensure we didn't get caught out on the track after sunset. At least this failure gives us a reason for doing it all again. Next time we may try another route: Round Flat Fire Trail until it bends sharply east; then north through the bush until Roberts Creek; then follow Roberts Creek to just south of Tinderry Peak; then climb the Peak from the south. Overall, however, this was a very good hike with a nice mix of fire trails and bush-bashing; an opportunity to use map/GPS navigation skills rather than just following someone else's trail. The forest is thick, but reasonably easy to pass through. The rock outcrops which scatter throughout the area make navigation more difficult, and we probably should have paid more attention to the map and GPS as we were ascending to avoid these.
