Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: Billy Billy Rocks - West/East Route

General Information

Distance:  5.5 kilometers
Total climb:  300 meters
Time taken:  5 hours 20 minutes
Map:  Corin Dam 8626-1N 1:25 000
Guide:  None available for this route
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  48 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 73985 69672
Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 71961 69141
End point:  same as start

Route

http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Description

Billy Billy Rocks is a rocky peak in the south of the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Having previously hiked to Billy Billy Rocks via the north-south route from Square Rock carpark, we decided to try out the west-east route from further back on the Corin Road near Billy Billy Creek. We had heard that there was a distinct walking track here which was favoured by rock climbers. There is no track from Square Rock carpark, and it is a difficult walk through thick undergrowth and fallen trees.

The starting point for the hike was a management trail off the Corin Road which loops back onto Corin Road about 140 meters south. We followed this trail from the start point for about 300 meters, but failing to find the start of the walking track, we started to head through the bush. This was a mistake, as we found later that the start of the walking track was only about 150 meters further on, closer to the southern intersection with Corin Road. We almost immediately struck thick undergrowth which continued unabated as we first climbed the ridge to the south of Billy Billy Creek and then turned northwest to approach Billy Billy Rocks from the east. We arrived at the edge of the Rocks after spending almost three hours fighting through 2.2 kilometers of scrub. At this point we decided to have lunch. While we were eating lunch my co-hiker saw behind us a ribbon tied to a tree, and then another one. We had finally found the elusive walking track.

The walking track continued into the Rocks themselves, and we naturally took the opportunity to explore them, guided by a series of small marker cairns. We soon found a high rock shelf with views towards the Tidbinbilla Range and the Tidbinbilla Valley, as well as Namadgi National Park in the distance.

We continued into the maze of rocks, clambering over, under and through them, all the time following the marker cairns.

After about 45 minutes exploring we decided to head back. We retraced the marker cairns to where we had first sighted the walking track. We continued along the track, which was mostly easy to pick out, with the occasional pink ribbon giving us some assurance that we remained on it. The track made its was down to Billy Billy Creek, which we immediately crossed. There is then a slight climb before the track heads down the ridge south of Billy Billy Creek (but higher up than we had gone on the outward journey). The track passes over a large number of low rocky outcrops and we needed to be constantly vigilant for small stone cairns, cuts through the undergrowth or other markers to ensure that we remained on the track. We did lose the track on a few occasions, but we were able to recover it by backtracking to the last marker we sighted.

Eventually we came to an open grassy area and it is here that the track meets the management trail we started on, but more towards the southern intersection with Corin Road. There is a small stone cairn just off the road which indicates the start of the trail. My GPS gave the coordinates for this point as 55H FA 73830 69479.

Unless you enjoy thrashing through dense scrub, do not do what we did. Look for the start of the walking track, and if you don't find it, go home. The walking track is still quite a challenging hike. Apart from the difficulty keeping on the track, even with the markers, it is quite steep in parts and the rocky sections are pretty hard on your feet. Still it is far superior to bush bashing through from either the south or the west of Billy Billy Rocks. The rocks themselves are well worth the effort, but time needs to be allowed for exploring the labyrinth of rocks at the top. There are plenty of good views and interesting formations. We even saw (through a small crawlspace) what looked like a military munitions box, possibly the geocache located among the Rocks.