Yanununbeyan State Conservation Area: Spring Creek Gorge

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:   10.2 kilometers

Total climb:   407 meters

Time taken:   4 hours  20 minutes

Maps:   Captains Flat 8726-1N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   50 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H GA 13034 63448

Destination map grid reference:  55H GA 12805 60486

End point:  same as start

Route

Description

I had previously done a version of this walk on 14 September 2018 (link), but this later route was considerably easier and arguably more interesting. As on the previous walk, we started at the day use area carpark off Woolcara Lane about 14 kilometers south of Captains Flat Road. We first climbed the ridge to the summit of Corner Hill and followed the Corner Hill Fire Trail to the south. Just before the ridge we were on started to get steeper as it approached the Queanbeyan River, we headed east and then south through some moderately difficult terrain (but not as difficult as the previous route following the river).

Eventually we found ourselves on a ridge line taking us due south towards our destination. This was easy walking through dry forest. The most interesting sight was a rusty old truck in the middle of nowhere partly crushed by a fallen tree.

Eventually the ridge we were on fell down towards the river and with a bit of a final steep descent we were in the Spring Creek gorge.

We paused in the gorge for lunch and then climbed out the same way we had climbed down. We made our way to another ridge further to the east of the one we had followed to get to the gorge, and this took us north to Woolcara Lane. We walked along Woolcara Lane back to our starting point.

Yanununbeyan State Conservation Area: Spring Creek Gorge

General Information

Distance:   10.6 kilometers

Total climb:   478 meters

Time taken:   4 hours  40 minutes

Maps:   Captains Flat 8726-1N 1:25 000

Source:  http://www.johnevans.id.au/wp/19-april-2018-queanbeyan-river-and-spring-creek-gorge/

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   50 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H GA 13034 63448

Destination map grid reference:  Corner Hill 55H GA 12316 63828
                                                    Queanbeyan River 55H GA 12436 62396
                                                    Spring Creek Gorge 55H GA 12805 60486

End point:  same as start

Route

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

Description

This walk commenced at the day use area carpark off Woolcara Lane about 14 kilometers south of Captains Flat Road. We started off by heading west towards some very thick scrub which we were obliged to go around to the left. Having cleared the scrub we veered northwest and started our climb up a ridge to the summit of Corner Hill.

Near the summit a quite indistinct track (Corner Hill Fire Trail) can be found leading down the hill to the south.

We followed this for about 800 meters before heading bush again towards a series of pools along the Queanbeyan River. Unfortunately the place where we approached the river was particularly steep, and although we were able to scramble down we could have made it easier on ourselves if we had gone down a much gentler ridge slightly to the east.

Where we met the river, however, was a particularly picturesque spot that we would probably not otherwise have seen.

We tried to follow the river upstream, but finding too many obstacles in our way we decided to gradually climb above the river, at first in an easterly direction and then south. This was not an easy part of the walk either, with prickly scrub to avoid and numerous deep gullies to climb down and then back out of. Eventually we found the spot where Spring Creek meets the Queanbeyan River.

The Spring Creek gorge is just 100 meters or so above the river.

We climbed out of Spring Creek to the south and immediately veered east before heading north towards the ridge that parallels Woolcara Lane. We followed the ridge north and then linked up with Woolcara Lane, which we followed for the last 2 kilometers to the carpark.