Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: Billy Billy Rocks - North/South Route

General Information

Distance:  5.4 kilometers
Total climb:  347 meters
Time taken:  7 hours
Map:  Corin Dam 8626-1N; 1:25: 000
Guide:  Graeme Barrow, Namadgi & Tidbinbilla Classics: Tough Bushwalks in Canberra's 
                                        High Country (2000), pp. 25-27.
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  52 kilometers
Start point map grid reference: 55H FA 73102 67537
Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 71942 69153
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. There are two main routes off Corin Road to get to the Rocks, one approaching from the east and the other from the south. On this occasion we decided to do the north-south route. This starts at Square Rock carpark, which is just a bit after the Corin Forest recreation area. Crossing Corin Road from the carpark we initially headed north and then west, avoiding the boggy ground around Gibraltar Creek. The climb was only moderate in the early stages of the hike, but it became steeper as we veered northwest up the hill at map reference FA721686 where there is a Bogong cave. As well as the steepness of the climb, we were faced with thick scrub and lots of fallen trees, a legacy of the 2003 bushfires. Due to these factors, it took us over 2 hours to hike our first 2 kilometers. Arriving at the peak at FA721686 we searched for the Bogong cave but without success. There were some interesting rock formations here though.



We then hiked due north towards Billy Billy Rocks. This meant we had to descend through the continuing dense scrub and fallen trees down to Billy Billy Creek and then climb up the other side. This took us another hour or so. Perhaps we would have been better off following the contours around to the west and then veering east to approach the Rocks. We spent some time exploring the Rocks, but were unable to find the stone cairns that would lead us to the best views over Namadgi and Tidbinbilla. We did get a few glimpses through the rocks and trees though.



Running short on time we decided to head back - not a pleasant thought given the terrain we had walked through to get to the Rocks. For some crazy reason we walked back to the peak at FA721686, which we should have just walked around to the east, saving us another climb. We then headed roughly straight southeast to get back to the car. This took us through the boggy ground around Gibraltar Creek, where I managed to stand on a red-bellied black snake which thankfully slithered off away from me.

Graeme Barrow rated this walk as "Hard" back in 2000, but given the post-bushfire regrowth and fallen trees it has become even more difficult. Barrow said that the walk should take 4.5 hours, but we took 7 wearying hours. My co-hikers and I decided that next time we would use the west-east route, where we had heard that there is at least a track of some description.