Tuesday 29 November 2016

Googong Dam: Kayaking from Tin Hut Inlet to London Bridge Arch

General Information


Distance:  4.9 kilometers
Total climb:  n/a
Time taken:  1 hour
Map:  Hoskinstown 8727-2S, 1:25 000
Guide:  link
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  40 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H GA 05482 69442
Destination map grid reference:  55H GA 05175 67464
End point:  same as start


Route



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

Description



While walking in Bungonia Gorge a few days ago I met another hiker from Canberra who mentioned that the water levels in Googong Dam were so high that it was possible to kayak from Tin Hut Inlet down Burra Creek almost to London Bridge Arch. Having hiked in that area almost two years ago I was keen to have a look.


Having parked my car at Tin Hut carpark, I first needed to get my kayak down to the water's edge about 300 meters away down a rough track [note that soon after the carpark the track divides, with the more travelled alternative heading north along the western foreshore - this is not the right track, so keep heading east down the less clear track.]. getting down to the water wasn't too difficult with the help of a kayak trolley, and at the end of the track there is a suitable place for launching. Once in the water, I headed south along the western edge until I entered Burra Creek, which was quite wide initially and there are some very scenic spots.




As I progressed, the creek became narrower and some parts very shallow. I was usually able to find a deeper channel to get through, but in any case I was able to glide over a number of shallow sections without scraping the bottom. There were some submerged rocks at one point that I had to negotiate, and some more obvious rocks further on, but these were not difficult to get around. By the time I could see London Bridge Arch, however, the creek was quite narrow and very shallow.


Only about 40 meters from the Arch the rocks stopped me from kayaking any further, so I pulled up the kayak at this point and went on to the Arch on foot.





I went back to Tin Hut Inlet the same way.

This was a great short paddle with a rewarding journey and interesting destination. It's a shame that once the water goes down again it will not be possible to kayak this near to the Arch, but it may be possible from time to time if you watch the Googong Dam water levels. I suppose it is possible for intrepid kayakers to travel the 22 kilometers from Drumstick Point on the northern end of Googong to London Bridge Arch and return. My arms and shoulders couldn't take it, I'm sure.

Saturday 26 November 2016

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: Camels Hump (3)

General Information


Distance:  13.2 kilometers
Total climb:  649 meters
Time taken:  3 hours
Map:  Tidbinbilla 8627-2S, 1:25 000
Guide:  link
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  49 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 71471 74624
Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 72016 79083
End point:  same as start


I completed this exact walk by myself a few weeks ago, on 27 October 2016. I had also done a slightly longer version of this walk (taking in Pierce Hill as well as Camels Hump) back in May 2015. See blog for the May 2015 hike.

Thursday 24 November 2016

Bungonia National Park: Bungonia Gorge to Shoalhaven River

General Information


Distance:  10.5 kilometers
Total climb:  300 meters
Time taken:  6 hours
Map:  Caoura 8928-3N; 1:25 000
Guide:  link
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  124 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  56H KG 27160 44914
Destination map grid reference:  56H KG 29266 45882
End point:  same as start


Route



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



Description

This was essentially the reverse of the hike I completed on 20 June 2016 (so also refer to commentary for this hike). We again started at the David Reid carpark and followed the Green Track east until it met the intersection with the Red Track and the White Track, near Mt Ayre. This time we followed the extremely steep Red Track down to Bungonia Creek and turned west toward the Bungonia Slot Canyon. Reaching the Canyon we began the scramble over, around and under the boulders that make moving along the Canyon a major expenditure of effort. After a while we decided not to waste any more time in the boulders and headed back down Bungonia Creek towards our destination where the creek meets the Shoalhaven River. This was not an easy walk, mostly over small rocks and requiring several creek crossings and one detour around a brown snake. The Creek was, however, very pretty.


About 200 meters from the Shoalhaven we came across a wide and deep pool in the Creek where some of us stopped for a quick swim before reaching our destination soon after. We picked up the White Track at this point and headed back up out of the gorge. This track was very steep and required a lot of energy at the end of the day, but those of us who had previously climbed up the Red Track considered it marginally easier.

Thursday 3 November 2016

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.