Uriarra Forest: Mt Blundell and Uriarra Hill

General Information

Distance:  12.5 kilometers
Total climb:  597 meters
Time taken:  3 hours 20 minutes
Map:  Cotter Dam 8627-2N 1:25 000
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  38 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 70480 92980
Destination map grid reference:  Mt Blundell - 55H FA 68318 92812
                                                    Uriarra Hill - 55H FA 69575 91848
End point:  same as start

Route

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

Description

I commenced this walk at the locked gate on Blue Range Road, just before Blue Range Hut. I initially followed Blue Range Road until I reached the trail which intersects with Blue Range Road on the right at 55H FA 69726 93561. Some nice views looking backwards.

I turned off onto this track and after a short time it started to climb steeply.

There were glimpses of good views back towards Canberra.

Eventually I reached the summit of Mt Blundell, but it offered only limited views towards the south, although these opened up a bit as I started to descend, again very steeply, down the other side of the mountain.

I kept following the trail down to Uriarra Hill. Recent forestry operations meant that the views from Uriarra Hill (at least if you mentally blocked out the devastated pine forest in the foreground) were excellent, especially towards the Cotter Reservoir.

Continuing south I then followed the track back north under Uriarra Hill before cutting through a section of the felled pine forest to get back to Blue Range Road, which I followed back to my car.