Pierces Creek Forest: Sugarloaf Hill and Hardy Hill

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:   11 kilometers

Total climb:   604 meters

Time taken:   4 hours

Maps:   Cotter Dam 8627-2N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   27 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 74521 87733

Destination map grid reference:   Sugarloaf Hill - 55H FA 74574 86997
                                                     Hardy Hill - 55H FA 72420 85569

End point:  Same as start

Route

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

Description

This walk began at a point on Vanitys Crossing Road north of Sugarloaf Hill. We immediately headed bush, making straight for the summit of Sugarloaf. At first the going was easy, even after we began to steeply climb, but soon we started to encounter thick native forest regrowth all around the crest of Sugarloaf.

Nevertheless, we reached the summit of Sugarloaf very quickly. We were disappointed that the regrowth obscures any view though.

Continuing down the south side of Sugarloaf - quite steep and treacherous - we had a view of our next destination, Hardy Hill, inn the distance.

Reaching the base of Sugarloaf we looked for the north-south track shown on the map at reference  55H FA 74402 86677, but it was difficult to locate. This was one of a number of tracks within the old Pierces Creek Pine Forest that are being reclaimed by native forest, erosion and blackberry.

We eventually found the road heading west that we were looking for and followed it for about 1.5 kilometres before veering south west towards the locked gate at map reference 55H FA 72186 86099 which is the boundary of Namadgi National Park. There is a steep track just past the gate on the left, and this we followed to the top of Hardy Range. An indistinct trail to the left - another track marked on the map that is disappearing - took us to the Hardy Hill Trig.

Sadly, no views from here either.

Returning to the track we came up we continued first along Hardy Ridge and were rewarded with a few nice views and lunch before backtracking down to the locked gate.

From the locked gate we climbed through the busk to the summit just north of the gate before joining the track which follows that ridge all the way to Vanitys Crossing Road. Some great views of Cotter Dam along the way.

We followed Vanitys Crossing Road back to the car.