Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: Devils Gap and Gibraltar Falls

General Information

Grading: hard

Distance: 11.9  kilometers 

Total climb: 658 meters 

Time taken: 4 hours 15 minutes 

Map: Tidbinbilla 8627-2S 1:25 000 

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  46 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 74405 73675

Destination:  55H FA 75503 71261

End Point:  Same as start

 

Route

 

Description

This walk started at the Devils Gap carpark on the Tidbinbilla Reserve ring road. I first followed the Devils Gap fire trail to Devils Gap and then turned right on to a well-marked walking trail.

 This walking trail at first goes through some very nice wooded grassland.

After a short time the track starts to descend down the other side of Devils Gap via a large number of steps before getting back to a fire trail not far from Corin Road. Reaching Corin Road I turned left along an old fire trail (these days little more than a walking track) the parallels Corin Road and comes back to it just across from the Woods Reserve access road. I went down to Woods Reserve and at the end of the campground there is a gap in the fence which is the start of the formal trail up to Gibraltar Falls.

I followed the formal trail up to the eastern side of the top of the falls, although the last section was closed for some reason or other (as was the viewing platform at the other side of the falls). Nevertheless I was able to get to a rock shelf just off the trail with views back towards The Pyramid and of the top of the falls themselves.

Returning back down the trail, when I got back to Gibraltar Creek near the campground I decided to head up the creek to see if I could get a view of the bottom of the falls, encouraged by what looked like a decent walking trail. It soon became apparent, however, that the trail was no such thing and I had to scramble over and around large rocks with the steep sides of the gorge limiting my choices.

Although it was physically exhausting I continued my scramble, even after an ill-advised jump from one rock to another very nearly compromised my left ankle, and I finally made it to the base of the falls.

Rather than scramble back along the creek the way I had come I decided to climb back up to the walking trail I had gone up and down earlier. This also proved to be quite difficult - very steep and covered with rocks and post-bushfire regrowth. I followed the walking track back to Woods Reserve and gave myself a well-earned lunch break.

Getting back to Corin Road I headed towards a management trail across the road and to the left. This trail doesn't seem to be used much these days and was quite rough and rocky. And also steep.

Eventually the trail meets up with the Devils Gap fire trail and I followed this back to the car.