Yanununbeyan State Conservation Area: Spring Creek Gorge

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:   10.2 kilometers

Total climb:   407 meters

Time taken:   4 hours  20 minutes

Maps:   Captains Flat 8726-1N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   50 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H GA 13034 63448

Destination map grid reference:  55H GA 12805 60486

End point:  same as start

Route

Description

I had previously done a version of this walk on 14 September 2018 (link), but this later route was considerably easier and arguably more interesting. As on the previous walk, we started at the day use area carpark off Woolcara Lane about 14 kilometers south of Captains Flat Road. We first climbed the ridge to the summit of Corner Hill and followed the Corner Hill Fire Trail to the south. Just before the ridge we were on started to get steeper as it approached the Queanbeyan River, we headed east and then south through some moderately difficult terrain (but not as difficult as the previous route following the river).

Eventually we found ourselves on a ridge line taking us due south towards our destination. This was easy walking through dry forest. The most interesting sight was a rusty old truck in the middle of nowhere partly crushed by a fallen tree.

Eventually the ridge we were on fell down towards the river and with a bit of a final steep descent we were in the Spring Creek gorge.

We paused in the gorge for lunch and then climbed out the same way we had climbed down. We made our way to another ridge further to the east of the one we had followed to get to the gorge, and this took us north to Woolcara Lane. We walked along Woolcara Lane back to our starting point.

Namadgi National Park: Gorilla Rock

General Information

Grading : medium

Distance:  6.6 kilometers 

Total climb:  176 meters

Time taken:  2 hours 30 minutes

Map:  Corin Dam 8626-1N, 1:25 000 

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  53.3 kilometers 

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 78933 60480

Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 78676 62527

End point:  same as start

Route

 

Description

This walk starts from the Honeysuckle Creek Camping Ground near the end of Apollo Road. We first followed the walking track towards Booroomba Rocks. At map reference 55H FA 79161 61901, where the track crosses a creek, we headed bush pretty much in a straight line towards Gorilla Rock (which can't be seen until you are close to it). The bush wasn't too bad to fight through, and we eventually found what we were looking for.

 

After a look around, we headed back the same way we had come.