Corin Forest: Smokers Trail to Orroral River

General Information

Grading : hard

Distance:  22 kilometers 

Total climb:  795 meters

Time taken:  5 hours 50 minutes

Map:  Corin Dam 8626-1N, 1:25 000 

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  51.5 kilometers 

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 73687 67792

Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 72960 61299

End point:  same as start

Route

 

Description

This walk began at the Square Rock car park just off Corin Road. We initially followed the walking trail towards Square Rock. At map reference 55H FA 72421 66150 there is a link track off to the left that takes you down to the Smokers Trail, and we followed this. When we reached Smokers Trail we turned right and followed it alongside a creek with a number of small waterfalls. As we neared the ridge above Orroral Valley there was plenty of evidence of damage from the 2020 bushfire.

We descended along Smokers Trail down to the Orroral River at the head of Orroral Valley. While the crossing is rather nondescript, the river itself is quite pretty.

Pausing here for some lunch, we then made our way back up Smokers Trail. Instead of walking back up the link trail to the Square Rock track, we continued along Smokers Trail until we came to a marker directing us back to the car park. This turned out to be a rather interesting walking track, quite narrow and treacherous in some places, but through some very pretty bushland.

This took us back to our starting point.

Namadgi National Park: Honeysuckle to Orroral

General Information

Distance: 7.2 kilometers
Total climb: 104 meters
Time taken: 1 hour 35 minutes
Maps: Corin Dam 8626-1N 1:25 000; Rendezvous Creek 8626-1S 1:25 000 
Guide:  Graeme Barrow, Exploring Namadgi & Tidbinbilla: Day Walks in Canberra's 
                                        High Country (1995), pp. 28-29.
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  57 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 77314 58151 [Corin Dam]
Destination:  Same as end point
End Point:  55H FA 77108 55444 [Rendezvous Creek]

Route

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

Description

The starting point for this walk was a locked gate on the Link Track, just off the Orroral Ridge Road about 3.3 kilometers for the Honeysuckle Creek camp ground. From the locked gate we followed the Link Track, which is wide and well-maintained.



The first kilometer or so of the track is being the range on the eastern side of Orroral Valley, but after that some views of the Valley below start to appear.



As we got closer to the Valley, the trail became quite steep downhill in some places.



At the bottom of the range the trail veered northwest before crossing the Orroral River via a bridge. It then crossed the valley to link up with the Cotter Hut Road and then to the Orroral Tracking Station site where we had left a second car. The Valley was quite green and lush.





This is a short walk, mostly downhill and along management trails. It could the done as a return walk if only one car is available, but it is a very steep uphill climb to the locked gate on the Link Track and may best be done by starting at Orroral Valley to get the climb out of the way while still fresh. It would also be possible to combine this walk with the Granite Tors trail, which starts on Cotter Hut Road near the Tracking Station site. This would double the length of the walk and require cars at either end (or a drop-off/pick-up).

Namadgi National Park: Orroral Heritage Walking Track

General Information

Distance: 12 kilometers
Total climb: 158 meters
Time taken: 3 hours
Map: Rendezvous Creek 8626-1S 1:25 000
Guide:  none
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  61 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 77105 55439
Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 80017 51574
End Point:  Same as start

Route

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

Description

This is a walk through grassland at the southeastern end of the Orroral Valley. It takes in Aboriginal, pioneer and modern sites in the Valley, which are well signposted with informative information boards. We started the walk at the site of the former Orroral Tracking Station and followed the track through grassland littered with grazing kangaroos.





Before long we reached passed old stockyards before arriving at the Orroral Homestead, built next to the ruins of an older homestead.







We continued walking through the valley, eventually crossing the Orroral River via a footbridge and continuing on beside the river to the Orroral campground.





We returned to the starting point by the same route. This is a very nice walk through open grassland with forested hills on either side. There is plenty to see and learn about the history and prehistory of the area.

Namadgi National Park: Orroral Circuit

General Information

Distance: 16.5 kilometers
Total climb: unknown
Time taken: 4 hours 30 minutes
Maps: Rendezvous Creek 8626-1S 1:25 000; Corin Dam 8626-1N 1:25 000
Guide:  Graeme Barrow, Namadgi & Tidbinbilla Classics: Tough Bushwalks in Canberra's 
                                        High Country (2000), pp. 43-45.
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  61 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 77108 55440 [Rendezvous Creek]
Destination:  Loop walk
End Point:  Same as start

Route

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

Description

The starting point for this walk is the Orroral Tracking Station picnic area, at the end of Orroral Road. From here we made our way to Cotter Hut Road which we followed northwest through grassland and then light forest, steadily climbing the western side of the valley.

 

At map grid reference 55H FA 74188 57820 Cotter Hut Road turns sharply to the southwest and climbs steeply over a ridge and into and into the valley of Sawpit Creek. The road parallels Prairie Dog Creek and Sawpit Creek until it intersects with the Smokers Trail at map grid reference 55H FA 71228 59043. We turned right on to Smokers Trail and continued to the start of the Orroral Valley Walking track at around map grid reference 55H FA 72557 59947. This led us through some very nice swampy terrain along Sawpit Creek.





This made way for more open grassland as we re-entered Orroral Valley.





Continuing down the Valley we duly arrived back at the start point.

I'm a big fan of the Orroral Valley, and although this was a reasonably long walk I enjoyed it very much. There is a bit of climbing until Sawpit Creek, but after that the track is gradually downhill. Settler remains are strewn through the Valley, and although there's generally not much left of them in this northern part I still think they are worth a look.

Namadgi National Park: Granite Tops

General Information

Grading:  easy

Distance: 7 kilometers 

Total climb: 385 meters 

Time taken: 2 hours 30 minutes 

Maps: Rendezvous Creek 8626-1S 1:25 000  

Guide:  link 

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  61 kilometers 

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 77107 55444 

Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 75614 54588 

End Point:  Same as start

Route

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

Description

This walk starts at the Orroral Tracking Station picnic area. The well-signposted track heads in a roughly westerly direction into the tree line where it becomes quite steep. There are some good views from the track back towards the Orroral Valley.

Eventually we made it up to the Lunar Laser Ranger building on the top of the ridge.



Here there was a fenced lookout with spectacular views over the valley below.





We went back to the picnic area the same way we came up. Given the quality of some of the above photographs my camera was retired from active service as soon as I returned from this bushwalk. This is a really nice short walk. A great introduction to the Orroral Valley.