Stony Creek Nature Reserve: Stony Creek to Murrumbidgee River

General Information

Grading:  easy

Distance:   8.5 kilometers

Total climb:   297 meters

Time taken:   2 hours 35 minutes

Maps:   Canberra 8727-3N 1:25 000; Cotter Dam 8627-2N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   16.5 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 82107 92200

Destination map grid reference:     55H FA 79070 91611

End point:  Same as start

 

Route

 

Description

This walk started in Stromlo Forest just off Uriarra Road about 2.5km from the Coaldrake Avenue roundabout (see map reference above). We followed Coopers Fire Trail for about 2km until we reached some power lines. There is a fence here that divides Stromlo Forest from Stony Creek Nature Reserve, and a convenient wooden stile to cross over.

Entering Stony Creek Nature Reserve we made our way through open grassland towards Stony Creek itself.

 

Following the southern side of the Creek its sides became steeper until it ran through a rather nice rocky gorge.

 

We had vague ideas about following the Creek through the gorge, but the steep descent and obvious blackberry infestations turned us off the idea. We later found that there was also a waterfall (at that time dry) which we would have had to climb down.

 

 

Eventually we came to a fence which we were able to cross under where it passes over the Creek, and it was a short distance from there to a very peaceful stretch of the Murrumbidgee.

 

Making our way back to the fence, we climbed out of the Creek bed and headed towards the southern border of this part of the Reserve. We then followed the border fence, with some more views towards the Murrumbidgee, Stony Creek and beyond.

 

Making our way back to the stile we went back up Coopers Fire Trail, but took a detour up TSR Fire Trail (just for a bit of variety) and back to our starting point.

Ginninderry Conservation Corridor: New Track to the Murrumbidgee

General Information

Grading:  easy

Distance:   8.9 kilometers

Total climb:   264 meters

Time taken:   2 hours 15 minutes

Maps:   Umburra 8627-1S 1:25 000

Ginninderry walking tracks information: https://www.ginninderry.org/corridor-walking-tracks

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   17 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 81450 99525

Destination map grid reference:   None

End point:  Same as start

 

Previous Similar Walks

23 November 2021, 22 May 2024, 28 May 2024, 16 June 2024

Route

Description

A new section of the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor walking track has recently been opened northwest of the swing bridges and down to the Murrumbidgee River. We decided to check this out.

Starting at The Link on McClymont Way we followed the pink trail up to Woodland Lookout and then down to the other side of the swing bridges where the new section of track begins (shown in dark blue on the Ginninderry walking trail map). We followed this up to Jahli's Lookout and then down to the river, where a nice swimming area has been designated.

We followed the blue track back to the pink track and then back to The Link by the usual route.

Canberra Nature Park: Red Hill, Davidson Trig and Mt Mugga Nature Reserve

General Information

Grading: easy

Distance:   12 kilometers

Total climb:   428 meters

Time taken:   2 hours 50 minutes

Maps:   Canberra 8627-3N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   9.3 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 91054 87473

Destination map grid reference:  Red Hill 55H FA 92384 88494
                                                    Davidson Hill 55H FA 92290 87556

End point:  same as start

 

Route

Description

This walk was identical to the one completed on 25 June 2019 (link).

 

Yass District: Bango Nature Reserve

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:    9.9 kilometers

Total climb:    416 meters

Time taken:   3 hours 10 minutes

Maps:   Tangmangaroo 8628-1S 1:25 000 and Yass 8728-2N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   73 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FB 80613 54409

Destination map grid reference:  None

End point:  Same as start

 

Route

Description

The Bango Nature Reserve is about a 12 minutes drive north of Yass. It is accessible to the public only via a 250 meter frontage along Blakney Creek Road South. When travelling north from Yass look for a gate and a NSW National Parks sign on the right - this should be about 13 kilometers from the intersection of Laidlaw and Orion Streets in Yass. There is a small area suitable for roadside parking just near the gate. Unfortunately the gate is locked and there is no way to enter the reserve without climbing over either the gate or the fence.

Our plan was to explore the Nature Reserve by doing a loop around it. We first headed for a peak (55H FB 81576 54242) pretty much due east of our starting point. This was quite an easy climb, with the only obstacle being a fence a few hundred metres in, but there is an unlocked gate that can be used to get through. From this first peak we followed the ridge to Hawkins Trig (55H FB 81824 53582), which dates from 1887.

 

 

We paused for morning tea atop the trig before continuing along the ridge and making our way to the eastern border of the Reserve. We passed by a few grass trees at one point along the way:

We hit the eastern border at around map reference 55H FB 82704 52537. This gave us some great 180 degree views over the adjacent pastoral lands and a nearby wind farm (which we had earlier caught glimpses of through the trees).

We followed the fenceline for a while to see what other views presented themselves. At one point we could get a view taking in the nearby Mundoonen Nature Reserve (including Mt Mundoonen) and the distant Brindabella Range. Mt Tennent was clearly discernible about 90 kilometers away.

We then left the fenceline and descended a very steep slope down to the southern border of the Reserve before turning back to try and find the old farm track that cuts through the Reserve from the Bango property. We found this track relatively easily, but it was faint and difficult to follow. We passed through some very nice gullies on the western side of the Reserve.

Eventually we found the western fenceline which we followed back to our starting point.

While technically this walk was bush bashing, it was extremely easy walking through light forest and short grass. Although the Reserve is relatively small (441 hectares) it can easily provide three or four hours of excellent walking. There are no clear views from the highest peaks, but there are views all along those parts of the border fenceline that we walked along.

North Cotter Reserve and Mount McDonald

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:   9.5 kilometers

Total climb:   386 meters

Time taken:   2 hours 30 minutes

Maps:   Cotter Dam 8627-2N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   26 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 77061 90367

Destination map grid reference:  Mt. McDonald 55H FA 76550 91170

End point:  Same as start

Route

Description

This walk was similar to the one I completed on 19 October 2022, but it did not include the Stony Creek section.

Ginninderry Conservation Corridor: Woodland and Nguurung Bila Loop Tracks

General Information

Grading:  easy

Distance:   7.3 kilometers

Total climb:   213 meters

Time taken:   2 hours

Maps:   Umburra 8627-1S 1:25 000

Walk information:  https://www.ginninderry.org/corridor-walking-tracks

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   17 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 81450 99525

Destination map grid reference:   none

End point:  Same as start

Previous Similar Walks

Ginninderry Conservation Corridor: 23 November 2021

Route

 

Description

These new walking tracks were officially opened on 21 May 2024. I was lucky enough to attend the opening ceremony, although I did not get to walk the full length of the track after the opening at the Woodland Lookout since we were all driven there. I returned the very next day, however, to do the complete loop.

The walk starts at the Strathnairn to Shepherds Lookout trackhead which is accessed from The Link on McClymont Way Strathnairn. The walk is well-signposted and it is a matter of following the colour-coded arrows on the signposts. We followed the Woodland Track (pink arrows) first, primarily because I was aware of a rather steep section just after the Woodland Lookout which I would rather walk down than climb up.

We first made our way to Woodland Lookout, the highest point of the track, which gives great views towards the Murrumbidgee and the mountains.

From there we walked down the steep section of track mentioned above and then started following the Nguurung Bila Track (marked with light blue arrows). After a while we came to a very nice section of creek.

At the northernmost part of the track (and having reached the end of the Nguurung Bila Track and back on the Woodland Track) we came to the two new swing bridges, which are a bit of a feature of the walk, being the only examples in the ACT.

Crossing the bridges we continued back south along the Woodland Track (pink arrows)before turning off onto the Nguurung Bila Track (light blue arrows) once again just before the Nguurung Lookout.* We then completed the loop back to our starting point.

* If all this pink track/blue track stuff is too confusing I suggest using the Ginninderry Conservation Trust map which can be accessed through the hyperlink above, or paper copies were available at The Link.

Uriarra: Sherwood in Autumn

General Information

Grading:  easy

Distance:   8.2 kilometers

Total climb:   245 meters

Time taken:   2 hours 20 minutes

Maps:   Cotter Dam 8627-2N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   32 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 74137 95543

Destination map grid reference:   55H FA 72104 95061

End point:  Same as start

Route

Description

I had visited the Sherwood daffodils in October several times in the past, but had always thought it might be nice to visit while the trees were still leafy, and perhaps starting to turn to their autumn colours.

We started the walk at the small parking area off Mountain Creek Road, and having walked up the first hill, we followed the loop in a clockwise direction to the Sherwood Homestead site. There were some autumn colours in the trees along the way, but not much.

 The homestead site looks very different in autumn, and is best described in photos:

We were surprised to find that there were still some irises(?) in bloom under the tree canopy.

We had two young children (aged 5 and 2) on the walk, both of whom are big fans of The Gruffalo. They had a great time strolling through "the deep dark wood" and looking for the fox's underground house, the owl's treetop house and the snake's log pile house. Not only did they find all of these, they even found a nut for the mouse.

We walked back through the pine forest to the carpark.

Namadgi National Park: Rendezvous Creek, Middle Creek and Yankee Hat

General Information

Grading : hard

Distance:  14.7 kilometers 

Total climb:  359 meters

Time taken:  5 hours 23 minutes

Map:  Rendezvous Creek 8626-1S, 1:25 000 

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  63 kilometers 

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 80599 44237

Destination map grid reference:  no particular destination

End point:  same as start

Route

Description

This walk began at the Rendezvous Creek car park off Boboyan Road. We initially thought we might head towards Middle Creek and see how far up the creek we could penetrate, but really we wanted the walk to be flexible.

We started out by following the walking trail over the bridge to the other side of Rendezvous Creek and up to the rest area. From here we took a pretty much straight line towards the mountain gap where we wanted to join Middle Creek. Some good views along the way of the Rendezvous Creek valley to the north and Yankee Hat to the south west.

After walking through grassland for a while we entered some forest, which was moderately difficult to get through, eventually making our way to the northern side of Middle Creek.

The banks of the creek were quite high, nearly vertical, and too wide to jump. We therefore continued upstream until we found a convenient fallen tree trunk across the creek. Having crossed over we continued walking upstream. It became increasingly difficult to get through the thick undergrowth, so we didn't get too far before deciding to stop for morning tea. At this point we took the courageous decision to leave Middle Creek and see how far we could ascend Yankee Hat North up its northern spur. This proved to be very difficult, with a very steep slope, rock outcrops and thick undergrowth to navigate. Just shy of the 1200 meter contour we found a rock outcrop where we could take in both lunch and the view, which included Mt Kelly, Mt Burbidge and Mt Namadgi.

Although the peak of Yankee Hat North appeared tantalisingly close, we decided against going any further up - it was too steep, too rocky, too overgrown, and we were too tired - and started to go down again by much the same route.

We stayed on the southern side of Middle Creek, intending to cross at the concrete ford on Middle Creek Track at map reference 55H FA 77939 42941. While we could cross the ford easily enough, we were unable to get across the swampy ground on the other side. We therefore had to continue along Middle Creek until we found a spot we could jump across. On the northern side of Middle Creek we made our way to the Rendezvous Creek Trail, which we followed for a while before going back to the start point via the walking track we had followed before.

Tarlo River National Park: Exploration of Areas South and North of Towrang Road

General Information

Grading:  medium

Distance:   8.9 kilometers

Total climb:   343 meters

Time taken:   3 hours 45 minutes

Map:  Chatsbury 8828-1N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   123 kilometers

Start point map grid reference:  55H GB 69327 69324

Destination map grid reference:  no specific destination

End point:  same as start

Route

 

Description

The Tarlo River National Park is difficult to access, with only one public road (Towrang Road) passing through a small part of the Park's south eastern extremity. A good starting point for walking in Tarlo River National Park north or south of Towrang Road is where it meets the Quarry Trail, only a few hundred metres inside the Park. This is where we started.

We decided to explore the area south of Towrang Road first, and made our way along Towrang Road for about 350 metres before heading into the bush. It wasn't long before we came across the first of the Permian conglomerate outcrops which are a feature of this area.

These can be found around the numerous steep, but easily accessible gullies that pervade the area. The bottoms of most gullies are covered in thick ferns, and care needs to be taken when walking through it as it obscures fallen trees and other hazards.

We headed generally south, going down into one gully and back again up the ridge before the next gully. The ridges were dry forest and the walking around them was very easy.

Reaching as far south as we wanted to go, and wanting to leave some time to explore north of the road, we turned around and navigated to the Yururga Trail which we followed back to Towrang Road and our starting point. Stopping for lunch here, we then went into the northern section and had a bit of a look around. It was also a series of ridges and gullies, but less interesting than the southern section.

After exploring for only a relatively short distance we decided to return to our starting point, although by a different route.

It might be useful in the future to spend a day walking north of Towrang Road to see how far we could get into the main area of the Park. 

Hume and Hovell Walking Track: Along Micalong Creek to Micalong Creek Camp Ground

General Information

Distance:   15.3 kilometers

Total climb:   363 meters

Time taken:   4 hours 26 minutes

Map:  Bobbys Plains 8627-3N 1:25 000

Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:   90 kilometers (via Brindabella)

Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 39856 94716

Destination map grid reference:  55H FA 43189 98472

End point:  same as start

Route

Description

This walk starts at the Bossowa Campsite, about 1 kilometer north of Brindabella Road on Micalong Creek. We started the walk by crossing the footbridge over the creek and following the trail around to the north east. Before long we came to a ford with some stepping stones and went back to the original side of the creek. The crossing was not easy as the rocks were irregular and slippery in places.

From here we followed the Hume & Hovell Track signs. At first we were walking along a vehicular trail which paralleled Micalong Creek. Pine forest was on the right, with native bush and views of the creek on the left.

At map reference 55H FA 41486 96674 the rack narrows to a walking trail which winds through a narrow gully above the creek with some great views.

The trail crosses over the creek, normally by a footbridge which was not at its best when we were there:

Nevertheless, we were able to cross and continue following the trail signs to the Micalong Creek Camp Ground, which is right on a very nice part of the creek.

Unfortunately the camp ground itself was a bit disappointing, with structures graffitied and items of rubbish left around.

We returned to the starting point by much the same route, but took the more direct trail at the end.