Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Thursday evening 5 October 2023: Black light party with the scorpions of Black Mountain – S/E. 
See walk description.

Saturday 7 October 2023: Settlers Track and beyond – L/M. Starting at Brayshaws Hut we’ll walk the first section of the Settlers Track to Waterhole Hut, then leave the track and make our way up Grassy Creek. We will get onto the Bobeyan Divide and see several of Harry Mouat’s border survey marks dating from 1915, then make our way back down the valley to Westermans Homestead, and back to Brayshaws.
See walk description.

Saturday 14 October 2023: Nursery Creek * – M/E,R,ptX. Nursery Swamp is one of the outstanding fens of its type on the Australian mainland. The open plain bordering it is treeless due to cold air drainage from the surrounding heights. There is a narrow band of frost-hardy black sallee eucalypts separating the grassland from surrounding snowgum woodland. The Nursery Swamp Walking Track is easy walking to the swamp.
Another couple of interesting sites will be visited.
The creek falls dramatically to the Boboyan Road over its last couple of kilometres. Views up the cut from the road indicate scrubby and difficult going. Around 10km and 400vm climb. A 200vm descent.
A car shuttle is involved.
Book on the walk.

Sunday 15 October 2023: Mt Ramsay Trig – S/M. Rare opportunity to explore bushland on private property east of Murrumbateman. The walk is approximately 8Km with 450m of ascent. It is mostly off track through shady (unburnt for 35 years) woodland with minimal understory. The surface is loose and shaley and there will be allot of cross slopes as we explore a series of dry creeks and ridges, ascending to Mt Ramsay Trig point for morning tea. It is a great time of year to see wildflowers which are most prevalent along the creek lines. I will set an easy pace, allowing plenty of time to admire flowers and take photos. After Mt Ramsay, there is a steep descent on a loose shale spur followed by more dry creeks, spurs and ridge lines. We will have lunch either in a protected shady valley or near a dam, depending on our progress. I would estimate approximately 4 hours to complete the walk. Allow 6 hours with travel time.
See walk description.

Sunday 29 October 2023: Searching for ‘old’ Fishlock Yards NPA/*. Many would have visited ‘new’ Fishlock Yards in the upper Orroral Valley. Historical documents place the original Fishlock Yards possibly further up the valley, but more likely somewhere beside the Cotter Hut Road. Walk the Orroral Valley Circuit – grassland going up the valley with views to granite tors on both ridges; wet feet crossing Sawpit Creek; hard surfaced Smokers Trail and Cotter Hut Rd. Around 20km and 400vm climb. Contact leader to register for walk by Friday 27 October.
Book on the walk for NPA. Book on the walk for CBC.

Saturday-Sunday 18-19 November 2023: Seamans Hut Overnight. This is an alpine walk from the top of the quad express chairlift to Seamans Hut via the summit of Kosciusko. We follow the main summit trail via Rawson Pass to the summit then down the Charlotte Pass Road to Seamans Hut. We camp next to Seamans Hut and return the next day via the Snowy River Valley with some off-track walking back to the top of the chairlift.
See walk description.

2023 completed walks – expand accordions below for 2022/21/20/2019/18/17/16/15/14 and follow links for older trips