Corin Dam on Sunday morning
… or 4-star accommodation with million dollar views
(Friday 10) Saturday-Sunday 11-12 November: Dam fine views from Corin Cottage – M-L/M-R. A unique opportunity to trial some accommodation for Parks and Conservation in the ranger cottage above Corin Dam. We will go out Friday afternoon and enjoy a wine and shared tea whilst looking up the dam to Bimberi Peak. On Saturday, we’ll climb Stockyard Spur to join the Mt Franklin Rd. From there, there are several options to choose from – Mt Ginini, Stockyard Gap, Little Ginini Mountain, Pryors Hut, Mt Gingera, Brumbys Flats, Morass/Cheyene Flats and the remaining fir trees in the Stockyard arboretum. Around 20km and 1000m climb. Another shared tea on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll again climb to the helipad, then off-track down to the 13-metre waterfall on Stockyard Creek for two geocaches (GC6JBAQ Can’t see the wood for the trees? and GC6JBAV Stockyard Falls). Wander one or two scrubby kilometres up Stockyard Creek, then ascend to the Stockyard Spur vehicle track. Return via track and steps. Around 12km and 750m climb. Alternatively, you can poke about the dam area. More accommodation details to come. Map: Corin Dam. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au . Transport: ∼$10. Cost: Accommodation is at no cost; willingness to complete a questionnaire on your experience. Limit: Strictly 6, including one couple for the double bed.
Further Information
Thanks to ACT Parks and Conservation Service for the opportunity to ‘road test’ the accommodation.
Summary
W1 Distance: 1.9km | Climb: 125m | Time: 45mins
W2 Distance: 21.2km | Climb: 1200m | Time: 7.10am – 1.40pm (6hrs 30mins), including 35 mins of breaks | Grading: L/E; M(11)
W3 Distance: 1.4km | Climb: 110m | Time: 30mins
W4 (Stockyard Creek falls) Distance: 7.6km | Climb: 780m | Time: 9.00am – 1.15pm (4hrs 15mins), including 25 mins of breaks | Grading: M/E-R; M(10)
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.
Videos
Waypoint and Track Files
Download the .gpx file. (Right click, Save Link As…, Save – if you want to use it.)
To use in Google Earth, do File, Open… and select Gps or All files as the File Type.
Track Notes
We trickled in to the Parks and Conservation Service’s accommodation’ on Friday afternoon, ours the refurbished Rangers cottage above Corin Dam, for our wonderful opportunity to road test the setup. Retirees first, worker arrived later. First impressions of the accommodation were excellent – the house has been beautifully refurbished, the neutral tones allowing vision to be drawn to the spectacular scenery outside. I’d been to the front door when a Ranger previously lived here, but had never been on the back deck overlooking Corin Dam.
Friday afternoon Walk 1
An overcast day, but no reason not for a short stroll before tea to some beckoning geocaches. A find and log of GC2GDFT Corin’s Cove (the track file has been doctored so as to not give away the final GZ) and GC2FQXJ Corin’s Core-blimey, it’s almost full !. Some drizzle as we returned. 1.9km in 45mins, including caching time.
Some pre-dinner nibblies and drinks, followed by a great meal with new and old friends on Friday night in the cottage’s dining room. Chicken and salad washed down with a bubbles (both hard and soft) and the choice of two colours of wines. I was sure I would snore later (but was assured I didn’t). Berries and fruitcake for dessert. Not being an experienced car camper, even though I brought the coffee beans and grinder, I forget the plunger … and tea bags. We could have lit the wood-fired heater, but chose the air conditioner. We discussed options for the next day.
Saturday Walk 2
As it turned out, most of us ended up at Mt Gingera. Richard and I set off first, with plans to do a geocache via Stockyard Spur, Mt Ginini car park, Morass Flats and the Stockyard arboretum. But we detoured via Mt Gingera. Richard is a very strong walker and I was soon puffing well behind his heels as we ascended the levels of the track to Stockyard Spur. We’d met cachers IamCoust and Green Martian in the car park and they soon overtook us. They need to be reported for talking whilst walking up the steps. In fact, 20+ people on the spur and hill today.
Roger and Rosemarie left a little later to cache up to Mt Gingera. Jacqui had arranged to join another CBC trip to Mt Gingera and Stephen and Lisa enjoyed walks closer to the cottage.
Lovely flowers about at the moment. Richard and I called in at Pryors Hut, looked at the 21 Mile marker and border marker Q57, drank in the views from Mt Gingera and had morning tea at the guyed pole.
Happily Richard reminded me he had an early evening appointment back in town, so there was no time to return via our original planned route. Thank goodness, I just can’t walk as strongly as I used.
Walked into various other groups on our return leg. We lunched near SH1532. Then down to the dam.
Now we all know that ‘the early bird catches the worm’. A few claps of thunder from the ominously dark clouds as we descended then, a couple of minutes later, the heavens opened. It did rain hard. Hail and banks of hail beside the track reported when others got in. 21.2km, 1200vm, 6hrs 30mins including 35 mins of breaks.
Some of the guests left for other commitments and the rain cleared, so an opportunity too good to waste.
Saturday afternoon Walk 3
I drove back up the Corin Road a bit, parked and popped up the old service road to find and log GC5T7Y9 Tricky Tankengine 2 aka Start Bush Bash Here. Next, down to the Corin Dam car park, as there were logistical issues with the other CBC walk. But all sorted – more transport arrived and I only had to wander a couple of hundred metres up the track to meet the rest of that party. 1.4km, 30mins.
With four of us remaining in the cottage, the size of the Webber barbeque for our tea was more appropriate. But being a gas man (both for home bbq and camp cooking), I found the heat bead style device a little slow. Half a packet of fire starters were used and several splashes of accelerant (lucky the balcony above was all steel!). But, like all barbeques, the heat source was perfect well after we’d finished cooking.
Another nice meal sitting around the table. I piked pretty early.
Sunday Walk 4
We began the day by walking down the track from the Corin Dam toilet block to the bottom of the dam. A find and log of GC6Q6WG Weird Weir XXVIII – Corin. Lovely views of the Cotter River below the dam. Then we spent a frustrating 3-person hours looking for GCHCWT Corin’s Core. Again! No luck. But a fun climb back up the wall of the dam. 2.3km, 125vm.
The plan was always to do the Stockyard Creek falls caches today. IamCoust and Green Martian did them yesterday, as part of their Gingera trip. Another haul up to the helipad. We then headed NW down through wet regrowth to find and log GC6JBAQ Can’t see the wood for the trees? This is a delightful spot, quite open and with a great stand of Alpine Ash about the knoll.
Next, poor route finding by me to take us too soon to the side of Stockyard Creek. A contour along it, with the distance counting down to the next cache. A truly wonderful morning tea spot high above the Stockyard Creek falls. The GPSrs settled and the spoiler pic matched to the location … across the other side of the creek. We just didn’t have the stomach to cross. Hats off to IamCoust and Green Martian for their efforts yesterday.
Roger led us out via a far better route and I puffed back up to the helipad. Easier going back down to Corin Dam. 7.6km, 780vm, 4hrs 15mins including 25 mins of breaks.
We packed up and left. What a fabulous opportunity and weekend. Thank you to Michelle, the P&C manager who provided the test stay.
And thanks to Roger and Rosemarie, Stephen and Lisa, Richard, Jacqui for great company and walking.
Track Maps
Track overview
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Party
7 stayers/walkers – Roger and Rosemarie E, Richard H, Stephen and Lisa M, Jacqui R, me.