Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Saturday 14 October 2023 * – 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.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 11.94km | Climb: 380vm/Descent 395vm (Elev Corrections Enabled) | Time: 3:18 moving + 2:35 of stops = 5:5:53 | Grading: M/E,R,ptX; M(11).

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here. The contributing waypoints and track have been modified to not show the location of NS1 and NS3.

Track Map

Here’s where we went.

 

Trip Report

I was last in part of this area three days ago, on 11 Oct 23. I thought I’d been down the creek before, but no. Thanks to Mike Bremers for suggesting this through walk.

Ever too stupid to be reminded of bushwalking basics. We were halfway down the descent and crashing through quality scrub when Mike L reminded me that the going is usually better on north facing slopes. We crossed Nursery Creek and, lo and behold, somewhat better.

Good readers should know that one shuttles cars and shuffles cards. We did that, 7 walkers in 2 cars going direct to the Nursery Swamp Walking Track car park. 4 walkers in 2 cars drove to where the Boboyan Road crosses Nursery Creek. We left 1 car there on the side of the road and drove back to the NSWT car park. Amazingly, 11 walkers were ready to start.

40 minutes for the 2km to the crest of the Track, climbing 200vm. A detour. 2.5km in 35 minutes down to the end of the Track for morning tea. We left smoko at 10.30am and walked the 2.7km to lunch in 55 minutes.

Leaving lunch at 12 noon, we wandered down to rejoin Nursery Creek for the real start of the trip. 10 minutes later we touched the creek, here funneled into a swiftly flowing, clean water channel with plenty of aquatic growth.

Another, narrower, area of swamp was then traversed.

A around 12.40pm the regrowth commenced. The creek line narrowed, at around the 1090m contour.

Soon after we crossed to the true left side.

My friends endured my madness for around 250m. I’ve already admitted this whoopsie.

Mike L set me right and we crossed again.

By 1.40pm we were east of SH1362. The 2019-20 fire must have raged through the upper area.

Most of the party stayed up from the creek line.

Two took the lower, bouldery route.

Just after 2pm we spotted the Boboyan Road. The party scattered like scalded cats, making multiple ways down to the road.

The last leg, from lunch down Nursery Creek was 3.6km, taking 2 hours 25 minutes.

At stages during the day, we visited Nursery Swamp Rock Art site 1 (NS1) and Nursery Swamp Rock Art site 3 (NS3). All I know about them (apart from the locations) are in those links.

Thanks all. Great party! And, amazingly, the car shuttle worked in reverse.

Party

11 walkers – Jenny A, Michael C, Chris D, Richard H, Mike and Kathy L, Stephen M, Cole N, Beat O, Phillip S, me.

AllTrails

The AllTrails map is here, where you can pan and zoom.

Johnny Boy’s Walkabout Blog FaceBook Page

I’ve started up a FaceBook page. Each trip report posts to it. It’s another way to get some info to get out and breathe a bit of fresh air. Why not pop over and Follow the page, or give a post a Like.