Winning women walkers – Robyn and Tara

Sunday arvo 15 July: Walking with Winners – A stroll in Mulligans Flat Woodland Reserve with Robyn Hall and Tara Cheyne – Short and Easy. You’ve seen the bio of new Canberra Bushwalking Club walk leader and Homeward Bound STEMM participant Robyn Hall in the latest newsletter. How about coming to meet her and hear about her exciting trip to Antarctica next January? We’ll also be walking with Tara Cheyne (ACT Member for Ginninderra). We’ll throw in a couple of geocaches. There will be the opportunity to support Robyn’s fund raising for her trip, if you would like to. Drive yourself to the Amy Ackman St Forde entrance to the NR, ready to walk at 1.30pm. Around 3 hours walking. No need to book. Facilitator: John Evans jevans@pcug.org.au 0417436877.

Further Information

Robyn won a place on the HomewardBound STEMM 2019 cohort, a ground-breaking leadership initiative, set against the backdrop of Antarctica, which aims to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet. You can support Robyn’s campaign here.

Summary

Distance: 9.6km | Climb: 200m | Time: 1.40pm – 4.25pm (2hrs 45mins) | Grading: S/M; E(6)

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.

Waypoint and Track Files

Download the gpx file for this trip (if your browser does not automatically download the file, it will open the gpx file in a new window and you can then save it). To use in Google Earth, do File, Open… and select Gps or All files as the File Type.

Track Notes

I am blessed by strong women in my life, primarily my wonderful wife who pushes an ailing body with such courage and spirit. Add to that my daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, sister, Senior Pastor’s wife and many, many great female friends. Yet women still get the rough end of the stick in so many ways.

So when I meet a walker and geocacher and mountain bike rider who thinks outside the square, I’m in. That’s Robyn.

In addition, I’m so grateful to Tara Cheyne (ACT Legislative Assembly Member for Ginninderra) for her friendship of this southside living, elderly (according to definition), leaner to the right.

To cap off today’s little stroll, along came another social media queen and wonderful friend Alison.

With 16 other old and new, aged and young friends, we rambled around the northern extent of Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary and Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve this arvo. In to near the woolshed, then NE and out the Bandicoot Gate. The youngest member of our party, John’s daughter, willingly took the offered GPSr and guided us to the first geocache of the day, GC5AHG5 Souvenir Letterbox.

It was cool in the slight breeze as we walked to the top of the hill at the ACT-NSW border. We stopped at border marker I3 (Sheaffe – 1) – a post in the ground surviving the last 100+ years:

Sheaffe’s border marker I3, photo taken 2009

We followed the loopy border, found geocaches GC5T2JV NPS 010 – Kilo and GC5T2JR NPS 009 – Juliet. Drifting SE, the next geocache was a fun GC2MCR3 Fore! (golf anyone?), then GC2B6WM wander amongst the dead. Lovely white-trunked eucalypts through here.

We changed from predators to protected species by coming in through the Curlew gate, logged geoocache GC6MBHF Hoovers Harbour, then headed SW (but around a fenced off ecological study plot) to join the West-East Mulligans Flat road.

A tromp back to our vehicles with plenty of conversation flowing.

Thanks folks. A lovely crisp Canberra winter’s arvo, breathing a bit of fresh air in Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary and beyond.

Track Map

Track

Track

Party

17 walkers