Sculpture and Murrumbidgee River mist
Sunday 16 January 2022: Shepherds Track from Ginninderry to Shepherds Lookout – S/E
A morning stroll. Walk the newish Shepherds Track, which goes from The Link, Ginninderry to join the Shepherds Lookout Track. This is a well-made Grade 3 track of 3.4km each way through a variety of vegetation. Lookouts with huge views. Visit Shepherds Lookout with grand views north down the Murrumbidgee River. Visit a number of lookouts on the return trip. Around 7.5km and 180m climb, 2 hours. Drive yourself to meet at The Link, 1 McClymont Way Ginninderry (get there via Drake-Brockman Dr, Pro Hart Ave), at 7.30am. No need to book.
Summary
Distance: 7.69km | Climb: 194m | Time: Starting 7.30am 2hrs moving time, plus 30mins of breaks | Grading: S/E; E(5).
Photographs
Photographs are available here.
gpx File
Download the gpx file recorded via AllTrails here (activate …, Download Route, Select a file format, OK).
Track Notes
I was last in this area on 1 Jan 22, doing a little recce plus a bit more. Hopefully my confidence will rebuild and I can do eXploratory walks soon!
It was busy in The Link car park at 7.30am this morning. Maybe 16 COG bird watchers and we 8 Canberra Bushwalking Club walkers. Fewer than the 35 on the same BBC trip last Wednesday!
A lovely early morning stroll for CBC members and new guests with fog clearing from the Murrumbidgee River as we walked along through the various vegetation zones. On our outward leg we stopped at the steel lookout.
Steel lookout
At the track’s end we took the clockwise short path of the Shepherds Lookout Loop to the Lookout. As always, spectacular views down the Murrumbidgee River, quite swollen today.
Murrumbidgee River from Shepherds Lookout
View NNE beside Shepherds Lookout
On the return leg, we stopped first at the lookout down a short spur, then at the grand old tree lookout.
View from the grand old tree lookout
The grand old tree
The fourth lookout on this Track is on the lower loop. There are two nearby blocks of stone for seats and views over the Murrumbidgee River valley to the northern Brindabellas (ignore the power lines).
View from the lookout on the lower loop
An easy little trip. Everyone should walk this great Track.
Back at The Link we popped round the back of the building and up the steps to the pond.
Pond behind The Link
Track Map
The best track map is available via AllTrails. But here it is.
Track map from AllTrails
Party
8 wakers – Lisa B, Julie D, Thushara De Z, Gavin F, Toni L-H, Adrian and Evelyn W, me.
Helen & John Hall
16 January , 2022 10:47 pmIt was interesting to learn of this new track. Enjoyed your photos John.
Johnny Boy
16 January , 2022 11:16 pmHi Helen and John. Yes, a really lovely track. It deserves a better camera person than me! Cheers. john
Lisa Bradley
17 January , 2022 7:52 amThanks for a great walk John. I was very pleased to meet you after reading so many of your trip reports online. You are a great resource for ACT bushwalkers! Please remember to change or remove the Murrays Hill Collimation Tower 856m coordinates from your ACT trigs map. As I mentioned, it was an amazing bushbash to nowhere.
Johnny Boy
18 January , 2022 10:49 pmHi Lisa. Great sleuthing. You are correct. The pin you mentioned was spurious and has been removed. Thanks for pointing out the error. Cheers. john
Lorraine Amos
17 January , 2022 9:05 amThank you so very much for your journaling of your walkabouts.
I’m soon to do a 3 not get solo walk from Nerriga entrance of Budderwangs NP and am wondering if you could advise anything for me to lookout for that is interesting.
This will be a revisit for me from when I was a youth of 14 on a youth intervention program called The Wilderness Program. I turned 50 last year and wanted to revisit after raising my 7 children by myself.
Thank you for all that you do as a wilderness ambassador and inspiror. (My new made up word). 🙂
Johnny Boy
17 January , 2022 9:49 amHi Lorraine. My trips into the Budawangs are getting a bit old (as I am!). I’ll send you by email a gpx file of waypoints and tracks from the following trips. You can check the trip reports on the blog:
1. 29 September – 2 October 2018 Budawangs – Folly Point, Watson Pass, Munnuldi Falls, Sluice Box Falls
2. 7 November 2015 Gilberts Mountain
3. 28 July 2015 Binnari Pass
4. 4 November 2014 Sassafras Mountain area
5. 26 July 2011 Endrick River and Round Mountain
6. 18-20 May 2010 Budawang Odyssey – Around Quiltys (for aging menfolk)
Hope that helps. Don’t forget your PLB/satellite communicator for your solo trip! Cheers. john
Lorraine Amos
17 January , 2022 11:39 amThank you so very much Johnny. I will look them up. Back in those day you did not leave track head without 4 people. One to stay with an 2 to go forward. However, I have my Rescue Me and Spot gen4 now. I will register my walkabout and am pin dropping with my nominated person.
I so much appreciate your blogs and logs