17-18 November 2018 Mt Namadgi - Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Apart from much respect for the aboriginal custodians of this place (which we all had), how else would you celebrate topping Mt Namadgi? … | photo Julie H

… maybe this – a little shot of birthday Australian sparkling at 8am at 1780m | photo Lauren O

Saturday-Sunday 17-18 November: Mt Namadgi Birthday Celebrations – M/R. Leave from the Yankee Hat car park and walk the grasslands into the mouth of Middle Creek and to the aboriginal rock shelter. Handrail the main arm of Middle Creek up to Big Creamy Flats to camp. It would be nice to summit twice, once for pre-dinner drinks and again for post-breakfast views. See the fabulous aboriginal stone arrangements. For quick walkers. Around 30km and 950vm climb over 2 days. Maps: Rendezvous Creek and Yaouk. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au . Limit: 8. Transport: ~$15.

Further Information

My 9^th and probably last trip to this lovely hill. Others on 15-17 Apr 17, 8 Nov 14, 10 Nov 12, 6 Nov 10, 7 Nov 09, 7 Nov 08, 10 Nov 07, 30 Sep-2 Oct 06. Until I can control my adductor cramps and sore feet, this will be my last epic trip 😥 . Walk description written before my feet went really bad; we only summitted once and Rob H got the party and me home.

Summary

Distance: 31.0km | Climb: 1030m | Time: 2 days | Grading: M/R; H(14)

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow. Included are some lovely flowers photographed by Julie H. Crazy photos thanks to Lauren O.

Video

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

A fine group of 9 walkers assembled, 6 of whom had not previously been to Mt Namadgi. The party consisted of young, enthusiastic walkers and those 3 more mature travellers who knew what was ahead. In addition, there was Steve who is making a film on ‘The Namadgi Trail’. Check out his The Walk ACT blog and details of the film making in progress. Steve had conned Jamie as his pack horse – we were staggered as they loaded up with around 20+kgm of gear each. 2 had driven out the evening before to camp and got away to an early start. We chased them all day.

We were afoot by just after 7am, after viewing our objective over the green Gudgenby grasslands. Always very pleasant to stroll across them, onto the old vehicle alignment and into the mouth of Middle Creek. We paused to regroup at the Middle Creek aboriginal shelter.

With the heavy camera and sound gear, we knew it would be a slow trip. “Hooray” said my feet, already numbed by pain killers. None of us minded at all!

The bottom of the approach to Big Creamy Flats lulls one a little. The going is not too bad and I, in particular, enjoyed the latest style of slow walking. I tried to stay a bit higher than previous trips. Some nice flowers that Julie captured. A lot of pea in flower. I marked a ‘Lovely spot’ waypoint where the going was quite park like. We stopped for lunch at 12.15pm, having covered around 10km in a bit over 5 hours. We appreciated the cloudy skies which kept the temperature down – perfect walking weather.

The top of the handrailing of Middle Creek saps the energy a bit. From lunch to the saddle was 2.4km in 2hr 10mins. A relief to break out onto Big Creamy Flats, with Mt Mavis and the Mavis Ridge towering over it to the NE.

I’d agreed with the early starters that we’d camp at the flat rock site previously used. It’s 1km down the Flats and the open, tussocky area is not easy walking, even near the tree line. We were short of water too. Just when I was about to look a fool for not knowing where the camp site was, we saw our 2 companions. In at 3.30pm.

We set up tents, got water from Creamy Flats Creek within 30m of the flat rock and had a re-hydrating cuppa or two. Definitely no thought of an afternoon ascent! No fires in the Bimberi Wilderness area of Namadgi National Park, so it was whispering metho and roaring gas for cooking tea. The sky clouded over and looked quite threatening. We all enjoyed an early bed time, me in the company of leg cramps.

Changeable weather during the night. A very slight sprinkle at 8pm, fogged in at midnight and blazing stars at 4am. 5am was get up for an early start up the hill.

A quick breakfast and we were away at 6.10am with day packs. We took the route used last year. A bit scrubby and around 300m through the vegetated knolls on the NW Namadgi Spur before we broke out. We climbed through the aboriginal stone arrangement sites, a magnificent place. As one walker said, we felt like we should have asked for permission to be there. The early morning sun on the peak had changed to cold cloud. Robyn let out a ‘hazar!’ on finding geocache GC182MT Namadgi in Namadgi.

A little filming, then the sigh of an opening bottle of Tasmania sparkling white. No stemware this year, just coloured plastic shot glasses. 9 * 2 and there was still 2/3 of a bottle left. And, on queue, the cloud lifted and the sun shone to expose the fabulous views! After last Saturday’s birthday bash at the old folks home, this was indeed a special place to celebrate my 70^th with excellent friends.

Crazies on Mt Namadgi | photo Lauren O

The view from Mt Namadgi south to Mt Burbidge and Mt Kelly

25mins was far too short on this iconic hill, but we needed to get home. So it was back down to camp by a more direct route, pack up and go. We left at 10.10am, estimating it would take 9 hours to get home.

We set off in 3 separate groups, but met at the saddle at the SE end of Big Creamy Flats. With my feet barely responding to the breakfast pain killer and a few more kilos of camera gear on board, I unashamedly said to the real Mr Namadgi “Can we tag along with you Rob? I doubt I can make it and route find”. As I often say, it is magic to watch this guy at work, his route finding through the scrub in unerring. We stopped for lunch at 11.45am, I guess a combined morning tea and lunch. We’d covered 2.3km in 1hr 35mins.

A lower route as we restarted, visiting the small tarn down near the creek line. A lovely spot, except for the ants. I called many stops, one an hour, with the interval diminishing to less than 60 minutes. By mid afternoon my feet were really shot, each left step pretty painful. But the full dose of pain killers had been taken.

We all collapsed at the Middle Creek shelter, reaching it at 5pm. From lunch to here was 6.7km in 4hrs 45mins, so we did better than expected.

A final 4.1km in 1hr 10mins along the vehicle track and across the grasslands. I pulled in a distant last.

Wonderful company, huge location. But my physical ability needs to improve or it’ll be my last.