‘Snoopy dog’ rock above Hospital Creek hut
Tuesday 18 November: Hospital Creek and around with Matthew Higgins – M/M. Starting from Yankee Hat car park, walking via track and bush to the beautiful little waterfall on Hospital Creek. Then follow the creek upstream to Hospital Creek Hut for morning tea. Perhaps a look at the granite a few hundred metres south of the hut. Return via Frank and Jack’s Hut with a lunch stop on one of the small hills just west of the hut. Return to cars through the Gudgenby regeneration grounds. Map: Yaouk. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au (with contracted assistance from Matthew Higgins). Transport: $12. Book by 2pm the prior Sunday.
11 of us drove in 3 vehicles to the Yankee Hat car park.
Summary
Distance: 13.1km | Climb: 325m | Time: 9.15am-2.05pm (4hrs 50mins), with 50 mins of breaks | Grading: M/M; M(9)
Track Maps
Track overview
Track 1
Track 2
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.
gpx File
Download the .gpx file here. (Do a File, Save Page As…, change Save as Type from Text Document to All Files, Save – if you want to use it.)
Track Notes
Matthew Higgins turns a walk into a moving story. Indigenous and pastoral history, landform and use, birds, flowers and many other themes are skillfully woven through the day as we walk along. I’ve ordered ten cardboard cut outs of him already – and immediately extended the next invitation to Matthew to take us on a Tuesday walk.
We enjoyed a perfect Spring day. A stroll down the Old Boboyan Road (including a gentle cut of a corner across a soft open grassed area), then left up the marked Gudgenby Regeneration Track. Lovely bird calls as we tracked around the southern side of the hill south of the car park. Leaving the track, we struck across an open area across a gentle saddle and down to the bottom of the Hospital Creek cascades. A huge pine wildling (a tree around 50 years old) stands near the area. Up the south side of the cascades to admire the granite across the other side, and a nice granite slot and picture window on our side.
Heading SW across a small spur, we cut off the big bend in the creek, then rejoined it. A lovely wander up the side of the creek through open woodland and the grassy creek bed. We stopped at a crazy rock which looked a bit like a turtle. Further up the creek we veered up to the road, then down the old vehicle track to the hut. Morning tea at Hospital Creek hut with a great story of its history and use.
Most of us then headed up the creek to the SW, looking for a place to cross. Eventually the creek narrowed and we got across, then climbed up to and through the granite tors that Max and I had first visited on 16 Jun 09. We’d named them ‘Snoopy dog’ rocks. Matthew pointed out a lyrebird nest and we admired the view down to the hut from the top. Returned.
Back up on the Old Boboyan Road, the party headed back down it and in to Frank and Jacks hut. I’d wanted to have a look at a yards site marked on the 1st edn Yaouk 1:25000 map, so headed into the bush west of the road and had a look around. Nothing there. I continued generally NW through lightly scrubby woodland and so down to Frank and Jacks hut. Lunch.
Our return leg took us up the hill west of the hut and over a gentle spur. Huge views to Mt Gudgenby. Then via old fire trails through the old pine forest area and eventually back up to the Old Boboyan Road.
Huge thanks to Matthew and everyone who came.
Party
11 walkers – Chris F, Eric G, David H, Meredith H, Matthew H, Jenny H, Stewart J, Alison N, Karen S, Ian W, me.
Next Tuesday Walk
Tuesday 25 November: Nadgigomar Nature Reserve Western Section – L/M. The walk is in the Sunset Mountain section of Nadgigomar Nature Reserve 35 km north of Braidwood. The terrain is hilly or slightly undulating and there are extensive mature, dry sclerophyll woodlands. A fire has recently burned through some of the reserve and our route will take us in and out of burnt areas. The route is mostly off-track with only light scrub, except near the creeks. Emergency contact details must be registered/provided to book. Minimum distance: 18 km with ∼400 metres of ascent. Map: Oallen. Leader: Ian W. Transport: 192 km return, $71 per car Limit: 8.