Lauren takes in the air north of SH1372, Blue Gum Hill at rear

Saturday 2 April 2022: Booroomba Rocks – S/E-M. Booroomba Rocks with Lauren and friends.

Summary

Distance: 4.4km | Climb: 238m | Time: 2hrs moving plus 15mins of stops | Grading: S/E-M; M(8).

Photographs

Photographs are available here.

gpx File

Download the gpx file recorded via AllTrails here (in AllTrails, activate …, Download Route, Select the file format GPX Track, OK).

Another version of the gpx file, recorded on my Garmin Oregon 650 GPSr, is available here. It has a few waypoints in it which the AllTrails version doesn’t.

Track Notes

AllTrails trip report.

I was last in the top Booroomba Rocks area on 21 Apr 18. Quite a difference in vegetation to today.

My very dear friend Lauren has been so good to me during my recovery. She has got me out on several walks, progressing from the Birrigai Time Trail through McQuoids Hill to this morning, as well as encouraging me to walk more.

Today she roped in her friends Rob and Emma, both fitness legends, to trot up to Booroomba Rocks with us. Hats off to Emma who drove us in to the Booroomba Rocks car park in her big 4WD – there were a couple of sharp dips that would not have made my town car happy.

Was the weather a portent of Autumn/Winter to come? Wind was forecast up to 40km/h and would have been gusting well over that on the exposed tops at nearly 1400m, so the wind chill was severe, perhaps around 6°C. Lauren said “Weather showed 5.9 degrees, with “feeling like” showing -4.2. Bloody freezing“. Gloves on. Blustery showers during the morning.

I still dragged the chain – today’s lesson: don’t walk with fit young things!

A puff (for me) up the 1.3km Booroomba Rocks Walking Track in 37mins, climbing 180vm. The amazing view greeted us from the cliff top.

Views from Booroomba cliff top, including Blue Gum Hill on the left and SH1353 on the right

The area is both amazing and sad. Amazing sights of granite which was hidden by the bush prior to the last fires, and sad burnt trees.

View back to SH1353

We tracked SW from the cliff, over the SH1372 bump, down through the gully and up towards SH1396.

Trying to catch the young things on some slabs

Of course, water about in this season.

Rock pools

Making the top, we hung on in the wind gusts to take in the view, fabulous even on a cold and cloudy day.

View NW from SH1396

Warning, old man rant coming.

First of all, Deadmans Hill is misplaced on OpenStreetMaps. It’s positioned at the top of Booroomba Rocks, SH1396.

Misplaced Deadmans Hill on OpenStreetMaps via AllTrails

It’s correct position is SH1317, east of the Booroomba Rocks car park and above the AAWT on the south as it leaves the car park and toilet.

Deadmans Hill correct location

Does anyone know how to correct errors such as this?

Secondly, I have a dislike of rock stacks. They’re ok on urban fringe walks as ‘art’ but, for me, they don’t belong in the bush. Some walkers don’t even like cairns, but my opinion is that if they are judiciously used, they’d be handy on a fogged in day. Anyway, after getting the nod from my companions, I removed the rock stack from the top of the SH1396 cairn.

The cairn on SH1396, after I removed the rock stack top

Lauren reckons that the granite slabs in this area are some of the best and easiest to access in the ACT. I’d have to agree. We headed NW from the top to examine them (and to get out of the breeze).

Walking down NW from SH1396 to the lovely slabs

More pools, the surface ruffled by the wind and showers.

Pools on the slabs

With rain sweeping in from the SW, we cut for home.

Track Map

The AllTrails recorded track map is here, where you can pan and zoom. And here’s the track laid out on my old TopoView 2006 map segment.

Track Booroomba Rocks

Party

Emma, Lauren (leader), Rob, me.