Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Saturday 22 March 2025: Mt Domain * – L/M. Let’s pop up to Mt Domain to see how the Skyline Track work is progressing. Around 13km and 750vm will take me about 7 hours. Wonderful views!

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 12.57km | Climb: 730vm | Time: 3:07 moving + 2:25 of stops = 5:32 | Grading: M/M; M(11).

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Map

Here’s where we went. I like to document the going on trips, so the photo number waypoints are where various snaps were taken.

Trip Report

We did the northern end of the ‘Skyline Track’ last Sunday and saw only minor signs of track development. So today’s trip was to check out the southern end. An added bonus with 7 of the 9 walkers not having been up Mt Domain before.

A number of cars waiting to get in at 7.30am when the early Ranger arrived to open the gates. Cloudy on the Tidbinbilla Range with sunlight colouring the edges. Drove round to Fishing Gap car park and were walking by 7.50am.

Pleasant enough walking up the Fishing Gap Fire Trail, as pleasant as fire trail walking can be. I was able to keep up for a few hundred metres, but as soon as the climb started I fell behind.

The early morning cloud was clearing when we arrived at Fishing Gap. Fishing Gap carpark to Fishing Gap for me was 3.8km in 1 hour.

Why “Fishing Gap”? In the olden, golden times, folk used to walk up to here, then continue on west down to the Cotter River to fish. There used to be a bit of a route down there. We walked it on 30 Oct 10 and 10 Apr 10.

The start of the track to Mt Domain is easy to find and follow.

I reckon the TNR project team and the Iconic Tracks company that’s doing the work are doing a marvellous job. The track is a little wider than the original footpad, well-worn in (the track workers must plod up and down here each day) and sympathetically done to keep it looking natural. There are very few ‘constructed’ bits up to Mt Domain.

It passes through the fern field.

The start of the steep ascent is reached.

I was well in the rear by now. My companions were kind enough to wait for me at various spots.

It’s a steep climb in laces, heading up to the nose.

I only counted one (well, two) obviously constructed stone steps.

At last we reached the nose and the track levelled out.

There are a few tapes about and walkers are respecting the request to leave them hanging.

A newly cut log near SH1402 which will very quickly weather.

We stopped for smoko in the open area with the cairn. Pleasant views to the west and the dock infestation (which we walkers have brought in on our shoes) has been hacked out of the ground. Thank you.

For me, Fishing Gap to smoko was 1.9km in 1hr 5mins.

This spot is the start of the final climb to Mt Domain, around another 120vm over 525m across the ground and took me 25mins.

There’s a rather delightful rocky spine to negotiate.

And more track work which will quickly blend in.

Slightly pedantic (if not OCD) I took another photo of the Mt Domain cairn with a companion toasting its health in water.

The best spot for views is a few tens of metres further on. Too early for lunch, we just stopped and took in the views.

Ginini Falls was dry today. A wedge-tailed eagle soared effortlessly overhead.

The track heading north looks inviting, but not for today.

Still a little hazy down into the TNR valley.

A bit of a vid.

 

All that remained was to trundle downhill. I like that direction better that the other. We stopped for lunch at Fishing Gap, then endured the fire trail bac to our vehicles. Hit the stop buttons at 1.25pm, the return trip (including lunch) 6.3km in 2 hours 20 mins.

Thanks very much friends for holding my hand. I do hope you enjoyed the trip and the views.

The AllTrails map is here, where you can pan and zoom.

Party

9 walkers – Jo C, Rebecca H, Imogen H, Dagmar K, Quentin M, Charity M, Cole N, Matt N, me.