Calvary Kitchen fireplace

William Farrer’s home and fields

Saturday 23 July 2025: Calvary ! and Lambrigg – M/M. An explore around Calvary. Join the E-M Wednesday Walk, including a visit to Lambrigg.

Summary

Walk 1 – Calvary and Grass Trees

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 14.43km | Climb: 350vm | Time: 3:21 moving + 2:23 of stops = 5:44 | Grading: M/M; M(9).

Walk 2 – Lambrigg

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 1.57km | Climb: 65vm | Time: 0:21 moving + 0:41 of stops = 1:02 | Grading: S/E; E(4).

Photographs

View photographs here. Heaps more photos of things that I was looking for in the photo album.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Maps

Here’s where we went:

Track Calvary and Lambrigg

Trip Report

Walk 1 – Calvary and Grass Trees

I was last at Calvary 4 days ago, on 19 Jul 25. An early individual start today gave me the opportunity to check out a few things around Calvary, then join the E-M Wednesday Walk.

Panoramic views on the way in.

View over Miowera Pines to the Tidbinbilla Range

2.9km in 0:48 to the turn down towards Calvary. My first foray down to the creek that parallels the FT, based on some recent information I’d received, turned up only shrubbery.

Down in the shrubbery for the first looksee

Back up to the FT, then another duck down a little later on. No sites associated with Calvary. Some creek erosion.

Erosion 1

A third dip down off the FT to the garden site we’d visited last Saturday. It was originally netted. Here’s a fence post, one which we found on Saturday. More erosion in the creek.

Fence post 1

I wandered down the creek line to the fruit tree near Calvary.

Fruit tree

The next task I’d set myself was to trace a bit of the fence line near Calvary (don’t laugh). First East, then South-West.

Fence corner

Back to Calvary.

Items on west wall of Calvary

My notes on Calvary are here. Using the SoS p39 schematic, I lined up the long and short axes of the homestead site.

Looking down the short part of Calvary out the window to the kitchen area

The aim was to find the separate kitchen area. Bingo – here’s the kitchen fireplace.

Kitchen fireplace

There are bits and pieces of metal and wire down past the kitchen site. We’d identified some last Saturday. I’d guess they’d be associated with the Yards (in the House & Yards) schematic here SoS p38.

I crossed the creek north of Calvary,

Creek line north of Calvary

I wandered SW for a bit, then back to the neck of a glass bottle we’d found on Saturday. Waypoint was good and we’d left the item where we’d found it.

Neck of glass bottle

Next, up along the creek running SE from Calvary. More erosion.

Erosion 3

The reason was that the ACT Heritage Council has an entry for Calvary which contains a schematic produced by a walking buddy Roger H (I’ve reproduced it here). (The schematic is printed East up.) Anyway, it shows erosion along the creek side of the netted cultivation area.

I won’t bore you with another 5 photos of fence posts, but there they were hiding in the shrubbery. Definitely hand-bored wire holes.

Fence post 2

I returned to Calvary for smoko. A little while later the E-M Wednesday Walkers arrived – 35 of them with ever popular leader Terrylea R.

They had morning tea. We left and headed out to and down the FT.

36 walkers leave Calvary

As good citizens, we hugged the Bullen Range Nature Reserve side of the fence, only crossing for a bit to visit the magnificent grass trees.

Grass trees

10.3km in 3:00 (including a brief lunch stop at the gravel pit) back to our cars. Our leader was hustling us, as there was a very important appointment for us all.

Walk 2 – Lambrigg and William Farrer’s Grave

THIS WALK WAS BY INVITATION, ONTO PRIVATE PROPERTY WORKING FARM. PERMISSION MUST BE OBTAINED FROM THE OWNERS TO ENTER.

I’m sure our host was surprised when 36 people in around 10 vehicles turned up (Wednesday Walks are no bookings required, so numbers are not known).

Peter welcomed us and gave us a fabulous talk about the history of the property and William and Nina Farrer. I’d first met William on a stamp when I was a kid.

Peter G gives us the good oil at Lambrigg

The one fact I remembered was that Farrer worked though 15 seasons (years) to perfect Federation wheat, pollinating with tweezers then adding leather caps to the heads of wheat. The rust resistant seed is used in other dry farming areas, including overseas.

The farm dog led us up the hill to the graves.

Lambrigg dog leads us to William Farrer’s grave

A place I’ve visited (with permission) many times.

William and Nina’s grave

William Farrer’s home and fields

Back down the hill and home. What a great day Terrylea!

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

Party

36 – 35 Wednesday Walkers and moi.