Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Thursday 21 June: Around Orroral on the shortest day of the year – L/R,ptX. Walk the Granite Tors Walking Track to the geodetic observatory. Then a targeted climb onto the ridge NW of Orroral Hill for geocaches GC2042E Wonderland #3 – Eagle’s Eyrie and GC2042N Wonderland #2 – On Top of the World. Huge views if the weather is kind. On returning to the geodetic observatory, we’ll have a look through it (if you haven’t already) and collect the clues for geocache GC6R7H1 Bricks and Blocks on Rocks. Let’s hope the final location of this one is close by in the scrub. Return to the start via the wonderful new track through the tors on the ridge. Walk over the Orroral River bridge to the final location of GC6TTYW Frogs in Bogs. This leg through open grassland and on the Australian Alps Walking Track. Around 18km and 650m climb, ~7km off-track through scrub. Leader: John Evans john@johnevans.id.au 0417436 877. Map: Rendezvous Creek. Transport: ~$10. Limit: 8.

Further Information

We missed the Eagle’s Eyrie geocache a couple of Tuesday’s ago.  lokipagan grabbed it on a Lauren O walk the Sunday after, so we couldn’t let the ladies beat us.

Summary

Distance: 12.8km | Climb: 650m | Time: 8.10am – 2.50pm (6hrs 40mins), including 30 mins of breaks and cache finding time | Grading: M/R; H(12)

Photographs

Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.

Videos

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

Just two of us today. Although -3ºC when we left the frost of my old folks home, it turned out to be an absolutely brilliant day. Not a breath of breeze and a blue sky. Just a little snow, particularly up on the crest at nearly 1600m and in the shade on the south side. Frosty at Orroral too:

A leisurely 3.9km in 1hr up the Granite Tors Walking Track to just near the geodetic observatory where we went bush. I’m afraid my navigation was not overly robust, as we wandered along tib-min sort of following our shadows. I was aiming for the waypoint ‘R12042E Entrance to the Jumble’, but ended up after a little scramble at the rabbit-ear rocks. Roger kindly suggested that the ascent was navigated that way to get the climb over quickly. 1.3km in 1hr.

I was happy to accept that navigational let-off explanation, until we gained the crest and ran into regrowth and snow. A slow 500m in 30mins to get us out onto the granite slabs:

Roger logged GC2042N Wonderland #2 – On Top of the World (I’d found it in 2015) and we then enjoyed morning tea with huge views from our vantage point:

It was only 300m to my main objective for the day, geocache GC2042E Wonderland #3 – Eagle’s Eyrie. The first 200m was granite slabs; the last 100m to the entrance to the rock jumble slow and scrubby. We dropped our packs at the entrance, grabbed GPSrs, camera and spoiler photos and proceeded to crawl and jump to the back of the ledge. One last crawl and we were out on the eyrie. A quick find and log of GC2042E Wonderland #3 – Eagle’s Eyrie. The views were astounding, including 30m down to where we walked a couple of weeks ago:

The backing out was just as tortuous as the entry:

All over bar the shouting, it was interesting to note that we were just 1.6 crowlometers (km in a straight line) from the geodetic observatory. Our return was 1.8m in 1hr 10mins, The going was terrible and on several occasions both Roger and I sighed “Where is Ian when you need him?” The going seemed so much worse that Ian’s entry leg on 29 May 18. However, in my defence, my return leg was pretty close to Ian’s inward leg, and also corresponded to my planned route. Just the luck of the draw I guess.

Back at the observatory, we collected the clues for GC6R7H1 Bricks and Blocks on Rocks, finding and logging it on the way home (final GZ and track detour omitted from published map). Lunch like lizards warming in the sun:

Home via the new crest loop of the Granite Tors Walking Track:

My feet were playing up, so Roger kindly agreed that we omit the final 4km round trip to the last cache. A reason to go back.

Thanks Roger. A beaut and fruitful day.

This is where we were:

Track Map

Track

Party

2 walkers – Roger E (Marmaduke Rothschild), me (JohnnyBoyACT).