Ranger Kate shares knowledge with style (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

Tuesday 22 November 2022: Ranger guided walk and CCT to Hall for coffee * – M/E-M,ptX. Join a ranger guided walk in a northern area, not normally open to the public. This area offsets suburban development. Our host says the area is alive with wildflowers. Probably around 2km and 50vm.
Afterwards, we’ll pop up to One Tree Hill. Around 4km and 150vm. If there is the desire, we could walk the CCT down to Hall for a coffee, then return to the start.

Summary

From Garmin Connect – Distance: 12.49km | Climb: 404m | Time: 2:43 moving + 1:12 of stops = 3:55 | Grading: M/E-M,ptX; M(8).

Photographs Photographs are available here.
gpx File None available.
Track Notes

Ranger Kate has been very helpful to me for bits and pieces concerning my Canberra Nature Park list ticking. We stitched up this little trip and she said it could be advertised as a CBC activity.

She was absolutely fabulous, a font of knowledge about the area’s ecology and conservation.

Ranger Kate shares the good oil (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

To prevent the area being loved to death before appropriate Canberra Nature Park facilities are established, no location details are published in this trip report.

We wandered up, passing a huge area of plantings.

A few plantings (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

Two trees exemplified the old and new land use.

Ringbarked in front, bird damaged tree at rear (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

Good and not so good from three years of rain. Great growing conditions for plantings re-establishing native species after generations of grazing.

Dam (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

The wild flowers were not as flashy as in other areas I’ve recently walked, but some special ones.

Milk Maids (Burchardia umbellata) (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

However, the appeal was the huge swathes of flowers.

Through wildflower fields (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

We reached the higher timber line.

Into the timber (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

At the extent of our guided walk we said bye-bye to Kate, who pointed us to the Canberra Centenary Trail.

Bye Kate (date-time, GPS metadata removed from photo)

We followed the zig-zag track up to One Tree Hill for views. Several other walkers about.

Suburbs encroach – view from One Tree Hill

A second surprise for some of the party. Mike L had surveyed the CCT in this area and had a few stories to tell us.

Surveyor Mike surveys the scene from One Tree Hill

We took a short cut down the fence line through the long grass to regain the CCT and hot footed to Hall for a coffee.

Gotta give a huge plug for Sugar Plum Fairy Cakes Unit 2/8 Victoria St Hall. They helped us out with coffee at an early 7.30am on 23 Oct 22 and quickly served the 9 of us today with excellent ONA coffee. A nice time sitting around chatting.

We left Hall around 12.35pm and returned up the CCT. At a convenient spot took a footpad down to the suburban edge and walked beside the street of MacMansions being built.

A wonderful time for all of us.

Track Maps

Here’s where we went (track doctored). On Hall 1:25000 map © BKK Enterprises Pty Ltd, Mona Vale NSW 2103 www.gpsoz.com.au Used with permission.

Track overview

Party

9 walkers – Dave A, Mike B, Lyn F, Mike and Cath L, Jenny A and Sal O, Cath R, me.

Information Bit(e)s

I’ve had a lot of assistance from walking friends recently. By way of paying a bit back, I’ll publish a few bites of information that may help someone. Today’s is ‘10 Handy Navigation Techniques‘.

Johnny Boy’s Walkabout Blog FaceBook Page

I’ve started up a FaceBook page. Each trip report posts to it. So it’s another way to get some info to get out and breathe a bit of fresh air. Why not pop over and give it a Like.