Knoll west of SH1309
Tuesday 26 August: Tallaganda National Park, North of Mount Tumanang – L/M,ptX. The start is 12 km south of Captains Flat on the Wild Cattle Flat road. We will spend the day off-track in the forests of Tallaganda National Park, mainly in the catchment of Ballinafad Creek. We will investigate a rocky bluff at GR 219429 before returning by a different route. The scrub is generally light but it is an old forest with plenty of fallen timber. Minimum distance: 20 km with 700 metres of ascent. Map: Leader: Ian W. Transport: 155 km return. Limit: 8.
7 of us drove in 2 cars via Captains Flat to park on the Wild Cattle Flat Road.
Summary
Distance: 17.6km | Climb: 800m | Time: 8.45am-4.40pm (7hrs 55mins), with 50 mins of breaks | Grading: L/M-R; H(13)
Track Maps
Track overview
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slide show.
Google Earth
Download the Google Earth .kmz file here.
Track Notes
Raining solidly as we drove out to Captains Flat. Some of us wondered what we were doing out here.
It eased a bit as we parked, but the conditions required hard shells and waterproof pants.
Some discussion during the day on the semantics of showers and rain. We decided, since we experienced a 15min break in the weather at lunch time, that we enjoyed either a break in the rain or 2 very long showers. The rest of the day was wet. But it’s hard to talk when ones head is encased in rain jacket hood and concentration fixed on trying to remain upright in the slippery conditions.
The leg to morning tea took us initially past a large cairn, then generally a bit east of south up spurs through old growth forest. Ian’s walk description was spot on, in that there was plenty of fallen timber. The day’s high-stepping was quite exhausting. 4.4km in 1hr 22mins.
After morning tea we walked south, then west through SH1309. Some nice rock there. Then slowly and carefully down the slippery and rocky slope to lunch. 3.9km in 1hr 55mins. A rock shelf and a few minutes of no rain as the sun briefly struggled through allowed us a little comfort at lunch.
We next contoured north across the face of the hill, spotting some nice rock formations up above us, but not possible to safely visit them in the conditions. A return trip sometime? Then down to cross feeder creeks to Whites Creek. There was plenty of water running. A climb got us back up onto the crest complex then, just near our morning tea spot, Ian led us in a loop east, north and north-west to afternoon tea at another raging creek system. This leg 6.4km in 2hrs 50mins.
The going began to open up and 2.9km in 56mins, generally to the north-west and via views down onto Wild Cattle Flat, got us back to the cars – which had heaters!
Party
7 walkers – Peter C, Chris F, Eric G, Linda G, Stewart J, Ian W (leader), me.
Next Tuesday Walk
Tuesday 2 September: Tidbinbilla Geocaching L/R. From the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Mountain Creek car park, we ll take the Camel Back Fire Trail towards the top. A bee-line to the old radio transmitter tower. Camels Hump then Pierce Trig. Return towards Camels Hump then off the side down Hurdle Creek to Nildesperandum. Return over the Tidbinbilla River to the picnic areas. 7 geocaches. Around 16km and 800m climb. Map: Tidbinbilla. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au . Transport: $12 per person (car shuttle required). Emergency contact details must be registered/provided to book. Late bookings considered.