Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Saturday 3 September 2023: Cuumbeun Nature Reserve – M/E. Cuumbeun Nature reserve offers a lovely opportunity to explore the rather beautiful bush on the hilly ridge we usually just drive through on the way to the coast. The walk follows fire trail to Faunce Hill (805mtr) and closes the loop on footpad. There are good views over Googong, Jerrabomberra, Queanbeyan and Canberra. We cross several minor creeks and some of the track is gravelly and steep heading down. 11km, 370m gain, about 4hours.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (Map66i) – Distance: 16.29km | Climb: 420vm | Time: 4:06 moving + 0:52 of stops = 4:58 | Grading: M/E; M(8).

Included an extra little wander to Lazarus’s Hut.

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track map

Here’s where we went.

Track Notes

I was last in the Cuumbeun Nature Reserve on 25 May 19.

An excellent party of 14,

I was last in the Cuumbeun Nature Reserve on 25 May 19.

An excellent party of 14, including 3 guests, assembled under the guidance of Marlene. We were walking on the Link Track by 8.05am and turned south along the Old Sydney Road (Queanbeyan River Fire Trail).

A display of wattle blossom as we walked down to cross the creek.

We rounded the southern part of the walk and stopped at Faunce trig for morning tea.

I had time to Facetime with my kids in San Diego and Sydney for Fathers’ Day.

We continued to the N and NW. Easy walking, so plenty of opportunity for conversation.

A very pleasant surprise for me as we left the fire trail and followed bush footpads and tracks. We crossed Valley Creek, which flows down towards the new Running Creek housing development.

Our track passed very close to an underpass under Ellerton Drive. A short, sharp climb took us to a group of reservoirs. Very large sized bite valves!

Track side Indigofera as we walked east to rejoin the Old Sydney Road.

And so back via the Link Track to our cars.

Marlene knows this area very well and led a great trip. Thanks all.

Party

14 walkers – Marlene E (leader).

Lazarus’s Hut

Phillip and I took the opportunity to return, via the Swamp Track, to Lazarus’s Hut. I found the history of this hut in Tim the Yowie Man’s book In the Spirit of Banjo, a compilation of Tim’s columns published in the Canberra Times. This one, called ‘Lazarus rising’ was first published 27 September 2013. It includes “… a ‘hut’ built by George Lazarus, a World War I veteran-turned-recluse who worked on a road gang with the Queanbeyan Council in the mid-1900s.”

AllTrails

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

Johnny Boy’s Walkabout Blog FaceBook Page

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