Stockyard Creek below morning tea
Tidbinbilla Range from beneath Billy Billy Rocks
Tuesday 30 January: Great Geocaching Goals – L/R,ptX. Stockyard Creek Falls from Corin Dam and the Stockyard Spur helipad. A very steep crossing of the creek through dense scrub above the 13 metre falls. Then to below Billy Billy Rocks, walking in from Corin Rd in the east. Rock scrambling. Scenery and enjoyment incidental. Around 14km and 1000m climb. Map: Corin Dam. Leader: John Evans john@johnevans.id.au 0417436877. Book by 6pm Monday 29 January. Transport: ∼$10.
Caches GC6JBAV Stockyard Falls, GC1A7XY William Totally Rocks! and GC1PVHC Granite Cascade
Further Information
Unsuccessful attempts were made on 10-12 Nov 17 and 21 Nov 17.
Summary
W1, Stockyard Falls Distance: 7.3km | Climb: 800m | Time: 7.15am – 11.35am (4hrs 20mins), including 15 mins of breaks
W2 Distance: 4.9km | Climb: 400m | Time: 11.55am – 2.50pm (2hrs 55mins), including 25 mins of breaks
Total Distance: 12.2km | Climb: 1200m | Grading: L/R; H(13)
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.
Videos
Waypoint and Track Files
Download the .gpx file. (Right click, Save Link As…, Save – if you want to use it.)
To use in Google Earth, do File, Open… and select Gps or All files as the File Type.
Track Notes
Walk 1 – caching near Stockyard Falls
We drove to Corin Dam and were walking by 7.15am. Chilly at the car, but it didn’t take long to warm up as we climbed the steps. Made the 2.2km to the helipad in 1hr 5mins.
200m further up the Stockyard Spur vehicle track, we turned down right. The leg down seemed a little scrubbier than previously. Now, on that previous trip, I’d allowed the wind to get up me a bit. We’d looked down to Stockyard Creek from the true right bank and the descent to the creek and ascent to where we knew the cache was seemed difficult. Later that day we’d run into IamCoust and Green-Martian and they said it was a breeze (around 30 years younger). So today, I led a very easy crossing of Stockyard Creek around 430m upstream from the cache. The penalty came in the form of atrocious scrub and regrowth as we battled along the true left side of the creek, the 430m taking 35mins!
But GC6JBAV Stockyard Falls was an easy find and log, particularly as I had the spoiler pic this time. Morning tea.
The return leg was according to IamCoust. Around 20m upstream from the cache was a huge fallen tree, which provided a steep descent to the creek. Here, another log and steep gully provided the ascent route from the creek and we ended up in the flat area with the beautiful Alpine Ash. Continuing on, the return route to the Stockyard Spur vehicle track was a whole lot better. So our return route is the best approach to this cache and, indeed, the top of the Stockyard Creek 13r falls.
Just to quantify my poor leadership, the inward lousy leg to the cache was 1.1km in 1hr 5mins and the return good leg was 1.1km in 47mins.
We returned down the stairs to the car.
Walk 2 – caching near Billy Billy Rocks
We drove to the old fire trail entrance on Corin Rd and set off at 11.55am along the (rock climbers?) taped and cairned footpad towards Billy Billy Rocks. A bit of an initial climb, but easy walking. A detour around the second snake that declined to move off the track. 2.3km in 1hr 12mins to the granite slab where we’d had morning tea last time. A couple more cairns took us further up to the location of the cache. From here, it was a “multi via spoiler pics”, after Ian had spied the appropriate nearby granite features (he is Ian the granite hunter!). Ian and Melinda lunched, whilst Roger and I enjoyed some scrambling and crawling to find and log GC1A7XY William Totally Rocks!
A party member had an evening engagement in Canberra, so we left the last cache for another day. A couple of spots of rain as we walked back.
Seems like there was sufficient scenery and enjoyment to keep us happy, as well as two caches for Roger and me. Thanks all.
Track Maps
Party
4 walkers – Melinda B, Roger E, Ian W, me.
PS. We saw an interesting looking caterpillar:
Melinda was kind enough to sus out:
Yes – they’re mites and most probably the larvae of one of the free living adult species like this red velvet mite (http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=1489) or the long legged grey ones. The life cycle is the same. I suspect the host caterpillar doesn’t necessarily die but would be a bit weak after all these guys drop off!