Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Saturday-Sunday 6-7 April: Mt Burbidge hill bag and geocaching – M/R.Walk across the grasslands from Yankee Hat car park and into the mouth of Middle Creek. Climb the bottom of the Burbidge spur, then traverse round to near the south arm of Middle Creek and climb to camp at Bogong Gap. Scramble up Mt Burbidge and explore the tors on the ridge for three remote geocaches. Return the same way. Around 25km and 1000m climb. Map:Rendezvous Creek. Leader: John Evans 0417 436 877 john@johnevans.id.au . Limit: 8. Transport: ∼$12 per person.

Further Information

My geocaching goal is to log all traditional caches in Namadgi National Park. I was last here on 18-19 Oct 14, but it was someone else’s walk and I only had time to log GC1Y92H Burbidge – HIGHER!. This time, my walk with caching intentions.

Mt Burbidge at 1720m is the 10th highest named hill in the ACT.

Summary

Distance: 25.9km | Climb: 1040m | Time: 2 days | Grading: M/R; H(13)

Photographs

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

Video

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

Note to self – never, ever again walk with people 30 years younger; consider carefully before doing overnight trips into the heart of the Namadgi. That said, what a great bunch of people and a terrific walk with spectacular views.

We met at my old folks home in north Cooma (Gordon) and motored down the Boboyan Rd, turning in the Old Boboyan Rd to park at the Yankee Hat car park.

On our way by 8.50am across the Gudgenby grasslands and into the left hand side of the mouth of Middle Creek. The rocky top of Mt Burbidge beckoned.

A perfect walking day, a little overcast and in the high teens. We passed the mansion sized boulder and crossed the south arm of Middle Creek.

The Burbidge spur rises in three steps and the bottom lulls one along – some open going (mixed with shrub regrowth on the climbs) and handy animal tracks.

A stop for morning tea after climbing onto the second level.

It’s necessary to sidle left off the spur before running into large areas of pickup sticks.

I know, because we went straight up the spur on a day walk on 2 May 09. Maybe I sidled too soon, but there was a clear demarcation between the unburnt and burnt Alpine Ash + tightly packed Ash regrowth.

We dropped down to the creek for lunch and for some to replenish water.

The last 1.8km up to Bogong Gap was a bugger, the 1.8km and 130vm taking nearly 1hr 30mins.

Thanks to Lauren, a nice camp site was identified below a bare rocky area. Set up tents (except for Adam and his mico-light bivvy), a cuppa then a trudge down the creek line for around 375m to find running water (maybe should have picked it up on the way up). Now 4.20pm, so no time to do Mt Kelly and associated nearby geocaches. This old man, he didn’t play one, but went and had a sleep whilst the youngsters nattered.

Tea, no camp fire (fuel stoves only in the Bimberi Wilderness and a camping permit required).

In bed around 7pm for an 11 hour kip. I needed and used most of those hours. A mild night, no breeze, wonderful starry sky.

Up at 6.15am (or whatever time it was changing back from daylight savings), breakfast. With day packs, we made pretty much a B-line up the watershed to Mt Burbidge (yay for peak bagger Lauren) and the nearby geocache GC1Y92H Burbidge – HIGHER! (yay for cachers TikvaNZ and Lokipagan). The 1km and 150vm climb took 50mins.

The top of Burbidge is a remarkable jumble of granite boulders and tors and is a spectacular vantage point. Today the sun shone, the sky was clear and it was a little windy. Our next task was to get 300m along the top to the NW. It took 25 minutes, but we had the satisfaction of logging GC1YD0A Burbidge – LONGER!. Not visited for over 3 years and we were only the fourth group to log it.

What views!

Next, it was back along the top to the SE. 780m in 50 minutes, slow going. I was pretty whacked and it was great to have new friend and guest walker Alison (one tough adventure racer) take the lead.

Ho-rays as we logged GC1XH9F Burbidge – HARDER! which happened to be right by the top of the huge granite bulb.

Back down to our camp site, pack up and up to the nearby rocks for morning tea.

I don’t know whether it was a good idea or not, but I chose a higher route down to meet the creek for lunch and water. 1.6km in 1hr 30mins, shorter but slower than yesterday’s insert. The European wasps gathered, so it was a short break.

Again, so grateful to Alison and Martin for taking the front running at various times. All seemed right in the universe when they were route finding; it seemed to go pear-shaped when I did. No photos on the return. Seemed to miss a lot of the relatively open forest runs lower down the spur than on the inward leg.

We crossed the arms of Middle Creek at their confluence and headed in a very different way than usual to geocache GC83GYG Shelter Site. As with all caches ‘at’ significant sites, they are placed well away. Geocache owners certainly respect such areas.

And lastly, while the others took a more direct route back to the cars, the three geocachers trudged the old vehicle track to GC84YZP Middle Maelstrom. So good to be with keen, quick cachers – by the time I plod to the site, the others have found the cache and signed me on.

Limping on my sore foot, it was back to the cars.

This was a very successful trip! Wonderful company, remote caches, stupendous views. I guarantee, I will never be back this way again. Thanks so much, all, for carrying me.

I left a fair bit of blood and skin up there and 2.5kg of body weight.

Track Maps

Track overview

Track 1

Track 2

Profile

Party

7 walkers – Alison C, Martin E, Robyn H, Janice H, Adam L, Lauren O, me.