View from Gibraltar Peak
Saturday 6 February: Gibraltar Peak – M/E. Walk the Gibraltar Peak loop, ascending via the new trail and descending via the old Gibraltar Trail. Great views from the top and the weather looks good. Around 8km and 400m climb, 4 hours walking. Bring morning tea, but we’ll be back in town for a late lunch. Leader: Cynthia C. Map: Tidbinbilla. Transport: ∼$8. Meet at 7.30am in Lanyon Marketplace car park near McDonalds and facing Tharwa Dr. No need to book.
14 of us drove in 4 vehicles to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Dalsetta car park.
Summary
Distance: 7.3km | Climb: 370m | Time: 8.00-10.55am (2hrs 55mins), including 25 mins of breaks | Grading: S/E; E(6)
Photographs
Photographs are available, where you can start a large sized slideshow.
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
A delightful little cameo walk with an early start on a lovely morning. A popular leader (who should facilitate more walks) drew a party of 14.
We parked at Dalsetta and crossed the road to a mob of welcoming roos. Not much puffing, but a lot of chatter, as we wound up the more recent walking track which approaches Gibraltar Peak via the saddle south of Mt Eliza. I took the opportunity to collect the required information for geocache GC3J43Q Basil’s Gibraltar Peak Meander, but did not return to the final GZ.
A stop at the lookout on the way up for the marvelous views. The Paddys River valley is green and the Tidbinbilla Ridge always imposing.
Up on top, Mum and daughter led the way to the highest slab – I’d forgotten the final few tens of metres of track. A relaxed morning tea, soaking in the view.
We returned via the old Gibraltar Peak Trail, taking in the lovely grass trees of the Xanthorrhoea loop (it was only when we reached near the junction with the inward track that we saw the sign which said that the Xanthorrhoea area is currently closed). So sorry, but there was no sign coming down the Gibraltar Peak Track and the bottom sign is too far away from the inward, new track.
We were back in town by 11.30am, walk over and plenty of time for the other things of the day.
Thanks Cynth and all.
Track Map
Track
Profile
Party
14 walkers – Jeff B, Mike B, Julie Ann C, Cynthia C (leader), Robert D, Janet E, Paul and Karen O, Mark P, Michael and Margaret T, Jemma and June W, me.
Next Saturday Walk
Saturday 13 February: Mt Coree – L/E. All on fire trails from Blundells Flat. Around 18km and 700m climb. This will be a moderately paced walk taking us to the summit of Mt Coree which has excellent views on a clear day. Situated in the Brindabella National Park on the NSW side and in the Namadgi National Park on the ACT side, Mt Coree marks the point where the ACT border changes from a straight north-easterly line to following the watershed of the Cotter River. Before European settlement, the mountain was used by indigenous Australian tribes to hunt for bogong moths. Map: Cotter Dam. Leader: Cynthia C. Limit: 8. Transport: ∼$8 per person.