Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Thursday 6 June: Kowen Caching – L/E-M. Some geocaches in the Kowen Pine Forest area.

Further Information

Last time I was in this area was doing Ian’s Kowen Forest 23 Dams on 16 Jul 13.

Summary

Distance: 21.5km | Climb: 600m | Time: 7.50am – 2.20pm (6hrs 30mins), including 30 mins of breaks and cache finding time | Grading: L/E-M; H(12-)

Photographs

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

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

Good reader, the main reason I’m sharing this post is to let you know about the Glenburn historic precinct, if you don’t already know about it. You access it from the Kings Highway, with a parking area just in down Charcoal Kiln Rd. It would be around 7-8km to walk in, around the various sites and back. Very worth a visit. We visited a couple of other old homestead sites that I didn’t know about too.

However, today we were geocaching. I missed the first turnoff onto the old Kings Highway, so we started from another point further east. A little north, then east around private property to a dam to log GC841A7 Jerrybuilt Jetty.

Back west on fire trails and across logged and replanted pine forest.

Arrived at the Canberra Geophysical Observatory and found GC4CBF0 Magnetic Monitor II on the fence.

We saw the only logging truck of the day, but plenty of piles of harvested pine logs elsewhere.

Then north and north-west, again via fire trail and off-track to the next cache. As we approached, we wondered whether the tree and the cache had been harvested, but the cache owner is very clever. As we got closer, our unease cleared as we headed down towards a gully with standing native trees. But, alas, said tree was a gigantic ‘wilding’ and had been felled and left there.

With keen eyes, Roger found the cache, still wired to a limb, but now very much down the slope. A crawl for me to log GC7MH7K Kowen Klimb II. A text and photo to the cache owner, who was a little dismayed.

Next, NE via fire trail to the ACT-NSW border fence to log GC7E6HZ Border Bend III, GC83THV Between Two Tankengines And A Hard Place and GC7NZY6 Cohens Cairn.

Retreating south and east for a bit, we logged GC7TM02 Magnetic Memories. Great views with the pine trees gone.

We next walked a long leg SW via fire trail and off-track to the Glenburn area. First cache logged was GC7NY0R 2 WALK BACK IN TIME – Colverwell Graves.

Then to the Glenburn Homestead, where we found GC7NY15 4 WALK BACK IN TIME -Glenburn Homestead.

Time for morning tea.

Then up to the charcoal kiln site to log GC7NY1A 5 WALK BACK IN TIME-Charcoal Kiln and next to the Hayshed site for GC7NY11 3 WALK BACK IN TIME -Hay Shed.

Finally, a skirt round the outside of the securely fenced shearers quarters and shearing shed to log GC7NY0E 1 WALK BACK IN TIME -Shearing Shed.

A long leg next to the SE, spotting some interesting growths.

We passed one of the ‘fall-down’ structures, which we understand were built to prevent silt flowing into the Molonglo River and so into Lake Burley Griffin. Read about them here. The corrugated iron, which must swing downstream when water is flowing, is an addition since I was last here.

Generally east to log GC78TNM Kowen Klimb. A climb here, as the tree was standing. Then south to log GC765Z3 Kowen Sheep Dip.

West to log GC77934 Yalgum Yards and have lunch.

Quoting verbatum from Tankengine’s cache description:

“After the ACT was established, the Yalgum property was first leased starting on 1 July 1933, the size of the block was 1686 acres, and it was designated as grazing land. Rental was £154 per year, for a 25-year lease. It had a farm house, sheds, a sheep dip, and other farm related equipment.
However, after the establishment of Kowen Forest, the farm was discontinued, and the house was rented out as a govie house. Sadly, in 2015 the tenants were evicted and their home of 26 years was demolished, due to a court ruling that their property was too great a risk in the event of a bushfire.
Nothing now remains of the home, but at GZ you can find the remains of the yards, where there were various sheds. There also remains the real axel of an old car. Trees belonging to the old orchard also remain.”

Hunger abated, a little south to the actual homestead site to log GC84RY2 Principle Pines.

Again to quote from Tankengine’s cache description:

Principle Pines are the original Pines planted at Kowen Forest. These pines are very large, and have not been harvested, as they were in the grounds of the original Yalgum homestead. The homestead is long gone, but the driveway, and some introduced trees included the pines and apple trees still remain. There are also some nice poplars here. All in all a lovely location near the creek. It would have been a lovely place to live.

Finally, across the old King H’way to log GC83THF Kowen Forest Pine Plantation and to the current alignment of the Kings Highway to log GC4HXE5 Twowheeler tunnel. Returned east to the car.

Drove in the correct end of Sparrow Hill Rd for a quick find and log of GC41F6K Groos Rest and GC3BY2W Wee Bear.

Good day. 20 caches including 10 Tankengine caches. Thanks Roger.

Track Maps

Track overview

Track 1

Track 2

Party

2 walkers – Roger E (Marmaduke Rothschild) (leader), me (JohnnyBoyACT).