Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Thursday 11 July 2024: Very short notice – Rendezvous Creek and Gudgenby Ramble * – M/E-M. Enjoy the Rendezvous Creek Walk, then ramble through the open grasslands of the Rendezvous Creek valley on an old vehicle track. Visit sites associated with European land use and older periods on Country. Return via Gudgenby Homestead and Ready-Cut Cottage. Around 16km (some off-track) and 350vm climb.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 16.79km | Climb: 305vm | Time: 4:08 moving +1:53 of stops =6:01 | Grading: M/E-M; M(10).

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Map

Here’s where we went.

Trip Report

I was going to do this trip as a solo recce for an upcoming activity, but decided to pop it on the Canberra bushwalking Club’s activity management system Bilby as a very short notice trip, giving 2 day’s notice. Fortunately I gained 3 companions.

I was last in this area on 25 May 24 (Gudgenby area) and 18 Feb 24 (Rendezvous Creek area).

It was a dull and cloudy day as we left southern Canberra at 7.30am. Some patches of blue sky and brilliant sunshine as we drove the Bobeyan (Boboyan) Road. The temperature dropped steadily as we approached the Rendezvous Creek car park. -3°C as we set off along the frosty Rendezvous Creek Walking Track.

Across the bridge …

… with views to the NE (true left) ridge …

… to the bush furniture where views to the grasslands valley open up.

The blue sky and sunshine disappeared and the day remained overcast and chilly. Frost persisted for a couple of hours.

Joining the old vehicle track running up the valley, our next stop was the airfield area marked on old maps. The ‘runway’ is still marked by a few vehicle tyres, which used to be painted white.

Next stop was Rowleys Rendezvous Creek Hut site.

We stopped for smoko.

Next point of interest (POI) was the Rendezvous Creek rock art site.

You won’t find the location on the map segment or in the gpx file, as the track has been doctored. Traditional owners allow visits to the site, but prefer for photos and the location not to be published. We had lunch near the site.

Turning about to head SE down the valley, the next POI was Rowleys Rendezvous Creek Stockyard.

As we walked, I was attracted to a block of granite on the crest of the ‘Mavis Ridge’ which looked like a house or a water tank. The photo at the top of this trip report was taken with an app named ContextCam, which records the displayed data. So I should be able to work out where the block is.

We detoured left from the vehicle track to visit T Brayshaw or J Greenfields Hut site.

Like many European sites in Namadgi National Park, all that remains is a pile of granite from the original hearth.

We left the vehicle track and took another track south and over the low ridge to the SODAR site.

Read all about Sonic Detection and Ranging here. There’s another SODAR installation at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near the start of the Birrigai Time Trail.

We took in the nearby weather station.

Turning East from the track, we passed yet another exclusion zone area and nearby timber stack. Wonder what’s going on here?

Our destination was the Front Paddock shelter. I won’t publish a photo. Here’s where I found out about it, in J H Winston-Gregson’s MA thesis at ANU in 1978.

We stopped for lunch.

SE via the grasslands and fire trail took us to Gudgenby Homestead.

We popped across the bridge and circumnavigated the Ready-Cut Cottage.

Back at the Homestead, we walked out the fire trail.

One final POI and we were back at the car.

An enjoyable trip. Thanks to old and a new friend for your company.

Party

4 walkers – Eric G, Damian S, Wahyu S, me.

AllTrails

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

Johnny Boy’s Walkabout Blog FaceBook Page

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