Mt McDonald fire tower and Mt McDonald ecce with a quadripod trig

Monday 14 July 2025: Cotter Caching and Mt McDonald ecce ! – S/E. A stroll for me to log the final GZs of 2 multi-caches’ data collection on Saturday.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Epix Gen 2) – Distance: 4.49km | Climb: 255vm | Time: 1:00 moving + 0:18 of stops = 1:18 | Grading: S/E; E(4).

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here. The track has been modified to not reveal the final GZs of the caches.

Track Maps

Here’s where I went:

Track Cotter Caching and Mt McDonald Ecce

Trip Report

I was last here on 12 Jul 24.

Two objectives:

1 After all the hard work by my companions on Saturday collecting multi-cache information for me, I had to do the calculations and return to log the final GZs (ground zero).

2 Sort out for myself the Mt McDonald trig and Mt McDonald ecce locations as pointed out to me by Steve G.

During the trip I found and logged the final GZs of GC2JH44 Cotter Construction II and GC8PEZ6 Mount McDonald’s Kingdom. The track map and gpx file has been modified to not reveal the final GZs of the caches.

Here’s the Mt McDonald area on the 8627-2N Cotter Dam © 2003 topographic map:

Mt McDonald area on 8627-2N Cotter Dam © 2003

Approaching the top, the first feature is McDonald trig at 789m ASL.

Remains of McDonald trig

At the top are the remains of the fire tower and McDonald ecce at 788m ASL.

Mt McDonald fire tower and McDonald ecce with a quadripod trig

I guess when the (1m) lower trig deteriorated, the ecce was replaced with the quadripod trig.

Great views to the East.

View E from Mt McDonald

I had a bit of a poke around down N from the top.

The going N of Mt McDonald

Views down to Brindabella Road.

Looking down to Brindabella Rd from N of Mt McDonald

Back up to the top and a trot down to the car.

Party

1 – just moi.