This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC walk:
Saturday 11 October - Upper Mavis Ridge - L/R,X. Some of the best that Namadgi has to offer. From the Nursery Swamp car park, track and taped footpad to Rendezvous Creek. Climb 550m SW up onto the Mavis Ridge to just N of Mt Mavis (SH1711). Follow the ridge around 4km to the NW, with stunning views overlooking Big and Little Creamy Flats and across to Mt Namadgi and Mt Kelly Spur. Drop down to Rock Flats, then to Cotter Gap and home via the AAWT. Around 21km and 1100m total climb. Up to 14 hours walking. Will be physically demanding walking for a fit and experienced party. Route not fully known to leader. Map: Rendezvous Creek 1:25000. Limit of 8. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$12. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.
7 of us booked to go. We left Canberra at 5.30am and drove in 2 cars to Nursery Swamp car park, then took one car and left it at Orroral Valley Tracking Station car park - luxury, cut 3.3km off the end of the day.
I've visited parts of the Mavis Ridge on 23 Sep 06, 10 Apr 07 and 13 Nov 07. 10 Apr 07 was meant to cover this area, but other opportunities presented themselves. Let's do it this time! Had a scout of a possible return leg back down Rendezvous Creek on 12 Feb 08. Did a recce of the inwards leg to near Mt Mavis on 17 Jun 08. A rethink of this - we will come home via the AAWT, which makes it 26.6km, 1150m climb, L/R,X; VH(16). But at least if we are caught out, the AAWT from Cotter Gap can be walked in the dark with a torch. This will have to be a long day. We will leave Canberra at 5.30am. Part of the challenge of an eXploratory walk is that one doesn't know the conditions to be met. Legs 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 I've walked, so the estimated times are based on experience. Legs 3 and 4 - I have no idea! We'll only go if the weather conditions are ideal. Bring a torch! To maintain a cohesive group, only fit and experienced walkers (plus me) will be considered. To minimise additional effort, on this walk it is the primary responsibility of each party member to keep in visual contact with the person IN FRONT of them. Before losing site, call out! If completely separated, stay where you are! There is water at Rendezvous Creek (after 1:20) and Sawpit Creek on the AAWT (after around 11hrs). Bring plenty of energy food - an arvo tea stop will probably be in order.
Civil twilight: 0559 - 1941
Walk
Away just after 6.30am, signed in on the walks register just up from the start of the Nursery Swamp Walking Track and quickly covered the track to the top bend above Nursery Creek. Down SW across the flats, as always looking for the large pig trap cage (I'll be lost if they ever take it away). Around the point of the scrub and headed towards the SW corner of the open area, looking for the pale blue paint daub (it's even harder to find in the wet). The footpad began as usual, but soon became taped up like a Christmas tree and substantially cleared in most areas after the recent incident there. In fact, I didn't lose the footpad once (and I usually do 10 or more times) and it was a couple of minutes quicker than usual.
A few (more?) tapes around the bottom of the leg up to the ridge. We seemed to hold a reasonable course up the spur, including crossing the 'flat bit'. I felt a bit off and the going seemed tougher than last time on 17 Jun 08 when we were only a few tens of metres to the SE on a parallel track. Maybe the regrowth has taken off (and a review of my photos 2006-2008 shows that it definitely has); maybe it was the pressure of the new, old and young guns in the party. Anyway, I was very happy to turn a drink stop into morning tea #1 at around the 1500m contour. We finally crested the ridge to the marvellous views W to Mt Namadgi and its ridge and, behind us, Mt Orroral over Rendezvous Creek. As I suspected, our way ahead along the ridge top looked pretty scrubby (see pic 1). We found a convenient spot for morning tea #2.
The ridge was slow, with regrowth and fallen timber between the granite knolls. However, an absolutely stupendous view (see pic 2) down across the rolling spurs to Rendezvous Creek, with occasional glimpses of the creek flats, and up to Mt Orroral with Thunder Bluff prominent. The Tinderrys were on the horizon and we could imagine Max and his party waving to us. This vantage point was atop the magnificent white granite tors to the NW of Mt Mavis, at around GR71745025 and from 1670m. We pressed on along the ridge, my knees getting sorer and more scratched. Great views to the left across to the Namadgi ridge, especially when the granite occasionally cleared the way through the regrowth. One such spot was the saddle prior to SH1607 (see pic 3). On through this SH, then down and up and down and up to just short of SH1571, where time and sapped energy dictated that lunch should be taken.
At it again and over SH1571 I made a poor decision to drop off the crest of the ridge. We spent some time sidling through thick scrub - the narrow ridge top could not have been worse. By 2.30pm we were just E of SH1506. So the leg along the ridge was slow going, at just better than 1km/hr.
I thought my navigation was reasonable to here (although with a ridge-top handrail, who could fail), but then it all when to jelly. I took my eye off the ball and for a moment was 180° disoriented. Reoriented but tired maybe, I decided to cut the corner from a planned turning point and ended up in the E end of the swamp SW of Rock Flats. I was heading for Rock Flats, but thought this similar looking area was it. That then caused the poor party to scrub bash N, parallel with the open Rock Flats! When will I ever learn to trust the planned route card?
The exit from near Rock Flats to Cotter Gap was probably a better route than I've previously experienced down around the 1400m contour, but still relentlessly scrubby.
A stop for water and arvo tea at Sawpit Creek and at least an opportunity to chat was we quickly trod the AAWT. Glad to see that second car.
Route Card
| Leg | Description | Distance (km) | Height difference (m) | Est time (hr:min) | Going/Comment | Actual time (hr:min) | Cummulative Act time (hr:min) |
| 1 | Nursery Swamp carpark to Rendezvous Creek | 4.6 | 260 |
1:20 |
Track and footpad | 1:12 | 1:12 |
| 2 | Rendezvous Creek to N of Mt Mavis | 2.9 | 600 | 2:45 | Scrub, regrowth, rock scrambles. 217°M to 'flat bit', then 236°M for the last 830m along and 250m up | 2:30 | 3:42 |
| Morning tea | 0:10 | 0:15 | 3:57 | ||||
| 3 | Mt Mavis Ridge to SH1506; incl lunch | 3.8 | 140 | 3:30 | Probably regrowth along the ridge, probably keeping to the left side of the crest | 3:55 | 7:52 |
| 4 | SH1506 to Rock Flats | 1.2 | 10 | 0:45 | Probably scrub and open flats | 0:35 | 8:27 |
| 5 | Rock Flats to Cotter Gap | 2.5 | 40 | 1:45 | Scrub and a few herb fields | 1:18 | 9:45 |
| 6 | Cotter Gap to Orroral Valley Tracking Station | 8.3 | 20 | 2:00 | Track | 2:10 | 11:55 |
|
Total |
23.3 | 1150 | 13:45 |
I was a bit second rate in the morning and suffered from leg cramps (even with bananas and electrolyte replacement); might have to rethink Mt Namadgi via Mavis Ridge.
A walk that I just had to do. It did offer some of the best NNP views, but also some of the worst scrub and regrowth, but I don't think the views are worth all the scrub-bashing (there are easier ways to enjoy them from an in and out to Mt Mavis). Thanks for your excellent company and support - Brendan, Chris, Chris and Nat, Jacqui and Sue.
Distance: 23.3km Climb: 1100m. Time: 6.35am - 6.30pm (call it 12 hours), with 1hr 10mins of stops.
Grading: L/R,X; VH(15)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Upper Mavis Ridge
