This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC walk:
Friday 7 November - Mt Namadgi in via Middle Creek, out via Mavis Ridge - L/R,X. A day-walk to a classic Namadgi National Park destination in the Bimberi Wilderness. Scrub, regrowth, granite and magnificent 360° views from the sub-alpine top which also boasts other features. Substantial climbs and a long day. Around 22km and 1150m total climb. 13 hours walking. 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.
6 of us met and left Canberra at 5am. Had to take 3 cars - one left at Nursery Swamp car park and we all then went to Yankee Hat car park.
(PW email 10/08/06) John you expressed interest in the Mt Namadgi route we (FBI) did about 2 years after the fire. We went up the Nursery Creek walking track to the saddle using the faint track crossed the saddle to Rendezvous Creek, went up the spur to the sw crossing the main spur 0.5 km NW of spot 1711, and down to Big Creamy Flat, climbed directly to Mt Namadgi. Returned the same way, ?8:30- 5 pm. With plant growth you may be better off starting from Gudgenby going up the main branch of middle creek, same distance with less up and down.
I'll take a bottle of champers to celebrate my 60th birthday. A rethink of this - now Friday 7 November. Even with the date change, this remains an insurance-covered CBC walk.
Don't forget my rules on walks like this when I need every ounce of effort to get myself over the finish line! - 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 sight, call out!
Civil twilight: 0527 - 2007
Walk
The day threatened afternoon rain, but it remained overcast and the sprinkles held off till very close to the end. In fact perfect walking weather.
Thanks to previous leaders who have taken me up Middle Creek, I was able to choose a near perfect route. Easy walking through mainly dry and open forest, with plenty of wombats going in our general direction. Happened to cross Middle Creek at a significant site, more by accident than by design - additional material available via password. We stopped for morning tea at the top junction of Middle Creek (to the E of Mt Burbidge) at 8.30am - seemed pretty early, but with most of us getting up around 4am we needed the energy food - and replenished water. Then on up the creek, getting more water around 1.5km below the saddle. Broke on to Big Creamy Flats just after 10am, not a bad little trot of 11.2km in 3hrs 45mins. A lovely sight in Spring growth.
We wandered down the SW edge of the flats for around 500m, then turned to the SSW to climb Mt Namadgi. Lovely views back down to Big Creamy Flats and up to the Mavis Ridge as we climbed (see pic 1). A little careless navigation of my behalf and we hit a huge area of granite (see the Google Earth track). I also began to succumb to my 60 years and was glad when Brian took over the lead to the top of the ridge. However, there was a happy result. Came upon the large, sign-posted significant site on the Namadgi top, which I'd never visited before of my two previous times here - additional material available via password.
My companions graciously allowed me to plod and puff to the top first. 13.1km in 4hrs 50mins, a little longer and slower that last year's inward leg, but a whole lot more comfortable journey. Time to admire the huge views all round, then crack the champers (sorry folks, I now know martini glasses are not champagne flutes). John H admirably completed the cork retrieval task for the second year. Out from various packs came biscuits and dip, strawberries for the champers (see pic 2) and mango to drip down one's chin. All in all, excellent and we enjoyed the longest ever lunch of 45mins. A small consideration of the exit over Mavis Ridge from this vantage point (see pic 3).
A short delay as we began the wander NW off the top as, instead of going to the head, the champers had gone to another part of the body of one party member. A whole lot better exit from the top, around the planned side of the granite buttress. Soon back down to Big Creamy Flat and a little discussion as to the route up to the Mavis ridge. In the end we bit the bullet and headed straight up towards an insignificant dip in the ridge line. Again, Brian gave me a welcome spell from leading.
It must have been Brian's bushcraft, because the ascent I'd been dreading was relatively easy - certainly we avoided the huge chunks of granite dribbling down the hill. Once on top, my companions gained an appreciation of the joys of the ridge (the lousy scrub, not the view) and we tootled down the other side. Certainly some little cliff-etes and a bit of scrub, but a lot better than my previous routes. We were to the NW of those, perhaps by 200m and closer to the exit Tony used a few weeks ago.
A joy to reach Rendezvous Creek and laze about for arvo tea (another first on a walk of mine). Up the newly retaped pad to the saddle and over to join the Nursery Swamp Walking Track and so back to the car.
A little mucking about in cars and we were home.
Route Card
| Leg | Description | Distance (km) | Going/Comment | Time (hr:min) |
| 1 | Yankee Hat car park to cross Middle Creek | 3.9 | Track to Bogong Ck bridge then open grasslands | 0:50 |
| 2 | Cross Middle Creek to near MCk top junction | 3.8 | Parallel Middle Creek - open dry forest with plenty of animal pads | 1:15 |
| Morning tea | 0:15 | |||
| 3 | Near MCk top junction to MCk-CFCk saddle | 3.6 | Parallel Middle Creek - dry forest, a couple of open creek flats | 1:35 |
| 4 | MCk-CFCk saddle to Mt Namadgi | 1.8 | Open flats, scrubby climb to spur, sub-alpine top | 1:00 |
| Lunch | Including champagne taken from (plastic) stemware | 0:45 | ||
| 5 | Mt Namadgi to Big Creamy Flats | 1.5 | Sub-alpine top, scrubby descent to open flats | 0:45 |
| 6 | Big Creamy Flats to Mavis Ridge | 0.7 | Tight scrub and a little granite; 200m climb | 0:35 |
| 8 | Mavis Ridge to Rendezvous Creek | 2.7 | Scrub and down | 1:30 |
| Afternoon tea | 0:15 | |||
| 9 | Rendezvous Creek to Nursery Swamp car park | 4.7 | Taped footpad with 100m climb and benched walking track | 1:10 |
|
Totals |
22.7km |
10hrs |
An huge walk with excellent walking companions and huge views to celebrate my 60th birthday. Thank you very much Brain, John, Karen, Max and Tony.
Distance: 22.7km Climb: 1100m. Time: 6.20am - 4.20pm (10hrs), with 1hr15mins of breaks).
Grading: L/R,X; VH(15)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Mt Namadgi
