10 Apr 10: Corin Dam to Tidbinbilla via Stockyard Spur, Black Springs and Fishing Gap

10 April 2010 Corin Dam to Tidbinbilla via Stockyard Spur, Black Springs and Fishing Gap

Maps: Corin Dam and Tidbinbilla 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by Mike B and me as a combined NPA/CBC walk:

Saturday 10 April - Corin Dam to Tidbinbilla via Stockyard Spur, Black Springs and Fishing Gap - L/R. A combined NPA/CBC cross-over walk from Corin Dam to Tidbinbilla via Stockyard Spur, Black Springs and Fishing Gap. Around 15km, 900m climb including thick regrowth. Limit of 8 in each group. Map: Corin Dam, Tidbinbilla 1:25000. Leaders: Mike Bremers and John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: $10-13 per person.

7 of us met. I'd been a bit crook for several days, so was not confident of leading a party, so we all walked from Corin Dam to Fishing Gap. Mike and I had run his car out to the Fishing Gap car park the previous day. We left a note for the late shift ranger to explain what was going on. Sage advice from one of the Tidbinbilla managers was "You probably are aware of the intensive regrowth of vegetation along your propose route if not you will be when you have completed your walk"! We drove off in 3 cars, one straight to Corin Dam, 2 to TNR Visitors Centre where we left 1, then to Corin Dam.

Further Information

In the NPA Bulletin Vol 25 No 1 Sep 1987 http://www.npaact.org.au/res/File/Bulletins2/Vol 25 No 1 Sep 1987 A.pdf there was a walk listed for 21 Nov 1987 from Corin Dam to Tidbinbilla via Stockyard Spur, Black Springs and Fishing Gap with a long car shuffle. More scrub bashing now but I think it would be about an 8-10 hour day max.

Mike will go from Fishing Gap to Corin Dam and John from Corin Dam to Fishing Gap.

This walk is a partial re-enactment of a 1935 expedition that searched for ski slopes in the Brindabellas. See here for the newspaper article. This time, no turning back due to female party members.

Where is Black Springs - not where the map says it is. See the NPA Bulletin Vol 23 No 3 Mar 1986, page 18 http://www.npaact.org.au/res/File/Bulletins4/Vol 23 No 3 Mar 1986 A.pdf.

Photographs

Access all primary pics here. All thumbnails in the walk report are active - click for a larger picture.

Walk


Track overview


Track a	Track b	Track c

See http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc95d7xc_9hf72qqv9 for Mike's walk description and vastly superior photos.

A nice morning. Great to see a little more water in the dam. We wandered up the footpad to Stockyard Spur, covering the 2.2km in 1hr 5mins. An opportunity to document this pad for my Namadgi Footpads page, the new Garmin Oregon GPS taking 337 track points, set on (sampling) Interval = Normal.

Time for a gasp of air, swig of water, a snap to record the occasion, then we turned right and headed down Stockyard Spur. The old vehicle track continues down the spur, in various states of repair/recognition for around 2.6km, which we covered in around 40mins. In places the pea regrowth on the track is over head height; in others it is clear. Towards the end you can only tell the route from the gap in the mature trees. It peters out at around UTM 55H 665459-6068224 (GDA94). We stepped around a lazing snake.

We continued further N along the spur to SH 1272, then took the NE spur line. Morning tea at 10am in a little clearing in amongst all the regrowth.

Further NE down the spur, then more E. When we could see above the regrowth, views to the Tidbinbilla Range - Tidbinbilla Mountain, Mt Domain and Fishing Gap. At last onto the more open descent to the Cotter River, from about the 900m contour. A quick, high stepping dash across the river - the quicker you run, the less water in your boots; the more holes in your boots, the quicker they drain! Didn't bother using the deck booties I'd brought. Across by 11.50am, having covered the Corin Dam-Stockyard Spur-Cotter River at Black Springs leg of 9.2km in 4hrs 25mins.


1 Stockyard Spur track - pea regrowth	Stockyard Spur track - UTM 55H 665439-6067722 (GDA94)	Tidbinbilla Mountain from the descent from Stockyard Spur to the Cotter River

Although early, an appropriate spot for lunch. We moved a few metres up onto the sharp and rocky spur which rises from the river here and settled in for a bite.

It's a lovely cameo area, this rocky spur protruding into the U-bend in the Cotter River. We left at 12.20pm. Geologically interesting and, after scrambling up, lovely views. From here we turned E, but had to battle down through very thick scrub to cross a side creek before gaining a more open W-facing spur.


2 Cotter River at Black Springs		Climbing the sharp spur from Cotter River at Black Springs	3 Climbing the sharp spur from Cotter River at Black Springs

All that was left was to head E up to Fishing Gap, on the S side and paralleling the creek which we'd crossed, which flows down from the Gap. Easier said than done in places, as we generally contoured up alternatively skirting round noses of S-N spurs and drainage lines. There used to be a relatively easy and quite pretty track from Fishing Gap to Black Springs prior to the 2003 fires (so I'm told - I wasn't walking then). Eric P said we crossed remnants of it every now and again; in places the wombat tracks were useful when they were going our way. Eric G spotted the echidna and the plate fungus took my attention.

Whether by design or good luck (I was leading at the time), we came in high towards Fishing Gap. A final view back along the way we'd come up from the Cotter River, with Mt Franklin at the rear. The weather had been a bit threatening all arvo, but luckily broke up as it neared us. New tapes leading up to the S from Fishing Gap - wonder where they go? The leg Black Springs to Fishing Gap 3.6km in 3hrs 10mins, climbing around 350m.

3.8km in 50mins down Fishing Gap Road to the car.


Echidna on the ascent to Fishing Gap	Fungus on tree on the ascent to Fishing Gap	Looking back down our ascent to Fishing Gap - Mt Franklin at rear

Mike B has also recorded a trip report in the NPA Bulletin Vol 47 Number 2 June 2010, page 21.

Thanks Mike B, Eric G, Rod G, Eric P, Lorraine T and Russ W. A scrubby but satisfying day.

Distance: 16.7km Climb: 1050m. Time: 7.25am - 4.20pm (call it 8hrs), with 50mins of breaks.
Grading: L/R; H(14)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Corin Dam to Fishing Gap

Back to Walks Index

This page last updated 15Aug22