5 February 2011 ACT Western Border: Mt Ginini & Gingera etc

Map: Corin Dam 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by Peter J and Quentin M as a CBC walk:

Saturday-Sunday 5-6 February - ACT Western Border: Mt Ginini & Gingera etc - S/M. An overnight pack walk in Namadgi along the ACT western border. We’ll walk south from Mt Ginini, peak to peak taking in Little Ginini, Pryor’s Hut, Mt Gingera & beyond. Some on Mt Franklin Road but mostly off track. May do side trips without packs. Flexible with camping spot. Approx 18 km over 2 days with a few 200 m climbs. Map: Corin Dam 1:25,000. Leaders: Peter J and Quentin M. Book with Quentin. Transport: $59 per car. Limit: 8.

Adam arrived promptly at my place before 5.15am and we drove to Corin Dam.

Further Information

Q has been kind enough to allow me to meet them up there and enjoy Saturday before returning. I'll wander up from Corin Dam and try to meet them at Mt Ginini. Sunrise on 5 Feb is at 5.56am and sunset at 7.39pm. The best I've done going up by myself to the Stockyard Spur pole for the 2.2km+4.4km=6.6km is 52mins+56mins=1hr 48mins. It's another 4km to the Ginini car park. So, say, 3hrs to get to Mt Ginini. Earliest to start walking is 6am, so 9am at Mt Ginini. On 12 Jun 10 the return 9.9km from Mt Gingera took 2hrs 25mins. So, say, 2hrs30mins. Would have to leave Mt Gingera by 5pm.

Ground-truth:

KHA 205 - Trackhead (Mt Ginini). Ginini carpark services Stockyard Arboretum Walking Track and closed portion of Mt Franklin Rd. Carpark formalised in 1988.
KHA 748 - Gravel pit. Roadside gravel pit on CMA Corin Dam 1:25 000.
KHA 729 - Ski Run. One of 3 cleared ski runs on Mt Ginini during the mid to late 1950s; as shown on CMA Tidbinbilla 1:25 000.
KHA 868 - GININI HUT & RMC DUNTROON LODGE. A small ski hut was built the Ginini Hut Club around 1948. RMC Duntroon Lodge utilised the GHC Hut as a kitchen and built a main lodge adjacent in 1953. A ski run was cut down the mountain and a simple rope tow installed. After Duntroon's shift to Thre...
KHA 888 - Mt Ginini Arboretum. Established 1959 and removed c1984 to address wilding problem in surrounding snowgum woodland.
Mt Ginini
KHA 204 - Air Navigation Beacon. Operated by the Civil Aviation Authority: this A frame building was constructed during 1965-66 and is used by air traffic controllers and aircraft as a radio relay station. The building contains a generator room, a radio room and upstairs is a lounge, ki...
KHA 728 - Ski Run. One of 3 cleared ski runs on Mt Ginini during the mid to late 1950s; as shown on CMA Tidbinbilla 1:25 000.
Meet others
KHA 730 - Ski Run. One of 3 cleared ski runs on Mt Ginini during the mid to late 1950s; as shown on CMA Tidbinbilla 1:25 000.
Yards marked on 1st edn map - is this KHA 184
KHA 189 - Brumby Trap. Two linked yards (only such site in NNP) on southern slope of Mt Ginini dating from 1930s or 1940s. Downhill yard vestigial, uphill yard partly standing as of 1993.
Little Ginini Mountain
Good border marker above Pryors Hut
KHA 882 - Scotts Pine Arboretum. Arboretum of Scotts Pine from c1950s, possibly associated with Snowy Mountains Authority re-vegetation trials for the Snowy Scheme.
KHA 185 - Brumby Trap. Located near corner of the Pryors Hut arboretum fence, this yard was built in the mid 1950s and was only used once. Vestigial remains as of 1993.
KHA 300 - Alpine Botanical Annexe. A project undertaken in the early 1950s by ACT Parks and Gardens. After an initial burst of activity the project languished.
Mt Gingera

Photographs

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Walk

Track maps: thumbnails are active - click for a larger picture
Track overview	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3

The weather forecast was not so good, with winds in Canberra to 60kph and showers and thunderstorms, but I'm glad it didn't put Q off. After some Friday evening phone calls, we agreed that we'd meet at Ginini car park by 10am.

Adam and I popped our coats on, as I remembered the tall pea growth on the first zigs and zags up from Corin Dam. It was wet from the night's rain and certainly more dense since my last visit to this area. Misty and a couple of showers as we walked up, but pleasantly warm so the wet was not a worry. 2.2km and 1hr 3mins to the marker cairns, so I'm slowing up. Adam, on the other hand, was hardly puffing.

The next 4.4km to the Stockyard Spur marker post on the Mt Franklin Road took 58mins, a little better on the flatter bits but still not a PB.

The 4km N along the Mt Franklin Road to the Ginini car park took 41mins.

So there at 8.40am and I had time to search out a few locations - a location fix for the car park (KHA 205) and the gravel pit (KHA 748 very exciting - not - but an obvious depression in the land form). We then walked up the old ski run (KHA 729) to join the road to Mt Ginini and off the side to search for the Duntroon ski lodge (KHA 868) site. I was fossicking around at a benched area to the SE, but Adam found concrete footings and a large bolt firmly embedded. Back down to the car park where there were 2 cars - one a group of blokes going fishing down in the Goodradigbee via Harry Spur and the other belonging to a group of guys whom I thought I knew. Forgot to look for KHA 888 and KHA 728.

The others drove in around 9.30am and we set off up the ski run to Mt Ginini, the high point just inside the fence of the air navigation facility (KHA 204). From here we turned S and wandered down the old ski run (KHA 730) heading in that direction, continuing S in the bush along the border at the remnant yards (KHA 184) where the ski run bends away to the W. There are lots of border markers all along here, but unless you're into them, they're just piles of rocks. Anyway, it wasn't my walk. But I couldn't resist going to X56 and the 19 Mile marker, both fine lockspits with 3" pipes and close together.

It's a nice area, this S spur of Ginini. We did hit border markers A57, B57 and C57. An unsuccessful search for KHA 189 Brumby Trap, then out onto the road at Stockyard Gap.

We soon entered the bush again, heading up the long spur to Little Ginini Mountain. The high point is not marked, but there's a fine border marker M57 very near, the 1" galvanised iron pipe surrounded by fine rock boxing at the centre of the lockspit. The view down the gentle spur to the SSE is very pretty - unburnt snow gums and mountain grasses.

It was after 12 noon, so we left the other 4 overnighters who were going E off the top to the Stockyard Spur marker pole and along Stockyard Spur to Graham Barrow's 'Stockyard Spur Grandstand' to take in the views.

Adam and I we able to pick up the pace (we didn't have overnight bags) and trotted via border markers O57 and P57 (both fine 3" pipes standing proud of their lockspits) down to Pryors Hut. We signed in under another party who had stayed the previous night, the group that I knew of.

A detour towards the middle of the pines to get a fix (KHA 882 - Scotts Pine Arboretum), past my favourite Q57 and then along the road to the walking track signpost announcing the walking track to Mt Gingera. Adam got some water from Snowy Flat Creek. Just past the old gate we contoured NW to the KHA 300 - Alpine Botanical Annexe site. Nothing there, but coming out the top (rather than retrace directly to the footpad), we were sure there was an old benched road (into the top of the site?).

Back on the footpad, we went up to Mt Gingera, both the granite tors of the real top (i'm still looking for that 1" Gaspipe driven into cleft of Boulder!) and the guyed pole. We took 5 minutes for lunch. A small very brown snake on the way up.

Returning along the Gingera ridge, we came across plenty of wildlife. First a very long shed snake skin (close to 2m, no exaggeration), then a family group of 7 or 8 pigs (one the size of a hippopotamus, a little exaggeration). Visited border marker R57, then trundled down the side to the Mt Franklin Road, disturbing a black snake in its skin.

Back near Pryors, we had a peek at the 21 Mile marker then, walking in to check out the location of KHA 185 - Brumby Trap (nothing there), came across our mates sussing out where to camp for the night.

An uneventful trip back, 7.5km in 1hr 47mins.

An excellent walk up and down with Adam L. We met Quentin M, Peter J, Rupert B and Barry K at Ginini car park and wandered along with them a bit. Hope they didn't get too wet tonight!

Distance: 30.0km Climb: 1450m. Time: 6.05am - 4.18pm (10hrs 13mins), with 15mins of stops and 1hr at and around Ginini car park.
Grading: L/E-M; H(14)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Mt Ginini, Little Ginini and Mt Gingera

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This page last updated 25Aug22