29 March 2011 Arboretum, hut, tops and weirs

Map: Tidbinbilla 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 29 March - Arboretum, hut, tops and weirs - L/E-M,ptX. Variety is the spice of life. Visit Bendora arboretum via Bendora Hill (gotta keep those 50 Peaks in 50 Weeks coming), then via Warks Rd to Pago weir and further on to search for Bushranger weir. On to the airport (well, Aerodrome Corner), Gravel Rd and part of Moonlight Hollow Rd before we strike out through the bush up the hill to Forest Knob. I'll throw in a couple of border markers as we wander through Bushrangers Hill and back to the car. Around 14km and 700m climb. Map: Tidbinbilla. Leader: John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$10 per person.

6 of us met at my home. We drove in 2 cars to the car park just off the Mt Franklin Rd at the intersection with Chalet and Moonlight Hollow Roads (Bendora Arboretum car park).

Further Information

Look for 10M Concrete Pipe 3" and Bolt covered by cairn. Did not have location with me on 29 Sep 09. Revisit both Pago and Bushranger weirs.

Photographs

You can also access all photographs here.

Walks

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

Walk 1

We began by wandering up to Bendora Hill. Easy going along the border break, except when I lost it and got in the regrowth. 1.4km in around 35mins, pausing to admire the 10 Mile marker which I'd previously missed when doing this area.

Another easy leg down through open forest, dropping into a clear drainage line which had us aiming off left of Bendora Hut. Hit Chalet Rd and wandered along to Bendora Hut. Around 1km in 30mins, including reading the new signage near the hut at the top of the arboretum. Never noticed it before, but wire rope up between 2 trees (just like yesterday at Warks Camp site) - Wayne suggested to hang a pulley?

A quickish gaunt, 425m in 10mins) through the arboretum, with Martin pointing out a signed, lone specimen.

Going down Warks Rd (marked on the 2nd edn map)/Bendora Break (1st edn map), we came upon the first of 3 snakes for the day. 2.2km in 30mins down to reach the Bendora Break/Warks Rd/Wombat Rd intersection.

Here we turned N and generally contoured along Warks Rd to the arm of Bushrangers Creek which holds Bushranger weir. I snapped a few different trees along the way - I'm determined to put together a photo gallery of pics with correct names. 1.6km in 20mins to reach the turn off point.

A snap to wander up to Bushranger Weir after finding it yesterday. A 10min morning tea break as we admired John Burns' and crew handiwork. Sadly (for me and my memory/losing things in the bush), I'd sat down - so I'd reckoned - at the same spot I'd done yesterday. Martin politely asked what was that at my feet - the earphones from my mp3 player I'd used to record John on the previous day. Tragic, because I hadn't realised I was missing them.

Back down on Warks Rd, we continued generally N, past the main arm of Bushrangers Creek running strongly, past an old logging landing and on to the intersection of Gravel Rd with Warks Rd (this is Aerodrome Corner - anyone know why it's named that?). 1.9km in 30mins.

We didn't continue along to Warks Camp, preferring a driving option later in the day. Instead we wandered along Gravel Rd, first up to around the junction with Moonlight Hollow Rd, then down along Moomlight Hollow Rd to cross another major feeder to Bushrangers Creek and up again to a likely spot to leave and head up to Forest Knob. 3.9km in 50mins.

We enjoyed a 10min lunch #1 on the road, then executed one of the most difficult parts of the walk - finding a suitable spot to climb the tall embankment up from the road. Once back in the bush - again reasonably open forest - we enjoyed a puffingly steep climb of 570m distance with a height gain of 100m in 30mins to Forest Knob. This was our second 50 Peaks in 50 Weeks hill for the day. Border marker U52 is obvious here.

From Forest Knob we generally followed the border/border break down and up to Bushrangers Hill, then down to the cars. 1.8km in 1hr, including a 10min lunch #2 on Bushrangers Hill.

In the cars, it took 20mins to drive back to the top of the Bendora Rd and, as yesterday, down to the Warks Camp parking area at the intersection of Bendora and Warks Roads.

Walk 2

This walk was a repeat of the first part of yesterday. Gemma had done one trip on 16 Nov 10 looking for Pago Weir and Phillip 16 Nov 10 and 4 Jan 11. So they certainly deserved to see it!

A quick in and out via Warks Rd, Old Mill Rd, Pago Break and John's access track to view Pago Weir. 5.7km in 1hr 35mins.

For the sake of completeness and the shear joy of the party members, we walked through the Warks Camp site and down to the Bendora Explosives Store site.

Many thanks Chris F, Gemma D, Martin C, Phillip S and Wayne P. Trust you enjoyed the variety of the day.

Distance: 21.4km Climb: 800m. Time: 8.35am - 4.10pm (7hrs 35mins), with 35mins of breaks and 20mins driving between walk 1 and walk 2.
Grading: L/M,ptX; H(13)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Arboretum, hut, tops and weirs

Back to Walks Index

This page last updated 25Aug22