(4)5 April 2011 Gungartan and Dicky Cooper Bogong

Map: Geehi Dam 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by Max S as a combined FBI ad hoc hard/CBC Tuesday walk:

(Monday)Tuesday (4)5 April - Gungartan and Dicky Cooper Bogong - L/M-R. Drive to a convenient camp spot and camp Monday evening. (Time to be advised but latish). An early start up the Munyang-Geehi Rd to Schlink Pass. Visit Gungartan to the east and then Dicky Cooper Bogong to the west . Around 24km and 1000m climb. Map: Geehi Dam. Limit: 8. Leader: Max S. Transport: ~$155 per car, plus park entrance.

5 of us gathered from around Canberra in Wanniassa.

Photographs

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Walk

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Track overview	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3

Phillip had kindly offered to move the 5 of us + gear in his big truck. Most kind. We left around 5.30pm and stopped in Cooma for tea at the Thai Continental (76 Sharp St). Great tucker, fresh ingredients. On through Jindabyne and up Kosciuszko Road, turning right into the Guthega Road. At Island Bend, we took the first turn on the left marked with a 200m picnic spot blue sign. Seemed to be just a car park (with one friendly wombat), so returned to the road, drove a hundred metres or so and took the second, similarly signed, turn up to a pleasant picnic/camping area with toilet. Another friendly wombat and a possum greeted us. We set up our various styles of accommodation, Max made us a cuppa and we turned in to bed. A pack of dogs howled a couple of times during the night and gentle snoring was reported the next day ... sorry. A mild night due to cloud cover.

A mild morning (although gloves were needed) and the cloud cover began to burn off. Breakfast, packed and drove to the car park at the Munyang power station.

Walking up the Munyang-Geehi Road by 7am. Cool down in the shade and welcome warming via the puff up the zigzags. A perfect blue-sky day was developing. We could see the reconstruction activity down at Whites River Hut as we passed by. Inviting views up to the ridge to the W of it. I'd not previously been N of here. We reached Schlink Pass at 9.05am, 9.5km in 2hrs 5mins.

A couple of hundred metres further on gaiters were donned and we turned up E at a little cairn by the side of the road. A very pleasant leg looping E then N up the ridge to Gungartan, an occasional small cairn marking the way. 2.1km rising around 260m in 1hr.

Striking views all round from the leaning trig. Morning tea.

Leaving at 10.20am, we descended via the N, looping NW and W down to Schlink Hut (the Schlink Hilton, so called because of the salubrious accommodation). 2.3km in 40mins. Huge views (apart from the ubiquitous power poles and lines) across Dicky Cooper Creek and up to Dicky Cooper Bogong.

Our next leg took us generally SW across the creek flats and up onto the N ridge of DCB. Turning S we walked E of DCB and circled round to the more approachable S side for the final ascent. A huge spider sitting in the sun on the way up. 2.5km rising around 240m in 1hr 10mins.

Again, absolutely fabulous views all round. This time, some more familiar sights, as I'd previously wandered most of the way along The Rolling Ground. Lunch.

Off to the S, then E down to Schlink Pass. 1.6km in 30mins.

Back down the road. We called in at Whites River Hut and had a chat with the folk doing the reconstruction. I dips me lid to them - all I do is wander around enjoying the place and put little back in. Back out onto the Munyang-Geehi Road, then off it down to the weir on the Munyang River. This leg 2.7km in 40mins, including the chat.

From here we followed the aquaduct maintenace track to Horse Camp Hut. A very pleasant leg, the track generally contouring. Damp, with plenty of green grass. 3.4km in 40mins. We had a poke around the hut.

Back to the car from here, 4.5km in 50mins.

A change of clothes, a coffee and sugar fix at the Jindabyne Bakery and good conversation of the way home.

I learned 3 things today. (1) The technical term for the pipe taking water from the Guthega Pondage to the Guthega Power Station is 'bbp' (bloody big pipe); (2) A surveying Ecce is an eccentricity - where the survey mark cannot be placed at the exact point; (3) when 'out of reception' a mobile phone battery will quickly run down, as it repeatedly tries to pick up a signal. So turn it off if you know you're out of range.

A wonderful day, thanks Max. A strong party including Adam L, Phillip S and Wayne P.

Distance: 28.8km Climb: 1150m. Time: 7.00am - 3.30pm (8hrs 30mins), including 50mins of breaks.
Grading: L/M-R; H(14)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Gungartan and Dicky Cooper Bogong

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This page last updated 25Aug22