14 June 2011 Gavells and Brayshaws Huts and Big Bugtown Hill

Maps: Denison and Tantangara 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised by Max S and led by me as an adhoc FBI Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 14 June - Gavells Hut - H. Folks, Since so many of you said they enjoyed last f/n walk in the Park, this offering is in the same region! Start at Locked gate on Boundary Trail off Snowy Mtn Hwy. Along Boundary Trail and Gavells Hut Trail to Gavells Hut From Gavells Hut off track over SH’s 1448 and 1515 to Circuitts Trail. Along Circuitts Trail to Brayshaws Hut. If time permits from Brayshaws Hut to Big Bugtown Hill. Back to Circuitts Trail, Boundary Trail to cars. About 26 km and 300 m climb but can be shorter if needed. Probably rate as Hard if all targets hit. Long day but finish on tracks. Start from Kambah shops at 6.30 am Please confirm interest by Monday 6.00 pm.

3 of us left Calwell around 6.45am. We drove via Cooma and Adaminaby, missed the unprepossessing Boundary Trail turnoff, did a 180 once we'd reached the Providence Portal turn off and eventually found our start point.

Further Information

Max had a last minute family matter, so asked if I'd lead. Very thankfully, Ken drove and Roger checked my navigation!

"If time I'd be grateful if your party could locate and gps the following Gavels hut extant NPWS reading 649800 6026000 original gavels hut NPWS reading ditto Gavels yards NPWS reading ditto. Its many years since I visited the hut but my recall of the site of the original is as follows: Standing at the door of the hut look approx 45 degrees left and across a drainage line/creek and the site is on the rise the other side of the creek. How far? Maybe 200-300 yards but am unsure. Also a brief report on condition is always welcome. Best wishes to all walkers Graham S"

Photographs

You can also access all photographs here.

Walk

Track maps: thumbnails are active - click for a larger picture
Track overview Track 1 Track 2 Track 3 Track 4
 

Walking by 8.45am. A few showers and a mite cool. Boundary Trail with several right-angled turns, N onto Gavells Hut Trail and so to Gavells Hut. 5.7km in 1hr 12mins.

We had a bit of a poke around, as requested by Graham S (Mr KHA) - see above, but could not find the original hut site or yards. The extant hut is at UTM 55H 649953-6026170 (MGA94). Morning tea in the wonderfully kept hut out of the showers and breeze. All these huts we visit are a credit to the KHA maintainers and the previous users - they are always spotless and tidy.

Then generally E to SH1448 and NE to SH1515, then E-ish to hit Gavells Hut Trail again. Not having a waypoint (and therefore not aiming off), I made a (wrong) assumption as to where we'd hit the trail and headed N for a few metres. Roger kindly suggested I check our location - which caused us to about turn, go SW and E around a creek line and turn N onto Circuits Trail. This leg from leaving Gavells Hut to here was 5.1km in 1hr 10mins. The junction of Gavells Hut Trail and Circuits Trail is not marked, is a little indistinct and Circuits Trail, as it goes out onto the edge of Nungar Plain, deteriorates into a hard to follow route as it heads to Crows Yards.

Near Crows Yards we spotted a herd of 5 brumbies out on the plain. On seeing us, they raced towards us as they headed to the trees. The stallion was magnificent (the 4 mares good looking chicks) and once he had them up near the trees and was between them and us, he put on quite a show, snorting and pawing the ground - typical bloke J.

On a bit further to Brayshaws Hut, the first I've ever seen without a fire place. The hut is about as big as a tent. The leg up Circuits Trail was 3.3km in 40mins.

Lunch in the hut, looking out the door. Signatures 'P. Brayshaw 2.4.11 and T. Brayshaw 17.4.09' on the inside wall.

Roger was motivated to come on this walk because he'd done a rogain in this northern area. He warned us that the pull up to Big Bugtown Hill was an unrelenting up and that it was. A hundred metres N on Circuits Trail saw us turning E onto Brayshaws Fire Trail, which joined Boundary Fire Trail. A right-angled turn to the S and more up saw us at Big Bugtown Hill, with its trig and automatic weather station. The leg from the hut to the hill was 2.7km climbing 270m in 35mins.

Having reached our objectives, we just needed to get back to the car. All on Boundary Trail, a long (downhill, thankfully) leg to the S, then W across Bugtown Creek, SW to cross Circuits Trail and Running Water Creek, then the long W-ish leg and S with wiggles back to the car. This leg 14.4km in 2hrs 55mins.

Well planned trip, thanks Max. Pity you couldn't join us. Great navigational correction and company from Ken W and Roger E.

Distance: 32.2km Climb: 850m. Time: 8.45am - 4.15pm (7hrs 30mins), with 25mins of stops
Grading: L/M,X; H(13)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Gavells and Brayshaws Huts and Big Bugtown Hill

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This page last updated 26Aug22