30 September 2012 Sunset from Mt Coree

Sunset from Mt Coree

Map: Cotter Dam 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC walk:

Sunday arvo/evening 30 September - Sunset from Mt Coree - L/E. Mt Coree in the Brindabellas commands magnificent, uninterrupted views. In the afternoon we'll walk up from Blundells Flat, all on fire trails. Bring a stove and we'll heat soup and enjoy wine and nibbles as the sun goes down. Bring a torch and warm clothes for the return trip. Around 18km and 650m climb. Map: Cotter Dam. Leader: John Evans - john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ~$10 per person.

12 of us met at my place and we drove in 3 cars via the Cotter, Brindabella Rd and Curries Rd to park at Blundells Flat at the corner of Pabral Rd and Curries Rd.

Further Information

Sunset is at 6.06pm, with civil twilight till 6.31pm.

Drive from town via Uriarra Crossing (or the Cotter) and up Brindabella Rd to a couple of hundred metres past the end of the bitumen. Turn right down Curries Rd (a management road very suitable for 2WD cars) and park at the corner of Curries and Pabral Rds, just over the ford of Condor Creek.

Walk up Curries Rd, along Two Sticks Rd and up Coree Summit Rd. These are well-formed (drivable, in fact) management roads. Around 9km and 650m change in altitude. We should have around 3 hours to do this, so no rush.

Bring water, hat/sunscreen, warm clothing (for the return), a rain jacket (just in case), something to share (eg. nibbles, bikkies and cheese, fruit) and something for your tea. Do bring a torch/headlight.

We'll laze around and watch the sun go down. Bring a stove if you have one. Bring extra water to be heated for a cuppa, if you want one.

We'll return in the twilight and dark, down Coree Summit Rd and Pabral Rd. Around 8km. If I've got it right it's near full moon. We'll need a clear night. Everyone should bring a hand torch or headlight and warm clothes for the trip. It will be around 5 degrees cooler than any forecast Canberra temperature at altitude (Mt Coree is 1421m).

Walk - Track Notes

A mite cloudy and chilly in the breeze as we set off up Curries Rd. We covered the 4km up to Two Sticks Rd in 1 hour.

The leg North up along Two Sticks Rd to the junction with Coree Summit Rd was 2.1km and took us 30mins.

We turned East along Coree Summit Rd and reached the windswept summit, covering the 3km in 55mins.

You see stranger things than a party of walkers huddled in the lee of the trig point trying to keep warm as we shared nibbles, ate tea and made a cuppa. Today it was a couple at a crew cab ute, with an electric generator set up a distance away (to keep the noise down) to power their television they'd set up - presumably to watch the NRL final!

The cloud did clear a bit and we got spectacular views, not only to the sunset but, on arrival, SE to the Tidbinbilla Range. It was very cold - we checked the temperature at that time via the BoM site on Mt Ginini and it was -4.2deg apparent, so it was probably around -1 or -2 at our altitude.

We left at 6.10pm, as soon as the sun went down, not waiting for the end of twilight. Off the N end of the summit the wind immediately dropped and it became quite pleasant. A little further down Coree Summit Rd we were greeted by a huge full moon.

This is only the second night walk I've done and I'm enjoying walking under these conditions very much. On our return leg along Pabral Rd, the wind dropped, the sky cleared completely and the stars and moon were magnificent. I think the best part of the walk was the last kilometre or so along Pabral Rd and paralleling Condor Creek - the moon over our left shoulder and the Southern Cross blazing in the sky. Our return leg was 8.6km and took us 2hrs 5mins.

My next night time walk is the 24 hour walk on 27 Oct 12.

Thanks for great company and nibbles from Mike B, Richard and Nicole C, Nathan H, Peter J, Neralie L, Stephen and Lisa M, Jacqui R and Mark S, and Chris S.

Distance: 17.8km Climb: 700m. Time: 2.45 - 8.15pm (5hrs 30mins), including 1hr of breaks.
Grading: L/E; M(10)