17 November 2012 Rendezvous Creek and AAWT

Rendezvous Creek at lunch time

Maps: Rendezvous Creek and Corin Dam 1:25000

Getting There

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

Saturday 17 November - Rendezvous Creek and AAWT - L/R. Walk the top half of Rendezvous Creek to Cotter Gap and return via the AAWT. We can join Alan Vidler's overnight trip party. Walk the Nursery Swamp Walking Track then footpad West and down to Rendezvous Creek. Follow Rendezvous Creek 6km and 300m climb to its source at Cotter Gap (this section is off-track). Return via the newly cleared Australian Alps Walking Track and Orroral Valley to the NS car park. Around 25km and 700m climb. Maps: Rendezvous Creek and Corin Dam. Limit: 8. Leader: John Evans - john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ~$10 per person.

6 of us (not a bad roll up after a Short-notice walk went out on Wednesday night) drove in 2 vehicles to Nursery Swamp car park. We placed one of the cars at the Orroral Tracking Station car park.

Further Information

This can be as relaxed as the party wants it. We could even come back the AAWT in the dark with torches, as it's recently been cleared to about 2m each side.

Whoops, this shouldn't be eXploratory. We did it on 12 Feb 08.

Walk - Track Notes

Some lessons learned, the main one being the intense regrowth in parts of the Namadgi over the last couple of years. The top of Rendezvous Creek is a lot tighter (mainly rampant pea regrowth) than when I was last there. Glad I wasn't carting an overnight bag up there!

1hr 50mins for the 5.4km up the Nursery Swamp Walking Track, then via the footpad over the saddle and down to Rendezvous Creek. Plenty of time for the day, so able to take it. I crossed Nursery Creek via the bridge and came across from Rob's turn off to the first blue paint, rather than down through the wet creek area by the pig trap. Only lost my way 3 times on the footpad. All the tapes have been removed, but the blue paint pot has been taken through again and there are lots more daubs. The pea regrowth coming down from the saddle was wet and we were quite wet by the time we got to the fireplace.

After a short break, we pressed on up the creek on the SW bank to find morning tea at 10.25am. 1km in 25mins. The going was open scrubby forest, with plenty of animal pads going our way.

From morning tea to lunch was 3.6km taking 2hrs 30mins. Our party was moving fairly slowly. The going was a bit tight crossing the spur coming down from SH1406 just after morning tea. Thunder Bluff, over the other side of Rendezvous Creek, looked impressive as we passed it. A number of side creeks to cross, each having their fair share of establishing blackberries. The going eased a little, particularly between side creeks 2 and 3. We were at a reasonable distance above the main creek line, but began to trend down after crossing side creek 4 (which was a real bugger to force through the teatree and berries). The going again became heavy - mainly pea regrowth - and we went down to beside Rendezvous Creek for lunch.

Lunch to just at the source of the straight arm of Rendezvous Creek SE of Cotter Gap was 1.8km in 1hr 40mins. Again, the party was moving slowly. This leg a lot closer to the creek, crossing and recrossing a couple of times. There were a couple of small, open creek flats and no large boulders in this section. A few berries - I think they were native raspberries.

From the source we walked up over the saddle and down to the Cotter Gap area below Split Rock. Although a bit dryer underfoot over the saddle, no respite from pushing through the shrubs and scrub. Wet underfoot going down the top of Pond Creek to meet the AAWT. This leg 1.2km in 45mins.

You can't miss the AAWT, as it is newly clearing to around 2m each side. We got water a few tens of metres SW from where we hit the AAWT, where it crosses Pond Creek. Now 4pm and we needed to trudge home.

8.7km in 2hrs 30mins back to the cars at the Tracking Station. Keith walked on ahead and picked up his car from the NS car park and was waiting for us when we arrived. I managed to lose the Cotter Hut Rd shortcut footpad momentarily when coming down it. Nice new culverts all along the Cotter Hut Road.

A scrubby walk in places. Thanks to Cynthia C, Rene D and Keith T, Lynette McB and Alan V.

Distance: 22.1km Climb: 650m. Time: 8.05am - 6.35pm (10hrs), with 50mins of breaks.
Grading: L/R; H(13)