Kowen Forest Trigs: Clockwise from top left – Atkinson, Cohen, Amangula, Bald, Poppet; centre - Mahon (Fyshwick/Symonston)

Map: Bungendore 1:25000

Walk Description

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

Tuesday 28 May: Kowen Forest Trigs - L/E-M. Trig bagging around Kowen Pine Forest; Mt Cohen, Mt Atkinson, Amungla, Poppet Hill and possibly Bald Hill and possibly a few more trig points that are marked on an older and earlier 1:100,00 map but which probably no longer exist. Approximately 32 kilometres and lots of short steep climbs. Map Bungendore 1:25,000. Leader Roger E. Transport estimated. $20.00 per car. Limit 8.

9 of us drove from Canberra, meeting at Spotlight at Queanbeyan, then in 3 cars on to the old Kings Highway (renamed something Sparrows Rd).

Photographs

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Track Maps

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Track W1

Track W2

Track W3

Google Earth

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Track Notes

Walk 1

Parked on the old Kings Highway, jumped the fence and skirted N up the E side of the 'Murryong' property, we being on ACT Forest land. A few fire trail wiggles, onto Fearnside Way, then right and steeply up to Cohen trig at Mt Cohen. This being a blatant trig bagging walk, I tweeted our first conquest and tried to ring our Club president - but he didn't answer.

More wiggles to Amungala trig. Another conquest tweeted.

Our route from here to Poppet was along the ACT border. When I'd previously done this trip hunting border markers, I'd forgotten to calculate and include the Mile markers (ACTPLA have provided me with the border corner locations, but I have to calculate the mile marker positions from the original field note books). So here was the chance to search for a couple. Found the 28 Mile marker, but no 27 Mile marker.

The hillside S of Poppet has been newly logged and it looked a bit bare and sad - but I guess that's the lot of commercial softwood plantations. More photos at Poppet and a tweet. Morning tea.

A long next leg S and SE. Off-track down the bare hillside, then fire trails through 'The House That Jack Built' site. At the time I couldn't remember its story but it's recorded here. Rereading it, our piles of concrete rubble are probably not the house!

Further S, we turned E onto Charcoal Kiln Rd and walked SE to the edge of the forest and the most wonderful view of the day. There would have to have been 50-60 Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos calling and dipping and loping through the air. Fabulous!

Out into the open, we inspected the charcoal kiln site, then wandered over to Glenburn Homestead. The Friends of Glenburn and Rangers have done a huge job restoring/preserving the area. Hats off to them!

Further along Charcoal Kiln Rd we thought we'd missed a turn, so back tracked a little and wandered up through the pine forest to Atkinson trig at Mt Atkinson. Another bag, another tweet. Lunch. Called home.

Back down across Charcoal Kiln Rd, then across the N side of 'Murryong' to meet our track of the morning.

Returning to the cars, we inspected a low stone work area in a creek line. Some thought a sheep dip utilising the flowing creek water - I have a couple of feelers out to try to determine what it is.

So here's the answer, very quickly via a network of friends and contacts. Wonderful to know so many appreciate and care for our natural and heritage environment:

A nearby landowner knows them well and calls them "fall-downs". They were put there in the1960s to catch sediment and control erosion for the Lake Burley Griffin catchment when the lake first started filling up. There were many dams put in there as well at the same time.

And from Neil C, Manager Fire, Forests and Roads: "David is correct – extensive work was undertaken in the Kowen area to try and improve the water runoff and quality into the Lake. This is why you will see many erosion control structures and an abnormally large amount of dams. The area was degraded farm land before the pines were planted and in fact much of it was so infested by wattle scrub that it was useless for any form of land management."

Walk 2

Being a blatant trig bagging day, we next drove to Brooks Hill on the Kings Highway and wandered up the E side of Kowen Pine Forest (after ringing the private property owners for permission to walk a few hundred metres across their property to the forest edge). Bagged Bald trig. Returned.

Walk 3

When one becomes a trig bagger, one has to be prepared to prostitute one's principles. We next drove back to Queanbeyan and back along Canberra Avenue to Fyshwick and left into Hindmarsh Drive, looking for a place to safely park on the side of the road. Doing several U-turns and back-tracks, we lost Bob, finally parking on Canberra Avenue and walking up to Mahon trig. Number 6 and last for the day.

Thanks Roger. If we must out ourselves as trig baggers, then we should do it in style and in quantity. That's what you had for us today!

Summary

Distance: 31.5km Climb: 750m. Time: 7.00am - 4.20pm (9hrs 20 mins), with 55mins of breaks plus driving in between.

Grading: L/E-M; H(12)

Walk Participants

9 walkers - Roger E (leader), Chris F, Eric G, Nathan H, Robert M, Bob S, Ian W, Edwina Y, me.