Lunch on the West top of Mt Coree - Webbs Ridge framed by clouds

Map: Cotter Dam 1:25000

Walk Description

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

Saturday 8 June: Mt Coree - L/E. (Postponed from 1 June). @In_The_Taratory is a blogger and tweeter who champions all things ACT, including the bush. In return, I'm taking her + boyfriend to Mt Coree. Come and join us - all on fire trails from Blundells Flat. Around 18km and 600m climb. This will be a very moderately paced walk. Map: Cotter Dam. Limit: Strictly 8. Leader: John Evans - john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ~$6 per person.

8 of us drove from Canberra and parked at the corner of Curries Rd and Pabral Rd.

Further Information

In the Taratory blogs at http://inthetaratory.wordpress.com/ and tweets from @In_The_Taratory.

This walk postponed from 1 June 13. A trig for we CBC trig baggers!

Say we meet at 7.30am. 1 hour to drive and shake out. Last time, on 30 Sep 12, it was 5hrs 30mins (including 1 hour of breaks). A quite moderate pace. So let's allow 6 hours. So back in Canberra around 3.30-4pm.

Photographs

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Track Map

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Track

Google Earth

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Track Notes

The weather was great driving out, with excellent views to the Tidbinbilla Range. But from our start down in Blundells Flat to walk up Curries Road, the sky clouded over a bit and got worse as the day continued.

Lyrebirds calling as we walked up Curries Rd. A couple of trail bikes passed us near the top. Noisy and smelly, but every right to be there. We made the 4km to Two Sticks Rd in 1hr 5mins. No slouchers in this party - only 5 mins longer than last time on 30 Sep 12.

A nice nearly level leg N along Two Sticks Rd up the W side of Coree to the junction with Coree Summit Trail. Glimpses right, up to the W cliffs of Coree, and left, down and across to Webbs Ridge. 2.1km in 35mins, again only 5mins slower than last time.

Plenty of activity just round the corner at the Coree camp ground. It was filled with utes, trailers, tents and trail bikes. A nice middle-aged rider had a chat with us - they'd ridden 120+km to Coolamine Homestead the previous day and were heading for a pie and a beer at Wee Jasper today.

We wandered on to the junction of Coree Summit and Pabral Roads and had a quick morning tea. Had a chat with a Ranger driving up.

50mins for the 2.1km up to the top. Those of us in the party with some sense took our time, as it was only with the summitting of the rearguard did the cloud/fog lift to the West and give us some views. Actually, this was my fault that we missed the view to the East - the cloud in that direction probably cleared an hour later, just as we were down off the hill.

Anyway, lovely views to the W, framed at either end by cloud blowing round the flanks of the hill. Lunch looking out over Webbs Ridge and beyond.

An uneventful stroll back down, then around Pabral Rd till we came to the border. I managed to enthuse my friends sufficiently to convince them to climb 20m up into the scrub to view border marker 9855.93.

We continued back down Pabral Rd, past the arboretum site. I'd recently been reading the CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN: BLUNDELLS FLAT AND SHANNONS FLAT, A.C.T. by Mark Butz which mentioned the Blundell swamp, so a took a snap of it.

Trust everyone, including my special guests, enjoyed the little wander and partial views.

You can read In_The_Taratory's description of the day here. A very generous write-up.

Summary

Distance: 18.3km Climb: 750m. Time: 8.10am - 2.00pm (5hrs 50 mins), with 40mins of breaks.

Grading: L/E; M(10)

Walk Participants

8 walkers - Mike B, T C, Cynthia C, H H, Stephen and Lisa M, Edwina Y, me.