Plains trig

Maps: Canberra, Hall and Umburra 1:25000

Walk Description

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

Saturday 10 August: Drive-by trig bagging - L/E,X. Drive to various suitable staging points, then walk to bag some urban trigs - Pialligo, Duntroon, Glade, Plains, Percival, Rogers, Goodwin, Pine Ridge. It has required some sleuthing to obtain permission to visit those on private property. Around 23km and some climb. Maps: Canberra, Hall and Umburra. Limit: 8. Leader: John Evans - john@johnevans.id.au, 0417 436 877. Transport: ~$12 per person.

9 of us gathered in a salubrious part of town and began the drive-bys in three vehicles.

Further Information

Walk 1 - Drive via Pialligo Ave, Beltana Rd to Kallaroo Rd Pialligo, on the corner of Dapu Pl, last property on the right before the open fields start. With permission from Terry, walk 0.3km return to bag Pialligo trig in his yard.

Walk 2 - Drive along Pialligo Ave past the end of the runway, pass Glenora Ave on the left and turn in to the right at the second track on the right. Park at a suitable spot and walk 1.4km return to bag Duntroon trig.

Walk 3 - Return along Pialligo Ave, right into Fairbairn Ave, right into Majura Rd and drive up Majura Rd and into the Avonley property. With permission from Dino, 5.3km return to bag Glade and Plains trigs.

Walk 4 - Return to Majura Rd and drive N to the Federal H'way. Turn left to Canberra. Turn right onto the Barton H'way. Turn left into William Slim Dr at the big roundabout. Turn right into Owen Dixon Dr and right into the Palmerville Heritage Park car park. Walk 4.5km to bag Percival trig.

Walk 5 - Return to Owen Dixon Dr and go NW. Turn left into Copland Dr, 2nd right into Garrard St, 2nd right into Baddeley Cres, left into Kingsford Smith Dr, 1st right into Bainton Cres, 3rd right into Bainton Pl Flynn. Walk 2.3km to bag Rogers trig.

Walk 6 - Drive down Bainton Pl, turn right into Bainton Cres, right into Kingsford Smith Dr. Right into Ginninderra Dr. 1st left into Florey Dr. After the 2nd street on the left, turn into the Umbagong District Park car park. Walk 5.8km to bag Goodwin trig.

Walk 7 - Return to Florey Dr and go SW. Turn right into Parkwood Rd/Southern Cross Dr. 3rd left into Spofforth St, at T-intersection right into Stockdill Dr. Park at a convenient spot on Stockdill Dr. With permission from Graeme, walk 1km to bag Pine Ridge trig on his property.

Photographs

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Track Maps

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Track overview

Track Walk 1

Track Walk 2

Track Walk 3

Track Walk 4

Track Walk 5

Track Walk 6

Track Walk 7

Google Earth

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Track Notes

A huge walk of 300m in Terry's side yard to begin. Private property, so don't unless you have permission. You can see the trig through the back fence. It's all tarted up with new paint and the yellow posts have also been repainted and re-stenciled with the Pialligo name. Why a trig on the flat? Maybe to do with surveying the airport.

I'd tried hard to find the landowner (Defence?) or lessee for the next one. No joy, so we snuck in. Duntroon similarly refurbished. It's positioned in a huge cross of mature pines. An aircraft beacon at the site. Various bunkers and old defence buildings in the fields nearby. Views to Canberra not often seen from this angle.

I'd contacted the company that currently owns 'Avonley' and got the nod to walk on the property. Beautiful grazing land as we walked up the hill towards Glade trig - only to find it just over the fence into the Range. The fence was hung with signs 'Danger Military Range Boundary. Live Firing. Do not enter'. We tracked just W of S down and along to Plains trig. We were fairly obviously at times on the 'Gladefield' property (hope the D Group owns that too) and other times elsewhere. Plains is very much a trig with character - old style and in a lovely setting, but on flat ground again. A scarred tree on the walk back. Driving in/out we passed a lovely old pise building, perhaps being done up.

Morning tea at our next stop at Palmerville Heritage Park. This was the start for the next trig - we could have started closer, but I was feeling a little embarrassed about the lack of walking distance. And most in the party had not seen this area of town before. Great new signage up explaining the history of the area. We walked up the gravel path past the little forest with its plaques. The path peters out, but a mown track/fire break beside the CSIRO land provides clear access right to the Barton Highway (unlike last time on 25 Oct 09). We crossed the Highway, then walked SE along the concrete drain a bit till we found a convenient fence crossing point. Up the hill to bag Percival. Down the spur through roos to the roundabout, a skip across Ginninderra Creek and back down the cycle path and side of William Slim Drive back to the cars.

Again feeling it not right to go directly to the next trig, we did a bit of a circuit of the Mt Rogers Reserve. Left a gloating phone message for Tim the Yowie Man and he SMS-ed back his permission for us to walk on his hill. A nice Reserve - I've never been here before. Bagged Rogers trig and had lunch beside it. Nice views. Straight back down to the car - the steps up from Bainton Place are fringed with flowering bulbs, nice work someone.

You can drive to within 100m of the next trig but again I thought we should walk to gain it. So we started in Umbagong District Park where I'd been on 25 Jul 10. A new spot for my companions. Wended our way though a bit of the Park, then up a finger of walkway to bag Goodwin trig. Again, a nice hill top and nice views. I'd not been here before either. A more direct way back through streets.

The last for the day took us to a convenient location on Stockdill Dr and, with permission from Graeme, we crossed his land and climbed the rocky knoll to bag Pine Ridge trig. An open top with extensive views to the Brindabellas and vineyards below. We had a little arvo tea.

One might sneeze at a walk such as this. But we had a beautiful sunny Winter's day of 19°C, visited some trigs that take some organisation to get to, saw some views into Canberra from the SE round through the NW, and enjoyed the company of good friends.

So I've knocked off 67 of the 88 on the list. Might as well go for the lot. We've got the measure of them all and mates and I will put on walks to them. Some more difficult ones to do, such as Coronet Peak, Gudgenby, Booth. Except one - TG 184 up the back of the Mugga tip. I wonder whose land that is?

Summary

Distance: 17.1km Climb: 300m. Time: 7.45am - 2.10pm (6hrs 25 mins), including 50mins of breaks and lots of drive-bys.

Grading: L/E,X; M(9)

Walk Participants

9 walkers - Mike B, Peter C, Cynthia C, Roger E, Linda G, Bob L, Barb V, Edwina Y, me.