This walk was organised as a Wednesday walk by the combined CBC/FBI/NPA clubs and led by Mike S:
(' Wednesday Walk - Shanahans Mountain to Mt Clear Campground Leader - Mike S (substituting for David L who will do next weeks Walk instead of me). Details - A walk starting at the Shanahans Mountain carpark over Shanahans Mountain (about 100m up), steeply down to Shanahans Falls creek (about 400m descent) and then follow Shanahans Falls Creek down to the junction with Naas Creek. From the junction of the creeks various options are available, could go to Horse Gully Hut and follow road out or could follow Naas Creek south until it meets the road out or cut across to the road out. Will decide on which option on the day. Could be scrubby as I haven't been in this area since the fires. Overall horizontal distance is around 13-km Meet - Kambah Shops at 8.30am. Map - Colinton 1:25,000 Drive - 120km, suggested passenger contribution say $36 per car (NPA system). A car shuffle is also required. Weather - Current forecast is a chance showers, temp 10 to 22, so keep your fingers crossed. '). We met at Kambah and drove down to the Shanahans Mountain car park just off the Boboyan Road. A car shuffle was completed with drivers taking the cars to the Mt Clear camping ground car park and returning in one vehicle. A good selection of wild flowers about the Shanahans Mountain car park. 20 of us walked. |
We were all reassembled and walking by 9.55am, quickly dispatching the walk up 100m to Shanahans Mountain. We didn't even stop there. It hardly deserves to be called a mountain, from the western side at least. The day was cool and overcast - perfect for walking.
Then a plunge down the vegetated, loose scree slope on the eastern side to the green of Shanahans Falls Creek. We reached the flat at 11.15am and enjoyed morning tea for 15 minutes.
We followed the creek down for a further 1.8km and 50 minutes until we reached the junction with the Naas Creek. Shanahans Falls Creek grew from a soak to a series of pools, but no falls were observed.
At midday we turned right/south/upstream into Naas Creek and enjoyed some excellent rock hopping up the creek. My first experience of this sort of walking. 800m and 40 minutes later we reached a nice pool which our trusty leader had been aiming for. Lunch was enjoyed for 30 minutes, our party spread out like lounging lizards.
With time slipping away and the walk a medium Wednesday one, we headed 700m out to the Naas Valley Fire Trail/Bicentenial National Trail.
All that remained was a pleasant stroll of 7km back down the track to the cars. We reached them at 3pm.
A very pleasant walk in an area I'd wanted to go to.
Distance: 12.9km Climb: 300m (and 400m descent). Time: 9.55am - 3.00pm (call it 5 hours) with 45 minutes of breaks.
