This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:
(Tuesday 16 January- Billy Range. L/E-M, part X. A walk which can be tailored to suit the heat of the day. From Glendale Crossing we’ll use the fire trail towards Brandy Flat Hut to get us up some of the Billy Range ridge. Cross country for another couple of km to the high point of the range. Previous walk descriptions have ‘several large rock outcrops’ to explore. Should be fine views down to the Naas River valley. Back down to the south and contour to Brandy Flat Hut. Wander back along the fire trail. The full walk is 15km and 500m total climb but, if it’s too hot, we can just take iced tea in for a laze at BFH. Limit of 8. Map: Michelago 1:25000. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235; contact me by 6pm the previous Sunday to discuss options. Transport: ~$10. Further details at www.pcug.org.au/~jevans.). 5 of us left Weston Creek at 7am and drove via Tharwa to Glendale Crossing, in the road to Glendale Depot and parked in the car park opposite the sign-posted start of the Brandy Flat Walking Track. Forecast 34°C for Canberra. |
Away by 7.50am and followed the Brandy Flat Walking Track for 1.5km in 20mins until we met the Brandy Flat Fire Trail at the locked gate near SH967. Dry, but quite pleasant following the posted footpad. We disturbed many roos. We used the fire trail for another 1km in 18mins to help us 110m up towards the spur leading to the Billy Range.
At 8.30am we popped our gaiters on and headed up into open woodlands. We stopped at the first of a series of granite knolls up along the ridge to the E of Reedy Creek, providing views to the S (see pic 1) and ever increasing bits of the tops in the Bimberi Wilderness as we climbed higher. In between the knolls we had fleeting bits of open woodland and 'breast-stroked' through the dense bands of wattle regrowth. At 2.2km and 1hr 5mins up the ridge we found morning tea, again with quite good views W across to the tops of Sentry Box, Gudgenby, Burbidge, Kelly and Namadgi and, closer in, to the locally named Mt Herlt and Mt Mavis. We munched for 15mins.
We were close to the 1300m high area of the Billy Range, so we pressed on another 200m, passed an excellent raptor's nest (see pic 2). It was too small for a wedge-tailed eagle.
After a short pause we set of on around 180°M (that's around S), down the Billy Range to the E of our up track and out into open bush-land again. It was then a general S and contour to Brandy Flat Hut as the day warmed up, this leg of 4.7km taking 1hr 50mins. Nice views E and up to the Booth Range and Booths Hill, where Max had marched us on 31 Oct 06. The roof of BFH was a welcome sight; the dry and weedy BF less so (see pic 3). A pleasant lunch for 30mins on the verandah of this excellent little hut. The interior is nice and clean.
There was nothing left to do but to balance our pace back along the BF fire trail against the increasing temperature of the day. An occasional waft of breeze was welcome. This leg to the car 5.3km in 1hr 15mins.
A useful walk, for me to see what the area was like and, for 2 of the party, to visit BFH. I can now join a line on my walks map NNW from BFH. I was going to ask party members what their most stressful level was: 0 = starting out; 10 = heat stress needing a significant stop. But I would have embarrassed myself. I reckon I reached 6/10. It was enough for the day's temperature, but a reasonable challenge.
The ice-cream, Coke, beer at Tharwa was most welcome. I'd have to rate beer from the Tharwa store fridge as 'homing device mark 2', a definite improvement on the original homing device of 'home-made beer in an esky'!
Thanks Alan, Madeleine, Max and Shirley. Certificates were awarded at home so they didn't melt.
Distance: 14.9km Climb: 600m. Time: 7.50am-1.40pm (call it 6hrs), with 45mins of breaks.
