This walk was organised and led by Max S as an FBI ad-hoc Tuesday walk:

(This week proposing to wander the Nth Tinderry region around SH 1325 The aim is to look at the rock outcrops Nth of this SH, to see any affect of the rain on the region and avoid hot weather. Probably no views of significance. Starting from Burra Rd, the walk will be predominately off track as the ascent and descent may be on spurs away from fire trails. Distance approx 16 km, 700 m or so. Some scrub and rock scrambling. Weather is said to be Max 25 possible shower. Meet at Kambah at 7.30. Cars $12 Maps Tinderry and Michelago).

4 of us met and drove via Michelago to just past where the Mt Allen fire trail leaves the Burra Road - there is an open area for parking opposite a homestead 'Mt Allen' with friendly dogs and peacocks.

Walk

Away by 8.15am after sending the friendly Jack Russell home. A few metres S to the Mt Allen fire trail and up it to the gate (this leg 0.8km in 15mins).

Left turn and headed NE for 400m, down and across a drainage line and onto a ridge. Here we right turned and climbed 450m up it, generally paralleling the Mt Allen fire trail. Easy going (apart from the up - I failed the talk test - can't climb, breathe and talk at the same time) through lightly burnt timber and nearly bare ground cover. Good views opened up to the green Margarets Creek valley below. Disturbed two fledgling Tawny Frogmouths on the ground in our path - they were well camouflaged. We hit the West Tinderry fire trail spot on SH1348 (this leg 3.5km with 500m up in 1hr 15mins). A cool day with cloud cover.

We then wandered NE along the West Tinderry fire trail till morning tea came into view (this leg 1.6km in 20mins). 10 mins for morning tea.

It was still cool with a hint of misty rain for a little while. We struck off down into the bush to the NE from the bend in the fire trail. The vegetation was instantly different - unburnt with heaps and heaps of forest litter (bark, etc) covering the ground. Down across a running creek then a little N so that we could sidle along across all the granite that Max suspected would be there. It was, between the 1200 and 1300m contours for around 1km, to the NW of SH1325. Now I love granite and there was enough to keep me happy. Big and huge bits, caves and crevasses and tunnels, rock and trees, knolls and slabs and runs (see pic 1). A few small patches of dense scrub between outcrops of granite. An eagle's nest (see pic 2). Big views to the NW and N and, as we progressed to the E, across into the next cleared valley to the NE. Excellent scrambling! We eventually had our fill, so climbed to the rocky top for lunch (this leg 2.1km in 1hr 45mins).

Lunch for 30mins, then a detour down to the next granite terrace to view the steep 200m drop below it. Correcting our course back towards the W, we wandered along the ridge top towards SH1325. We were out of the spectacular granite, so didn't bother hitting the exact SH on the broad top. We continued on down and hit the West Tinderry fire trail exactly where we left it (seems like Max can use his compass well; it didn't work for me when I borrowed it last Tuesday). This leg 1.7km in 1hr 10mins.

500m SW along the fire trail Max offered the party a democratic call on the way home. We all decided 'W down the ridge', even though our trusty leader warned us that the drainage lines tended to head N in this area, so we'd be doing a bit of down and up and down and up. We did so, dropping 270m until we hit an unmarked fire trail (this leg 2.3km in 1hr 15mins).

This unmarked trail (you can see it clearly on GoogleEarth) took us down nearly to the Burra Road. But it turned S to join the Mt Allen fire trail, so we followed a fence line to the W, then S along the verge of the road to the car (this leg 3.1km in 45mins).

An icecream at the Michelago General Store and Tea Rooms - very friendly place.

This was an excellent walk with heaps of granite. Thanks Max, and David and Meredith.

Distance: 15.2km  Climb: 950m.  Time: 8.15am - 3.40pm (call it 7.5hrs), with 50mins of stops.
Grading: L/R; H(13)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: North Tinderry region around SH1325