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

(This ad-hoc walk will be from Corin Dam to Stockyard Ck. The plan is to walk along the dam shoreline for about 1.5 km, ascend a spur to Stockyard Spur (actual spur dependent on difficulty of shoreline walking) and then down to Stockyard Creek somewhere. Follow Stockyard Creek to small falls r13 and r5 and then return via usual track to Corin Dam car park. Distance, say 8-12 km, 800-900 m, probably hard. Distance and time will depend on conditions but expect longish day. Weather Fine, partly cloudy. Min 12 Max 24 Map Corin Dam Start 7.45 – Kambah Shops Please let Max know by email or calling if interested.).

4 of us met at Kambah Village shops, picked up an additional legend at Point Hut Crossing and drove to Corin Dam.

Walk  

We parked at Corin Dam and headed up the footpad for a couple of hundred metres, just to get us up and over the dam wall. Then down to the Corin Dam beach - not quite the Riviera or Bondi Beach - but a unique experience. As members of CBC have said, all Canberrans should see this view (see pic 1) to appreciate our current water shortage crisis - even with recent good falls. The ACTEW web site has Corin Dam at 24.8% full today, on 22Jan08. A combination of bush above the high water level and exposed dam shore took us 2.3km in 1hr 5mins to the inlet where Snowy Flat Creek runs into the dam, opposite the quarry (which was well above the current waterline, but usually sits at the water). We'd already crossed two other unnamed creeks gurgling into Corin Dam. Interesting to see the GPS track - in places we were recorded as walking below (full) water level. There was an unmapped island in the dam.

Turning in the up direction, a slog of 1.7km in 1hr 20mins and 610m vertical took us to SH1532. Steep in places till our encouraging leader announced that the last 200m climb was quite flat; however the vegetation was open and mostly unburned. Relatively easy walking, except for the up. Again Max's navigation was out - he stopped on the Stockyard Spur track a distant 16m from SH1532 when checked on the GPS (if only I could navigate so well). 15mins to replenish energy.

Continuing on around 310°M, we headed down to Stockyard Creek. Open, dry forest with a good belt of wattles, then to the creek. Lovely to see living tea-tree covering it in places. This leg 1.1km in 30mins.

We swung to the NE, crossed the gurgling creek on a bridge of saplings, then entered a steep sided cut. I think this navigational exercise was to stop my complaints of left-leg-too-long. We followed the creek down, avoiding a black snake, to a viewing platform of granite prior to the falls. Continuing on, the open knoll on the other bank appeared, we clambered down to near water level, through a rock crawl towing our packs and to the bottom of the falls. This leg 0.6km in 30mins, dropping 30m.

An impressive 13r falls (see pic 2) with plenty of water flowing from recent rain and draining from the sphagnum bogs at Morass and Cheyenne Flats above. Listen to the water . We enjoyed lunch for 45mins.

Our fearless leader recce-d our exit (see pic 3) and we crossed the creek just below the falls and trudged 1km in 1hr 10mins and 175m vertical back up to the Stockyard Spur track through easy walking open forest.

A mere 90m saw us at the cairns marking the start of the footpad down to Corin Dam. The plastic shopping bag marker has disappeared; there is more new pink plastic tape about; and the little cairns seem to remain constant. However, Max's best advice is that, coming down NE to this point, the track undulates a bit. From here on, it's constantly down. Anyway, we headed down the footpad and reached the car in 45mins, covering 2km and 425m down.

This was an excellent walk! Corin Dam shores was unique walking, even the steep up was enjoyable and Stockyard Creek Falls is a fabulous destination. The going was generally open and unburned. Thanks Max for putting it on for 3 of us who had not been there before. Great walking companions in David and Meredith, Max and Mike.

Distance: 8.7km  Climb: 800m.  Time: 8.30am - 2.15pm (5.75hrs), with 1hr of stops.
Grading: M/R; M(11)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Corin Dam and Stockyard Creek Falls