This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC Tuesday walk:
(Tuesday 12 February - Upper Rendezvous Creek - L/M-R,X. Visit the source of Rendezvous Creek. From the Nursery Swamp car park, follow the NS Walking Trail, then taped footpad over the saddle to Rendezvous Creek. Walk upstream on the SW side, enjoying views up to granite heights on both sides, to the source in the saddle to the E of Split Rock. Return via the AAWT. Around 23km and 600m total climb. Demanding walking for a fit and experienced party. Route not fully known to leader. Possible delays and diversions from the intended route. Maps: Rendezvous Creek, Corin Dam. Limit of 8. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$10. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.)
5 of us drove to the Nursery Swamp car park. Another wet Tuesday.
| Route Card - Upper Rendezvous Creek | ||||||
| Leg | Description | Distance (km) | Estimated Going/Comment | Est time (hr:min) | Act time (hr:min) | Actual Going/Comment |
| 1 | Nursery Swamp car park to Rendezvous Creek | 4.5 | Benched walking trail then taped footpad | 1:20 (act) | 1:25 | More difficult to see the blue paint in the wet. Many of the tape markers appear to have disappeared. Lost my way once or twice |
| 2 | Rendezvous Creek - taped footpad to below Thunder Bluff | 1.3 | Open forest above the creek | 0:40 (est) | 0:35 | Relatively open forest, plenty of animal trails to follow. Wet regrowth! |
| Morning tea | 0:15 | 0:10 | Too wet to stop long! | |||
| 3 | Rendezvous Creek - below Thunder Bluff to below Rock Flats | 2.6 | Close forest above the creek | 1:00 (est) | 1:15 | Started to close in a little towards the end of this leg. A bit longer than the estimate |
| 4 | Rendezvous Creek - below Rock Flats to source | 1.3 | Close forest above the creek, climb | 1:00 (est) | 0:35 | 1.1km actual, as we stopped a bit short of the source for lunch. A bit quicker than the estimate as, although the terrain was steeper, the vegetation was a bit more open and the sun was trying to shine |
| Lunch | 0:30 | 0:30 | ||||
| 5 | Source of Rendezvous Creek to Cotter Gap | 1.1 | Open forest | 0:45 (est) | 0:30 | 1.4km actual, through source of RV Ck and on to Cotter Gap. We must have gained energy from lunch |
| 6 | Cotter Gap to Orroral Tracking Station | 8.7 | Track | 2:00 (act) | 1:45 | 8.2km. Cut a corner on the Cotter Hut Road |
| 7 | Orroral Tracking Station to Nursery Swamp car park | 3.3 | Track | 1:00 (est) | 0:35 | 3km as we came back along the road to try to beat the rain |
|
Totals |
22.8 | 8:30 | ||||
Walk 
Shells on and walking at 8am, mine just as ineffectual as last week. A reasonable pace to the top bend in the Nursery Swamp Walking Track, where I offered the alternative of visiting the Nursery Swamp aboriginal rock art via the top footpad. But we'd all seen it, so plugged on. Down across the west arm of Nursery Creek and we found the pig trap as our first marker - a little harder to see in the wet and long grass (GR76265165 (MGA94)). Then veered SW around the vegetation, looking for the marker at the start of the footpad to Rendezvous Creek. There are a couple of 'entries' into the bush on the other side of the open area, the correct one marked. More by luck than good management (although I did not admit it at the time) we found the blue paint mark (GR76155151 (MGA94) - not easy to see when wet (I did think there was a bit of tape too, but no sign of that). Followed, more or less, the footpad to Rendezvous Creek. I'm positive there are fewer tape markers than last time and I lost our way once or twice. Still, not a bad time to here. Unfortunately, the top of Mavis Ridge was in the clouds (see pic 1).
We crossed Rendezvous Creek to the fire place. There's no track heading NW (as there is SE), but the going was easy through open forest. Plenty of animal tracks heading our way. Wet walking to find morning tea opposite Thunder Bluff (see pic 2). Some nice little blocks of granite close by on our side too.
Leg 3 was a bit slower. It was a bit more long right leg/short left leg and the rain made the going slippery. Couldn't quite see Max and my footprints where they crossed to go up to Rock Flats on 13 Nov 07.
Although a bit steeper, the going was quicker than expected on the next leg. Maybe we were rushing to find lunch; maybe it was because the sun was trying to break through; maybe it was because 12 noon was approaching. Anyway, we found a lovely little amphitheatre just shy of the top of Rendezvous Creek which seemed like an ideal drying and lunch spot. The sun came out. I think I'd been here before.
Away after lunch to a soak a few hundred metres up the drainage line, which I'll christen the source of Rendezvous Creek (see pic 3). Water on the ground - lovely after the recent rain. I think I've been here before.
We continued up the drainage line to the saddle E of Split Rock, then down and across to Cotter Gap. All over bar the shouting from here, just 12km in 2:20 back to the car. Cut a bit of the corner on the Cotter Hut Road - MAx said you can cut more, so I must mark it for next time. I'd wanted to get some photos down the Orroral Heritage Trail, but as we were being chased by a thunderstorm I wimped it and, after signing the bushwalking register at Orroral Tracking Station, hightailed it back along the road to the car. We didn't beat the rain.
Another reason for this little wander was to scout the return leg for Upper Mavis Ridge. I think rather than coming back on that walk via the outward leg of this one, we'll use the same return leg. So if we're late, we can walk in the dark on Cotter Hut Road.
A wet, yet enjoyable walk. Thanks David and Meredith, John and Max for your company.
Distance: 22.2km Climb: 550m. Time: 8.00am - 3.15pm (7.25hrs), with 40mins of stops.
Grading: L/M-R,X; H(12)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Upper Rendezvous Creek
