This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:
Tuesday 28 October - Brumby Yards and Upper Blue Gum Creek - L/M,X. Brumby Yards (not the ones on the way to Blue Gum Hill) are said to be located SE from the top bend in Smokers Trail - let's find them. Then a wander through the upper reaches of Blue Gum Creek. We'll then wing it by crashing W to an interesting site and back via Smokers Trail. Around 16km and 600m total climb. Map: Corin Dam. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Please contact me if you would like to co-lead. Transport: ~$7. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.
10 of us met at 7.30am and drove in 2 cars to the Smokers Trail car park.
Further Information
Thanks to Bob H, see (pic 1) what the yards looked like in 1995, pre fire. Site is 600m at 95°M from SH1452.
See further information on the Australian Heritage Database at http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=100224.
Need to leave at 7.30am as one party member has a return deadline. Canberra forecast max is 26°C, so also better to walk mostly in the cooler am.
Walk
We trotted off down Smokers Trail to the bend, then headed via compass bearing and GPS to spot on the GR. Nice and grassy underfoot, pea and regrowth in places and open areas. With such a search team you'd think we'd find the yards, but no luck. I probably set folk looking in the wrong direction and didn't pay enough attention to the drainage line. Eric found a snake, but no yards. But, like a dog with a bone, I'll be back. (Returned 6 Jan 09.)
NE-ish down to the lovely open flats of Blue Gum Creek (see pic 2). The creek was gurgling along and we sat in the shade on the far bank for a leisurely morning tea. I'd spotted a volleyball court a couple of hundred metres away and went to inspect. It was the dog-proof fence - the only place I can remember seeing it still standing (see pic 3).
We next headed up the creek, soon leaving the lovely flats and having to keep up a bit out of the dead tea-tree. The creek line curved W and NW and we eventually arrived at a very dry and inconspicuous 'top' of Blue Gum Creek. We continued NW, mainly through pea and scrub. Spotted a nest which Eric identified as a lyrebird's.
Trending W we dropped 200m down to cross a delightfully flowing Booroomba Creek, then contoured around the 1200m line to an interesting site for lunch - additional material available via password.
After lunch it was 120m up through the scrub to Smokers Trail. I took my eye off the ball and let the party split, which was not exactly comforting until we all met on Smokers Trail. A 4.3km wander back to the car.
Route Card
| Leg | Description | Distance (km) | Going/Comment | Actual time (hr:min) |
| 1 | Smokers Trail car park to SW bend | 1.1 | Fire trail | 0:12 |
| 2 | Leave Smokers Trail to Brumby Yards GR | 1.5 | A bit of and regrowth and open drainage line | 0:30 |
| Looking | 0:15 | |||
| 3 | Brumby Yards GR to Blue Gum Creek | 0.9 | Open forest onto open creek flats | 0:15 |
| Morning tea | 0:15 | |||
| 4 | Follow Blue Gum Creek to top | 2.7 | Regrowth, dead tea-tree drainage line crossings, scrubby | 1:15 |
| 5 | Top of Blue Gum Creek to lunch | 2.8 | 0:40 | |
| Lunch | 0:25 | |||
| 6 | Lunch to Smokers Trail | 0.5 | A bit of a scrubby climb | 0:40 |
| 7 | Back Smokers Trail | 4.4 | Fire trail | 1:00 |
|
Total |
13.9 |
(some of the latter legs could be completed a little quicker) |
A singularly unspectacular walk in my opinion, but party members were kind enough to say they enjoyed it.
Thanks for your company, searching and suggestions David and Meredith, Eric and Pat, Henry, Karen, Madeleine, Max and Roger.
Distance: 13.9km Climb: 450m. Time: 8.15am - 2.55pm (call it 6.75hrs), with 50mins of stops.
Grading: M/M,X; M(10)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Brumby Yards and Upper Blue Gum Creek
