This walk was organised and led by me as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 6 January - Back to Blue Gum Creek Brumby Yards - M/M. A Tuesday tromp to walk off New Year cheer. Back via Smokers Trail and SH1452 to find the Brumby Yards to the SE. Then a stroll down Blue Gum Creek and return via the usual Yards site on the return route from Blue Gum Hill. Around 8km and 250m total climb. Map: Cotter Dam 1:25000. To fill in the day, we'll then visit the De Sallis cemetery at Tharwa and William Farrer's grave. An extra flattish 3km or so. Limit of 8. Leader: John Evans – jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$7. Further details at http://jevans.pcug.org.au.

8 of us met at Kambah and drove in 2 cars to Smokers Trail car park. We drove past Max's parked car just off the Corin Dam Road and allowed him sufficient time to walk up to the car park before meeting up with him. So 9 walkers.

See the first attempt to find them on 28 Oct 08.

Route Card for Walk 1:

1-2; Smokers Trail car park along Smokers Trail; 1.16km; fire trail
2-3; across to dog-proof fence; 70m at 93°M
3-4; follow dog-proof fence line to SH1452; 1.12km at ~170°M, 50m climb generally along W edge of open area
4-5; down to near brumby yards, aiming off; 0.55km at 96°M, 100m down across more open area
5-6; search for brumby yards; 50m at 72°M; focus on drainage line and don't stop looking till found!
6-7; follow gully or spur down to Blue Gum Creek; 0.77km; ~90°M; 110m down thru bush to open creek flats
7-8-9-10; follow Blue Gum Creek down to cross a perpendicular portion of the d-p fence, then join a parallel section and follow it (if visible) as BGCk heads E; 1.93km; ~5°M
maybe a side trip to Madeleine's rock shelf at 1280m contour
10-11; leave d-p fence line and direct to stockyard site thru bush; 0.66km; 286°M; 100m climb
11-12; thru bush to Smokers Trail; 1.18km at 264°M; 70m climb-50m drop-30m climb
12-1; 0.3km along Smokers Trail to car.

Thanks to Eric and Pat P, who revisited the area on 29 Nov 08, diligently searched in the area near where Eric found a snake on 28 Oct 08 and found the site of the yards, we have a location. So this will be a guaranteed bag this time.

Walks

Walk 1 track

Started walking at 8.10am in a quite pleasant temperature. Forecast for Canberra was 34°C but at the start the breeze was quite pleasant. Down Smokers Trail to the bend and headed bush towards SH1452, but drifted down and to the E of the SH through patches of strong shrub regrowth and a few open patches. Curved E towards the GR Eric P had given me. Did some things well - I dropped my pack to mark the centre of the search site and set a 15 minute limit for individual searching. In the end the site was found. I think I was the only one excited and then only mildly so - wire around a couple of trees was the only remains (see pic 1) (same pics as Eric P). See pic 0 of the yards in their glory in 1995.

Asked a party member to retrieve my pack on his way through and we headed down the gully then spur towards Blue Gum Creek. Did some things poorly - realised on the way that I didn't have my map case, but not overly worried as the map is well used and the case a little worse for wear. Morning tea for 15mins beside Blue Gum Creek.

Realising that my compass was also in my map case, the whole party did a Grand Old Duke of York ("...marched them up to the top of the hill and marched them down again."). Typically and thankfully, the only lady in the group easily found my goods.

We wandered past a good looking place for morning tea (where we had had morning tea) and followed Blue Gum Creek down for a bit over 1km, over where it turns E. Nice creek flats in places (see Facebook). I carefully picked the only steep and scrubby approach to the rock shelves at 1280m and we scrambled up. Nice views to the NW over creek flats and to the SE to Blue Gum Hill (see pic 2). Another 10min break.

Down an easy exit to the NW across green and damp creek flats. The old dog-proof fence prominent (see pic 3 and Facebook). Continuing generally NW to the N stockyard site. GPS waypoint on the button and I recognised the area from a past visit (23 Oct 04), but now no evidence left of the yard.

A 60m climb to the 1400m contour in the warming day through vigorous pea regrowth caused us to pause for lunch and ease some cramps. A 25min break. My cramps started as soon as I stood up to go.

Back to Smokers Trail through the ubiquitous pea regrowth and so to the cars.

Distance: 9.4km  Climb: 400m.  Time: 8.10am - 1pm (call it 5hrs) with 50mins of breaks.
Grading: M/M; M(9)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Back to Blue Gum Creek Brumby Yards

Walk 2 track

5 of us decided to drive to Tharwa to visit the De Sallis cemetery. 2 hadn't see in before. A lot hotter as the day progressed and down at Tharwa. Wandered there, had a look around (see pic 4 and Facebook) and back. I decided the verandah of the Tharwa Store and a beer or ice cream was more attractive on a hot afternoon than William Farrer's grave.

Distance: 2.6km  Climb: 20m.  Time: 1.35 - 2.20pm (0.75hrs)
Grading: S/E; VE(3)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: De Sallis Cemetery

Thanks to Alan C, Grahame M, Henry H, John H, John T, Madeleine H, Mark B and Max S for indulging me.