20 November 2010 Border Markers around Burnt Hill and Long Flat

Maps: Shannons Flat and Bredbo 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by me as a CBC walk:

Saturday 20 November - Border Markers around Burnt Hill and Long Flat- L/M,X. Starting at the ACT's southern border, a trip E and N along the border, probably mainly on fire trails, over Burnt Hill and along the Boboyan Divide. If time allows, through the S end of Long Flat and onto the S end of the Clear Range. Around 21km and 700m climb. Maps: Shannons Flat and Bredbo. Leader: John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~$65 per car.

3 of us drove to park at the southern border of the ACT on the Boboyan Road.

Further Information

Expect some nice blazes.

Photographs

Access all photographs here.

Walk

Track maps: thumbnails are active - click for a larger picture
Track overview	Track 1	Track 2

An excellent day border marker hunting E-ish from the southern border of the ACT at Boboyan Road. We found 16 border markers (I41, H41, E41, D41, C41, B41, A41, Y40, S40, K40, F40, D40, J39, G39, B39, A39), 3 possible border markers (G41, Q39, L39), 6 border marker blazes (W40 blaze, D40 blaze, R39 blaze, J39 blaze, E39 blaze, C39 blaze), 1 mile marker (108 Mile) and 3 unmarked blazes.

We drove to the southern border of the ACT on the Boboyan Road and parked by the stile at the beginning of the Grassy Creek fire trail.

However, starting at 8.20am, we went E and almost immediately hit upon I41 - just on the NSW side of the fence and marked with a star picket and tag. Next came H41, this one well across into the NSW paddock and again with star picket and tag. Although the original field notebook records "Old Post replaced by 1" Gal Iron Pipe", we could not find it. The lockspit/cairn was not well defined, so only a possible for G41. Could not identify F41, even though we were at the location. E41 was a definite, as removing one rock revealed the top of the 1" galvanised iron pipe. D41 was a well defined lockspit. C41 easily gave up a photo of the galvanised iron pipe filled with concrete and with a nail in the top marking the exact border point. B41 and A41 were well defined lockspits. The 108 Mile marker was exactly where it was calculated to be and a clearly defined cairn.

Z40 could not be found. Y40 was a lockspit. X40 not found. The W40 border marker was gone, its position in the middle of the fire trail, but the W40 survey blaze was clearly extant after nearly 100 years. V40 and U40 could not be found. By this time it was 9.30am and we were around 500m N of Burnt Hill. A fire trail headed off to the N and a Bicentennial Trail marker pointed in this direction. I guess this is the Burnt Hill fire trail (not shown on my digital map) which I'd previously seen on 25 Jul 09 - it joins the Long Flat fire trail and goes to the horse yards at Mt Clear Camping Ground. T40 could not be found. S40 was boldly visible just over the fence in NSW. We saw 3 white goats - skeleton and hair strung up on the fence.

R40 at Burnt Hill was not there, a gate and fencing intersection built right at its location. Next, a run of border markers no longer there - Q40, 107 Mile, P40, O40, N40, M40 and L40. Their locations were were on the NSW side of the border fence where a fire trail has been built. On the ACT side of the fence another fire trail has been built (I've heard a story about denied access causing the parallel ACT fire trail to be built). Now 10.15am and a bit disappointed by the run of no border markers, we sat down and had morning tea.

Hopes were immediately revived by finding K40, the 1" galvanised iron pipe showing at the base of an old fence strainer post starting to form associations in my slow mind with the original field notebook description of "Old Post replaced by 1" Gal Iron Pipe".

Another run of no doubt bulldozed markers which used to be located where the NSW fire trail now is - no sign of J40, 106 Mile, I40, H40, G40. F40 was a lockspit at a fence corner. D40 was back on the ACT side of the border fence. It was unmistakable, not only because the 1" galvanised iron pipe was visible, but because the D40 survey blaze was taped off. It seems the ACT authorities, in this area where the ACT fire trail appears to be new/upgraded, have taken a little more care in protecting the border markers and blazes. I guess progressing years and more value placed on such historical items have contributed, too.

Yet another series of no finds - C40, B40, A40, Z39, Y39, X39, W39, 105 Mile, V39, U39, T39 and S39. There was starting to be a bit of a pattern - several locations had small white and blue tapes - and I at last realised that the "Old Post replaced by Pipe" descriptions probably alluded to the fence strainer posts which were there at the time of the border survey. So I took a few snaps of Location of Z39 new strainer post and tapes, Location of W39 old strainer post and Location of T39 new strainer post and ACT and NSW fire trails.

No border marker at R39, but the R39 survey blaze was present and protected. Q39 was a possible. More missing border markers - P39, O39, N39. L39 was a possible. K39 missing.

We also found 3 unmarked blazes, one near N39 (see here), and two near J39 (see here and here).

Border marker J39 was identifiable as a lockspit about a new strainer post and the J39 survey blaze was nearby on a dead tree stump.

No I39, 104 Mile, H39. G39 was there. No F39. No E39, but E39 survey blaze was there, with a bit of help. No D39.

We spent a considerable amount of time looking for C39, but with no result. The C39 survey blaze was recognisable, along with the fence line the border marker should have been on. As well, it was a different marker "Old Post replaced by Brass Pin cemented into granite", but we could not find it.

B39 and A39 were present as lockspits. Now 1.05pm and me having to cook for dinner guests, we lunched.

An inauspicious start to the return leg - I came off the Clear Range and headed SE on the fire trail instead of NW (when will I improve?). The track map tells all. Recovering via a fire trail not marked on the digital map, I at last felt comfortable that we were heading NW-ish towards the car. A monitor near Burnt Hill on the way back. 2hrs 3mins for the return leg of 11.4km.

We enjoyed the usual stop at the Tharwa General Store.

Thanks for your company Shawn F and Phillip S. A successful day.

Distance: 19.2km Climb: 650m. Time: 8.20am - 3.20pm (7hrs), with 35mins of stops.
Grading: L/M,X; H(13)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Border Markers around Burnt Hill and Long Flat

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This page last updated 23Aug22