14 May 2011 Orroral Heritage Trail

Map: Rendezvous Creek 1:25000

Getting There

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

Saturday 14 May - Orroral Heritage Trail - S/E. A morning recce for a friend taking scouts there later on. Around 7km and 100m climb. Map: Rendezvous Creek. Leader: John Evans - jevans@pcug.org.au, (h) 6288 7235. Transport: ~2 beers per person.

Further Information

I need to be back in town by midday. Leaving home at 6.15am to pick up a friend at 6.30am. Anyone's very welcome to join us.

Photographs

You can also access all photographs here.

Walk

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

We left the Orroral Camping Ground by the bottom of the loop in the Orroral Heritage Trail. The start was easy to find - after driving in off the road and facing the toilet block, turn left and go down towards the river. A new, low, management trail gate and new signage marks the spot.

Just follow the clear route on the benched track. After a couple of hundred metres we past the concrete footpad of a flying fox (W-G OR24) which used to cross the Orroral River here. Cold in the shade, as the sun had not yet reached here. The track leaves the river and climbs nearly E up to the NW end of the loop.

More wandering at last brought us out into the open of the valley and over the footbridge across the Orroral River. A little further and we were at the signage above the original settlement area.

A further 500m along is a Y-intersection. We took the left track for a few tens of metres, but it goes to the Nursery Swamp car park. Retracing, we headed on up the valley. Someone got a wet foot crossing a drainage line.

The Orroral Homestead precinct was next - the Gregory's 1950s house and orchard, the Orroral Homestead and well and the Cattleyards.

The deciduous trees of the Orroral Tracking Station site were clearly visible by now and we headed towards them, passing the sewerage ponds on the way.

So that a little was in reserve for the scout trip in a fortnight, we continued on up the valley, through the Minitrack pylons. Just over the crest a wild dog was quite close - something up - it was either newly released, blind, deaf or off its oats. It was not overly concerned by us, at one stage even suggesting a closer friendly inspection of us. Skirting around the Orroral River lowlands and swamp, we hit the Link Track which crosses the valley floor here and followed it over the Orroral River bridge.

Up through the grassy clearway to the massive boulder (W-G OR10). I thought the scouts would enjoy a clamber through the slot.

5mins to share a muesli bar, then we set off back. The fresh fruit that Rosemarie had was better. Stopped and talked with two Outward Bound instructors who'd just arrived at the car park. When we arrived at the top of the loop at the S end of the Heritage Walk (marked by a huge termite nest in a dead tree trunk), we took the E leg of the loop. Some happy campers had set up by the time we arrived back at the car.

A pie and sauce at the Tharwa general store - too early and too cold for a beer! But I promised Val that we'd return next summer.

Thanks Rosemarie. Trust it was useful for 28 May.

Distance: 14.5km Climb: 100m. Time: 7.25 - 11.05am (3hrs 40mins), with 10mins of stops.
Grading: M/E; E(6)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Orroral Heritage Trail

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This page last updated 26Aug22