16 July 2011 Nursery Swamp and Nursery Hill

Map: Rendezvous Creek 1:25000

Getting There

This walk was organised and led by Phillip S as a CBC walk:

Saturday 16 July - Nursery Swamp and Nursery Hill - M/X. We will leave from the Nursery Swamp car park just off Orroral Road and follow the Nursery Swamp walking trail. From the end of the trail we walk off track to Nursery Hill where will have lunch. We will then return, off track, roughly parallel to the walking track we came in on. We will turn back to meet the walking track at about its half-way point. From there we follow the track back to our vehicles. This walk is almost half on track while the rest will be off track and new for this leader, hence the X in the grading. If the going is too difficult we can return to the walking track earlier. Distance around 15 km with climbs totalling about 450 m. Map: Rendezvous Creek. Leader: Phillip S. Transport: ~$40 per car.

16 of us drove in 4 cars to the Nursery Swamp Walking Track car park in the Orroral Valley.

Further Information

Note that the contour lines on the 2nd edn Rendezvous Creek 1:25000 topographic map to the west of Nursery Hill are incorrectly labelled. '1200' should be 1100 and '1300' should be 1200.

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

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A very civilised group with a very civilised leader started up the walking track at a very civilised time.

Overcast and threatening showers, quite cool but not freezing cold. The steady climb soon warmed us up. Continuing along the track as it turns SE towards the swamp, we came across the carcass of a pig beside the boardwalks, just by the table and benches. On next to the sign overlooking the beginning of the swamp - it's busted and faded to be unreadable.

Reaching near the point where we were to turn away towards Nursery Hill, after 5.5km in a leisurely 1hr 30mins, we stopped for morning tea. With the nod from our leader, I took the opportunity to wander across the neck of woodland, looking for the W-G stockyard and rock shelter sites. No joy.

We met up beside the W-E swampy bit at 11.15am and continued W until we crossed the drainage line. We then climbed towards the should er of the ridge. Looking back, there was snow on the S side of Mt Orroral. We went W round a set of huge granite tors on the nose of the ridge, then gained the crest again. A bit of snow here for a snowball or two.

Phillip got us to Nursery Hill right on 1pm and we climbed up on the granite top to the little cairn. Great views - the cool breeze was the cost. The clouds lifted from the Mavis ridge and there were views across it to Mt Burbidge.

It was 1.40pm before we left and we had to forego our planned return route along the ridge to the SW of Nursery Swamp. It was pretty much back along the way we came in, although a little sharper off the Hill which gave us different, steeper return going.

Back down across the creek, one of our party took a tumble and probably broke a wrist. But, arm in sling, they remained in good cheer and we all walked out. 5pm saw us back at the cars.

A great walk, thanks Phillip. Thanks for getting 16 of us to the top. Great walking with Brendan K, Chris F, Chris R, Cynthia B, Di G, Edwina Y, Jackie B, Jane D, Kelly O'F, Kieran M, Michelle W, Nathan H, Xiang Ping Z.

Distance: 17.3km Climb: 500m. Time: 9.25am - 5.00pm (7hrs 35mins), with 45mins of stops.
Grading: L/R; H(12)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Nursery Swamp and Nursery Hill

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This page last updated 28Aug22