14 August 2012 Granite Tors: Honeysuckle Creek
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| View to Booroomba Rocks, Deadmans Hill, knolls South of Apollo Rd and The Spinnaker |
Map: Corin Dam 1:25000
Getting There
This walk was organised and led by Ian W as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:
Tuesday 14 August - Granite Tors: Honeysuckle Creek - M/R. From the Honeysuckle Creek campground we will follow the Alpine Walking Track north for about 20 minutes, then go bush & follow a meandering route to the northwest & west, in the upper catchments of Honeysuckle & Blue Gum Creeks. The route will link up some interesting granite features that the leader has found on a previous reconnaissance. There is a mixture of typical Namadgi scrub and more open Mountain Gum forests, as well as a sheltered sub-alpine bog. About 12 km with a couple of ascents of 150 metres. Map: Corin Dam Leader: Ian W. Limit: 8 Transport:TBA.
9 of us drove to the Honeysuckle Creek camping ground.
Photographs
You can access all photographs here.
Walk
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This was the second of Ian's granite tours that I've been on. Equally as good as the first and a ripper of a day. We dubbed ourselves Ian the granite hunter's rock band.
An overcast day with the occasional patch of sun. Cool in the breeze. A small patch or two of snow in sunless pockets and about the drainage lines.
We began by wandering along the AAWT from the Honeysuckle Creek camping ground towards Booroomba Rocks car park for about 1.5km, then heading NW into the bush to a saddle to the S of Gorilla Rock. We transitted 3 granite slabs, then turned SW to a fine balancing rock. Next SE to 2 massive granite marbles - we couldn't get up to them to provide any scale for the photo. Then W-ish to Ian's named "L'Arc de Triomphe", a high roofed granite tunnel providing a spot for morning tea.
The scrub to here had been relatively modest, mainly pea and Cassinia. We pushed through quite dense patches later in the day, but I find that there is always a more manageable path if you experience it from towards the back of the party.
After morning tea, we continued the meandering tor tour generally S-ish, passing through another couple of spectacular granite formations and arriving at a - well, not appropriate to describe on a G rated web site but, on viewing it from another angle, it could pass as a toadstool. At this feature we were only 1km to the W of the cars.
Next we turned W and traversed the large knoll rising to 1350m, stopping for lunch on its W side. Views to the Orroral Ridge and over it to Mt Orroral and the Mavis Ridge behind. Dutchies Peak with its conning tower like block to the NW.
Continued W after lunch to a creek line bog. A bit of sphagnum in it. Still a dip and a climb away from the Orroral Ridge.
It being after 2pm, we turned SE and headed down the creek to the Orroral Ridge Rd, this 2.5km leg taking 1hr 20mins.
Back down the road to the camping ground.
Another ripper, thank you Ian W. An excellent party including Peter C and Linda G, Roger E, Eric G, Jenny H, Stewart J and Stephen M.
Distance: 13.2km Climb: 400m. Time: 8.30am - 3.55pm (call it 7hrs 30mins), with 45mins of stops.
Grading: M/R; M(11)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Granite Tors near Honeysuckle
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This page last updated 1Sep22