Walking Mountain Creek

Map: Umburra 1:25000

Walk Description

This walk was organised and led by Linda G as a CBC walk:

Saturday 19 January: Mountain Creek swimming holes – S/R. A walk designed for hot weather, up Mountain Creek from Top Crossing to some pleasant swimming holes and a long lunch at approx . 657 E, 014.N. Option to explore further up the creek if you're keen. The route to the swimming holes involves wading, scrub and rock scrambling. 8km return, excluding the optional exploring further upstream. Map: Umburra. Leader: Linda G. Transport: $40 per car. Limit: 12.

If you get Restless and Unmanageable you can explore further up the creek, or walk out up a ridge. Here are the details of the exit ridge, in case you decide to take it and in case my cold fails to improve and Peter leads the trip. It leaves the creek as a steep slope at around 657 E and 016 N, then forms into a ridge at about 662 E and 013 N, turns more southerly, and ends up at a small knoll at 666, 007, which probably has a view. From the knoll there is a snig track, not marked on the map, for about 100 metres to the Baldy Range Trail, which will take you northwards to meet the Doctors Flat Road. Peter and I have not done this ridge but have done a parallel one - the more obvious one that leaves Mountain Creek at 654, 014. The scrub on that ridge was demoralising, and worst on the flatter sections, which is why we thought the steeper shorter exit might be better. Mind you the slope of the ridge will face it towards the afternoon sun - perhaps not he best if the weather is hot, as seems likely.

5 of us met at my home (haven't got a car at the moment) and drove in 2 vehicles via Cotter, Brindabella Rd, Uriarra Rd, Mountain Creek Rd, Doctors Flat Rd to Top Crossing.

Photographs

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Track Map

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Track

Google Earth

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Track Notes

What a fabulous walk leader is Linda. She arranged to pull the plug in Mountain Creek, so it was virtually dry for my comfort. Unfortunately she didn't deal with the snakes - 9 red-bellied black snakes seen on the day. And lots of water dragons, 3 lyrebirds and a wedge-tailed eagle in the creek line. Unfortunately, the creek bed has been driven by vehicles for 1.5km upstream from Top Crossing, with a lot of work done to clear fallen timber with chainsaws.

A lovely walk in a new area for me. Chance of another walk up over the 1060+m feature between Mountain Creek and California Creek.

Doctors Flat Road was in good nick.

I sent my first SPOT Connect Check-in/OK + custom message from the field to Gay's and my mobile and email. The SMS was received immediately, but the email took a couple of hours to be delivered:

Email:

John Evans  Latitude:-35.22318  Longitude:148.80988  GPS location Date/Time:01/19/2013 12:10:18 EST  Message:Here I am at lunch  Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/AvsYo/35.22318S/148.80988E  If the above link does not work, try this link:  http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-35.22318,148.80988&ll=-35.22318,148.80988&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 John Evans  You have received this message because John Evans has added you to their SPOT contact list.  Every day is an Adventure. Share Yours.  http://www.findmespot.com

SMS:

Summary

Distance: 11.9km Climb: 100m. Time: 9.35am - 3.00pm (5hrs 25mins), with 1hr 30mins of breaks.

Grading: M/M; M(8)

Additional Information

"Nice to see some pics of Mountain Creek. Gosta L introduced me to the area many yonks ago and I organised several trips including a couple of overnighters in the area. That ridge between Mountain and California is very interesting volcanic ash-fall rock and open over much of the top and has good views. The ridge going up from Mountain Creek from your "Arvo break" was called "Grevillia Ridge" by Gosta. My preferred way in to the "Arvo break" was to go straight down from Baldy Range Rd. There are some amazing steep-looking views of the ridge from some open platforms on the way down. California Creek has a large waterfall a short distance upstream and some large and deep swimming hole, but not much else other than fallen logs and frustration." from Chris L

"I'd love to know where in California Creek the waterfall and swimming hole that you have been to are, and how high the waterfall is, if you happen to have any of that information handy." says Linda G

"The waterfall is about 100m or 200m upstream from the junction. It is about 3m high I think but broad-ish and has a swimmable pool. I remember another roundish sump-like deep pool along California Creek along the section on the other side of the ridge. I had sampled both pools with Gosta! Sorry I can't be more specific." replies Chris L

Walk Participants

Peter C, Margaret C, Linda G, Ian W, me.