Ferns over Musgrave Creek 1.28pm

Map: Monga 1:25000

Walk Description

This walk was organised and led by Linda G as an irregular CBC Tuesday walk:

Tuesday 26 March: Musgrave Creek – M/R/X/W. From near Clyde Mountain on the the Kings Hwy to Sugarloaf Mountain, descend into the impressive rainforest of Musgrave Creek. Down the creek until time suggests we should exit. Short car swap, for which I have found safe parking points, to avoid walking back up the busy highway. Exploratory for this leader though there are 2 trip reports on the web for walks in this area. Scrub, rock-hopping and creek-wading; unlikely to be any compulsory swims. Main descent 400 m to creek, and 300 m climb out. At least 8 km. Map: Monga. Leader: Linda G. Transport: $80 per car. Limit: 8.

8 of us drove from Canberra via the Kings Highway. Off-street parking a the corner next down from Pooh Corner.

Photographs

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Track Maps

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Track

Videos

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Track Notes

Walking at 8.55am up to cross the Kings Highway, then up to Sugarloaf Mountain.

A very decent descent! I've recently been referring to a walk experience grade:

Experience-risk model from Bushwalking and Ski Touring Leadership, BMTAB, 2000, p36

and this descent touched in the 'peak adventure' area for me. Linda broke us into 2 parties of 4, the second starting down 5mins after the first. That, along with zigzagging when possible, reduced the chances of dislodging rocks on each other. Excellent job by Peter C, even backing us off and going around a vertical bit (you can see it on the track map, under the 'U' in the 'Sugarloaf' of Sugarloaf Mountain). We regrouped after the worst.

I must jump to the defence of our great leader. She received a bit of bagging at one stage, making a correction towards the West (you can see it on the track map where the Easting and Northing cross above left of Sugarloaf Mountain). She got us absolutely spot on the spur.

The descent of 520m over 1.6km took 1hr 45mins, but we finally hit Musgrave Creek and had morning tea.

Next followed a wonderful wander down/in the creek. Ferns, vines, mosses, the gurgling creek and ... my introduction to the Gympie-Gympie stinging tree. Warned to keep well clear of the leaves, I brushed my knee against a low one. A little worse than stinging nettles! Eric got a touch too. Sit back and watch the photos and videos. 'A picture tells a thousand words.'

We made 1.5km in 1hr 5mins from morning tea to lunch, a little faster than expected. A stop for lunch just before 1pm. Leech-free (except for one which found David O).

The creek flattened a little after lunch and we did another 1.5km in 55mins to our exit point.

A doddle of an exit up a quite open spur - only trouble was that we had to climb up from 180m to 640m. That's 460m Linda! With the climb from the start up to Sugarloaf Mountain and the general ups and downs of the day, the new Trackan program I use to analyse total ascent in a track spits out 713.294m.

All safely back across the Kings Highway.

This was a hardcore walk taking in fabulous scenery. Thanks heaps Linda. I now have a knowledge - and lot more respect - for what's below the Kings Highway as one drives from Pooh Corner to Government Bend.

Summary

Distance: 9.3km Climb: 713m. Time: 8.55am - 4.00pm (7hrs 5 mins), with 56mins of breaks.

Grading: M/R; H(13)

Walk Participants

Leader Linda G and Peter C, Eric G, Ian H, David O, David P, Max S, me.