View up the slabs approaching SH1727 near Sentry Box Mountain - View to Mt Gudgenby and others from the slabs approaching SH1727 near Sentry Box Mountain

Map: Yaouk 1:25000

Walk Description

This event was organised and led by Jenny and Rob H as part of their CBC Navigation Course:

Saturday 31 August - Sunday 1 September: Navigation Refresher #4 - M/R. A weekend off-track in the southern Namadgi consolidating the principles and practice of Navigation with map and compass. Map: Yaouk. Leaders: Jenny & Rob H. Transport: ~$50 per vehicle.

10 of us drove from Canberra in 3 vehicles to the Old Boboyan Rd (South)/Naas Creek car park.

Further Information

If leaders, time and energy allow, once settled at Lutons, I'd like to do an extra 10km loop to the S. Along Bulls Flat FT to the junction with Waterhole FT, continue W along Bulls Flat FT looking for the Boboyan Trackway site (SoS G35), join the Grassy Creek FT, visit Lone Pine Homestead site and Baby Crawford plaque, back to Lutons passing the Sheep Station Creek fork fencing and via Alexander Brayshaws Hut site. Should need ~2hrs 30mins.

Daylight hours are: 31 Aug 13 - 5.59am-6.24am-5.43pm-6.09pm
1 Sep 13 - 5.57am-6.23am-5.44pm-6.10pm.

Photographs

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Track Maps

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Track overview

Track 1

Track 2

Track 3

Video

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Track Notes

Glorious weather, living legend teachers, 4 student navigators and 4 hangers-on (including me). Home made beautiful rocky road, quality bikkies and cheese, nibbles and tokay and not so quality port round the camp fire. Huge views from the flank of Sentry Box Mountain. This trip had it all!

Left town at 7.30am and walking by 8.45am. Signed in at the bushwalking register then headed for SH1371 (marked on the 1st edn of the Yaouk 8626-2N 1:25000 map). A change in lead navigator to head for the saddle between Boboyan and Pheasant Hills. Nice going through open forest, unburnt. Another navigator too us down to Waterhole Hut. We skirted Grassy Creek E to the Settlers Track bridge. Morning tea on the grass in front of the hut.

Away to the next waypoint, calling in for a look at the Waterhole stockyard and crossing Grassy Creek via the Waterhole FT ford. A long leg through fairly featureless terrain using dead reckoning. The next leg took us down to cross the Bulls Flat FT and up to a knoll for lunch.

Ready to leave by 2pm, I negotiated a release from Rob, as I'd wanted to look for the ACT Sites of Significance G35 site Boboyan Trackway. Stephen and Stewart came with me, so we returned to the Bulls Flat FT. Ever the pedant, I had to go W to the junction with the Grassy Creek FT so as to have a complete track of the FT which is not on the Yaouk 8626-2N Second Edition 1:25000 map. A nugatory exercise, as I saw a later edition Yaouk map during the weekend and Bulls Flat FT is marked on that map. We searched along the W-E leg of Bulls Flat FT and the creek line on its N side, both around the Sites of Significance location and a spot inspected recently by Mike S, to no avail.

Down at the junction of Bulls Flat and Waterholes FTs, we wandered N past the stockyards, then back into the open forest to investigate a possible old track. No joy. But a little further N, Stewart spied a couple of tors on the nearby ridge. We went up to poke about and there was a survey marker, stone lockspit and remnant post with marker nail.

We completed our little wander back to the camping spot up behind Lutons Crutching Shed, set up and enjoyed a cuppa. A couple of blokes camping down closer to the shed. I wandered over to the Crawfords Homestead site.

A nice tea time, with goodies to share. A mild night. No condensation in my single skin Tarptent. A bit of frost about in the morning.

Away by 7.55am, with the navigators taking turns to take us up through SH1319, SH1577 to the cairn a couple of hundred metres E of SH1727. No snow this year, but the views from the granite slabs remain fabulous. A peek over the Bradleys Creek valley over to Yaouk Peak, with the snowy Main Range on the horizon. Morning tea.

Back down, a leisurely pack up and lunch. We walked out the Sams Creek FT, with a brief stop at the Boboyan Homestead site and, for some of us, a look at David Brayshaw's cairn.

A great weekend.

Summary

Distance: 31.3km Climb: 1050m. Time: 2 days.

Grading: L/R; H(12-)

Walk Participants

10 walkers - Cynthia C, Lyn F, Doug G, Jenny and Rob H (leaders), Stewart J, Stephen and Lisa M, Prue W, me.