View from Perplexity Rocks

Map: Bombay 1:25000

Walk Description

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

Tuesday 10 September: Mount Major and Unnamed Rocks - M/R/X. From the Jinglemoney Firetrail, up the ‘usual’ Mount Major and mounts minor route, then continue on an exploratory route south west to a granite bluff. The main ascent is about 250 metres up Mt Major, and 3 other ascents of less than 100 metres each. Beautiful and varied forest, lichen-encrusted orange granite, views. Steep slopes, rock scrambling, patches of thick scrub. Map: Bombay. Leaders: Cynthia C and Linda G, bookings to Cynthia. Transport: $50 per car. Limit: 10.

8 of us drove from Canberra and met another at Rossi.

Photographs

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Track Map

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Track

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Track Notes

A very nice little round. Up the fire trail for 2.1km, then SSE up to Mt Major for morning tea. The top is large and broad, with a couple of gentle rock stacks, one of which boasts the Mt Major cairn. A majestic structure of moss covered pink granite.

A lovely surprise for first timers like me as we climbed over the lip of the rock stack to the SW - a nice view out over the Forest to the plains, with the Brindabella and Tidbinbilla Ranges on the horizon. We could also see the knolls and saddles we were to traverse. Patches of open forest in places. The pink and green of the moss covered granite was matched by the pink and green of the Mountain Pepper, prolific throughout the area.

Saddle, knoll, saddle, knoll and ridge with a bit of a view to Palerang. To the knoll on the W end of this feature for lunch. A sunny but cool day, with fierce and roaring wind. Another great view to the W from over the lip of the lunch knoll. We could see Linda's rocks objective to our SW, around the head of a drainage line.

A steep descent S off the lunch knoll. The gentlemen were gentlemanly and allowed the three ladies to take the lead. Some mild scrambling down through some damp grass and granite. The feared scrub did not eventuate, just a few tight patches which included a little lawyer vine.

Perplexity Rocks is positioned on the side of a hill. A nice open view from the top of the cliffy area. It also has some other tor stacks. Linda had a climb inside one, but even her svelte frame was not narrow enough.

Generally SW then NW from here, again through areas of lovely forest, down to meet the dirt bike track (a different part of the same one we travelled on 30 Oct 12) which took us N to an old fire trail, then onto the Jinglemoney FT and so back to the cars.

Summary

Distance: 10.8km Climb: 550m. Time: 9.00am - 3.00pm (6hrs), with 45mins of breaks.

Grading: M/R; M(11+)

Walk Participants

9 walkers - Peter C, Cynthia C (co-leader), Chris F, Linda G (co-leader), Ian H, Jenny H, Stephen M, Ian W, me.