Mt Mavis, ACT, Australia

Go to Index

2017 December: Day trip to climb Mt Mavis from Nursery Swamp Carpark, ACT, Australia

Prolog - List of named peaks in ACT above 1700 meters

I have compiled a list of named peaks in ACT above 1700 meters.  There are 13 of them.  And I am in the process of climbing them all.

After today's climb to Mt Mavis, I still have Mt Murray and Mt Scabby to tick off. Contact me if you wish to join in to climb these two ... hhmmm ... or any other mountains.

•  01   1913 m   Bimberi Peak - Photos and trip report are in my blogs:
From east: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html
From west: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/bimberi-act-australia.html

•  02   1855 m   Mt Gingera - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/mt-gingera-mt-ginini-act-australia.html

•  03   1845 m   Mt Murray - Not yet climbed ... Contact me if you wish to join in for the climb.

•  04   1829 m   Mt Kelly - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/kelly-burbidge-nsw-australia.html

•  05   1798 m   Mt Scabby - Grid Ref 676 411
          1805 m   Unnamed peak just east of Mt Scabby - Grid Ref 681 410
           Not yet climbed ... Contact me if you wish to join in for the climb.

•  06   1791 m   Mt Namadgi - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/mt-namadgi-act-australia.html

•  07   1766 m   Ginger Ale - Grid Ref 601 586  (between Rolling Ground Gap & Blackfellows Gap)
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/little-ginini-ginger-ale-act-australia.html

•  08   1762 m   Mt Ginini - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/mt-gingera-mt-ginini-act-australia.html

•  09   1739 m   Mt Gudgenby - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/mt-gudgenby-act-australia.html

•  10   1738 m   Little Ginini - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/little-ginini-ginger-ale-act-australia.html

•  11   1727 m   Sentry Box Mountain eastern peak - Grid Ref 721 338
          1696 m   Sentry Box Mountain western peak - Grid Ref 714 338
          1673 m   Sentry Box Rock - Grid Ref 713 346
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/sentry-box-act-australia.html

•  12   1724 m   Mt Burbidge - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/kelly-burbidge-nsw-australia.html

•  13   1711 m   Mt Mavis - Grid Ref 722 493 (just north-east of Mt Namadgi; east of Big Creamy Flats)
This trip report

Data source:
    - First, from LPI maps from Department of Lands
    - Then from 1:50,000 scaled Rooftop's map called "Namadgi - ACT South Activities Map" 2011 edition
    - Finally, in Google we trust  :-)


Today's climb - Mt Mavis

Continuing my effort to climb all the 13 over 1700-meter peaks in ACT ...

Today's climb, with Neilson, is to Mt Mavis, 1711 meters. In my list above, it is the 13th highest named peak in ACT.

Location:
    - Grid Ref: 722 493
    - North-east of Mt Namadgi ... Mt Namadg is its nearest named peak.
    - East of Big Creamy Flats

As is the case with most 1700-meter plus peaks in ACT, the view from the summit is excellent. But to get there is not so simple ... fair amount of scrub bashing is required. The scrub is not as thick as to Mt Kelly and Mt Namadgi. But still, it is thick enough to make you want to cry  :-)

It took Neilson and I 13 hours for the return trip. We are slow. Fast climbers can complete it in less than 10 hours.


Maps

•  8626-1S Rendezvous Creek  1:25,000
•  Rooftop's "Namadgi - ACT South Activities Map"  2011 edition;  1:50,000
•  8626 Tantangara  1:100,000

The relevant part of the 1:25,000 scaled map can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M5kcr_XLr98oJ1uruOD6pPfL021nMbjk/view?usp=sharing

The same relevant part of the 1:25,000 scaled map is reproduced below as 2 images:

Map 1:
- Red arrow: Nursery Swamp Carpark
- Black dash line below the red arrow: Nursery Swamp Walking Track

Map 2:  Continuation to the bottom left of previous map:
- Red arrow: Mt Mavis, 1711 meters
- Main blue line running from the top edge to bottom right corner: Rendezvous Creek

GPS tracklog file & route

The GPX tracklog file of our walk can be downloaded from:
    - From Nursery Swamp Carpark to Mt Mavis:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LvC7ohLFm_3n319MPZIdaDc02nc29pl8/view?usp=sharing

    - From Mt Mavis back to Nursery Swamp Carpark:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mCiu2cuIfRP5txn6YMseAi21s4tVIG6x/view?usp=sharing

Satellite overview of our route in red:
- 3 turquoise arrows point to, from left to right:
        1 Mt Mavis summit
        2 Cross Rendezvous Creek here
        3 Nursery Swamp Carpark
- Small turquoise dot at top edge: Orroral Hill
- Small turquoise dot at left edge: Rocky top (photo #24), 1.2/1.3 km along a ridge to the north-north-west of Mt Mavis

The 1:25,000 scaled map with our tracklog superimposed on it can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yjCk-k5S4n2oTjB_mkndJVf0MwuaUVbM/view?usp=sharing

The same map with our tracklog in red is reproduced in the 2 images below:

Map 3:
- Red arrow: Nursery Swamp Carpark
- Grey square: Map 5 below zooms into this area.

Map 4:  Continuation to the bottom left of previous map:
Two red arrows point to, from left to right:
        1 Mt Mavis summit, 1711 meters (bottom left corner)
        2 Cross Rendezvous Creek here

Map 5:  Zooming into the grey square of Map 3 ~~~
- Red line: Our GPS tracklog
- 2 blue arrows on the right: Forward trip to Mt Mavis ... This part is bushbashing.
- 3 blue arrows on the left: Forward trip to Mt Mavis ... This part is bushbashing.
- 3 green arrows on the left: Return trip to carpark ... Along a foot track
- 3 green arrows on the right: Return trip to carpark ... Edge of a swampy area along Nursery Creek ... Quite dry and easy to walk on when we are there.
- Short blue dotted line: From satellite image, there should be a foot track inside the bush along the dotted line. We reach the right end of it at 7:11am and should have continue on. But we miss it and end up bushbashing for a while, until we meet up with the foot track marked by the left-most green arrow  :-(

In summary, our route is:
-  Start at Nursery Swamp Carpark.
-  Walk on Nursery Swamp Walking Track.
-  After 2.5 km, turn west (get off Nursery Swamp Walking Track), and walk towards Rendezvous Creek.
-  Cross Rendesvous Creek.
-  Climb towards Mt Mavis.
-  After reaching Mt Mavis summit, retrace our steps back to Nursery Swamp Carpark.


Timeline & Distance

Park our cars at Nursery Swamp Carpark.

06:18   0.0 km   Start walking on Nursery Swamp Walking Track.
06:59   2.5 km   Stop to check our position.

07:03   2.55km  Resume walking ... go off-track scrub bashing towards Mt Mavis.
07:11   2.75km  Here, had we go straight (towards west), we could have meet up with a foot track. But we veer south  :-(
07:27   3.25km  Meet up a foot track. Phew, no more scrub bashing  :-)
08:10   5.25km  Cross Rendezvous Creek. Foot track ends at Rendezvous Creek, and so, scrub bashing again.
08:20   5.5 km   Stop for rest.

Rest

08:29   5.55km  Resume walking.
09:56   7.4 km   Stop for Morning Tea.

Morning Tea

10:07   7.45km  Resume walking.
11:04   8.1 km   Stop for rest.

Rest

11:13   8.2 km   Resume walking.
12:03   8.65km  Stop for rest.

Rest

12:09   8.65km  Resume walking.
12:24   8.75km  At top of a pile of boulders north-west of Mt Mavis summit.

Take photos

12:30   8.75km  Leave top of a pile of boulders and head for Mt Mavis summit.
12:47   8.9 km   At Mt Mavis summit.

Lunch at the summit
      
13:17   8.95km  Leave summit.
13:30   9.0 km   Attempt to find a way to climb up a large boulder which maybe higher than the summit.

Finding a way to climb up a large boulder

13:40   9.1 km   Start descending Mt Mavis after failing to climb up the boulder.
14:22   9.55km  Stop for rest and change GPS battery.

Rest & change GPS battery

14:36   9.6 km    Resume walking.
15:23  10.35km  Stop to change GPS battery again.

Change GPS battery again

15:30  10.4 km   Resume walking.
17:19  12.55km  Stop for rest (close to Rendezvous Creek).

Rest

17:28  12.6 km   Resume walking.
17:30  12.7 km   Stop at Rendezvous Creek to fill up water bottle.

Fill up water bottle

17:34  12.7 km   Cross Rendezvous Creek.
18:33  15.15km  Can't find the foot track, so we veer south. Actually the foot track is simply straight ahead  :-)
18:46  15.4 km   Same spot as at 07:11 ... We decide to walk along edge of a swampy area on south side of Nursery Crk.
19:00  15.85km  Meet up with Nursery Swamp Walking Track.
19:31  17.85km  Back at Nursery Swamp Carpark.

==============================================

Total:  13 hrs 13 mins
           17.85km  Distance is from Google Earth
           Distance is from my Garmin GPS is about 10% more


Water

It is a hot day - 37 degrees in Canberra, cooler in the mountains. I took 4 litres of water. That turns out to be not sufficient. I end up drinking 5 litres of water. The other litre is from Rendezvous Creek, on the way back to the car.


Pictures:  Orroral Campground - the night before

1)  The night before, I camped at Orroral Campground (Orroral Road, Rendezvous Creek, ACT 2620).
It is a nice campground. The building you can see here is the toilet block.

2)  Found these 2 Castiarina nasuta (Jewel Beetle) at Orroral Campground ~~~
They were like this all the time ... and walking around too, not standing still !

Nursery Swamp Carpark

3)  Early morning the next day, we park our cars at Nursery Swamp Carpark by the side of Orroral Road, about 3km north-west of Orroral Campground.
It is a small carpark.  My car is on the left. Neilson's car is on the right.

Nursery Swamp Walking Track

4)  The trailhead to Mt Mavis is across Orroral Road, just opposite the carpark.
- Red square: Enlarged in the lower pic ... the sign says
       Nursery
       Swamp
       Walking Track
       8.5 kms return
       4 hours
- Yellow arrow: We'll walk on the Nursery Swamp Walking Track, but not all the way to Nursery Swamp.

5)  A few paces into the Nursery Swamp Walking Track is a metal box. Inside is a log book for hikers to register their walks.

6)  Various parts of the Nursery Swamp Walking Track

7)  Still on the Nursery Swamp Walking Track ... looking back at Neilson ~~~
Neilson is checking our GPS position on his phone. He is saying that I've gone too far. At where he is standing, we should go off track towards Mt Mavis.  He is right.

To Rendezvous Creek

8)  So, we've gone off-track, not enjoying the bushbashing.

9)  Then we come to a swampy area of Nursery Creek. It hasn't rained for a while, hence we can walking across it without getting our boots wet.
Time now is 7:11am. Here, if we now keep going straight (towards west), we could have meet up with a foot track. Instead we veer south and end up doing some unnecessary bushbashing  :-(   ... Scroll back to see Map #5.

10)  After some unnecessary bushbashing, we encounter a foot track.
I wonder who would want to create this track?
It leads to Rendezvous Creek ... but hardly anyone goes there !
Furthermore, someone had sprayed some tree trunks with blue paint to show the way. Was the blue paint meant for an event held sometime ago?

11)  There are also these packets hanging on tree branches. Was there a race or orienteering event held here ???

12)  Almost at Rendezvous Creek, the flat area in this pic ~~~
At last, we can see Mt Herlt 1615 meters (left red arrow) and Mt Mavis 1711 meters (right red arrow) ... we couldn't see them earlier.

Rendezvous Creek

13)  At Rendezvous Creek ~~~
Still a long way to Mt Mavis

14)  It is a swampy area along Rendezvous Creek. The swamp is quite dry when we cross it.
- Red arrow: Mt Mavis

15)  Shortly after crossing Rendezvous Creek is this nice camp site.

Bushbashing up Mt Mavis slope

16)  The foot track ends at Rendezvous Creek.
After crossing the creek and the swamp, the serious climbing starts, and it is bushbashing ... not pleasant.

17)  Despite the pretty yellow flowers, this type of bush is difficult to bash through.

18)  Boulders on Mt Mavis slope

19)  More boulders on Mt Mavis slope

20)  If you know the name of this flower, please let me know.

21)  If you know the name of this blue flower, please let me know.

22)  If you know the name of this flower, please let me know.

23)  A bleeding gum tree

24)  View from north-west to north-east while we are quite close to the top of Mt Mavis ~~~
- Upper pic, 4 red arrows from left to right:
       1 Interesting rocky top, 1.2/1.3 km along a ridge to the north-north-west of Mt Mavis
       2 Tidbinbilla Mountain
       3 Camels Hump ... towards north-ish
       4 Orroral Hill
- Lower pic: Zooming in towards the interesting rocky top (upper pic's first red arrow from the left)

Climbing up a pile of boulders

25)  We reach a pile of boulders ... We thought the top of which is the summit.

26)  Neilson climbing up the pile of boulders of the previous pic

27)  Higher up we climb ~~~
- Red arrow: The top is there.
- Yellow arrows: The way to climb up, as Neilson has already done. But don't ask me how I manage to do it too ... I can't remember ... it is vertical !   :-)

28)  Compare to the previous pic, the rest is easy  :-)
- Red arrow: The top is there.

At top of the pile of boulders

We've climbed to the top of the pile of boulders.

29)  View from west-ish to north-ish ~~~
- The 6 red arrows point to, from left to right:
       1 Mt Murray (towards west)
       2 Bimberi Peak
       3 Mt Gingera (towards north-west)
       4 Little Ginini
       5 Mt Ginini
       6 1st red arrow from the left in photo #24
- Ginger Ale is blocked by the boulders at the centre of this pic.

30)  To our chagrin, towards south-east, we find the summit of Mt Mavis is much further away, over there, not here   :-(   ...

Climbing down the pile of boulders

31)  ... Not to worry, we simply climb down the boulders and head towards the summit  :-)

To Mt Mavis summit

32)  We are on our way to the summit of Mt Mavis ... passing through a gap between the boulders.

33)  We can see it ... the summit of Mt Mavis.

Climbing up to Mt Mavis summit

34)  Now very close to the summit of Mt Mavis ... the red arrow

35)  The final climb ... it is steep, but there is enough hand-holds to haul yourself up.

At Mt Mavis summit

36)  We are at the summit of Mt Mavis ... sort of ... see photo #37.

37)  This pic and photo #38 form a 360-degree panorama.
- The 10 red arrows point to, from left to right:
        1 Ginger Ale
        2 Mt Gingera ... towards north-west
        3 Little Ginini
        4 Mt Ginini
        5 I thought I'm at the summit of Mt Mavis ... but wait, isn't this big boulder higher? ... perhaps just by 1 meter? Anyway, I'm happy to reach where I am now. And I'm claiming I've climbed to the summit of Mt Mavis  :-)
        6 Tidbinbilla Mountain
        7 Tidbinbilla Peak
        8 John's peak
        9 Camels Hump ... towards north
       10 Pierce Hill ... The only peak in this list that I haven't climbed.
- Red oval: The pile of boulders here is the same as the one in photo #29.
- I can't figure out where in this pic is the pile of boulders we climbed in photos #28. It should be in front of the red oval, and should form a straight line to the oval and to Ginger Ale. But where is the pile of boulders ???

38)  Continuation to the right of previous pic ~~~
- Upper pic:
       • Red oval: Nursery Swamp ... towards east-ish
       • The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
            1 Camels Hump ... towards north
            2 Orroral Hill
            3 Mt Tennent
- Middle pic: Continuation to the right of the upper pic
       • The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
            1 Mt Gudgenby
            2 Sentry Box eastern (highest) peak ... towards south
            3 Mt Burgbidge
       • Photo #39 zooms into the right half of this pic.
- Lower pic: Continuation to the right of the Middle pic
       • The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
            1 Mt Namadgi ... towards south-west
            2 Mt Murray ... towards west
            3 Bimberi Peak
       • The long flat area below and to the right of Mt Namadgi is Big Creamy Flats.
       • Mt Kelly & Mt Scabby are blocked by Mt Namadgi, hence can't be seen from here.
- Continuation to the right of the lower pic is photo #37, thus completing a 360-degree panorama.

39)  Of particular interest to me is the right half of the middle pic of photo #38 ... because three weeks ago, I climbed Mt Gudgenby.
The 4 red arrows point to, from left to right:
       1 Yankee Hat
       2 Mt Gudgenby
       3 Sentry Box eastern (highest) peak ... towards south
       4 Mt Burgbidge

Climbing down Mt Mavis summit

40)  Time to climb down Mt Mavis summit ~~~
Here is Neilson in action  :-)

We then try to climb the big boulder in the middle of photo #37. I think it is climbable though not easy. As we are a bit short of time if we want to return to the car before dark, so we make a half-hearted attempt, then abort the climb  :-(


Nursery Creek

41)  We've retraced our steps down Mt Mavis slope, crossed Rendezvous Creek, and are now at a swampy area of Nursery Creek.
This pic is taken not too far from photo #9. In fact, you can match some features of the hill on the left side of this pic with that of photo #9.

42)  Continuation to the left of the previous pic ~~~
Kangaroos

43)  About 150 meters further along Nursery Creek, we come to this small fenced off area on the edge of the swampy area.
One side of the enclosure has a small gate (red circle).
In the Comment Section, Teddy Wombat said it is a feral pig trap ... thanks Teddy Wombat !

44)  After we reached the swampy area of Nursery Creek (photo #41), we decided to walk along the edge of the swamp instead of trying to find the foot track. There hasn't been much rain for a while and it is quite dry, easy to walk on.
- Upper pic: In the direction of we are going
- Lower pic: Looking backward

Back at the trail head

45)  Back at the trail head of today's walk ... at the metal box containing a log book for hikers to register their walks. See also photo #5.

46)  Our entry, red arrow, in the log book ~~~
- Not many people climb Mt Mavis. In this page, besides us, only one other group went there.
- The Canberra Bushwalking Club is supposed to climb Mt Mavis 2 days earlier, on 14 Dec, led by Jonathan Miller.  Strange ... why didn't they log their entry here ???

Back at Nursery Swamp Carpark

47)  Back at Nursery Swamp Carpark and found this mushroom

Sunset at Condor, ACT

48)  Back in Canberra, in the suburb of Condor, I notice the setting sun lights up these clouds in a beautiful pink colour. Whilst pink clouds at sunset is common, this one is unusual in that the clouds are towards north-east and the sun is setting on the west.

Go to Index