Mountains

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Mt Gingera & Mt Ginini, ACT, Australia

2013 January: climb Mt Gingera & Mt Ginini from Corin Dam - 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 have climbed them all ... Yay !

• 01 1913 m Bimberi Peak - Photos and trip reports are in my blogs:
- From east: 2011-01 http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html
- From west: 2009-12 http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/bimberi-act-australia.html
2018-12 https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/bimberi-peak-and-mt-murray-act-australia.html
(including climbing Mt Murray)

• 02 1855 m Mt Gingera - This trip report

• 03 1845 m Mt Murray - Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/bimberi-peak-and-mt-murray-act-australia.html

• 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
Trip report is under construction.

• 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 - This trip report

• 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)
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/12/mt-mavis-act-australia.html

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 Gingera & Mt Ginini:

As I have already climbed Bimberi Peak, the highest mountain in ACT, naturally the next target is the 2nd highest mountain, Mt Gingera, 1855 meters, which Tania and I duly climb today.

And since we are around this area, we climbed Mt Ginini as well, 1762 meters.

The starting point of our hike is Corin Dam - 970 meters. Hence the elevation gain to Mt Gingera is 885 meters, not a height to sneeze at :-)

Route:

- Park car at Corin Dam.
- Follow Stockyard Spur Walking Track westward to Mt Franklin Road.
- Turn south into Mt Franklin Rd.
- 2.2 kilometers later, turn west into a narrow foot trail to climb Mt Gingera.
- From the summit, retrace steps to Mt Franklin Rd.
- Walk on Mt Franklin Rd northward to Mt Ginini.
- From the Ginini summit, retrace steps to the junction of Mt Franklin Rd & Stockyard Spur Walking Track.
- Retrace steps on Stockyard Spur Walking Track back to Corin Dam.

GPS Tracklog file:

Our GPS tracklog file can be downloaded as a KML file from:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSc25relhFY2taTnM/edit?usp=sharing

Hiking distance & time:

30 km
9.5 hrs
Fast pace ... It is always a fast pace when walking with Tania :-)

Map:

• 8626-1N Corin Dam 1:25,000
• 8626 Tantangara 1:100,000
• Rooftop's "Namadgi - ACT South Activities Map" 2011 edition; 1:50,000

Water:

I take along 3 litres of water. This is not enough as it is a relatively hot day ... must make a mental note to take 4 litres of water in future in similar conditions.

Timeline:

08:07 0.0 km - Start at Corin Dam carpark
10:07 6.4 km - At junction of Stockyard Spur Walking Track and Mt Franklin Rd
10:53 8.6 km - At junction of Mt Franklin Rd and foot trail to Mt Gingera
11:25 9.9 km - At Mt Gingera summit

----- 1 hr 8 mins lunch and exploring around

12:33 9.9 km - Leave Mt Gingera summit
14:29 18.5 km - At Mt Ginini summit

----- 8 mins exploring around

14:37 18.5 km - Leave Mt Ginini summit
15:55 23.6 km - At junction of Mt Franklin Rd and Stockyard Spur Walking Track
17:37 30.0 km - At Corin Dam carpark

----- Total: 9 hr 30 mins; 30 km

Description:

Weather forecast was for a rainy day in ACT. But apart from some clouds in the morning, by midday, it is hot and sunny. You just can't trust weather forecasts!

Only Tania and I are on this walk. We park the car at Corin Dam, walk on the Stockyard Spur Walking Track, then Mt Franklin Rd, then a narrow foot trail to ACT's 2nd highest mountain, Mt Gingera (1855 meters).

I had intended to call it a day then. But the indefatigable Tania pushes us to climb Mt Ginini too (1762 meters). All up, it is 30 km in 9.5 hrs - a good aerobic workout.

The weather forecast turns out to be correct ... because at 5pm, while we are still walking, a few drops of rain start to come down. After we are back at the car and on our way to Canberra, the rain pours down in such a heavy deluge that my car's windscreen wiper becomes totally ineffective.

Pictures - Corin Dam

1) Corin Dam - Starting point of the walk

Stockyard Spur Walking Track & Mt Franklin Road

From Corin Dam, we walk on the Stockyard Spur Walking Track, then to Mt Franklin Road.

There are interesting photos of both Stockyard Spur Walking Track and Mt Franklin Road in my blog on Little Ginini Mountain and Ginger Ale ... click on: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/little-ginini-ginger-ale-act-australia.html

2) 2 hr 20 mins later, Mt Gingera is in sight - highest point in this pic (taken from Mt Franklin Rd)

3) A tree stump with a blue stone on top marks the junction to turn from Mt Franklin Road into a narrow foot trail for Mt Gingera summit.

Foot trail to Mt Gingera summit

4) This is the narrow foot trail mention above. It is like this most of the way to the top.

Mt Gingera summit

5) After 9.9 kilometers and 3 hr 20 mins of walking (from Corin Dam), we arrive at Mt Gingera summit (1855 meters). We have lunch around here and spent sometime exploring here and there.

6) Tania at the summit

7, 8) View from the summit

Climbing down Mt Gingera

9) Small alpine flowers are strewn all over this mountain.

10) Coming down the summit, I almost step on this Blue Tongue Lizard sunning itself on the trail. It doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. We need to poke it a few times with a stick before it scampers away into the surrounding grass. (It looks quite like a poisonous Gila Monster that lives in the Southwestern United States and Mexico.)

On Mt Franklin Road to Mt Ginini

11) We are on our way to Mt Ginini and come across this weird leaf with pods growing all over it.
Well, actuall it is Eucalyptus gall, the result of plant cells' reaction to invasion by, for example, wasps, beetles, moths, coccids, psyllids, bacteria.

On access road to Mt Ginini

12) Mt Ginini is insight - highest point near the centre of this pic.

Mt Ginini summit

13) Top of Mt Ginini (1762 meters) is a disappointment for us hikers. It is an air navigation facility, fenced off to prevent us from reaching its summit. There are also too many trees around blocking any view to anywhere. But at least we can claim we've been to Mt Ginini.

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Monday, October 15, 2012

Mt Solitary (+ Ruined Castle), NSW, Australia

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2012 October: Climb Mt Solitary and Ruined Castle, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia

Prolog:

Having lived in Sydney for so long, it always bugs me that I have not climbed Mt Solitary in the Blue Mountains. From afar, it looks like a long flat table top and just inspires you to want to walk the entire length of it.

Today, Ken wants to do some exercise - to prepare for his Nepal climbing trip coming up in 2 months time. In case you haven't noticed it ... 2 months from now is December, smack bang in Nepal's winter. If you think he is mad to want to go there in winter, well, he agrees with you!

Talking about exercise, I regularly run for half-an-hour at night around the streets near my home. It is a quiet neighbourhood, practically no one in the streets even in day time. One night, rounding a corner, I almost bumped into a ghost, or sleep walker. He scared the shit out of me because I didn't expect to bump into any one, let alone someone wearing a white pajama and stood stiff in the middle of the pedestrian path!!! He stared vacantly straight ahead and didn't even take any notice of me when I was almost on top of him. For the next 10 nights or so, he was there at the same corner, stiff like a scarecrow. Then just as mysteriously as he came onto the scene, he was gone. Ever since then, the nightly run is decidedly boring without seeing him.

I side tracked ... Anyway, we decided on a Mt Solitary traverse - Park my car at Scenic World in Katoomba; then take Ken's car pass Wentworth Falls, pass the abandoned Queen Victoria Hospital, and drive a bit further south to a locked gate on Kedumba Valley Rd. There, we park the car, head towards Mt Solitary, climb it, traverse it, then go to Ruined Castle, then back to my car at Scenic World.

Mt Solitary:

This is it, Mt Solitary. We'll walk the entire length of it, from left to right. (Picture taken towards the end of our walk near Scenic World)

Elevation:

- 775 meters (approx) at The Col, eastern tip of the top of Mt Solitary, left side of the above photo.
- 919 meters at the centre
- 965 meters (approx) near the western end, right side of the above photo

One bad point about this mountain is that there is no cairn marking its highest point. And because of the relative flat topology, you'll walk right pass the summit without noticing it :-(

Maps:

1:25,000 scale topographic maps are:
- 8930-2N Jamison
- 8930-1S Katoomba

GPS tracklog file & route:

Our GPX tracklog file can be downloaded from:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSZ1Q4RTZPWGZVN0E/view?usp=sharing

Below is our tracklog, in red, superimposed on the 1:25,000 scale map. We walk from south-east to north-west.

(Notes:
1. The limitation of the blog prevents me from displaying a large sized map here. However you can use your favourite mapping software to better display the above GPX tracklog file on your computer.

2. A clearer map of the east side of The Col is somewhere in this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/mt-solitary-miners-pass-blue-mts-nsw.html
It is my trip to Mt Solitary & Miners Pass 5 years later in 2017 November.)

The 8 blue arrows point to, from right to left:
1. Starting point of our walk at Kedumba Pass Gate on Kedumba Valley Road
2. Cross Kedumba river here ... Avoid drinking its water. It is supposed to be polluted.
3. The Col, about 775 meters
4. Middle summit of Mt Solitary, 919 meters
5. Lunch
6. Highest point of Mt Solitary, about 965 meters
7. Western end of Mt Solitary
8. Ruined Castle

In summary, our route is:
- Start at Kedumba Pass Gate on Kedumba Valley Road
- Walk on Kedumba Valley Road
- 3.5 km, 36 minutes later, turn into Mt Solitary walking Track
- To The Col, eastern tip of the top of Mt Solitary
- Traverse the top of Mt Solitary
- To Ruined Castle
- Walk on Federal Pass Walking Track
- Climb up Furber Steps
- End at Scenic World carpark at Katoomba

Hiking distance and time:

23 km
8 hrs

Timeline:

08:33 Start walking from a small carpark by Kedumba Pass Gate on Kedumba Valley Road
09:09 At junction of Kedumba Valley Road & foot track to Mt Solitary
09:35 At Kedumba River
10:30 Stop for rest

----- Rest (photo #2)

10:35 Resume walking
11:00 At The Col, eastern tip of the top of Mt Solitary

----- Sign log book

11:07 Leave The Col
11:53 At middle summit, 919 meters

12:01 Leave middle summit
12:25 At lunch spot

----- Lunch

12:51 Leave lunch spot
13:35 At western end of Mt Solitary
14:09 At Ruined Castle

14:15 Leave Ruined Castle
16:30 At Scenic World carpark

-----

Total:
- 7 hrs 57min
- 22.6km Distance is from Google Earth

Description:

Prior to crossing the Kedumba River, it is an easy walk along a firetrail and a foot track. After the crossing, the trail turns into a steep climb to The Col, eastern top of Mt Solitary - just perfect for Ken to get fit.

At The Col, there is log book in a metal box somewhere amongst the rocks. We wrote our names in the book - so now my first ascent to Mt Solitary is preserved in history!

Lunch is a short side trip to a ledge where there is a magnificent view of the Jamison Valley. We can make out the township of Katoomba, but it is a bit far away to be seen clearly.

To get down from the western top, there is a series of steep descends. It only takes a few minutes to get down - compared to the hours that took us to climb up on the eastern side earlier in the morning.

At the detour to Ruined Castle, Ken is a bit tired. So he waits for me while I turn into a trail up a small hill, the top of which is called Ruined Castle. You won't find any castles there, only a pile of large boulders. Nonetheless, it is an interesting place. Many dare devils come here regularly to do some rock climbing.

Then it is back down from Ruined Castle, return to the main trail to meet up with Ken. In case you are looking at the map, from here, the main trail towards Katoomba is called Federal Pass. On our way to the bottom station of Scenic Railway, the Federal Pass winds through an interesting landslide area ... Geez ... you wouldn't want the landslide to happen to you when you are walking through there!!!

The last leg is a 200-meter steep climb up the Furber Steps to Scenic World where my car was parked. I convince Ken to climb the steps instead of taking the railway ... as he needs to get fit for his Nepal trip.

All up, it is a good 8-hr work out on a nice sunny day. To me, the highlight of this trip is seeing the bright red waratahs growing wild. Their red colour stands out so strikingly against the backdrop of the green bush ... see the following photos # 16 and 17.

Pictures:

(There are more pictures of the scenes along the route to The Col in this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/mt-solitary-miners-pass-blue-mts-nsw.html
It is my trip to Mt Solitary & Miners Pass 5 years later in 2017 November.)

1) In the distance is the eastern top of Mt Solitary.

2) After crossing the Kedumba River, the trail becomes very steep ... so here, mid way up the slope, we take a breather.

3) Looking at The Col, eastern tip of the top of Mt Solitary - in the pic, it is partly obscured by trees ... we'll be climbing to there.

4) Almost at The Col ... just a few more steps ...

5) Made it ! ... at The Col !
The grey metal box at my feet is where the log book is stored.

6) We duly write our names on the log book ... just have to preserve our names for prosperity! :-)

7) 180 degree panoramic view - typical Blue Mountains scenery

8) The highest point in the dark hill is the middle summit of Mt Solitary. We are going to pass over it.

9, 10) At middle summit - no cairn marking this point
By the way, the middle summit is not the highest point of Mt Solitary. But most maps print a triangle sign here to mark this place as Mt Solitary. Anyway, Ken and I take a few photos now just to say we've been here. (The highest point of Mt Solitary is further toward the north-west.)

11) A large termite mound
In the northern part of Australia, termite mounds are often red or orange in colour due to the red earth which are rich in iron content. Mt Solitary is a sandstone plateau, hence the termite mounds here have a yellowish appearance.

12) View towards Ruined Castle which is on the ridge slightly to the left of the centre of this pic - we are going there now.

13) Zooming onto Ruined Castle which is at the top of a hill almost at the dead centre of this pic

14, 15) Steep descend down the west side of Mt Solitary

16, 17) Beautiful red waratahs - This flower is native to the eastern part of Australia. It is more exciting to see them growing wild here than in a garden as the red stands out so much more among the green bush ... don't you think so?

This above pic is now on page 5 of a splendid little poetry book "Blue Mountains Poetry" by John Williams - published in 2014 by P J Publishing.

18, 19, 20, 21) I make a side trip to Ruined Castle, which is a pile of large boulders on top of a small hill - an interesting place for people who like rock climbing.

22) Looking back at Mt Solitary from Ruined Castle - It is so satisfying to see that we've walked the entire length of it !

23) On the way to Scenic World is this land slide section. The magnificent cliffs are a hall mark of the Blue Mountains in this area.

24) We reach the bottom station of Scenic Railway (which belongs to Scenic World) and took this picture of the Three Sisters, the main icon of the Blue Mountains.

Post Script

5 years later, in 2017 November, I'll climb Mt Solitary again and descend via Miners Pass. Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/mt-solitary-miners-pass-blue-mts-nsw.html

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Port Hedland boulders, WA, Australia

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2012 August: Boulders at 120km south of Port Hedland, WA, Australia

On the way back to Port Hedland from Karijini National Park, we come across some boulders close by the Great Northern Highway and about 120km south of Port Hedland. They seem interesting, so we stop the car and walk to the boulders to check them out.

The precise location plus the trail of our walk is in a KML file downloadable from:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B877-h5SCJaSRkh2ZlZObWtyRGs
Its Google Earth screen print is this image: (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

There is a faint 4-wheel-drive track which allows you to drive right to the base of the boulders. But we park the car at the side of the highway instead as it is only half a kilometer away.

If anyone knows the name of this place, let me know. It is a certainly an interesting spot, well worth loitering around for a while if you are passing through here.

Elevation:
The highest point of this formation is about 250 meters above sea level.

Time Spent:
This mini excursion takes about 1 hour 45 minutes in total. Well, no point getting back to Port Heland too early as it is a rather boring town with nothing much to do.

Photos:
1, 2) This is it. We are walking towards it.