2015 February: One day climb to Little Ginini & Ginger Ale 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 am in the process of climbing them all.
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) - This trip report
• 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 - This trop report
• 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 - Little Ginini & Ginger Ale
Continuing my effort to climb all the 13 over 1700-meter peaks in ACT ...
Today's climb, with Adam, is to:
- Little Ginini, 1738 meters ... In my list above, it is the 10th highest named peak in ACT.
- Ginger Ale, 1766 meters ... 7th highest named peak in ACT
Maps
• 8626-1N Corin Dam 1:25,000
• Rooftop's "Namadgi - ACT South Activities Map" 2011 edition; 1:50,000
• 8626 Tantangara 1:100,000
The below map is from the Rooftop's Namadgi map. The red arrow near bottom left hand corner points to Ginger Ale.
GPS file
The GPX file of our walk can be download from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSUkxrT1l1UnhIUzQ/view?usp=sharing
I love my GPS ... About 100 meters from the summit of Ginger Ale, I discovered my camera was missing. After a quick search around, we decided to head for the summit first; afterwards use the GPS to retrace the exact route that we came up the slope. Lo and behold, with Adam's sharp eyes, we found the camera lying on the ground. As we were bushbashing, without a GPS to retrace the exact steps, this blog would not have any pictures !
Route
To Little Ginini:
• Start at Corin Dam carpark.
• Take Stockyard Spur Walking Track.
• At junction of Stockyard Spur Walking Track and Mt Franklin Rd, bushbash westward to Little Ginini summit.
• Climb back down to Mt Franklin Rd.
To Ginger Ale:
• Continue on Mt Franklin Rd to the point of closest approach between Mt Franklin Rd and Ginger Ale summit.
• Then get off the road and bushbash westward towards Ginger Ale summit.
Return leg:
• Retrace steps back to Corin Dam carpark.
On the return leg, Adam's foot is not well. Luckily, we meet a guy who has just finished repairing a section of the Mt Franklin Rd and is about to go home. He kindly offers to drive us to the helicopter pad at Stockyard Spur Walking Track ... that is as far as his 4-wheel-drive ute can go. It saves us about 8 km of walking and probably saves Adam's foot as well !
Timeline & Distance
07:08 0.0 km Start at Corin Dam carpark
09:36 6.4 km at junction of Stockyard Spur Walking Track & Mt Franklin Rd
09:45 6.4 km Bushbash up Little Ginini slope
10:09 7.1 km at Little Ginini summit
10:33 7.1 km Leave Little Ginini Summit
10:43 7.4 km at NSW/ACT border marker O57
10:51 7.4 km Leave NSW/ACT border marker O57
11:08 7.9 km at Mt Franklin Rd
11:29 9.4 km at juntion of Mt Franklin Rd & trail to Mt Gingera
11:31 9.4 km Leave juntion of Mt Franklin Rd & trail to Mt Gingera
12:42 14.8 km at Mt Franklin Rd and ready to bushbash up Ginger Ale slope
13:29 15.7 km Discover my camera is missing on Ginger Ale slope
13:32 15.7 km Retrace steps down slope to find camera
13:37 15.8 km Give up finding camera
13:40 15.9 km Return to the spot where we started to retrace steps to find camera
13:43 16.0 km at Ginger Ale summit
13:51 16.0 km Leave Ginger Ale summit
14:00 16.2 km Adam finds my camera lying on the ground
14:23 17.2 km at Mt Franklin Rd
15:02 20.4 km Meet road repairer
15:15 20.5 km Get lift in road repairer's ute
15:24 24.6 km at junction of Mt Franklin Rd & Stockyard Spur Walking Track
15:43 28.7 km Drop off road repair's ute at Stockyard Spur Walking Track helicopter pad
Quick lunch - To save time, we didn't have lunch till now because Adam has a dinner date in Canberra at 19:00.
15:49 28.7 km Start walking
17:00 31.0 km Finish at Corin Dam carpark
Total: 9 hr 52 min; 31.0 km Distance is from Google Earth. (My Garmin GPS gives 33.5 km)
Of which 28 min; 8.2 km is in road repairer's ute.
Pictures - Corin Dam
1) The start of our walk, which is the start of the Stockyard Spur Walking Track, is here at Corin Dam.
The morning is misty. It will eventually clear to a sunny day.
On Stockyard Spur Walking Track
2) On the Stockyard Spur Walking Track, looking down at Corin Dam
3) The Stockyard Spur Walking Track is steep, especially near the beginning.
4) After the initial steep climb, and pass the helicopter pad, the track becomes a fire trail. It is still misty. but it will soon clear to a sunny day.
5) Someone had built this cute little stone arch on the trail.
6) Red mushrooms ~~~
Wonder what type of mushroom is it? I saw them in Kosciuszko National Park too.
7) A termite mound
There is not much of a view on the Stockyard Spur Walking Track ... too many trees. But if you climb one of the many rocky outcrops near the track, you are likely to get a good view of the surrounding area.
8) Here is a nice view from one of the rocky outcrops.
The 3 red arrows point to, from left to right:
• Mt Gingera, 1855 m, 2nd highest peak in ACT.
• Little Ginini, 1738 m ... In my list of 13 highest named peaks in ACT, it is the 10th highest ... we'll soon be at its summit.
• Mt Ginini, 1762 m, 8th highest
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/mt-gingera-mt-ginini-act-australia.html
9) We are still on the Stockyard Spur Walking Track, and close to Mt Franklin Rd. Little Ginini is in front.
Junction of Stockyard Spur Walking Track & Mt Franklin Rd
10) A sign post at the junction of Stockyard Spur Walking Track and Mt Franklin Rd ~~~
Directly behind this sign post is the slope up Little Ginini. It is here that we start to bushbash up the slope.
Bushubasing up Litte Ginini
11) We are bushbashing up Little Ginini. Unlike Mt Kelly, it is light scrub here, quite easy to get through.
12) A wombat hole
13) Little yellow flowers are abound everywhere, not just here on the slope of Little Ginini.
14) These two yellow flowers maybe of different species ???
15) Podolepis jaceoides ???
16) Xerochrysum bracteatum (??? not sure) commonly known as Golden Everlasting or Strawflower
17) This one is Senecio linearifolius (Fireweed Groundsel)
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Litte Ginini summit
18) The top of Little Ginini is very flat. We think this is the summit, 1738 m. In my list of 13 highest named peaks in ACT, it is the 10th highest. (If you reckon the summit is not here, please let me know.)
19) Adam and I at the summit of Little Ginini
20) Around the summit of Little Ginini - quite a pleasant setting
Border marker O57 on Litte Ginini
21) Coming down from the summit, we pass a cairn marking the NSW/ACT border - where Adam is standing right now. (Next photo has a close up view of the cairn.)
22) The cairn is NSW/ACT border marker O57. (Reference: John Evan's web page: http://www.johnevans.id.au/wp/other-resources/act-border-markers/3681-2/ ... when in there, search for O57, then click on the picture icon.)
The mountain in the background is Mt Gingera, 1855 m, 2nd highest mountain in ACT. (This photo is taken by Adam.)
23) Adam and I take a selfie here with the border marker behind us.
On Mt Franklin Rd to Ginger Ale
24) We climbed down from Little Ginini and are now on Mt Franklin Rd to Ginger Ale ... Don't even think about it, ordinary folks like us are not allowed to drive on this road.
Here, the mountain in front is Mt Gingera.
25) At the turn off to Mt Gingera (from Mt Franklin Rd) is this blue stone on top of a post. Both Adam and I have already climbed Gingera, so we keep going on Mt Franklin Rd to Ginger Ale.
26) At a creek at where photo #25 was taken is this chubby lizard.
27) A chubby green caterpillar on Mt Franklin Rd ~~~
Why is it crawling on the road and exposed to predators?
By the way, what looks like the head on the left is actually the tail. The real head is on the right.
28) On Mt Franklin Rd looking towards south-south-east ~~~
The 4 red arrows from left to right point to:
- Mt Kelly, 1829 m, 4th highest peak in ACT.
- Mt Scabby 1798 m, 5th highest peak in ACT.
- Bimberi Peak, 1913 m, highest mountain in ACT. I've climbed it a few times.
- Ginger Ale, 1766 m (behind the tree branches) ... we are heading there.
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/kelly-burbidge-nsw-australia.html
29) Zooming onto the left side of the previous photo ~~~
The red arrows from left to right point to:
- Mt Namadgi, 1791 m, 6th highest named peak in ACT. I will climb it in 2015 October.
- Mt Burbidge, 1724 m, 12th highest named peak in ACT. I climbed it in 2015 January.
- Mt Kelly, 1829 m, 4th highest peak in ACT. I climbed it in 2015 January together with Mt Burbidge.
30) On Mt Franklin Rd heading towards Ginger Ale which is the mountain in front
31) On Mt Franklin Rd with a good view towards Ginger Ale
Bushbashing up Ginger Ale
32) At the point of closest approach of Mt Franklin Rd to Ginger Ale summit, we get off the road and bushbash westward towards the summit.
33) These small light purple coloured flowers are everywhere, not just here on the slope of Ginger Ale. These two probably belong to different species.
34) Acripeza reticulata (Mountain Katydid), also known as Mountain Grasshopper ~~~
This one is a female (male Mountain Katydid is very skinny).
When it spreads its wings, its body has colourful red, black and blue bands. The right pic is its rear and you can see the blue bands on its body.
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Ginger Ale summit
35) At Ginger Ale summit, 1766 meters, with Adam
36) From the summit towards the north is this view of Mt Gingera.
Return to car
37) We've climbed down from Ginger Ale and are retracing Mt Franklin Rd back to my car at Corin Dam.
This spot on the Mt Franklin Rd is under repairs. Adam's foot is not well and as the guy fixing the road is just finishing work for the day, he offers to take us in his ute back to Stockyard Spur Walking Track.
38) This is the good Samaritan. He drops us off at the helicopter pad at Stockyard Spur Walking Track ... this is as far as his ute can go. He saves us about 8 km of walking; and probably saves Adam's foot as well !
39) Not far from where we were dropped off, Adam finds this Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis). Wikipedia says it is the world's second most venomous land snake.
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