Camel Back & Johns Peak & Tidbinbilla Peak, ACT, Australia

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2015 May: One day climb to:
Camels Hump, Johns Peak, Tidbinbilla Peak
in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve,
ACT, Australia


Camels Hump, Johns Peak, Tidbinbilla Peak

DH and I were meant to spend the weekend at Warrumbungle National Park. Rainy weather over there caused a last minute change of plan. So we decided on climbing these 3 mountains in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in ACT instead:

1 - Camels Hump (also known as Camel Back), 1450 meters
2 - Johns Peak, 1442 meters
3 - Tidbinbilla Peak, 1561 meters

The view from the summits of all 3 peaks are good - well worth the climb.


Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve entrance gate

The trip is uneventful ... except at the end ... As we are from Sydney and are unaware that the entrance gate to the Nature Reserve is shut at 6pm (8pm during the Summer months), hence we take our time in climbing down the mountain. By the time we are back to the car and arrive at the gate, it is 6:20pm and the gate is well and truly shut !

Fortunately, the ranger's phone number is displayed on the gate, hence we are able to reach him by phone; and he comes to open the gate for us not long afterwards. Phew! ... that is a relieve!  We wouldn't like to spend a whole night behind the gate as the temperature will be below 0 degrees !


Maps

Topographic maps:
•  8627-2S Tidbinbilla  1:25,000
•  Rooftop's "Namadgi - ACT South Activities Map"  2011 edition;  1:50,000
•  8627 Brindabella  1:100,000

You can download the 1:25,000 scaled map from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSalNRM0ZrdGNFSTg/view?usp=sharing

The below map with commentaries is from the Rooftop's Namadgi map.

GPS tracklog file & Route

The GPX tracklog file of our walk can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSZjJjTUJEem13cGM/view?usp=sharing

The corresponding 1:25,000 scaled map with the tracklog in brown colour is displayed here:

In summary:
- Park car at Mountain Creek carpark.
- Walk on Camel Back Fire Trail to Camels Hump.
- Climb down Camels Hump and re-trace Camel Back Fire Trail.
- At a point 1.3 km south of Camels Hump summit, go off-track to climb Johns Peak.
- Then to Tidbinbilla Peak.
- Descend down to Camel Back Fire Trail and return to the car.


Timeline & Distance

We left Sydney at 5:30am.  By the time we parked our car and started walking, it is 9:21am.

09:21   0.0 km  Start walking at Mountain Creek carpark
11:11   6.3 km  At Camels Hump summit

Morning Tea

11:29   6.3 km  Leave Camels Hump summit
11:59   7.5 km  Start to put on gaiters on Camel Back Fire Trail

Put on gaiters

12:05   7.6 km  Off-track to climb Johns Peak
13:00   8.5 km  At Johns Peak

Lunch

13.33   8.6 km  Leave Johns Peak
14.26   9.6 km  At Tidbinbilla Peak

14.47   9.6 km  Leave Tidbinbilla Peak
17:16  11.5 km  Back on Camel Back Fire Trail
17:53  14.0 km  Back at car

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

Total:  8 hrs 32 mins  At leisurely pace
           14.0 km  Distance is from Google Earth


Pictures

1)  On the Camel Back Fire Trail, we can see Johns Peak - one of the mountains we intend to climb today ... but not right now. We'll climb Camels Hump first; then Johns Peak.

2)  Zooming in on Johns Peak

3)  Along the side of the Fire Trail, there are plenty of these Verbascum thapsus (Mullein). I saw them last week in Barrington Tops as well.

4)  1 hr 20 mins after we started walking, we can see Camels Hump.

5)  Closer to Camels Hump now

6)  There is a narrow walking trail for the climb to the Camels Hump summit

7)  The Camels Hump summit is in sight ~~~
The lower photo is taken closer to the summit.

8)  Near the summit, we lost the trail. So we simply climb straight up a rocky face  :-)

9)  We make it to the summit of Camels Hump, 1459 m.

10)  With DH

11)  The below pic is a splendid view from the Camels Hump summit towards the east and south.
From left to right, the red arrows point to:
- Mt Tennent
- Johns Peak - we are heading there next.
- Tidbinbilla Peak - we'll be there after climbing Johns Peak.
- Tidbinbilla Mountain
- The Pimble
- Mt Franklin
In the middle of the pic you can see the Camel Back Fire trail. We came from there and we'll retrace our steps that way too.
The yellow arrow indicates how we intend to climb up Johns Peak. (Click on the pic to enlarge it.)

It is pleasing to see our old friend Mt Tennent. DH and I climbed it in August last year (2014). Photos and a write up of that climb is in mt blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/mt-tennent-via-mud-slide-scar-act.html


12)  Towards the west is this valley where Burkes Creek flows.

13)  We have morning tea at the Camels Hump summit, then retrace steps along the Camel Back Fire Trail towards Johns Peak. In this photo, Johns Peak is in front of us.

14)  1.3 km after we came down Camels Hump summit, we go off-trail, bushbashing up to Johns Peak.

If I'm going to re-do this trip again, I would veer off the fire trail earlier. At 0.6 km from Camels Hump summit, there is a trail to climb a knoll, at the top of which is a burnt out communications tower. (The knoll itself is 1 km north-north-east of Johns Peak.)


15)  There are a number of these mushrooms on the slope to Johns Peak. If you know their name, please let me know.

At the top of the ridge, there is a faint trail to Johns Peak. But don't rely on it as it is very indistinct.

16)  Johns Peak is in front.

17)  Closer to Johns Peak

18)  This is the summit of Johns Peak

19)  DH walking up to Johns Peak summit ~~~
The mountain behind DH is Camels Hump - we climbed it not too long ago!

20)  We make it to the summit of Johns Peak 1442 m. There is no cairn nor trig here. Camels Hump is in the background.

21)  Panoramic view from the summit of Johns Peak:
- The left red arrow points to Tidbinbilla Peak ... We are going there next.
- The right red arrow points to Camels Hump ... we came from there.
- The yellow arrows indicate how we intend to climb Tidbinbilla Peak, then descend from it. (click on the pic to enlarge it.)

22)  Descending Johns Peak and heading towards Tidbinbilla Peak ~~~
There is a faint trail. Don't rely on it as it is very indistinct.

23)  Looking back at Johns Peak

24)  Tidbinbilla Peak is in front

25)  Although it is the start of winter, there are still some flowers around.
Does anyone know the name of this flower ?

26)  More birght red flowers ~~~
Ken (in the Comment Section) suggests it maybe Grevillea diminuta.

27)  At Tidbinbilla Peak summit 1562 m ~~~
There is a cairn and a cement platform for a trig that has long since disintegrated.

28)  DH and I at Tidbinbilla Peak summit

29)  At the summit towards south-west is Tidbinbilla Mountain 1615 m (left arrow) and The Pimple 1462 m (right arrow). I will climb them one and a half years later in 2016-11. Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/tidbinbilla-mountain-and-pimple-act.html

30)  This is what the summit of Tidbinbilla Peak looks like. Towards the north is Pierce Hill (red arrow). The peak next to it's right is Camels Hump.

31)  On our way to the car ~~~
Bushbashing down Tidbinbilla Peak turns out to be harder than expected. As shown here, the trees are tightly packed that one can hardly squeeze through them. As a consequence, by the time we reach the entrance to the Tidbilbilla Nature Reserve, the gate was shut !  Fortunately, we are able to reach the ranger by phone; and he comes to open the gate not long afterwards. Phew! ... that is a relieve! We wouldn't like to spend a night behind the gate in below 0 temperature for the whole night !

Comments

After this trip, I have climbed these 11 peaks in ACT:
     Bimberi Peak 2011-01 east approach
     Bimberi Peak 2009-12 west approach
     Burbidge (Mt) + Kelly
     Camels Hump (also known as Camel Back) - this trip
     Ginger Ale + Little Ginini
     Gingera (Mt) + Ginini
     Ginini (Mt) + Gingera
     Johns Peak - this trip
     Kelly (Mt) + Burbidge
     Little Ginini + Ginger Ale
     Tennent (Mt) 2014-08-23 via The Scar (mud slide)
     Tennent (Mt) 2014-08-03 via trail
     Tidbinbilla Peak - this trip

Recently, I came across this website:
    https://johnevans.id.au/other-resources/act-high-hills/the-acts-percies/
which has a list of all 68 named peaks above 1000 meters in ACT (called the "ACT's Percies"). Contact me if you wish to climb some of them, or the lot, with me.


Post Script

One and a half years later in 2016-11, I will climb the nearby Tidbinbilla Mountain and The Pimple. Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/tidbinbilla-mountain-and-pimple-act.html

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Prospero, NSW, Australia

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2015 May: Climb Prospero, just outside Barrington Tops National Park, NSW, Australia

Prolog

My nephew KinSum is in Sydney for a one-week visit. So I take him to Barrington Tops for a walk.

- The morning was spent in the Polblue Swamp area. Afterwards we looked for the summit trig in Mt Polblue. Photos and a write up of that trip is in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/polblue-nsw-australia.html

- The afternoon is spent in climbing Prospero ... this report.

Prpospero

Prospero, 1189 meters, is just outside the Barrington Tops National Park ... between the Park and Moonan Flat.

I don't know whether it is Mt Prospero, Prospero Mountain, Prospero Peak or Prospero Hill. In the 1:25,000 scaled Moonan Brook 9134-2S map, the only map that I have, it is simply Prospero.

And the web doesn't help ... there is no write-up on Prospero anywhere on the web.

But the view from the top of Prospero to the rural areas below the Barrington Tops plateau is very good. So this hill is an undiscovered gem that not many people are aware of. Although from the conditions on the ground, it seems it was frequently climbed. So there are hikers who know about it. It is just that no one bothers to write it up. So in this blog, you'll find the first set of photos and the first account of the Prospero climb on the internet  :-)

If you ever approach Barrington Tops from the west, you really should make an effort to climb Prospero.

Maps

•  Paper map - 1:25,000 scaled Moonan Brook 9134-2S

•  Online - http://www.mud-maps.com/map-store/mud-map-barrington-tops-national-park-ed1/map-226507/preview/ (Note: Prospero is not labelled on this map.)

The below map is from 1:25,000 scaled Moonan Brook 9134-2S. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)
- The small black circle on the left edge is where we park our car.
- The blue dots trace out a well formed track / fire trail to the top of Prospero.
- Moonan Outlook is at bottom right hand corner - we'll take a photograph of Prospero from there, see Photo #2.

GPS tracklog file & Route

The GPX tracklog file of our walk can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSVDFoOXVZczA4ams/view?usp=sharing

In summary - referring to the above map:
•  Park car at the small black circle on the left edge of the map.
•  Walk on track (the blue dots) to Prospero summit.
•  Then walk along ridge top to the knoll north-west of the summit.
•  Then descend directly west back to the car.

Timeline & Distance

14:27  0.0 km  Start walking
15:26  3.4 km  At Prospero summit

15:37  3.4 km  Leave summit
15:54  4.0 km  At knoll north-west of Prospero

15:57  4.0 km  Leave knoll
16:19  4.9 km  Back at the car

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

Total  1 hrs 52 mins
           4.9 km  Distance is from Google Earth
           5.2 km  Distance is from Garmin GPS

Pictures

The morning was spent circumnavigating Polblue Swamp and climbing Mt Polblue. After lunch, we hop into the car and drive in the direction of Scone, heading to the foothill of Prospero.

1)  First, need to pass this gate, called Dingo Gate, at the boundary of Stewarts Brook State Forest.  Post Script: Ken wrote in the Comment Section that the gate is to restrict dingos from getting through to the farmlands.

But look at the gap between the bottom of the gate and the ground ... wouldn't a dingo be able to crawl through the gap easily???

2)  There is a rest area just after passing Dingo Gate of the previous pic. Nearby is a lookout. On the 9134-2S Moonan Brook map, it is called Moonan Outlook. From the lookout is this view towards Moonan Flat and Moonan Brook area. Prospero is also in the pic - pointed to by the red arrow. We'll climb it along the top of the ridge from the left. After reaching the summit, we'll continue to the nearby knoll - the blue arrow.

3)  We hop back into the car ... here is a closer look at Prospero from Barrington Tops Forest Road.

4)  We've parked the car and are a minute or two into the walk to climb Prospero - now looking back at the track, and at my car (yellow arrow) parked at the side of Barrington Tops Forest Road.

5)  The track goes all the way to the summit. First, it meanders towards the red arrow, then makes a U-turn and climbs roughly along the top of a ridge (yellow arrows) towards the summit which is above the top left hand corner of this pic. (On the return trip, we won't be re-tracing our steps. Instead, we'll go off-track to climb a nearby knoll (blue arrow in Photo #2), then descend directly to the car.)

At any point along the track, one can go off-track and bushbash directly towards the summit. An indeed we notice a few indistinct trails heading in that direction - an indication that people have been doing just that. But we stick to the track.

6)  The track is quite muddy. Perhaps it rained around here not too long ago. In this pic, we are passing through a swampy area.

7)  Prospero is in the middle of the pic.

8)  Now closer to Prospero ~~~
Around here, The track goes along the left side of the fence. The ground vegetation is different across the fence.  It looks like that the right side has farm animal grazing on it ... see photo #18.

9)  We are close to the summit now. The right half of this panoramic view is towards the west ... towards Moonan Flat / Moonan Brook area.

10)  These look like a pair of breasts  :-)  Does anyone know the name of this mushroom ?

11)  Prospero summit is in front. I thought the ground covering plants are strawberries. As I'm not wearing long trousers, my calves are soon hurting from stings and I realize they are the nasty Stinging Nettles.

12)  To reach the Prospero summit, we pass this gate which is not locked. If you take a look at
https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/ , switch to "background" map (instead of satellite image), then zoom in, it seems that there is a square fence, 300 meters each side, that encloses the summit. So it looks like the summit maybe a nature reserve.

13)  Prospero and its summit trig ~~~
The peak is one big pile of loose rocks.

14)  At Prospero summit, 1189 m, with my nephew ~~~
He is almost 20 years old, but looks like a 13 year old kid.  :-)  After the trip, I dare not take him to a pub for a drink because he looks too young.  :-)

15)  View from the summit towards the north (Omadale) & northeast ~~~
The red arrow points to Omadale - the view to it is blocked by the trees.

16)  At the summit, someone had laid down the stones to form a circle.

17)  Time to leave the summit ~~~
Instead of re-tracing our steps, we descend along a ridge towards a knoll north-west of Prospero. The right side of the fence is private property ... I think ???

18)  We are glad that these goats are on the other side of the fence. We don't want to lock horns with them.  :-)

PS: After the trip, Ricky, a friend of mine said they were wild goats. But why were wild goats in a private property?

19)  Quite a few of this plant along the ridge. I think they are Verbascum thapsus (Mullein) ... correct me if I'm wrong.

20)  We are climbing up this knoll which is northwest of Prospero. The knoll is also where the blue arrow was pointing at in photo #2.

21)  At the knoll - nice view of the farmland below - towards north, towards Ellerston ~~~
Afterwards, it is climbing down the knoll and head towards west - back to the car.

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