If you would like to join me for a hiking / climbing trip, please email me ... mntviews@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
North Brother Mountain, NSW, Australia
2015 November: 30-minute walk
North Brother Mountain
Dooragan National Park
NSW, Australia
Prolog
This is a detour to North Brother Mountain
while driving pass the town of Laurieton to
take a walk in Diamond Head later on.
North Brother Mountain
At 490 meters, the mountain dominates
the landscape in the Camden Haven area
(which is between Port Macquarie and Taree).
It is surrounded by water on all sides:
- On the north is Queens Lake.
- On the east is the Pacific Ocean.
- On the south is Watson Taylors Lake
(through which Camden Haven River flows).
- On the west is Camden Haven River.
To reach the top of the mountain
There is a steep walking track from
the town of Laurieton to the top.
Scroll forward is a map
of the North Brother Mountain area
where the track is marked as
Laurieton Walking Track.
There is also a tourist road called
Captain Cook Bicentennial Drive.
5 km, 7 minutes drive on that road
will take you from the town of Laurieton
to a lookout and picnic area
at the top of North Brother Mountain.
I take the road ... why walk when you can drive !
Top of the mountain
At the top, there are:
- Picnic areas
- Toilets
- 3 lookout platforms at the carpark:
• One is un-named.
• One is called Laurieton Lookout.
• One is called Don Johnstone Lookout.
- A loop track
About 700 meters for the entire loop.
It leads to another lookout ...
See photos #10 to #13.
* * * * * * * * * *
Plenty of cars drive up for a visit.
But no one bothers to take a walk
on the loop track.
One reason maybe the start of the track is at
a distance from the carpark / lookout areas.
Unless you explore around,
you won't know the loop track exists.
* * * * * * * * * *
The summit itself is about 300 meters from
the carpark ... towards the south-east.
You can't drive there.
You have to walk.
Just like the loop track,
no one bothers to go there.
This is excusable ...
Beside a concrete cairn,
there is nothing at the summit;
and no view ... too many trees.
The best views are at the lookout platforms
at the carpark.
Map
1:25,000 scaled topographic map:
9434-1S Laurieton
GPS tracklog file & route
For what it is worth ...
The GPX tracklog file of my walk
can be download from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSWkM1T0tlcl9QZFU/view?usp=sharing
Here is the tracklog, brown colour,
in the 1:25,000 map.
In detail:
09:17 0.00 km At start of rainforest loop track
Walk in clockwise direction
09:26 0.36 km At lookout in the loop track
09:35 0.76 km Return to start of loop track
Enjoy views at the lookouts around the carpark.
09:43 0.95 km At start of track to summit
of North Brother Mountain
09:46 1.19 km At concrete cairn
marking the highest point
of North Brother Mountain
09:47 1.19 km Turn around
09:50 1.42 km Return to start of track
09:51 1.50 km At car
================================
Total: 34 mins
1.5 km Distance is from Google Earth
1.6 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
Pictures:
North Brother Mountain from a distance
1) North Brother Mountain.
- View from Diamond Head.
2) North Brother Mountain.
- View from Reid Street, Laurieton
(at the west side of the bridge
over Camden Haven River inlet).
Top of North Brother Mountain
Carpark / lookout area
There are nice picnic areas at top of the mountain.
3) Here is one of the picnic areas.
- The elevation here is 487 meters.
- This is not the summit.
- The summit is another 300 meters
towards the south-east.
(From here, it is straight ahead.)
4) There is a World War I memorial.
5) There are 3 lookout platforms ...
This is one of them.
- View from here is similar to that in photo #7.
6) A lookout platform called Laurieton Lookout.
- It is next to the one in the previous photo.
7) View from Laurieton Lookout ...
towards north-east.
- 6 red arrows, left to right:
1 Queens Lake
2 Tacking Point
3 Grants Head
4 Camden Haven River inlet
5 Gogleys Lagoon
6 Kattang Nature Reserve
- Lighthouse Beach:
Between Tacking Point & Grants Head
- Grants Beach:
Between Grants Head &
Camden Haven River inlet
- Laurieton: Town with a large green park
- North Haven: The town further away,
between the sea and Laurieton
8) A lookout platform
called Don Johnstone Lookout.
- It is on the opposite side to Laurieton Lookout.
9) View from Don Johnstone Lookout ...
towards south.
- The lake is Watson Taylors Lake.
- 3 red arrows, left to right:
1 Kylies Beach
2 South Brother Mountain
3 Middle Brother Mountain
- Area between the lake and Kylies Beach:
Crowdy Bay National Park
Aboriginal dreamtime story
There is an aboriginal dreamtime story about
North, Middle & South Brother Mountains,
re-told by the old men of the Birpai Tribe
when they meet for a tribal initiation
in the Kempsey area ...
The three Brothers Mountains are named
after three brothers.
Two of the brothers were slain and eaten
by a witch.
The youngest, returning from a visit
to his parents, killed the witch
and buried his brothers' bones
on North and Middle Brother.
Then killed himself on South Brother.
The parents, searching for their sons,
heard a voice telling them each mountain
held the spirit of one of their sons.
And so, the name of the
"Three Brothers Mountains" was perpetuated.
Rainforest Loop Track
There is a short rainforest loop track
from the lookout and picnic area.
10) A weather-beaten information board
at the start of the loop track.
- Information written on the board is given below.
The words at the bottom of the above
information board are:
1.
Summit to Viewing Platform (300 m)
Suitable for people in wheelchairs with assistance.
Start on western side of summit picnic area
to viewing platform along tar-sealed track
through the transition zone from dry
to wet eucalypt forest to rainforest.
2.
Viewing Platform to Summit (400 m)
Not suitable for people in wheelchairs.
Track through shaded rainforest
to North Brother Summit.
A moderately easy walking track that
rewards you with view southward
across Crowdy Bay National Park
to Crowdy Head from a hidden viewing platform.
A good alternative to the steep-graded walk
on the eastern face of the mountain.
This walk loops through cool shaded rainforest.
(Note:
The word "summit" in the information board
means the carpark / lookout area.
The real summit is 300 meters
south-east of the carpark.)
11) I do the loop walk in a clockwise direction,
in the reverse order of the above.
- The 2 photos below are what the track is like.
12) The track leads to this lookout platform.
13) From the lookout platform,
there is a good view towards south ...
towards Kylies Beach & Watson Taylors Lake.
- Red arrow: Crowdy Head ...
at the end of Kylies Beach
Highest point of North Brother Mountain
After the loop walk,
I go on to the summit of North Brother Mountain.
14) This is the track to the summit.
15) Summit of North Brother Mountain.
490 meters
- Concrete cairn at the centre marks the summit.
- It is 300 meters south-east from the carpark.
- There is no view from here ... too many trees.
The track keeps on going.
But I turn back from where the cairn is.
(The track goes on a big big loop towards west.
And returns back to the carpark.
From the maps, the track seems boring.
Can someone reading this blog confirm this ?
But still ...
Perhaps one day,
it is worthwhile to walk on it just to find out.)
Post Script
The main activity for today is to
explore the Diamond Head headland .
North Brother Mountain is merely a detour
on the way to there.
Photos and a write up on my walk in
Diamond Head are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/diamond-head-nsw-australia-2015-11.html
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Mt Namadgi, ACT, Australia
2015 October: Day trip to climb Mt Namadgi from Yankee Hat 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 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 - 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 - 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 - This trip report
• 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)
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 Namadgi
Continuing my effort to climb all the 13 over 1700-meter peaks in ACT ...
Today's climb, with BR, is to Mt Namadgi, 1791 meters. In my list above, it is the 6th highest named peak, and one of the remotest mountains in ACT.
The view from the summit is excellent. But to get there is not so simple ... this trip costs us 19.5 hours !!!
One reason we took so long was because on the return leg, from 8pm to 1:30am, we were in the middle of the night, bushbashing in the dark in dense bush. But even if we had total daylight, we would still require about 16 hours. So, with hindsight, we took the trip too leisurely earlier on, should have bushbashed much faster in the morning.
This was the first time I went on a climbing trip without taking enough batteries for my GPS ... well, I didn't anticipate the trip to take 19.5 hrs. I had expected a regulation climb of 11 hours only. Also, I expected BR to bring his own GPS ... but his GPS was broken in an earlier trip. To conserve power, I turned off my GPS on the return trip. Fortunately, BR is a good navigator and was able to guide us down the mountain, even in complete darkness and in the bush. Only occasionally did I need to turn on the GPS for a minute or two to confirm our positions.
But still, without a GPS, we were a bit slow. On two occasions, we even went backwards while in the dark. Lessons learnt: Always bring enough batteries for the GPS to last 24 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/0B877-h5SCJaSekNDelRvOVFpYk0/view?usp=sharing
The below map is from the 1:50,000 scaled Rooftop's Namadgi map.
But ... Warning:
- Where Yankee Hat is in the map, it should be an unnamed 1558-meter hill.
- Yankee Hat itself should be at the next hill to the north-east.
Yankee Hat Carpark
The starting point of the Mt Namadgi climb is at Yankee Hat Carpark on Old Boboyan Rd.
If you are coming from the direction of Canberra, drive south on Boboyan Rd. At about 0.7 km pass the bridge crossing Rendezvous Creek, or 0.3 km pass the bridge crossing Gudgenby River, watch out on your right for a fork with a very small sign pointing to Yankee Hat Carpark & Old Boboyan Rd. You really need to watch out for it, as one blink and you'll miss it.
GPS tracklog file & route
The GPX tracklog file of our walk can be download from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSekptT0pYU0MxbTQ/view?usp=sharing
The 1:25,000 scaled map with our tracklog superimposed on it can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSTERjRkw2MENHUGs/view?usp=sharing
In summary, our route is:
• Start at Yankee Hat carpark.
• Once we pass the open plain and into the scrub, keep to the north side of Middle Creek.
• Walk to Big Creamy Flats until we are north of Mt Namadgi.
• Climb Mt Namadgi.
• Return trip is to retrace our steps back to the car.
Timeline & Distance
05:52 0.0 km Start Yankee Hat carpark
12:28 13.0 km At Big Creamy Flats, north of Mt Namadgi
Lunch
12:55 13.0 km Start to climb Mt Namadgi
14:31 14.4 km At Mt Namadgi summit
Enjoy the scenery
14:41 14.4 km Start to descend from the summit
14:46 14.6 km At a knoll 200 meters north-east of the summit
15:48 16.1 km At Big Creamy Flats, north of Mt Namadgi
20:05 22.2 km (Sun sets at 19:37. Last light at 20:05.) From now on, we are totally in the dark.
01:32 30.0 km Finish at Yankee Hat carpark
==============================================
Total: 19 hrs 40 mins
30.0 km Distance is from Google Earth
37.8 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
(Hhmmm ... the discrepancy in distances is weird. Usually the Garmin distance is 10% longer that the Google Earth distance. This time, the discrepancy is more than 20% ... perhaps due to the Garmin being turned on and off in the night ???)
Pictures - Early morning at Yankee Hat carpark
1) While waiting for BR to arrive, I take this picture of the open plain at Yankee Hat carpark at 5:41am with the moon in the sky. (First light at 5:36am; Sunrise at 6:03am) ~~~
- Red arrow points to mist covered Yankee Hat.
- Blue arrow points to the valley through which Middle Creek flows.
We'll be walking up the valley on the north side of Middle Creek (In the photo, it is on the right side of the valley.)
To Big Creamy Flats
2) 25 minutes after we started walking ~~~
Open plain near Yankee Hat carpark, taken at 6:15am. (First light at 5:36am; Sunrise at 6:03am)
3) In the 2 pics below, note the change in colour within 15 minutes!
The upper photo is taken at at 6:15am.
The lower photo is taken at 6:28 am
- The hill on the left is Yankee Hat.
- The valley in the middle is where Middle Creek flows.
We'll be walking up the valley on the north side of Middle Creek (In the photos, it is on the right side of the valley.)
4) Looking back at Yankee Hat carpark - the red arrow
5) After an hour of walking in the open plain, it is bushbashing time.
6) A creek to cross ~~~ this one flows into Middle Creek.
7) An interesting rock
8) 7.8 km, 2 hrs 40 minutes after we started walking, we get our first glimpse of Mt Namadgi.
- The left arrow points to Mt Burbidge
- The right arrow points to Mt Namadgi obscured by the gum tree.
9) 10.8 km, 4 hrs after we started walking ~~~
We are due east of Mt Namadgi - red arrow in the pic. However we won't climb Mt Namadgi yet. We'll keep going north-west to Big Creamy Flats.
At Big Creamy Flats
10) Now at Big Creamy Flats ~~~
Mt Namadgi is not in this pic. It is just outside the left edge of the pic.
11) Mt Namadgi from Big Creamy Flats ~~~
We are at the north-east side of Mt Namadgi. The summit can't be seen yet. In the pic, it is behind the rocky cliff at the top of the ridge.
We won't be climbing Mt Namadgi from here. We'll keep going in the north-west direction along Big Creamy Flats until we are almost north of Mt Namadgi. Then we'll climb straight up towards the rocky cliff, left yellow arrow. (Some people climb towards the saddle point, right yellow arrow; then walk along the ridge to the summit.)
12) Still at Big Creamy Flat, looking directly east at the 3 peaks of Mt Mavis. (The summit is the peak on the right.) At this point, I realize I have to ditch my grandiose plan of climbing Mt Mavis after climbing Mt Namadgi ... it is already past 12 o'clock (more than 6 hrs of walking) and we have yet to climb Mt Namadgi !
Climbing up Mt Namadgi
At 12:30pm, we have lunch by the edge of Big Creamy Flats. Afterwards, it is straight up towards the summit.
13) A wombat hole ... while climbing up Mt Namadgi
14) BR climbing up a rock face - we are half way up the slope of Mt Namadgi.
15) These are the rock cliffs that is at the top of the mountain in Photo #11. The Namadgi summit, which can't be seen here, is another 500 meters behind the cliff.
We'll climb up the rock cliff through the crack pointed by the yellow arrows.
16) (This pic is taken at the same spot as the previous pic was taken.)
- Big Creamy Flats can be seen below.
- The red arrow points to Mt Mavis summit. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)
Mt Namadgi summit
17) After we climbed over the rock cliff in Photo #15, we can see the summit - top of the rock in the middle of this pic.
18) Hurray! At Mt Namadgi summit 1791 meters, 14.4 km, 8 hrs 40 minutes after we started from Yankee Hat carpark. Hhmmm ... we now realize a large chunk of the return trip will be bushbashing in the dark !
My thumb is pointing at Mt Kelly.
19) BR ~~~
Mt Kelly is the big mountain in the centre of the pic.
20) Excellent panoramic view from the summit ... Towards south-east and south:
The 6 arrows point to, from left to right:
- Yankee Hat carpark (blue arrow) ... where we started the walk this morning.
- Yankee Hat (red arrow)
- Mt Burbidge ... Climbed it and Mt Kelly with RE in early January this year, 2015.
- Mt Gudgenby ... Will climb it with DH in Nov 2017.
- Mt Scabby
- Mt Kelly ... Climbed it and Mt Burbidge with RE in early January this year, 2015.

http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/kelly-burbidge-nsw-australia.html
21) Towards west and north-west:
The 4 arrows point to, from left to right:
- Mt Morgan ... on my to-do list.
- Mt Murray ... 3rd highest mountain in ACT ... on my to-do list.
- Bimberi Peak ... climbed it with RE from the east in Jan 2011.
- Cotter Flats (blue arrow) ... RE and I camped out there for the night after climbing Bimberi.
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html
Return to car
After 10 minutes at the summit to soak up the atmosphere, we look at the watch and it is 2:41 pm !!! It sinked on us then that we'll be bushbashing a large part of the return trip in the dark ... Well, we started at 5:52am, almost 9 hours ago; the return trip won't be much easier. In addition, my GPS battery is running low ... well, I hadn't catered for such a long day :-(
Fortunately BR has a good sense of direction. So I turned off my GPS and let BR guide us back to the car at Yankee Hat Carpark.
At 8pm we've covered half the distance. As the sun sets at 7:37pm and last light is at 8:05pm, so the last half of the walk is bushbashing in complete darkness. In the end, we reach the car at 1:32am in the middle of the night ... making it a total of 19 hrs 40 minutes for the day !
Post Script
- By the way, there are others who were able to complete the same trip in 10 to 12 hours, so we are a bit slow :-) Ah, but it is journey that counts, not the speed :-)
- The kangaroos were in plague proportion in ACT. On the way back to Canberra from Yankee Hat carpark (where we started the walk), kangaroos jumped in front of my car on 3 occasions. Fortunately I had the foresight to drive at 50 kph in a 100 kph zone and was able to stop the car in time. Had I bump into one of roos at full speed and badly damage the car, I don't think I can get any help as there was no mobile phone connection in that remote part of ACT.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Dicky Cooper Bogong & The Granite Peaks, NSW, Australia
2015 October: Day trip to climb Dicky Cooper Bogong and the north peak of The Granite Peaks, NSW Snowy Mts, Australia
Prolog - A2K peaks, the 33 highest peaks in Australia
I have compiled a list of all the peaks in Australia that are 2000 meters or higher. There are 33 of them, all bunched together in Kosciuszko National Park. I am calling the list Paul Ma's A2K peaks :-)
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
4 Rams Head 2190 m 128 608
5 Etheridge Ridge 2180 m 140 644
6 Rams Head North 2177 m 137 618
7 Alice Rawson Peak 2167 m 132 692
8 Byatts Camp 2159 m 118 676
9 Abbott Peak 2145 m 122 678
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
11 Tenison Woods Knoll 2136 m 166 719
12 Mt Northcote 2131 m 146 676
13 Little Twynam 2130 m 185 711
14 Muellers Peak 2125 m 138 673
15 Mt Clarke 2110 m 154 672
16 Mt Lee 2105 m 152 688
17 Kangaroo Ridge 2077 m 182 644
18 Mt Tate 2068 m 214 760
19 Gungartan 2068 m 258 835
20 Mt Jagungal 2062 m 248 987
21 Mt Perisher 2054 m 243 697
22 Mt Stilwell 2054 m 187 659
23 South Rams Head 2052 m 116 588
24 Kerries Ridge 2050 m 262 851
25 Little Stilwell 2030 m 190 657
26 Merritts Spur 2030 m 160 626
27 Toolong Range 2025 m 258 988
28 Watsons Crags 2021 m 161 733
29 Back Perisher Mtn 2014 m 247 708
30 Mt Anton 2010 m 191 727
31 The Foxhole 2010 m 198 661
32 Mann Bluff 2005 m 208 754
33 Dicky Cooper Bogong 2003 m 232 832
Dicky Cooper Bogong just made it to my A2K list !
How the list is compiled:
- If a peak has a name, and is 2000 meters or higher, then include the peak in the list.
- If a range/ridge/spur has a name, and its highest point is 2000 meters plus, then include the highest point.
For more information on the list, including data source, please click on this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/p/paul-mas-a2k-peaks.html
Today's climb: Dicky Cooper Bogong & The Granite Peaks
2 of us for today's climb: RZ and I
Dicky Cooper Bogong: At 2003 meters, is the highest peak in The Rolling Ground ridge in the NSW Snowy Mountains. It gets its name from Dicky Cooper, king of one of the local Aboriginal tribes who had this area as their traditional place for collecting Bogong moths. Hence the mountain came to be known as Dicky Cooper Bogong.
The Granite Peaks: It has 2 peaks.
- North Peak, Sma 0112, 1989 meters
- South Peak, Sma 0691, 1996 meters ... we didn't climb this one today.
In between Dicky Cooper Bogong and the Granite Peaks, and directly west of Whites River Hut, there is an unnamed peak of 1976 meters, We climb it while going from Dicky Cooper Bogong to The Granite Peaks.
Other A2K climbing trips
Scroll forward to the end of this trip report. There is a list, with links, to other A2K climbing trips that I have done.
Maps
1:100,000 8525 Kosciuszko
1:50,000 Kosciuszko Alpine Area map, 1st edition, by Spatial Vision Innovations Pty Ltd
1:25,000 8525-2N Geehi Dam
The relevant part of the 1:50,000 scaled map can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSVTROOTNmZWRhVnM/view?usp=sharing
The relevant part of the 1:25,000 scaled map can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSRWx4QlRrejNzajA/view?usp=sharing
GPS tracklog file & Route
Our GPX tracklog file can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSdXd4MV9vdUdSM0k/view?usp=sharing
The 1,25,000 scaled map with the tracklog superimposed on it can be downloaded from:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B877-h5SCJaSQ3AzNW9INXJkNXM/view?usp=sharing
For what it is worth, I have reproduced the map here. Click on the images below to enlarge them. But you are better off to download the map from the above link.
The 3 red arrows, from top to bottom, point to:
- Schlink Hilton Hit
- Whites River Hut
- Demolished Horse Camp Hut
- Start at Guthega Power Station.
- Initially, walk on Schlink Pass Road.
- Then onto the aqueduct maintenance road west of, and parallel to Schlink Pass Road.
- Visit to Schlink Hilton Hut.
- Climb unnamed peak north of Dicky Cooper Bogong ... the plan is to walk south along the top of The Rolling Ground.
- Climb Dicky Cooper bogong.
- Climb 1976 meter peak south of Dicky Cooper Bogong.
- Climb north peak, Sma 0112, of The Granite Peaks.
- Climb back down to the aqueduct maintenance road which we walked on this morning.
- Return to Guthega Power Station.
Timeline & Distance
07:48 0.0 km Start at Guthega Power Station
08:49 5.0 km At demolished Horse Camp Hut
09:40 8.7 km At junction to Schlink Pass Road
09:45 9.0 km At junction to Whites River Hut
Check whether we like to get out feet wet by crossing a stream to reach Whites River Hut.
No is the answer :-)
09:48 9.2 km Leave junction to Whites River Hut
09:50 9.3 km Stop for morning tea by the side of Schlink Pass Rd overlooking Whites River Hut
Morning tea
10:04 9.3 km Resume walking
10:44 12.2 km At Schlink Hilton Hut
10:58 12.3 km Leave Schlink Hilton Hut
11:04 12.7 km Leave Schlink Pass Road and go off-track towards unnamed peak west of Schlink Hilton Hut
11:32 13.6 km At top of unnamed peak
11:35 13.6 km Leave top of unnamed peak
12:30 15.0 km Stop for lunch at foothill of Dicky Cooper Bogong
Lunch
12:50 15.1 km Start climbing up Dicky Cooper Bogong
13:02 15.2 km At Dicky Cooper Bogong summit
13:19 15.3 km Leave Dicky Cooper Bogong summit
14:04 16.8 km At top of unnamed peak of 1976 meters
14:49 18.5 km At north peak summit, 1989 meters, of The Granite Peaks
15:05 18.6 km Leave north peak summit
16:30 20.5 km At aqueduct maintenance road which we walked on this morning
Rest
16:38 20.5 km Resume walking
18:22 27.4 km Finish at Guthega Power Station
==============================================
Total: 10 hrs 34 mins
27.4 km Distance is from Google Earth
29.7 km Distance is from Garmin GPS
Pictures - Guthega Power Station, start of our walk
1) Guthega Power Station ~~~
We park our car at where I'm standing now - on the near side of the bridge.
The start of the Schlink Pass Road where we'll be walking, is across the bridge and through the gap between the pipes on the left half of the pic and the building on the right half of the pic.
2) On Schlink Pass Road now, and looking back at Guthega Power Station.
To Schlink Hilton Hut
3) Now on the aqueduct maintenance road parallel and to the west of Schlink Pass Road.
There are 3 roads parallel to each other and all heading north from Guthega Power Station.
- On the west side is an aqueduct maintenance road ... the road we are walking on now.
- In the centre is Schink Pass Road.
- On the east side is Disappointment Spur Trail which also serves as an aqueduct maintenance road.
7 months ago, AB, DN, SB and I walked on Schlink Pass Road to climb Kerries Ridge & Gungartan. The return trip was via Disappointment Spur Trail.
Of the 3 roads, Schlink Pass Road is the most scenic because on one side of the road is Munyang River with no trees to block the views. Whereas the other 2 roads have too many trees on the sides of the roads, blocking all views.
Pictures along the Schlink Pass Road are in Photos #3 to # 9 in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
when I last climbed Kerries Ridge & Gungartan.
4) A manhole to an aqueduct ... there are many of them spaced regularly along the road.
5) We make a short detour to visit Horse Camp Hut, an emergency shelter. But it has been demolished and is being rebuilt. Pictures of the original hut is in my previous climb trip to Kerries Ridge & Gungartan ... see Photo #4 in:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
6) Plenty of this flower by the side of the road ... if you know its name, please let me know.
7) Shortly before the aqueduct maintenance road joins the Schlink Pass Road, it crosses Munyang River here in the form of a dam wall.
- The upper photo is the dam.
- The lower Photo is taken from the dam wall, looking up stream at Munyang River,
8) The aqueduct maintenance road has joined up with Schink Pass Road. Dicky Cooper Bogong is directly in front.
9) We pass by Whites River Hut.
We would have liked to visit the hut and have morning tea there. But in front of it is a stream to cross. As the water level is quite high and we don't want to get our feet wet, so we have morning tea by the side of Schlink Pass Road instead; and just satisfy ourselves with this photo.
In the photo, the grey/white trees are dead snow gums due to a devastating bushfire in 2003.
If you would like to see some photos of the hut and its surrounding areas, please see Photos #9 to #13 in:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
which is an account of my previous climb to Kerries Ridge & Gungartan.
10) We are now half way between Whites River Hut and Schlink Hilton Hut.
The 5 red arrows point to peaks on a ridge called The Rolling Ground. From left to right:
- South peak (Sma 0691) of The Granite Peaks, 1996 meters.
- North peak (Sma 0112) of The Granite Peaks, 1989 meters.
- Unnamed peak of 1976 meters.
- Dicky Cooper Bogong (Sma 0113), 2003 meters.
- Unnamed peak
At Schlink Hilton Hut
11) A stream flowing pass Schlink Hilton Hut ~~~
The peak in the background is an unnamed peak just north of Dicky Cooper Bogong. It is the first peak we will climb after having a rest at the Hut.
12) Schlink Hilton Hut ~~~
It is called Hilton because it is large by the standard of emergency shelters; and all beds have mattresses ... plus cushioned chairs ... what a treat !
13) At Schlink Hilton Hut (the steps of the hut can be seen on the left edge of the photo.) ~~~
This is a good picture of what we intend to do for the rest of the day ... walk along the ridge top called The Rolling Ground, starting from the right.
- First, we are going to climb up the unnamed peak pointed to by the right-most arrow.
- Traverse to the left (south) to climb Dicky Cooper Bogong, 3rd arrow from the left.
- Then climb the unnamed peak of 1976 meters, 2nd arrow from the left.
- And finally, climb the north peak of The Granite Peaks, 1st arrow from the left.
To unnamed peak north of Dicky Cooper Bogong - start of The Rolling Ground
14) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)
We are halfway up the unnamed peak (right most arrow of the previous photo), and looking towards the east (actually, north-east to south-east), across the valley where Munyang River flows.
- The road running across the centre of the pic, from left to right, is Schlink Pass Road.
- The red arrow points to Gungartan. Also see Photo #17 for a closer look at Gungartan.
- The red horizontal bar is Kerries Ridge.
- Below Kerries Ridge, on the Schink Pass Road, you can see Schlink Hilton Hut.
- The range to the right of Gungartan is called Disappointment Ridge/Spur. It would be interesting to walk along the top of that spur one day.
In March this year, 7 months ago, AB, DN, SB and I walked on Schlink Pass Road to Schlink Hilton Hut, then climbed Kerries Ridge and traversed the ridge top all the way to Gungartan. Then we climbed back down to Schlink Pass Road.
Photos and an account of the Kerries Ridge & Gungartan climb is in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
15) Climbing to the top of the unnamed peak ~~~
- Upper pic: The yellow arrows indicate how we climb to the top.
- Lower pic; The big boulder near the centre of the pic is the highest point.
At top of unnamed peak north of Dicky Cooper Bogong
16) At the top of the unnamed peak which is the start of The Rolling Ground ~~~
The scenery is nice ... towards the north on the far horizon is Mt Jagungal 2061/2062 meters (the elevation is dependent on the map).
17) (Continuation to the right of previous pic ... Click on the image to enlarge it.)
Another look towards east (actually, north-east to south-east), across the valley where Munyang River flows.
- The road running across the centre of the upper pic, from left to right, is Schlink Pass Road.
- The red arrows in both pics point to Gungartan summit.
- The red horizontal bar is Kerries Ridge.
- The view to Schlink Hilton Hut is blocked by the rock pointed to by the yellow arrow.
- The range to the right of Gungartan is called Disappointment Ridge/Spur.
- The lower pic is zooming into the green box of the upper pic.
18) (Continuation to the right of previous pic)
Still at the top of the unnamed peak ... towards the south is Dicky Cooper Bogong
To Dicky Cooper Bogong
19) We've descended the unnamed peak ... looking back at it.
20) We now walk south along the top of the ridge, called The Rolling Ground, towards Dicky Cooper Bogong. Along the way, there are many rocky hills. The 2 pics here are the top of the first rocky hill that we climb through.
Upper pic - Climbing up to the top of these rocks.
Lower pic - Climbed down from the the rocks and looking back at it.
21) From the top the rocks (previus pic) is this view of Dicky Cooper Bogong.
We now head towards the rocky hill to the left of Dicky Cooper Bogong.
22) We are almost at the top of the rocky hill mentioned in the previous photo. It has a series of piles of granite rocks; and we are climbing through them all.
23) RZ at the top the pile of rocks of the previous photo.
24) Another pile of granite rocks a short distance away ~~~
We'll climb it too.
25) Climbing up the pile of rocks in the previous photo ~~~
This is the highest point of this rocky hill.
26) From the top of the rocks in the previous photo, towards north and east ~~~
(Click on the image to enlarge it.)
Left to right:
- 1st arrow: Mt Jagungal, directly north
- 2nd arrow: Schlink Hilton Hut by the side Schlink Pass Road
- Horizontal bar: Kerries Ridge
- Last arrow: Gungartan, directly east
27) Still at the top of the rocks, and towards south and south-west:
One more pile of granite rocks to climb through, then it will be Dicky Cooper Bogong (towards south-west).
28) Closer to Dicky Cooper Bogong ~~~
In the lower pic, the yellow arrows point to where we will climb up to its summit.
The yellow rectangle box marks a tree under which we'll to have our lunch.
29) We have lunch under this tree at the base of Dicky Cooper Bogong.
The rocky hill on the left side of the pic is the pile of rocks in photo #27.
Climb Dicky Cooper Bogong
30) After lunch, we climb up the slope of Dicky Cooper Bogong. This slope is between the two yellow arrows in Photo #28.
Dicky Cooper Bogong summit
31) RZ at the summit of Dicky Cooper Bogong
32) Dicky Cooper Bogong summit from another angle
33) I'm at the summit of Dicky Cooper Bogong
34) Plenty of boulders around the summit ~~~
In the lower pic, the 3 large boulders are the 3 boulders in the upper pic to the left of RZ.
35) RZ climbs up one of the boulders.
36) From the top, towards north and east (Click on the image to enlarge it.) ~~~
Left to right:
- 1st arrow: Mt Jagungal, directly north
- 2nd arrow: Schlink Hilton Hut by the side Schlink Pass Road
- Horizontal bar: Kerries Ridge
- Last arrow: Gungartan, directly east
37) Still at the summit of Dicky Cooper Bogong ~~~
Toward the south-west is the Main Range and Abbot Range.
The 5 red arrow point to, from left to right:
- Mt Tate
- Little Twynam
- Mt Twynam
- Tenison Woods Knoll (West of Mt Twynam, half way between Mt Twynam and Mt Sentinel)
- Mt Townsend
To unnamed peak, 1976 meters, south of Dicky Cooper Bogong
38) Can't stay at the summit of Dicky Cooper Bogong for ever :-) ~~~
We've climbed down from it and looking back at it.
39) We are on our way to an unnamed peak, 1976 meters, midway between Dicky Cooper Bongong and The Granite Peaks. ~~~
Passing some interesting rock formations
40) Whenever there is a pile of rocks, RZ will climb to the top ... she leaves no rock unclimbed, and is like a toddler finds a jar of candies :-)
41) Looking back at Dicky Cooper Bogong
42) Another pile of granite rocks on the way to the unnamed peak
43) Walking towards unnamed peak of 1976 meters
44) Climbing up to the top of unnamed peak of 1976 meters
At top of unnamed peak, 1976 meters, south of Dicky Cooper Bogong
45) We've just climbed up to the plateau of the 1976-meter unnamed peak.
Looking back towards the north at Dicky Cooper Bogong
46) From the top of the unnamed peak (or very close to it), looking towards the south (which is where we are heading) ~~~
- The left red arrow points our next destination - it is the start of the ridge where The Granite Peaks are.
- The right arrow points to North peak (Sma 0112) of The Granite Peaks, 1989 meters.
To north peak of The Granite Peaks
47) We've climbed down from the unnamed peak and now looking back at it.
48) Walking towards The Granite Peaks ~~~
This pic is similar to Photo #46.
- The left red arrow points our next destination - it is the start of the ridge where The Granite Peaks are.
- The right arrow points to north peak (Sma 0112) of The Granite Peaks, 1989 meters.
- The pile of rocks in the red circle is in Photo #49.
49) This is the pile of rocks mentioned in the previous photo.
And no ... this time, we didn't climb it. We are getting a bit tired with all the climbing, and there is still a lot of ground to cover.
50) Instead, we climb to the top of this pile of rocks which is the highest point of the start of the ridge to The Granite Peaks. It is the same pile of rocks pointed to by the left red arrow in photo #48.
51) Very near the top now
52) We'v climbed down from the top of the previous photo and are now heading to the North peak of The Granite Peaks.
53) Climbing to the summit of the North peak of The Granite Peaks
At summit of north peak of The Granite Peaks
54) RZ and I at the summit of the north peak, 1989 meters, (Sma 0112) of The Granite Peaks ~~~
The red arrows point to the South peak, 1996 m, (Sma 0691) of The Granite Peaks.
55) (Continuation to the right of the previous pic)
Towards the south-west is the Main Range and Abbott Range.
The 6 red arrows point to, from left to right:
- Mt Tate
- Little Twynam
- Mt Twynam
- Tenison Woods Knoll (West of Mt Twynam, half way between Mt Twynam and Mt Sentinel)
- Mt Townsend
- Alice Rawson Peak
56) Still at the summit of the north peak of The Granite Peaks ~~~
This view is toward the north-west and east.
The 4 red arrow point to, from left to right:
- Unnamed 1976 meter peak that we climbed earlier on
- Dicky Cooper Bogong, directly north
- Mt Jagungal
- Gungartan, north-east
The horizontal bar is Kerries Ridge
The green boxes are magnified in the lower pics.
Climb down The Rolling Ground and return to car
We are meant to keep going to the south peak of The Granite Peaks. But RZ's foot is hurting from all the rock climbing she has been doing. So we call it a day, turn east and more or less make a beeline for the road that we walked on this morning. Just as well, I am a bit tired too and happy to go home earlier.
57) In this pic, we've climbed down from the north peak and looking at the south peak (red arrow) of The Granite Peaks.
58) Crossing the snow field of the previous pic
59) Looking back at where we came from ~~~
The red arrow points to the north peak of The Granite Peaks.
60) This is where we are heading ... directly east - centre of the horizon.
61) Crossing another snow field
62) This is the snow field we've just crossed.
63) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)
We are walking straight ahead. It will soon be steep downhill !
The valley across the centre of the pic is where Munyang River flows.
- The left red arrow points to Kerries Ridge.
- The right arrow points to Gungartan.
- The range to the right of Gungartan and overlooking the valley is Disappointment Ridge.
- There are 2 roads running horizontally across the centre of pic. The lower road is called Schlink Pass Road. The upper road is Disappointment Spur Trail.
7 months ago, AB, DN, SB and I walked on Schlink Pass Road to climb Kerries Ridge & Gungartan. The return trip was via Disappointment Spur Trail.
So far, the walk from the north peak of The Granite Peaks to here is easy going. But now we climb down a steep slope towards the aqueduct maintenance road we walked on this morning, and it is difficult !
64) It is incredibly thick scrub here, one of the most impenetrable thicket I've ever scrub-bashed !
The ground is also criss-crossed by numerous small streams fed by meltwater from the snow fields further up the slope, making progress extremely difficult.
65) Finally, we are down to the aqueduct maintenance road. I need a rest from the heavy duty scrub-bashing.
66) Near where I have a rest (previous pic), is an aqueduct opening. In fact there are plenty of them along the road. They are also in the Disappointment Spur Trail ... see Photo #54 in:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
It is used to capture water running down little streams from the slopes above and feed the water via underground channels to Guthega Power Station.
After the rest, it is retracing the aqueduct maintenance road back to our car at Guthega Power Station.
67) RZ found a feather ... must be quite a large bird. Wonder what bird is it?
(PS. Ken advises it is from a Lyrebird.)
All up, it is a pleasant day roaming along the top of The Rolling Ground ... and thanks to RZ for your company.
Other A2K climbing trips
• 2017 November
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
20 Mt Jagungal 2062 m 248 987
27 Toolong Range 2025 m 258 988
Trip report will be written up soon ... whatever that means :-)
In the mean time, if you like to know the details, contact me.
• 2017 January with AB
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
18 Mt Tate 2068 m 214 760
32 Mann Bluff 2005 m 208 754
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/mt-tate-mann-bluff-gills-knobs.html
• 2016 December with AB
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
11 Tenison Woods Knoll 2136 m 166 719
28 Watsons Crags 2021 m 161 733
30 Mt Anton 2010 m 191 727
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/tenison-woods-knoll-watsons-crags.html
• 2016 December with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref Comment
17 Kangaroo Ridge 2077 m 182 644 Morning
21 Mt Perisher 2054 m 243 697 Afternoon
22 Mt Stilwell 2054 m 187 659 Morning
25 Little Stilwell 2030 m 190 657 Morning
28 Back Perisher Mtn 2014 m 247 708 Afternoon
31 The Foxhole 2010 m 198 661 Morning
Photos and trip reports are in my blog:
- Morning: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/mt-stilwell-and-kangaroo-ridge.html
- Afternoon: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/mt-perisher-back-perisher-mtn.html
• 2015 October with RZ
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
33 Dicky Cooper Bogong 2003 m 232 832
This trip report :-)
• 2015 March with AB, DN & Saf
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
19 Gungartan 2068 m 258 835
24 Kerries Ridge 2050 m 262 851
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/gungartan-kerries-ridge-nsw-australia.html
• 2014 December with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref Comment
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684 Abbott Range
7 Alice Rawson Peak 2167 m 132 692 Abbott Range
8 Byatts Camp 2159 m 118 676 Abbott Range
9 Abbott Peak 2145 m 122 678 Abbott Range
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
12 Mt Northcote 2131 m 146 676
wrong Byatts Camp 2110 m 116 671 Abbott Range
15 Mt Clarke 2110 m 154 672
16 Mt Lee 2105 m 152 688
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/lee-northcote-clarke-abbott-range.html
• 2014 November with AB & DN
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
4 Rams Head 2193 m 128 608
5 Etheridge Ridge 2180 m 140 644
6 Rams Head North 2177 m 137 618
23 South Rams Head 2052 m 116 588
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/etheridge-ridge-kosciuszko-rams-head.html
• 2014 April with DH
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
3 Mt Twynam 2196 m 179 716
10 Carruthers Peak 2145 m 157 698
13 Little Twynam 2130 m 185 711
and incidentally bagging the 3 highest peaks of Australia in one day. Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/kosciuszko-townsend-twynam-carruthers.html
• 2011 April with RE
Rank Name Elev Grid Ref
1 Mt Kosciuszko 2228 m 132 647
2 Mt Townsend 2209 m 128 684
14 Muellers Peak 2125 m 138 673
Photos and trip report are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html
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