Sunday 10 December to Tuesday 12 December 2023
Photos courtesy of Ian, Rob, Gay and Tom. Walk Report courtesy Walk Leader Ian.
It finally rained, swelling the creeks with drinking water again, and therefore this overnight pack walk was able to proceed.
Despite a promise of easy walking in unburnt open tablelands forest, only four club walkers (Rob, Gay, Tom and Ian) were tempted to explore the Wild Cattle Creek area in Tallaganda National Park, south of Captains Flat.
On the first day, after a pleasant drive through lots of forest, we dipped over the Great Dividing Range on to the Tumanang Fire Trail. Leaving the car at the junction with Crow Valley Fire Trail we launched into the Snow Gums NNW along a long ridgeline, bouncing about the 1300 m asl contour. Despite some loose rock underfoot, and small rotting logs (mostly unburnt for at least 50 years), the walking was very pleasant in open, grassy Snow Gum forest, a very welcome change from our coastal scrubs. To the west loomed the Tinderrys peaks.
Five kilometers later, we started to encounter the first signs of historical pastoral activity – an old fence, long abandoned, and a single goat, very alarmed by our sudden appearance. So we gradually descended, past some interesting wombat damage on a small stand of Brown Barrel trees, finally emerging at the junction of the two upper arms of Ballinafad Creek. It is here we made camp among a small stand of Black Sallee Snow Gums and gnarly old Mountain Gums. There was no shortage of water or firewood. Ideal!
On the second day we meandered downstream across grassy meadows before encountering an old Eucalypt oil camp on the banks of the creek, probably abandoned in the 1930’s. If the number of old distilling tanks is any indication it was obviously a significant cottage industry here. We explored the remnant ironware, trying to decipher the camp set up and being careful not to disturb the resident tiger snake patiently waiting for the sun to return. An old rotting dray was of significant note, the woodwork of which had obviously having escaped any surrounding bushfires which may have threatened over the ensuing decades.
We left Ballinafad Creek and struck east toward the Wild Cattle Creek valley. We took advantage of a fire trail which lead us southeast. The vegetation chopped and changed between Snow Gum and Brown Barrel with elements of Narrow Leaved Peppermint, Ribbon Gum and open meadows thrown in to taste. It was always grassy underneath and despite the long slow rise in elevation, the walking was very pleasant.
By late morning it was time to exit the valley so we struck a path to the fire trail and after a few kilometres of uphill slog we were back at the car. Distance travelled 18 km.
It was an enjoyable two day walk in good company through some lovely forest. It was also a great opportunity to blow out our backpacking cobwebs.