Bushwalk Australia

Hi there,

Hoping to get some feedback on a walk I'm planning in Namadgi. Original plan was to head to Jagungal but that's out of the question now with the closures.
Plan is to start at Namadgi Visitors Centre, use the AAWT to Murrays Gap, then head over Mt Bimberi and follow the border to Mt Gingera and finish at Corin Dam. I've got 4 days to complete the walk and it looks around ~75km from the map. Likely campsites at the Orroral River, Murrays Gap and either Leura Gap, Rolling Grounds Gap or Blackfellows Gap.

Interested in any intel on how the going would be on the offtrack section between Bimberi and Gingera, whether it's a reasonable itinerary for an experienced off-track walker, likely lows this time of year, whether my proposed campsites are reasonable, availability of water and anything else you think would be of interest!

Cheers

Can't comment on the scrub north of bimberi at the moment (used to be ok pre fires/regrowth but no idea now) but it sounds like a good walk.

Excuse the ignorance but what closures are precluding access to jagungal?

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Cheers. There are closures for aerial pest control for most of November. Copied from here: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/vi ... cal-alerts

Closed areas: Area closed for aerial pest control program
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is conducting aerial shooting operations in Kosciuszko National Park between Monday 6 November and Friday 24 November 2023. The closed areas are:

Jagungal Wilderness Area
Eucumbene
Snowy Plain
Gungarlin campground
Island Bend trail
Grey Mare trail between Happy Jacks Road and Doubtful Gap trail
Closure notices will be placed at relevant access points. Do not enter the closed areas. Penalties apply for non-compliance.

The Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) can only be accessed via:

Valentine trail
Grey Mare trail (between with Valentine trail and Doubtful Gap trail)
Schlink Pass Road
Happy Jacks Road and Doubtful Gap trail.

Ah that sucks

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You should be OK for water. ACT has had more rain over the last little while than other areas. It's about a month since we were up at Big Creamy Flats and plenty of water available there. My rule of thumb for ACT bushwacking, which has held up for the last few years (since the fires) is assume 1 km per hour for bushwacking. If you are lucky, you might go faster, but a survey of many other friends indicates that seems to be a pretty good average for most walkers. There's generally a good foot pad going up Bimberi given it is the highest in the ACT. If you find the bush too thick and slow over the Brindabella's you can always drop down to the fire trail to the east.

If you have the time, a detour up Murray is worthwile.

Well, at least they're letting people use the AAWT, although not the route over Gungartan and the Kerries. And the feral control is essential.

north-north-west wrote: the feral control is essential.

Definitely (sorry my "that sucks" comment was in relation to the closures, not the rationale behind them)

sandym wrote:If you have the time, a detour up Murray is worthwile.

Agree with this... the eastern peak of Murray is, in my opinion, a nicer summit than Bimberi, albeit with maybe not as expansive views. And as an alternative if you want to avoid a scrub bash, the walk on trails around to Leura Gap via Oldfields and Pockets Hut (or near Pockets) is still really nice. If you did that, there's a really nice unmarked/unnamed waterfall maybe a k downstream of the Goodradigbee crossing below Pockets (the track follows the river downstream for a while after the crossing so it's significantly less than that off track, and there's bugger all scrub there anyway) that's a worthwhile sidetrip. Also a lesser waterfall just upstream from that crossing that is only a few minutes diversion.

Just a note, in case walkfatboywalk, has not been up since the fires, but the views from Murray are now very good, courtesy of the fires.