Bushwalk Australia

Hi all.
Can someone identify the exact position of the exclusion zone on the Kowmung before it enters the Cox's River.
Not listed on any Topo I can find and Water NSW site is vague.
Thanks.

Note that this doesn't include the bushwalkers' corridor along Scotts Main Range to Mt Cookem and then up the other side along the White Dog Track

Thanks Tom.
FF

Tom

That seems to be a seriously expansionist version of what I remember or have on my maps. Have 'they' changed the distances recently?
For instance, I remember there was (once) an 'exclusion zone' sign on the Kowmung no more than a few 100s of metres from the junction. Now the zone are pushing kms up the river.
Next thing you know, they will have put Mobbs Swamp into a new exclusion zone.

Or is this in anticipation of raising the dam wall by 18 m?

I don't like it, either way.

Cheers
Roger

Roger - I don't think so.

It's always been 3km from the high-water mark (hence the big arcs). I got the overlay from WaterNSW directly. You can see the same (low res version) on their website.

I don't like it in general! But I don't think it's changed, not in the past 20-odd years at least.

The gazetted definition hasn't really changed (I think only from miles to km) but the maps that the agency (Water Board / Sydney Water / Water NSW) published of the exclusion zone have changed! There were many years where the red line was much closer than 3km in places. This was mostly where it followed clifflines above the lake (eg, The Blue Breaks). I know this existed up until the 2010s but later publications showed the hard 3km boundary. I made a number of enquiries but could never work out how those more accommodating boundaries came to be. I'll try and dig up my notes and share what I find.

Found a letter Water NSW sent back to me regarding the boundary changes



Also, see below a basic map which shows the boundary difference I was referring to, yellow highlight being that which we 'lost'

The southern walking corridor (Yerranderie), regardless of what NSW water says, is now gated on the Sheepwalk Trail. And has a very clear sign that walkers face an $11,000 fine if they attempt to use the corridor.

Driving places to closed gates, with no alerts on websites, is quite common in NSW now.

After all, think of the huge risk a few bushwalkers present to the Sydney water supply.

A far greater risk than that presented by the many hundreds of horses, cows, pigs and goats to be found in Butchers Creek or Green Wattle Creek. The stink and poo underfoot for many kms upstream from the lake is remarkable. I wonder who has sufficient access to the road on Scotts Main Range that they could bring a cattle truck along it every now and then to cream off the excess?

Cheers
Roger

rcaffin wrote:After all, think of the huge risk a few bushwalkers present to the Sydney water supply.

A far greater risk than that presented by the many hundreds of horses, cows, pigs and goats to be found in Butchers Creek or Green Wattle Creek. The stink and poo underfoot for many kms upstream from the lake is remarkable. I wonder who has sufficient access to the road on Scotts Main Range that they could bring a cattle truck along it every now and then to cream off the excess?

Excess? More than 0 is an excess.

Clifflines would be a better boundary for the Warragamba Catchment. There would be lots of interesting areas to walk in if they made the Schedule 1 boundary the 350m (say) contour, or 3km - whichever comes first!

Regardless of whether the boundary has/hasn't changed, Roger raises a good point.... will the 3km line be commensurately adjusted post-wall raising, and might that spell the end of access to a significant portion of currently accessible areas? Mobbs is mentioned, but I can also envisage common walking areas like the base of yellow pup/konangoroo/strongleg, gingra reach, nattai upstream of vineyard flat, for example, becoming off limits? *&%$#! hope not

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crollsurf wrote:The southern walking corridor (Yerranderie), regardless of what NSW water says, is now gated on the Sheepwalk Trail. And has a very clear sign that walkers face an $11,000 fine if they attempt to use the corridor.

Where was this gate? I'd be suprised if the corridor was blocked off, you'd think someone would have been talking about it. Is this not the Centre Ridge Trail?
If the corridor is blocked off, then I'll start making inquries with NPWS and Water NSW to see what's going on.