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CAPITAL TO COAST – The Full Hike : 5 days/4 nights  : Easter 2019

 

The entire journey was completed by 3 adults carrying camping equipment and food supplies (approximately 16kg packs each). Note that additional food supplies are obtainable at the town of Braidwood. For advice on an equipment list see attached section. All distances and coordinates are approximate but close. The group used 1:25 NSW Government Topographic maps. See full inventory attached with equipment list.

 

1. Hoskinstown to Mulloon Creek Camp –      16 kms -  4.0 hrs walking

2. Mulloon Creek Camp to Braidwood –          27 kms – 6.5 hrs

3. Braidwood to Dasyurus (top of Corn trail) –27 kms – 7.5 hrs

4. Dasyurus to bottom of Corn Trail –               16 kms – 6.5 hrs

5. Buckenboura River Camp – to Nelligen –   20 kms – 4.25 hrs

                                                                                 106 kms total

 

 

DAY ONE: HOSKINSTOWN TO MULLOON CREEK CAMP

Driven to Hoskinstown, 24kms from Queanbeyan, and dropped off. Alternatively it would be possible to drive and park adjacent to the Hoskinstown Memorial Hall for later collection. There are no shops and no accommodation in Hoskinstown so hikers need to be ‘ready to go’ at the start point. By prior arrangement (ring the Memorial Hall caretaker) it is possible to have the toilets opened and potable tap water accessed.

Set off south on the Hoskinstown Road for 650 metres then left into Forbes Creek Road for 4kms on gently undulating rural dirt road. Right turn at Old Mill Rd for 100 metres then back on to Forbes Ck Road that some hours later turns into the Mulloon Creek Fire Trail. The eucalypt-tree-lined road winds through grazing farmland leading into Tallaganda National Park with good views back over Captains Flat and the distant Tinderry Range. At about 3 hours into the journey we crested the Great Dividing Range at 1100 metres altitude, and lunched. A NSW National Park information board and shelter offers interesting local facts. Winding gently downhill through tall native forest for 1 hour brought us to Mulloon Creek campground, our camping spot for night one. 75N/33E Alongside the camping ground is Mulloon Creek which appears from several visits to have running water in it. However always add water purifier tablets to the water collected for drinking here. Good camp sites, fireplaces, tables and well maintained toilet.

 

DAY TWO: MULLOON CREEK CAMP TO BRAIDWOOD

Departed Mulloon Creek Camp at 8:30am walking on gently undulating graded firetrail through Tallaganda NP. This track follows the old horse coach road from the Limestone Plains (pre-Canberra area) to Braidwood and was built using convict labour in the 1830’s (stone embankments still visible). The landscape is dominated by mature eucalypt forest, openings of high country swamp, and glimpses to the north in the direction of Lake George. The track winds just below the imposing summit of Mt Palerang (1264m). At the junction of the Palerang Firetrail after 1hr 30m walk we paused for coffee. A side track to the summit exists – a scrambling hike for the very fit- taking approx 1 hour with no pack. We considered it too much to add onto the 27kms we had set ourselves for the day. From this point the graded track is known as the Hoskinstown Road and is a gentle, shady, descent through forest opening out very gradually to open farmed grassland as the road winds down to the Shoalhaven River crossing at the Bombay Bridge. We paused here after a 2hr45m section for lunch and a swim in the very beautiful river swimming hole at the camping area. We departed the Shoalhaven River and continued along the Bombay Road to Braidwood township with minimal car traffic. Mainly flat and gently winding bitumen road with good edges taking us to our destination for that day, arriving just after 5pm. A total of 6 hr 30m walking. By prior arrangement we camped in the garden of some local residents on the southern edge of town. 74N/54E

 

DAY THREE: BRAIDWOOD TO DASYURUS (top of Corn Trail)

At 8:10am we departed Braidwood heading south along the wide verge of the Araluen Rd for 8 kms with minimal traffic. Open countryside offers views, near to the west of Mt Jillamatong (an iconic natural landmark to Braidwood), south over the granite boulder strewn plains of the upper Monaro and east to the dark heavily wooded Monga National Park on the escarpment, the latter being our destination.  Turning east into Reidsdale Rd and after a brief pause to brew the coffee we glided along this quiet country lane for another 7.5 kms to the intersection with Monga Lane turning left and pausing here for lunch after a morning of 4.hr 30m walking. Now the landscape really starts to change as we leave the open farm lands along the Jembaicumbene Creek and swampland and enter dense forest of Monga National Park on Monga Mountain Road. (We noted that this is signposted only as the Old Araluen Road). This is a very little used dirt road, that is steep and sometimes rutted. It is a stunningly beautiful walk in native forest of Messmate, Brown Barrel, Mountain Ash and Stringybark that is fed by the moisture of daily mists that form over the coastal escarpment. Views out to the west through gaps in the forest reveal the plains, river valley and township of Braidwood in the distance. Over the top of Monga Mountain and down a short lush valley brought us to the Dasyurus Picnic ground late in the afternoon. We camp here for the night after a 7hr 30m walking day. 61N/65E on Old River Road. Good camp sites, fireplace, picnic table, excellent toilet with water tank, and good drinking water in the adjacent Mongarlowe River

 

 

DAY FOUR: DASYURUS TO BOTTOM OF THE CORN TRAIL

At 9am departed Dasyurus Picnic Ground Camp at the top of the Corn Trail crossing the Mongarlowe River on foot. This day’s walk is entirely in the Monga National Park easing through many different climate and vegetative zones, from the cool temperate escarpment forest at 800m to sub-tropical river valley rain-forest at under 100m. Although the walk follows a well maintained single-file trail (NSW Parks and Wildlife) this is a challenging down-hill walk in remote country that is best done sticking together as a small-group.

The journey delivers an evolving botanical feast including many fine groves of tree species including Silvertop ash, Messmate and Coachwood and under-storey species such as Monga Waratah, Grass Trees and Coral Heath. The lower half of the trail follows the Buckenboura River for several hours and this is a deep, shady wilderness of many tall species and an under-storey of Cabbage Tree palms, Burrawang and tree ferns  to name a few (more can be read of the detail of the Corn Trail hike in Capital to Coast Trail Hike Stories on this website). Matching the richness of the vegetation, though less visible, is a diverse range of animals and birds including Spotted Quoll, Greater Gliders, Pygmy possums, Powerful Owls, Lyrebirds, wrens and parrots.

The Corn Trail winds along spurs and valleys offering occasional views out to the surrounding landscape including the coast at Bateman’s Bay, and to the north Pigeon House and Clyde mountains.

We arrived at our destination at 4:30pm having had one good lunch break and numerous photo stops plus 6hr 30m walking. We camped for the night at the bottom of the Corn Trail, 50m from the Buckenbowra River on the junction of the Corn trail exit, No Name Mountain Rd, and the Buckenbowra River - 52N/71E. No made camping ground here but good sites above River which also supplies good drinking water.

 

DAY FIVE: BOTTOM OF CORN TRAIL TO NELLIGEN

Departed at 8:20am and immediately launched into the steep climb out of the Buckenbowra River valley up No Name Mountain Road, a graded dirt road with no vehicle traffic. Reaching the junction with Misty Mountain Rd at 9:50 we brewed coffee pleased that the toughest walk of the day was behind us. We then followed Misty Mountain Rd eastward for approximately an hour then taking a left turn into Old Bolaro Rd, walking initially in Monga National Park and then Buckenbowra State Forest. The latter is a mixture of mature native forest and select-fell compartments only ever on one side of the graded dirt road thus maintaining pleasant-enough surroundings. Only two vehicles observed in the days walk. Towards the lower end of the trail the road opened up into small rich valleys of farm and forest. We reached our destination – the outskirts of Nelligen at 1:30pm 51N/37E. It is possible to walk into Nelligen township using the Kings Highway, but as this was a busy holiday weekend we chose to be collected at the Old Bolaro Rd/ Kings Highway Junction 5 kms from Nelligen. An alternative route, though 6 kms longer, that is both low-traffic and in mature native forest is to branch off Old Bolaro Rd and follow the Paradise and Sugarloaf roads into the back of Nelligen.

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