Hello! If you're keen for a chill bushwalk and would like to learn a bit about the geology of the ACT then this is the trip for you!!
On this trip, we'll do a series of short walks:
(1) We'll start by driving down to Cotter dam (around 30 mins drive from ANU). We'll park near cotter caves. Closeby, we may be able to see the remnants of an abandoned Iron and copper mine. We will wander down to paddy's river and follow a trail which leads down to the banks of cotter river. Here, we may be able to see where the mighty murrumbidgee fault begins! This little walk is around 1.5 kms in total (down to cotter river and back). We'll then hop in the car and drive down just 2 kms south of Murray's corner.
(2)We'll park our cars next to paddy's river road and take a fire trail heading west towards paddy's river. We'll walk downhill to the river, where we'll scramble across some boulders and get the chance to see the Bullen range fault which thrusts up some sedimentary rocks deposited in an ancient ocean against some igneous granodiorite which is millions of years younger than it. If we are feeling adventurous after this, we can bushbash up the bullen range and walk east towards the murrumbidgee river where we should be able to see the murrumbidgee fault again! This mini trip will be a 1.5-4 km walk depending on whether or not we want to cross over the bullen range to visit the murrumbidgee fault again. If we don't, it'll only be a 1.5 ish km walk.
Here is a dropbox folder with the 2 regions we will be visiting marked in!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/23bufg4vt1ktlp4/AABeWrKdRA6A3h8maa27XLd2a?dl=0
Total distance walked is 4-7 kms depending on what kinds of side trips we decide to take! We'll take it slow and take plenty of time to look at the rocks and smell the flowers :)
Please Bring:
-lunch and snacks
-water (1.5L should be enough)
-hat and sun protection
-warm layers and rain jacket
Please wear appropriate walking shoes that you'd feel comfortable walking up/down steep slopes in.
When you sign up, please let me know if you have a car and can drive. I don't have a car right now so this trip cannot go ahead unless somebody with a car signs up!!
Leave ANU sport at 8am. Drive to Cotter caves and do walk 1. Drive south along Paddys River road around 2 kms south of Murrays corner, park car and do walk 2. Drive to tharwa bridge and do final walk 3. Return to ANU by around 6 pm (there may be minor delays!). See trip description for more detail about each of the mini walks.