In the spirit of the annual Mid Winter Feast and La Fiesta de Gooandra from years gone by, join for a beginner friendly overnight ski touring/snowshoe trip to the historic four room Gooandra Homestead.
Access is an easy 5km fire trail, suitable for ski touring beginners, we'll aim to get to the hut by early afternoon so people without much experience setting up tents in the snow can learn. From the nearby Mt Selwyn snow reports it looks like we should have sufficient snow to ski tour in, if not, we will still go ahead as an easy overnight. The idea is to share meals and enjoy a pleasant evening with lots of laughs, games and food. We will decide in the pre-trip meeting who will bring what: entrees, veg/non-veg mains and desserts, etc.
Itinerary
Sat
- 07:30 - Leave Canberra
- 10:30 - Arrive at the start of the firetrail ~(-35.814023, 148.49619) and suit up
- 11:00 - Start travelling
- 13:00 - Arrive at the homestead, lunch, and setting up tents
- 15:00 - Hopefully be done setting up tents and do other snow skills learning - maybe dig a snow cave or practice self arrests
- 17:25 - Sunset
- 18:00 - Dinner
- 'late' - games, music, dancing
Sun
- 07:00 - Sunrise
- 10:00 - Leave camp, potentially go over ridge route, or back along firetrail doing some TBD snow skills on the way
- 13:30 - Arrive back at cars, brush off snow
- 14:00 - Leave for Canberra
- 17:00 - Back to Canberra to hang out gear to dry and get ready for the week
Packing List
Individual Gear:
- overnight backpack
- plastic backpack liner
- -5 degree sleeping bag
- winter camping mat
- winter sleeping pad
- gloves/hat/scarf
- rainjacket or other waterproof/windproof shell
- puffer jacket
- minimum two sets of thermals
- snow pants, or rain pants with thick fleece thermals
- three pairs of wool socks - one for each day and one for sleeping
- sunglasses for snow reflection
- sunscreen!
- sun hat
- patterned telemark skis & telemark boots or snowshoes and snow-suitable boots
- ski poles
- personal first aid
- lunches/snacks
- more snacks
- 3 litres of water
- loo kit; hand sanitizer, toilet paper, plastic bags for the poo tube, dog bags recommend, ziplock and freezer bag are not.
Tent Group Gear:
- 4 season tent
- snow pegs
- snow shovel for digging the tent platform
Vehicle gear:
- Tarp for snowy gear
- Plastic dustpan & brush for scraping ice and brushing off windsheild/snowy gear
Recommended:
- lamps for the homestead
- cards
- camera
- thermos with warm beverage of choice
- Maps: Tantangara & Ravine 1:25,000
Group Gear:
- PLBs
- Speaker for Saturday night
- Group first aid kit
- Sub-zero stoves & fuel
- the banquet
- firewood
- poo tube
History
Dating back to 1913, this restored historic four room timber house features an excellent stone fireplace in which we can light a cosy fire for lunch. Nearby are the remains of an old chimney, all that remains of a small gold miners’ hut built at this site in the 1860s. The chimney is historically very significant, being the oldest standing structure in Kosciuszko National Park.
Selection Criteria
First in, best dressed for suitable candidates. Ideal participants will have at least done a ski touring skills session or know how to dig a tent platform and set up a tent in the snow. I always appreciate extra info on your trip-relevant skills, such as Nordic or downhill skiing, mountaineering, first aid, cooking, singing, etc.