The kangaroos were out and about as we set off from Dalsetta carpark across the open grassy area to the base of the hills. Zig zagging up the hill, there weren't too many complaints as we began to peel off our layers. A quick fuel stop at a perfectly positioned bench with wonderful views of the Brindabellas. We'd stopped at this spot before, during the Spring rogaine with Grandad last year.
Through Eliza's saddle, the trail turned southwards. From here we would catch glimpses of the huge granite boulders at the top. The trail was narrowing, becoming more rocky underfoot and was the gradient slowly increasing. A viewing platform was scarcely looked at by the girls as they focussed on getting to the top! The last little pinch was lovely as we weaved amongst massive granite tors emerging at the top on Gibraltar Peak. Perched on the smooth slab of granite we enjoyed morning tea with magnificent views of the Brindabella ranges and north to Canberra including Black Mountain tower and Captain Cook Fountain!
From here Andy changed into running gear and departed on his own adventure. We were left to explore this wonderful spot, hoping not to loose anyone over the edge! The girls quickly turned their attention to locating a nearby geocache. Cath and I eventually followed clambering amongst the granite and fallen timber to find the girls who were struggling to find the cache. No it wasn't in the crack at the based of Gibraltar Peak Ella! Eventually after reading and rereading the description and hints, the geocache was located tucked away behind a triangular rock. Luckily a trackable was inside, which Aoife claimed wanting to help it on it's journey!
Despite having no energy, the girls almost sprinted down the hill chasing Mr Bally... a tennis ball Ella had carried on the walk. The return journey took us back to Dalsetta via the Gibraltar fire trail. Our plan was to meet Andy at the adventure playground for lunch. Worried that we'd spent too much time looking for the cache at the top, we found Andy as we pulled up who had completed his first lap of the area. I would say perfect timing really! While the girls played we cooked snags for lunch.
Our post lunch activities involved driving to the Sanctuary in an attempt to spot a platypus or two. We arrived for the guided talk and learnt about platypus. Unfortunately the platypus were not coming out to play so we left disappointed that we hadn't seen any. Just as we were wondering off, there was a shout...one had been spotted! Quickly back to the dam we scanned the water for the tell tail bubble and ripple signs. Not convinced that we saw any though. As we wandered around the Sanctuary, the sun was beginning to disappear behind the treetops and the temperature was dropping...it was definitely time to head home. A great day out!
No comments:
Post a Comment