Arsenic Ridge

[Lophophaps]

For some years there has been talk of a track on Arsenic Ridge, avoiding walking on the road east of Happys Hut site for those on the AAWT. My understanding is that there's a bridge at the bottom and mainly open scrub to the Boltons Hill Trail, coming out about a kilometre west of the junction with Tabletop Trail. Can someone please advise if the above is correct, if there's a track, and where it come out at the top?

[GBW]

I've walked from Happys to Brooks Lops but not along Arsenic Ridge. There is some good info here https://actelan.com/tag/boltons-hill-trail/ . Zapruda would have good info on this as he was part of this walk.

[Lophophaps]

GBW, thanks. That information is helpful. This
https://graphhopper.com/maps/?point=-36 ... +Satellite
is as good as I can make it. Use Esri satellite. One shortcoming of Graphhopper is that it does not accept off track walking. Hence, there's a big loop to the east. Point 3 is Brooks Hut, and like Happys Hut is shown, but they were burnt in the 2019-20 fires.There's a visible track as far as Brooks Hut, and after that it peters out going north.

[Zapruda]

There is no 'track' on Arsenic Ridge. There are very few intermittent remnants of an old footpad and dray track. Regardless, I still believe it is the better option than the road walk along Tabletop trail.

As GBW mentioned, I was part of a group that spent several trips surveying the ridge for the old track on Arsenic Ridge, historically referred to as Ligars route. We had permission from NPWS to survey the ridge. There was also talk of having the AAWT re-aligned along the ridge but the project ran out of steam.

It is still much easier to walk the ridge post fires than it was previously.

Here is the bridge I think you are referring to - https://maps.ozultimate.com/?id=1674430500156

Let me know if you want specifics. I have spent a lot of time in the that area.

[Lophophaps]

Thanks. I'll be southbound from Kiandra - Four Mile site, Broken Dam, Tabletop and the junction north of Happys Hut site. From there I want to go down Arsenic Ridge. The plan is set out below. A kilometre from the junction go SSW to the high point, continue to the saddle, then south and SSE to the Brooks Hut site. The only hard part may be finding Brooks Hut site and the track, but if I blunder down the ridge it should be okay. The main reason for finding the track is the bridge. Happy Jacks Creek was just viable with a jump a few kilometres upstream, and at the bridge environs it's pretty swift and wide.

[Zapruda]

Here is the alignment we thought was the most historically accurate based on what we found on the ground and what we were able to research - https://maps.ozultimate.com/?id=1674596883942

I think its actually worthwhile starting your descent down Arsenic Ridge from just below Tabletop mountain itself. The old alignment to Boltons hill trail is really nice.

The old log bridge across is HJC isn't worth bothering with. The 'new' bridge is concrete and made for vehicles.

[rcaffin]

Arsenic Ridge used to be a quite a nice walk from Brooks to Tabletop. Yes, there WAS an ancient goldseeker's track all the way, although going over the ridge with the FT on it required a morsel of faith - for 50 - 100 m on the N side. It came out at a (star?) stake in the Tabletop saddle with a few old tires impaled on it. But the fires have caused a lot of regrowth, making it more difficult these days. I think the tires have gone too.

You do not have to take the FT past Happys to get to the top. Move to the E of the obvious gully and go up the spur. We found it fairly open a few years ago when we came down it - before Happys was burnt.

Cheers
Roger

[Lophophaps]

Thanks. The route from below Tabletop looks good. As far as I can tell it's light scrub. The lack of grid lines on Graphhopper makes it quite hard to determine off track locations, and Graphhopper does not recognise off track routes. I will be southbound.

[Lophophaps]

I have most KNP maps, and need two short of-track sections, Four Mile Hut to Broken Dam, and Arsenic Ridge. The maps above do not come out very well in monochrome, notably the contours. Can someone direct me to a website that has high-resolution maps for the above places? Thanks.

[peregrinator]

Yes, I saved this from a recent post:

https://maps.ozultimate.com/?id=1674430500156

Edit: which I now see was from Zapruda (above).

[snowygreybeard]

Arsenic Ridge used to be a quite a nice walk from Brooks to Tabletop. Yes, there WAS an ancient goldseeker's track all the way, although going over the ridge with the FT on it required a morsel of faith - for 50 - 100 m on the N side. It came out at a (star?) stake in the Tabletop saddle with a few old tires impaled on it. But the fires have caused a lot of regrowth, making it more difficult these days. I think the tires have gone too.

You do not have to take the FT past Happys to get to the top. Move to the E of the obvious gully and go up the spur. We found it fairly open a few years ago when we came down it - before Happys was burnt.

Cheers
Roger

It is again an easy walk (post fire). Quite easy walking currently, no need to follow a route or track - easy wandering. Whether it is a "nice" walk depends on your tolerance of viewing dead trees. Nice flowers though.

[Lophophaps]

Thanks. The maps download at 27 and 29 kB, low resolution. I'm more interested in the contours, which are very faded in monochrome. Officeworks in colour may better. A screen shot is a MB, and I'll try this first. It's good that the two sections are open.

[peregrinator]

Yes, I thought you'd get better resolution if you do Screen Shots rather than Downloads.

[snowygreybeard]

I have most KNP maps, and need two short of-track sections, Four Mile Hut to Broken Dam, and Arsenic Ridge. The maps above do not come out very well in monochrome, notably the contours. Can someone direct me to a website that has high-resolution maps for the above places? Thanks.

Are you saying the 1:25000 topos do not suit? (They are available here: https://portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au/porta ... 4048c613c6)
If you use GIS software (eg QGIS) then the data used to make the topos are available here: https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/clipnship.html
Then you can make the contours as thick, bright and bold as you like.
Or is it just you want a quality map with those routes already on it? A program to combine the geoPDF topo from the first link above with a GPX file from, for example, Zaprudas link to ozultimate (the route can be saved as GPX from that site) is what is required. Avenza maybe?

[crollsurf]

Here is a map of Arsenic Ridge from 1945 for those interested historically. Dash line represents a track. Follows Zapruda's route except it crosses Happy Jacks Creek further down the creek.

Extract from 1945 Snow leases and permissive occupancies Lithograph No1

[Lophophaps]

Are you saying the 1:25000 topos do not suit?

The 1:25 maps are fine, but being low-resolution they do not print well in monochrome. I saved Zapruda's route and it came out as forest, no contours or route. Although the screen shots are higher resolution, the contrast in B&W between the contours and background is quite low. I'm going through the options.

[Zapruda]

Upper right corner. There is an opacity slider. Slide it to reveal the NSW Topo

[Zapruda]

Dbl post