Mackays Hut to Cesjacks Hut

[Lophophaps]

Advice is sought on the best way from Mackays Hut to Cesjacks Hut. Tibeaudo Creek rises to the south, shown as mostly open until east of Spencers Peak. From there it's open, if a tad steep in places. Does anyone know if Tibeaudo Creek is a viable route, and if other ways exist?

[Zapruda]

Advice is sought on the best way from Mackays Hut to Cesjacks Hut. Tibeaudo Creek rises to the south, shown as mostly open until east of Spencers Peak. From there it's open, if a tad steep in places. Does anyone know if Tibeaudo Creek is a viable route, and if other ways exist?

Tibeaudo Creek is definitely a viable route. I went through it in March this year and October 2018.

I went along the true left hand side of the creek on both occasions until I hit a feint track southeast of Spencers Peak. I then managed to follow it all the way to Cesjacks. Below is my rough route. Im not saying this is the best way but it wasn't bad at all. A little boggy at points, but welcome to Jagaungal as I say and you know.

http://maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-36.168 ... 4460681394

Robert Green has some more info in his book from memory.

[north-north-west]

...until I hit a feint track southeast of Spencers Peak ...

You mean it was a bit dodgy?

[Zapruda]

...until I hit a feint track southeast of Spencers Peak ...

You mean it was a bit dodgy?

The only dodgy thing is my spelling...

I learn a lot from this forum. Thanks for your pedantry NNW

[Lophophaps]

Thanks, most useful. I thought that the creek was viable but could not recall. Pedants of the world unite!

[Mark F]

Lops - don't you mean "Pendants of the world untie."

For a bit of pedantry the new grammar/wording rules for the uk parliament https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/26/the-comma-touch-jacob-rees-mogg-sends-language-rules-to-staff

Zap - tracks often feint - a little turn to the right followed by a sharp left.

[MeanderingFlyFisher]

We did it in late December going the other way and the opposite side of the creek to Zapruda on the way to Boobee and beyond and was certainly doable but came back along the track which comes out near Crooks racecourse that is shown in Zaprudas second map which was a nice grassy old 4wd track.Robert's book has full route.

[Zapruda]

^ This fella speaks the truth. I’m not a stalker, I swear

Maybe we should all leave our handles in hut log books?

[MeanderingFlyFisher]

^ This fella speaks the truth. I’m not a stalker, I swear

Maybe we should all leave our handles in hut log books?

Bob Smith or Jane Doe just doesn't ring a bell for me when I see them in log books but would easily recognize forum handles if I came across them.
Just browsed Robert's book again and he has several pages and routes dedicated to this topic.Come to think of it I'm pretty sure he suggested to me by email about the Tibeaudo route.

[warnesy]

[quote="Zapruda"]^ This fella speaks the truth. I’m not a stalker, I swear

I got a laugh remembering this one. I hope you enjoyed the hi vis cord on the handle...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MeanderingFlyFisher]

Ah yes,the hi vis paracord repair

[rcaffin]

Advice is sought on the best way from Mackays Hut to Cesjacks Hut. Tibeaudo Creek rises to the south, shown as mostly open until east of Spencers Peak. From there it's open, if a tad steep in places. Does anyone know if Tibeaudo Creek is a viable route, and if other ways exist?

Tibeaudo Ck would be a trade route, summer and winter. Up to saddle, over that down to the fence, turn right and, well just keep going in that direction to the Cesjacks valley.
W along the big FT to the Doubtful Ck crossing and then up the Doubtful valley to the Cesjacks valley is another trade route for summer and winter, although you do have to cross Doubtful, which can be chilly on the feet in the snow. We did once try staying on the E bank (left side going UP), but it was not worth it.
Plenty of other less-well-known routes, but those would be the simple ones.

Cheers
Roger

[Lophophaps]

Thanks. Coming from the east the idea is to avoid the Doubtful, which I crossed at the AAWT when the creek was high, quite risky. I saw the east bank of the Doubtful south of the AAWT and did not like it, too many trees and steep in places from memory. The west bank is open and mainly very gentle all the way to level with Cesjacks, where the Doubtful is easily crossed, either in the little gorge near the knoll or a bit further up. The latter may have a name, a spire of rock. There's a good open way from near Crooks Racecourse to the public road and gate northish of Cesjacks, and the Tibeaudo Creek route hits that.

Is not high-visibility cord mandated in the Building Code of Australia?

[rcaffin]

where the Doubtful is easily crossed, either in the little gorge near the knoll or a bit further up. The latter may have a name, a spire of rock.
Yes, it is called The Monolith. You can cross there on rock.

5708.jpg (152.18 KiB) Viewed 22271 times

The crossing at the FT is not normally all that difficult, but I think it has always been wet-foot - although some attempts seem to have been made to put stepping stones in place. My experience with those is that they usually rock - badly!

7855.jpg (154.13 KiB) Viewed 22271 times

Cheers
Roger

[Lophophaps]

Roger, thanks. I could not recall the name of The Monolith. Your second pic is from the AAWT looking east, towards Mackays Hut. There are trees on the far true right bank, and the near true left bank is open, all the way to The Monolith. The first pic below shows approaching the high ground on the true left bank, maybe 1.5 kilometres from the AAWT. The second is the valley from the high ground about 2 kilometres upstream of the AAWT. The third is the crossing in the gorge near the knoll. It was a bit tricky here so next time I'll cross a little higher, on the south side of the knoll at the bends, turning the knoll on the west side. From the crossing in the last pic go up and across the slope to Cesjacks in light scrub.

[rcaffin]

Hi Lop

Your second pic is from the AAWT looking east, towards Mackays Hut.
Not quite. My second pic was taken from the hillside N of the Grey Mare FT, aiming back up Doubtful Ck. We had come down Doubtful from near Cesjacks, all the time on the true left bank, and we continued downstream until we ran into a rather serious gorge.

7858.jpg (143.74 KiB) Viewed 22203 times

The first half of problem here was that under the grass the rock is big, sharp and angular: real ankle-twisting stuff.

7863.jpg (152.47 KiB) Viewed 22203 times

It was late in the day and campsites were going to be in short supply for some distance (an hour or more), so we went up a side gully beside a long thin waterfall and camped up there. We were just 'wandering around' for about a week to see what was there.

As for the AAWT: from Dead Horse Gap to Tabletop Mt there is no really fixed route. Oh, I KNOW there is an official route, mostly on roads and hardened fire trails, all because Parks were having a bit of a snark-war with Lands at that stage. Iirc, it was over the little AAWT signs which Parks did not want polluting the place. When we did the AAWT (full length) we skipped the official route and went cross-country from DHG to Tabletop. We know the area well enough to not bother looking at the maps (but we were carrying them!).

Cheers
Roger

[Lophophaps]

I stand corrected. On looking closer I can see a little bit of what seems to be the Grey Mare FT towards the top right of the pic, level with the crossing. That gorge downstream looks too interesting for me. From Doubtful Gap if you go roughly SW down a creek you hit the Doubtful at a bend. From there all the way to the Tumut looks steep on both sides. Is this where the gorge pic was taken? Spring would probably be a bad time to cross here. Summer should have lower water, so going from Farm Ridge to Doubtful Gap this way should be viable, or cross three creeks 400 metres upstream.

[rcaffin]

From Doubtful Gap if you go roughly SW down a creek you hit the Doubtful at a bend.

7864.jpg (148.12 KiB) Viewed 22117 times

Just so: D Gap is at the top here. We did consider camping right here, but it would be a real frost hollow! Sue had her second windshirt on already, so it was already a bit cool.

Yes, the gorge is further downstream. This is the sort of rock we encountered:

7861.jpg (202.11 KiB) Viewed 22117 times

Not granite, not basalt, and not (I think) common mudstone or slate. Quite hard and rather sharp.

Cheers
Roger

[Mark F]

This is the sort of rock we encountered:

The attachment 7861.jpg is no longer available

Not granite, not basalt, and not (I think) common mudstone or slate. Quite hard and rather sharp.

The circled section on the map below is about where you reached Doubtful Creek and the map indicates that the valley is Ordovician Mafic intrusives (blue area). https://resourcesandgeoscience.nsw.gov.au/miners-and-explorers/geoscience-information/products-and-data/maps/statewide-maps

Doubtful Creek geology

[rcaffin]

Thanks!
Roger

[Lophophaps]

Roger, thanks. I have a pic of that valley from the top, did not go down it as I was heading to O'Keefes and I was fairly sure that water would be high. On the Grey Mare FT Doubtful Creek was very nasty. In summer the Doubtful Gap route would be viable.

Mark, you rock!

[Zapruda]

Mark, you rock!

Of quartz someone was going to make this joke. 10/10

[north-north-west]

Oh schist!

No, actually, it was a gneiss one.

[rcaffin]

Oh Dear. Do we have to go through the whole slate of puns?

Cheers
Roger

[Mark F]

Don't worry Roger, shale be right.

[Lophophaps]

The preceding is materially adding to the information I can use getting from A to B. Apart from that ...

Groan button.jpg (29.2 KiB) Viewed 21935 times