Guthega dam wall, aqueduct then Horse Camp Hut???

[johnrs]

Hi Folks
Wanting to walk back to my car at Guthega village from the Whites river corridor,
I thought it might be possible to walk back along the viaduct
rather than heading down to the Munyang generators then back along the road???
Comments will be welcome.
John

[north-north-west]

Did this once maybe five years back. No problems then.

[Mark F]

This is something I have been meaning to go and walk to see if it is possible but have had a close look from the road, maps, Google Earth etc. I believe the general consensus is that it is not a viable route. There is a road much of the way that follows the pipeline back towards the dam. Unfortunately it disappears into a tunnel(s?) when the going either side gets very steep and awkward. This was apparently one of the most difficult bits of work on the entire Snowy scheme as it was done very early on with little equipment. There seems to be a rough path at the Northern side that climbs up the ridge and it may be possible to sidle and then drop down to rejoin the road but I suspect it will be somewhat worse than the drop to Munyang and the road back to Guthega. Hopefully other may have more intimate knowledge.

I am curious nnw - I assume you managed to walk though the tunnel - I was told that they are normally blocked off.

[north-north-west]

No, not the tunnel. I found a good pad that bypassed it. This was all on the Munyang side of the river. It got a bit steep in one section (and I hate sidling steep loose slopes) but there was enough scrub to use as handholds to stop me sliding down.
Of course, I was a lot fitter and stronger then. Or maybe just so determined to keep off the road that I blocked out any consideration (or memory) of the worst aspects.

It's a shorter route than going over the tops from Whites, but not really a whole lot quicker.

This gives a very rough Idea of the route I used - it was kind of spur of the moment as I'd originally planned to follow the road. Turned the GPS off during a lunch break and forgot to turn it back on again.
The zigzagging down - and I probably did more than that - was due to the gradient - it gets very steep in places.

[rcaffin]

I think I would take the track up onto the Rolling Grounds from Whites, then head to the top of Guthega Spur and follow that down to the dam wall. It's a nice spur - easy to follow.

Cheers
Roger

[johnrs]

Thanks Guys
Its a family trip, so looks a bit steep, we are going out via Guthega Spur and the Rolling Gronds,
maybe back off Gungarten, Disappointment Spur and down to the little road.
Will post a separate enquiry.
John

[Mark F]

As far as I know you cannot access Munyang power station from Disappointment Spur as the bridge over the Munyang (Whites) River at the back of the power station is out of action - will be replaced. From NPWS web site.

Applies from Thu 17 Nov 2016, 10.04am to Fri 15 Dec 2017, 11.27am. Last reviewed: Mon 7 Aug 2017, 9.29am

Closed areas: Munyang Bridge closed (behind power station)

Snowy Hydro have advised that Munyang River Bridge behind Guthega Power Station at Munyang will be closed to all traffic including pedestrians indefinitely. As this bridge gives access to Disappointment Spur, this means that there is no access to Disappointment Spur from the Munyang end. Access is possible from the Whites River end but this requires then turning around and exiting the same way (via Whites River). Plans are underway to have the bridge replaced in 2017/2018. Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact the Project Manager for repairs Mark Kofler from Snowy Hydro on 0418 297 255.

[johnrs]

Gosh this is getting complicated.
I had planned to wade Whites river a few hundred metres upstream of the closed bridge.
Mid summer so low water levels??
John

[Mark F]

The river bed is a very 3D jumble of quite large rocks if you haven't seen it before. I would certainly think twice before attempting it.

[rcaffin]

The river bed is a very 3D jumble of quite large rocks if you haven't seen it before. I would certainly think twice before attempting it.

Indeed!!! A bit wild down there.

If you don't want to come back down Guthega Spur, having just gone up it, can I suggest crossing to Mt Tate and coming down the spur on the other side of the creek? It's a nice spur too.
Actually, there is a track up from the dam, following the old ski lift (long gone). Trip in reverse direction?

Cheers
Roger