Tooma Road Open?

[glenpandrews]

Howdy Folks,

Anyone know if Tooma Road is open right now? Allowing access to Paton’s Hut, and the Round Mountain Fire Trail?

National Parks mentions other closures, but nothing about Tooma Road. Google Maps thinks its open. Apple Maps thinks it is closed. Hoping Apple is wrong.

Cheers

Glen Andrews

[MeanderingFlyFisher]

Was open 2 weeks ago.We did Tooma River above Tooma Dam and the Tumut River at The Farm Ridge fire trail.Quite eerie around Round Mountain and driving over Tumut Ponds.Cabramurra is closed and had to drive gravel road past Selwyn.

[Zapruda]

Definitely still open. Went down that way last weekend.

Glen, did I bump in to you a few years ago on Hannels spur? Something about your name has jogged my memory.

Stef

[glenpandrews]

Thanks both for your comments about the roads. I must check my notification settings here to make sure I get an email when someone replies. Anyway...

The road was open for me too. Just got back from a walk Tooma Dam to Pretty Plain (nice), on to Grey Mare (bush bash) and then out via Round Mountain.

Stef, I was in the Hannels spur area 4 years ago, January 2017. Just my wife and I. Was that the timeframe you recalled?

Cheers

Glen

[Zapruda]

Thanks both for your comments about the roads. I must check my notification settings here to make sure I get an email when someone replies. Anyway...

The road was open for me too. Just got back from a walk Tooma Dam to Pretty Plain (nice), on to Grey Mare (bush bash) and then out via Round Mountain.

Stef, I was in the Hannels spur area 4 years ago, January 2017. Just my wife and I. Was that the timeframe you recalled?

Cheers

Glen

I did meet a Glen going up solo in 2017. Coincidence I guess.

The bush between Pretty Plain and Grey Mare is fairly slow going. I wish the Old Strumbo FT was more just the odd wheel rut. Or did you go across to Ryries?

[glenpandrews]

With reference to the attached (hopefully) picture.
We went south to the bottom of Pretty Plain, and at the point where we turned 90 degrees to head ESE, the Strumbo is clear and walkable heading off West. We basically headed ESE along what used to be a walking trail 20 years ago. Still marked on Garmin and some maps as a track, but it's rarely visible now. The scrub is between 4 foot and 8 foot high, and you just can't find/see the trail. Often, we'd locate it underfoot (the old compressed track has not attracted plant roots) and follow it for as long as we could by looking down. We used navigation to follow where the track should have been. Were probably on the track about 60% of the time. But a true bush bash, the likes of which I've not done before.
We just followed ESE all the way in. About 2km out the old track goes south (we didn't actually see it in the tundra), and you could follow that south, East and then North into Grey Mare. But we just went cross country. The going was no harder.
It was very rewarding, spectacular views that few people see now, but it's a loooooong 13km day. 8:50AM to 545PM. Really, only for experienced walkers in a party with no weak links.

[glenpandrews]

I am not familiar with Ryries. I googled it. Ryries Parlour. Could you explain where it is?

[glenpandrews]

Oh I see, almost 3km due north of Grey Mare Hut. No, we didn't pass there. We would have passed 2km to the south, in the tundra valley south of Bulls Head Rock.

[Zapruda]

I am quite familiar with the scrub along the old track you took. It was called Old Strumbo Fire Trail. I have walked it a couple of times a year for almost a decade now (as recently as Feb) and every time I go up and across the range it seems to be worse. Its a shame that these two stunning parts of the park aren't connected like they used to be. Good on you for persevering with it. The views up on the range are some of the best in the park in my opinion.

The Ryries track was an old footpad/stock route that runs just under Rocky Bogong Peak and connects Ryries Parlour (Roughly) and Pretty Plain. These days It is a slightly better alternative to the Old Strumbo Trail but still horribly scrubby and slow going. The footpad is rarely visible and probably only to the discerning eye.

Here is a very rough idea of what the original Ryries Route looked like.

https://maps.ozultimate.com/?lat=-36.17 ... 6966098192

[glenpandrews]

Thanks for sharing the Ryries route, that's really interesting (and a great bit of web software, need to look in to that). Glad to hear you're along that way regularly. I am sure I could do a better job of it now, knowing what I do from last week's walk. The photos I took on this section were inarguably the best of the trip.
In one open / tundra area (where we had lunch) there were a few old concrete water pipes [seats ] out in the open. Any idea what these were for originally?

[Zapruda]

Thanks for sharing the Ryries route, that's really interesting (and a great bit of web software, need to look in to that). Glad to hear you're along that way regularly. I am sure I could do a better job of it now, knowing what I do from last week's walk. The photos I took on this section were inarguably the best of the trip.
In one open / tundra area (where we had lunch) there were a few old concrete water pipes [seats ] out in the open. Any idea what these were for originally?

I think I know the ones you are talking about. Something tells me they were meant to be culverts but were never installed on the fire trail, and in typical fashion they were left there.

[glenpandrews]

FYI to those from this old thread, Just about to head off and try the bush bash again from pretty plan hit to Grey Mare Hut along where the Old Strumbo FT used to be. I might also check out the trail across under Ryries Parlour as an alternative. On that note, going to try and find a better mapping app to use than Garmin Explorer, which is OK, but doesn’t name the trails which is irritating.

[glenpandrews]

Reporting back: Much easier this time with experience and proper maps to follow along what was the Old Strumbo Fire Trail. Probably saved 2 hours, 1 by not phaffing around with indecision, and 1 by keeping the old footpad or keeping to the overhead break in the trees. Still an epic bush bash though, but worth it for the views up the top.