TS2228 - Glenugie Glenugie, New South Wales, Australia
By
Geocaching Australia on 10-May-20. Waypoint TP13032
Cache Details
Difficulty: | |
Terrain: | |
Type: | TrigPoint |
Container: | Other |
Coordinates: | S29° 50.039' E153° 3.812' (WGS 84) |
56J 506137E 6699608N (UTM) | |
Elevation: | 308 m |
Local Government Area: | Clarence Valley |
Description
A Trig Point is a virtual cache which requires a cacher to locate the Trigonometric Station at GZ.
A trig point (also known as a Trigonometric Station) typically consists of a black disc on top of four metal legs or concrete pillar, resembling a navigation beacon. It is also accompanied by a metal disc, which is located directly below the center point of the tripod or on top of the pillar itself.
Trig points are generally located at the top of hills or points of prominence in the landscape. Many provide unique views and challenges, with some being difficult to get to.
These points were regarded as valuable to surveyors, providing reference points for measuring distance and direction, and assisting in the creation of maps.
To log a find on the Geocaching Australia website, you will need to include a picture of the trig point, along with your GPS receiver and (preferably) yourself. Long distance / telephoto type pictures are against the spirit of this cache. You are encouraged to leave a description of your journey in your log to help others in finding the trig point.
The original collection of trig points has been sourced from Geoscience Australia and may contain inaccuracies.
Please respect local laws and regulations when searching for trig points. If you believe that a trig point is located on private property or in a dangerous location, you may archive the cache, by clicking on Log this Cache and place an "Archived" log on the Geocaching Australia website.
If you feel that you can add to the description of this trig point or adjust the difficulty / terrain ratings, please feel free to edit this cache and amend the information suitably. Vandalism of the cache description or other information will result in your account being terminated.
Directions:
- 20km South of Grafton, turn off the Pacific Highway, into Franklins Road.
- Follow Franklins Road a short while untill you see a track northwards at -29.84548 153.064595.
- This is end of the road for 2WD vehicles, or the beginning of an epic drive for 4WDs. The track upwards is muddy, rutted and has some big stones that the diff on your car will undoubtely hit.
- A ring road skirts around the mountain, but only one track up to the summit which starts at -29.832702 153.060261
Logs
We turned off Franklin road and started driving up along Lookout Road. The dry spell had cleared up all the mud and water on the track, but the ruts and holes left behind hinted at how boggy the drive could have been.
After navigating the lower sections we came across the steep rocky climbs and discovered that the trip was still going to be interesting enough without the mud. The arrival of a NPWS Ute coming back down the track gave us the confidence to keep driving upwards.
We reached the base of the summit track and decided that all this driving was cheating us out of a nice hike, so we parked the car and headed up. Our decision definitely wasn't influenced by the long steep rocky road ahead of us.
With plenty of stops to admire the amazing views we finally reached the top and discovered why the rangers had driven up here in the first place. Some pretty extensive clearing had taken place, presumably to clear the view for the fire tower.
The upshot is we had amazing views and could easily see the rickety old tower and the trig behind it. Perhaps it was good that we kept putting this adventure off after all.
The trig point is in pretty good condition, complete with name plate and vanes.
We walked back down to the car and managed to navigate back to Franklin's road, mostly in first gear low, with only a few crunches and bangs along the way.
Thanks for a great afternoon adventure!
The basalt outcrop here seemingly in the middle of nowhere was interesting. There were lots of outcrops of large chunks of crumbly rock. I wondered how many more years of erosion it would take before the crumbly rocks fell away and the soils washed away revealing a little spike of columns. https://youtu.be/cWGoiOFgpKI?t=153
Little little treasures found today include an old rusty drink can set up on a rock, the wiggly lines on a leaf where a bug had been grazing, the strange way extra nuts had been placed on the end of the bolts on the tower up top of the hill, chocolates from the Tyndale servo (YUM!), and a vine whose stunted growth made it weave back and forth a number of times creating an interesting pattern. I didn't get a photo of the last two unfortunately but the first three are attached. Larger little treasures found today include the lookout tower, the vista to the west, the walk up the rocky slope, and time with the adventure buddy.
A top day
Drove as far as we could, then Mr T walked the last 300m up a rock scree. Would not recommend driving up if not an experienced 4x4 driver, experienced a few heart stopping moments
I drove down to this area yesterday and collected some Trig finds on the way. Today it was time to make my way North. This was my first stop. A fine NSW Trig on this beautiful early morning.
I left the highway at Franklins Road then made my way up Lookout Road which is the point where things get interesting. The track wasn’t too bad but after a couple of bog holes I decided to park and walk the rest of the way. One I only just managed to get through. I had to engage my air locker and apply some thunder for the geo-van to very slowly get out.. just! I had to get back out yet! That was future me’s problem haha.. I have a Trig to visit Looking at my Cachly map I had an idea what directions to take. The route was clear albeit rough and no bush bashing required. I went the same route as the previous finder. The early morning bird songs were a wonderful addition. Once at the summit I saw the firetower then the Trig. It’s still in great condition considering it’s age. It’s intact and the nameplate is still attached. Images taken. There are no views from the firetower as there are a bunch of trees rudely growing directly in front of it however the rocky area beside gives a clear view. It’s starting to warm up already.. what happened to winter? The route back was slow and steady. I met a group of walkers heading to the summit. They said they attempted to access a track from the northern side but the road condition was too gnarly so they also ventured down Franklins Road. They parked at the junction of Lookout Road which is what I recommend. I’m back at the van wondering if I’ll get out or need to action some recovery gear. I got out but the poor van is covered in mud up to the racks haha oh well it’s built for adventuring not showing. Thanks for the cache
The track started leading uphill, but not too steeply. Looks as though this is a popular place for 4WD enthusiasts to practice their skills. Once up the track a bit there were plenty of mud pits, then washed out rocky area, then a narrowing of the vegetation. The track split, I took the left path and had 10 minutes of easy, relatively flat walking as I circled the hill. Then a rocky track leading upwards approached and I navigated my way up. It was a bit slippery and very stony. I imagine diff and sump dints happen a bit to the mad 4x4 drivers who attempt to get their car to the summit.
After a hard slog up the hill I arrived at the top – vegetation is encroaching from all sides so the view is limited. An old fire tower sits atop the mountain, which would have offered spectacular views in the day, however the floor is quite rotten so I wasn’t going to climb it. Walking on to the rocky outcrop just west of the tower did yield some 180 degree views over towards Nymbodia, Coutts Crossing and Grafton.
It was then time to photograph the trig, which is located only 5 meters or so from the tower and is being caressed by the wildly growing vegetation, so there are no good views from the trig location.
Still, a great peak to climb. Up and back in 2 hours. 4.4km travelled. Close to the highway too. Crazy bastards with a 4wd could attempt to drive up. Would be interested to see if they make it or not!