Topham Ku-Ring-Gai Chase, New South Wales, Australia
By
Geocaching Australia on 02-Sep-09. Waypoint TP4644
Cache Details
| Difficulty: | |
| Terrain: | |
| Type: | TrigPoint |
| Container: | Other |
| Coordinates: | S33° 36.506' E151° 15.817' (WGS 84) |
| 56H 338907E 6279907N (UTM) | |
| Elevation: | 223 m |
| Local Government Area: | Northern Beaches |
/151.263617,-33.608433,14/400x200?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoiY2F1Z2h0YXR3b3JrIiwiYSI6ImNqa2l4ZzNzMDE5bjgzdm1sZGpuODF1Mm0ifQ.q8YMzVyzDJJlJHHV8EMjwQ)
Description
Topham TS5653
Official name of this Trig Station as per NSW Department of Lands is: Topham. Serial number is: TS5653. Last inspected on: June 26, 2002. Elevation is: 226 meters. Topham is a fair distance from the road or Topham walking track through very thick bush. There is a faint track marked with pink tape that starts at S33 36.552 E151 6.131 and if you can find an follow this, you will find the terrain rating much less. The original trig with stone cairn has been replaced with a more modern post and there are amazing views from the trig and from various rocky outgrops along the way. 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. 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.
Addtional Information
Source: Geoscience Australia
Type: Horizontal Control Point
Elevation: 226.91
PID: 2950527
Other Information: Geoscience Australia
Logs
I had expected a hard slog to get up to this trig but I found much of the way up (and down) fairly clear. All the rocks definitely made things easier. The views up here were quite good and I found both the trig and the old vanes.
What are these mysterious pink ribbons that people speak of?
Although I started the walk at approximately the recommended coordinates, I saw not a single pink ribbon. Despite this, there were definitely times that I was walking on a pad of sorts and at other times it felt like I was exploring new territory. Really enjoyed the hike up to the trig. Yes, it was scrubby in parts but at least it wasn't tall scrub so my arms remained relatively unscathed. On the way I came across a small shelter with some hand stencils.
Not much to add about the trig itself as Yurt provides a good description.
On the way back I visited the aboriginal rock art at S33 36.668 E151 16.023. Very impressive. From here, I decided to head straight down towards West Head Road rather than backtrack. Really nice spot which I'd be happy to explore more.
Although I started the walk at approximately the recommended coordinates, I saw not a single pink ribbon. Despite this, there were definitely times that I was walking on a pad of sorts and at other times it felt like I was exploring new territory. Really enjoyed the hike up to the trig. Yes, it was scrubby in parts but at least it wasn't tall scrub so my arms remained relatively unscathed. On the way I came across a small shelter with some hand stencils.
Not much to add about the trig itself as Yurt provides a good description.
On the way back I visited the aboriginal rock art at S33 36.668 E151 16.023. Very impressive. From here, I decided to head straight down towards West Head Road rather than backtrack. Really nice spot which I'd be happy to explore more.
Rated: for Overall Experience
I've been saving this one because the logs made it sound so interesting and a good challenge. Having recently found and bought Tony Dawson's terrific book Guide to the Historic Trigonometrical Stations of Sydney's North I am keen to visit all the trigs in this area.
I decided to start at the point recommended by Tony Dawson which I judged to be a tiny parking spot on West Head road at >> S33 36.790 E151 15.982 about 500 south of the start of Topham Track. I used the location of the aboriginal carvings at >> S33 36.668 E151 16.023 as a waypoint to climb the ridge. There is a bit of bush bashing but the undergrowth thins out somewhat about 30-40 metres from the road then it is fairly straight forward.
The carvings are spectacular as is the view. It's worth looking around the site of the carvings as I found a couple of individual small carvings on rocks nearby.
From the carvings follow the ridge in a northwest direction to the trig. Some of the rock formations and caves are beautiful and I was snapping pics as I went. A couple of hundred metres from the trig I reached for my camera to find the case empty and the camera gone. Luckily I was saving the track on my Garmin eTrex so I was able to backtrack and found it under some thick bush where I had pushed through. Thank you Mr Garmin, you paid for yourself.
The trig itself is a steel post with the sorry remains of the cairn beside it but the vanes are there and there is an interesting carving nearby as noted by Yurt. I think the date is 18.6.39, probably 1939.
To return I retraced my steps and spent some time checking out the aboriginal carvings again. I looked around at both the trig and at the start of the Topham track but couldn't find the faint track mentioned by others.
I decided to start at the point recommended by Tony Dawson which I judged to be a tiny parking spot on West Head road at >> S33 36.790 E151 15.982 about 500 south of the start of Topham Track. I used the location of the aboriginal carvings at >> S33 36.668 E151 16.023 as a waypoint to climb the ridge. There is a bit of bush bashing but the undergrowth thins out somewhat about 30-40 metres from the road then it is fairly straight forward.
The carvings are spectacular as is the view. It's worth looking around the site of the carvings as I found a couple of individual small carvings on rocks nearby.
From the carvings follow the ridge in a northwest direction to the trig. Some of the rock formations and caves are beautiful and I was snapping pics as I went. A couple of hundred metres from the trig I reached for my camera to find the case empty and the camera gone. Luckily I was saving the track on my Garmin eTrex so I was able to backtrack and found it under some thick bush where I had pushed through. Thank you Mr Garmin, you paid for yourself.
The trig itself is a steel post with the sorry remains of the cairn beside it but the vanes are there and there is an interesting carving nearby as noted by Yurt. I think the date is 18.6.39, probably 1939.
To return I retraced my steps and spent some time checking out the aboriginal carvings again. I looked around at both the trig and at the start of the Topham track but couldn't find the faint track mentioned by others.
Rated: for Overall Experience
Revisited Topham today looking for aboriginal carvings I read about in "A Field Guide To Aboriginal Rock Engravings" by Peter Stanbury and John Clegg and found them at S33° 36.668 E151° 16.023. A fantastic shoal of fish with a shark swimming through it.
I went up Mt Topham from the west and down the east and it is pretty much the same whichever way you go - lots of blackened bush to push through. I came out looking like a chimney sweep.
I went up Mt Topham from the west and down the east and it is pretty much the same whichever way you go - lots of blackened bush to push through. I came out looking like a chimney sweep.
I took advantage of the waypoints noted in blossom*'s log. There was still a lot of pushing past blackened bushes as I ascended towards Topham. But wow! Talk about views! 360° over the National Park, ocean, Pittwater, and the Hawksbury.
The walk down was easier - somehow I managed to better follow the faint trail and faded pink ribbons.
Found at 8:47 AM
The walk down was easier - somehow I managed to better follow the faint trail and faded pink ribbons.
Found at 8:47 AM
My NPWS pass ran out today so I thought we'd head back into the NP to pick up a trig we hadn't found. We originally thought to go for Bairne but on approach we saw that the bush on the left hand side of the road had been recently burned so there may have been an easier path to Topham which also required some serious bushbashing. I did have the WPs supplied in blossom's log but we could see through the blackened bush fairly well so just headed for the rocks as soon as we started down the Topham track.
It was a bit of an effort not to get blackened on the burnt scrub but after a few minutes we came to more open country and then out onto the rocks which we could follow almost all the way to GZ. Spotted the trig from a distance and documented our find. The trig vanes with plaque attached were lying at the base of the metal pedestal and the plastic mast was lying in amongst the remnants of the old cairn nearby, burnt to a crisp.
We spotted a couple of locating pins (?) cemented into the stone either side of the trig and also some square holes hacked into the rock. The old cairn had been unpiled some years ago with the stones thrown over the edge of the rock. A few metres away I spotted a carving - a long set of initials and a date possibly 1879 but very hard to read.
We had seen Moorbreeze's log where he found a wooden mast and vanes and apparently didn't find the actual trig. We cast around a fair distance from the trig before finally finding it some 40 metres to the west. The mast is a bit black now but the vanes are still good - no imprinted name could be find though. We took photos of everything (see gallery) and admired the long views out to the water to the east and south as well as other nearby trigs. This was a good one.
The time is ripe if anyone wants to find this one. While the bush is burnt it's much easier to get here.
It was a bit of an effort not to get blackened on the burnt scrub but after a few minutes we came to more open country and then out onto the rocks which we could follow almost all the way to GZ. Spotted the trig from a distance and documented our find. The trig vanes with plaque attached were lying at the base of the metal pedestal and the plastic mast was lying in amongst the remnants of the old cairn nearby, burnt to a crisp.
We spotted a couple of locating pins (?) cemented into the stone either side of the trig and also some square holes hacked into the rock. The old cairn had been unpiled some years ago with the stones thrown over the edge of the rock. A few metres away I spotted a carving - a long set of initials and a date possibly 1879 but very hard to read.
We had seen Moorbreeze's log where he found a wooden mast and vanes and apparently didn't find the actual trig. We cast around a fair distance from the trig before finally finding it some 40 metres to the west. The mast is a bit black now but the vanes are still good - no imprinted name could be find though. We took photos of everything (see gallery) and admired the long views out to the water to the east and south as well as other nearby trigs. This was a good one.
The time is ripe if anyone wants to find this one. While the bush is burnt it's much easier to get here.
Rated: for Overall Experience
On pulling out my Broken Bay 9130-1N (1st ed.) 1:25,000 map I noticed that I had a highlighted track to Topham, and all the area markers, so pulled out the Trig Log Book, and sure enough - FTF 
And while I did take the obligatory photo, it was with a Mamiya, using slides I believe, which was printed off, placed in the appropriate photo album, but TOSSED OUT in 1995!
Find this one at 1856, Saturday, 24/12/1983 YEP!
That was after 'Finding' Djarra (Cowan) @ 1700, Arden (Hornsby) @ 1804, and going on to Find Bairne @ 1936, just to get the photo, as I had already been there on 12/11/83, but didn't have the camera with me then!
Very typical scrub for the Hawkesbury sandstone area.
If I get on back down there for more than a flying visit I get out and revisit this one (and a few others), and take some digital photos this time, and use a GPSr as well as the old map.
Have also found Euro - 12/11/83, and Barrenjoey, 16/6/84, and 229 (Willunga) - 12/11/83
Am missing out on Warrah, the other side of Broken Bay, so may try to get that one some day too!
Editing, 22/5/15 to Note, still needing some photos it seems
And while I did take the obligatory photo, it was with a Mamiya, using slides I believe, which was printed off, placed in the appropriate photo album, but TOSSED OUT in 1995!
Find this one at 1856, Saturday, 24/12/1983 YEP!
That was after 'Finding' Djarra (Cowan) @ 1700, Arden (Hornsby) @ 1804, and going on to Find Bairne @ 1936, just to get the photo, as I had already been there on 12/11/83, but didn't have the camera with me then!
Very typical scrub for the Hawkesbury sandstone area.
If I get on back down there for more than a flying visit I get out and revisit this one (and a few others), and take some digital photos this time, and use a GPSr as well as the old map.
Have also found Euro - 12/11/83, and Barrenjoey, 16/6/84, and 229 (Willunga) - 12/11/83
Am missing out on Warrah, the other side of Broken Bay, so may try to get that one some day too!
Editing, 22/5/15 to Note, still needing some photos it seems
Found with blossom* on a great day around West Head. This was a tough hike in but a lot easier on the way out. Just like a lot of caches!! Great views from up the top and well worth the trip
Rated: for Overall Experience
I loved this trig! It was a real expedition and well worth the trip 
The bush was incredibly thick as we headed off from the Topham track towards the trig. I stayed 6" behind strike-a-light's back so managed to avoid the exhausting task of pushing through the inpenetrable green barrier
At one point, I dropped back a few metres and almost lost sight of him!!! After about 100m and 15 minutes, he suggested that it was too thick and maybe not worth the struggle but I voted to carry on.
We changed tack a bit and headed directly up the hill in order to hit the top of the spur with the idea that there would be more rock and thus less bush along there. Eventually we reached a very rocky knoll and the bush was indeed much easier going.
As we climbed up the rock, we noticed a small bit of faded pink tape. A bit futher along the spur, a few more bits of faded pink tape were visible and this proved to be a real bous on the way back.
We easily reached the trig once we got to the bare rock areas and proved that you could indeed see the Bahai temple from everywhere in Sydney! Fabulous views around here and so many little honeyeaters everywhere. At least someone enjoys the thick bush!
On the way back, we decided to follow the pink tape as far as we could and it turned out to mark a faint track that led us the whole way back!!! The tape was quite scattered so it really took a lot of concentration to keep on the right track. A number of times we lost the track, especially on the more open rock, and so we both scouted around a fair bit before getting back on track with a small bit of faded tape again.
Whoever has marked this route and made the track has cut some of the scrub at a very sharp angle, making a spear-like top to the sticks. According to strike-a-light, just at crutch height!!!
For anyone who wants to try and follow this, the WPs are
S33 36.552 E151 16.131
S33 36.546 E151 16.105
S33 36.553 E151 16.082
S33 36.564 E151 16.061
I loved this trig
The bush was incredibly thick as we headed off from the Topham track towards the trig. I stayed 6" behind strike-a-light's back so managed to avoid the exhausting task of pushing through the inpenetrable green barrier
At one point, I dropped back a few metres and almost lost sight of him!!! After about 100m and 15 minutes, he suggested that it was too thick and maybe not worth the struggle but I voted to carry on.We changed tack a bit and headed directly up the hill in order to hit the top of the spur with the idea that there would be more rock and thus less bush along there. Eventually we reached a very rocky knoll and the bush was indeed much easier going.
As we climbed up the rock, we noticed a small bit of faded pink tape. A bit futher along the spur, a few more bits of faded pink tape were visible and this proved to be a real bous on the way back.
We easily reached the trig once we got to the bare rock areas and proved that you could indeed see the Bahai temple from everywhere in Sydney! Fabulous views around here and so many little honeyeaters everywhere. At least someone enjoys the thick bush!
On the way back, we decided to follow the pink tape as far as we could and it turned out to mark a faint track that led us the whole way back!!! The tape was quite scattered so it really took a lot of concentration to keep on the right track. A number of times we lost the track, especially on the more open rock, and so we both scouted around a fair bit before getting back on track with a small bit of faded tape again.
Whoever has marked this route and made the track has cut some of the scrub at a very sharp angle, making a spear-like top to the sticks. According to strike-a-light, just at crutch height!!!
For anyone who wants to try and follow this, the WPs are
S33 36.552 E151 16.131
S33 36.546 E151 16.105
S33 36.553 E151 16.082
S33 36.564 E151 16.061
I loved this trig
Rated: for Overall Experience
This was a serious bush walk and climb (no ropes needed) just a good compass as the bush is very thick. I walked along the fire trail until I knew I was in the right place to head straight west and to my amazement I climbed straight to it. The trig post was rotten at the base so has fallen over by what looks like a strong south easterly a few years ago. By the direct it has fallen. Some fantastic views well worth the trek in.
Rated: for Overall Experience
We headed off along Topham track late in the day but only got to 340 metres from the trig while on the path. Saw no possible route to the top although perhaps you could go right past the hill and work back. We spotted a possible rough bushbash route but it looked very tough indeed. May attempt it another day, starting earlier.
