Tim the Yowie Man: Trek to Namadgi's mystery stone wall

Sure the stonework which links a number of in-situ boulders to create an imposing barrier might only be about 30 metres long, but it's an unusual sight to encounter in such a far-flung location.

When this column was first led to the wall by Canberra bushwalking icon John Evans back on a rainy day back in November 2010, the bizarre barricade prompted all manner of theories as to its origins.

Some suggested it may have been a bushranger's fort, others thought it was part of an elaborate sheep fold, while some even pointed to it being an obscure legacy of an eccentric artist indulging in landscape sculpture. Heck, that'd have to be one dedicated artist with very strong arms.

The late Val Jeffery of Tharwa even had the audacity to suggest it was merely a fence. "It was simply part of a boundary fence to keep sheep in a paddock at Gudgenby Station," he argued.

"Surely not? Why go to such an effort to build in such a remote spot, and so meticulously constructed," I responded.

With no clear answer, your akubra-clad columnist had put the mystery into the 'too hard' basket. That was until earlier this month, when somewhat serendipitously on the 10th anniversary of my first trip to the walls, a missive landed in my inbox from intrepid bushwalker Dave Rainey of Kambah, claiming he "may have solved the mystery".

Regular readers will be aware of my renewed passion for exploring Namadgi post-fires to marvel at it (hopefully) regenerate and spring back into life so I needed little excuse to return to the walls with Dave and one of his walking mates of almost 40 years, Malcolm Murray of Garran.

Due to last summer's fires - which appear to have cleared the way up a gully and spur all the way to the walls - we take a much more direct route than I'd previously taken and as we trek past the remnants of an old pioneer's orchard (well, if that's what you could call a few aging apple trees), Dave announces, "look at that stone cottage up there in the scrub".

What? I'd never heard of any historic hut here, let alone a stone cottage.

Just as I'm about to check Dave isn't running a fever and hallucinating, sure enough a couple of hundred metres up the hill is what appears to be a stone cottage. The roof line looks a bit like one of those ginger-bread houses that you make for Christmas that no one eats and you end up tossing out in early January.

How could it be here? Someone must have purposefully kept it off the maps.

However, as we get closer it becomes clear that it's not a building at all, rather, just a giant boulder that from a distance resembles a stone cottage.

"Aha, we got you", laughs Dave, who as a regular reader of these pages is well aware of my passion for such curiosities.

Our walk isn't long, just a few kilometres, but we take our time, checking out the regrowth and listening to the sound of a stream gurgling in the distance. Something I haven't heard in these parts for years. Wonderful.

It's also an entertaining walk, hearing the (generally!) good-natured repartee between Malcolm and Dave who, along with their mate Lindsay Graham of Hughes, have been traipsing about the bush around Canberra for the best part of four decades. These fellas have had some amazing adventures. Talk about the three musketeers, but that's a story for another day.

As we keep climbing, I feel like I'm being watched from behind. "Oh it might be the big fella over there," says Malcolm pointing to a cliff on the other side of the valley which closely resembles the face of a giant gorilla. Geez, two simulacra in such short space. Impressive.

On the final approach to the wall Dave reveals his theory as to their origins. "My brother was a school teacher involved in an Outward Bound camp or two and he reckons from their base in nearby Tharwa that one of their 'outdoor tasks' may have been to build this wall during an overnight walk, with possibly a new group adding to it each year," he explains.

Well, I guess it sounds more plausible than most of the other theories.

It's a blue sky day, so unlike my rushed visit in heavy rain ten years earlier, we have much more time to inspect the walls and vigorously debate the merits of each theory. "If only Lindsay was here, he'd know for sure," states Malcolm. "Yeah, right," quips Dave.

We also have time to traipse to the top of the hill where several years ago John Evans found another much shorter section of wall. While searching for these smaller walls, exposed by the fires are the remains of a wire fence running east/west. It runs very close to and parallel to the stone wall.

Suddenly Val Jeffery's words come back to haunt me. "Tim, it's just a boundary fence". We follow the wire fence to where it turns a corner, and it becomes clear that this section of wall is indeed marking a boundary, possibly before the widespread use of wire in these parts.

While we can't be 100 per cent certain that the lower, longer wall was also part of a boundary, it's highly likely it was.

Halfway back down the hill and the 'gorilla' now looks like he's smiling at us. It's probably just the lengthening shadows, but perhaps he's just glad I've finally accepted Val's version of events.

Postscript: Outward Bound have no record of the wall being constructed as part of any activity.

Where's the weirdest place you've spotted a wombat burrow?

After returning from the Glendale stone wall walk (see main story, left), Dave Rainey ushered me across the Boboyan Road to the Glendale Picnic Area to show me a burrow dug into the side of a culvert.

Now, a wombat burrow dug into a road embankment isn't that unusual but adjacent to the road here is a small buried rubbish tip (pre-national park presumably) which the burrow extends into.

While I was tempted to get on all fours and try to peek inside the burrow to see the extent of the rubbish, unfortunately I couldn't get past the entrance as it is lined with dozens of shards of glass from broken bottles.

Given the burrow appears to be in use, the glass fragments mustn't worry its inhabitant - either that or it doesn't mind regular haircuts to its rear end. Ouch.

Still on the loveable short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials, I recently had the pleasure of launching Combat Wombat (Ford Street Publishing), a delightful children's book penned by award-winning Canberra author Gina Newton. Suitable for ages three plus, and superbly illustrated by Tiffanee Daley (yes, another talented local), Combat Wombat features a brave wombat, who, with courage, determination and sheer wombat power, leads his bush buddies to safety in a race to escape a raging bushfire. Sound familiar?

An entertaining and educational Christmas stocking filler, available at all good bookstores and the Ford Street website.

CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick

Cryptic Clue: Don't throw stones around here

Degree of difficulty: Easy - Medium

Congratulations to Peter Harris of Latham who was first to correctly identify the location of last week's photo (inset), taken by regular correspondent Neal Gowen at Regatta Point, featuring the Canadian Flagpole in November 1963. Peter just beat Wendy Duke of Lyneham, Peter Kercher of Holt and Roxanne Missingham of Acton to the prize.

Like many readers, Mary McDermott of Farrer "always thought the pole was metal" so was surprised to recently discover that it was actually timber. The single spar of Douglas fir was actually a gift from the Canadian government to the Australian government in 1955 (erected in 1957), and recently removed by the National Capital Authority after it was found to be rotten in parts and unsafe to passers-by. No word yet on when or if it will be repaired or replaced. Maybe current Canadian PM Justin Trudeau could send out a replacement as a Christmas gift? Talk about a stocking filler!

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to tym@iinet.net.au The first email sent after 10am, Saturday 28 November 2020, wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.

If you notice a tall object protruding from Lake George in the next few days, don't worry, the aliens haven't landed.

It'll actually be a drilling rig erected (weather permitting) for a group of ANU scientists studying the lake.

According to Professor Brad Pillans, a spokesperson for the project, "the purpose of the drilling is to obtain sediment cores from beneath the lake floor, which tells us about the long history of the lake."

Brad and his colleagues are hoping that the drill site they have chosen, located at the north end of the lake, "will allow them to drill into the oldest sediments in the lake basin, perhaps more than 4 million years old".

"At a nearby site, in the late 1970s, ANU scientists, led by Dr Gurdip Singh, drilled a hole down to 36 metres," reports Brad, adding "the proposed depth of our drilling is to around 100 metres below the surface.