Thursday 30/03/2022 Tunnel Road Picnic Area – Hanels Road – Samuel Bollard Campground – Tin Mines Trail
Danny’s Loop Walk
Woomargama National Park, NSW
Jaitmatang Country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
With three possible free campsites identified as stopovers on our journey to Bright, we were off to escape the NSW coastal deluge. We ended up at Woomargama Rest Area, stretching our legs with a walk around the village before settling in for the night. We were pleasantly surprised by the high proportion of modern dwellings and the amenities at the rest area.
Max elevation: 705 m
Total climbing: 222 m
Total descent: -230 m
Average speed: 3.99 km/h
Total time: 01:33:24
With plans to buy a pair of snow chains for our new campervan in Albury we needed to fill in our morning with a walk, as the ski shop wasn’t opening until midday. We noted the nearby Woomargama National Park offered a selection of walks and headed to the Tunnel Road Picnic Area to start the short 5km Danny’s Loop Walk.
We had a welcome warm day for a change and enjoyed watching the many butterflies and wildflowers along the way. The track itself looks like it sees little foot traffic.
Samuel Bollard Campsite
Hanels Road is nowadays a bush track but Tin Mines Track is a gravel road a somewhat ironic mismatch. Just up from the junction of the two on the top of a ridge is Samuel Bollard Campground one of the first campsites on the Hume and Hovell track which starts at The Hovell Tree in Albury before passing through Samuel Bollard Campground and ending up at Cooma Cottage just east of Yass, for a total of 426km. The campsite provides a picnic shelter, fresh water tank, tent sites and toilets.
From here we returned along to the van at Tunnel Road Picnic Area along the gravel road called Tin Mines Trail. We had also been keen to drive up to Norths Lookout for its views over the Riverina area but decided against it when we saw a road closed ahead sign which did not specify where the road was closed.
Clickable icons on a world map which open the related trip report
Information on NSW National Parks signage along the way
This picnic area was once a gravel quarry and has been revegetated by the NPWS with the assistance of Trinity College students (Albury) and Woomargama National Park volunteer group.
From the picnic area Danny’s Loop Trail meanders on a gentle gradient to link with the Hume and Hovell walking track.
GRADIENT – MEDIUM DISTANCE – 3.1km
Along the way you will pass through a Broad-leaved Peppermint / Brittle Gum / Grass and Herb Forest. Grasses, herbs, lilies, climbers, twiners, ferns, daisies and orchids carpet the forest floor.
A large variety of shrubs including Wattles, Daphne Heath, Guinea Flowers, Fringe Myrtle, Dusty Miller, Native Indigo and several species of Peas thrive around the rocky outcrops.
The majority of flowering plants along the track are seen at their best from mid-spring to early summer.
Hazard reduction burns are carried out periodically to help minimise wildfires by reducing the amount of leaf litter and debris on the forest floor. Many plants have adapted in different ways to respond to fire.
Some Eucalypts reshoot from dormant epicormic buds which are situated under the bark and in the trunk. Others have dormant buds at the base of the trunk in lignotubers which will shoot if the tree is burnt. Their seed also germinates well after fire, in the nutrient-rich ash that remains.
Wattle and Pea species seeds lie dormant in the soil for many a year until a fire cracks the hard seed coat and allows them to germinate. Many shrubs reshoot from lignotubers.
Herb, forbs and grasses respond to the increased sunlight, allowing the forest to burst into life again.
This track is named in memory of Danny ‘Flanagan, a founding member of the Woomargama National Park Volunteers and a lifelong committed conservationist. His volunteer work for the local community and efforts in preserving the natural beauty of the area he loved so well were an inspiration to all.
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