In late August I undertook the roughly 11 km Brandy Flat Hut Track from the northern end. This route is considered easier than the southern route because there is less climbing but it is still an interesting trail. The trailhead was easy to find and the trail route was mainly on a fire trail so it was easy to follow. I would recommend the trail, with the hut being the turnaround spot, and a convenient place to take a rest and a snack. There was also a lot wildlife to be seen on the day I did the walk, even if the season was winter.
I used the Brandy Flat Hut: Northern Route on Alltrails.com, although the trail was well marked so the Alltrails app just helped me know how much further I had to go.
The trailhead
Getting to the walk was easy by following Boboyan Road into Namadgi National Park, and turning left on to Brandy Flat Road, heading to the Glendale Depot. There was a locked vehicle gate just before the depot, with a cleared area on the right, which was the car park for the trail. The trail was visible from the carpark, just across Brandy Flat Road that I had just driven on.
A marker in the close-country section at the start of the walk
The trail once the vegetation opened up
Roughly the first 1.5 km walk of the trail was through woodland, although the trail markers were clearly visible.
Part of one of the ascents
A trail marker, although the firetrail was obvious
After that first 1.5 km the route joins Brandy Flat Road, just past a locked vehicle gate, so there were going to be no unauthorised vehicles disturbing the walk. The trail winds up, although it was nothing too strenuous and there were plenty of kangaroos in the meadows on either side of the trail.
A rock overlooking the valley
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 400, 40mm, f/16 and 1/250 SEC])
The last right corner before Brandy Flat Hut
Once on top of the ridge it was a pleasant walk with just mild undulations. The vegetation was reasonably open and there were a number of birds around. The fire trail was easy to follow and very well maintained. Before long, the final curve to the right provided a view of Brandy Flat Hut just a short distance away sitting quietly at the head of the open valley with woodland providing a backdrop to the structure.
Brandy Flat Hut
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF40mm f2.8 STM [ISO 125, 40mm, f/14 and 1/80 SEC])
Some of the essentials inside
The hut was very basic but the bench out the from was the perfect location to sit and rest while being warmed by the sun. I could also use the inside of the hut to change camera lens out of the wind. There was a drop toilet off to the side and a water tank, although a sign stated that the water was not for consumption.
Stairs from the fire trail back up to the walking track
After resting for a while to take in the peace and solitude, I followed the same route back. It was well into the return trip that I bumped into the only other person that I saw on the trail, We had a brief chat because he was heading out to camp overnight in the area. Approaching a locked vehicle gate on Brandy Flat Road, there was an obvious sign pointing where the trail headed as a walking trail only. If somebody wanted to ride the trail, the locked gates would be easy to pass a bike over and national park permits push bikes on the fire trails.
I saw plenty of animals, including a family group of feral pigs. Unfortunately, I was not able to photograph them when they broke from their resting place in some long grass, with the two parents first, followed by three or four piglets.
Below are some of the wildlife that I was able to photograph.
Female Eastern Grey Kangaroo
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 160, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Scarlet Robin
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Flame Robin
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 250, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
Superb Fairy-wren male on the cusp of breaking out in blue breeding plumage
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 200, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Striated Thornbill
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 1250, 400mm, f/7.1 and 1/400 SEC])
Fringed Heath Blue
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 125, 400mm, f/8.0 and 1/400 SEC])
Australian Painted Lady
(Canon EOS 7D Mk II with a Canon EF100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM [ISO 400, 371mm, f/8.0 and 1/500 SEC])
I thoroughly enjoyed the walk, and I happily took more time than I was planning so that I could take photographs and also have an un-rushed rest at Brandy Flat Hut. The route is not one of the top walks in Namadgi but it was interesting, with Brandy Flat Hut making an obvious objective for doing the walk. Because it is not one of the more popular walks, there is likely to be less people on the trail. There was also enough wildlife to make the morning memorable.
Thanks for reading this post and thanks also for looking at my photos. I hope you come back again to read more about some of the wonderful natural things that the Australian Capital Territory has on offer. All the best until the next post.