Bobbara Mountain, Binalong, New South Wales, Australia
On Sunday, 8 May 2022, I climbed Bobbara Mountain - a 738 metre (2,480 feet) high hill / mountain located approximately 5 kilometres west of Binalong, on the Burley Griffin Way between Yass and Young, in the south western slopes region of New South Wales. Bobbara is a distinct landmark, positioned as it is close to the road which runs along its southern flanks. The walk was one of the rare occasions on which the mountain was open to the public by the landowners, and in this instance in support of fund raising for the local school. The weather was fine and sunny, the wind was light - even at the top - and the ground relatively dry. The path to the top was tarred, though steep. Thankfully there were seats strategically placed along the way, enabling young and old alike to enjoy the ascent and descent. The road led to the radar and telecommunications towers atop the mountain, though to the west was a flattish area which gave uninterrupted 360 degree views, recorded briefly in the following video.
Geological history
Bobbara is an imposing sight - a pyramid like feature on the landscape, with ridges extending south east and north west. Its geology comprises granitic rocks and related intrusive igneous material. The latter gave rise to the formation of the mountain, due to its being harder than the surrounding rock, and therefore eroding slower over time. The geology of the mountain is typical for the region - large scale granitic batholiths at its base give rise to silica rich brown sandy soils and low lying rolling hills, dotted here and there with larger hills and smoothly eroded ridges and mountainous terrain the result of contemporaneous or later intrusion of molten rock with a different chemistry, as in basalt The sight of large granite and igneous boulders is common in the Hilltops Council and adjacent Yass Council regions, both on the flattish ploughed fields and grazing pastures, but also on the sides of the elevated areas, including Bobbara. A large hill / mountain lies to the east at Borowa, with another near Yass, whilst directly to the south is a hilly mountainous range, though not as tall as Bobbara.
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| Bobbara Mountain contour map. Source: MapCarta 2022. |
The land around nearby Binalong sits at 500 metres above sea level, whilst Bobbara rises a further 238 metres.
The Aboriginal name
Bobbara is the English spelling of an original Aboriginal word. It is not clear from the historic record whether this is the name of the mountain or the land around, including its use for Bobbara Creek. A study of the work of Chris Illert (2021) in regard to the history of the Aboriginal languages of south-eastern Australia suggests the word refers to a middle high place. Whether this relates to other mountains in the region, such as at Borowa, or to the highest point of Bobbara which is flanked on two sides by lower ridges, is not known. Such high hills / mountains are usually associated by Indigenous Australians with cultural ceremonies and spiritual significance. For example, Cullingutti on the coast near the Shoalhaven River is similar in size and structure to Bobbara and has a 'stairway to heaven' Dreaming story related to it. It is very likely that Bobbara was similarly significant to the local people who inhabited the area over the millenia dating back at least 100,000 years.
Recent history
The first European settler to move into the district was the Irishman Ned Ryan, around 1825 (Maher 2006). He used it for cattle, sheep and wheat. By the late 1830s Bobbara had been taken up by one of his countrymen, Laurence Barry. In turn, it was sold in 1870 to the Friend Brothers, Walter and Owen.
References
Maher, Rev. Brian, Binalong: Beyond the Limits, Genie Publishing, Canberra, January 2006, 129p.
Mount Bobbara, Map Carta [webpage], 2022. Available URL: https://mapcarta.com/28675900.
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Last updated: 21 June 2022
Michael Organ
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