Bushwalk Australia

Hi Just recently returned from 9 days along the SCT to NRL then up PB and over to Ida Bay. Some pics attached








I can't fail to mention how appalling the "track" is.
Now, I am no stranger to the difficulties of hiking in SWT, having done the SCT 3 times, Fed Peak and the EA's via the Picton Range and Moss Ridge and the Western Arthurs. I was therefore prepared. Sort of...
Taking my cue from Mr Chapman I was expecting it to be pretty bad but he glosses over how awful it really is and unfortunately so do a lot of the contributors in this forum. Nowhere, except for a few hundred metres of board walk is the track 'made'. In most places it is accidental with no concessions to topography, gradient, vegetation or soils. Even the word 'track' is a misnomer here - from Plateau Camp to Low Camp, from Ooze Lake to King Billy Saddle and up to Maxwell Ridge, around Hill 2 and off Hill 1 - it is a steep, muddy, rutted gully, in many places falling more than one metre from shelf to shelf. In the rain the 'track' becomes a creek, carrying more water than any of the 'official' creeks which adds to and accelerates the erosion. And from Low Camp to the base of Mt Pindar the scrub is heavy, dense and monolithic and IMO 'thick scrub' doesn't quite cover it. Indeed in Nov 2012 on this forum in reply to a question from Graeme Spedding, 'chapman' [is this 'the' Chapman?] described the route as 'mildly scrubby'!!
Also a quick review of previous editions reveals that Chapman's times for the various sections have not changed since the first edition of his book in 1978. There may have been a 'track' of sorts back then but severe deterioration in the almost 40 years since means that now times are slower - I challenge anyone to get from Wylly Plateau to Ooze Lake in 8 hours walking.

In short the 'track' is shockingly bad. Apart from the short, rocky, open sections around Maxwells Ridge and Hills 4 and 3, it is a slippery, muddy, scrub-choked trench and nowhere is it easy or fun. You have been warned!

Nice photos! Love to hear more about the trip.

* How'd the SCT go?
* What was the lagoon like?
* How long/was it scaling PB from NRL?
* What were your stop-offs each night?
* Weather good?
* Anyone else on the track?

As for the track, while I'd agree that it's not up to a high standard - it's not really *that* bad for what is a pretty rough part of the world.

How long did it take you to go Ooze Lake to Wylly Plateau?

We did it in less than eight hours when I did it a few months back (in pretty wet and snowy conditions).

Admittedly it was eight hours over two days because we had to stop because of the weather, but the timing was:

* Five hours to go from Ooze Lake to Leaning Tree. This is with very poor conditions, high winds, and significant snow drifts on the way up to Pindars Peak (coming from Ida Bay direction)
* Two hours and five minutes to get from Leaning Tree to the turn off to Mount Victoria Cross on Wylly Plateau. To the old campsite on the hill before walking down to the saddle to Kameruka Morraine it took us three hours.

So that's about on track with Chapman's walking time guidelines - though at the end of them.

If it wasn't for the snow we'd probably have done it about 30-45 minutes quicker (and I'd have got up Pindars!)

I'd agree that large parts of the track are pretty slippery and muddy though. And it was pretty scrubby, but I've been in worse

EDIT: Actually I should say I agree with you with the description of the track. I'd just say I don't personally think it was too bad to walk along. "Too bad" is clearly subjective through from person to person!

Track? Mate it isn't a track.. that is a route. Take a deep breath... calm.

Yes its definitely no picnic and potentially made worse for having done PB at the start rather than it being the reward for all that effort. I especially loathed the section between Pinders and Wylly and only felt marginaly better about the next section to the camp at the eastern foot of PB. (for an added level of difficulty I decided to spend these 2.5 days chucking up). I thought the rest of the track was was not too bad although I can imagine the section west off Maxwell being hellish in the conditions you describe.
I know at the time I thought never again but 5 years later I'm thinking that was epic rather than that was *&%$#!.

Wow, lovely set of pics (anyway)

Some wonderful photos.

I didn't think it was that bad. I expected it to be a lot worse than it was. For a not massively popular SW Tassie track/route it's pretty standard.

Admittedly it was eight hours over two days because we had to stop because of the weather...

Ditto. And that was including summitting Pindars and Wylly.
(Two days of walking. More than one full day was spent sheltering in the tent at leaning *&%$#! Tea Tree Saddle.

north-north-west wrote:More than one full day was spent sheltering in the tent at leaning *&%$#! Tea Tree Saddle.

lol. i hear you!

I was just reviewing my GPS log of leaning tree, and it's got about 30 minutes of us just walking around desperately looking for somewhere to camp that wasn't a pool of water, a bog, or a bush/tree. We found one little spot, but geez it was tough.

Of all our stops on Southern Ranges, LTS could be improved greatly with the addition of a couple of simple platforms. They don't have to be big. 2-3 tents max.

I admit there are clearly much greater priorities in other parks. But, I can dream.

I was lucky - I found a spot just big enough for the tent, seemingly far enough from the water's edge, and that got a minimal amount of shelter from a small bit of scrub, right next to the pad. And watched as the pools around expanded, slowly creeping closer and closer . . .
And then, of course, found the tent site cut into the scrub at the far end of the saddle when finally heading out and up to Wylly Plateau.

Wait, what?

I've heard of this tent site cut into the scrub a few times now, but didn't manage to find it...

I just thought until now the camp spot was the big plateau with water everywhere..... I wonder if I can find the site on ListMap's state aerial photos.

There is (was when I did it) a pad across LTTS. Assuming you're travelling towards Wylly, at the far end of the saddle the pad curves to the right, enters some thicker scrub and then starts climbing. The tent site is in that patch of scrub before the climb.

I won't mention how long it took me to get from Pindars to Wylly then

I think the track is fine by remote SW standards - I think knowing what you are in for helps.

I did run into a group who had difficulty following the track near LTT Saddle, so I was expecting a battle there, but i think I found the pad, didn't see the campsite though.

The worst part of the track for me was around the bottom of Kameruka Moraine. It was quite boggy and indistinct there.

Worst for me was at PB Low Camp. I just lost it altogether. Tried at least 6 different pads that went off from there, and all fading into nothingness. Ended up following an old animal pad on a much steeper and rougher route that got me to the track near the falls.

Its not a track - its a route that is now well worn in because of its popularity.
Probably because its published in a certain guide book - people mistake in the book as meaning its a track.

I first went through the Southern Ranges about 2005.
I did it again about 2011.

The different in that time was really noticeable.
The first time it was really scrubby and super scratchy along the Leaning Teatree saddle section.
Super muddy and difficult to follow the route in the saddle below Kameruka Moraine.
I came out of that walk with my clothes ripped to shreds.

Fast forward a few years, and obviously lots of traffic since 2005 - I walked it in shorts and t-shirt and barely got a scratch on me.
If you reckon its rough now, its got nothing on what it was 10 years ago.

There wasn't a track beyond Pindars when I did it in 1969 (summited PB on 1 Jan 1970) and no real maps either - occasional features and lots of empty white space. From LTT Saddle it was just 2 metre plus high scrub, no views, just follow a compass bearing and try to stay on the apex of the ridge. There were some rudimentary route notes - HWC?

Andrew and I did Moonlight Creek to Cockle Creek in February 2012 in six days (having done Federation Peak the previous November I couldn't persuade my wife to give me any more time!!): if we had our time over we would allow a bit longer to give time for some more side trips. We didn't think it was particularly rough. Using the Chapman guide we found our way pretty well - were careful coming off PB as we had heard horror stories of being lost in scrub and 500m / hr, etc. We expected to have navigational difficulties around Leaning Tea Tree Saddle, but managed to find a track fairly easily.

I managed to get lost for a few hours on the first day (seems to be a family trait!) - coming up the hill from the quarry I kept going straight ahead and down following some trails to exploratory caving sites. Recovered though and got back on track after that.

Coming off PB and wading New River Lagoon definitely the highlight: a great part of the world.

north-north-west wrote:Worst for me was at PB Low Camp. I just lost it altogether. Tried at least 6 different pads that went off from there, and all fading into nothingness. Ended up following an old animal pad on a much steeper and rougher route that got me to the track near the falls.

I did this trip with my wife in 2010 and, though we were going in the other direction to you, we had exactly the same problem finding the way out of PB Low Camp. There does seem to be a confusion of false leads in that area.