Mt Claude

[Taurë-rana]

And what kid at heart doesnt love a cave with batman ropes set up in it.

I agree Mark, the cave bit is what made me keen to go, and it was fun

[Miyata610]

Hey SBS, how about a bit of a trip report. The Roland/Vandyke/Claude range doesn't get the coverage it deserves. I'm sure lots of newer bush walkers on this site would really enjoy it.

Edit: with pics please. Video would be even better

[stepbystep]

Hey SBS, how about a bit of a trip report. The Roland/Vandyke/Claude range doesn't get the coverage it deserves. I'm sure lots of newer bush walkers on this site would really enjoy it.

Edit: with pics please. Video would be even better

Ah geez Phil I'm a bit busy for all that, didn't take the video camera up as I had to hustle through on my timeline and 10kg for a few minutes of footage can't be justified.

I'll throw a couple of pics up soon...

[Miyata610]

I'll throw a couple of pics up soon...

That'll do

[Tortoise]

If you're coming from the communication towers end (sorry can't remember the name of the road) look for a side track heading off to the right in a flat grassy area immediately before the summit blocks. The side track is quite obvious, but narrower than the main track. If you stay on the main track, it starts to descend quite steeply and traverses across the northern side below the summit blocks...

...Once you've found the side track, follow it for 30m or so to the boulders on the side of the grassy area (there might be a small cairn there too). A bit of rock hoping and a few squeezes are now required and there are few carins. Despite this, its a fairly obvious route (look particuarly for worn sections where the track is on dirt rather than rock). The critical point is where a slot in the rock heads up toward the top of the more western and slightly lower summit block. This base of the slot is worn, and many people have gone this way - it leads to the chock stone. Instead of following the slot upwards, continue straight. Only a few meters further, and you get a view through the slot, with the chock stone above.

Continue on and look to veer left up a passage between two rocks to the cave. The cave is a dark vertical slot to start with, and I was pretty sure I was in the right place once I found it.

The cave goes in a few metres, then a sloping floor at the back needs to be climbed (this is where the rope is, and its a big help). You exit out a quite small hole, surrounded by rocks on all sides. It's only 5 or so vertical metres to the summit from there, but despite this the entrance to the cave is not obvious at all from the top. Its basic rock hopping, with no exposure.
Cheers

Wello

Hey Wello, thanks heaps for the details and photos. I finally got back there for the tippy top, and your info certainly helped. Confirming no scrub bashing needed.

A couple of hiccups we had - in hindsight we must have taken a different route from the saddle (which had low heathy stuff rather than grass). We followed a pad through the 5m or so of bushes, and didn't find a cairn till we were almost below the chock stone. We overshot the entry we should have taken down between the rocks - that was a left turn from the direction we came from the saddle.

We weren't quite sure re the 'slot in the rock', but kept going straight ahead. That took us past the south side of the actual summit block - quickly apparent, backtracked, and found it no problem. I wasn't expecting to have to drop down into a slot-like feature - the one that leads to the spot just below the chock stone.

Once there, we obviously had to veer right to the entrance of the cave. But your photo of the 'fish tail' entrance made it really clear.
And it was good to have the torch to find the slope & the rope.

A huge thanks to Bill for the rope - still in excellent condition, and well secured. Without that, it would have been bruise and scrape material for me in the wet, sliding down the rock - and maybe in the dry as well. The slope is smoother than other bits of rock around there, and with the roof sloping parallel to the rock slope, i might have had trouble going up without the rope, too.

We had a stunning day for it! From the summit side of the chock stone, it looked like it would be easier to just scramble across it, using the 'ridge peak' as hand holds, rather than the 'scissoring'. So my friend whom i will call Mountain Goat (MG) tested the theory. She tried it several ways in both directions. (And no, her pulse rate didn't go up at all ) I didn't drum up the courage to test it myself, though pretty sure i would have if that was the only option.

Here's a few pics of MG - dry weather only

[Tortoise]

Couldn't get a good shot of the drop off from the other side of the chock stone, but this might give a bit of an idea.

And it's nice to get a quick fix of mountain views from Western Tiers to Black Bluff etc.

[tigercat]

ab

[tigercat]

What a cracker of a summit! Up a roped slab in a cave to reach the summit! Thanks to Bill for the rope and Wello for the notes.

Chock stone

Summit

[tibboh]

Nice sized summit boulder!

[Tortoise]

A cracker indeed, in spite of its proximity to civilisation.

[Senji_Man]

Being new to Tas I don't know my way around very well. The trip notes for the summit are quite detailed but can somebody please give details on the track head and perhaps the closest gazetted road so I know where I'm going.

Cheers.

[Tortoise]

http://www.exploroz.com/Places/714/TAS/ ... laude.aspx

Not the best, but this shows you the gated road (walking access only) from C138 Olivers Rd, which you walk up. It's across the road from the lookout, with a large cleared place you can park.

At the top of the road, you skirt the structures (towers etc) and pick up the walking track that continues towards the summit. Avoid the side track to the fire tower unless you want to check that out too.

Cheers

[Senji_Man]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

[greyim]