Mt Spurling et al – Proposed Itinerary

[rohjoe]

Wondering if people have any thoughts on this itinerary? We can add a day if necessary….

Day 1 - Lake Myrtle Track to camp at Lake Myrtle, with side trip to Nescient Peak
Day 2 - Lake Myrtle to camp at Lake Artemis, with side trip to Mt Rogoona
Day 3 - Day walk to Mountains of Jupiter and Mt Spurling
Day 4 - Walk back to Mersey Forest Rd

Particularly interested in comments on Day 3, ie should we traverse south over Mts of Jupiter and approach Mt Spurling from the north east, returning to Artemis via the western side of Lake Payanna, or drop down from the Jupiter high point towards Lake Eros and do a there-and-back. Whichever offers the least scrub.

It will be an experienced party walking at a moderate pace.

Cheers,
Rohan

[Lophophaps]

The Traveller Range tends to be either fair walking or nasty blocks of rock with scrub, which can be slow. The Spurling day is about 10 kilometre, and should be okay. I've been on the west of Payanna, perhaps the best side for you as it is a straighter line and the map shows less scrub. I cannot recall much of the area near here - all similar. Try not to slip into Rengenna. It's a steep descent to the water.

[pazzar]

You could skip the Lake Myrtle camp and go for a high camp on Rogoona instead. It is lovely camping up there. Nescient isn't a long side trip.

[rohjoe]

Thanks guys. I do like the idea of camping high on Rogoona. We will see how the group feels on the day!

I think fishing might be on the agenda too which could delay us at Junction Lake for a bit. I don't think there are many bites to be had in Lake Artemis.

[stevedeards01]

Hi Rohjoe,

I'm planning a walk to the same area. We will be at Lake Artemis on the 25th February & there will be 7 of us. Hopefully our dates won't clash. We will continue south to Mt Spurling & then on to Mt Ida. Have you decided on a route to Mt Spurling yet? We were thinking of going west from Lake Artemis as there is a track along the northern side of Lake Eros to it's western end. From there we will head south along the western side of Payanna to Spurling.

Steve

[baeurabasher]

Hi Rohjoe,

I'm planning a walk to the same area. We will be at Lake Artemis on the 25th February & there will be 7 of us. Hopefully our dates won't clash. We will continue south to Mt Spurling & then on to Mt Ida. Have you decided on a route to Mt Spurling yet? We were thinking of going west from Lake Artemis as there is a track along the northern side of Lake Eros to it's western end. From there we will head south along the western side of Payanna to Spurling.

Steve

I have been up to this area a few times. Im not sure you will find the track you speak of to be what you expect. In fact I dont think you will find any tracks up there whatsoever. They are not necessary however as the walking is very open and pleasant.

[rohjoe]

Hi Steve,

We had a very successful trip to Mt Spurling a few weeks ago, so no chance of a clash! The itinerary varied slightly from the above version:

Day 1 - Lake Myrtle Track to camp high on Mt Rogoona (15 min from summit), with side trip to Nescient Peak
Day 2 - Mt Rogoona to camp at Lake Artemis. Climbed Mtns of Jupiter in the afternoon.
Day 3 - Day walk to Mt Spurling, packed up and moved camp down to Junction Lake.
Day 4 - Junction Lake to Mersey Forest Rd and drove home.

The track to Lake Artemis continues as a pad heading along its southern shore. From there we continued southwards past the eastern side of Lake Eros. We picked up a faint pad here and there in this area but it is essentially off track. We then headed off-track SW to the western side of Lake Payanna and south towards Mt Spurling. This area is all lovely open walking between stands of pines, fagus and numerous tarns. From Lake Artemis, Mt Spurling took about 6 hours return including breaks. I don't have first hand knowledge of the area south of Mt Spurling but I've heard of people climbing Mt Ida from Rim Lake, and apparently its fairly scrubby between them. I climbed Mt Ida from Lake St Clair and there is a straight forward cairned route to the summit as you approach the NW corner.

Regards,
Rohan