Tent Tarn in Autumn (lots of pics)

[lyndoor]

Finally found the time to go up to Tent Tarn, on the Cathedral Plateau.
I had a perfect, sunny, autumn day & it took me about 7 hours to get there. Very leisurely & lots of photo opportunities...& the odd head scratching working out how to tackle the Falls
I did this walk previously about a year ago & only went to Grail Falls. The big tarn just before the Falls was full of water then, now it is dry with native grass growing - amazing considering the wet summer we had!

Tarn before Grail Falls

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Chapter Lake

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Crossed the little creek that runs from the Falls to Chapter Lake, bush-bashed my way through to the north side (right) of the Falls & made my own way up as there were no apparent signs of a track.

Creek running between Grail Falls & Chapter Lake

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Grail Falls

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Once on top, I found a cairn but no others marking the route so I crossed the creek & climbed up the small escarpment just behind the Falls & headed into the small gorge following the creek SW.

Creek running over the Falls with Chapter Lake in the background

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Last edited by lyndoor on Sat 28 May, 2011 4:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[lyndoor]

The beeches were in full show & it wasn't long before the Cathedral Plateau opened up in front of me with Chapter Lake ahead.

In the gorge looking back north

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The Cathedral Plateau & part of Chalice Lake

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I got to Tent Tarn about 4.30pm & set up my tent by one of the smaller tarns. There are many dotted around.

Tent Tarn

Tent Tarn looking west towards Twin Spires which are out of view to the left

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The night was frosty but still. I slept in two sleeping bags & was as warm as toast. Just as well as the morning brought with it a killer frost & froze the tarns!

Frosty morning

[lyndoor]

After a relatively pleasant morning, I followed the cairns that were already in place (plus the odd extra of my own) which made backtracking pretty straightforward.

Looking east over Chalice Lake to Mt Rogoona

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The north end of Chalice Lake

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When I got back to the top of Grail Falls, I followed a fairly well cairned track that led me down the southern side of the Falls before heading back to the car park.

Bridge over creek before Jackson's Creek

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Then a bit further down I met the afternoon sun streaming down through the myrtles - magic!

Sunshine through the myrtles

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It was a great finish to a very diverse walk.
lyndoor

[stepbystep]

Nice report and some beautiful pics too, thanks for posting

[Vern]

Looks like a nice spot. That frost photo looks great, makes me look forward to a warm bed tonight!

[PTCB]

You seem to find yourself in some great places lyndoor. Thanks for putting another tick on my list of walks to do. Nice Report and piccies.

[Phil]

Lovely pics Lyndoor, looks like you had the perfect weather too!

Yeah the track up Grail Falls is on the left hand side of the falls (as you're looking at it); wonderful walking up there hey! The initial walk to Chapter Lake is really enjoyable and then as it opens up on top of Grail Falls and then onto the plateau it is just magical!!

Phil

[Nick S]

Very nice. That morning photo looks pretty cold!

[ninjapuppet]

very nice! what 2 bags did you use to keep toasty?

[lyndoor]

You are welcome PTCB - you won't be disappointed!
I had the perfect weather, even with the cold morning. It was great for photos. I'd like to return & spend an extra night to walk to the edges of the Plateau (eg: Twin Spires, etc) as the veiws & photo ops would be fantastic.
I slept with my OnePlanet Cocoon inside my Exped Swallow on my Exped Down 9 mat. Bit 'soft', I know, but absolute luxury!

[pazzar]

I was up there last weekend, finding the route up the falls was difficult, but once on top of the escarpment it wasnt't too bad to follow. We found two cairned routes between Chalice and Tent Tarn, the one we followed up was vague and took the long way around. We found it much better coming out. It was also quite cold while I was up there, everything was starting to freeze by about 4pm!

[north-north-west]

Yes, finding the track up can be tricky. I dropped the pack at Chapter and spent at least a half hour wandering around, following every pad I could find until I finally stumbled on the creek crossing. Once over the correct crossing, the way up is easy to follow.
A wonderful area and marvellous photos. Wish I'd had weather like that the whole time.

[bushwalker zane]

That's a beautiful spot there. Thanks for the photos!

[crazyone]

nice pics and great report of an awesome place! good work