Mount Emmett had been on our mind for a while. Ever since a spring trip into Waterfall Valley had turned into a full blown snow mission – rendering Mount Emmett impossible – we had been hankering to get back and climb it. Glancing over to Mount Emmett from Cradle Cirque we had frequently remarked that it appeared as if a giant had emptied a huge bag of rocks out and the rubble had landed in one big pile, like a sand castle made of big rocks instead of sand. Of course it wasn’t a giant but the immense power of ice in our geological history that we have to thank for giving us Mount Emmett.

Cradle Mountain and Lake Rodway from Mount EmmettAll pictures by Ben Wells

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Big rocks. Really big rocks at times. Barn Bluff is on the horizon

The Launceston Walking Club (LWC) had Mount Emmett on its latest walking program and we were keen to walk with them again.

They were going to enjoy a night‘s camping at Little Plateau before making an ascent of Mount Emmett the following day. We had prior commitments and as such would not be able to join them for the night but instead arranged to meet them at 7:30 am near Kitchen Hut on the OLT.

We had our good friend and fellow Abel bagger Lynnda to keep us company and the three of us set off bright and early from the Dove Lake car park just as dawn was breaking. The morning was crisp and a heavy mist was settling so we stopped briefly at Kitchen Hut to layer on our wet weathers, preventing any dampness creeping through and chilling us. Even with a clothing change stop we made fast time to the LWC meeting spot.

We love walking with the LWC because their collective wealth of knowledge on everything bushwalking is amazing and they generously share it. Steve, our leader, had a good plan for the day as he had attempted

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Mount Emmett twice, with inclement weather turning him back both times. It was such a pleasure to wander the OLT with them and listen to the history of the national park and have them point out areas they had been to that are not regularly visited. The day before they had climbed Fury Divide Prospect as the weather had been too bad for Barn Bluff. Our party of nine happy bushwalkers continued along the OLT until we reached the junction of the Lake Rodway track.

Stepping off the OLT onto the Lake Rodway Track that leads towards the Scott-Kilvert Hut we could clearly see the unnamed low hill we would need to cross before approaching Mount Emmett. We would not be dropping down the valley to the Scott-Kilvert Hut but rather traversing the ridge that joins Cradle Mountain and Mount Emmett. From here the hike to Mount

Emmett would be “untracked”. That said there is a plethora of pads, both human and animal, that lead almost to Mount Emmett’s rocky base!

Rather than trying to skirt around the low hill it is simple enough to climb straight over it on your way to Mount Emmett. There are many naturally formed shale paths leading to its high point and the views from the top make the short climb entirely worth it. With this unusual vantage point we could see to the south-west Cradle Cirque’s many cliff faces with running waterfalls. To the north-east a spectacular view of the south of Cradle Mountain’s summit and Little Horn as well as the crystal blue water of Lake Rodway in the valley below.

As is nearly always the case when you have a bird's eye view you can see tracks and paths much clearer and this was true when standing on top of the unnamed peak. Even though the eastern side of the hill had a

Looking south from Mount Emmett

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denser cover of scrub, the way across the ridge between it and Mount Emmett was obvious. We set off down the hill. Steve was happy for me to lead the way down the hill and I love a choose-your-own-adventure!

Reaching the bottom of the hill the scrub became denser still with a generous amount of scoparia. However, almost all of the scoparia between the hill and the snow gums that form a band in front of the base of Mount Emmett can be avoided by sticking to the obvious pads towards the northern edge of the saddle. Weaving in and out of multiple pads we made fast progress over the saddle. When the pads became less distinct in sections it was merely a matter of looking “down through” the scrub to the ground below where the pads again became visible. Mount Emmett‘s summit was still shrouded in mist and we hoped it would lift.

After passing an obvious and isolated boulder we reached the small band of snow gums just before the scree fields. Here the pad disappeared briefly before becoming obvious again after only a few minutes of forceful pushing. Back in low alpine heath we continued on the pad which ended at a small dried tarn, a perfect spot for morning tea before the scree climb.

Mount Emmett is a majestic pile of rocks at first glance but closer inspection reveals twin rock pile peaks connected by a saddle of boulders. The closer north-western peak is the lower one and the true summit lies on the more distant south-eastern peak. Both peaks have a summit cairn and they even look surprisingly similar. The 1410 metre true summit was our goal.

A mist covered Barn Bluff behind the girls.

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It made sense that we traverse along the base before entering the scree as it would be quicker and easier. Then our plan was to climb just high enough on the boulder field to be above any green belt but not so high as to waste time and energy on elevation gain to only have to drop down in between the two peaks. Once in the boulder saddle between the two peaks we would ascend to the true summit. A sideways climb of sorts.

We quickly understood why Mount Emmett is a fair weather mountain! The endless boulder climb consisted of very generous sized rocks with the majority of the boulders being covered in black moss. This was fine for us today in the dry conditions we were enjoying but the rocks would be a nightmare if wet. Ben loves scree so he was in his element boulder hopping whilst us mere mortals were taking a little more care with picking a path occasionally having to back track momentarily when met by boulders too big for my little legs to get over. Still, in a little over 40 minutes we had reached the green base of the final climb to the summit.

We had less than 100 metres distance to reach the summit and the day had been thoroughly enjoyable and certainly not hard in any manner. To our delight the sun was now shinning fully and the mist had lifted. Yay – views! After crossing a small scrubby section between the two rocky peaks we began climbing the boulders once again choosing the best possible path up and over the large rocks.

Given Steve was our fabulous leader for the day we thought he should touch the holy grail that is the summit cairn first. Third time is a charm and he had a big smile on his face to have it in the bag. One by one we thanked the mountain and reached the top. The views from the top of Mount Emmett were glorious. Many of the OLT’s stars were on show – Barn Bluff, Mount Ossa, Pelion West to name just a few. To the south the many lakes on view were dotted

Mount Emmett fading in the background on our return journey

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Summit to Barn Bluff