Clear Hill and The Thumbs day walk - December 18 2011

So after beginning to write up my latest trip reports, I have decided to write up a few older trips that I have done. Over the coming months I hope to add many more to this page. I will begin with a walk that I did with friends Nick and Simon last December, the destination, The Thumbs.

Lake Gordon

After hearing of the feats of other walkers completing a walk to The Thumbs via Clear Hill in 10.5 hours, the challenge had been set. This was a walk that Nick and I had been wanting to do for a while, so we picked our day and set off. And what a day we got! We set off from Hobart at around 6am, and we arrived after finding the start of the track around 2 hours later. The track leads only as far as the summit of Clear Hill. The start of the track is marked by a few tapes, but is rather inconspicuous. It took us quite some time to find. If you reach a high point on Clear Hill Road, you have gone too far. The road begins to head back down to the shores of Lake Gordon, with Wings Lookout - worthy of a visit in its own right - on the left. We got all of our gear on, and it was quite cool to begin with, but the skies were clear, and it was now that we knew that we had picked a perfect day.

Morning light on Clear Hill

The track initially heads steeply through a mixture of bauera and tea tree, but quickly opened out to a gentle gradient, surrounded mostly by button grass and large conglomerate boulders. As the landscape opened out before us, the first opportunities for some amazing photos was upon us. After a few quick snaps we were on our way again. The track heads uphill using a series of rocky slabs, then sidles a false summit, before reaching a small boulder field that leads to a trig point at the summit. After about an hour we had reached this point. Clear Hill itself makes for a beautiful short day walk.

Mt Anne from Clear Hill

The open slopes on Clear Hill

Simon hugging the trig point

The views were amazing!

Looking out over Lake Gordon

Summit Snaps

Nick and I on Clear Hill

From the top of Clear Hill, we proceeded to make our way down to one of the many open leads down to the Clear Hill Plains - a sparse open field of button grass, and more button grass. It didn't take us long before Nick had lead us straight into a tree filled gully, that proved to be a little tougher than expected, but it was the fastest feasible way to reach the spur that we were aiming for. After many tangles with tree branches, jumping between boulders, and pushing though bauera, we had reached our open lead. The slopes of Clear Hill had been burnt some years before, and regrowth is still low. This made walking very easy, although the temperature was beginning to rise. The nice cool breeze that started our day was completely gone, instead a nice warm northerly was blowing our way. After 30 minutes or so, we had dropped almost 600 metres to the plains from the summit.

I think we need to go down there!

Looking for a way down.

One of many scoparia filled gullies

We crossed the plains three abreast, doing our part for minimal impact walking. The plains stretch for several kilometres, bordered by the Gordon Gorge to the north, and the abandoned osmiridium mining town of Adamsfield. In the 1930's, Adamsfield was a booming town, although all that remains now is a few old huts. As we continued to cross the plains, the heat continued to soar. After another hour we had reached a point of ascent, choosing the most open spur up the slopes of The Thumbs. There were many options to choose from, but we took the most open lead, furthest to the north. It would take us straight to the summit ridge line.

Descending into the plains

Having a well earned rest

Nick taking a break

The Stepped Hills

The Stepped Hills and Gordon Gorge, on the slopes of The Thumbs

Ascending a gully near the summit

As we began to climb, Nick had found an extra burst of energy and began racing ahead, while I was stuck in the middle, Simon lagging behind. It was on the lower slopes that I stumbled across our first snake for the day, a little baby tiger. I didn't dare mention it as Simon, a Kiwi, would quite probably packed up and walked home at that point. After several breaks on the way up, I had caught up to Nick, resting on a large outcrop with an amazing view of the Gordon Gorge, and the Stepped Hills further to the north. We waited here for Simon, but after 20 minutes of waiting, he was nowhere to be seen. We decided to go looking for him, and it turned out that he had traversed on the southern side of the buttress that we had gone around, and he was sitting in a prime location, about 60 metres higher in elevation, trying to find us. From here, some large boulders had to be negotiated before we reached the final ridge. We had been climbing for some 70 minutes by now. 

Our rest stop

Clear Hill, almost at the top!

We continued up the boulders, then encountered our first real patch of scrub, a valley of knee-waist high scoparia. This was easily negotiated, and after a further 30 minutes, we had reached a small plateau, where we could see the summit spire not too far away. The ridge is fairly open, but a few places required some rock hopping. The heat was sweltering by now, easily reaching above the 30 degree mark, with a warm breeze blowing. After 20 minutes of hopping along the ridge, Nick and I had reached the sloping conglomerate slab that is the summit. The extremities of the summit were covered in a dry green moss, but climbing was easy. Simon was behind taking some photos, but joined us on the summit shortly after, followed by many shouts from the top. After about 4 hours and 45 minutes, we had reached the top.

The Denison Range

Tim Shea and The Needles

Mt Field West

The southern ridge of The Thumbs

Now we had to turn around and go the whole way back!!

Two figures on the summit

But not before we had some well earned lunch.

After a lengthy break up on top to regain some energy, we started to head back down. Initially we moved quickly, but as we kept moving, we realised how sapped our bodies were becoming, and that we needed to find water soon. Unfortunately there was not a lot to be found anywhere near the summit. We would have to wait until we reached the plains. As we reached the point where Simon had been waiting for us a few hours earlier, we all lay down, exhausted, but still a long way from home. The next part of the descent passed quickly as we pushed for the nearest creek. After about 80 minutes, we had reached a creek, just past the base of the spur. We lapped up precious water and filled our bottles, and had a well deserved rest.

Descending off the summit

Large rock formations

As we crossed the plains we kept an ear out for a second party, who we knew were heading in, with the intention of camping near the Gordon Gorge. We didn't hear or see them, but we must have only just missed them.

Almost there - Clear Hill

It took less than an hour to cross the plains for the second time, the daunting slopes of Clear Hill now directly in front of us. At only 4 metres lower in elevation, the climb back up was going to be a hard slog. After crossing the hot plains, we were again exhausted, Simon was especially beginning to feel the effects of the heat. I can best describe the heat on the plains as a giant hotplate, or perhaps a sauna - although it was not like the German sauna we have all been seeking!

Nick getting some much needed water

 We picked a different lead to ascend Clear Hill. The spur that we aimed to climb was mostly open, and used some large slabs or rock to gain height quickly. The spur lead just to the south of the summit. We had to cross a few small gullies, one containing a welcoming creek, in order to reach our final lead. It took us almost  two hours to climb to the top, although it felt much faster than this. We reached a point towards the top and beginning to become concerned with finding the track again. Our brains certainly weren't at full operating capacity after more than 9 hours of walking. We waited for Simon at this point, while we were still searching for sign of a track. Simon arrived and I decided to jump down off the boulder that we were all sitting on, and to my surprise, I landed on the track. It had been no more than 15 metres away from us all that time! From here we continued on down the track, finding some interesting rock features, one being a giant overhanging bivy cave. We reached the car at about 7pm, after setting out some 10 hours earlier. We had achieved our goal, and in good time too! We stumbled across the car of the other party parked behind us, with a banana peel on my bonnet proof that they were up to no good. We drove back to Hobart very tired, but very satisfied of our days work.

One last look back at our achievement. The Thumbs

To this day The Thumbs is up there with the best walks I have ever been on. I would love to do it again, perhaps from a different point, and spend some time exploring the area around Adamsfield. Attempting The Thumbs via Clear Hill is a very big undertaking and I suggest that is may be better enjoyed as an overnight trip, or if you do decide to attempt as a day walk, allow yourself a minimum of 10 hours, but ideally about 12 hours. Most of all, be prepared for everything. Carry plenty of water and food, and a shelter, even if you are attempting a day walk. 

Thanks to Simon for sharing some of his photos with me.

A winter wander: Mt Mueller - August 12 2012

After a weekend of heavy snowfall on the previous weekend, the thought of walking this coming weekend was enticing. After much deliberation, it was decided that a trip to Mt Mueller in the states south-west was to be our target. Three others joined me, James and Ben from the Tasmanian University Bushwalking Club, and Marco from the Hobart Walking Club.

To reach the start of the track, turn off Gordon Road onto Styx Road, a few kilometres west of Maydena. The road swings under the main road and heads south. Follow the road for 4.7km and turn right onto Mueller Road. It pays to check with Forestry Tasmania to see if a key is required for the boom gate on this road. Mueller Road is followed for 5km until a right turn onto Mueller Spur 6. Turn on your odometer, as this spur is not sign posted. The spur heads downhill for 2km, then a left turn onto a final spur leads to the track head, about 200m down the road. The start of the track is flagged with several orange tapes.

The track follows an old dozer trail, and is essentially straight right up to Fossil Lake. It was a little wet underfoot, but the solid base made for easy walking. The four of us set off from the car at about 9:30am, and almost immediately we discovered that the track was becoming quite overgrown, with bauera tangling around our ankles, making progress slower than anticipated. After 20 minutes of tangles and trips, the track opened out into a rocky base, surrounded by sphagnum moss and tall snow gums. After 50 minutes we had reached Fossil Lake. We were already walking through snow at this point. The lake had a thin film of ice over the surface. At Fossil Lake, with a bit of rummaging around, some old fossils can be found in the rocks. Due to the cold conditions, we did not stop for long, but we managed to find one fossil in a rock. From the lake, the track heads up a steep ridge to a false summit. The track to the top is quite old, and is typified by the old markers, at times nothing more than a piece of bailing twine or rope. The track became vague in places and at one point we had lost it, deciding that it was just as easy to ash our way up to the ridge. After ploughing up a few snow drifts, we reached the spine of the ridge and made good ground up the small boulder field. We stopped for a bit to eat at the top of the ridge.

A typical track marker

This one has been there for a while

The top of the ridge

Marco reaching the top of the ridge

Lunch up the top - a stunning view

The ridge continues along for almost 2km, with a highpoint just 5m lower than the true summit, an easy place to turn around, just at the beginning of the ridge. Luckily we had prior knowledge of this false summit, and we continued down the ridge to a short drop into a saddle, where the climb to true summit begins. The sky began to tease us with patches of blue appearing every few minutes, but alas, it was never sustained. We reached the summit after about 2 and a half hours of walking. We stopped for some snacks and some summit photos, before heading back about 20 minutes later.

Summit break

Ben at Fossil Lake

The view to the top

Fossils at Fossil Lake

The walk back down took about the same amount of time as the walk up. The small boulders, covered in deep snow, made for a potential broken ankle, so great care was taken on the descent. After arriving back at the lake, we made good time back down the straight dozer trail, and we arrived back at the car at about 3pm. Snow walking always makes for tired legs at the end of the day, and this walk was no exception. We were back on our way and we were back in Hobart around 4:30pm. I feel that this won't be the last time I visit Mt Mueller. The views went begging this time, and we expected that to some degree. It was more a chance just to get out of the house for a day and climb a mountain, but I suspect that I will be back on a sunny day sometime in the near future.

Mt Murchison, Lake Dove and a long drive around Tasmania

After meeting up at the university at 6:30pm on Friday the 25th of November, five of us squeezed into my little car to head up to Lake Mackintosh, eager for the walk up Mt Murchison the following day. The five were a mixed bunch. Myself and Nick from Hobart, Judith from Spain, Aye from Myanmar, and Simon from New Zealand. We would meet Alex, the crazy Uruguayan tomorrow morning.
We set off up the winding roads towards Queenstown, the sunset quite amazing as we were driving around Tarraleah. As we approached the hill descent at Gormanston the fog closed in. I could barely see 5 metres in front, so driving was very slow and cautious down here. We eventually arrived at Lake Mackintosh at around 10pm. The ground was quite hard, but we found a site that we could camp on. The mosquitoes were in full force, but they were rarely biting, just attracted to the light of our torches. We headed off to bed, and awoke to a bit of drizzle. It had rained most of the night, but we were all dry inside the tents.

The weather cleared a little and we headed into the Tullah general store to meet Alex who was coming down from Burnie. We had some breakfast and coffee, and we introduced Simon to kiss biscuits here. It was shortly after 9pm and we were off to the start of the Mt Murchison track. We signed in at the logbook at about 9:45. The sign said the walk was 5 hours return.

We set off up through the rainforest on the wide track. It was quite slippery in here, but it wasn't muddy. There was much conversation throughout as we had all only just met. Alex was very hard to keep quiet, especially around Judith! The forest ended and we were walking up a scrubby open ridge, still on excellent track. This was where I turned around on my first attempt. It started to drizzle again, but it was quite warm, and walking conditions were almost perfect. We had some good view early on heading up this ridge. It was an eerie feeling, walking up around these jagged and twisted rocks, shrouded in mist. It reminded me of something from Middle-Earth. The first major hurdle that we found was a small rock scramble. It was steep and slippery, so we made sure that everyone was up there safely before we continued on. As we got higher, the walk flattened out, and we were walking past small groves of pandani and pineapple grasses, as well as some early flowering Richea Scoparia. The summit was feeling close, yet we could not see it. As we continued up and around a large buttress, we stumbled upon another party of 5 who had started some half an hour before us. They had taken the wrong route and were looking for the track to the summit. Alex wasted no time in introducing himself, such was his character. We headed up the track, and with a bit of route finding, we were on the right path. There were several false leads up near the top. I started to get summit fever, so I dashed off in front of the group, eager to reach the summit first. I ascended a flat-walled buttress and I could see the trig station. From here there was no looking back. I waited on the summit for about 5 minutes before Simon, Nick and Alex arrived. The girls were following behind the other group of walkers. We had a short stop on top, with no views, and decided it was best to head back down as it was getting cold. It had taken us 90 minutes to reach the summit. The other group left before us, and we expected they would reach the bottom first. We ambled along, making good time back down. The track seemed much muddier on the way down. Judith and Alex were giving out Spanish lessons on the way back, and then by means of shouting, some playful flirting between Nick and Alex began, with Nick shouting out that he is guapo (good looking). We were just about to enter the forest and we looked back and could see the other group following further up the hill behind us. We couldn't figure out how they were behind us, as we hadn't passed them on the way down. They must have taken one of the false leads and fallen behind. Nick and I arrived back at the car before anyone else, but we were all out within 3 hours. The sign is very generous. We certainly weren't moving quickly and still completed the walk in under 3 hours.

After Mt Murchison we dropped into Rosebery for fuel and to have lunch, before heading down to Montezuma Falls for a quick walk. The walk in is completely flat and follows an old tramway. There are remnants of some of the bridges and there are railway sleepers on the ground in places. Near to the falls we had a peek in an old mining tunnel, where we saw some Tasmanian cave spiders. The tunnel now has a boardwalk into it, but stops after about 20 metres. I don't remember it being there 15 years ago when I first visited. Five minutes later we were at the falls. There was quite a lot of water pumping due to the amount of rain we had that day. We took some photos from the newly built suspension bridge, and stopped at the rest point at the base of the falls and then headed back to the car.

Montezuma Falls

Montezuma Falls suspension bridge

We decided that night that we would search for a better campsite, one with some shelter preferably since it was raining. I decided that we wold head up to Fossey River, which is a drivers rest area. It had toilets, a lunch shelter and an information centre, as well as soft grassy ground. It was close to the Cradle Mountain turn off which suited us as we would be going there tomorrow. We set up, some of sleeping in the information centre, some in tents. We got the gear out to cook dinner, brought out the Eski, and brought out the guitars and conga drums. We drank and sang for hours, various covers being played. It was a good night, and the rain eventually eased up. All this time there were drivers dropping in and out of the site. We were all in bed by 12:30am, ready for a big drive in the morning.

The following morning we arose to head to Cradle Mountain for a short day walk before heading off home. A few of the group had not been to Cradle before, so it seemed like a good idea to go there while we were in the area. As we drove in to the national park, the mist was thick and our hopes of a nice day were diminishing, but to our surprise, most of the iconic mountain was in view when we arrived at the Dove Lake car park. The sun had begun to shine through the clouds and it was looking like we might have a pleasant day.
We set off around Dove Lake, and after 20 minutes we hit the junction of the Mt Campbell track. The track up Mt Campbell is well marked, and climbs steeply through bands of Nothofagus gunni. After 45 minutes we were all sitting atop of the large plateau summit of Mt Campbell. We had very little visibility up the top, so we did not linger on the top, as it was also quite cold. After picking up the track again, we head on up and over Hansons Peak, and dropped down past the Twisted Lakes to have lunch at the rangers hut at the Lake Rodway track junction. We found ourselves enjoying the company of a very friendly forest raven who was intent on playing games. After lunch Simon and I decided to tackle the Little Horn. Nick had given us information on the track that leads to the summit. The rest of the group continued down the Lake Wilks track to join up to the Dove Lake track again to head back to the car. It took less than 10 minutes from the hut and we had reached the cairn that indicated the start of the Little Horn track. The track was steep, and very slippery, but we pushed on anyway. It took us no more than 20 minutes and we were on the top. We had some interesting views up here. Although we couldn't see the full bulk of Cradle Mountain, the mist surrounding Weindorfers Tower had an eerie feeling to it, and the green valley that leads to Lake Rodway looked inviting. We could see the rest of the group having a rest at Lake Wilks, in fact they spotted us first and started to yell at us. In return we mooned them, and proceeded to head back to the track, determined to catch them before the car park.

Lake Wilks

Lake Dove from Little Horn

Looking towards the Cradle Plateau

Mt Emmett and Lake Rodway

Looking east from Little Horn

Hanson's Lake 

Looking at Cradle Mountain

Weindorfer's Tower

We descended down to Lake Wilks using the chains that are in place. It was still quite slippery despite the well used track being in place. We spent a bit of time admiring the old trees in the forest, and the tangled nature of the Ballroom Forest. The old myrtles and sassafras were simply beautiful. We caught the rest of the group not far past the boat shed, and we walked on in to the car park together.

The rest of the day would be spent in the car, heading back to Hobart, via a compulsory coffee stop at Elizabeth Town. We had just completed over 800km, and travelled around the entire state in only 2.5 days, as well as climbing a few mountains. We had a great time despite the weather not being ideal. The places we visited are certainly ones I will happily revisit in the future.