Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 021 - Thredbo

 

Day:	021
Date:	Monday, 4 April 2011
Start:	Hotel in Thredbo
Finish:	Hotel in Thredbo
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	0
Total Kilometres:	447.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	None
People Encounters	Plenty
Weather:	Very cold with heavy frost early, sunny and mild later
Pictures:	None
Journal:	I had a quiet day in Thredbo, eating, washing, strolling around town, reading the paper and updating my diary. The highlights were probably the purchase of $5 gloves and a $5 beanie at some ski store clearance sales to help keep me warm in the next few days at altitude. Planning to make a 7am start tomorrow to get the daunting 400m climb from Thredbo to the top of the chairlift (where I rejoin the official AAWT route after the detour via Thredbo) with a fully-loaded (five days food) pack out of the way early. For the next couple of days I will be around 2000m much of the time in area known for bad weather. I will also be walking cross-country for much of the route, so the weather needs to be acceptable. Fortunately, the forecast is reasonable, and I'm looking forward to some great hiking.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 020 - Tin Mine Huts to Thredbo

 

Day:	020
Date:	Sunday, 3 April 2011
Start:	Tin Mine Huts
Finish:	Hotel in Thredbo
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	24.8 AAWT, 4.0 to Thredbo
Total Kilometres:	447.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies, kangaroos, snake
People Encounters	One mountain-biker and one walker on trail near Thredbo, plenty in Thredbo
Weather:	Very cold with heavy frost early, sunny and mild later
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	It was a very cold night and I slept badly on the narrow wood bed for fear of falling off, or losing my sleeping mat or pillow onto the floor as I changed position in my mummy sleeping bag. I was glad when I saw it was 6:30am (actually now 5:30am as Daylight Saving ended overnight) and time to get up. It was still quite dark and there was a thick frost on the ground outside. I packed up by headlamp and ate breakfast, including two hot drinks, using the last of my supplies. I got going soon after 7am, Standard Time, wearing most of my warm clothes and enjoyed the warmth generated by the walking on what was now a beautiful sunny morning along a pretty snowgum lined trail. The walking was very pleasant and I was in good spirits with a relatively light pack, and the prospect of a spectacular day's walking and a day off tomorrow. I was to follow the Cascade Trail most of the day which followed the Great Divide. I had 24km to reach Dead Horse Gap and my food drop, and decided to break it into three 8km sections with a short break between which I hoped would get me to the food drop by 1:30pm. That is pretty much how it worked out, with the trail gradually climbing higher and higher, always easy walking, and yielding more views and finally some beautiful snow plains, with the backdrop of Kosciusko and the Main Range. I had some difficulty finding my food drop and feared for a few minutes that it had been taken, but the GPS came to the rescue again and all was well. I loaded up my next five days food, and ate most of the treats as my lunch, before leaving about 2:30pm for the remaining 4km into Thredbo, the ski village where I hoped to get a room for the next two nights. The single-track 4km walk from Dead Horse Gap to Thredbo alongside the Thredbo River in the late afternoon sunshine was a fitting end to a very pleasant day. When I got to Thredbo, I found a room at the hotel at a reasonable price and was early enough to catch the exciting final quarter of the Sydney vs Essendon AFL game, have a shower, get a load of washing done and enjoy a very spicy take-out Mexican pizza in front of the evening news. Thredbo is very quiet, with almost nothing open.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 019 - Cowombat Flat Tk to Tin Mine Huts

 

Day:	019
Date:	Saturday, 2 April 2011
Start:	Cowombat Flat Track
Finish:	Tin Mine Huts
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	31.3
Total Kilometres:	422.3 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies
People Encounters	Two 4WDs
Weather:	Cold early then mostly sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	While I was having breakfast, two 4WDs drove past along Cowombat Track (which is closed 4 km further along) and then returned about an hour later with what looked like a load of school students who had been hiking. They must have been camped a few kilometres up the road. It was cold early again and I walked the first hour with warm gear on. For a change, my whole day's walking was going to be along fire trails and four-wheel-drive tracks meaning fast walking and no navigation problems. The first 15 km along Cowombat Track was along the lower slopes of the Cobberas Mountains. It was quite pleasant but deeply forested with few views. Finally the track emerged onto Cowombat Flat, a beautiful large grassy area on the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria. At this point the river is just a stream and can be jumped across (without a pack!). The eerie beauty of the place is enhanced by the remains of a plane, an RAAF C-47 Dakota, which crashed here in 1953, killing one crew member. I had the place to myself and crossed into New South Wales and spread out my tent and sleeping bag to dry while I ate lunch in the sun. After lunch I had a steady climb up to Snowgum Track which then followed a relatively flat ridge at about 1500m for 5 kilometers. There were enough trees to limit views, but I did get my first sight of the Kosciusko Main Range, my route in a few days time, as well as other ranges near and far. I then rejoined Cowombat Track and followed that another 8 km to the Tin Mine Huts. Old miners huts, one has been repaired enough for hikers to use by the National Parks Service, which I did. It was pretty bare and gloomy, but will save me putting up my tent. This is a beautiful location on a small grassy flying over-looking the Ingeegoodbee River flats, backed by mountains. It got very cold very quickly when the sun went down. I had some extra food left and had two main courses. I'm always hungry! Tomorrow, I get to my next food drop, which I will pick up near Dead Horse Gap, then hike into the ski village of Thredbo and have a day off. Looking forward to it.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 018 - Buckwong Creek to Cowombat Flat Tk

 

Day:	018
Date:	Friday, 1 April 2011
Start:	Buckwong Creek plus 1km
Finish:	Cowombat Flat Track
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	20.7
Total Kilometres:	391.0 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies
People Encounters	None
Weather:	Cold early then mostly sunny and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I had a good night's sleep and set off at 9 AM in good spirits, a little cold and still wearing warm gear. The guide book indicated there was a lot of "poorly defined" trail today and I was determined to be careful. The early trail was through the eucalypt forest with some scrub and my route-finding was helped by someone who had put out pink ribbon as markers to compensate for the paucity of official markers. I disturbed a couple of families of brumbies on the way and stopped after an hour take off my warm gear. Trail-finding without the markers is very difficult because the brumbies have worn many trails and it's easy to follow a wrong track. At one point I came across a dead horse lying in the middle of the track. Pretty smelly and fly-blown and I was holding my breath as I walked past. I eventually reached the mis-named Misery Trail on a ridge and enjoyed walking along through the snowgum forest. Around 11 AM I followed a wrong trail and found myself off-trail and trying to work out where I was and in which direction I should go in the forest. My mood sank, and I wasted 30 to 45 minutes crashing around on the scrubby hillsides. I fell twice in 10 minutes, twisting both knees in succession quite awkwardly. At last I located Macs Creek Track and found the right route soon after noon. After a break, I continued on the next "poorly defined" section of trail which again proved difficult to follow and included a very steep and awkward descent. Without getting lost on the section, I made better time than expected and reached a nice lunch spot next to the very pretty and fast flowing Dead Horse Creek. I took advantage of the sun to dry my tent and sleeping bag while I ate. Alas, as I left I followed some wrong ribbons and misunderstood where I was on the map, made a navigational error and wasted another hour crashing around on scrubby hillsides following misleading brumby trails. Eventually I got back on the right track and reached Limestone Creek Track in the mid-afternoon. After a slippery steep descent (falling once) and fording the fast flowing Creek, I had my last break before tackling the final "poorly defined" section of the day. I was tired and the 6 km of following faint trail on the steep sides of Stony Creek wasn't much fun. I strayed a few times but didn't get badly lost. The section finished with the steep and rocky ascent of a spur and I reached Cowombat Track, my goal for the day, at 7 PM. It was getting dark and I quickly set up camp, washed and ate. It wasn't as cold as last night but I expect a heavy dew again.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 017 - Johnnies Track to Buckwong Creek

 

Day:	017
Date:	Thursday, 31 March 2011
Start:	Johnnies Track & Beloka Range Track Junction
Finish:	Buckwong Creek plus 1km
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	26.2
Total Kilometres:	370.3 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, brumbies
People Encounters	Two 4WDs, two logging trucks
Weather:	Cold foggy and overcast in the morning, sunny and mild in the afternoon
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I woke at 7 AM to a fairly thick fog and still air. Everything was very damp and it was cold. Still that way when I started walking at 9 AM along Johnnies Top Track. After a couple of kilometres on the fire trail I reached Johnnies Top (1556m) and then began following a faint trail down a long spur. The trail was easy enough to follow and I enjoyed walking through the snowgum forest on the gentle downgrade in the fog. After a few hours the fog cleared and after a final steep descent I reached the end of the spur and Buenba Creek. I was supposed to follow it upstream but first had to cross Corner Creek, which turned out to be very marshy with several channels. My feet got wet again. Curses! Eventually I reached drier ground and then followed brumby trails parallel with the creek along the treed grassy flats. There were lots of horse droppings but no brumbies. There were also lots of boggy bits. Pleasant walking, nevertheless. Eventually I reached the Buenba Hut site on a grassy plain. The only evidence of the hut was a couple of poplar trees. It had been farmed once and there were traces of fences and gates. I had lunch under the poplars and spread out my tent, sleeping bag, etc., to dry in the pleasant sunshine. After lunch the trail, again faint, climbed gradually through scrubby country to eventually reach Mt Hope Road, where two logging trucks were parked with the drivers having a yarn. They chatted with me for a while and offered me water and to charge my phone. Nice guys. By now it was after 4 PM and the balance of the day was easy walking down a fire trial as far as Buckwong Creek. From there I followed the creek upstream for a kilometre until I found a campsite by a small tributary after seeing some brumbies along the way. It was all a little damp and grassy and will be wet in the morning. I could hear dingoes or feral dogs howling as I went to bed at 8:30 PM.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 016 - Taylors Crossing to Johnnies Track

 

Day:	016
Date:	Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Start:	Taylors Crossing
Finish:	Johnnies Track & Beloka Range Track Junction
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	21.6
Total Kilometres:	344.1 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, cows
People Encounters	Bridge workers, one vehicle
Weather:	Mostly overcast, intermittent showers
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	During the night some people turned up on the other side of the river and were walking around the construction site (the bridge is being worked on) by torchlight. Later I heard a couple of gun shots. However, no-one came near me. I had a good night's sleep and got up at 7 AM to a very dewy and damp camp. Lots of condensation in the tent. I didn't hurry my packing and left at 9 AM. The first 6 km was along quiet rural roads, the first and only time that the AAWT passes through a "settled" area. I enjoyed the easy walking. Then it was back onto faint foot trails as I climbed over a hill then made a long slow descent on a narrow difficult hillside path to Morass Creek, which lived up to its name. It was dirtyish water (came from farmland), quite wide and very marshy with multiple channels. I could not be bothered changing into my running shoes and gradually worked my way across the channels. The water was knee deep and flowing and my boots and socks got wet. On the other side I scrambled up the bank and climbed away from the valley on another faint trail through scrubby forest. However a little higher up it became open forest and grassy underfoot and quite pleasant walking. I crossed the Corryong-Benambra Road and began a steady climb up onto the Beloka Range. It was mostly gum forest with some scrub and occasionally rocky outcrops. The forest obscured views and nearer the top the route followed an overgrown firetrail. However, it wasn't as bad as past days and my pace was reasonable. I had lunch in a saddle about 1:30 PM, knowing I only had another 10 kilometers to go. Soon after, I joined a clear fire trail and the rest of the afternoon was spent following cleared fire trails higher and higher along the Beloka Range. Just before 5 PM I reach the Johnnies Track Junction where I had hidden my next food dump. I didn't find it first go, which was a little concerning, but found it easily on the second go with my GPS. I then had a drawn-out evening meal along with my treats and definitely over-ate. I was in bed soon after 8 PM.

Australian Alps Walking Track - Day 015 - Mt Wills Hut to Taylors Crossing

 

Day:	015
Date:	Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Start:	Mt Wills Hut
Finish:	Taylors Crossing
Camp Location	Here
Daily Kilometres:	26.1
Total Kilometres:	322.5 AAWT
Animal Encounters	Birds, snake, kangaroos
People Encounters	One hiker, several vehicles
Weather:	Partly cloudy and mild
Pictures:	Here
Journal:	I didn't sleep all that well. Maybe the metal bed was too hard. I got up at 7:30 AM to what looked like another perfect day. The hut was on a clear grassy crest on top of Mount Wills (1757m) and had great views to the east. I didn't leave till around 9 AM and after a little bit of initial trouble finding the trail to Mt Wills South (1621m), I picked it up. It went through grassy wooded snowgum forest and although faint, was followable. The views east and west were great and I really enjoyed the walking. There were also boulder outcrops adding to the beautiful scenery. No views from Mt Wills South, which was the last peak of the Bogong High Plains. From here I followed overgrown foot tracks and fire trails through increasingly dense forest. Also some blackberries. On the way down I met a hiker on the way up who had just started a week's hike south along the AAWT. We had a brief chat and continued on our separate ways. I reached the Omeo Road about 11:30 AM and had my first break. The next sections involved quite a lot of scrub-bashing along older overgrown fire trails though not as bad as a few days ago and not wet. On the other hand I picked up lots of spider-webs and bugs. It wasn't very pleasant hiking but I could follow the trail and make reasonable time. The route went downhill to Gill Creek which was ankle deep and, after working out the shallowest route, I dashed across. On the other side was more very old overgrown fire trail which climbed steeply uphill for a few kilometres until it reached a ridge where I stopped and had late lunch. Another tedious section. Here I joined a better forest road for another long descent into the valley of the Mitta Mitta River in a semi-rural valley. I reached Taylors Crossing, a pedestrian suspension bridge across the Mitta Mitta, where there was a designated hikers campsite. It was 6:30 PM and I had time for a quick nude dip in the river before cooking dinner. I'm a little ahead of schedule and have a relatively easy day tomorrow to my next food dump. Went to bed at 9 PM. Star-filled night but already a heavy dew.