Mount Wedge - 28th January 2012

A quite warm sunny day was forecast, great for a walk as long as you stay hydrated. I hadn't been to Mount Wedge before, and have been looking at The Abels Volume 2 in which the walk is described. The other walk out there that I'd like to do is The Sentinels, and I knew there would be good views of them from Mount Wedge.

The walk starts at a small carpark, about 43km west of Maydena. The track is marked, and the first bit is part of a nature trail loop. The nature trail seems to have received little attention lately. You can finish the loop easily on the return. Part-way around the loop, the Mount Wedge track is signposted. It heads first clearly through the forest, then a little obscurely up through some cutting grass, and across the line of power poles that carries the Gordon power station's electricity. Emerging on a forestry road, the way goes left along the road for a few hundred metres and then turns off to the right into the forest. The track quickly starts to climb steeply through very pretty open rainforest. It was dry underfoot the other day, and the track looks as if even when wet, it would make good walking. The climb is substantial and largely sustained. The track eventually passes pandanni, then teatree, before emerging in lower scrub on steep dolerite ground. A couple of quite steep slippery bits take you up onto a rocky ridge, from where the walking is quite open along the ridge to the summit. the summit has a small telecommunications structure, a helipad and a trig point. the telecom structure has a space in the doorway which could provide some shelter in poor weather, but this mountain looks like it would be extremely exposed to the westerly elements, and not the place to be at those times. The retrace is easy. I particularly found the walk down through the forest to be very easy despite the gradient. I have a feeling the track is not heavily used, and would not be as easy if it was eroded by more traffic.

Views from the top were superb, with too many mountains visible to mention, along with views of the hydro lakes nearby both north and south.

The Coronets and Franklands beyond the east ridge of The Sentinels, from Mount Wedge - 28th January 2012

Mount Solitary, currently an island in the Huon-Serpentine Impoundment, Western Arthurs beyond from Mount Wedge - 28th January 2012

The flanks of The Coronets sweep down to the current lake. Real Lake Pedder lies beneath these waters between The Franklands and The Coronets, from Mount Wedge - 28th January 2012

Collins Bonnet - 27th January 2012

It was a generally warm weekend, and I decided to go to Collins Bonnet from Myrtle Forest on the Friday, having booked a day off. It was a good walk with really good views.

Sleeping Beauty's nose from the summit of Collins Bonnet, Huon Valley beyond - 27th January 2012

Icehouse Track, Mount Wellington - 26th January 2012

Cloud about the Mount Wellington Summit - 26th January 2012

Isaac and I headed off for some un-Australian activity on Australia Day. It was a somewhat dull and cloudy, but quite warm as we headed off up the Icehouse Track from The Springs. We met some people a few minutes below the turnoff to the upper icehouse. They had missed the turnoff, as it isn't marked as such. if looking for this short turnoff, it is only a couple of minutes down from the flat area at the South Wellington saddle. There is actually a signpost at the turnoff, but it merely points up and down the Icehouse Track and indicates that it is indeed, the Icehouse Track. Behind the sign a short track heads slightly uphill to the Icehouse. This upper set of remains is the easiest to view as it is out in the open.

There was a cool breeze as we wandered across the plateau, and then down the ZigZag Track in short order. Isaac needed to be at an Australia Day party, so hanging around wasn't allowed.

Spreading Cheeseberry, Cyathodes straminea, Mount Wellington - 26th January 2012