Across The Roof of Australia
We did this four day walk over Easter 2002 as a part of our preparation and training for our walk along the Kokoda Track in June 2002.
We began walking at Guthega power station and headed uphill on the track past the surge tank that leads to Schlink Pass. We reached Whites River Hut by late afternoon and settled in there for the night. On the following day, we did a day walk to Mt Gungartan and across to Tin Hut where we had lunch. We returned via beautiful rolling hills of the Kerries, and back past the Schlink Pass Hilton to the hut where we found a number of other people with tents set up in the flat area outside.
On the next day, we climbed up through the snow gums towards Mt Dicky Cooper Bogong and then turned left to walk across the rolling grounds towards Stephen Consett Pass. The weather had closed in and visibility was down to about 100 metres. I was grateful for my new GPS and the ability to follow the arrow to the next way point. By the time that we reached the pass, the weather had cleared and we could get a good view of Guthega Village. We stopped at the base of Mt Tate and took a 400 metre detour to the peak of this fifth highest peak in Australia. We camped late in the chilly afternoon by a stream near Mt Anderson.
We woke to a bright and sunny day and after breakfast and packing up, we headed past Mt Twynum and descended to Blue Lake. From here, we joined the Main Range circuit track and along past the Sentinel and Lake Albina. We stopped off at some portable toilets at the end of the Kosciusko Road which some of our party were very happy to find. After a quick trip up to the summit we set up camp in a valley to the north east of Mt Kosciusko. In the afternoon we climbed to the top of Mt Townsend and returned to our camp for dinner.
It had been a cold night and the water in the shallow pool near our tents had frozen over. Chris had left his shirt outside his tent and it was so frosty that he could hold out at right angles. We decided that instead of walking across to the Rams Head Range we would return to Charlotte Pass so we walked across country and picked up the road after crossing the Snowy River.
Bob and I finished the walk with an overnight camp at Geehi and a welcome wash in the Swampy Plains River.
Hi.
My husband, son and I are planning on going to Mt Kosciusko this summer walking and camping for a few nights. Could you please recommend a good guide book that you used for your walks.
Many thanks.
Rique
Rique,
The guide book that I have used is called “Snowy Mountain Walks” by the Geehi Bushwalking Club. Another good one, especially because it describes a lot of day walks in the Kosciuszko area is “Family Bushwalks in the Snowy Mountains – A Pocket Guide to Day Walks in Kosciuszko National Park” by Geoff Whale.
You should be able to find these by Googling the title. I expect that you would find them at most specialist bushwalking suppliers and map shops.
Hope you enjoy your time at Kosciuszko – it’s a great place!
Bruce
Bruce,
Thanks for the plug, I hope Rique made use of it. For every person who goes on a pack walk as you did there are a hundred who head off along the walkway from the chairlift in tee shirt and thongs and no water, and wonder why they end up cold and thirsty. They need both common-sense info, and also to know that there are many other tracks than just the crowded one to the summit.
You presumably had the first edition, the second (with more walks) was published late last year. Details are at http://www.grwpub.info/snowy
Regards,
— Geoff