Name the lakes

Today I did the Lakes Walk. Well, that is what it was called in the past anyway; these days it goes by the name of Main Range Track. It is a 20 km loop walk from Charlotte's Pass to Mt. Kosciuszko, one half along the ridge of the main range, the other half along the old summit road. You can do the walk from Thredbo, you just need to add another 12 km to the length by walking from the top of the chairlift to Rawsons Pass and back. I wasn't sure whether I would be up for 32 km at this stage of my "get fit" programme, so I drove to Charlotte's Pass. 

You have the choice of doing the loop clockwise or anti-clockwise. Which direction you choose depends on whether you like short very steep inclines or longer steep inclines. If you go anti-clockwise you walk the more picturesque half first, but you have two long climbs, first up Mt Carruthers and then the Kosciuszko north ridge. Going clockwise you do the 9 km summit road first, which climbs very gradually, but you then have a short steep climb up the south-west ridge to Mt Carruthers and then again a short, but very steep incline from the Snowy River up to Charlotte's Pass (colloquially known as  Heart Attack Hill), right at the end of the walk. I chose the anti-clockwise direction. Since I last walked the track it has been built out by National Parks to make it more erosion proof. The first few kilometres are actually paving stones, like a garden path. Once you are past Blue Lake it turns more natural, which I prefer. The path is well recognisable all the way, so I don't need to explain anything about it. I completed the whole loop in 4 1/2 hours. There are some great views of the western slopes along the way.

The first few kilometres are a paved garden path

Crossing the Snowy River

The view from top of Mt Carruthers from Kosciuszko on the left via Mt Townsend to Watsons Crags on the right

The view down to Victoria from Mt Carruthers

As I mentioned in the beginning, the track used to be called the Lakes Walk, because it passes five glacial lakes. To test the part of my readership who have lived up here, or are regular visitors, I show you the lakes in random order, without names. If you can name them all (use the comments section), I'll buy you a beer when you next visit me. For the others, enjoy the pictures; I will take you on the walk when you next visit me and if you can name them afterwards you will get a beer too.

Lake number one

Lake number two

Lake number three

Lake number four

Lake number five

The second half of the walk was from Mt. Kosciusko back to Charlotte's Pass along the old summit road. This is not as picturesque as the narrow and steeper first half, but you pass by Seamans Hut and you cross the Snowy River over a bridge, instead of rock hopping. Once you get closer to Charlotte's Pass you will find some beautiful Snowgums along the road.

The first half is narrower and steeper

Seamans Hut

Ancient Snowgum near Charlotte's Pass

Given that it is only a week until Christmas I also want to show you that we can have a white Christmas in Australia, I took these pictures just past Mueller's Pass. Somebody must have built it since I walked past there on my way back from Mt Townsend last Saturday.

For most of today's walk I could see Mt Twynam, which is Australia's third highest mountain; I think I will make it one of my next exercises.

Mt Twynam, third highest and top of my list

Ramshead Ramble

After climbing Australia's highest two peaks two days ago, today I spent a few hours walking to the fourth highest, Ramshead, which is one of my favourite patches in the Snowy Mountains. I headed off along the Kosciuszko walkway until the Kosciuszko Lookout, where I left the grid walk and climbed up onto the ridge to the west. There are no walking tracks in the Ramshead area, so you should take a map and compass. It doesn't take long to get up to the high plateau and you will see the rocky peak of North Ramshead in front of you. There are many rocky hills all along the plateau, but North Ramshead is the highest and set back from the ridge that you just climbed (you can't see it from the Kosci walk below). If you want to climb up to the top of North Ramshead, the easiest way seems to be on its south east flank, but you will still have to scale some rocks. I skirted around the northern end of it to make my way across the valley to the ridge that leads up to Ramshead. Just as I came around the northern corner I stumbled upon a mob of three brumbies having a rest. At first they didn't notice me, but once I started using the camera they got up and looked at me. I was surprised that they didn't take off straight away. As a matter of fact, they didn't move until I walked way past them, when they took off down towards the creek.

Having a rest

Better show the best side for the photographer

For all of you who are not familiar with Australian terminology, brumbies are wild horses. They are not native to Australia, but descended from horses that were set loose for one reason or another. One guy that set some horses free was Sergeant James Brumby, when he moved from Hunter's Hill to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) in 1797, and that's where the name comes from. There are many legends and stories about brumbies in the Snowy Mountains and it is good to see some in the wild. I also saw evidence that they don't just live up in the mountains, but also die up here, on my walk up the top via Dead Horse Gap last week (making the name very apt).

Near Dead Horse Gap

Once I was past the brumbies I headed up the broad ridge of Ramshead, which takes you first to "Central Ramshead" from which you have a great view across the valley and the headwaters of the creek that ends up in the Thredbo water supply. If you look the other direction you can see Ramshead just under a kilometre away to the south-west.

The view from Central Ramshead towards Thredbo

The view to Ramshead 

I walked straight towards Ramshead and then scrambled up the rocks to the top. As I found out on my way down from the top, there is an easier way: Skirt around Ramshead to the left (eastern side) and you will find a gully with snow grass leading all the way to the top. The views from Ramshead are very good, so it is definitely worth climbing up to the summit.

The view west, down Leatherbarrel Creek

The view north with Lake Cootapatamba, Mt Kosciuszko and
Mt Townsend (right to left)

The view south towards South Ramshead (and the Cascades
on the left)

Alpine Sunrays on the way down

The gully down from the top was all snow grass and flowers

I backtracked my way to North Ramshead, but instead of heading back down to the grid walkway I stayed up on the ridge and headed towards the top of Karel's T-Bar. Along the way you will have to cross the creek, and I fount that it was easiest higher up. Further down the valley it got very rocky. The area between North Ramshead and the top of Karel's is full of inspiring rock formations, representing all sorts of creatures (well, to me anyway).

I went around North Ramshead to the right and stayed on the ridge.

Father and Son

Tortoise

Man wearing beret

Big Frog

Most of the walk can be done on snow grass. There are a few wet areas to cross, and here you just need to take care to use rocks or snow grass pads, rather than trampling the bog, which is very fragile. I found it quite easy going and the whole tour only took me about 3 1/2 hours.

Tread lightly through the wet areas

Top of Karel's T-Bar. It may look like a heritage museum, but
it is actually still in use.

Australia's second highest mountain

In my last post I promised that I will send a photo looking from the main range down the western fall to Geehi, as soon as the weather was good enough to get up there. I had to wait just over a week, during which it rained on and off and there was low hanging cloud, which restricted my walking to the lower areas of Thredbo. I managed to walk from the village up to the top on three different days, taking a different route each time. Yesterday I finally woke up to cloudless skies. After my daily intake of weet-bix I had a coffee on my balcony for a final weather-check before heading out.

Weather check from my balcony, not a cloud in sight!

I got to the bottom station of the chairlift just before 8.30, when I thought they would open. Unfortunately I was a bit over-enthusiastic, the lift doesn't open to the public until 9 AM, so if you plan to set out early for a walk in the main range you either need to walk to the top, or drive across to Charlotte's Pass. I spent the half hour soaking up the morning sun and watching the lift crew getting the chairs racked on to the lift.

Bottom, middle and top of the chairlift journey

For those of you that are not familiar with the Australian Alps, Mt Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia. Even though the chairlift in Thredbo is called the "Kosciuszko Express" it doesn't actually go up it, but it takes about 600 vertical metres out of your journey to it. From the top of the chairlift there is an undulating walk to Rawsons Pass and from there you ascend to the actual Mt. Kosciusko. The walk between the top station and the foot of Mt. Kosciusko is about 5 kilometres, most of it raised on metal grids, which have a pleasant bounce that adds a spring to your step.

The iron walk way, with a first glimpse of Mt. Kosciuszko (the middle one)

The raised walk way prevents erosion by the thousands of people who conquer Kosciuszko each year. It seems to work very well and you can enjoy unspoilt alpine flora all along the way; during December and January there are many wild flowers in bloom. About half way along the path crosses the headwaters of the Snowy River. If you have been following my blog, this is the river along which I drove down to the coast when I first started my trip around Australia, so I have now seen it in all stages of its being.

A pretty brook

Turns into a powerful mountain stream

Calming down near the coast

Just before you get to Rawsons Pass at the foot of Mt Kosciuszko you can see Lake Cootapatamba, which is the highest lake in Australia and one of only a handful of glacial lakes on the continent. 

Lake Cootapatamba at the foot of Mt Kosciusko

Once you get to Rawsons Pass you can take advantage of Australia's highest toilets, which have been built since I was up here last. Given the popularity of Mt Kosciuszko as a tourist destination it makes sense to provide facilities so that people don't get caught out and have to step behind a rock, because there are no trees up here. 

I actually walked up Mt. Kosciusko only three days before this walk, on a grey rainy day, more for the exercise than the views. Yesterday my goal was first and foremost to go and take a picture of the western slopes, so I turned off the summit road, along the main range track, towards Muellers Pass with a plan to ultimately reach Mt Townsend, Australia's second highest peak.

I turned right along the Main Range Track

I last walked up to Mt Townsend 22 years ago, when some friends wanted to paraglide down the western falls. I remembered that the track skirts around the south western flank of Mueller's Peak. Walking down the main range track to Mueller's pass I could make out the track in the distance, but once I got down to the pass there wasn't a discernible beginning. So I walked up the hill from the pass a little bit and then cut to the left, slightly downhill in the hope to meet the track further along. It worked and only couple of hundred metres in I found a small, but well recognisable track. It is easy to follow, until you get to a rocky ravine about half way across the flank of Mueller's peak. From there the track is marked with small stone cairns on the rocks. 

There should be a track to the left somewhere here...

That's what it looks like once you find it

Can you see the cairn marking the track?

I got to the little plateau at the foot of Mt Townsend after about 2 1/2 hours walking from the top of the chairlift. From here to the Summit you have to scramble across rocks. If that is not your thing, you can minimise the climbing and skirt around the peak, still getting great views in all different directions.

The summit of Mt Townsend

The view down the western fall. The grassy area in the back is Geehi,
only 8 km away, but 1700 metres lower

The view east, across to Mt. Kosciuszko

Before heading back I took a little detour towards Alice Rawson Peak. This is definitely worthwhile for the views of Lake Albina and Watsons Crags, where the Main Range looks its most rugged. 

Lake Albina

Watsons Crags

On the way back I somehow missed the track and got a bit too far down into Wilkinsons Valley between Mt. Townsend and Mt Kosciusko. On a sunny day with clear visibility that is no drama, as you are never really lost, there are plenty of visible landmarks, and I simply headed towards Mueller's peak until I picked up the track again. I took a panoramic picture from Wilkinsons Valley that includes Kosciuszko and Townsend. It didn't turn out very well, but the reason I mention it is that back on the main range track there was a wedgetail eagle soaring only about 50 metres directly above me. I reached for the camera, turned it on and it started preparing itself for another panoramic picture.... by the time I changed the setting the eagle was gone, so sorry, no picture of rare birds!

Once I reached the summit road I figured that to round off my blog post for you I might as well take a picture of Mt Townsend from Mt Kosciuszko, so I turned right and walked up to the summit. As can be expected on a perfect day, there were crowds gathering, almost queuing to take their selfie with the trig marker as proof that they conquered Mt. Kosciuszko. I only stayed long enough to get the opportunity of taking a picture of Townsend without someone standing in front of it and then headed back to Thredbo.

Kosciuszko Summit

Mt Townsend from the summit

To finish this post I want to show you some of the alpine flowers that you can expect this time of year and a picture of the Ramshead Range, which is my next project for an alpine ramble.

Billy Button

A field of wild flowers

The Ramshead Range (4th highest in Australia)