Pages

Friday, 8 August 2014

Mount Arthur - Northern Tasmania

Friday 8th August 2014

Along Mount Arthur Ridge
This was my second walk in Northern Tasmania. The start of the walk is reached by driving out along Lilydale Road and then turning into Mountain Road and following this for 3.7 kms. to a sign which states " No parking past here". There is a small parking area adjacent.
On the drive out the range had appeared cloud free so I was hoping for a good day. I set off walking up the road and soon encountered a sign indicating the start of the track. This was about 230 metres from the car park.
Forest Track
The track was easy to follow and was marked quite well with tapes. The track climbed steadily through dampish forest and at about 2.5 kms. from the start the rocks began to increase in size. There were a few trees down caused by the recent windy weather, but nothing too bad. As I started to climb through the rocky section the cloud started rolling in and pretty soon visibility was reduced a fair bit. When I finally reached the summit ridge the cloud parted a little so I had some fleeting views.
Nearing the Ridgeline
At this point I was still about 1.0 km from the actual summit but could not see where that was. I just carried along the summit ridge, passing many masts and towers and solar panels and wind generators and other stuff.
As I neared the summit the large cairn appeared out of the mist so I had to climb up to it. Surprisingly as I reached the top the cloud lifted completely and I was treated to the good views. The reverse usually happens.
Summit Cairn
Actually climbing up to the cairn was quite tricky as the rocks were rather slippery and there were some very deep holes between the rocks that I would not like to have fallen in. Climbing back down was probably worse.
Summit Ridge
After about ten minutes the cloud returned as I made my way back along the ridge. As I was descending, I came across a group of what looked like school kids and teachers on their way up. They were having a rest just where the rocks started. I continued on down and managed to slip over once where this group had made it a little slippery but arrived back at the car okay, just a little dirty.
This was a good walk and would have been better if I could have seen better where I was going along the top. Never the less I enjoyed it.
Distance: 8.6 kms.
Time: 3'50" ( the sign states 5 hours return)
Ascent: 700 metres
Click here to download GPX track.
Fungi along the track

Along the summit ridge

Along the summit ridge

Along the summit ridge




Posted by at
Labels:
Location: Lilydale TAS 7268, Australia

12 comments :

  1. Chris Andrews16 August 2016 at 22:58

    I see on your map that your path doesn't coincide with the "Mount Arthur track". Did you follow another track or is the mount Arthur track in the wrong place on the map?

    I gather that you walked this solo - do you carry an EPIRB on a walk like this?

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis17 August 2016 at 06:24

      Thanks for your comments, Chris. The path shown on the map is incorrect and I followed the correct track which is clearly marked. I always carry an EPIRB, even when on less isolated walks. It stays in my pack permanently.

      Delete
  2. Chris Andrews17 August 2016 at 09:00

    Thanks Denis. You've got great blog here. What PLB do you have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis17 August 2016 at 09:27

      Thanks Chris. I have a GME ACCUSAT MT410G which you can purchase for about $280.00.
      It is GPS enabled and is supposed to be accurate to about 45 metres. There are probably more around these days as mine is about 5 years old.

      Delete
  3. Chris Andrews1 August 2018 at 21:24

    Hi Dennis, I finally climbed Mount Arthur today! I've been watching the weather for a good day for a few weeks, and today has been predicted to be good for a while now, and it was! I had a clear sky and just a light wind which gave me great views from the top and it was quite comfortable on the alpine Plateau. Just a small addendum: there is now another small car park at the start of the track and the sign warning of no parking space is no longer there. The taping on the track has dilapidated since you were there four years ago: some sections are well-marked and others are not up to scratch. Fortunately, I had your GPX route loaded for reference so I couldn't go too far wrong. It's a great walk with great views, but hard on the knees! All the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis2 August 2018 at 07:03

      Glad you enjoyed the walk, Chris. I thought it was a good walk when I did it and the views were really good. Cheers.

      Delete
    2. Chris Andrews18 August 2018 at 07:20

      Denis,I put my Mt Arthur photos up on my blog, if you'd like to see them: https://journeyanddestination.jimdo.com/climbing-mount-arthur/

      Delete
    3. Denis18 August 2018 at 08:11

      Thanks for that Chris. Great photos and looks like you had an awesome day for your walk.

      Delete
  4. Unknown3 July 2020 at 20:48

    Hi Denis. My 10yr old son wants to climb Mount Arthur. We love walks. Mount Barrow was great, we walked from the bottom car park. But we just did Quamby Brook today. We stopped when we got to the bolders. Is the climbing the bolders dangerous on Mount Arthur? What's a EPIRB? I love reading your blogs and stunning photos. Also We just melted at the views in Mount Barrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis4 July 2020 at 08:21

      Thanks for your comments. There is a track that goes across the top of Mount Arthur so the boulders are okay but of course can be slippery if wet. An EPIRB is an emergency position indicating radio beacon. Strictly speaking an EPIRB is mostly used on boats whereas a PLB (Personal Locating Beacon) is carried by bush walkers or in vehicles. They are essentially the same thing but the PLB is smaller. They are to alert emergency services if you get lost or injured. Probably a good idea to carry one if venturing out to remote locations especially with youngsters.

      Delete
  5. Unknown4 July 2020 at 18:20

    Awesome. Thank you for getting back to me. I said to my Husband, "what a great feeling you commented back so quick". I googled the EPIRB after I sent my comment. My son is on a mission, to walk all the mountains in Tassie. We live in Trevallyn Launceston. We have the Cateract Gorge and the Dam behind us. We have been practicing up there. We have many tracks up there. Very lucky we are. Good Practice for Mountain adventures. We go on walks all together usually. There is Me, Darren, Max and Marli. Darren has a back problem ATM. So it's usually Me, Max and Marli. Marli is now coming on every second one... If in an emergency we definitely need the safety device. Darren n I used to walk heaps back in the 90's. Darren wants us all to do the Overland track. So we get good practice in before that. Not for a few yrs yet. Im in Love with the walks, the silence and the accomplishment of what we've just achieved. And Best of All the Memories....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denis4 July 2020 at 20:54

      Yes, I know what you mean about the feelings you get when you do the walks and great that you are introducing the young ones to bush walking. I have done some walking around the gorge and Trevallyn Recreation Area over the last year or so and will be moving to Launceston to live soon. We may come across each other sometime. All the best, Denis

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )