Nigel Christmas Australian Alps Walking Track Spring 2006 Walhalla to Tharwa

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Monday 23^rd October Day 23

I was woken by a brumby about 1.00am and I decided to get him away from me just in case it went through the tent. A great ‘buggar off’ sent him crashing through the scrub and branches. It was bloody cold last night, everything was frozen and I had breakfast in bed while I let the temperature warm up a bit. I left the camp at 8.30am. The Buenba Valley is just a maze of scrub with brumby tracks and pads everywhere. I just aimed at where I thought the valley closed in upon the river and walked in the general direction. Eventually after passing through the narrow section and over a small rise I entered the large cleared river flats. All that remains of Buenba Hut are the poplar trees and more recent fences. The climb from there to Mt Hope Road was the typical scrub bashing I am now used to, where you spend some time on the track and a lot off it. Parks Victoria have made a very good effort to put up the direction markers at intervals and cut a few logs but, not enough people use the track to keep it looking like a pathway. Anyway I now don’t really hesitate to look for the track, I rather blunder on looking at the topographic map. I then left the Buckwong track (after seeing a log truck) and went to the Mt Murphy mining site. I wish I had kept going for some of the Buckwong creek campsites; bloody ants and flies. It is 5.20pm now at least both of the bastards will go to bed soon and then I will cook dinner. I scared the crap out of a brumby today heading up to the Mt Hope road, in the saddle the next thing I was only twenty metres from him. You should have seen the fear in his eyes and speed he took off; no photo opportunities.

Tomorrow holds much more of track bashing and, should be a slow day with all of the regrowth. I have found a couple of mine shafts, mullock heaps, old crushing plant foundations and other abandoned equipment. The mine used to extract tungsten.

167 Buenba Valley Poplar tree marks the old Buenba Hut Site.

168 Mt Murphy Tungsten mine crushing plant foundations.

169 Mt Murphy Tungsten mine.

170 Mt Murphy Tungsten mine.

171 Mt Murphy Tungsten mine and mullock heaps.

Tuesday 24^th October Day 24

It is 9.15pm and something really stinks in this tent and I know what it is; me, mainly my feet. Another long day, left ant nest at 5.50am and arrived at Bulley Creek at 5.05pm with thirty minutes of breaks during the day. Total distance 25.5km and not much of that was on tracks or roads. The body has definitely toughened up to the work load but, you definitely feel it after you stop and cool down or in the morning heading out.

Bloody typical, there were more idealic campsites (grassy, flat and beside water) only forty minutes down hill from the ant nest I stayed at. The first section of the walk today crossed over map corners which meant I was off map for 1 -2 kms. I was pretty careful following Siseman’s remarks and looking for the plaques on the trees. So I had no trouble getting from Buckwong Track to Davies Plain Ridge. From there to Mt Misery Road, I lost it completely only to pop out 150 metres from where I should have. I managed to follow them to the bluff and north towards the ridge and then it was all bashing from there(I think the plaques stopped here anyway). Following Dead Horse Creek was painful as it is in a steep gully so you are always walking lop sided. I cracked 500-1000 metres before the creek that I was after joined Dead Horse Creek and climbed up to the ridge above. Then I descended slightly to meet Limestone Creek Track. Had lunch at the ford; nice camping spot.

Following Stoney Creek down to the old marble quarry was slow going, always changing sides trying to progress along brumby tracks. Marble quarry was basically a couple of holes from what I can gather; nothing exciting. From the quarry to the spur to climb up to Cowombat Track, was bloody painfully slow, creek sides steeper. Very interesting this limestone area, the creek would be there and flowing, fifty metres up and it is gone. Other times the rocks are milky white (no water) or the water is full of slime. Go a little further up again and it reappears. Generally navigation and the track were good today as every report I have read stated it was really bad.

The wildlife today was brumbies, dingo (and another grey dog), rabbits, tiger snake, lyre bird and other miscellaneous birds etc. Dingo was very confused, wandered off and started howling. Bulley Creek is very nice i.e. water, flat and grassy.

I am around 2km into the Cobboras (bloody joke) Wilderness Zone. Once again all of the management tracks etc. are still there, they just take away the signs; pain in the arse. 55km of this crap to go. I am only 10km short of Cowambat Flat which means the Murray River (and its source) NSW, Kosciuszko National Park and the VIC/NSW border cairn. I think I may climb one of the Cobberas in the morning though.

172 Three brumbies on Buckwong Creek Flats.

173 Three brumbies on Buckwong Creek Flats

174 Climbing from Buckwong creek to Misery Trail on Davies Plain Ridge.

175 At Misery Trail on Davies Plain Ridge.

176 Misery Trail on Davies Plain Ridge.

177 Stony Creek and no track to follow Hard walking on sloping ground.

178 Stony Creek in Limestone country totally dry.

179 Stony Creek in Limestone country 100m upstream from last picture.

180 Entrance to the Cobberas Wilderness on Cowombat Flat Track.

181 Sign at entrance to the Cobberas Wilderness on Cowombat Flat Track.

182 Sign at entrance to the Cobberas Wilderness on Cowombat Flat Track.

Wednesday 25^th October Day 25

At last I am where I wanted to be for the last three hours; in my sleeping bag still wearing thermals. When I arrived at Cowombat Flat it looked like it was going to bucket down, very black sky rolling in. It just turned into a mist though, slowly passing through. So once everything was set up I had a sponge bath in the mighty Murray River. Well actually I should say beside the river as it is too small to get in. You can stand with a foot on either bank. After drying off and getting dressed I never warmed up again. The sleeping bag will help for sure.

I explored the remains of the crashed D3. All that remains are three sections widely scattered and hardly recognizable. Tomorrow I will go and find the Forest Hill cairn which is the point the NSW/VIC border goes too. I also want to try and find the source of the Murray; a spring.

This morning I left camp all set up and headed up the Moscow Peak ridge towards the summit before crossing over to the higher ground where Mt Cobberas No 1 is on a saddle. It was a little hard finding the saddle due to lack of vision due to trees. Eventually I climbed out and found my way to Cobberas No1 which is over 1800 metres. On top of a bunch of boulders is a steel cairn that had an aluminum box wired to it with a log book in it. There was no pen though so I couldn’t enter anything. I was on my way to climb Middle Peak and then Cleft Peak but the weather started to close in so I headed down as I only had pants and a short sleeved shirt on. It started to hail and the rain made the way back to camp painful as all of the fallen trees and sticks became slippery. I was pretty cold when I finally hit camp but, the sun came out soon after my arrival. It had also rained from 3.00am to early morning. I moved off to Cowombat Flat at 1:45pm.

183 Summit of Mt Cobberas Number One in front.

184 From summit of Mt Cobberas Number One The Pilot on right.

185 View from summit of Mt Cobberas Number One.

186 View from summit of Mt Cobberas Number One.

187 Summit cairn of Mt Cobberas Number One.

188 Cowombat Flat NSW of right Vic on left.

Thursday 26^th October Day 26

It was pretty cold this morning and I was lying in bed wishing the sun would get up. After another of those luxurious breakfasts in bed I set out to find the Allen/Black cairn that sets the point for the NSW/VIC BORDER ON Forest Hill. I took the GPS with me in case my rough navigational skills were not enough to find it as well as the spring that is defined as the start of the Murray River.

I headed out on the fire trail and then started to bush bash by compass bearing. I found the expected saddle and Forest Hill; so far so good. Except I couldn’t find the cairn. It turned out after I turned on the GPS the hill was long and skinny at the top and I hadn’t actually reached the point. The cairn was a site to behold when I found it. I knew from WWW browsing that it had been rebuilt after a party found the original stone below ground (with centre punch mark). It was around three metres tall and shaped like a pyramid. The edges were approximately 5” logs with a centre post that was all wired together at the top(I have pictures), inside this the area was stacked intricately with stones. The line was also marked in stone i.e. the border line. The cairn was rebuilt as per the original sketches by the surveyors.

I then set out to find the springs of the Murray; totally cheating this time. The rough GPS coordinates off the topographic map had me within fifteen metres of it. There was a two inch galvanized pipe in it with an aluminum canister upon it with a few visitors’ notes. About ten metres down from the start of the springs, it was definitely wet; around 1-2 inches of water in boggy ground. I followed the mighty Murray back to my campsite, crossing the border probably 10+ times.

After packing up I headed to Tin Mines. The AAWT followed the snow gums trail rather than the Cowombat Flat Trail: much more climbing of course. The flies were maddening. When I stopped for lunch 100+ were on my pack. Then I set about lunch and the bloody black ants were after me. I ended up eating lunch in about ten minutes and then moving on, after getting the ants off my pack. When I reached Tin Mines, I went straight into the Woolshed to escape the flies. I slept in here (a very cold night)

189 Forest Hill Cairn.

190 Forest Hill Cairn.

191 Forest Hill Cairn.

192 Self explanatory, at Murray Spring.

193 Murray Spring.

194 Nigel with rigth foot in VIC left foot in NSW at Cowombat Flat.

195 Cowombat Flat standing in VIC looking at NSW.

196 Campsite at Cowombat Flat on VIC side against the mighty Murray River.

197 On Pilot Creek looking at The Pilot.

198 First views of Mt Kosciuszko from Cowombat Ridge.

199 The Pilot from Snow Gum Fire Trail.

200 Carters Hut and Woolshed at Tin Mines.

201 Carters Hut and Woolshed at Tin Mines.

202 Carters Hut at Tin Mines.

Friday 27^th October Day 27

Originally planning on setting out for Cascade Hut (approximately 17-18 kms), started walking around 8:30am. I reached Cascade at 11:20 am and since it was an average establishment, I ate a fly free lunch in it and moved on. I reached Dead Horse Gap, retrieved the food drop and kept walking into Thredbo. Native rats had eaten a hole in the garbage bag and, then consumed ¾ of the silicone on one of the drums. Food was all intact though.

After being informed the rate at one of the hotels was $115.00 per night, I went looking for the YHA. A much better proposition, $25 for a double bunk room to myself. One hot shower later, washing and drying the clothes and I was feeling good. I rang Rohan and Caroline to check in.

Dinner at “the pub’ was fish and chips as that was all you could get, not my ideal meal, but at least I didn’t cook it. A few beers and glasses of red before returning to the YHA where I am writing now.

Rohan also should now own a house and also should be poor forever. The weather station stated 1.3°c just before 9pm. Unless it is bad weather forecasted, I will head up to Mt Kosciuszko tomorrow. I will have to camp up on the main range at least one night, therefore not going up if crap weather is forecasted.

203 Cascade Trail 2003 fire damage.

204 Cascade hut.

205 Cascade Hut site looking over Cascade Creek.

206 Cascade Creek crossing.

207 Rams Head from Bobs ridge on Cascade Fire Trail.

208 Crackenback or Threadbo River.

209 Dead Horse Gap signage, just picked up food drop.

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