Mount Barney routes

Queensland specific bushwalking discussion.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Widgee » Thu 07 Oct, 2010 5:37 pm

sef wrote:North Ridge is pretty straightforward - Rocky Ck has one steep slab that can be a bit messy.

If you can get up Logan's, you won't have problems on Eagles although there's a lot more navigation.


The hardest day walk I have done sef was Eagles Ridge a couple of years ago. Unrelenting route. It felt like it was never going to end for me. And when you are standing on North East Rock and those views appear of the ridge heading towards Leaning Peak.wow. I've never felt so relieved, contented, rewarded, calm and glad to have survived after that route. Anyway, I'd rate Eagles harder than Logan's because of the distance, the time and the psychology of the ups and downs.

Photo attached looking up towards the hardest bit on Eagles (in my opinion anyway)
Eagles.JPG
Eagles Ridge
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Thu 07 Oct, 2010 11:44 pm

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you Widgee - I've been up both routes at least a couple of times and Eagles is always a pretty long day. I also reckon the exposure is more sustained and in your face compared with Logans.
Your photo above also shows part of Short Leaning Ridge and Leaning Peak - thats probably another step up again in terms of exposure and commitment. Compulsory abseil to get off and across to North Pk
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Thu 07 Oct, 2010 11:46 pm

sef wrote:... best mountain in Australia.


cant argue with that :wink:
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby sef » Fri 08 Oct, 2010 6:11 pm

Definitely agree that it's a bigger day. My best effort was arriving at Yellowpinch after dark and realising that the key to the bike lock is in the car at the portals... tears nearly got a word in, but sulking won out in the end.

I don't think it matches the technical difficulty of Logan's -- certainly not if you avoid the gully up top; and lower down, near the tree and the bit where you climb out of a crack onto a protrusion. You're right though, the exposure is a lot more consistent (and 'bigger') - although have you taken a peek over the E face of barney at the top of Logan's? Some mad scrambling there.

Leaning has some awkward moves in exposed country, but it's a lot quicker again (even with the walk-in).

The most underrated route that I ever went up was the North-East ridge (I think) of Isolated. A short day compared to E/W peak, solid rock all the way and nothing too unnerving if you trend left into the creek draining the 'shoulder' of Isolated when you meet very serious (ie vertical) cliffs. Amazing views from the top. Easy descent from the Isolated-Tom's Tum saddle. The biggest hassle of the whole trip is finding the right ridge running into Rocky Ck, and cutting in above the scrub... although it's not as if we don't all have GPS's now.

I'm now overcome with nostalgia for Barney. Fingers crossed work comes through with its threat me up there next month!
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Sat 09 Oct, 2010 10:10 pm

Great thread - brings back lots of memories of my climbs up Barney in the 1970's - Eagles especially!

When looking my old slides tonight for something else, I found some from a flight around the SE Rim in the early 1970's that may be of interest, so have scanned the best ones of Barney.

Mt Barney 1970's_0.jpg

Mt Barney 1970's_1.jpg

Mt Barney 1970's_2.jpg

Mt Barney 1970's_3.jpg
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Sun 10 Oct, 2010 9:48 am

Thanks for the photos tas-man,
Those shots of the northern ridges are great - now I've really got the itch to get back on this mountain :mrgreen:
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 1:06 am

I have found some old Kodachrome slides of an ascent I did of Eagle's Ridge with BBW in October 1971. I was surprised to find the slide of a small abseil off one of the "bumps" on the way up - can't remember where this was.

Eagles Ridge Oct71_0.jpg

Eagles Ridge Oct71_1.jpg

Eagles Ridge Oct71_2.jpg

Eagles Ridge Oct71_3.jpg

Eagles Ridge Oct71_4.jpg
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 1:09 am

. . . and two more from Eagles Ridge.

Eagles Ridge Oct71_5.jpg

Eagles Ridge Oct71_6.jpg
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tomh » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 8:44 am

....and one of the abseil off Leaning Peak. I've added a thumbnail selection from one of your photos Ian to show where the abseil is (the red line). You land on a narrow (~2m) neck with steep drop-offs both sides which you cannot see from the launch pad but by the number of abandoned ties and corroded karibs attached to a small tree it's pretty obvious where to launch from.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Phil Box » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 2:29 pm

Might be worth adding that two 20 metres ropes is all that is needed for that abseil off Leaning Peak. I'd suggest a couple of skinny 8.9 or 9.1mm ropes would do the job. Easier to carry when you spread the ropes around. ;) The mountain is so vast that looking at where one needs to abseil from the bottom of the mountain one assumes that it is a long way, it ain't.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Widgee » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 4:15 pm

Some great photos..fantastic stuff..damn Mt Barney itch..
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 10:15 pm

Widgee wrote:Some great photos..fantastic stuff..damn Mt Barney itch..

Found some more slides to scratch your "Barney itch" :D
These are from another BBW trip around 1971/72 where we camped overnight near a hut on a creek leading into Barney Creek above the Upper Portals. We ascended a ridge whose name I can't remember just now (Barrabool -thx), that led direct to the summit of West Peak, descended to camp that night at Rum Jungle. Next day went down North Midget Ridge to Barney Creek and camped on creek, then walked up the creek back to our starting point. Must have been a long weekend trip.

Barney NW Ridge.jpg
Climbing Short Barrabool ridge to West Peak

Eagles from N Ridge Mt Barney.jpg
Eagles Ridge from Midgets Ridge

Barney East Pk from West Pk.jpg
East Peak from West Peak

Barney N Ridge to Leaning.jpg
Leaning from Midgets Ridge

Barney West Pk fron N Ridge.jpg
West Peak from Midget Ridge
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 10:22 pm

It's frustrating not being able to recall the details of all the routes on Barney. I have been looking for my old copies of BBW's "Bushwalkers Guide to SE Queensland" by Hammond and Young, and UQBWC's Heybob special issue "Mt Barney Guide" but no success so far. I kow they are in a box somehwere . . . . mutter . . . . somewhere :roll:

It would be great if one of you bananabenders could upload a Mt Barney route map to this thread for reference purposes.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Mon 11 Oct, 2010 11:33 pm

tas-man,
I suspect your 'north' ridge is Midget ridge which climbs over Bippoh (Midget) peak. Those views of Leaning Peak from Midgets are quite unforgettable. A couple of the shots also look a bit like the view down into Barney Gorge.
The other major northern ridges are the Barrabool (long and short) ridges. One of the best campsites on Barney is the saddle at the top of Barrabool between it and West peak.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tomh » Tue 12 Oct, 2010 9:02 am

yes it is Midget Ridge - there's a photo of Leaning on the BBW website taken from a similar position and you get some happy faces as a bonus.
http://www.bbw.org.au/photos.htm
A largely unremarkable and scrubby ridge (unusual for Barney) but good views
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Phil Box » Tue 12 Oct, 2010 10:03 am

Being that we are talking about various ridges that buttress Barney it is worth noting that there are two Leanings. Short Leaning and Long Leaning. Short Leaning has the abseil off the back.

Can you imagine being anywhere on the mountain in the current weather we are having. It would be an awesome adventure though. Would have to take some serious kit to make it safe.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Tue 12 Oct, 2010 3:52 pm

Thanks isoma and tomh for providing those missing names - have edited them so all is correctly identified now. :D
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Widgee » Tue 12 Oct, 2010 5:21 pm

tas-man wrote:It would be great if one of you bananabenders could upload a Mt Barney route map to this thread for reference purposes.
.

Sorry about the sticky tape. The old map is showing some wear.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Tue 12 Oct, 2010 6:08 pm

Thanks widgee, that will assist in further discussion of routes on Mt Barney. Here's another bit of Barney history, the hut at Rum Jungle that caused a lot of controversy in the 1970's. I think it was built by members of UQBWC, but was demolished later that decade by Parks and the bushwalking community. If this is not the correct story, please let me know. :?

Mt Barney Hut 1970s.jpg
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby sef » Wed 13 Oct, 2010 6:12 pm

There's a book on the hut(s) in the SS&H library at the Uni of Queensland. Apparently there were many different huts, and their design/construction/fate was always shifting about the internal politics of the club, personalities and national parks.

In hindsight, it's probably a good thing that there isn't a hut there. It'd have minimal survival value and really concentrate numbers in that area. It's a miracle that I've never got sick from the water in Barney Ck as it is.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Thu 14 Oct, 2010 8:16 pm

Found this Mt Barney area from the now out of print "Bushpeople's Guide to Bushwalking in SE Queensland" - http://www.southee.com/Bushwalking/Ch13 ... allow.html
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby sef » Thu 14 Oct, 2010 10:49 pm

To keep this awesome thread going, and in the event it's of some use to someone someday...

The easy creek between N and NE refers to a route up to the saddle opposite moonlight slabs. There was a clear footpad in 2006.

The creek between S ridge and Mezzanine isn't so bad to 'enter' (similar to the scrub-bash for Mezzanine) so much as messy lower down where it gorges. We used a rope. Your mileage may vary.

SE ridge can be approached from the S ridge track (longer) or via another spur closer to the east face (much sportier). That might be from the Rankin book, can't remember. It's pretty tough.

Difficulties in getting up the Savages chimneys might be a little overstated. They're not bad. Descent would be pretty iffy without beta tho.

You can drop off Logan's into Rocky Ck from fairly high on the ridge with care. Steep but straightforward.

The pad running along the ridge between lower and upper portals is much quicker if you're heading for leaning ridges / gorge or beyond.

Mt Ernest is made up of weet bix, but has some pretty odd views of Barney. The full skyline traverse tarting from Cronan's ck is very scrubby, but you can climb almost directly to the summit easier than the topo might suggest. There is an intermittent pad (of sorts and in parts) following the ridge down to the Cronan/Logan junction.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Thu 14 Oct, 2010 11:42 pm

That's not only a great Barney resource you have there tas-man, but a great SE Qld bushwalking resource. I've used the Bushpeoples Guide as inspiration for countless walks and have been known to refer to it as my "bushwalking bible". I have to confess that it's not uncommon for me to read through chunks of it as if it were a novel.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:09 am

Reading sefs post above has reminded me of Robert Rankin and I almost feel obliged to describe a couple of his exploits on the mountain.
Firstly, he has run up the mountain (SE ridge) in under an hour, and secondly, he has completed what I consider to be the ultimate Barney challenge, the 'Barney All Peaks' - in a day. I dont know if the 'All Peaks' was his concept, but I do know that it only took him 6 or 7 hours :shock:
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby isoma » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 12:13 am

Barney All Peaks being Isolated, Leaning, North, East, West and Midgets
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby Phil Box » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 6:39 am

A couple more details to add.

I've done the East Face route, that thing is nails hard through the chimney. Above the chimney if you are brave enough to overcome your fear of the fixed hex and slung small box tree is a run out of about 15 to 20 metres with absolutely no pro opportunities. Not for the faint hearted. The chimney is actually quite overhung and bottomless so to speak. If anyonme were to want to do this climbing route then walking up and camping on South East overnight and an early start is the go. Need to camp about level with the walk across to the start of the route.

The other isa route that I haven't done called Garves Gorge which lies just to the north of Peasants. Peasants Ridge actually overhangs the gorge in places and is one of those routes that piques my curiosity. Must do it someday.

I love Barney.
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tomh » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 2:05 pm

Moonlight slabs. What this refers to nobody seems sure. Spent a whole day with 'someone who knew' wandering around between Short Leaning R and Eagles R - found heaps of slabs but the 'someone who knew' didn't know. Perhaps it's all of them.

On climbing the northern side of Leaning Peak using short leaning ridge, bushwalkers may find a section as the ridge becomes steeper technically difficult due to one 2m vertical band of rock. Could not find an alternative route. Overcome when I went by rockclimbers in the group going up first and dropping a rope down. Otherwise no other problems. As mentioned before to continue on the route south requires an abseil off Leaning Peak.

At the top of Mezzanine before going over the east-west ridge you can contour left (west) and drop down into top of Garves Gorge (thanks to Phil I now know the name) but cannot ascend the wall to South ridge even though you can hear, then talk, to unseen but puzzled walkers on South (we assured them we were not in trouble). Dropping down the creek we eventually found a useful vegetated ramp parallel to the creek that took us N-W up on to south R.

There is also a good four-page history of Barney hut and its dramas and characters in Rob Rankin's 'Secrets of the Scenic Rim', which is unfortunately out of print. The photo elsewhere in this thread is of the third and final one circa 1970's. That hut's doorstone is evidently still there, 'near the side of the clearing closest to Barney Gorge Creek, a large flat stone which is quite easy to trip over'.

The ridge to the north of southeast ridge is known as mid southeast by fellow walkers. It's some years since climbing it but good open views, steep and large-boulder-in-vegetation terrain (no slabs) terminates on southeast ridge about 300m down from the peak. There is also another route up Logans on the southern side of the usual Logans route - you can see it in photos. I have heard it called short logans or Leavy Logans (or was it long logans?) but not having gone that way perhaps others can shed some light.

Egan creek is a good and relatively easy descent from Rum Jungle as long as hold your breath and be careful where you step for the first 20m as it appears to also have a role as the Rum Jungle toilet (as your water bottle empties you also realise Egan drains into Cronan Creek and then into the Logan River). After that 20m there are some small waterfalls to bypass but generally enjoyable walking. There may be no huts up there now but considering the numbers camping (incl school groups) there is a good case for a composting toilet.

Be aware on descent of Savages Ridge there are one or two false routes - side ridges that drift to the left (north) which are easy to take but you end up bluffed out above Egan's.

Attached is a rough map of Barney routes and locations, which may help - routes approximate only and depend on the steadiness of hand! Memory driven so let me know of errors.
barneyroutes800.png
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 2:48 pm

Thanks tomh for posting this route map of Mt Barney. It will make it a lot easier to identify the names and locations referred to in this thread, and has refreshed my ageing memory :oops: . Where you have located a campsite in the upper LH corner of the map, I have a photo of a hut there but am trying to recall the name. Possible Graces Hut? Can you confirm? There was Drynan's Hut on the way into the Lower Portals, and Cronan's Hut somewhere in the Barney area. . . I think?
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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tomh » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 4:24 pm

Ian, the upper left campsite is on Yamahra Creek just before it joins Mt Barney Creek at the upper portals. Large, popular with school groups. If you continue north ~1.5km alongside Yamahra you get to Grace's hut site just as the track becomes a road which turns right and goes to the top of cleared ridge and eventually the car park. There hasn't been a hut there in my 12 years of walking past. There is a newer house in use about half a k away NW.

Drynan's hut still exists and you pass it after following Paddy's Gully down from Paddy's Plain campsite (SW base of Mt. Maroon). It's located close to Mt. Barney Creek just where Paddy's Gully (creek) joins it. That's about 4km downstream from Lower Portals itself. You take the road to the Lower Portals carpark (Seidenspinner road) but don't take the carpark turnoff - go straight on.

Cronan's hut is long gone but it was sited where the lower right campsite is on the map - alongside the Logan River on what is now Campsite no. 10.

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Re: Mount Barney routes

Postby tas-man » Fri 15 Oct, 2010 4:46 pm

That's great information Tom! I have found an old slide of one of the huts which I think must be Drynan's hut with Barney rising in the background. Do you recognise it, and can you confirm this?
PS just been advised by Ron Farmer that this is the Catholic Bushwalkers hut.
Barney Hut 1970.jpg
Catholic Bushwalker's Hut, Mt Barney area, 1970
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