Mersey Crag Access

[Graham51]

I'm planning a trip to Mersey Crag, Turrana Bluff and surrounding areas post Christmas. I notice that The Abels edition one suggest using Little Fisher as access but edition two suggests the Walls track as access. Is the Little Fisher still a viable route and if so is there much difference in time and effort? Or is Lake McKenzie a better way?

[L_Cham_67]

I went to to Mersey Crag and Turrana Bluff a couple of weekends ago. I went up the little fisher river valley past rinadena falls.

The road is blocked off maybe a km or so before the first bridge, and then a short while later you reach the logbook. The climb up to rinadena falls is extremely gradual. Much of it is on the old road so walking is a doddle. There's some superb myrtle forest around the falls! After the falls, there are a couple of steep sections including a short rope climb, before you enter a marshy area with coral ferns. Track markers are located up near the head of the valley, and you don't have to leave the track until this point, where the off track walking is quite straightforward.

I've never attempted to access these peaks via any other route though, so I couldn't say if they were better or not.

[north-north-west]

The Little Fisher/Long Tarns route is probably quicker. The newer Abels essay may have been written before the Little Fisher bridge was replaced.
No reason you can't do a loop involving both routes, although it does mean a bit of road walking or a car shuffle to connect them.

[headwerkn]

We did Mersey Crag/Turrana Bluff from Little Fisher River track a couple of weekend's ago. As Lucas said, it's a fair distance to cover but the majority of it is disused firetrail from the car park to a couple of km before Rinadenna Falls, so it's fast and easy walking. From the Falls to the very top of Long Tarns (the southern ridge where both Abels can be best accessed) is tighter single track that does get a bit vague in places, but I honestly can't see coming through the south being quicker.

About the only tricky part was crossing the Little Fisher River itself. The marked spot just below the falls was pumping and the couple of spindly trees thrown over didn't look safe at all. I ended up doing a little impromptu bridgework a couple of hundred metres further downstream with a few shifted boulders. The water level had decreased significantly on our way out two days later, however.

Really is a wonderful spot to check out, hopefully you'll have great weather as the views are amazing.