Diamantina to Howitt

[Kinsayder]

Just as an absolute aside (I'm bored at work and dreaming of future hikes), does anybody have any thoughts on a Diamantina Hut to Gantner Hut return shoulder season walk? How many days, etc.?

Edit: Split from Howitt Spur,Mac. Springs, Hellfire Creek, Mt. Buggery trip report thread. Moderator.

[Lophophaps]

Kinsayder, welcome to the forum.

This can certainly be done as an out and back walk. I'd allow 5-7 days each way. Starting at the Dargo turnoff is better as it avoids mainly walking in the Hotham Road. With a certain amount of hassle you should be able to arrange the walk to be one way. Drive to somewhere between Sheepyard Flat and the Upper Howqua Picnic area. Arrange a lift to Mansfield, and hence bus, train, bus, bus to the Dargo road. This will be a long day, or days, but it saves going back over the same ground. The terrain east of Barry Saddle is not very exciting. One of the best sections of the AAWT is Barry Saddle to Howitt, and you may be better off looking at a walk around here. the logistics are simpler.

The Omeo bus gets to the start at about 2.15 pm, enough time to make the first tank at The Twins campsite. Then just follow the AAWT to Howitt. From there you can go down Howitt Spur, or over The Bluff and Eagles Peaks to Sheepyard Flat.

[Kinsayder]

Thanks, Lophophaps! Up to 14 days as a return is probably a fair stretch beyond the limit of the leave passes that my wife gives me. Sadly. I'll have to work out a way to do it by sections. I've been giving some thought to doing Falls to Hotham one way and catching a helicopter for the return. Maybe (assuming I go ahead with that) I'll check with the pilot where I can by dropped off in the Howitt vicinity. I think that would mean that the trip would be a winter traverse but that's okay by me.

[Lophophaps]

Kinsayder, you did not say that you had a chauffeur, er, wife. This may make the logistics simpler. From Melbourne there's a train at early o'clock to Wangaratta, a bus to Bright, and the Omeo bus mentioned above. Do the walk in a week or so and arrange a pickup at the foot of Howitt Spur or Sheepyard Flat. Both involve driving on good unsealed roads, with the Howitt Spur one being 2-3 times the distance of Sheepyard from the bitumen. I'd have very clear maps of where the wife is to drive for both places and maybe Eight Mile Gap. There's good mobile phone reception from the high points, which is most of the walk after The Viking.

Hotham to Falls Creek is shorter and easier. The Omeo bus can drop you at the Loch Car Park in ample time to make Derrick or Dibbins. One lift from Fall Creek and you get to Mt Beauty, where there's a taxi to Bright and hence Melbourne. Or do Falls-Hotham so that the hitch hiking is done. The bus from Omeo reaches Hotham at about 9 am, so the last night would have to be at Derrick.

[Kinsayder]

That's fantastic advice, Lophophaps! I'll have to take it all under consideration. I'm off to NZ next month to do the Kepler, so it will certainly be later, although at this stage (with leave passes in mind) 2016 holds; Kepler, Mt Feathertop North and South Razorback, Arapiles, and the Werribee Gorge. I wish it could be more but we've got a three and a six year old, so escapes are hardly plentiful. I took the little ones for a hike up and over Mt Cole a couple of weeks ago (we live in Ballarat) and will try to manage a few child-friendly ones in addition to those mentioned (Mt Cole ended up being a bit rough on them with the steepness of the track we were on requiring me to alternate between carrying one or both of them for substantial parts of the 3.5 hour hike).