AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

A forum for discussing the Australian Alps Walking Track. This is a 655 km long track from Walhalla (Vic) to Tharwa (ACT)

AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

Postby pete0762 » Mon 28 Feb, 2011 9:48 pm

Just wondering if anyone has done the AAWT between Mt Skene to Mt Hotham - after all the rain this year and has some useful insights on track conditions (apart from known issues of overgrown track between Mt Sunday to Low Saddle and navigational challanges around the Viking).

I'll plan to do this section early April if weather and other conditions allow.

cheers
Peter
pete0762
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon 25 Jan, 2010 10:07 pm
Location: Sassafras, Victoria, Australia
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

Postby anne3 » Tue 01 Mar, 2011 8:13 am

I did the section from Hotham to Howitt in December, heading South. Some off the overgrown sections we found were......
-Viking Saddle to The Razor, thick regrowth but not the log jam we were expecting, never lost the track.
-Mt Selwyn Track between Van Dammes track and East Buffalo Road, thick tall regrowth, many fallen trees, never lost the track.
-from Mt Selwyn heading north, thick regrowth as you near the road.
Good luck, hope the weather is kinder to you than it was when we were up there.
Attachments
SAM_2308.JPG
Mt Selwyn Track...Track runs on edge of wattle!!
SAM_2311.JPG
Only photo taken on the Viking section, taken during break in the weather!!!
Walking the walk
User avatar
anne3
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue 07 Sep, 2010 3:07 pm
Region: Victoria
Gender: Female

Re: AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

Postby MartyGwynne » Thu 03 Mar, 2011 10:16 am

Hi there Skene to Hotham is a very nice part of the track.
I have done it over several years in about 3 sections. Nearly every time the weather has been less than favourable but don't let that put you off.
You need to be savvy on how to navigate without much ability to see very far as a lot of the time there was only 100 metres or so of visibility.
Other times it is just breathtaking. We had trouble navigating up Mt MacDonald due to torrential rain and fog. Eaten by the leaches on Low Saddle and down Mt Sunday. Drank off the water fall at the TOP of Mt MacDonald the rain was so heavy.
The part along the razor to the viking had a lot of footpads wandering up and down, I have since learnt to keep near the top and you will be OK, you go down and you will get off track very quickly.
The part going off the viking was hidden due to very bad weather similar to the photo from the last post and our party walked off the back too early and spent the night camped between rocks and cliffs before back tracking and finding the way down in clear weather We did get misled by the GPS not being the same as the maps 200 metres out or so.
From the barry saddle onwards is just a walk on a track easy.
If you need a drop off or pick up I can sometimes be able to to do so drop me a line if you need one. We also organised a food/water dump past the barry saddle towards hotham which was good very good (4wd dropped off - actually met us with steaks and slab of beer).
Cheers Martin.
User avatar
MartyGwynne
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 355
Joined: Sun 30 Jan, 2011 4:31 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

Postby north-north-west » Wed 23 Mar, 2011 9:40 pm

And I meant to post this ages ago, but kept forgetting:
There is now a small water tank on the ridge between Wongungarra and the Twins. A very useful spot for it, too, although the current weather patterns do make it somewhat redundant.
"Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens."
User avatar
north-north-west
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 15069
Joined: Thu 14 May, 2009 7:36 pm
Location: The Asylum
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: Social Misfits Anonymous
Region: Tasmania

Re: AAWT track conditions Mt Skene to Mt Hotham

Postby pete0762 » Wed 06 Apr, 2011 11:58 pm

I have just finished the AAWT between Mt Howitt and Mt Hotham and all comments posted before a fairly correct, but some further observations are:

* there is a new water tank on top of South Selwyn
* the water from the tank at Berry Saddly is murky grey and did not get this out with my pre-filter (but still had to drink it and appeared OK) uns using a Steripen for treatment
* some track clearing has recently occurred between Van Dammes Track and East Riley Road (especially near the latter)
* the track from Barry saddle to Van Dammes Track is densely overgrown, however track can be followed but its hard bushbashing
* there appear to be some additional new track markers between Catherine Saddle and Barry Saddle
* Water is currently found near camping area east of Mt Dispair
* Water is found in gully 0.5km east of Murray Hut site, but its an awful bushbash there and back (including blackberries).

cheers
Pete
pete0762
Nothofagus gunnii
Nothofagus gunnii
 
Posts: 33
Joined: Mon 25 Jan, 2010 10:07 pm
Location: Sassafras, Victoria, Australia
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male


Return to AAWT

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests