After reading this topic when it first started, I decided that I would have a go at Mt Tor as soon as possible, but from Alps Road, starting at the block of land where I used to camp as a kid. I originally scheduled it for a couple of weeks ago, but the weather was pretty awful. I finally had a go yesterday.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too good yesterday either, and it rained on and off all day down there. So I had a late start in the hope that the weather would be better, but I was out of luck. I forded Dempster Creek in the borrowed ute near where the old bridge used to be. Virtually all traces of that bridge are now gone, and the remaining logs that were in TasTrekker's photo...
are now all washed further down the creek.
I parked the ute near the Leven river ford (which was too deep and swift to ford in any normal sized 4wd ute), and waded across. This was a bit scarey, as the water was mid thigh deep, and running very swiftly over large round slippery rocks. If I lost my footing (which I nearly did a couple of times, I would have been swept about 20 metres downstream to where it got slow and deep. The old Leven River bridge just near the ford, as shown is TasTrekker's other photo...
has also disappeared since I was last here, presumably rotted/washed away (hence the wading through the river).
I then proceeded to follow what used to be Alps Road south heading towards the east side of Mt Tor. This road turned out to be now so overgrown that it was exceedingly difficult to follow. Not only because of the tangle of new growth and old fallen trees that I had to scramble through, but also because in many places I couldn't even see where the old track was at all. I frequently had to back track and hunt around for the slightest hints of dual wheel ruts. After about 3/4 of an hour, I could find no further trace of the road, and hadn't really walked very far in terms of distance.
At this point, I gave up on the idea of climbing the mountain, as I realised that I'd either under estimated the scrub, or (more likely) overestimated my ability to do the whole walk solo. I think that with company, I would have had a lot more confidence to push harder and get further. Additionally, in hindsight, I should have just ignored the road and followed the nearby Tor Creek.
In any case, I thought I may as well make something out of the day, having come this far, and got out the map. I could see nothing in any direction except trees, and have no GPS, so I was only going by map and compass. I decided to head down to Tor Creek, and follow it up to find a nice place for lunch, and then follow it all the way back to the Leven River, to make a nice circuit.
So this is what I did. It's a beautiful creek, and I saw a platypus swimming in a large pool created by an enormous log-jam, as well as parrots (rosellas?) in the trees. However, following the creek proved rather difficult, as the trees were very thick (and of course were often thicker nearer the creek). I was surprised to come across many large expanses of Horizontal scrub, which of course is completely impenetrable, and you just have to go around or over the top. I clambered across the top in most cases, including one stand which I used to clamber all the way over the creek at one point.
On the way back, I followed the creek all the way, criss-crossing it frequently to use the side with the less thick scrub, and sometimes just wading along through the middle of it when it was not too deep.
In the end I walked for nearly 4 hours, without getting very far, but I did enjoy my day out. I waited at the car for about an hour until my mate whom I'd left fishing in Dempster Creek returned (he'd caught one).
Mt Tor will have to wait for another day.
Pictures from this walk are now
posted in the gallery HERE.