Mount Jim Brown to Sculptured Mountain

[Lachdown2020]

Hello

We are a group of 5 (aged in our mid 30s and good fitness) are planning to hike the Western Arthurs A-K in mid-February. We are looking to add three nights to the circuit given that the track is closed east of Kappa Moraine.

We considered the Port Davey Track (flying in to Melaleuca and walking north to Junction Creek) but the lengthy mud sections and uninteresting landscape have made us look for alternatives.

We are now considering getting dropped by boat on the south western shores of Lake Pedder, close to Mount Jim Brown, and then heading for a night on the Folded Range (eastern section), on to Sculptured Mountain and then Junction Creek.

Do you think this itinerary would be doable or would the scrub and steep rock in these areas be too difficult?

Any thoughts and input are welcome.

Kind regards

[ILUVSWTAS]

Certainly do-able.
Some of the thickest scrub in Tassie in there though you'll need good off track experience. I'd allow a good 3-4 days, up to a week even.
Likely to be hot, no water etc etc.

Enjoy. Take lots of pictures for us !

[Azza]

Potential big step up from the Arthurs to full on - off track scrub bashing.
It's probably not a good route for an introduction to off track walking in the SW.

How are you planning on getting from Folded Range to Sculptured? Across the valley or following the ranges via Maconochie?
Either way is going have fierce sections of scrub.

A trip up into the eastern end of the Franklands and Giblin Range would be more enjoyable.

[north-north-west]

We are now considering getting dropped by boat on the south western shores of Lake Pedder, close to Mount Jim Brown, and then heading for a night on the Folded Range (eastern section), on to Sculptured Mountain and then Junction Creek.

In four days.
How much off-track SW Tas experience do you have? How much do you know about routes onto Folded and the White Monoliths? Are you prepared to suffer?

I agree with Azza; Jim Brown to Giblin to Right Angle and Frankland, maybe even along to Secheron and down over Lloyd Jones and Terminal, or the other way around. With low enough water levels the walk from the base of Jim Brown back to Red Knoll is an easy day. This is still more challenging than the eastern leg of the WArthurs, but not quite as much as Folded across to Sculptured.

[Lachdown2020]

Hi all

Thanks very much for your responses. The advice is really appreciated.

We don't have much off-track experience in SW Tassie, but have bush bashed in other areas, such as the Victorian Alps and don't mind some tough going if there's a pay off.

It seems like we'd be biting off more than we can chew by trying to get from Mount Jim Brown (or just south at Pebbly Creek) area to Sculputured Mountain in four days.

Azza, we were looking at getting from the Folded Range to the White Monolith Range via the ranges to Maconochie. (The scrub in the valley between the Folded Range and the north of the White Monoliths looks too dense.)

We were looking to avoid Lake Pedder as much as we could because of reports that looking at the dam infrastructure can really detract from the vibe, so we thought going away from the lake would have a better atmosphere.

Can anyone weigh in on how the eastern part of the Frankland Range and the Folded Range would compare to the scenery in the White Monoliths or even just at Sculptuted Mountain?

As a final alternative we might just do Sculptuted Mountain as a 2 or 3 night trip from Crossing River and then back track back to Alpha Moraine.

Thanks again for your input.

[north-north-west]

First up, there is nothing in the Vic Alps that compares with SW or West coast scrub.

I've not done the White Monoliths yet, but have done Folded and the Wilmot-Frankland-Giblin traverse. There is one very awkward bit getting from the eastern end of Folded onto the rest of the range. I hate to think what the scrub on the traverse along that ridge from Folded to Maconochie would be like, but if it's anything like what's between Right Angle and Giblin, you'd be in for some real pain.

Crossing to Sculptured is supposed to be the easiest bit of the White Monos, so that might be an option, but it still sounds to me like a big step up with such limited off-track experience in the area.
Folded is hard work, but good. Frankland Range is superb - comparable to the Western Arthurs but with fewer people.

[Azza]

I've done Sculptured 10+ years ago.
Was easy enough except we lost a lot of time trying to safely cross the Dodds River, such that we aborted going along the range any further.
That was before I'd done any serious off track walking and to be honest I don't think we'd have gotten far.
I hear beyond Maconochie isn't easy, I've also heard conflicting reports of the scrub at various parts along the range.

Can't really remember seeing the dam infrastructure from out that way around the side of Pedder apart from a radio tower on Red Knoll.
The fire damage is way more obvious.

I think what you were originally proposing most people would be allowing the same sort of time as the Western Arthurs.
This might be worth a read:

https://tasmaniangeographic.com/tag/the ... ith-range/

[north-north-west]

https://tasmaniangeographic.com/tag/the-white-monolith-range/

That first trip redefines the term "epic". And they were reasonably experienced in the SW.

[Lachdown2020]

Thanks for this Azza and north-north-west, and thanks for the info on the dam infrastructure.

I read that White Monoliths trip report, it certainly does sound pretty wild/epic.

One final question for you Azza please, how does the scenery and atmosphere around Sculputed Mountain compare to that of the south-eastern section of the Frankland Range? I've been trying not to look at too many photos because I hate spoilers!

Thanks

[Azza]

Sculptured Mountain has these quartzite monoliths somewhat loosely arrange in rings like Stonehenge, but there is a nearby Stonehenge Peak. So I'm not sure how they compare.
It wasn't the best weather.
The views out to Arthurs and down towards Pt Davey is impressive.
I didn't think its an impressive as the view of Mt Solitary from Terminal Peak on the Franklands..

Sculptured on its own probably wouldn't be that exciting, but if you were trying to get through to Macononchie and back the same route that would make it a more interesting proposition.

[Lachdown2020]

Brilliant, thanks a lot.