Advice/Knowledge on King William - Denison Route

[NickD]

Hi guys
If anyone has any information that they can share with me of the areas South of the King William Range, including the existance of the old Airstrip/Exploration Track heading to the Gell River can they please share with me via PM.
I am planning to traverse from the King William Range to the Denison Range via Battlement Hills. Any help is largely appreciated.

Thank you!!
Nick

[ollster]

I've been to KW3 and Bonds Craig. I didn't like the look of the inbetween bits at all. I would reckon the easiest way to get through there would be rafting down the Gordon.

You planning to do the whole KW range from I down to III?

[stu]

Oll - you looking to get modded for your avatar?

Nick - check out Dave Nobles photo essay of the area :
http://www.david-noble.net/Tasmania/POW ... iamRg.html

+ this link to photos from someones trip from Denisons to KW range in reverse:
http://www.lexicon.net/~lis01101/Webpho ... n0001.html

As Oll said, KW range (II to III) is open, beautiful walking - south of there looked a lot scungier.
Fires did go through the Battlement Hills area earlier this year tho so there may be long clear patches now.

Cheers.
Stu.

[ollster]

Oll - you looking to get modded for your avatar?

Can't possibly imagine what you mean.

[tastrekker]

It's funny to see another topic opened up regarding this area. I think the bulldozer at the southern airstrip needs to be fired up and driven back to Butlers Gorge to make a track wide enough for all the walkers/runners heading into the area.

I hope no one is offended by my jest. I still dream of a north-south wilderness walk (as opposed to the Tasmanian Trail which traverses much forestry and farmland).

Speaking of north-south walks, another link to a recent trip through this area is found on Andrew Hughes' Expedition Class website from his Traversing Tasmania walk I don't think anyone has referenced that link yet.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Tt, no-one thinks your being harsh. Harshness is required at times unless we want another Breminator scenario on our hands!! I am hesitant to say FOLLY in this case as it is a route which has been done before, even though it seems the idea of "running"is ludicrous.

Take this clip from your link for example......

"Surrounded by such complete and uncompromising wilds they were, to be honest, comforting. Two little smears on the landscape to prove that I wasn’t walking into oblivion.

I discovered the first airstrip quickly using the GPS and then found the overgrown bombardier track leading to the second. Bauera and other assorted saplings are fast reclaiming their stolen land, making future passage in the same steps more difficult."


Now is that the sort of terrain one can run thru?? And bear in mind THIS IS THE TRACK HE SPEAKS OF. Not the scrub that is already established.

[stu]

Lets not forget that mad Belgian adventurer as well traversing a similar area:

http://www.louis-philippe-loncke.com/3A ... nie-EN.htm

A much, much longer trip but it almost killed the poor fella!

On a side note, how do you run with an expedition pack on, or does one simply take a week or mores worth of 'goo' ???

[NickD]

Yeah I'm planning the Tasmania Traverse leaving from September 20th at Penguin.
I am not worried about how many times it has been done now, I'm sure its a lot more than we even know, but more my inspiration comes from my recent trips overseas.
Spent 2 months in Nepal last year, 2 months in the US & lots of $$$ in May/June, and I thought, gee none of this to me compares to Tassie! Imagine if we put in as much effort to have a Tasmania holiday or expedition as we did for overseas stuff.
People are going to be completing this traverse for years to come, like it or not, for the same reason as why we are still visiting areas like the Eastern and Western Arthur's. It's been done a thousand times over, but its still a beautiful journey.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Awesome Nick. Sounds like a good challenge! Are you going to use a boat to do the Gordon?? Or do it REAL hard-core and traverse the POW??
I have a friend who walked from St Clair to Cockle, he cut out the boring bits (Penguin-cradle and the OT) just doing the real stuff, KW, POW, Franklands... took him 30days.

[Nuts]

he cut out the boring bits (Penguin-cradle and the OT)

have you done these? i was thinking you were just a 'day' walker ( )

does sound like a helluva adventure, not what nickd is planning but are there any accounts of the whole traverse, penguin- cockle via Pow's?

[ILUVSWTAS]

Nah no interest in doing those 2 :p
Done lots of day walks sure, but have also done quite a few overnighter.... Mt Anne circuit, Western and Eastern Arthurs, Frankland range, King William range, Walls of Jerusalem, Denison range, the Weld traverse, South coast track, South West cape circuit, Cheyne Range/ Mt Gell, Hugel circuit.... Oh and PB/Southern Ranges

That enough for ya??

[ollster]

That enough for ya??

Leillateah was an overnighter, wasn't it?

[Nuts]

what, no Frenchmans? har har...

The OLT in particular is popular for a good reason. Not far of track can slow things down to butt sniffin pace (if preferred) hardy har!
Winter is my favourite time, very few people to hide from

[ILUVSWTAS]

That enough for ya??

Leillateah was an overnighter, wasn't it?

Lol, close, We were back to the car before midnight, so it still classes as a daywalk to me.....

[ILUVSWTAS]

what, no Frenchmans? har har...

The OLT in particular is popular for a good reason. Not far of track can slow things down to butt sniffin pace (if preferred) hardy har!
Winter is my favorite time, very few people to hide from

Doing Frenchman this summer Via Mt Lyne, Mt Seal and coming out over Clytmenestra and Frenchie

[Nuts]

so i guess the challenge will be to bag all those OLT peaks without stepping foot on the track (for pb snobbery kudos) de har har!

(off track actually been done before doh)

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hahah Yup! You got it! Ah look one day I will probably do the OT... MAYBE. but it would DEFINATELY be in the off season!

We have laughed about trying to do all the peaks along the OT without using the track at all. Seems the section from Barns to Pelion would be the challenge.....

[stepbystep]

Seems the section from Barns to Pelion would be the challenge.....

C'mon Barn Bluff to Pelion West via Mt Inglis, then straight line it to Pelion West over Proteus, you soft or somfink

[stu]

Yep, a traverse of the OL track via the 'ranges' & 'alternative routes' would be awesome.
Nuts, know if this has been done before???

eg. Ronny Ck - Barn - Lake Will - OL track - P West - Achilles - Thetis - Ossa - Massif - Labyrinth - Guardians - Horizontal Hill - Manfred - Cuvier - Byron - Olympus - Othrys - Cynthia Bay. Sure, this uses sections of the OL track but some sections its almost unavoidable (logically).
Would be agreat trip, done all the areas individually but a link-up would be fun

SBS - I must be soft too, yup, include Inglis & Proteus for masochistic points

[ILUVSWTAS]

Haha actually I think you've just filled in the missing link Dan! Thanks!!

[stu]

SBS - Granite Tor to Inglis then as well?
Cut out the section from Ronny Ck to Barn!!!

[ILUVSWTAS]

Sounds good Stu.... 2015??

[stu]

Nah, already thought of 2015 trip:
Bathurst Harbour trip: Norold, Wilson, Harrys Bluff, High Round Mtn, Ripple Mtn, Castor & Pollux - maybe out via Feds?
LOL at forward planning

[ILUVSWTAS]

Haha I want to do that trip Via the Old River please.

[stepbystep]

SBS - Granite Tor to Inglis then as well?
Cut out the section from Ronny Ck to Barn!!!

LOL - that makes sense, pretty easy on Google Earth....

[NickD]

I am not boating across nor going via the POW.

I definately considered using the POW's but due to the time of the year that we would be there (mid to late October) I had visions of myself, stuck at the Denison River waiting for weeks for the flood level to drop!!
At this stage we are heading for the KW to Gell River, onto Battlement Hills to Lake Rhona (food drop) from Lake Rhona back onto the Denison Range, south to Stepped Hills, east to Mt Wright (a must do) and then south to The Thumbs and then onto Saw Back Range. From the Gordon Road I would like to find the Old Port Davey Track which I have walked part of once with Stu back in 2008, and then if feeling up for it do the Mt Anne Circuit (why not hey??) and then the Port Davey & South Coast Tracks.

I have also toyed with the idea to finish like Andy Hughes with the Southern Range, that's not confirmed yet. I do love the South Coast Track, but I've never done it as a personal trip, only ever guided on it, so it'd be nice to finish with the SCT as the finale.

Very excited. The last couple of months since end of guiding season has been a little painful, back in civilization after living 95% of summer out bush. I do miss it, theres definately something more real about being out there!

[ABC]

Hi guys
If anyone has any information that they can share with me of the areas South of the King William Range, including the existance of the old Airstrip/Exploration Track heading to the Gell River can they please share with me via PM.
I am planning to traverse from the King William Range to the Denison Range via Battlement Hills. Any help is largely appreciated.

Thank you!!
Nick

Hi,
I realise this thread is from a long long time ago, so I'm not sure if you will see this Nick but I'm also interested in finding out any information about this area? How did your trip go? If you have any advice or insights I'd be super grateful to hear about it Feel free to pm me.

Aliss

[doogs]

Hi guys
If anyone has any information that they can share with me of the areas South of the King William Range, including the existance of the old Airstrip/Exploration Track heading to the Gell River can they please share with me via PM.
I am planning to traverse from the King William Range to the Denison Range via Battlement Hills. Any help is largely appreciated.

Thank you!!
Nick

Hi,
I realise this thread is from a long long time ago, so I'm not sure if you will see this Nick but I'm also interested in finding out any information about this area? How did your trip go? If you have any advice or insights I'd be super grateful to hear about it Feel free to pm me.

Aliss

You might want to have a look at 'the mad Belgian' thread, he covered much of that route a couple of years ago.