Cathedral Ranges - Canyon Track

[Cycling Guy]

Hi All,

This is my first post on bushwalk.com Went for a hike last weekend to the Cathedral Ranges, it was fantastic, my first real overnight hike.
I went with a very experienced hiker and an experienced rock climber. We attempted the circuit from Neds Gully, via Cooks Mill, Sugar Loaf Saddle, The Farmyard then back to Neds Gully.
I say attempted because we got stuck on the Canyon Track (picture attached), so we went back to Cooks Mill, stayed the night and went to the Farmyard from there the next day.
The Parks Vic site doesn't mention that you have to be a mountain goat Would Wells Cave Track have been a better option?
Cheers
Jay

[trickos]

G'day Jay,
Nope believe it or not this is the easier of the two options. Wells Cave track is a bit more exposed than The Canyon Track. Admittedly it gets a bit hairy especially with an overnight pack on your back.
Just above this section is some brilliant walking along the Razorback itself - maybe you could do it in reverse. For some reason I find it easier to descend The Canyon than go up it. Next time.

[north-north-west]

Gee that bloke in the photo is a dead ringer for Andy Mackay. Suppose it can't have been diveable that weekend.

You don't need to be a mountain goat, just to be comfortable on rocks. It's not that long a scramble, and good fun.
Good training for a real walk.

[icefest]

Wells Cave track has one very exposed bit - 5m of rope would be enough.

Unfortunately the cave is very narrow - as a 187cm young male I had to turn sideways or my shoulders would not fit.
Getting a pack through the cave would be difficult, possibly more achievable if you chimney up 3-5 meters in the cave and pass through the pack higher up, where there is more space (the rope will be handy here too).

Have fun next time!

-icefest

[Earwig]

Welcome Jay. If The Canyon is hard then Wells Cave is very hard. Add a backpack and up the difficulty rating another notch. The Canyon gets a little bit more exposed just above where your photo is before it calms down a bit. Did you walk the road or Messmate Track between Cooks and Sugarloaf?

[Cycling Guy]

Did you walk the road or Messmate Track between Cooks and Sugarloaf?

We walked the Messmate track from Cooks to Sugarloaf but when we couldn't make it up the canyon track, we walk back to Cooks via the road.
cheers
Jay

[Lophophaps]

There is no way that I would take more than a day pack through Wells Cave, and never going up, only down. Theres a track/route around the cave, coming out at the north end of the cave, where it goes left and up, the obvious gully-arete. If you end up at the downhill end of the cave and want to avoid going through it, come back a few metres and drop to the next terrace, and then traverse. I've never needed a rope except when on a rock route. The ridge to Jawbones is exposed, and some care is needed. Apart from that it's a great walk.

[icefest]

Sorry I wasn't clear. The rope is for packhauling and not for safety.

[Lophophaps]

Sorry I wasn't clear. The rope is for packhauling and not for safety.

Icefest, your words were very clear. I was saying that I have not found the need for a pack hauling rope, just a 50 metre rope when rock climbing. On the north of the cave there's one swinging bit where one goes left at a bulge. This may tax some arms and confidence, and could be a place for hauling packs. The rest is not too hard. having good balance helps. I have good balance, or, put another way, am not unbalanced.

[Earwig]

We walked the Messmate track from Cooks to Sugarloaf but when we couldn't make it up the canyon track, we walk back to Cooks via the road.
cheers
Jay

I walked Messmate Track before it was a track. Here's a link to the tale.
http://ian-folly.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/messmate-track.html
I must walk it again to see how it is standing up - maybe this weekend.

and here's my tale of Sugarloaf
http://ian-folly.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/mount-sugarloaf-cathedral-ranges.html

[dplanet]

Below is a nice pix of the ranges

[Tortoise]

There is no way that I would take more than a day pack through Wells Cave, and never going up, only down.

+1 to the day pack, but I have been up it a couple of times, and enjoyed it, though a little airy & scary in places. But then I'm..well.. vertically challenged, which does make it easier in the actual 'cave', which is a narrow sloping slit in the rock. I had to take my day pack off to get through in one spot.