I have attached a few photos from my 14 day traverse along the Eldon Range to Lake St Clair. To see the rest of the photos use the links.
Lake Burbury to Eldon Peakhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/4Ap8e9p6pRgfUSzd9After travelling from Hobart, the Tassielink bus driver kindly dropped me off at 4pm at the start of the Old Lyell Highway, which saved me a couple of kilometres of walking. As I did not have access to a boat, I instead made my way along the eastern shore of Lake Burbury.
Only two hours into the trip, as I was scrub-bashing near Princess River, my heavily loaded pack started to feel odd. I took the pack off and was aghast to see that the harness of my pack had broken in two places. I gave it some thought and decided that turning back was not an option. I rigged up a repair with some rope and crossed my fingers. Fortunately it held for the rest of the trip.
As the lake was close to full, it made the walking slow and difficult in places. This was especially the case in the section around Princess River, where the mixture of fallen timber and scrub was particularly taxing. To shorten the traverse, I waded up Bull Rivulet then crossed the low point of the Little Eldons, before descending steeply back to the lake shore.
The remainder of the lake shore was fairly easy (with quite a bit of shallow wading) and late in the afternoon of the second day I finally reached the junction of the Eldon and South Eldon Rivers. The shallow South Eldon River was easily waded, then followed a few hours of easy walking through the delightful fern-filled rainforest alongside the Eldon River, before making camp in the forest at sunset.
Bad weather was forecast, so I slept solidly and awoke early and commenced the very steep, untracked climb up Eldon Peak. Six hours later I reached the top, feeling quite exhausted, but the rain had arrived, so there were no views and I made an exposed camp on a small ledge near the south summit.
The following day it rained all morning, but was fine for the afternoon, so I shifted to the much larger, more sheltered shelf just east of the peak, where there is water from several small ponds.
Persistent rain meant that I was stuck in the tent for the following day and night, but then, as forecast, the cold front stalled and as if by magic, I woke the following morning to find myself in sunshine above a sea of low cloud. A return to the summit was obviously in order and I found that at first I was on the only peak that rose above the clouds. What an unexpected delight!

- View east from Eldon Peak
Eldon Peak to Low Colhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/KoSj6SEeuAey6Mz6AThe traverse of the long, rocky spine from Eldon Peak to Low Col has a notorious reputation in bushwalking circles for being slow and exhausting. In my opinion that reputation is entirely deserved.
Although I've always been quite happy hopping along the rocks (and much prefer that to scrub-bashing) this section of the range was almost as much a mental challenge as a physical test. The multitudes of huge boulders, combined with the numerous large humps that need to be navigated, conspired after a while to give me a distinct sense of deja vu (I'm sure I've climbed that rock before!).
At one stage I confidently thought that I was on the last hump, only for my heart to sink with dismay on seeing that several more humps still lay ahead. What's worse, several of these lower humps suddenly ended in cliff lines that needed to be descended through with some difficulty.
In compensation the huge wilderness views were quite lovely to admire in the sunshine, during the numerous rest stops. And in some places there were small areas of flowering vegetation. I don't recall seeing any water along the route.
I started at noon and arrived at Low Col only shortly before sunset. Although the overall trend of the afternoon's walk was downhill, the rock gym meant that you actually do an extraordinary amount of climbing along the way. If you like the challenge of traversing piles of huge rocks, then this is definitely the right spot for you. I think it will be a "once only" for me though!

- Looking back from the first hump towards Eldon Peak
Low Col to Eldon Craghttps://photos.app.goo.gl/k5HXCbWo3peb5Rbc9After a well earned sleep I awoke to a very windy, overcast morning at Low Col. The climb back onto the now N-S oriented ridge was quite slow due to the scrub and the steep slope was covered in large slabs. However after that, the flattish ridge top was easy going until a couple of large rocky towers needed to be negotiated. This was made more difficult by the wind gusts, which were now actually strong enough to blow me sideways off of my feet.
The second tower was fairly easily bypassed by sidling into a high valley which had a nice supply of much needed fresh water. A short, easy wander up the open valley then lead to my first full view of the impressive southern cliffs of Eldon Bluff. At this point the wind strengthened again as a thunderstorm briefly passed overhead.
After sheltering from the storm I continued along the now broad ridge and soon after was surprised to come across 74 year old David Young. I accepted his invitation to join him and we wandered together easily along the gently undulating ridge to the rounded summit of Eldon Crag. Fortunately the winds had abated and we were able to safely enjoy the impressive view of nearby Eldon Bluff.
I tend to find that most of the time the view looking up at a mountain makes for a better photo than the view looking down from the mountain. The remote Eldon Crag is an exception. The peak itself looks pretty unremarkable from most directions, but the view from the summit looking across to nearby Eldon Bluff is quite impressive, particularly with Lake Dorothy sitting below.
On returning to where we'd met, the weather quickly deteriorated, so I bade David farewell and set up camp next to a lone pine tree, to take shelter for the night from the approaching storm. David is 74. To see him complete such a tough walk and climb at that age is quite inspirational.
After a wet and very windy night I was surprised to wake to blue skies and sunshine, so I spent the whole morning again at Eldon Crag, admiring the fabulous views. The sense of being deep in the wilderness was quite special and I was somewhat reluctant to leave, but my primary goal of Eldon Bluff awaited just a short distance ahead.

- Lake Dorothy and Eldon Bluff
Eldon Crag to Lake Ewarthttps://photos.app.goo.gl/VKPjsC1aDKs4kpag6Having spent the whole morning at Eldon Crag, I packed camp and spent the sunny afternoon exploring nearby Eldon Bluff.
The steep climb over huge slabs, from the western saddle to the start of the large summit plateau, took about half an hour. The plateau is quite large, with numerous small ponds surrounded by a carpet of beautiful alpine vegetation. The views in all directions are enormous, with barely a sign of man's presence disrupting the 360 degree wilderness view. It definitely rates among the finest views in Tasmania and it was well worth the huge amount of effort it took to reach this remote spot.
The view across nearby Lake Ewart towards the many peaks of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park was particularly nice.
The mountain is split by a steep gully into two parts; the wide, main western plateau and a narrower rocky eastern ridge. After exploring the plateau, sadly I had run out of time to visit the eastern ridge, as I knew it would take a fair while to descend to my planned campsite at Lake Ewart.
I returned to the western saddle, then sidled through the scrub, close to the base of the huge northern cliff face. After two tiring hours I reached the more open ridge that leads to Dome Hill. Turning northeast I descended easily across an undulating buttongrass covered plateau, admiring the views as the sun set, thinking I'd shortly be at camp. However, there was a last, very thick belt of scrub hidden just out of my view, so I didn't reach the lake shore until 10pm in the dark. This set an unwanted record for the latest that I have ever reached camp, but I really wanted to witness sunrise at Lake Ewart on the following day.

- View east from Eldon Bluff
Lake Ewart to Pyramid Mountainhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/qdXvuv4aTfyCkeCw5Finally, the moment I had dreamed of for 25 years had arrived; sunrise at Lake Ewart. Unfortunately the dawn was very cloudy, so I didn't get the red sunrise glow on the cliffs that I had hoped for. However, the slowly shifting patterns of light and shadow on the peak, as the cloud partially broke up made for a quite different, moody, dramatic scene, which I thoroughly enjoyed and that will live long in my memory.
Later on, 2 black swans and their 3 cygnets slowly swam back and forth, feeding in the lake shallows. Aside from the wind, all was peaceful and quiet, as I admired the way in which the lake so serenely complemented its beautiful mountain backdrop.
I had originally planned to spend a full day here, but the updated weather forecast for the following day was for rain, so I made the sensible decision to push on to 5 Duck Tarn in the afternoon, while the going was still good.

- Eldon Bluff from Lake Ewart
The high sandstone ridges leading to 5 Duck Tarn are mostly covered by scrub, with the relief of some stretches of open moorland. The walk took over 7 hours, with the highlight being the views from Late Lunchtime Hill. From there on I was back in familiar territory, so since it was late in the day I didn't bother climbing High Dome again. The final scrub-bash descent to 5 Duck Tarn was as tiresome as ever.
After a nice sunset, the forecast was correct and I awoke to light showers at 5 Duck Tarn. Rising early, rain soon ensued as I descended to cross the South Eldon River and then made the long, slow, 3 hour climb to Junction Hill. This latter section I did with a group of 4 other walkers whom I had heard behind me (David Young's group). Bidding them farewell after sharing a cold lunch atop Junction Hill, I set off alone again, once more into new, trackless territory, towards Pyramid Mountain. The next section of alpine moors was wonderfully easy but the final climb to the summit was surprisingly steep and slow, due to a belt of the thickest scrub that I had encountered on the trip. I camped in the rain, just below the summit of Pyramid Mountain; cold and wet, but grateful it wasn't too windy in such an exposed spot.
The next morning I awoke to sunshine; high above the fog that filled several of the valleys below. It was windy and bitterly cold at first, but the views from the summit were lovely. and not to be missed.

- High Dome at sunset
Pyramid Mountain to Goulds Sugarloafhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/7PpU1TDARXgboGHT7The steep descent down the northeast ridge of Pyramid Mountain was thankfully much easier than the previous day's climb, with only a short stretch of very steep scrub before entering a nice open rain forest. This soon led on to a small, scrubby buttongrass plain where I stopped for a late breakfast, as there hadn't been any water at my campsite, in spite of the previous day's rain.
The next stretch was an easy sidle through some beautiful temperate myrtle rainforest. The forest was mostly open, but was choked with pandanni in some of the shallow gullies. This was followed by a long stretch of buttongrass and scrub, but fortunately the scrub patches could be easily avoided, with my GPS keeping me on the right course.
I had a late lunch beside a lovely small creek at the foot of the climb to the long ridge that leads to Little Sugarloaf. Alas, the open rainforest quickly disappeared, so almost all of the very steep climb was through eucalypt forest, with a low, tangled bauera understorey that slowed my progress significantly.
After the best part of 2 hours it was a relief to break out onto the wonderfully open ridge top that leads south to Little Sugarloaf. The views from here are lovely, so I set up camp just east of the summit, had an early dinner and then set out for the adjacent Goulds Sugarloaf.
It is an easy 30 minute ramble across the open high saddle to Goulds Sugarloaf, which is a deceptively tall mountain in spite of its smooth shape. The dolerite cap here has been shattered by freeze and thaw action, rather than forming cliffs. The panoramic views are outstanding; particularly the view south across a deep valley to the nearby cliffs of the Cheyne Range. It would have been an awe inspiring sight if those cliffs had lit up at sunset, but unfortunately the clouds had descended so the only colour in the gloomy sunset was in a few of the clouds. Nonetheless, the side trip was still well and truly worth it.

- View towards the distant Prince of Wales Range from Pyramid Mountain
Goulds Sugarloaf to Cuvier Shelfhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/zpak9BcCmgxdr6VN7I awoke early, just in time to witness a beautiful dawn. There was some nice pink colour in the clouds, but the wind chill was so great that I struggled to hold the camera steady and so was initially forced to take shelter from the biting wind in the western lee of Little Sugarloaf. The views in all directions across the wilderness were huge.
As this was my 12th day of walking and I'd been on limited rations, I knew already that I didn't have the energy to climb more than one mountain today. So it was an easy decision to abandon thoughts of doing the scrubby side trip to Mt Manfred later on in the day. Instead I decided to take it easy and would just move to nearby Cuvier Shelf.
The initial descent from Little Sugarloaf is across wonderfully easy, open terrain, with few plants growing much above ankle height on the high, exposed ridge. Shortly after reaching a broad saddle there is a thin band of scrub, then it is an easy walk on more open terrain to the flat-topped Coal Hill. I didn't notice any coal here (must be lower down), but the views are lovely, especially to the south down the wide Cuvier Valley towards Lake Petrarch, so I lazed about and had lunch here in the sunshine.
After a short battle with the band of prickly scoparia that guards the eastern side of Coal Hill, an easy walk along a glacial moraine leads to the southern cliffs of Mt Cuvier. At this point you can descend directly to Cuvier Shelf, but instead I continued steeply upwards to the summit.
The summit of Mt Cuvier is fairly roomy, with wonderful views in all directions. The twin summits of nearby Mt Manfred dominate the view, but I found my eye more drawn to nearby Lake Marion, cradled attractively by the mountain wall of The Guardians and Mt Gould. The view south along Lake St Clair is also impressive.
The descent down the southeast ridge of Mt Cuvier was surprisingly steep and comprised mainly of huge dolerite slabs; like a small version of the Eldon Peak rock garden. On reaching the fairly flat expanse of Cuvier Shelf I was dismayed to find that the entire area was absolutely infested with tiny, fairly aggressive ants. After much searching I finally found a small spot where I could set up my tent without being constantly harassed!
The views from the weathered sandstone cliffs that form the eastern and southern edges of the roomy shelf are lovely. There is a small pond, which I christened The Pool of Holy Water, and a few tiny streams, as well as some nice patches of Pencil Pines. In autumn the place would be even prettier, as there is a lot of fagus sheltering on the southern side of the shelf below the cliffs.
As had so often been the case during this trip, in the late afternoon the clouds rolled in, once again robbing me of any chance to see the cliffs glowing red at sunset. However, luckily there was some pink in the clouds to make my stay here for the night worthwhile. Unsurprisingly, there was no one else in the area, and the sense of remoteness remained strong, even though Cuvier Shelf is not very far from the Overland Track as the crow flies.

- Mt Byron, Mt Olympus and Lake Petrarch; view from Coal Hill
Cuvier Shelf to Cynthia Bayhttps://photos.app.goo.gl/dK9hEr4jqVtH1o6v8On day 13 mother nature finally granted me a spectacular dawn light show. The clouds to the south and east lit up in shades of intense orange and pink, which was impressive to witness. However, it then fully clouded over which made the sunrise itself a non-event. The wind soon began to howl from the northeast, so paying attention to the saying "red sky at morning, shepherds warning" I had a quick breakfast and broke camp. The grey clouds behind Mt Cuvier looked rather ominous, so I hoped to reach the shelter of Lake St Clair before the approaching cold front hit.
The traverse through the Cuvier-Byron saddle proved fairly straightforward, thanks to the wombat paths that eased the way through the scrub and forest. The trackless climb up Mt Byron was as steep as it had looked, but thankfully it was mostly through open forest, with the scrub only appearing just before reaching the summit cliffs. As I climbed upwards the wind continued to strengthen to gale force; howling through the tree tops, sounding as though there was a helicopter hovering above me.
The views, even in the gloomy conditions, were nice, but with the front approaching this was not the time to linger, so I made a quick descent down the Mt Byron track. The steep track soon leaves the rocks and passes through a beautiful, open subalpine myrtle forest decorated with many tall pandanni.
Soon after, I reached Byron Gap and began the 90 minute descent to Lake St Clair. The track passes through some magnificent old myrtle rainforest and mixed forest, which I appreciated, in spite of the somewhat tiresome manner in which the track undulates.
On reaching the junction with the Overland Track I had a brief rest then set off, thinking to take the easy way out by catching the ferry at nearby Narcissus Bay. But then I told myself to harden up and turned back to walk around the lake to Cynthia Bay instead.
Fatigued from the early start, the walk to Echo Point hut took much longer than normal, so I was too tired to stop and appreciate the beautiful forest along the way. When the heavens opened just a few minutes after reaching the hut, it was an easy decision to stay there for the afternoon and night, as the rain continued to pour down.
I shared the very small hut with an ex-army couple, but we later received an unwelcome nocturnal visit from a few native black water rats. In the morning we discovered that they had damaged one of their packs and had also destroyed the canvas pouch in which I had stored my rubbish.
It was a cool morning, but the showers soon moved on and I spent the next 4 hours or so slowly walking through the lakeside forest. This time I was well rested and in the right mood to appreciate its beauty, as well as the way in which the forest changes character as you walk south to the drier environs at the end of the lake at Cynthia Bay.
Over 14 days, I had made my way through a remote, mostly trackless wilderness. The scenery along the way had exceeded my expectations. The weather had been rather changeable throughout the journey, but thankfully most of the bad weather had been at night. I had finally ticked off the last hike that had been stubbornly sitting on a bucket list that I had drawn up 25 years earlier. So it was with a sense of quiet satisfaction that I signed off at the ranger station. This really had been one of the great adventures.

- Sunset at Cuvier Shelf
DuCane Range triphttps://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNEATzLJAMpKxk8758XFl4yU_crQlT7QNOLOxhAIXeKIzh1WbKqUo_npmMqHWksuA?key=cmlESXNPZVFLU1pVbWg0U3hKMHo0eC10clNPYjlnAfter completing the Eldon Range I had intended to do the full traverse of the Du Cane Range. However, a day lost to rainy weather forced a change in plans. Instead I first accessed the area through Pine Valley where I enjoyed an afternoon exploring the superb forest. I then spent 2 days exploring The Guardians and climbing Mt Gould.
I finished off the 4 day trip by visiting some of my favourite view points in The Labyrinth (there are so many that there wasn't enough time to visit them all). Although it is prettiest in Autumn when the fagus changes colour, The Labyrinth is beautiful at any time of the year and is possibly my favourite place in Tasmania (it's certainly my favourite part of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park at least). My final stop before returning to Lake St Clair was a side trip from Lake Elysia to climb Mt Hyperion.

- Sunset at the Minotaur
This was the end of a wonderful 3 weeks of bushwalking through the centre of the World Heritage area. I can already hardly wait for my next visit and wish that I could get away more often to enjoy some new Tasmanian adventures.