australian alps story
Contributed by Hamish & Nancy McLean from Sydney
It all started one wet and windy Sunday in January, unusual for the middle of summer in Australia; it was after lunchtime and the last of the Chardonnay had been drunk, the cheese was almost finished and thoughts turned to sunnier days and of course holidays! The schools were due to go back soon so the resorts would be emptier, the highways less congested and the beaches quieter! Seemed like a good idea or was it?
We eventually agreed that another attempt at climbing to the top of the highest mountain in Australia would give us the challenge we were after! The last attempt was thwarted by an unexpected snow fall and misty weather at the start of the summer of 2001. You’ve got it! The weather can be just as unpredictable here as anywhere else in the world. The decision made now to work out the how and wherefore!
We have always gone on walking holidays with a company called Auswalk and enjoyed the experience. Out came their latest brochure! We looked up the “Alps” and what do you know? There was a week’s trekking in that very area starting mid-February… perfect! The one problem was we only had a few weeks to get fit for this (20% strenuous) walking as described in the brochure. Having had a few lazy weeks over the holiday period we set ourselves the task of longer walks and more general exercise for the next month in order to meet “the challenge”. Next day a phone call confirmed that there were two places available on the said ‘Walk’ and we booked instantly. “Those who hesitate are lost!”
The Alps are part of Australia’s high country straddling the borders of NSW, Victoria, and the ACT and we were heading for the middle of the Kosciuszko National Park, just west of the town of Jindabyne. This area includes the highest peaks in the whole of the country. The highest, at 2228 metres, and our ultimate goal was Mount Kosciusczko, named by the surveyor Strzelecki after a famous Polish leader from his homeland. His way of determining the height of the mountain was to take the temperature at which various substances boiled on the top and do likewise on other mountains which could be likely contenders. A unique way of ensuring Kosciuszko was indeed the ‘top’ of Australia.
The whole mountain range is very soft and rounded much like the Cairngorm Plateau in Scotland as indeed it would be since it is composed of similar rock formations, mainly granite. It has been shaped by erosion caused by the movement of ice sheets during the last ice age.
This area is the centre of the skiing industry having the largest snow fields in Australia, with Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, and Perisher Valley the best known resorts. There is also the strangely named Blue Cow area which can only be reached by the Ski Tube railway, which passes through a tunnel to get to the other side of the mountain range.
This holiday was different from the others we had been on as we stayed in one place and went out each day to a different location for the start of the walk. The hotel, our base for the week, was in Jindabyne by the side of the lake. Jindabyne was the village which had been moved up the hillside when they made the lake on the Snowy River as part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme in the 1950-60’s. It has developed into a thriving town as the popularity of skiing in the area has increased while trekking in the summer months has turned it into an all year round resort.
Sunday started the adventure! The other members of the group were met at Canberra Airport mid- morning by our leader and guide Phil, co-owner of Auswalk. Once we checked into the hotel, we assembled for an afternoon stroll to get acquainted. There were two people from QLD, two from NZ, two from England and four (including ourselves) from NSW.
First an orientation walk round the town informing us of the better eating and drinking places. Well appreciated! The weather was not playing the game, drizzly rain then more heavy showers as time went on. Not cold but unpleasant! We bussed it further up the road into the countryside where we did a level circular walk in the bush around Bullocks Flat. This is a favourite camping area beside the Thredbo River, although today most campers were huddled under fly sheets drinking, one presumed, soup!
This area was devastated by the big bush fires of 2003; two years on and it is still covered by blackened tree trunks. New growth has started from either root stock or the curious protection device of the gums which lets shoots start from epicormic buds under the bark, producing numerous little branches covered with leaves. These allow the trees to regenerate, and when the top growth returns these little branches drop off having served their purpose! The undergrowth has now returned to produce a green carpet of small bushes and plants whose seeds do not germinate until they are subjected to the intense heat from the fires. Nature has an answer to everything!
As we plodded along the track there were plenty of kangaroos watching us. They are quite tame in this area and used to people from the camp site feeding them, so you can get a close up view of them. Indeed they can be quite belligerent and stand their ground in the middle of the track as though they were toll keepers. Camera opportunities galore… didn't bother the ‘roos! We circled around, crossing over the Ski Tube railway and down to the river to look at an old hut, built as a summer residence by wealthy Victorians. We were glad to have a rest here and get out of the rain for a little while. By the time we got back to the bus and eventually the hotel we were all quite weary, very wet and looking forward to a good meal. Dinner was in the hotel, a good spread, well appreciated!
Next day it rained incessantly, we wouldn't have ventured out but for the group dynamic! We were driven out to the start of our first all-day walk - Guthega Power Station, part of the Snowy Mountain Scheme. We trudged up and over ridges, stopping at strategically appointed huts for breaks. These huts were the ones used by the pioneers when they were setting up farms or herding their stock to take to market. They are looked after by the Rangers, with wood cut for the fire, cleaned and fumigated. They each have a long-drop toilet outside, located some distance away, as one would expect! Our lunch break was in one such hut, which was situated on the other side of a stream, now a raging torrent as the rain had not stopped all morning. The urgent need to get out of the rain and be under cover to eat lunch spurned us to negotiate the stream by rock hopping – a precarious activity at the best of times but even more so on stones soaked by the downpour - all part of the excitement.
On resuming our walk after lunch, we discovered a track a few metres up the bank where we could have strolled over as the water spread out to form a marshy bog! Sod’s Law! On we plodded following a track built over an aqueduct through which water flowed from one side of the mountain to the other enabling the irrigation of the dry inland areas. The ‘Snowy’ is not just about power generation! Fifteen kilometres walking in the wet was not enjoyable; we had water coming out of everywhere. So much for the dry Ozzie climate! The company was good, the chat amusing and the group gelled. Wet weather gear was put to the ultimate test – so we were reminded by the Group Leader! A day wasted? No way!
We awoke the next morning to a blue sky flecked by high clouds – brilliant! After a fruit and muesli breakfast or bacon and eggs if you fancied it, we hopped on the bus and drove out past Perisher with its twenty odd chair lifts to Charlotte Pass. This is where the road, more like a track, starts to go up to Kosi as it is called by locals, but Carruthers Peak was the objective today - 2150m (Kosciuszko is 2228m) so we were going up among the big ones! It was T-shirt and shorts weather and plenty of water to quench one’s thirst. Great stuff! The path went down rapidly to the Snowy River then a fairly gentle push up to the plateau. This high rolling plateau, above the tree line of twisted snow gums, is the home to many unique plants and animals hiding in the basalt columns beside the granite boulders or among the glacial lakes. Wild flowers abound and with the right conditions can provide a carpet of multi-coloured blossoms. The wild life is more difficult to detect since most are marsupial. Tracks in the grasses or burrows beside the alpine heaths are the only indication they are around. On route we had to cross the river by either wading through it (only ankle deep if that) or rock hopping; we chose the latter! Visiting Blue Lake, one of many glacial lakes gouged out during the ice age, was an option. It entailed dropping down quite a bit then pushing back up again. We declined, viewed it from the lookout and read the information board.
Onward and upward saw us on the top of Carruthers Peak in time for lunch. The clear, clean air gave views over to the Bogong High Plains down in Victoria, out over the National Park and the Rams Head Range toward Canberra, in the ACT. The local views were seen just in time, as the heat of the day caused moisture from the valley to rise and form a thick mist swirling all around. Fortunately this was not where we had settled down for lunch as it made for quite an eerie experience. In all directions we could see the devastation caused by the fires of 2003; blackened trunks, bronzed leaves hanging onto dead branches in the gullies, on the flats and ridges. Some places were spared, either because the fire jumped over them due to the speed of the flames, or the wind changed direction. Another ‘man-made’ reason for the green patches was the water bombing aircraft and helicopters which had drenched them. It was a new experience to see before you black (trunks), brown (burnt leaves) and green (new growth) all thriving on the hillsides at the same time!
The return journey was slow and steady with weary limbs making the downward snaking path seem less appealing! Once on the flat we had only the river to re-cross and then up to the top of the hill to the bus and a well earned rest. However, we had one more obstacle to surmount… the river crossing! No Worries? With one exception - she managed it again! On our last trek Nance had slipped and landed in the mud up to her thighs; this time she slipped and landed in the Snowy River. We were negotiating the stepping stones, the only way to cross the river, men helping women as the gentlemen we are; the last rock looked so easy ‘yours truly’ tried it herself but her foot did not quite make contact with the protruding rock and in she went! Soaking wet all down one side and a bruised hand as well. A soggy sight as she walked back up to the bus to change into a spare jumper and waterproof trousers for the journey home. The doctor in our group had a look at the wrist – it wasn't broken! Yes, it was the one she broke playing tennis.
We had dinner out in town that night in an Italian café we fancied on the first day tour round the town. We had no sooner sat down than another two from the group arrived, then another two. By the time we were served most of the group had joined us. We all had the same thought in mind; made the same good choice where the food was fabulous!
We were scheduled to do the big one on the last day, but since the weather was so good, Phil decided that it was on for the following morning, our fourth day of the Trek. And the next day was equally good weather wise if not better.
We were driven to Thredbo, caught the chair lift (yes - up on the lift) it makes it a really long day otherwise. We headed out on the tourist track, most of which is a metal walkway to prevent the plateau eroding from the constant treading feet of hundreds of tourists each year. The steel mesh construction is not treated so it gradually rusts blending in with the surrounding countryside. This was deemed too easy a route for the likes of our group, so said Phil. We went up onto the Rams Head North ridge, struggling through the boulders and grasses, up the slope to the outcrops at the top, which just had to be climbed by an adventurous few, giving the rest a breather! It was easier going on the descent across to the walkway. We met the track by the Cootapatamba Lookout giving a view of the lake of the same name; the highest glacial lake in Australia! Once on the walkway we met hordes of people coming and going, delighted that it was such a fine day… just as well looking at the gear they had, or rather didn’t have! As in all mountainous regions the weather can change rapidly and everyone should be prepared for this; luckily the sun shone all day! Coming round Etheridge Gap we could see Rawson Pass, where the track meets the old road from Charlotte Pass. This is the way we originally got to the top by car way back in the sixties; we drove up here in our trusty Beetle and walked the last few metres to the top carrying our nine month old son. It has been closed to traffic for many years now!
Again the views were spectacular, with blue sky and mountains seemingly going on for ever. The whole area is like being on top of the Cairngorm Plateau; same granite strata, alpine lakes scoured out by the ice age, and the same stunted undergrowth, but alas, no heather! It was only a short walk around the mountain by the old boulder road to gain the height to reach the craggy top and join the others in the group, as well as the hordes of walkers in their various summery garbs. Thank goodness it’s a broad flat top or we’d never all have gotten a seat! Lunch was devoured from our Auswalk cool bag. It’s great to eat on the top of a mountain and more so this one - the highest! What a feeling to be on Kosciuszko, on the top of Australia for the second time, but much more satisfying this time, having used our own engine to reach the top!!! The way back was easy, no diversions; walkway to the Ski lift, down the lift, and over to the bus for a welcome drive to the hotel. Lunch on the top was good but so was the schooner of beer, dinner, and a good night’s sleep … all well earned! Now that we had completed the tough trek, a major Mecca for walkers from all over the globe, the next day’s walk should be a doddle; the itinerary is usually arranged to build up to the difficult one! How wrong we were!
We started out very easily, walking on the grassy flats along the Thredbo River, beside the golf course. We trekked on through the bush, gently gaining height on our way up the gorge. Occasionally we could hear traffic above us on the Alpine Way making for Khancoban on the other side of the Park and eventually to the inland plains beside the Murray River. The track wended its way through snow gums with grasses and wild flowers bordering the river. The noise of water rushing over the stones and down cataracts accompanied us and added to the interest till we got to the bridge and saw the river. There was not very much water flowing, much less than the sound would have led you to imagine! We were very near the top of Dead Horse Gap. This is the watershed; the Thredbo River flows into the Snowy scheme while all the other little streams flow down the other side of the ridge into the Murray River system. The mighty Murray meanders over the plains, gaining strength, passing through Victoria where it is joined by the Darling, before emptying into the Southern Ocean near Adelaide in South Australia. What a journey for these little trickles of water high in the mountains!
As well as the usual marsupial creatures, this area is home to the ‘brumbies’, the wild bush horses. These are the wild horses of the high country. These feral animals are the descendents of domestic pack animals, drover’s steeds, and runaway stock from the early days of colonisation! Unfortunately while we didn’t see any, we saw many indications that they had been here recently; warm droppings, fresh scrapings and many hoof prints...but no actual brumbies! From the top of the Gap we continued upward along Bogong ridge which was named after the Bogong moth which arrives each summer by the millions. This is food for a variety of creatures; ravens, currawong, possums, reptiles and aborigines! Up and up went the track till we were out of the trees and into the alpine heath land of the plateau again. We rejoiced in the flat walking after the hard slog of the climb. The end of the hard walk was in sight; the top of the chair lift above Thredbo, although it took us another hour to reach it.
That night we were fortunate to have dinner in a bush setting just outside the town, with the kangaroos in the adjacent paddocks looking on.
We mulled over all the achievements and experiences we had been through during the last five days. Bullocks Flat, soft and easy; Guthega Walk, wet and soggy; Carruthers Peak, misty and scenic; Dead Horse Gap, steep but rewarding; Kosciuszko, breathtaking and exciting.
Thinking back to the first very wet day we were grateful to have been able to complete the rest of the walks bathed in sunshine. It had been an exhausting few days but also very rewarding.
We had been to the “Top of Down Under”!
Click here for more information on our Australian Alps trip.
Click here to see more stories written by Auswalk clients
Return to Auswalk's HOME PAGE
Auswalk Pty Ltd |
4 Red Gum Lease Track |
Halls Gap Victoria 3381 | Australia
Phone +61 (0)3 5356 4971 |
Fax +61 (0)3 5356 4970 | Email info@auswalk.com.au |
