ANOTHER MELBOURNE CUP WEEKEND -
ANOTHER MT. BOGONG WALK by
Tom BuykxHOME PAGE | WHAT WE DO | EQUIPMENT | CONTACTS | RISK MANAGEMENT | PROGRAM | PHOTOS | MAGAZINE | LINKS
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ANOTHER MELBOURNE CUP WEEKEND -
ANOTHER MT. BOGONG WALK by
Tom Buykx
NOVEMBER 2011
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In 2010 the Club’s Melbourne Cup long weekend walk to Mt Bogong had not entirely gone as planned, the weather having been rather unpleasant. Nevertheless, one of the participants, our Queenslander Phil Murray, had again been so impressed with the Victorian Alps that he volunteered to lead a repeat effort in 2011. The event duly appeared on our walks program. Phil also put it on the program of the Brisbane Catholic Bushwalking Club and six BCBC members joined him for the trip down south. CWCV provided five starters. And not only did Phil want to climb Victoria’s highest mountain, for good measure he also wanted to do the second highest, Mt Feathertop.
Mindful of our experience in 2010 I had booked on-site van accommodation in the Tawonga Caravan Park for Friday 28 October 2011. Bernie provided Allan and me with comfortable transport. We arrived at Tawonga about six pm and after a few mobile phone contacts with ‘Phil’s mob’ they arrived half an hour later. We introduced ourselves to Russ and Jan, Kerrianne, Peter, Kerry, and Chris, and arranged berths. Then we went to the Bogong Hotel for dinner.
During the night, like last year, rain set in. We delayed our departure a bit hoping it would clear up, but eventually set off to do what we had come to do. Phil provided every member of the party with well annotated maps. At Mountain Creek camp site we saw Mel’s car. She and Adrian had camped there and were already on their way. We followed without much delay and were soon at Sodawater Creek. There was still much evidence of last year’s flood damage there, but big stepping stones have been placed in the creek bed to facilitate the crossing. Then it took about half an hour to reach the start of the Staircase Spur. Here Phil gave us free rein as far as Bivouac Hut, where we were to re-group. In indifferent weather ranging from humid to damp to wet we made our way up the alternating steep and very steep spur, sometimes on top of it, often on one side or the other. The effort required stopped me, for one, from taking much note of my surroundings. I was vaguely aware of plenty of flowers and even noticed a Caladenia and a Greenhood orchid. The trackside vegetation was dense and lush. Eventually it became obvious the vegetation had changed: we had reached snowgum, and that meant the hut would not be far off. On reaching the hut we found Adrian and Mel there, almost ready to continue on their way to the top. While they pushed on the rest of the party reached the hut in dribs and drabs, ready for lunch.
It may have been the prospect of more, and more severe, ‘uphill after lunch’ that made Russ (who had actually done pretty well getting this far since he had undergone a serious operation only two months earlier) and Jan and Kerry decide to stay at Bivouac Hut. They would then come up the mountain on Sunday to meet us at the summit. As we gained further height in the more rocky terrain, we reached the clouds and rain, but also the mountain’s annual floral display of Royal Grevillea. Without pausing much we made our way past familiar landmarks such as the memorial cairn and the very few remains of the old summit hut. We had a glimpse of the Michel Hut on the Eskdale Spur. The track was much drier than it was last year; otherwise things were much the same: cold, wet, cloudy and windy, no point in going to the summit. To my surprise, after the kind of non-winter we have had this year, there were still quite a few snow drifts on the south side of the mountain. But we did not lose any time in snow play; the ‘smell of the stable’, i.e. Cleve Cole Hut, was too strong. On the final approach to the hut there was, indeed, the smell of smoke in the air and when we got in we found Adrian on his knees in front of the stove lighting a fire. In due course all nine of us were in, and we were the only party there. Kerrianne and Bernie pitched their tents, the others ‘roughed it’ on the mattressed bunks in the hut. We had a comfortable evening, some of us cooking on the stove, some on choofers, some passing around some good cheer. During the evening the weather improved nicely.
Sunday morning was bright and clear, cold but no frost, and soon the sun came over the distant ridge: a day full of promise. Kerrianne, Chris and Peter were away early, intent on some snow play on the way to the top. The CWCV members followed a little later. We caught up with each other at the track junction of the Staircase Spur and dropped our packs for the short walk to the summit. Soon Russ, Jan and Kerry joined us from Bivouac Hut where they had had a leisurely afternoon and a good night’s rest. While we enjoyed the great views from the summit it also became clear that the weather was not as promising as it had seemed first thing in the morning. And indeed, on the descent we got into cloud and the cloud turned into rain. We re-grouped again in Bivouac Hut, but otherwise the party became stretched out like Brown’s proverbial cows. We met quite a few people ascending, some for an overnight walk, most on a day walk, and several ill-equipped for the weather that was developing. Anyway, the rain stopped when we stopped walking, back at the cars.
After lunch we left Mountain Creek for Harrietville. The first arrivals at the caravan park there managed to get two on-site caravans-with-annexe, real comfort. By now the weather had improved but there were still ‘sun showers’ from time to time. We indulged in hot showers and a good rest. Late in the afternoon, on the banks of the Ovens River, Russ, who is an ordained deacon, led us in a Ceremony of the Word. We read the readings for that Sunday, to which Russ gave a brief homily. The Prayers of the Faithful of course elicited a prayer for good weather for the next two days’ trip to Mt Feathertop. The response ‘Lord, hear our prayer’ was said with more than usual fervour. Our prayers were heard, as you will read in Bernie’s report.
We finished the day with dinner at the Snowline Hotel.
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