Bushwalking – Cork’s Corner

Archive for the ‘Bushwalking’ Category

Charlotte Pass/Mount Perrisher

01 Jan

Posted in Bushwalking, SOTA | 1 Comment »

Andrew wanted to do Mount Perrisher for his next SOTA summit. It looked to be a short but steep walk up the mountain from the main road. We decided to think about it a bit and went on to Charlotte Pass for our annual photograph with the Charlotte Pass sign and a wander along the boardwalk to the lookout.

We stopped at a picnic area just off the road on the way back from Charlotte Pass for lunch and then went for a second look at Mount Perrisher. We parked the car and decided to give it a go, so loaded up with water and a bit of food we set off. It was steep, really steep! The track followed the ski lift up, and it was a rough track at best. I was worried about getting down again on the loose gravelly ground, but it wasn’t too bad really, particularly if we walked on the grass beside the track. Toby would have slid down the track a few times if I hadn’t been holding his hand to help steady his feet. The walk was 1.7 km each way with a rise in altitude of around 300 metres. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I couldn’t walk the next day, but I’m happy to report that I had no stiffness but I did feel a bit tired physically.

View from Charlotte Pass lookout

Snowy River

View from Mount Perrisher

Climbing up the hard way

Bobs Ridge

30 Dec

Posted in Bushwalking, SOTA | No Comments »

On Boxing Day we went for a walk so that Andrew could work another SOTA summit. We started at Dead Horse Gap and followed the walking track towards the Cascades Hut. The distance was unknown and Andrew thought it was going to be a relatively easy and relatively short walk, but it proved quite steep, particularly for the last ~1 km, and again I had to wear Toby on my back. The walk ended up being 5.3 km each way with an elevation of ~250 metres from our starting point.

At the top we found a spot on the ridge where Andrew could set up his antenna, and the kids had fun climbing on the rocks around. The whole time we were there we could hear thunder rumbling and I kept an eye on some very dark clouds in the distance. Both kids managed to rip their shorts in exactly the same spot by sliding on their bums down the rocks.

We walked back to the car (Toby got another ride on my back most of the way downhill) with the storm clouds getting ever closer and the rumble of thunder our constant companion. It really was a lovely walk, but we were happy to see the car before the rain started. Toby was very excited to be back and ran full pelt at the gate across the track. He and Nathan had been running under the bottom beam before we started the walk, so Toby thought he could run under it again. Unfortunately for him, though, the bar was closer to the ground at the other end of the gate. He hit his forehead really hard which produced a big egg on his head…not a good end to an otherwise lovely day.

Walking beside the Thredbo River

It’s fun to play in water

Having lunch at the top

Andrew playing radios

Playing on the rocks where they ripped their pants

Approaching storm

Mount Kosciuszko Summit

25 Dec

Posted in Bushwalking, NSW, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Yesterday we decided to try for the top of Mount Kosciuszko from the top of the Thredbo chairlift. We hadn’t been further than the lookout, just 2 km from the chairlift, for several years. We knew that Nathan would manage the 13 km return walk but we weren’t sure that Toby would. He often stands infront of me with his arms up saying “carry me” and this walk wasn’t any different. Even though it has been at least two years since Toby has been in the mei tai (with the exception of a few weeks ago when he was sick and he tolerated 10 minutes on my back) we took it along with us.

We arrived at the Thredbo top station at 9:45 am and started walking the track. It took us about 45 minutes to walk the 2 km to the first lookout where we had a ‘rest’. The boys didn’t really rest though, they just climbed the rocks. After a drink and a snack we kept walking. It got harder and harder with Nathan complaining and Toby telling me he had sore feet and wanting to be carried. Toby wanted to stop and look at all the little streams of water that we went past, and because he was looking he was the first to see tiny native fish in some of the creeks.

Rawson Pass has changed a lot since I was there last. It used to be a flat area that had gravel off over it and a row of portaloos. Now there is a toilet block, paved footpaths and some signs to read. It is quite a beautiful spot now. Toby was tired and went onto my back at Rawson Pass and then we set off for the final 1.4 km uphill trek to the top of Mount Kosciuszko. Andrew took off ahead of the kids and me so that he could get to the top and set up his radio and antenna for SOTA (summits of the air).

Toby was upset that I wouldn’t let him down when we got to a patch of snow on the side of the track, and I told him that he could walk down on the way back and play in the snow then. We finally got to the top, had the obligatory photo at the stone marker, and sat down for some lunch. We watched Andrew make his first contacts, the boys climbed the rocks (again, instead of resting) and at 1:15 we set off down the mountain, leaving Andrew to finish working on his radio contacts and pack up.

It took us over an hour to get back to Rawson Pass. The boys wanted to walk on the rocks beside the walking track instead of on the walking track, and then they played on both of the patches of snow. At Rawson Pass Toby went back on my back for a while, and it was not far from the Kosciuszko lookout that Andrew caught up with us after leaving the top of the mountain at 2:15 pm. We made it back to the chairlift at 3:45 pm, so we had plenty of time to spare before the chairlift stopped at 4:30 pm ( we had been a bit worried about making it back in time).

It was a great day, perfect weather for a long walk, and as always I adored the views from the top of Australia.