Date/Time
Date(s) - 23 May 2021
Category(ies)
- Grade 4 Medium-Hard
- Leader: David G
- Phone: 0432 632 142 - after 7pm
- Participant numbers:max 10 participants
- Final booking date: Bookings the Monday-Wednesday the week leading up to the walk please.
I haven’t done this walk in winter before – I’m hopeful it’ll be a nice way to get some good snow views (if an early season) without having to actually go ‘to’ the snow.
However, I have done a ‘shorter’ version of this in early winter, and loved walking through the massive trees, the ferns beside the track, the little waterfalls, and a light dusting of snow higher up.
We will meet at Mt Beauty and then head up to Bogong village. The walk starts from the picnic ground at the southern end of Bogong Village, past the power station and the tennis courts. However we will park at the ‘upper’ car park because the lower park is unsealed and gets a bit muddy around the edges – I’d hate for anyone to get bogged.
From the picnic ground, we cross the footbridge over the creek and follow an obvious track. Very soon there is a track junction, Black Possum Spur Track which goes off on the right. We follow this track, a broad 4WD fire trail, as it climbs STEEPLY for about 4 km, or about 1.5 hours of walking (from about 680m to about 1,200m elevation). This climb is the reason this walk is rated medium-hard.
The track leads to an obvious track junction which is just about the highest point of the walk.
We’ll take the track on the right which climbs gently for a short distance then swings round and gradually circles down back to the start of the walk. Along the way there are interesting views up to Spion Kopje and across to the Fainters.
There will be a few boggy spots where streams cross the track, and we will need to cross Rocky Valley creek toward the end. This crossing is a no-go early-spring with snow-melt, but should be fine in May. In any case, we will be crossing the same creek via the bridge at the start, so will know if the stream is roaring too much – in which case we’ll do the shorter alternate walk below.
After crossing the creek, the track climbs for about 1 km, coming out at a junction with the Spion Kopje Track beside the Falls Creek Road. A track then descends back to the start of the walk.
I expect that the track will be a bit icy and slippery, and we may encounter light snow too. If we encounter too much snow/ice, we’ll backtrack and take the ‘lower track’ and then ‘red fox track’ back down to the cars as a shorter circuit. Hiking poles are strongly recommended due to potential ice on the track and the stream crossing.
I recommend taking a change of clothes in the car, especially dry shoes/socks, for the return drive home. Also bring a head-torch due to the days getting shorter, and plenty of warm gear.