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Showing posts from July, 2017

A Steep Mistake

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Craigow Hill On our last visit to the Belbins Road end of the Meehan Range a track marked Caves Hill was noticed and that is what brought us here this time.  Obviously, the track is created for bikes but being a weekday meant it was low use. The prior walk to Craigow was 2005, and after reaching the saddle between Flagstaff and Eagle Hills it was reasonably familiar, apart from not remembering having to negotiate a fence twice. At the second fence line, there was a gate and then we were on the Craigow Hill property and it was most apparent that it was managed in a manner leaving the bush in a nicer state. Our lunch spot was in a patch of grasstrees making it sheltered with pleasing surrounds. This was the far point of the journey and marked where the other part of circuit started for the return to the start. Craigow Hill It was very steep down from Craigow and we missed the descent track used last time.  Although a pile of rocks was noticed the track we were on was very

Warm Going Up Slippery Down

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Ice House Circuit 11 July 2017 Much of the day was sunny with misty cloud at times.  We went up on the ice House Track with the steady ascent making walking quite warm.  Snow was met well before the top and crossing to the zig Zag Track was crunchy and pleasant in such calm conditions. Ice on gum branches Ice covered yellow bush Rime on rock Boulders at South Wellington Rime on twigs Upgraded Organ Pipes Track Once on the downhill it was slippery due to the compressed snow from the volume of users. Up until then we had mostly untouched snow to walk on which was vastly more pleasant and easier. We were keen to view the upgraded Organ Pipes Track, expecting that it would be completed to the junction with the Pinnacle Track.  So, it was a surprise to find it had not even got as far as the Sawmill Track junction.  The little bit that we managed to see was a much higher track standard than expected; in fact, probably higher than warranted and th

Denmans Cove

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A case of two distinctly different grades of track Sunday 2 July 2017 It had been 14 years since we walked to Denmans Cove and from some reports we expected it to be more overgrown than previously.  It seemed a bit worse, but not as bad feared. We did make one decision that went through the most difficult section unnecessarily. This came about when we followed tapes close to the end that took us past a short easy track directly to the Denmans beach. The longer scrubbier way was no doubt there for times when the tide made the short cut unviable. The short way was used on return without any trouble. Euaclypts at Stinking Bay Back in 2003 a wider track beside a cleared area was used to get to Stinking Bay, but now a walking track through forest brought us onto the coast about 600 metres from the beach. This took close to 40 minutes  and another 1:25 to Denmans, excluding morning drink break. Correa

A Changed Track - Cape Raoul

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Saturday 1 July 2017 It is now a quite different experience walking to Cape Raoul now that the track has been upgraded, although it was far from finished. The initial early part is predominantly gravel with a little boardwalk and means the slippery mud is now thankfully thing of the past. From the creek crossing it is all gravel and winds up to the Raoul lookout, but on the descent after there some large zig zags have been added and maybe just a bit more than needed. It was still under construction as was long sections between there and cape Raoul. It was pleasing to see the track will continue under the casuarinas but that section was always good walking and it seems a great waste of resource and money ripping through it to add gravel. The same can be said for the last part where the track crosses the heathland before the cape, where the old track has been dug up and rocks removed.  This seems to be very much overdone and again unnecessary and expensive, whereas a little gravel top