Topic: Australia
Federation Peak in southwest Tasmania often said to be one of the hardest bushwalks in Australia. It's generally thought that only one in three people who start out to get to the top make it. In 1994 we tried. I took the Commodore over on the boat to cart us around. That was the way all of us were going until someone worked out it was cheaper to fly, so I ended up going with all my mates. To get to the peak you first drive to the middle of nowhere. One you have firmly established you are in the middle of nowhere, or somewhere near farmhouse creek, you then load yourself up with 30 kilos plus of stuff. The first walk is only a relatively easy 18 km to Cutting camp. This bit was pretty boring but we where all knackered when we got there. A quick note on the climate. South West Tassie has the reputation of being wet and cold, some people walk the whole trip in low cloud and see nothing. Our trip had good weather, it only rained about half the time. When the sun comes out the place is magic, until the flys wake up and carry you away. If you have ever been to Central Australia in summer time you’ll know what I mean. When it was cooler thousand’s of mozzies and leach’s take their place. The next day is relatively flat, so it’s mostly a day of slogging through mud. Day 3 Cracroft crossing . A relatively short day up a thing called Moss ridge. This involves similar amounts of vertical and horizontal distances. After ten hours of scrambling up through the mud and rain looking for hand holds to to pull your self and your pack up, we hit our campsite at Berchervaise Plateau. It’s here that we got our first view of the peak. By now the sun was out, and this huge slab of rock was looking at us. It seemed so close that you could touch it, but was still a couple of days walking away. The track scrambles up and down along the ridge line. Twenty meters up twenty meters down, hours of it. Hot work in the sun along a hot dry ridge. That night we camped at the Climbers camp on the top of the ridge. It’s right beside the peak.
When we got up the next morning and the weather had turned to rubbish. We ate breakfast in the rain, and our little group trudged off. No need to pack up camp, all we need was food, and a bit of safety gear, if it all goes well we would be back in five hours. We are heading to the top via the direct ascent route. The problem is none of us are rock climbers, or knows what’s up ahead. Here’s a bit of a guide I found.
Immediately above the upper Bechervaise Plateau camping area to the L is an imposing pillar of rock.
| 1. | Uncertain Day | 105m | 13 | (Mild Severe) | |||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Peter Heddles, David Neilson, Feb 1968. | |||||||||||||
Clear as mud aye.
Take a look at the photo at the top. This is the so called easy route to the top on a sunny day. We start this in the pouring rain, surrounded by fog, and lightning. It’s only a short 600 meters fall down to the lake. Don’t worry, you won’t hit the lake, there are plenty of rocks to stop you at the bottom. We start heading up a steep gully which is rapidly turning into a river. Our first couple of climbers decide “Stuff this for a game of soldiers ” and bail out. There are random little piles of stacked stones marking the way, when we hit a dead end we see a pile of stones over to the right. See photo above again. A couple more hit the eject button. It’s getting really wet now. We get to the crux, a two meter face we have to shimmy up. Then there were three. Some how we get up it, and find we are in a rock chute with a nice track running up it. Twenty minutes later we are at the top. Through the clouds we can see the odd glimpses of bays and coast line, on a good day it would be fantastic. Ian, Nick, and I , decide to bail when the rain and lightning start up again. Down the chute, over the two meter drop, with the 50 mm toe hold at the bottom, then the scramble to the path,and back to camp. We made it. True to the stats a third of our party made it to the top.
Take a look at the photo at the top. This is the so called easy route to the top on a sunny day. We start this in the pouring rain, surrounded by fog, and lightning. It’s only a short 600 meters fall down to the lake. Don’t worry, you won’t hit the lake, there are plenty of rocks to stop you at the bottom. We start heading up a steep gully which is rapidly turning into a river. Our first couple of climbers decide “Stuff this for a game of soldiers ” and bail out. There are random little piles of stacked stones marking the way, when we hit a dead end we see a pile of stones over to the right. See photo above again. A couple more hit the eject button. It’s getting really wet now. We get to the crux, a two meter face we have to shimmy up. Then there were three. Some how we get up it, and find we are in a rock chute with a nice track running up it. Twenty minutes later we are at the top. Through the clouds we can see the odd glimpses of bays and coast line, on a good day it would be fantastic. Ian, Nick, and I , decide to bail when the rain and lightning start up again. Down the chute, over the two meter drop, with the 50 mm toe hold at the bottom, then the scramble to the path,and back to camp. We made it. True to the stats a third of our party made it to the top.
The return is the reverse of the way in. Some of the group want to get back for an earlier flight, so we hump it back down moss ridge, and camp beside a stream where the millions of mozzies drive us to bed at six o’clock. The last day is a monster all the way out to the car. Micks knees have never been the same since. I drop the crew at the airport, but still have another week till my ferry leaves. I take a leisurely cruise back up the east coast to Devonport.
Our Crew, Ian Goodwin, Mick Schults, H, Nick , Ian Brewer, Michael Bond, and me.
Click the pic above for my reject photos and a couple of others. “H” begged me for my pics, so she could give a talk at her work then promptly lost them. I borrowed a few pics from the ourtasmania, and Wikipedia websites, feel free to look them up for the photo credits.
Posted by bondrj
at 2:36 AM NZT
Updated: Tuesday, 26 September 2023 3:08 AM NZT
