Table Mountain At Last

[whynotwalk]

The weekend's weather was enough to make you a royalist! I finally got to Table Mt, and have blogged about it here.

http://auntyscuttle.blogspot.com/2011/06/table-service.html

cheers

Peter

[whynotwalk]

A few more details - and some credits!

We went up from Serat Station off C528 (Bothwell-Interlaken Rd). Parked by roadside & took the farm track about 300m on the Bothwell side of the Serat entry gate. Forestry tracks all over, but eventually just made a bee-line for the summit cliffs. Picked up cairns at the bottom of a gully and soon made the top. Took about 1 HR 45 mins at leisurely pace from road to summit. Read the blog for more 'raves'.

And thanks to Mark, Andrew and Rohan for various bits of info some time back! It was worth the wait,

Cheers

Peter

[ILUVSWTAS]

Pleasure Peter.
Glad you made it up!! I quite enjoyed the walk up to Table myself, the cliffs are quite impressive!!

[nickthetasmaniac]

Thanks for sharing Peter!

I've been wondering about these cliffs for years every time I drive down the Midlands and never actually knew what it was You're right about the ash-cloud sunset - I watched it from Mt Barrow and it was one of the most beautiful I've seen!

[NickD]

Hi. Do you have the farms contact number? Is it necessary to contact? If so could you please PM the details to me, my brother is hoping to head up there Thursday.

Thanks!!

[whynotwalk]

Hi Nick - I think the answers are "no" and "no". We didn't know exactly where to go, so asked the farmer, who didn't seem keen for us to drive through the property. But if you park off his property, and only use the roads/tracks to access the mountain, I don't think he has a problem.

Otherwise, as posted back in June: "We went up from Serat Station off C528 (Bothwell-Interlaken Rd). Parked by roadside & took the farm track about 300m on the Bothwell side of the Serat entry gate. Forestry tracks all over, but eventually just made a bee-line for the summit cliffs. Picked up cairns at the bottom of a gully and soon made the top. Took about 1 HR 45 mins at leisurely pace from road to summit."

cheers

Peter

[NickD]

cheers peter. he went up on thursday and had success.

[Points85]

Hi all im new ,was a great walk/ride as took our bike's,great views

[ILUVSWTAS]

well done pts 85. or is that now pts86?

[Points85]

no way near 85 points ,as i mentioned im very new and have only been out with 1 of my mates on a few trips,which is not often ,been thinking of trying to join the launceston walking club though still undecided.Wish id seen this side of tassie 10 years ago

[ILUVSWTAS]

So no 85 points, but your name is points85.....

ok im confused :p

[Points85]

as in 1985

[ollster]

Thought I'd best include this information in this thread rather than start a new one (I'm sure people use search, right?).

Doogs and I went for a morning trot to Table on Sunday. We accessed the unsigned forestry roads called "Table Mtn Road" on maps, from C527 (Interlaken Rd).

Starting the walk we observed: A "No Through Road" sign. An unsigned boom gate. Private property signs on entry to a small shack, and also off the road on a tree. These things are not uncommon. We biked along the 8-odd km road, walked up the peak, and proceeded to return the way we came.

On the way back we were intercepted by the caretaker, who told us in no uncertain terms that we were trespassing (were we?) and that he has been given orders by the landowner to call the cops and have any vehicles parked at the start of the road towed and the owners prosecuted. This is in response to people accessing the property and doing the wrong thing - stealing from the little house near the start of the road, vandalising etc.

We did show some contrition and understanding of the situation, and I made puppy dog eyes for a full five minutes while he blasted me, and he did not take any action. I did mention that I would communicate this situation to people.

Take this as a warning - enter Table Mt Road at your peril.

The obvious question this raises is: Is Table Mt Road actually a private road, and do they have any right to stop people using it? If it is private, are there requirements to sign appropriately?

[doogs]

You took one 4 the team, thanks

[ollster]

You took one 4 the team, thanks

I reckon SBS might be taking one seeing he's yet to do Table. Possibly a whole heap depending on how well he can dodge.

[stepbystep]

You took one 4 the team, thanks

I reckon SBS might be taking one seeing he's yet to do Table. Possibly a whole heap depending on how well he can dodge.

I reckon sbs will be making a phone call or 3 before he goes near Table Mountain! Knew I should have tagged along...

[Azza]

On the way back we were intercepted by the caretaker, who told us in no uncertain terms that we were trespassing (were we?) and that he has been given orders by the landowner to call the cops and have any vehicles parked at the start of the road towed and the owners prosecuted. This is in response to people accessing the property and doing the wrong thing - stealing from the little house near the start of the road, vandalising etc.

Ah... bogans - ruining it for everyone.
I just love that look they give you when parking your car and about to leave for a walk... that hmm. anything worth stealing..... or should I just burn it.

Anyway I would have thought that towing someone's car from the side of a public road is theft regardless of whether they are trespassing on your property.

SBS - There is always the back road.... and yeah.. I'm happy I've already done table.

[ILUVSWTAS]

SBS - There is always the back road.... and yeah.. I'm happy I've already done table.

ORRRRRRR As a radical move, you could always tag along on one of the walking club trips. They seek permission before going, therefore likely to be safer.

[Azza]

SBS - There is always the back road.... and yeah.. I'm happy I've already done table.

ORRRRRRR As a radical move, you could always tag along on one of the walking club trips. They seek permission before going, therefore likely to be safer.

Well that's always a good option for those in the know....
Although you assume that the trouble makers running around in there aren't the same one's shooting and stealing stuff...

Permission or not, I'm not gonna argue with the redneck holding a gun...

[doogs]

This bloke was adamant that noone would be allowed on the land full stop.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I didn't realize he had a gun....

Well i'll keep an eye out for club walks and see what happens.
More than likely he was a local out and about planting a crop (it is that time of year) and was trying to be a scare mongerer.

[ollster]

I didn't realize he had a gun....

Well, I couldn't see his left hand, and I'm not one to ruin a good story... but no, he did not. Someone has been exaggerating.

[pazzar]

More than likely he was a local out and about planting a crop (it is that time of year) and was trying to be a scare mongerer.

I didn't realize you were an expert...

Did you ask him where the signs saying that 'trespassers will be shot' were?

And at least you got it first go. How many times has Faulkner and Dromedary been failed for the same reason?

[TimG1]

Hi ollster

In response to your post I have checked Table Mt Road and can advise that the first 1.6 kilometres of the road is a Crown Reserve Road. It appears the boom gate, shown as approximately 900 metres off Interlaken Road on the Tasmap, is on the section of Crown Land. Therefore the caretaker? has no right to restrict access to this section of the road or call the cops etc etc. Approximately 700 metres beyond the boom gate past the small shack the Crown reserved road ends and the land is private in at least two different ownerships. Therefore the caretaker can restrict access to the road beyond this point and the owners permission should be sort to utilise this access. Best of luck given the comments he made!!!

[ILUVSWTAS]

More than likely he was a local out and about planting a crop (it is that time of year) and was trying to be a scare mongerer.

I didn't realize you were an expert...

I suspect there's many things you dont know about me Jared.

[ollster]

Hi ollster

In response to your post I have checked Table Mt Road and can advise that the first 1.6 kilometres of the road is a Crown Reserve Road. It appears the boom gate, shown as approximately 900 metres off Interlaken Road on the Tasmap, is on the section of Crown Land. Therefore the caretaker? has no right to restrict access to this section of the road or call the cops etc etc. Approximately 700 metres beyond the boom gate past the small shack the Crown reserved road ends and the land is private in at least two different ownerships. Therefore the caretaker can restrict access to the road beyond this point and the owners permission should be sort to utilise this access. Best of luck given the comments he made!!!

Thanks Tim, very useful info. In some ways I find it quite annoying that the top of Table seems to all be Crown land, but in fact there seems to be no way to access it other than to trespass. We were certainly in the wrong as far as accessing past the 1.6km mark, but IMO there is insufficient signage to indicate this is the case.

Bit moot now, as I will absolutely not be going back, but probably useful for others' future reference.

[ollster]

And at least you got it first go. How many times has Faulkner and Dromedary been failed for the same reason?

As far as I know, Dromedary can be accessed through public land (State Forest) from the north, so it's not quite the same issue?

Faulkner on the other hand... again it's ridiculous to have Crown land/conservation areas that is inaccessible except via private property.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Faulkner can be done from Chigwell, but then you have to survive the drive through Chigwell to get there, and then leave your car parked at Chigwell....

[pazzar]

Faulkner can be done from Chigwell, but then you have to survive the drive through Chigwell to get there, and then leave your car parked at Chigwell....

I had my house there, I could lock the car away!

The fastest way to do Dromedary, unless you have a way of removing the log that blocks the road several kms up from the track, is still to bash through private land. I had no issues, but I know of people that have. The signs are a must see anyway!

[ILUVSWTAS]

The fastest way to do Dromedary, unless you have a way of removing the log that blocks the road several kms up from the track, is still to bash through private land. I had no issues, but I know of people that have. The signs are a must see anyway!

And like Table, illegal. It is a public road that the residents have tried to make private. Or so im told....