Bogong High Plains region tracks

[stry]

Perhaps the answer is Killer drones ?. Or maybe hope for a ticked off wedgey to be nearby.

[Baeng72]

Nice work CraigVIC.
Nice photos of the falls.
I'd love to take a drone, but then I'd be one of the blighters I winge about!
I'd rather not spoil it for others.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The derivation of Blighter is from Hindustani and Bengali .
Vilayat is the Urdu word for the foreign lands to the west , outside of Afghanistan and The Indian Sub Continent.
The Bengalis cannot pronounce the letter V. They say B. The British were one of the first white western colonial powers to arrive in Bengal to exploit its fertility , human resources and textiles.
The word Bilayati , the Bengali corrupted adjectival form of Vilayat became a term of pejorative use towards these white interlopers who soon took over the whole region.

The word stuck in local English usage and became used by the returned infantry men and sailors in the UK as a name for England= old Blighty , inhabited by Blighters!. The ER on the end ( a suffix )is an English usage as applied to surnames e.g. Clapton becomes Clappers , Chapman becomes Chappers etc.

[Baeng72]

Your a font of linguistic goodies.
I was wondering if Blight (like a plant disease) was related, and according to at least one etymology page, blighter is from blight and blight is from old-English for leprosy which would mean before Colonial times.
I have no way of judging which etymology is correct. But I like yours.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blighter
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blight#English

[Baeng72]

PCV, I have a question for you or any else in the know. I'm considering different walks for when (or if I ever) get out to do a multi day hike in BHP area.
My natural enemy is going up or down steep tracks being an uncoordinated lump of <insert expletive>.
How would you rate these climbs: Cobungra Gap to BHP(or even Basalt Temple), Big River to Cleve Cole Hut turnoff, Bogong Village to Bogong Jack Saddle, and what I think is the most insane, but relatively short, up Diamantina Spur to the Razorback?
The first 3 seem to have approximately 100-150m/km slope average, but Diamantina seemed to bee about 300m/km for the first km or so.
Length wise the climb up the TSpur and from Bogong Village seem longest slogs.
How do they compare with Eskdale or Staircase Spurs?

[Lophophaps]

Baeng72, I've done all those walks multiple times since the Crimean War - seems that long. Contrary to popular belief the mountains are not eroding. They are getting steeper and harder.

Cobungra Gap
It's relatively gentle on both climbs to Cobungra Gap. Above that it's steep most of the way to Basalt Temple, after which the gradient eases. From Cobungra Gap to Pole 267 will take about two hours.

Big River
From here up T Spur or Duane Spur is steep. I find Duane to be steeper and harder. Neither are that bad but if you have crook knees it will not be easy going down or up. Allow 2-3 hours going down either spur (start at the Long Spur turnoff or Ropers Hut) and 3-4 hours going up.

Bogong Village
This a management track, so the gradient is relatively easy. It's just a slog. I started getting tired a few kilometres before Bogong Jack – will this **** track end? About 600 metres before the hut a small stream runs over the track. There are other streams lower, may or may not be running.

Diamantina Spur
This is steep, especially the first 400 metres of climbing. Allow 4-5 hours up (take oxygen bottles) and 3-4 hours down (take knee bandages). Ambulance cover and a PLB are useful.

Eskdale is comparable to Diamantina, but easier. Staircase is a long climb, most of a day for most people if starting at Mountain Creek.

While subjective, this is my list in order of difficulty.
Cobungra Gap - Short climb, over soon
Bogong Village - longer but gentler
Big River - either spur, significant climbs with steepness
Eskdale – Steep above the hut, rocky in places
Diamantina – horribly steep at the bottom
Staircase – steep in places, long and a big climb

[Baeng72]

Thanks for the reply.
Having done Eskdale from Mountain Creek campground, it was doable, just a long slog, and the final bit after Michell Hut was hard.
I've descended Staircase, and was glad I wasn't ascending.
I'll have Ambulance, PLB and fingers crossed whichever these buggers I end up tackling.

[Baeng72]

I've read that access to the Spring Valley/Fainter firetrail from Bogong is through or around the AGL power station/facility. Is that correct?

[Lophophaps]

There was a gate with a fence when I was there last, but as this was a while ago, advice from a person who has been there recently will have greater value.

[bigkev]

I've read that access to the Spring Valley/Fainter firetrail from Bogong is through or around the AGL power station/facility. Is that correct?

I was there a couple of years ago and shimmied around the gate (we'll as much as a 125 kg bloke can shimmy ). I believe that there may be a track that starts opposite the Bogong Village entrance road that skirts around the AGL compoud - I climbed up to the High Plains Road from the tennis courts via an old walking track and didn't walk back up the entrance road so I may have missed the walking track.

[Baeng72]

Thanks BigKev, your BHP Loop starting/ending at Bogong Village on your blog is one of the places I read about the AGL plant.
Any place I'm interested in hiking, I search in google, and it says you've been there. It's a top resource.

The map below has a dashed red line which I think is access road/fire trail that passes 2 gates.
The purple? dashed line is a path/pad the I think skirts the gates (it appears to skirt around a rectangular area - power plant? - between gates).

Bogong/Spring Saddle

Bogong.JPG (201.6 KiB) Viewed 21050 times

[Lophophaps]

The dashed red line is the 4WD track. The dashed purple line seems to be a foot pad - it's so labelled, I think. I can see the possibility of a need to start a foot track from a place to avoid the lower locked gate. However, once above the buildings at the lower gate the 4WD track can be easily followed, so there's no need for a foot track. The dashed purple line does not make sense to me. The upper gate is probably just that - a gate, no fence or a short fence. The lower gate is big, cannot easily or at all climb over. There's parking for a few cars on the inside corner at the turnoff for The Springs.

[Baeng72]

The dashed red line is the 4WD track. The dashed purple line seems to be a foot pad - it's so labelled, I think.

Labelled by me. Guessing what they might be.

I just checked the Legend page for GetLost maps (this is from the GetLost Feathertop map), and the red line is an unsealed road (makes sense with the gates), and purple is road/track alternate data source.
Which confuses me, as it might not be there, or accurate...

GetLost legend

getlost.JPG (23.86 KiB) Viewed 21041 times

[Baeng72]

Google Satellite shows a building near the start of 4WD which I'm guessing is AGL plant. And There looks like a clear path, maybe, from the road closer to village center that leads to 4WD track.
I was driving through Bogong Village last Saturday, pity I didn't take a look.
Apologies if this is stuffing up the thread, curiosity got the better of me.

Google

[Lophophaps]

The post is about tracks on the Bogong High Plains. While 300 metres from the bitumen at Bogong Village is not quite the high plains, it's close enough. There seems to be a foot track going roughly south-west to The Springs 4WD track, meeting that about 150 metres up the hill from the building. I cannot see where the foot track starts or if it's possible to park there. I'd rather rely on people who have been there (especially recently) than an online map.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

When we went up to the Fainters from Bogong village a couple of Autumns back we crawled under the fence near the AGL site and then slogged it up the Springs fire trail. I think coming in from Big Hill is a better way
and walking along the West Kiewa logging road until you reach the Spring Saddle fire trail which takes you up to the Spring Saddle itself. That joins the Fainters Fire trail and saves you groveling up from Bogong Village.

[Out_Walking]

I walked from Bogong Village in 2019 and didn't see a gate. I took the road from the village though. Here's a pic of my route from the village. It looks a bit weird as an overlay, but it makes sense on the ground.

[Baeng72]

The post is about tracks on the Bogong High Plains. While 300 metres from the bitumen at Bogong Village is not quite the high plains, it's close enough.

In my defence, I want to walk the BHP and snag a few nearby points in a 3-4 day hike, so I'm just working out possible routes. Was thinking heading around the BHP, down to Bongon via Spion Kopje firetrail, then up the Fainters via Spring-Saddle/Fainters fire trails. Following the crest of the Fainters onto Jaimathang, then down to Tawonga huts. Probably back up to the BHP after. Not sure where I'd park car. Just ideas at moment. I think something similar to what BigKev has done.

[Baeng72]

When we went up to the Fainters from Bogong village a couple of Autumns back we crawled under the fence near the AGL site and then slogged it up the Springs fire trail. I think coming in from Big Hill is a better way
and walking along the West Kiewa logging road until you reach the Spring Saddle fire trail which takes you up to the Spring Saddle itself. That joins the Fainters Fire trail and saves you groveling up from Bogong Village.

Did you start at Mt Beauty coming up through Big Hill?

[Baeng72]

bogong-village.jpg

I walked from Bogong Village in 2019 and didn't see a gate. I took the road from the village though. Here's a pic of my route from the village. It looks a bit weird as an overlay, but it makes sense on the ground.

Your route is not too different from the purple trail on the map above, so looks like starting closer to Mt Beauty instead of 4WD track entrance is a goer. Thanks!

[Out_Walking]

Coming up from Bogong Village to the road I went left and then up that incline track in the right of the pic. It led me to the track and although I expected a gate some place, there wasn't any. That was March 2019 though, but I'd be surprised if it's any different now.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Take your car from Cranky Charlie on the Falls Creek road up to Big Hill car park/locked gate . Then walk along the West Kiewa Logging track until you reach the fire trail that takes you up , up , up to the Spring Saddle. The names of all these tracks sometimes evade my memory but I can picture it all clearly . Just show me a map and I will point it out. These are all routes I have walked within the past 36 months or so.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I tend to agree with Lops about the degree of severity of those ascents in the BHP area. Another way to smash out the BHP is park at Howman's Gap and do a loop via Spion Kopje fire trial , Mt. Nelse, The aqueduct out to Cope Hut , Ryder's hut , Pretty Valley , Mt. Mckay and Road 24 back to Howman's Gap.

Parking at Bogong Village means you could go clockwise up the Spion Kopje Fire trail having crossed the Rocky Valley Creek , walk around the BHP area and return via the Fainters . Roper's spur track is steep but comes down from near Big Hill to the BHP road not far from Bogong Village.

[Baeng72]

Thanks brains trust!
Lots of good suggestions and info.
The foot is mostly back to normal, did a 13k hike around Mason's Falls circuit on Monday.
With a bit of luck, I'll get up to BHP early April (after Easter rush), and maybe a few days back at Howitt area in April too.

[Baeng72]

A comparison of those 4 climbs to scale.
Fainter's long and not too ridiculous.
Diamantina, ridiculous at the start, levels off a bit after.
TSpur pretty hard all the way up to TSpur Knob.
Cobungra, short and sharp up to Basalt temple, then eases off.
(I didn't have data for Staircase & Eskdale).

EDIT, I think I buggered up the scale, program kept channging y-axis. Still, it gives an idea.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

CC Hut via Long Spur from Big River Saddle is character building .Most routes/ ascents up Mt. Bogong and/or Mt. Feathertop get the heart pumping . There are no super easy options really.

[Baeng72]

CC Hut via Long Spur from Big River Saddle is character building .Most routes/ ascents up Mt. Bogong and/or Mt. Feathertop get the heart pumping . There are no super easy options really.

I don't need character. I need to be 30 years younger and 30 kg lighter.

[Baeng72]

Long Spur is aptly named....

[Lophophaps]

The scales may not be the same for the spurs but the profiles are correct. I'd be happy if my pack was 30 kg lighter, like a helium balloon.

From Bogong Jack turn Fainter North then go on the track for a short way, then off track to the summit. From there off track or with a bit of track to Fainter South. Pick up the track to Little Plain, then south-west to the ridge, which is followed to Jaithmathang. It's lovely walking with mainly open and flat terrain, a few scrubby patches, rocky outcrops and a rocky summit. From Jaithmathang, down the track to the saddle south of the summit and west of Tawonga Huts, passing reliable water, good if you want to camp in the saddle. From the saddle it's possible to go south-east on the ridge to meet the Tawonga Hut pole line about half way between the Fainter FT and pole 333.

The picture below is from Fainter North, looking south. The track is just visible on the shoulder on the left in the middle distance.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Closer examination of the new SV Map of the Bogong Alpine area shows that they claim there is a hut on the summit of Mt.Bogong , there are a number of huts along the Bogong Creek tramway and water race and many other fanciful , false and incorrect things are denoted on this map . It is a hard copy map which is rapidly becoming a joke the more I look at it.