Schlink Pass to Rolling Ground track :?:

[rcaffin]

Does anyone know whether the foot track which used to go from Schlink Pass itself up onto the Rolling Grounds is still open? I have not used it since the fires, and I know there has been a lot of regrowth.
This is not the old 4WD track up from Whites.

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

I haven’t seen it. I have been up and down that “hill” between dicky cooper and Schlink Pass numerous times over the past few years.

The regrowth there tells me it’s probably disappeared. The scrub isn’t too bad, at least coming down.

The picture is about the worst of the scrub above Schlink Pass.

What’s the trip?

[rcaffin]

Hi Zap - thanks for the pic. A pity if that track is lost
The trip - plotting and planning at this stage. From Schlink up to the Rolling Ground is one of the few links between the Jag area and the Main Range.

There is also the Whites River Hut track and the spur up from the Schlink Hilton (opposite it). Anyone know how they are?

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

Its piqued my interest now. I will have a better look for it next time I'm going up or down. Its a shame all the these logical tracks are disappearing.

I can confirm that the track behind Whites River hut is clear and mostly scrub free. There are a few sections where there is a bit of waist high vegetation hanging over the track but underfoot it is all good. It starts to disappear around Granite Peaks.

Good luck with the plotting and planning

[rcaffin]

For some strange reason, as we get older we are less inclined to spend hours in sub-alpine scrub - like this:

5136.jpg (197.46 KiB) Viewed 29101 times

Feeble, I know.

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

Ahh, the full body exfoliation.

Not feeble at all. Smart.

[rcaffin]

Hi Zap

Fortunately, no exfoliation. We were wearing good Taslan long trousers and ditto long-sleeved tops. The Taslan survives very well.

Another question for everyone. There used to be a track from Schlink Pass straight up to Gungarten, starting if I remember correctly from a cairn at the Pass. Does this still exist, or has it too been scrubbed out?

It has been some time since we went from the Kerries to Tate. We have been exploring further north for some years instead.

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

There isn't a track to Gungarten anymore or maybe I have missed it, but I feel that's unlikely. I haven't seen the cairn for about 5 years as well.

Picture - This is my standard (rough) approach to Gungarten from Schlink Pass. The red polygons are boulder fields that really slow me down. The first kilometre has patches of knee high scrub but it can be mostly avoided. There are some boggy areas around the 1900m contour.

Another option is a descent down the valley from Gungarten pass to the Hilton. If you stick to the south side of the creek it is ok but not easier than the Schlink Pass approach. This route also means more road walking and retracing steps from Gungarten summit. Very beautiful though.

Taslan seems interesting, I just googled it. I wouldn't mind some pants made out of it.

Cheers.

[Mark F]

I think I have found parts of a track from Schlink to Gungarten. It starts about 100m? north of the pass and first climbs directly along a vegetation boundary between snow gums (to the north) and a treeless scrubby area. As it approaches the flattish crest (with snow gums) it heads diagonally over the crest and drops steeply down the other side a few metres - you need to find the gap in the rocks. It then heads up the grassy valley staying well above the little creek line following tight up against the line of low cliff/rocks. After a while you can strike out along a more direct line towards the ridge to Gungarten. I only found bits of the track up and over the first crest. Once high enough along the creek line it is all quite open. Continuing directly up the crest seems blocked with boulders and large snow gums. I have gpx track somewhere and will try to find it.

Zapruda - Comparing it to your route it starts from the road further north.

[Warin]

The NSW name board think Gungarten is spelt Gungartan...YMMV.

[Zapruda]

Interesting info Mark. I’ll keep an eye out for it the next time I head up that way. Probably in the next few weeks.

I usually reach the sign at Schlink Pass and look up toward Gungarten and then down at the ground and think “here we go” and head up avoiding the vegetation where I can. I always seem to pass the same features on my way up and looking at old gpx files I normally follow the same general path. Weird how our brains are wired.

Cheers.

[rcaffin]

“here we go”
If it works, it ain't stupid.

I must confess, my topo maps do say Gungartan too. Maybe it's me who is wrong.

Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

The NSW name board think Gungarten is spelt Gungartan...YMMV.

Good catch. Just flicked through a few books and get a mix of Gungartan and Gungarten. In Huts of the High Country Klaus spells it with an ‘e’ and Charles Warner spells it with an ‘a’ in his book.

Gungartan seems like the most prevelant spelling. But let’s not get to trusting of current NSW topos...

[Warin]

The NSW name board think Gungarten is spelt Gungartan...YMMV.

Good catch. Just flicked through a few books and get a mix of Gungartan and Gungarten.

It would be good to know the source and meaning of the word. May well be local Aborigine and as such spelt many ways...

I am reminded of T.E. Lawrence's book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom where an editor spotted the spelling of one of his camels spelt some 7 (? memory could be wrong here 5?) different ways. Lawrence responded that was a pity .. he should have had more ways to spell that camels name, conversion to English being so full of stupid rules.

{edit } Arr found it ... http://www.reformation.org/13th-tribe-spelling.html
Query: "Slip [galley sheet] 20. Nuri, Emir of the Ruwalla, belongs to the 'chief family of the Rualla'. On Slip 23 'Rualla horse', and Slip 38, 'killed one Rueli'. In all later slips 'Rualla'." .Answer: "should have also used Ruwala and Ruala." .Query: "Slip 47. Jedha, the she-camel, was Jedhah on Slip 40." .Answer: "she was a splendid beast." .Query: "Slip 78. Sherif Abd el Mayin of Slip 68 becomes el Main, el Mayein, el Muein, el Mayin, and el Muyein." .Answer: "Good egg. I call this really ingenious."

[Mark F]

I expect it is "...tan" when the weather is good and "...ten" when it is perfect.

[crollsurf]

Looking at Zapruda's image, I think I found some remnants of a track up around Gangartan Pass while descending Gangartan. Wasn't a pad, looked like a route of some sort. The lure of the road sent me bit further down into the creek than marked on the map.
Mark F's description sounds very much like the route I take when ski touring although I traverse off to the South at the Pass to ski the bowls and gullies back down to the road.

[Zapruda]

I expect it is "...tan" when the weather is good and "...ten" when it is perfect.

Too good.

[Zapruda]

Looking at Zapruda's image, I think I found some remnants of a track up around Gangartan Pass while descending Gangartan. Wasn't a pad, looked like a route of some sort. The lure of the road sent me bit further down into the creek than marked on the map.
Mark F's description sounds very much like the route I take when ski touring although I traverse off to the South at the Pass to ski the bowls and gullies back down to the road.

Interesting! I have some maps with a bunch of old stock routes, dray tracks etc at work. I’ll have a look and see if there was anything historical through there. Most likely I think.

[crollsurf]

Definitately wouldn't have been a dray track, too many rocks in the way but I'm sure the headwaters of Dicky Bogong Creek, SW of the Pass, would have been attractive to the cattlemen back in the day

[rcaffin]

Definitately wouldn't have been a dray track, too many rocks in the way but I'm sure the headwaters of Dicky Bogong Creek, SW of the Pass, would have been attractive to the cattlemen back in the day

Isn't that where the 4WD track from Whites River Hut goes up?

Cheers
Roger

[Mark F]

Given the country, I would doubt the track up from Whites River has ever been a dray route - it was put in by a bulldozer judging by the cutting. I have always assumed the track down from the Rolling Grounds to Whites River was an end of the relatively informal snowy scheme 4wd track along the main range which can/could be seen at several points along the range. Most younger walkers seem to have forgotten/never seen the old fence lines on the main range and the SCS (Soil Conservation Service) hut situated above Blue Lake set up when repairing the damage after grazing ceased. I believe all the grazing access in the Main Range area fed through Charlottes Pass.

Aside - I once drove my 1957 VW beetle to the summit of Kosciusko (spelling appropriate for the time) back in the day.

All the snow leases north of Schlink were accessed from the North or East.

[crollsurf]

Definitately wouldn't have been a dray track, too many rocks in the way but I'm sure the headwaters of Dicky Bogong Creek, SW of the Pass, would have been attractive to the cattlemen back in the day

Isn't that where the 4WD track from Whites River Hut goes up?

Cheers
Roger

The only 4WD I know of at Whites heads up the Rolling Ground. The Creek I'm thinking of crosses the road a few hundred metres North of Sclinks Pass and head up towards Dissappointment Ridge

[rcaffin]

Sorry, I was not clear enough. Yes, the track from Whites goes up to Dicky Cooper Bogong ridge SW of the Pass.
The creek going up to Disappointment Ridge and Gungartan is a route I have not done, but it did look a bit steep for a dray.
Off the air today, out walking.
Cheers
Roger

[Zapruda]

Here is a section of the Geehi Dam topo overlayed with tracks, sites and huts that was compiled by David Scott. David is a conservation architect who has amassed a plethora of historical information of the area.

The thick green line is a stock route and the purple lines are routes/tracks remnants. The purple bridle track going northeast is probably the track that Crollsurf and Mark had found and followed and possibly then went on to follow the foot track heading southeast where it intersects the other. What do you think guys?

The foot track going southeast toward the summit makes sense as it avoids the large boulder fields around the 1950m contour. I guess I wasn't far off that track myself. Ill have to keep and eye out for it.

Enjoy the walk Roger.

[rcaffin]

The one that grabs my eye is the one going from the pass NE to Gungartan Saddle (1935-60). If there were traces ... But I doubt that.

The track going WNW from Gungartan Saddle to the creek junction, (1925-60) is a bit unbelievable. It seems to go straight through the large boulder/scree field there. I have tried walking that, once, and I cannot imagine taking a horse through there. Odd.

The bridle track (1950-60) going W across the Valentine and over the Kerries ridge, then SW down to the creek, also puzzles me. Why anyone would climb over the Kerries that way, when the Gungartan Saddle is so much lower and more obvious, leaves me doubtful.

As for the green stock route going high above Gungartan Saddle, then pouring down the side to south of Schlink Pass: forgive me, but no.

I suspect, after all my negatives, that the source info for all of these might be very much word-of-mouth from long ago with the odd wave of the arm. I really doubt whether there has ever been any serious field work done.

On the other hand, the very obvious valley going almost N from the K in 'Schlink Hilton' has nothing shown, even tho' it is a good route. We have walked and skied down there.

Cheers
Roger
PS we still mourn the loss of Orange Hut. We spent a very comfortable night there once in a snow storm.

[johnrs]

Hi Roger
Walked down to Schlink pass from the Rolling Grounds 12 months ago.
No sign of a track at all, steep with reasonably open light scrub over the last few hundred meters.
The 4wd track up across from Whites is still very obvious,
John

[crollsurf]

... The purple bridle track going northeast is probably the track that Crollsurf and Mark had found and followed and possibly then went on to follow the foot track heading southeast where it intersects the other. What do you think guys?

Yeah, I think the 1935-1960 was what I followed for a short while near the Pass but like I said before, it wasn't a track or pad, just a very obvious route and I sensed others had used it as well because it was that obvious.

[rcaffin]

4WD track up from Whites to Rolling Grounds still mostly open, although you lose it at the top end. Easy to follow from the bottom, but finding it from the top might take a bit of work.
There is now a bridge across White River to the hut! (April 2019)

8688.jpg (183.98 KiB) Viewed 27579 times

Yeah, early morning and a good frost.

Cheers

[Lophophaps]

I've not seen any track worthy of the name on the Gungartan-Schlink Pass side. The boulder fields are a pain, and I will avoid them in futures. Typical me - the last route I was attempting is the one in Stef's map ... From the pass if you face the Dicky Cooper side and bear left for a short time then curve right the steep rocks are avoided. This is the most logical way to get to the Dicky Cooper plateau, then south to Consett Stephen Pass. Going to Whites River involves more road, more descending and more ascending. I'm prepared to suffer the scrub above the pass for this and the excellent views. The bridge at Whites River seems to be the one that was there last October, and crosses the Munyang. I recall the sag. A small bridge is needed for the next creek, which is a bit hard for some people to jump.

[jlearned]

We just went from Mawsons to Whites River Hut - quite an exhausting day. The Kerries is either swamp or scrub with boulders. The route down from Gungartan was OK for the first 2/3 then the scrub appears to have grown since the 2019 reports. No tracks in sight!
Although we did get to the road safely.