Long Day Walk Dove Lake to Barn Bluff Return

[gregm]

Hi All Will be visiting Tassie for 7 weeks from late January to mid March and I am planning some long day hikes, one of which is in the Cradle Mountain area.
I am planning a long day walk from the Dove Lake Car Park to Barn Bluff via Lake Rodway Track and returning along the Overland Track, probably via Wombat Pool. If I have the time (and energy) I shall summit Cradle Mountain on the way back.
I would only attempt this on a clear, fine day and plan to start at daybreak. I have completed the Cradle Mountain summit previously via Lake Rodway & Face Tracks returning via Overland Track. I have completed the South Coast Track and some off-track hiking from the mouth of Bathurst Harbour south to SW Cape Track & return to Melaleuca so am familiar with how Tassie's weather can change quickly & dramatically.
(i) I am wondering if anyone has attempted &/or completed my proposed day hike ?
(ii) Cradle Mountain would only be attempted if I had at least 4 hours daylight left & conditions were dry & clear. I found this walk/scramble relatively comfortable last time in showery, changeable weather.
(iii) May main goal is Barn Bluff. I have read conflicting reports about the difficulty of ascending Barn Bluff versus Cradle Mountain. Has anyone completed both? If so, which is the more difficult & why ?
(iv) The route I have selected allows me to assess my chances of success when I reach the intersection of the Lake Rodway & Overland Tracks. If I leave Dove Lake Car Park around 0600 I estimate that I could reach this point before 1000. I have allowed 3.5 hours for the 9 km return trip from this intersection to Barn Bluff. Allowing 1 hour returning back along the Overland Track to the base of Cradle Mountain should see me arrive here at around 1430. This would allow 4 hours to ascend Cradle Mountain and return to Dove Lake Car Park by 1830.
(v) Around what time is sunset at that time of the year in Tassie ?
Any comments, words of wisdom/experience would be appreciated. I am receptive to criticism and would only attempt the walk (or part thereof) if I felt I could complete it safely and comfortably in daylight hours.
Have a great day & happy & safe walking
Greg

[Son of a Beach]

That's a pretty long day walk, but it sounds like you've thought about it carefully.

(iii) May main goal is Barn Bluff. I have read conflicting reports about the difficulty of ascending Barn Bluff versus Cradle Mountain. Has anyone completed both? If so, which is the more difficult & why ?

Barn Bluff is a little more difficult than Cradle Mtn, in my opinion, but not much. Partly because you're already more knackered by the time you get to the bottom of it (taking much longer to reach the base of the mountain), but mainly because it is somewhat steeper near the top, and a little more difficult than Cradle in that steep section. I found Cradle to be a doddle in terms of technical climbing difficulty. I've done it barefoot, and found no need to use hands at any point. With Barn Bluff, I would have to use hands as well as feet at a few points on the final ascent to the summit. The track is also not as well defined on the rocky parts of Barn Bluff, but then it's still clear enough to be fairly easy to follow.

Sunset in January is around 8:45pm, and by the end of March is around 7pm (according to http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/a ... html?n=956 ).

[stepbystep]

I would think the walk to Barn comparable to your previous L. Rodway walk, the walk out to Barn once up on the plateau is very easy and relatively flat as opposed to descending and then climbing out of Rodway.
I did the Rodway walk recently via Hanson Peak-LittleHorn-Lake Rodway-Cradle Mtn-Lake Wilkes and out, this took around 8 hrs with plenty of stops, Barn return would be similar but as I said, easier walking....
If you are confident with rock scrambling then Barn is a peak without many known difficult sections if you take your time route finding.

[Taurë-rana]

Hi Greg,
This trip seems reasonable to me especially as you have plenty of options for pulling out and heading for home earlier if need be. I took 4 hours return to Barn Bluff from the junction of the OT and Lake Rodway tracks, but that included about 3/4 hour lazing on top of Barn Bluff and watching the skinks. I thought the climb up Barn Bluff was easier than some parts of Cradle, although out of the 7 people to visit it while I was there, only 2 (both girls I have to add) got to the top. There is a spot on the way up where it seems to be incorrectly cairned, leading off to the right, when the easier route is to the left.
As sbs said, the walking from the top of the Lake Rodway track out to the base of Barn Bluff is mostly easy, and mostly on boardwalk.
Good walking,
Rachel

[gregm]

Thanks to all for your informative comments. I haven't been walking for long and only joined a bushwalking club 2 years ago but wish I had started when I was younger. We have some great walks in SE QLD but I envy those who live in Tassie as the walking there is hard to beat for many reasons. I plan to do some other long day walks at Mt Field NP, Lake St Clair NP & Freycinet Peninsular Circuit so hopefully the weather will be kind. Thanks again & safe walking. Greg

[gregm]

Thanks again for the info on this walk. on 1st Feb I completed the ascent of Barn Bluff via Lake Rodway track on way out & OT on return. Started quite late at 1030 & returned around 1830. Had I been an hour earlier at Barn Bluff I would have enjoyed about 20 minutes of views before the cloud, rain & wind arrived. Went up anyway & enjoyed the experience. Reached the top around 1430 & was able to make a couple of phone calls in the lee of a boulder.
Hardly stopped raining all the way back to Dove Lake via OT so gave Cradle a miss as it too was in cloud.
Did Cradle Mtn in 2008 & from what I remember, would agree that Barn Bluff is a little more exposed but anyone comfortable with scrambling on Cradle should be equalling comfortable on Barn.
One could probably save around 1 hour by going out & back on the OT & it would definitely be easier on the legs (My old ones anyway). Even more time could be saved if the weather was fine as you wouldn't be getting in & out of wet weather gear etc.. However the views from Hanson's Peak & the eastern side of Cradle Mtn plus all the beautiful lakes one passes along the Lake Rodway track are worth going the harder way.
I hope this helps anyone planning a similar walk.

[gregm]

Last Friday, 3 days before leaving Tassie, I succeeded in completing the Barn Bluff / Cradle Mountain summit double. It took me 10h 05m at a leisurely pace but I was quite tired when I finished. At my first attempt, the lousy weather & a late start meant that I missed Cradle Mtn summit. I also commented that I thought going out via the OT instead of east of Cradle Mtn, would save quite a bit of time getting to Barn Bluff. This was not the case as I saved less then 30 min despite fine weather & easy walking conditions.
This is a great walk as the views from both Barn Bluff & Cradle Mtn are spectacular to say the least. Barn Bluff was again covered in cloud until about 10 minutes before I left the summit. At around 1230 it completely cleared so that I got the best views. About one hour later, after leaving the summit & heading towards Cradle Mtn, the cloud also cleared from that peak so I got a lucky break with the weather.
As for which ascent is the more difficult, I would rate Barn Bluff as slightly easier but with a little more exposure. I would qualify this by saying that I was feeling very tired going up Cradle Mtn. Perhaps the fact that I had been walking for around 6h30m by the time I started the ascent affected my assessment of the degree of difficulty. Personally, I am confident with a moderate degree of scrambling & found neither difficult.
When walking in this area, remember to take clothing/protective gear to suit all conditions as the weather can change quickly in this area. I completed a few long day walks while visiting Tassie & experienced snow & hail on one walk so be prepared for the worst & hope for the best.
Have a great day & safe adventures to all. Greg

[Taurë-rana]

Thanks for the report, it's useful info. You're keen going back to Barn Bluff in a day for a second time but at least you got to see the views!

[doogs]

I did the same walk a couple of weeks ago. I left the carpark at 6.30am and went up Cradle first to avoid the crowds, reaching the top at 9am. I found Cradle to be the more difficult of the 2 mountains, but only because it was damp on the rocks nearing the summit. Great walk but I would only recomend it for anyone who has a good level of fitness.

[stu]

There is also a similar thread here for additional info:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1703&p=19623&hilit=EMMETT#p19623

Cheers.
Stu.

[MJD]

It is also possible to get up/down Cradle from Bensons Pk which would probably save a bit of time on a Barn & Cradle day.

[greyim]

It is also possible to get up/down Cradle from Bensons Pk which would probably save a bit of time on a Barn & Cradle day.

MJD can you explain a bit more please?

[MJD]

It's off track and a long time since I did it, but you can get up Cradle from the Bensons Pk side, south of the summit. There is a winter picture (of me) going up the gully above Fury Creek in Joe Friend's "Classic Climbs of Australia".