Fisher
Bluff - Sat. 6th February 2016
At the time of
writing, there is a serious question about whether our next walk will go
ahead to Fisher Bluff as scheduled because of bushfires in that area.
Even if the fires have been extinguished by the rain, Phil will need to
check whether a) the road is open, and b) whether the actual walk area
has been burnt. If the area remains closed we will choose an alternative
destination and you will be advised when you contact the walk leader,
and an update email may be circulated mid-week. However on the
assumption that it will go ahead, here are the walk details:
Fisher Bluff is a peak in the Lake Mackenzie area that offers great
views of the Little Fisher River area, Mersey Crag, Turrana Bluff, Walls
of Jerusalem, Clumner Bluff and other well known landmarks. It involves
a tracked walk at the beginning followed by off track walking to the
summit and back through beautiful alpine terrain across grass, ferns and
small rocks, around pools, tarns and lakes and past pencil pine forests.
It is rated moderately hard because of the distance and also the off
track section where it can be uneven underfoot.
Walk route:
From the car park at Lake Mackenzie, already 1100m altitude, we walk
around the boom gate, along the road, across a bridge and soon leave the
road to follow the Blue Peaks track for 2.6 km, taking about one hour,
and climbing about 150m. We then head west and begin the off track part
of the walk. For about two hours we traverse 4 km over gentle rises and
open valleys, rising about a further 100m until we come to a lovely
pencil pine forest at the base of the bluff itself. From here we begin
the final approach, taking about 30 mins to cover the 50 m climb and 1
km distance to the high point at just over 1400 m altitiude. We will
most likely return the same way. Total return walk distance is
approximately 16 km.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Phil
Andrew on 0408 014 757 or 6300 1067 to
book in. The departure time is 7:30 am from Door of Hope carpark in
South Launceston. Meeting points along the way could be 8.00 at the Mole
Creek Road roundabout at the western end of Deloraine, 8.20 at Mole
Creek or 8.35 at the Lake Mackenzie (Devil's Gullet) Road junction with
the Mersey Forest Road. However, you still need to contact the walk
leader per details above if intending to walk. The leader should be
notified of any other people you intend to bring along. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes
ahead of departure time.
To access this area from northern Tasmania:
From Launceston, proceed along the Bass Highway to Deloraine (about 51
km), but do not turn off at the eastern exit into Deloraine. Instead,
continue across Meander R. and up hill to the western exit, and to the
roundabout at start of Mole Creek Rd. A further 24km will bring you to
Mole Creek (sometimes used as a meeting place for our walks - check with
leader). Continue west past Mole Creek, on what is now Liena Rd, making
sure you turn south at the caravan park 4 km from the town. The road
continues west until about 14 km from Mole Creek, it branches south, now
called Mersey Forest Road. A little over 6 km south, you will pass a
turnoff to Cradle Mountain and Sheffield, and about 300 metres further,
take the turn on left to Devil's Gullet/Lake Mackenzie. Follow this road
about 19 km, and just short of the Lake Mackenzie dam, turn south to
find the car park and boom gate from where the walk starts.
Warnings:
D...Drive distance requires early departure – 7:30 am
E...Exposed alpine conditions – can be dangerous in poor weather if not
fully equipped.
L...A long day’s walk – in excess of 3 hours each way.
Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water - suggest 1 litre per
person. Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters
recommended due to off-track walking. You should always carry wet
weather gear as well as warm clothing including gloves and beanies in
case of sudden weather changes. This walk is above 1100 metres altitude
for the whole distance and can be very exposed if the weather is bad,
even in high summer. Be prepared!
If unsure of equipment requirements for bushwalking, see
www.sutas.org.au/bush-walking/bush-walking
for some guidelines
Map details:
Fisher Bluff: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8114 (Mersey) and 1:25000 map
is 4438 (Lake Mackenzie)
Map reference:
Short ref. 438823
Zone Easting Northing Latitude Longitude
55G 4 43 920
53 82 490 -41.70740 146.32593
Fisher Bluff is worth 1 peakbagger point. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club
Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from
http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm The same web page
contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.
GPX version of the track:
Click here
to download. Google Earth version of the track:
Click here
to download.
Right-click on the file and save target as to a location of your choice.
(Suggest you click the Last modified at top to sort by date to get the
most recent at top to find the file for the next walk).