Cradle Mt. Scout Hut Camping Trip –Fri. 19th May 2017

You are invited to attend the Boots N' All walk on Friday. 19th May to the Cradle Mountain area, based on overnight camping in the well appointed BP Scout Hut which can be reached after less than an hour’s back packing.
Although this camp was originally advertised for the whole weekend, we have been working alongside Scripture Union's ministries to children and young people, and the campsite is now being used for a one-night adventure camp involving SU and Boots N' All leaders, and a group of older children and young teenagers, so only the Friday night and Saturday daytime are available for other Boots N' All walkers and their guests.

The hut can accommodate a maximum of 14 persons. Please book in with Graham by Tues. 16th May. Costs: Adults: $25 per person per night Youth (17-6): $20 per person per night Scout Family: $15 per person per night (presumably this means a signed up member of a scout, guide or cub group) Children (5 and under): Free
For full information about the BP Scout Hut (including how to book it), see http://www.bplodgetasmania.com.au/

On the same weekend (19-21 May), some walkers are heading in to Scott-Kilvert Memorial Hut at Lake Rodway, on the anniversary of the 1965 tragedy in which a Riverside High School student and teacher perished in a blizzard. The suggestion is that the Friday night could be spent at the BP Scout Hut (perhaps walking up in the dusk or early darkness, which should not be a problem with modern head torches), to make a circuit walk, perhaps continuing up the Overland Track on Saturday to the junction south of Cradle Mt. at Benson’s Peak, and dropping down to Lake Rodway and Scott-Kilvert Hut for the Saturday night, a walk of about 9 km, or via Face Track and then down the east side of Cradle Mt. to Lake Rodway, perhaps about 7 km.

Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please  please phone Graham Alexander on 0407 436 556  to book in. Graham will be up there on the Friday night, but has other commitments for the Saturday. Please contact Graham if you are hoping to car-pool with anyone from the Launceston area or elsewhere. Otherwise, let him know what time you are expecting to arrive at the hut. (It might also be a good idea to wait for others expected at Ronny Creek, to walk up together in dusk or dark - ask Graham about others and their arrival times. Allow a 2 hour drive from Launceston - perhaps a little longer in peak hour!)

It may be possible to join with the SU/Boots N' All group for the Saturday daytime activities. We will be leaving from Barneys (Newnham) at 7:30 am, hopefully ready to walk at Ronny Creek by 10:30 am, visiting Horse Track Falls on the way to the hut, and walking to Crater Peak and Kathleen's Pool in the afternoon (weather permitting). That group cannot assist with transport, but if others are attending, Basil Tkaczuk Ph. 0438 664402, will be happy to try to coordinate car places if any other drivers are attending.

Walk route:
The walk begins at Ronny Creek car park, and follows the first part of the Overland Track for about 1 km before diverting along the Horse Track for a further 1 km to reach the Scout Hut (but see note above about visit to Horse Track Falls). For Saturday afternoon, a further 1 km up the Horse Track brings you to Crater Peak. Kitchen Hut is 2km further on, reached 300m after rejoining the Overland Track. It is possible, however, and depending on the party, that the group will head east off-track a little south of Crater Peak, to walk direct to Kathleen's Pool, before returning to the hut via Crater Lake. Of course, if you only want to go as far as the Scout Hut, you could enjoy its comforts while the more energetic walkers go further!
These walks are rated "medium" and is suitable for walkers, including children, who have had some experience with tracks of varying quality - part boardwalk, part steep and rocky path, and able to keep going for sustained distances. Because of the exposed alpine conditions, walkers must be fully prepared for poor weather. Please see the warnings below.

To access this area from northern Tasmania: Roads to Cradle Mt. are well signposted, and the area can be accessed from several directions. From Sheffield, go south along Claude Rd through Gowrie Park and westward down into the Forth Valley (now Cethana Rd.), continuing up the other side to Moina. Turn south into Cradle Mt. Rd. After approx. 20 km, you will reach the Cradle Mt. turnoff. Turn left (still called Cradle Mt. Rd.) and approx. 4 km south, you will arrive at the Pencil Pine area. At that point, it will be necessary to determine if vehicle access to Ronny Creek, Waldheim or Dove Lake is possible. Sometimes the road is closed due to too many vehicles, in which case it will be necessary to catch a shuttle bus. Otherwise, a further 5 km drive will bring you to Ronny Creek carpark.

Warnings:
  The following codes [from our 2017 walks calendar] apply:
   D    Drive distance requires early departure
    S    Steep incline for at least part of the way
    E    (Very) Exposed alpine conditions ; can be dangerous in poor weather if not fully equipped;
Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks, and especially preparation for exposed alpine conditions.

It is unlikely that any peakbagger points will be visited. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be found and downloaded (as an Excel spreadsheet) 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).
When you have downloaded the track file, double-clicking on the Google Earth (kml) track should open Google Earth and zoom in to the location if you have Google Earth installed on your computer. The .gpx version of the track should import into mapping software or devices that support gpx tracks and waypoints.

 Boots’n’All activities are open to all, but intending walkers are asked to contact the Trip Leader
prior to the day of the walk (before 9.00 pm please) to discuss experience, fitness & equipment.

 

“Love the bush and praise its Creator”

 

Boots N' All | Contact us...