Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Monday 25 March 2024: Main Range Track ! – L/E. Trying again. Weather window looks good. Private trip. 24km, 850vm. Old folks home to Charlotte Pass 203km, 2hr 30mins from Google Maps + 30mins for coffee = 6hrs driving + 8hrs walking = 14hrs door-to-door? Sun times at Charlotte Pass – just see 6.48am, sunrise 7.48am, sunset 7.11pm, just see 7.37pm.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on MAP66i) – Distance: 23.77km | Climb: 765vm (Elev Corrections Enabled)/ 914vm (Elev Corrections Disabled) | Time: 5:26 moving +0:56 of stops = 6:24 | Grading: L/E; H(12).

Mike recorded 24.39km and 794vm. I think that proves that listing the total ascent derived from the recorded track in Garmin Connect should be with elevation corrections enabled. That’s what I normally do.

AllTrails lists the Main Range Walk as 23.5km and 844vm and includes going right to Blue Lake and ascending back up.

Photographs

View photographs here.

I left my phone in the car. Quite pleasant to spend a day disconnected, except had to inReach text my dear wife. Of course, no photos of mine. An added bonus – Mike has allowed me to share his photos and he takes them 100 times better than me!

I picked the eyes out of Mike’s shots to illustrate this trip report.

View Mike’s photos here. I strongly recommend you check all these pics out. There are some great shots!

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Map

Here’s where we went. This is from a ©2001 map.

Trip Report

 last did the complete Main Range Track on 12 Mar 11. But on bits of it as recently as 18-19 Nov 23.

We left the Lanyon Valley at 7am. A slow trip till after going through Cooma as the fog was dense. Never seen so many roadkill roos. A stop at Jindabyne for coffee, bought a $17 day pass at the KNP entrance. Even on a Monday had to park around 200m down the road from Charlotte Pass.

Since Cooma the weather was blue-sky, although a mite breezy on the walk.

Away at 9.45am. Down across the Snowy River steppingstones and up to the Blue Lake turn off was 4.1km in 1:08. We took a little detour up the nearby spur to a pleasant ridge where there was an easy find of geocache GC26E4 #28 Great Southern Land: (2) The Paramount Peak. We walked a little further along the ridge for views over Blue Lake.

Back down at the intersection, we trundled the 300 odd meters down to the Blue Lake Lookout. Being good citizens, we went no further – it looks like visiting the lake is being discouraged.

From near the intersection, huge views to the west.

30 minutes for 1.6km had us at 11.50am, so we sought shelter from the stiff breeze in the lee of Carruthers Peak and overlooking Club Lake for morning tea.

Back on the track, we visited Carruthers Peak and soon after turned south. The new Mt Lee raised walkway appeared (I didn’t waypoint its start or end). Again, we were good citizens and took note of the signage that said not to go on the old track alignment.

But a visit to the breezy Mt Lee was too tempting and, as there were no further ‘keep off the grass’ signs, we climbed the gentle northern spur to the small rock cairn marking Mt Lee.

Back down on the steel walkway, the next POI was Lake Albina.

Passing Meullers Peak to our west, the now normally surfaced track took us through Meullers Pass. The cairn marking the footpad to Mt Townsend has disappeared, replaced by a single rock on a boulder. A little further along is the usual route up out of the Wilkinsons Creek camping area.

There’s a 140vm climb from Meullers Pass to the junction with Kosciuszko Walk. I was starting to slow up a little. A few other people on the track during the day. We popped up to Mt Kosciuszko. Plenty of track upgrades happening, with a temporary stairway to heaven.

Arrived at 2pm and had lunch on the grass on the lee side of the hill.

We left at 2.20pm and covered the 9.3km in 1:50 via Rawson Pass, Seamans Hut, Snowy River bridge back to Charlotte Pass. The road has been substantially resurfaced which made for a slightly better bash. Always pleasant to walk through the unburnt snow gums near the end of the trip.

Arrived Charlotte Pass 4.10pm. Great to be able to drive home in daylight. No stop.

Huge thanks for your company, Sandra and Mike. I was not sure whether I could complete this trip/how long it would take me.

Party

3 walkers – Mike B, Sandra T, me.

AllTrails

The AllTrails map is here, where you can pan and zoom.

Johnny Boy’s Walkabout Blog FaceBook Page

I’ve started up a FaceBook page. Each trip report posts to it. It’s another way to get some info to get out and breathe a bit of fresh air. Why not pop over and Follow the page, or give a post a Like.