20 February 2010 The Sentinel, Kosciuszko National Park
Map: Perisher 1:25000
Getting There
This walk was organised and led by Mike B as an NPA walk:
Saturday 20 February - The Sentinel, Kosciuszko National Park - 2 A. Leader: Mike B. We follow the Main Range Track from Charlotte Pass for about 5km then follow a foot track to The Sentinel for magnificent views to the west. Return by the same route. There may be some rock scrambling. 800m total climb. Drive 400km, $160 per car + NP entry fee.
8 of us drove from Canberra, about 2hrs30mins, to Charlottes Pass. We met another two walkers up at the intersection of the Main Range Track and the track to Mt Twynam.
Photographs
Access all photos here. All thumbnails in the walk report are active - click for a larger picture.
Walk
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| Track a | Track b | Track profile |
It was a stunning day. After we sorted ourselves out, we headed down the grey brick road to cross the Snowy River and Club Lake Creek, then amble up the gravelled surface of the Main Range Track. Water trickling in many places after the recent rain. Even rivulets beside the track sustained healthy micro-communities of tiny mosses and other plants (see pic). We stopped at the Blue Lake Lookout, Mike deciding to have morning tea here, rather than in the stiff breeze at the top of the Great Dividing Range. A couple of us headed for better views of Blue Lake, Max and I up the ridge to the 2000+m hill to the SW of the lake (see pic). Back down, I enjoyed the luxury of a cup from a thermos of coffee. Several other walkers about.
We were to meet another two where the track swings SW up to Carruthers Peak at 11am. We arrived there and found them in the lee of a rocky outcrop a little to the NE on the side of the Mt Twynam track. They'd been there some time, having camped overnight at Island Bend and enjoyed a pacey stroll around the Main Range Track before we met (they can walk!).
From our meeting place our objective looked impressive (see pic), the terrain dropping away under it to the W and Watsons Crags, then next dramatic spur N, peaking over the shoulder of the razor ridge to The Sentinel (Mt Sentinel) (see pic).
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| Main Range Track-side community | Blue Lake from the hill to its SW | The Sentinel from near junction Main Range Track and Mt Twynam track | 1 The Sentinel with Watsons Crags at back |
The enlarged party of 10 contoured round to the beginning of the ridge out to The Sentinel. Gentle at first, it soon narrowed and offered wonderful views down into Strezelecki Creek which, not long before, had presented as a relatively benign tumbling brook. The Sentinel reared closer and, after easily passing over and down a little knoll, appeared to be quite approachable to me and another height-challenged party member. A caramel and cream rock formation was impressive, highlighed by the green of the sides of the nearby spurs and the brilliant blue sky. However, one more mini-challenge presented itself, as a massive uplift of rock needed to be negotiated in order to follow the footpad towards the objective.
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| Approaching The Sentinel | Looking down into Strezelecki Creek from the pad to The Sentinel | Approaching The Sentinel | Striking rock formation near The Sentinel | Looking back to party members crossing the ribs on the way to The Sentinel |
We reached the airy top just after midday, having covered 7.6km in the 3hrs. What a magic place it is! The first reward was the view back up our entry track - a razor ridge it is. To The SW, over the unseen depths of Lady Northcotes canyon, reared Alice Rawson Peak at the end of Abbott Ridge (I'd camped there on one of my first Main Range trips on 9-10 Apr 05); lying below us to the N was the deep cut of Strezelecki Creek. Our gaze lifted to Watsons Crags and SH 2136 beyond. Truly spectacular. We lingered as long as we could over lunch.
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| 2 Looking back along the pad to The Sentinel | Alice Rawson Peak and Mt Sentinel trig | Watsons Crags and SH2136 from The Sentinel |
At last we had to retreat, me now more confidently negotiating the razor ridge footpad. . A few metres off the pad at UTM 55H 616202-5971166 (GDA94), we descended to a delightful spot beside Strezelecki Creek below a small cascade. It would make a perfect camp site (legal too, when considering the requirement not to camp in areas which drain into E-side lakes). The place required us to loll about on the grass for a little while.
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| Cascade on the top of Strezelecki Creek | 3 Lolling about at the top of Strezelecki Creek |
Leave we had to and we pressed on up another 500m or so, then trended left to cross the track to Mt Twynam on the crest of the Great Dividing Range N of where we originally left it. From here, views to Mt Kosciuszko and Carruthers Peak. Mac and Dianne left us. On the E flank of the Main Range we enjoyed lovely views down to Blue Lake (see pic) and, contouring first NE and then SE down, superb views to the vivid green feeder streams above Blue Lake. Below the greenery rock platforms took over and cascades merrily plunged into Blue Lake. Delightful.
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| View to Mt Kosciuszko and Carruthers Peak | Blue Lake | Feeding Blue Lake | Cascade above Blue Lake | Blue Lake |
From the shore of the lake we retreated a little and, again overcome by the beauty of the place, lolled about.
With time slipping away, we headed S up the the Blue Lake Walk, then onto the Main Range Track back to Charlottes Pass.
Although not overly abundant, the wildflowers seen during the day were a colourful display.
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| Wildflowers near The Sentinel | Wildflowers | Wildflowers | Wildflowers |
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| Wildflowers | Wildflowers | Wildflower | Wildflowers |
A wonderful day, thank you Mike and fellow walkers Mac and Dianne K, Margaret, Mark R, Max L, Max S, Stephen M and Steve H.
Distance: 15.4km Climb: 950m. Time: 9.10am - 4.15pm (call it 7hrs), with 1hr of stops and a bit of lolling around
Grading: L/M; 2 A; M(11)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: The Sentinel
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This page last updated 12Aug22