Tasmania - Southern Reserve Walk - Jan 1977

All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission.

This was an 8 day solo walk in the south end of Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park. I had gone to Tasmania early to prepare some food drops for a long south west trip. I had dropped them off at the airport and now had over a week to wait for the others to come down from the mianland - so thought some time in the Southern Reserve would be nice.

Day 1

I hitched from Hobart to Derwent Bridge and set off for up the Cuview Valley for Lake Petrarch from Cynthia Bay at Lake St Clair



Above - Mt Olympus

Day 2

I set off early in the morning and climbed Mt Olympus. Then back to Lake Petrarch, and off the track to Byron Gap. I then climbed Mt Byron from the gap. I was intending to continue over Mt Cuvier and Manfred but the going looked a bit tricky for a solo hike with a big pack. So I went back to the gap and followed the track to Narcissus and then camped nearby at Nicholls Junction.



Above - Mt Ida from Mt Olympus



Above - Mt Manfred from Mt Byron



Above - The Guardians and Mt Gould from Mt Byron



Above - Mt Olympus from near Nicholls Junction

Day 3

I set off early with a daypack for Mt Manfred. I left the Lake Marion track and headed cross country - but before long it started raining heavily - so I stopped and headed back to Nicholls Junction. I then packed up and headed to Pine Valley to wait out the bad weather.



Above - Mt Manfred

Day 4

In fine weather I set off up the track to the Labyrinth. At the top of the hill I dumped my gear and set of for the Minotaur and Mt Gould. After climbing both peaks I returned and had lunch. In the afternoon I headed to the Labyrinth and set up camp. In the late afternoon - I climbed Walled Mountain.



Above - Mt Gould and the Minotaur



Above- Tasmanian Waratahs (Telopia truncata)



Above - from the slopes of Mt Gould - looking to the Parthenon, the Geryon and the Acropolis with the walls of the Minotaur on the left.



Above - Lake St Clair



Above - Mt Eros and Hyperion



Above - The Guardian



Above - More bad weather as I reached the summit of Mt Gould.



Above - the Geryon



Above - the Geryon from the Labyrinth





Above - Pelion East and Mt Hyperion from Walled Mountain



Above - A storm approaches

Day 5

I pack up and headed to the high part of the Du Cane Range. First side trips to Mt Eros and Mt Hyperion, and then a trip to the North Peak of the Geryon. Then more bad weather hit as I got close to Bug Gun Pass - so I camped just above it.



Above - Looking at Big Gun Pass



Above - The Acropolis from Geryon North Peak



Above - Mt Ossa and other peaks of the Pelion Range from the top of Big Gun Pass



Above - through the gloom - Mt Thetis, Pelion West, Paddys Nuts, Barn Bluff and part of Mt Ossa



Day 6

It started to fine up - so I packed up and crossed Big Gun Pass to Mt Massif and then traversed to Falling Mountain. I then descended to Du Cane Gap and went down to Windy Ridge Hut for the night



Above - Big Gun Pass



Above - the Geryon



Above - Cathedral Mountain



Above - The Acropolis and Geryon from Falling Mountain

Day 7

I did a long daytrip from Windy Ridge Hut to Mt Ossa and Pelion East



Above - Pelion East



Above - Du Cane Range peaks from Mt Ossa



Above - Pelion East from Mt Ossa



Above - Cathedral Mountain from "Windsor Castle" (Du Cane Hut)

Day 8

I walked out from Windy Ridge to Narcissus and then a quick trip around Lake St Clair to Cynthia Bay, then walked down to Derwent Bridge Hotel for a drink. Then a hitch back to Hobart.

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