K2K (or at least, to Carlon's Farm)

The K2K is a classic walk from Kanangra Walls in the Kanagra Boyd National Park to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. The usual route time for serious walkers is 3 days, though many do it in 4. Some masochists do it in 2, and some people run it. Madness!

Initially we plan on four days, to allow time for side trips to Splendour Rock and other viewpoints, but pressure of work and the looming semester make us attempt it in 3. We also decide to end the walk at Carlon's Farm, near Blackheath, rather than slog back to Katoomba along the Narrowneck Plateau one more time. Enduring dreadful traffic leaving Sydney, as usual, we get dropped off (Thanks, Karola!) at the Kanangra Walls lookout on the western side of the Blue Mountains at lunchtime.

This is the point at which the slight snafu emerges (which explains inter alia why there are fewer and less good photographs in this blog entry. There are some more photos by another member of the party here). Most parties attempting this walk camp out overnight to get an early start. It's well into the afternoon when we are on the track, with 13km to the next reliable source of water, and allowing for the odd navigational snafu, it'll be a tight day. Later when we realize that there's some chance we might not make it, we also realize that while we have a day in reserve, we didn't make this clear to our emergency contacts or the police with whom we had registered the walk. So if at all possible we should try to keep to three days.

Anyhow, the beginning of the walk is spectactual indeed. While the Kanangra Walls need to be seen in the morning (they face eastish) the landscape itself is amazing. We walk through alpine heath, along the edge of the mighty walls:



The opposite side of the Kanangra Gorge is striated to form the Thurat Spires; you can see some of this striation here:



And a closer view here:



See the little waterfall in the previous image? It's not little. The gorge is about 500m deep at this point. The falls plunge down the walls in a series of steps - here's an image that gives the idea.



After this there's lots more walking though the tops. A very scenic feature, though a worrying one, is the amount of dead Banksia, Isopagon and Persoonia. Fire or disease? Unsure, but they are all Proteaceae, so that might mean a common susceptibility to a fungus like Phythoptera. The next image shows not only this, but also the ridge line that we will be walking across and some of the peaks that we will cross: Crafts Walls with the yellow cliffs, Mt Berry, Mt High and Mighty, Mt Stormbreaker, and finally, in the distance, Mt Cloudmaker, where we mean to camp.



At first it seems like it will be hard to get down off the plateau to the ridge line, but then we realize that the Kilpatrick Causeway, a knife-edge of rock, rises up close to the level of the plateau. Finding the descent to the causeway, though, turns out to be less easy that it ought. We are almost at it, then we turn back, then we eventually find it: all the while losing valuable time.

By the time we get to the Crafts Walls, we realise that time is running out. We wonder if there is accessible water at Gabes Gap, the lowest point on the walk, which would allow us to either camp there, or else on one of the peaks following if we don't make it to the campsite at Dex Creek.

But Gabes Gap disappoints. The west side is dry, and the east side a steep and densely vegetated gully. In such a wet year there probably is water not too far down, but getting to it would be very difficult indeed. We decide that we must march on. If we are benighted, we'll just have to eat the moistest food we have, and rely on being close enough to Dex Creek that we won't get dangerously dehydrated before we reach it in the morning

It's around this time that we realize that the howling noises we hear aren't hoonish bushwalkers, but wild dogs, likely Dingos. They stop whenever we call back to them. Appropriate so near the Wild Dog Mountains and Mt Dingo, but also eerie. It's odd from an Australian perspective to think about any macrofauna (mesofauna?) that are in any way malign.

So it's on the peaks with the iconic names: first Mt Stormbreaker, then the four knolls Rip, Rack, Roar, and Rumble. The definition of a 'knoll' is pretty arbitrary, and we have climbed up and down several rocky outcrops on the ridge when the GPS reveals we are on Rip, the first official knoll! Fortunately, the subsequent knolls have fewer "prequels" than the first, and in little time, to our great relief, we are on Cloudmaker itself! Paul signs us up in the logbook on the summit at 19.00, 15m before sunset.

In the dying light we march on and find the route down to Dex Creek, getting there just when the light goes, so we are pumping water with our torches. But we've made it: well done Sons! Only another 23km to go!

Day 2


Up we get in our leafy hollow; the creek is deep enough that there is little light well after dawn on a clear day:



Dex Creek is a lovely spot, a little valley on the Gangerang Plateau in the heart of the Blue Mountains. The small creek is surrounded by ferns, and the heathland on the tops gives way to full-sized trees, so the valley is full of green shade. But we have to leave. Finding the path to Carra Top takes a little while, but soon we get some interesting views. You need to get this far into the mountains to get a real wilderness feel. There is no farmland visible in any direction, even from the peaks, just forest and cliffs. The Blue Mountains towns along the far cliffls are too far away for the buildings to be visible. The cliff to the left in the next photo is the Moorilla Lookout, another great side-trip we have to miss out on for reasons of time.We don't know what the triangular peak in the distance is, but it looks as if it is in the Grose Valley. Mt Hay?



The day stretches on: we really need to make the Cox River by the middle of the day in order to get to the campsite at Mobbs Soak by dark.

Here's Paul descending a cairned slope en route:



From Mt Strongleg, we descend 600m to the Coxs River. Hard on the knees, and trekking poles are invaluable. It is now the hottest part of the day, and as we descend the dry, stony soil, scrubby trees and a ubiquitous herb that looks and smells like sage makes for an atmosphere not unlike walking in the south of France. When we finally reach the Coxs River it's well after three, and the temperature must be close to 30C. It's certainly not the time for a 600m ascent up the other side of the valley, so we decide to camp there. Our decision is vindicated when we later try to find the track up to save time in the morning. Coming down from Mt Yellow Dog the track enters a dense belt of trees along the river and spits you out right at the campsite. From the river, however, it is a barely visible gap in the vegetation and we have to sweep across the hillside above the river to hit the track and come down it again to find the entrance.

For someone who knows Australian plants the Cox river itself is not a very attractive spot because it is so infested with invasive weeds. Not too many woody weeds, but the herbaceous vegetation is mainly weeds. It is also crawling with snakes this year. We see four, and there are snake tracks in the sand along the riverbank. Other members of the party ignore these deficiencies and concentrate on the chance to laze about in water only just cool enough to be refreshing.

Day 3


The big question of the day is whether to attempt to walk out (in effect doing day 2 of the masochists 2 day version of the walk) or to take four days and camp at Mobbs Soak. This is where poor planning gets us - we hadn't told the police or our emergency contacts that we had the fourth day in reserve. So we decide that at least some of us must walk out, and we all decide to go in the light of that.

It is a pretty hard day, but there is something undeniably satisfying after the fact about completing it this way! The day starts with a 600m ascent of Mt Yellow Dog up the Yellow Pup Ridge. Starting at 7.30, and mostly on a south-facing slope, we get to the top while it is still delightfully cool. On top of the Wild Dogs there is a flock of Gang Gang cockatoos flying about, calling to one another with their characteristic 'rusty hinge' call. From here it's on to the slopes of Mt Dingo and then to Mobbs Soak, where we fill up with water and eat lunch.

Then we march on; the toughest part of the day is probably the descent to Breakfast Creek: it's very steep - 400m vertical in 1000m horizontal - and very eroded, and has almost no switchbacks. Basically the track follows the path made by the first person to bash straight down the hillside. Once again, trekking poles are much appreciated to save strain on the knees. Like the day before, we do the descent in bright sunlight in the hottest part of the day.

But after a swim at the creek and refilling water, we are ready to finish: we realize to our delight that we will probably make it to Carlon's Farm by 5.00, in time to meet our lift out.

The climb up is along Carlons Creek, or, if I can remember the words that came to mind at the time, a putrid weedy cloaca of a gully, infested with European Nettle and Brambles. We are getting too close to farmland. But at the end we get to the carpark on time, having earned real stripes by doing day two of the two-day masochists version of the walk. Bravo us!



This is the very neat and well-equipped National Park carpark at Carlons Farm, with Black Billy Head in the background. There is cellphone coverage here to call the Katoomba Cab company, and surprisingly good rabbit stew (and tolerable pizza for the vegos) was consumed at Blackheath.

Some Sons walk the Overland Track

The Overland Track is Tasmania's most famous walk; the kind of well known walk tat requires (at least outside of winter) booking long in advance for a permit. It goes from Cradle Mountain in the north down to Lake St Clair in the south, and is usually walked in about a week. Huts are spaced along the route, but you are required to take a tent (and indeed it's often nicer to camp). The huts are basic - wooden bunks to sleep on, no power bedding or food of course. A lot of people walk it in very odd ways, of which more later! But for all that it is a major tourist attraction, it's also one of the most marvellous alpine routes in the world. If you can walk it in reasonable weather (and we were very lucky with that) it's astonishingly beautiful.

We headed out on a Friday from Cradle Mountain visitors centre having come from Launceston by bus. If you plan to do it, the only sensible way to go is to fly into Tassie through Launceston, get the bus to Cradle Mountain, then get the bus from Lake St Clair to Hobart and fly out there (the bus company will deliver any excess stuff you aren't walking with to Hobart)

Day 1: Cradle Mountain to Waterfall Hut

The weather was perfect, so off we walked through button grass and pandani, then up a little climb through alpine rainforest to meet our first waterfall:



A little further climbing gets us to Crater Lake; not in fact a crater but a glacial cirque. This photo is taken from a tiny boat shed left from before the park was declared:



Climbing up from the lake (via a climb which seemed to defeat many of the walkers) we get to Marion's Lookout, which gives us our first view of Cradle Mountain itself and Dove Lake:



Moving on from here we come to Kitchen Hut, and emergency hut which is the point at which you leave the track to gain the summit of Cradle Mountain:



Cradle Mountain would be a 400m ascent from here, and lots of fun, but we don't have the time on this fairly long first day.

Moving on from the hut we get our first glimpse of Barn Bluff, which will dominate the landscape for the next few days. It's the little bump on the right, Cradle Mountain is to the left:





Barn Bluff soon begins to loom impressively; also the weather shows signs of getting a little grim:




After some truly glorious walking across a high plateau we descend to Waterfall Hut. Here's the eponymous waterfall (and to a certain person, that is how the word is supposed to be used!)



Then it's time to put the tent up and get some sleep. Pretty soon it starts to rain, so possibly the hut would have been a good idea!

Day 2: Waterfall Hut to Windermere Hut

The next day dawns wet, putting paid to our intended ascent of Barn Bluff, reputed to have the best views of all the peaks. The wet and wind would not only make the ascent unsafe, according to the ranger, but also there would be no view as visibility is in the single digits of meters!

By lunch it clears a bit, but not enough for the Bluff, so we head off taking a side trip to Will Lake. Here's a view of the much missed Bluff from the lake:



After Will Lake things start to look impressive on the high plateau. The next photo shows why people used to (literally) be up to their armpits in mud before duckboarding was installed at key points:




Walking along the plains a view of the Pelion and Traveller ranges starts to emerge:



Eventually we find ourselves getting closer to Lake Windermere, where the next hut is:





After a meal and setting up the tent on a platform near the lake (the mossies are ferocious! The price we paid for generally marvellous weather was the mossies and March flies, which apparently both only became severe in the last couple of weeks) we head off to explore the lake. Here it is being loomed over by (still!) Barn Bluff




And here's the lake in the last rays of ruddy light:





Day 3: Windermere to New Pelion Hut

This is truly glorious days walking. It dawns fine and off we set, rising to button grass plains and the Pelions:





See those little purple flowers in the bottom left? They are carnivorous! They are semi-aquatic, and trap aquatic insects in traps around their roots and stems. Here's a closer view:




It's a very varied day; soon we are descending through a forest of Leptospermum (tea tree) that is all in flower, with a carpet of petals on the ground:



And then we go through a forest of Pandani, as the Tasmanians call it. It's in fact a giant version of Richea, the candle heath genus. This one is called Richea pandanifolia, because it's leaves look like Pandanus (the flavouring of so many Indonesian and Malay sweets).



Then the terrain opens out as we approach the descent to the Pelion Plains:



A sharp descent though the gap in the last photo and we can see the plains emerging with Mt Oakleigh through the last trees:



We arrive soon at New Pelion Hut, which is extremely comfortable (we stay in it rather than camp) and has a balcony with the most amazing views of the Plain, and Mt Oakleigh. The view changes marvellously as the sun sets:



Notice the last light on Barn Bluff to the left, still visible after three days:



Day 4: New Pelion to Kia Ora Hut

The next day dawns with mist on the plains:



It's well worth exploring the plains while the mist is still there:



Exploration reveals Barn Bluff again, and some lovely grasses. Must come back to climb the Bluff!



Off we go, the plan is to get to saddle before the final peak of Mount Ossa, the highest peak in Tasmania. We reach the Pelion Gap, which has lovely views, and have some lunch before heading off track to Ossa. Here are a few of the lovely people we were walking with:



After a bit of climbing we reach Mt Doris, and are rewarded with this view of Ossa:



The country around Ossa and Doris is astonishingly beautiful, often looking like a cultivated garden by some culture not a million light years from the Japanese:



A blight killed a lot of eucalypts some years ago, but their white remains are spectacular:



We descend and then head on and eventually arrive at Kia Ora hut just in time to set up our tent, and admire the moon and alpenglow:



Day 5: Kia Ora to Windy Ridge

The first stop on this day is Du Cane hut, an historic hut that is kept as an emergency shelter:



Check out the bunks!



There's a nice example of the old signposts you sometimes see around the track:



Our next side trip is the the spectacular Hartnett Falls. Sorry there's no scale in this picture, but they are about 100m high:



Here they are from the top:



The rest of the walk this day is through varied forest:



Day 6: Windy Ridge to Narcissus and then ferry to Cynthia Bay

On the last day of the main walk we aren't sure whether to spend an extra day out and visit Pine Valley or to get the ferry from Narcissus. It's raining, but by mid morning we head out thinking it won't get much better. It doesn't: and we end up walking through the forest in an impressive thunderstorm. It's quite exhilarating, but it also decides us not to camp out another night, especially when we run into rangers who tell us that the Pine Valley track will be mud up to the waist. We also consider ignoring the ferry and joining Wendy, Charmaine, Vaughan and Jayne at Echo Point and waking along the lake the next day. The storm makes a dry hotel room and a laundry that much more appealing so we go for the ferry (besides, he justifies to himself, once the ferry started the last bit of walking really became a day walk from Cynthia Bay rather than the true Overland. I reckon it ends at Narcissus!)

We reach Narcissus as the storm abates, and after lunch head to the jetty on Lake St Clair:. There are some glorious view on the way.



The jetty itself is lovely, small and peaceful with amazing views:



Soon enough the little boat they use as a ferry arrives for us:



From the lake you get to see the amazing forest we were walking in from a different viewpoint entirely. It really illustrates the old expression about not seeing the wood for the trees! The red spots will be soutnern Beech of the Nothofagus genus. I'm not sure if the colour is due to it being new coppery growth, or whether they are turning: Tasmania has among others the only deciduous Nothofagus.



The ferry stops at Echo Point, where the gathered folk give us a hard time for not roughing it with them! Here's Vaughan and Charmaine:



We get a chance to step out and have a look; here's he famous view of Mt Ida from Echo point:



After that it's a short trip to Cynthia bay, where non dried food, a laundry and showers await! But what a truly magnificent piece of country, and what an amazing walk! Thanks to all the wonderful people we met on route, and to the NPWS and all the rangers who look after this treasure.

Appendix: Day 7 to Pump House Point

The next day we think we need to walk some more, as our bus doesn't come until evening. On the ferry trip we see an amazing deco-ish building in the distance, which turns out to be an old pumphouse for a hydro scheme that was never really used. We decide that would be a good target for a day walk, an head out there along the lake shore.

Here's the pumphouse starting to appear:



And here's the only person we pass: a fly fisherman wading out in the lake:



Finally we get the pumphouse:



There is some amazing driftwood; this piece look a bit dragon like:



On the way back I can't resist trying to photograph some of the tiny flowers that seemed to grow in moist soil everywhere; these flowers are about 3mm across!




Somephotos from one of our former walking companions, who did the overland track a few weeks earlier here