Mt Bogong (+ West Peak), Vic, Australia

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2011 March: Climb Mt Bogong and its West Peak - Vic, Australia
                     Via The Staircase Spur - both up & down

Mt Bogong & West Peak

Mt Bogong - 1986 meters - highest mountain in Victoria
West Peak - 1962 meters - to the west-south-west of Mt Bogong

Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area is 585 meters above sea level, hence if you start the climb from the camping area, it is about 1400 meters in elevation to Mt Bogong summit.


Prolog

I had climbed Mt Bogong in 2006-01 with Bill. ( Refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/bogong-vic-australia.html )

This trip with Ricky is part of our effort to climb the highest peak in every State/Territory in Australia ... called the State-8 peaks. We've also added West Peak (1962m) as an additional destination since it has a better view of the surrounding countryside, especially down at Kiewa Valley and the town of Mt Beauty.

Scroll forward to the Appendix section to see a list and links of my climbing trips to the State-8 peaks.


Climb Mt Bogong in snow

By the way, in 2016-11, five and a half years later, I climbed Mt Bogong again. It so happened that a few days ealier, an unprecedented amount of snow was dumped in the Victorian Alpine regions. And so the mountain top was covered by a beautiful blanket of snow.

Photos and trip report of that wonderful climbing trip in snow are in my blog:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/mt-bogong-in-snow-vic-australia.html

I side tracked ... back to this trip ...


Hiking route

- Start from Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area
- Up the Staircase Spur to Mt Bogong summit
- Then westward to West Peak
- Return trip is retrace previous steps


Book

There should be a number of books describing this walk. The one I have access to is "Australian Mountains: The Best 100 Walks" by Tyrone Thomas & Sven Klinge


Map

Survey and Mapping Victoria issued a series of maps called "Outdoor leisure Map". They are very useful for hikers, full of interesting information. The one for this area is the 1:50,000 scaled map called "Bogong Alpine Area".


Distance and time

It is a day trip.

To West Peak and return is 21.5 km. If you only go to Mt Bogong, the return trip is 16 km.

In his book, Tyrone Thomas said it is an 8 hour return trip to Mt Bogong alone. In 2006-01, Bill and I did it bang on 8 hours. But this time, Ricky and I made it to Mt Bogong and West Peak and back all in 8 hours! Considering the side trip from Mt Bogong to West Peak and return is 2 hours, hence we can say we only need 6 hours to get to Mt Bogong and back ... a pretty good effort.


To reach Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area

The starting point of our walk is Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area.

To reach it:
- On Kiewa Valley Highway, at the town of Tawonga, turn east into Mountain Creek Road.
- Travel for about 10.5 km on the sealed road.
- Just before a one-lane bridge, there is a large picnic and camping area. This is where we park our car and start the climb to Mt Bogong.

If you have a 4-wheel-drive car, you can drive a further 2.1 km up a firetrail until you reach the Staircase Spur trail junction. There is just enough room at the junction to park about 2 cars.


Water requirement

For this trip, I carried 3 litres of water, as there won't be any water on the Staircase Spur trail.


Trip report

At 7:45am, Ricky and I start the walk from the Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area. This stretch of the walk is very flat. There are a few creeks to cross. Except the first one, all them have footbridges for you to walk over.

2.1 km later, we arrive at the junction to the Staircase Spur trail. Once you turn into it, the trail becomes steep. It only flattens out 2.5 km later at an engency shelter called Bivouac Hut. Compared to my 2006 visit, the old toilet here is now replaced by a brand new one.

The trail after the Bivouac Hut is not so steep. But when you reach above the tree line, you can see, looming steeply ahead, the Bogong tops of Audax Point, Mt Bogong, Hookers Plateau, West Peak ... etc.

The final ascent is again quite steep. There are snow poles guiding you to the top. At 11:00am we reach the summit. This is a pretty good effort ... because in 2006, it took Bill and me 4.5 hrs to get to the top. This time, it is only 3hr 15min ... all due to Ricky's fast walking pace.

The Mt Bogong summit is not a classical conical top. It is on a large domed shaped plateau, very flat, hence you don't get a good view of the surrounding areas. As we have plenty of time, we decide to head towards West Peak, 2.8 km westward ... because we figure from the map that from there, we should get a good view of the Kiewa valley. And indeed we are not disappointed. (Scroll down to see the photos.)

I suspect many day-trippers would be happy to simply reach the Bogong summit and wouldn't be bothered to explore further. I strongly recommend that they go over to West Peak too. It is not far - 2.8 km (40 min) oneway from the Bogong summit. But in that case, one should start the day early to allow time for the extra excursion.

From West Peak, it is possible to simply bush-bash one's way NNE straight back to the picnic and camping area. But we retrace our steps and are back by the car at 15:45. All up, it is a pleasant 8-hr day.


Timeline & Distance

07:45 Start at Mountain Creek Picnic And Camping Area
08:10 2 km later, arrive at start of Staircase Spur trail

----- 0 min rest

08:10 Start walking on Staircase Spur trail
----- (15 min rest at Bivouac Hut)
----- (15 min rest at Castor & Pollux Outcrops)
11:00 6 km later, arrive at Mt Bogong summit

----- 30 min rest

11:30 Leave Mt Bogong summit
12:05 2.8 km later, arrive at West Peak

----- 40 min rest

12:45 Leave West Peak
13:25 Back at Mt Bogong summit

----- 10 min rest

13:35 Leave Mt Bogong summit
15:20 Back to start of Staircase Spur trail

----- 0 min rest

15:20 Leave Staircase Spur trail
15:45 Back at Mountain Creek Road picnic and camping area

----- Total: 8 hrs, 21.5 km


Pictures - The Staircase Spur trail

1)  We climb Mt Bogong via the Staircase Spur. Don't be fooled by the short 6km distance. The elevation from here to the summit is 1,400 meters. Although elite athletes training to conquer Everest can run up and down in 2 hrs, it will take an average climber about 4 hrs just to get to the top. We did it in 3hrs ... pretty good.

2)  Paul going through the rain forest

3)  Spitfire or Sawfly caterpillars copulation on the ground ... group sex orgy!!! The last time I was here, they did this type of act hanging on the leaves ( see photo in http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/bogong-vic-australia.html ). They are now getting dirtier!!!  :-)

4)  We are above the tree-line now. I am taking some photos.
If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see a faint track through the green spur slightly left of the centre of this pic ... that is the track we just walked through. And the spur is called Staircase Spur.

The above photo is now the cover picture of a book by Glenn van der Knijff, titled "Victoria’s Bogong High Plains".


5)  Mt Bogong summit is the highest point in this photo. We will also climb West Peak which is the 2nd little knob from the right edge of this photo.
If you click on the photo to enlarge it, near the top left hand corner, you can see snow poles guiding you up the slope ... that is where we are heading now.

Mt Bogong summit

6)  This is it ... Mt Bogong summit, 1986 meters.

7)  It so happens there is a 120-km race today (which can take up to 48 hrs to complete). Part of the race goes through this summit. Here are 2 race officials manning the check point.

8)  Photo time ... Paul & Ricky

9)  Paul on the roof of Victoria at 1986 meters!!! What a great feeling!!!

To West Peak

10)  As you can see from previous photos, Mt Bogong summit is not a classical conical shape. It is on a flat plateau. Hence you can't see much scenery. We decide to head towards West Peak (which is the far away little knob near the centre of this pic and just sticking out behind the dark mound). From there, we should be able to get a better view of the countryside.

11)  West Peak is in the distance, not far to go now.

West Peak

12)  Ricky and Paul reach West Peak

13)  Here, at West Peak, we can see the green Kiewa Valley running through the length of this pic. The town of Mt Beauty is where the blue pond is. (The blue pond is slight left of the centre of this pic ... click on the photo to enlarge it.)

14)  Victorian Alps mountain range

15)  From West Peak looking back at Mt Bogong - which is the gentle rounded dome near the right side of this photo.

Return to Mt Bogong summit

16)  We are retracing our steps back to Mt Bogong summit. Click on the photo to enlarge it and you can just make out the 2 race officials standing there.

Alpine flowers

17, 18)  Small alpine flowers near the summit ... Xerochrysum bracteatum, Golden Everlasting  (An earlier name was Helichrysum Bracteatum.)

19, 20)  More small alpine flowers near the summit.

Climb down The Staircase Spur

21)  On the way down, we meet these young girls carrying camping gears going up. You just have to admire them ... because I'll find it a real challenge to carry such a heavy pack up an elevation of 1400 meters!

Post Script - Mt Bogong in snow

Don't forget to check out the photos and trip report of my 2016-10 climb of Mt Bogong covered in snow ... click this link:
http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2016/10/mt-bogong-in-snow-vic-australia.html
(Clmbing up is along The Staircase Spur. But down is along Eskdale Spur.)


Appendix - State-8 Peaks

This is part of my mission to climb the highest peak in all 8 Australian States & Territories ... called State-8 Peaks.

- 2010 Oct, Qld - Mt Bartle Frere
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/bartle-frere-queensland-australia.html

- 2011 Jan, ACT - Bimberi Peak
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html

- 2011 Feb, Tas - Mt Ossa
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html

- 2011 Mar, Vic - Mt Bogong - This trip report

- 2011 Apr, NSW - Mt Kosciuszko
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html

- 2012 Jul, NT - Mt Zeil
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/zeil-nt-australia.html

- 2012 Aug, WA - Mt Meharry
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/meharry-wa-australia.html

- 2013 May, SA - Mt Woodroffe
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/woodroffe-sa-australia.html

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Mt Ossa, Tas, Australia

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2011 February: Day 2 - Climb Mt Ossa, from Pelion Hut (on Pelion Plains) - Tasmania, Australia

This is day 2 of a 2-day overnight climbing trip.
The 1st day was to climbing Mt Pelion East ... refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html


Mt Ossa

Mt Ossa is:
- 1617 meters
- Tasmania's highest mountain
- On the West side of Pelion Gap (The Overland Track from Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut goes through Pelion Gap.)

This trip with Ricky is part of our effort to climb the highest peak in every State/Territory in Australia ... called the State-8 peaks. Scroll forward to the Appendix section to see a list and links of my climbing trips to these peaks.


Hiking route

Day 1:
- Refer http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html for day 1 of this trip

Day 2:
- From Pelion Hut, walk south on the Overland Track to Pelion Gap.
- At Pelion gap, turn west. The track skirts around Mt Doris before heading towards Mt Ossa.
- From summit of Mt Ossa, retrace steps back to Pelion Hut.
- Retrace steps back to Arm River Track carpark.


Hiking distance & time

25.5 km
11 hrs 15 min


Book

"Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair & Walls of Jerusalem National Parks" by John Chapman, Monica Chapman & John Siseman has a good description of the Arm River Track and Mt Ossa.


Maps

The 1:100,000 scale topographic survey map 8114 Mersey is good enough as the tracks can be easily followed. But if you wish, you can get the 1:25,000 scale maps.


Water Requirement

From Pelion Hut to Mt Ossa and back, carry 3 litres of water on a hot sunny day.


Description

After a good night's sleep at the tent site at the back of Pelion Hut, we are up early and start walking southward on the Overland Track at 6:25am. This is a retrace of our steps of the previous day to Pelion Gap which is duly reached at 7:40am.

Pelion Gap is a 4-way meeting point. Direct ahead is to Kia Ora Hut for hikers on the Overland Track. On the east is the track to Mt Pelion East which we successfully climbed yesterday  ( refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html ). Today, now, we turn west and head towards Mt Doris and Mt Ossa.

The track to Mt Ossa skirts the southern flank of Mt Doris. Once you reach the Mt Doris area, you get an awe inspiring view of Ossa - twin spires of rocks with vertical cliffs rising high up into the sky. And you wonder how are you going to climb up these cliffs!!!

Fortunately there are wooden posts at regular intervals pointing the way up. First we descend into the gully between Mt Doris and Mt Ossa. Then it is a long and steep(!!!) scramble up a scree slope between the above mentioned two tall cliffs. The trail hugs the side of the cliff on the right. After much panting and struggle, we reach a plateau area. From here, the peak is just a short distance on the right.

At the rear of the plateau is a small tarn. As it is a beautiful blue sky day, no wind and not a cloud around, the tarn is also beautifully blue, faithfully reflecting the colour of the sky. So tranquil, so serene, you wish you can just linger there forever.

But after a short stay and taking many photos of the tarn, we turn right and reach the summit at 9:50am.

No one would be disappointed by the magnificent panoramic scenery from the top ... see some of the photos further down in this article. And of course we have a clear view of the nipple shaped Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.

We have a good rest at the top, soaking up the atmosphere. Then reluctantly, it is retracing steps back to Pelion Hut, have lunch, pick up the tents and sleeping bags and carry the lot back to the car at the Arm River Track carpark.

All up, it is an 11-hour day. But it is also a most satisfying day. Of the highest peaks in each of the 5 Australian eastern States/Territory (ACT Bimberi, NSW Kosciuszko, Qld Bartle Frere, Tas Ossa, Vic Bogong) Mt Ossa surely is the most rewarding one to climb, with the most magnificent scenery from the summit - sheer magic beauty !!!  But it is also the hardest to climb because of its remoteness from the nearest road.


Timelines

06:25 Start from Pelion Hut.
07:40 4.2 km later, arrive at Pelion Gap.

------ 10 min rest

07:50 Leave Pelion Gap.
09:50 2.5 km later, arrive at summit of Mt Ossa.

------ 50 min rest

10:40 Leave summit
12:00 2.5 km later, back to Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

12:05 Leave Pelion Gap.
13:15 4.2 km later, back to Pelion Hut.

------ 50 min lunch

14:05 Leave Pelion Hut.
17:40 12 km later, back at Arm River Track carpark.

------ Total: 11 hrs 15 min, 25.5 km


Pictures - To Pelion Gap

1.) We are on our way to Pelion Gap, and walking on the famous Overland Track. This part of the track takes 1 and a quarter hour. Only a small section has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

At Pelion Gap

2.) This is Pelion Gap. Turning east is to Mt Pelion East which we successfully climbed yesterday  ( refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html ). Turning west is to Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain, which we are going to do right now. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can just make out the writing on the sign.

3.) Paul at Pelion Gap - Mt Ossa & Mt Doris is in the background.

Climb Mt Ossa

4.) A cute wallaby in the foreground. The nipple looking mountain in the background is Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.  ( Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html ).

5.) The nipple in the background in Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.

6, 7, 8.) The peak on the right is Mt Ossa, highest mountain in Tasmania. Awesome looking monster!!!

9, 10.) The way up Mt Ossa is to scramble up the steep scree area between the 2 peaks. Once you reach the plateau, turn right for the summit. Here, you can see Ricky going up the slope.

11.) I am the small figure in the middle of the scree slope.

12.) A beautiful picture with the nipple shaped Mt Pelion East in the background.

13.) Mt Pelion East is in the background.

14, 15.) Paul, climbing up the rocks

At plateau just below Mt Ossa summit

16.) At the plateau now - Ricky and I with Mt Ossa in the background - not far to go now

17.) At the plateau area - a tarn reflecting the blue sky. Love this spot, so tranquil and beautiful.

Mt Ossa summit

18, 19.) Finally, (3.5 hrs after we started from Pelion Hut), we reach the summit, 1617 meters - the roof of Tasmania!!!

20.) Mandatory photo session time  :-)
Ricky and I at the summit

21. Ricky climbs up one the rocks.

Views from Mt Ossa summit

22.) Super scene from the summit - pure magic scenery!!!

23.) The nipple is Mt Pelion East which we climbed yesterday.  ( Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html ).

24.) Mt Pelion West is in the centre of this pic. Barn Bluff, the nipple, is to its right. And further along to the right is Cradle Mountain.

Photos and write up on the Barn Bluff climb is my blog: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/barn-bluff-tas-australia.html

Cradle Mountain is in: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/cradle-mountain-tas-australia.html


Back at Pelion Gap

25.) Back down from Mt Ossa and back at Pelion Gap. I am pointing to the sign which says "Mt Ossa 1617m", and we climbed it !!! (I am wearing gloves. This is to prevent sun-burnt, and also helps climbing up the rocks.)

Return to car

26.) After picking up our tents and sleeping bags from Pelion Hut, we are on the Arm River Track walking tiredly back to the carpark. By the time we are back in the car, it will be an 11-hr day.
Only a few sections of the track has this board walk. Many stretches are muddy.

27, 28.) Ricky finds a hedgehog.

Appendix - State-8 Peaks

This is part of my mission to climb the highest peak in all 8 Australian States & Territories ... called State-8 Peaks.

- 2010 Oct, Qld - Mt Bartle Frere
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/bartle-frere-queensland-australia.html

- 2011 Jan, ACT - Bimberi Peak
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/bimberi-act-australia-east-approach.html

- 2011 Feb, Tas - Mt Ossa - This trip report

- 2011 Mar, Vic - Mt Bogong
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/bogong-vic-australia-west-peak.html

- 2011 Apr, NSW - Mt Kosciuszko
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/kosciuszo-muellers-peak-townsend-nsw.html

- 2012 Jul, NT - Mt Zeil
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/zeil-nt-australia.html

- 2012 Aug, WA - Mt Meharry
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/meharry-wa-australia.html

- 2013 May, SA - Mt Woodroffe
    http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/woodroffe-sa-australia.html

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Mt Pelion East, Tas, Australia

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2011 February: Day 1 - Climb Mt Pelion East, from Arm River Track - Tasmania, Australia

This is day 1 of a 2-day overnight climbing trip. The 2nd day will be climbing up Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain ... Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html

Information on this climb:
Mt Pelion East:
- It is on the East side of Pelion Gap (The Overland Track from Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut goes through Pelion Gap.)
- Wikipedia gives its height as 1461 meters.  A sign at Pelion Gap gives 1433 meters ... refer to photo #11.

Hiking route:
- Start from Arm River Track which you can reach from the unsealed Arm Road.
- Walk on the Arm River Track all the way to Pelion Hut at Pelion Plains.
- Then walk on Overland Track to Pelion gap.
- At Pelion Gap, turn east to climb Mt Pelion East.
- From summit, retrace steps back to Pelion Hut.
- Camp overnight at the back of Pelion Hut.

Hiking distance and time:
23 km, 9 hrs 45 min

Book:
"Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair & Walls of Jerusalem National Parks" by John Chapman, Monica Chapman & John Siseman has a good description of the Arm River Track and Mt Pelion East.

Maps:
The 1:100,000 scale topographic survey map 8114 Mersey is good enough as the tracks can be easily followed. But if you wish, you can get the 1:25,000 scale maps.

Water Requirement:
From Pelion Hut to Mt Pelion East and back, I carried 2.5 litres of water.

To get to Arm River Track:
From the town of Deloraine, it takes about 1 hr 15 min to drive there:
- Get to the town called Mole Creek.
- Follow sign to Cradle Mt until you reach junction to Mersey Forest Road.
- Turn into Mersey Forest Road and drive along it.
- Turn west into the unsealed Arm Road.
- Follow Arm Road, then look for a sign to Arm River Track, turn into it.
- After 700 meters you'll come to a small car park.
The Mersey 8114 map has all the details.

Description:
The small carpark is the start of the Arm River Track. Ricky and I park the car and start walking at 9am.

Usually for a long walk, we start real early. But this morning, Ricky just got off the car ferry from Melbourne to Devonport. By the time he reached Deloraine where I am staying, it is already 7:30am ... which explains the late start. Ricky is an amazing guy, he only had 3 hrs sleep on the ferry, yet he manage today's 10 hr walk with not a hint of tiredness.

At the carpark, we find the entrance to the Arm River Track blocked by a large fallen tree trunk. I assume it is done on purpose to prevent 4-wheel drives from barging onto the track. Once we climb over the tree trunk, we encounter a small stream ... that is a good sign we are on the right track ... because from various sources, there is a small stream to be crossed at the start of the Arm River Track.

The plan for the first leg of today's walk is to get to Pelion Hut on Pelion Plains where we can dump the tents and sleeping bags. Then we can hike to Mt Pelion East on a light pack.

The Arm River track is reasonably well maintained. Though some sections are quite muddy. Within the first hour, there is a very very steep uphill section. On the return trip, I wonder how I ever managed to carry a heavy pack up such a steep climb!

But, it is really enjoyable walking on this trail. For example, we come across a forest with green mosses on all the tree trunks - like an enchanted scene from a Disney cartoon movie. I specially like the open marsh plains with their patch work of colours due to different types of vegetation. And at about a third of the way through the trail, we pass Lake Price with Mt Pillinger framing the background ... so magically beautiful!!! ... will show you the pictures further on.

At 12:40, we reach Pelion Hut, a nice place with clean toilet facilities. It is normally reserved for hikers on the famous Overland Track. As we come from the Arm River Track, we settle at the back of the hut where there are camping spots. There we drop our tents and sleeping bags, have lunch and a rest, then proceed to hike to Pelion Gap.

At 3:15pm we reach Pelion Gap. This is a 4-way meeting point. Direct ahead is to Kia Ora Hut for hikers on the Overland Track. On the east is the track to Mt Pelion East which we are going to climb. On the west is the track to Mt Ossa which we'll climb tomorrow. (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html) And of course, turning around is back to Pelion Hut.

Mt Pelion East is a truly awesome mountain. From far away, it looks like a nipple. Up closer, it is like another scene from a Disney cartoon movie ... sharp spires and vertical cliffs ... evil looking. A wicked witch would find it a perfect place to build a castle on its summit. And we are drawn to it like a magnet. It is magic!!!

It looks impossible to climb too. It is steep. But some cairns point the way up. As it turns out, it is not too hard to get to the summit. It took us only about an hour from Pelion Gap.

It is a sunny afternoon with a magnificent view from the top. We can see most of the well known peaks - Barn Bluff, Cradle Mountain, Mt Pelion West, Mt Hyperion, Mt Massif, Mt Oakleigh ... etc. And of course, Mt Ossa which we'll climb tomorrow.

After taking photos, it is retracing steps back to Pelion Hut for the night.

Here are the timelines:
09:00 Start walk on Arm River Track.
12:40 12 km later, arrive at Pelion Hut at Pelion Plains.

------ 1 hr 20 min lunch

14:00 Leave Pelion Hut.
15:15 4.2 km later, arrive at Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

15:20 Leave Pelion Gap.
16:20 1.2 km later, arrive at summit of Mt Pelion East.

------ 20 min rest

16:40 Leave summit.
17:25 Back at Pelion Gap.

------ 5 min rest

17:30 Leave Pelion Gap.
18:45 Back at Pelion Hut for the night.

------ Total: 9 hrs 45 min, 23 km

Pictures:

1.) Paul on the Arm River Track to Pelion Hut.
Only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

2.) On the Arm River Track - Ricky in an enchanted forest of green mosses.

3.) Beautiful Lake Price and Mt Pillinger on the Arm River Track

4.) Love these marsh areas along the Arm River Track

5.) Marsh area along the Arm River Track.
Only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

6.) Suspension bridge over Douglas Creek - looks like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.

7.) We are very near to Pelion Hut now. The mountain on the left of this picture is called Mt Oakleigh.

8.) A cute lovely wallaby watching us walking by. (Or is this a Pademelon? I can never tell which is which.)

9.) After 3.5 hrs walk on the Arm River Track, we reach Peilon Hut. This hut is meant for hikers on the Overland Track. Since we are from the Arm River Track, we will camp out at the back on a tent platform ... more of this later.

10.) We are on our way to Pelion Gap now, and walking on the famous Overland Track. This part of the track takes 1 and a quarter hours. Again, only a small section of the track has board walks like this. Many stretches are muddy.

11.) This is Pelion Gap. Turning left (east) is to Mt Pelion East which we are going to climb right now. Turning right (west) is to Mt Ossa, Tasmania'a highest mt, which we will climb tomorrow (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html).

12.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!! From Pelion Gap to the summit and return is about 2 hrs (including a 20 min rest at the summit).

13.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!!
It looks like a scene from a Disney cartoon movie - a perfect place for a evil witch to built a castle at the summit.

14.) Mt Pelion East - awesome looking !!!
It looks impossible to climb ... but as it turns out, it is not too hard. There are some cairns pointing the way.

15.) Paul doing the hard climb.

16.) Made it to the summit !!!

17.) Paul taking pictures at the summit.

18.) Ricky climbs on top of one of the rocky outcrops.

19.) View from the summit - Here you can see Barn Bluff, the nipple looking knob on the left. Cradle Mountain is just at the right of the centre of this picture (in the far horizon). Mt Oakleigh is the close by mountain (in front of Cradle Mountain).

Photos and write up on the Barn Bluff climb is my blog: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/barn-bluff-tas-australia.html
Cradle Mountain is in: http://mntviews.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/cradle-mountain-tas-australia.html

20.) View from the summit - The highest point in this photo is Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest mountain - we are going to climb it tomorrow !!! (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html)

21, 22.) Coming down from the summit is not easy!!!

23.) These small white flowers, Mountain Gentian (Chionogentias muelleriana), are abundant around the mountain.

24.) These small flowers are abundant around the mountain.

25.) Looking down at Pelion Gap where there is a sign pointing to the tracks up Mt Pelion East and Mt Ossa.

26.) Paul back at Pelion Gap.
I am pointing to Mt Pelion East which we have just climbed. Tomorrow will be Mt Ossa !!! (Refer to http://mntviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/ossa-tas-australia.html.) But for now, it is 1 and a quarter hours of walk back to Pelion Hut.

27.) At the end of a 10-hr day, we sleep out here on a tent platform at the back of Pelion Hut. But I wonder if the platform is also doubled up as a helicopter landing pad, because there are steel cables around the platform which can be used to anchor a helicopter.
All my stuff are in view here - sleeping bag is rolled up in the foreground. The orange thingie is a large plastic bag where everything go inside in case of rain. The grey blob thingies are stones - no, I don't carry those around.

28.) Ricky in his bivy bag

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