Cheyne Range to Coal Hill advise

[wobbly]

Hi
I'm planning a bit of a circuit out behind (west of) Olympus and part of it will entail getting from Cheyne Range to Coal Hill. Interested if anyone has experience of and can comment on possible routes. e.g what is the direct climb to Coal Hill from the Cuvier River or Lake Mingundie area like. Have you done it and would you do it again or was it so bad that you'd instead go up to Byron Gap and across to Coal Hill via Cuvier Shelf?
Also interested in hearing from anyone who has walked from Cheyne High Point to Lake Mingundie/Petrach or upper Cuvier river.
thanks in advance and PM's welcome.

cheers
Peter

[north-north-west]

Cheyne to Coal . . . are you thinking of dropping off the northern end of the Cheyne Range to Mingundie and then up to Coal? Or going to Mingundie from near Hermione?
Mingundie to Coal is supposed to be fairly straightforward, I know a few people who've done that although these days it's more common to go via Cuvier Shelf.
All I know for sure is that the buttongrass upstream of Hermione is too big for comfort and it scrubs up around Franklin Tarns.

[weetbix456]

I’ve dropped down to Cuvier Valley from Coal Hill. A small band of cliffs higher up, and some scrub here and there but nothing too crazy. I was glad to have gravity on my side however!!

[Paul]

I went from Lake Petrarch up to Coal Hill, on the way to High Dome.

It is fairly easy, not a lot of thick undergrowth, but some cliff lines up higher with gaps here and there. It wasnt too difficult to find the way through them.

From Coal Hill across to Goulds Sugerloaf - ITS THICK.

Paul.

[north-north-west]

From Coal Hill across to Goulds Sugerloaf - ITS THICK.

There's a narrow band of thick stuff around the top of Coal, but the ridgeline from there to Little Sugarloaf and Goulds is pretty open and easy. If a slug like me can go from Cuvier Shelf, up Cuvier, down along the moraine and up Coal, over to Little SL and then Goulds and back, without rushing or any hassles, it's easy country.

[Tortoise]

If a slug like me can go from Cuvier Shelf, up Cuvier, down along the moraine and up Coal, over to Little SL and then Goulds and back, without rushing or any hassles, it's easy country.

A very well-travelled slug indeed! Are you saying that was a day walk?

[ILUVSWTAS]

Agreed NNW. One of the best side trip daywalks going from the shelf to GSL. There's a pad initially just when you need it and nice and open the rest if the way. MJD and I did that in a morning and were back for lunch before packing up and moving onto a camp near Manfred.

[north-north-west]

If a slug like me can go from Cuvier Shelf, up Cuvier, down along the moraine and up Coal, over to Little SL and then Goulds and back, without rushing or any hassles, it's easy country.

A very well-travelled slug indeed! Are you saying that was a day walk?

Cuvier, Coal, Goulds and back, yes. Summer with good conditions so it was a longish day, but I found it easy enough. Then next day to Manfred and Heel, and down to Marion. Horizontal the following day was the real test.

[wobbly]

Hi NNW , Weetbix and Paul
Thanks for the info re Coal Hill. It doesn't sound too bad.

As for Cheyne to Mingunie (based on looking at maps and sat images) i was thinking of either staying west of Lake Hermione and head for the Franklin Tarns then down the ridge-line to Mingunie.
or alternatively head NE from Hermione towards the south shore of Petrach. I've not found any reference the conditions- good or bad that would help decide on either option.