Snow camping at Seaman's hut : Allowed or not ??

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Is snow camping at Seaman's hut permitted? I am looking at heading out there soon while the snow is still deep.

[Xplora]

Short answer. No. I recall a rule there is no tent to be seen from the road but since it is covered with snow I would say who cares. What are they going to say. It was put there for winter refuge.

[Zapruda]

I cant see an issue with it in winter and if you are new to snow camping it's probably a good idea to be close to a hut anyway. Just leave the hut as you found it or in better condition

Don't burn the wood unless you absolutely have to! its for emergencies

Where abouts are you starting the trip from?

You wouldn't stand a chance camping there when there is no snow. The ranger drives up every morning to Rawsons Pass. You would be asked to move along pretty quickly.

Have fun

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Hi
I am an old hand at snow camping/snow shoe trekking. I will probably hike in from Charlotte Pass.
There is a lot of snow up there at the moment and I plan to do this on 15 th and 16th of Oct. 2016.
I know the hut etiquette since I spend most of my time in the Bogong high plains area here in Vic.
If the ranger is not going to police this while the road is under snow then I can't see a problem with snow camping for one night out there.

[Zapruda]

Hopefully the road to Charlotte Pass is open by then. it normally is by this time of year.

I was up on the Main Range about 2 weeks ago and the coverage was excellent. Enjoy!

[GBW]

I don't remember any signs about camping near the hut or the road but I did see this one...

[climberman]

At the hut or in it?
Plenty of people camp near it and cook, etc inside, retiring to a tent to sleep.
Pretty crappy hut to sleep in I think.
Technically it's an emergency only shelter for sleeping.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The road to Thredbo is cut by a landslide between Khancoban to Tom Groggin. There is a detour along the Khancoban to Cabramurra road which adds up to 4 hours to the drive from Melb. to Thredbo. The road from Buchan in Vic. to Jindabyne is also closed by a landslide ( The Barry Way).
You NSW people have closed the border to us spring snow lovers /Main Range fans !!!.

[Mark F]

We have to do something to protect ourselves! Just to rub it in, there is more snow now at Spencers Creek (170cm) than any time during this season.

[Zapruda]

We have to do something to protect ourselves! Just to rub it in, there is more snow now at Spencers Creek (170cm) than any time during this season.

Marks not wrong- http://www.snowyhydro.com.au/waterenvironment/snow-depths-calculator/

The level at Three Mile Damn is also very surprising. What a weird snow season we have had.

I selfishly want it all to melt so I can I get back on the mountains without snowshoes and without freezing my Ar$e off

[Mark F]

I selfishly want it all to melt so I can I get back on the mountains without snowshoes and without freezing my Ar$e off

Me too actually. All this bad weather potentially makes placing my AAWT food drops problematic if my experiences in 2009 are anything to go by.

[Zapruda]

Mark, I am sure the snow will melt enough around Kiandra and jagungal within the next few days for any food drops there, the Selwyn snow cams are looking pretty bare already. http://ski.com.au/snowcams/australia/ns ... lwyn4.html

Anything else could be hit or miss over the next month. I doubt we will get any more significant snow falls. the temps appear to be rising steadily now.

when are you planning on doing the walk? if its any time during November, I would be packing the microspikes for the main range

[Mark F]

What worried me in pcv's post was the road closures due to landslides. I am planning a Nov-Dec trip finishing a few days before Christmas so the window to get the Victorian drops in is very tight as the seasonally closed roads only open at Melbourne Cup Weekend unlike NSW where most roads in Koscuiszko open on October Long Weekend. It's not so much the NSW drops that may be problematic but the Victorian ones where one is relying heavily on a few seasonally closed roads which usually need to be cleared and are often not opened until they dry out (see another thread and post by Xplora). Luckily I have the freedom to postphone by a week or so but it isn't ideal.

As for snow on the Main Range, I expect there will be some but during most days it should be slushy enough to walk through. In 2010 I did get snowed in at Grey Mare for a full day on 20 December and couldn't get across the Main Range on the 21st or 22nd. If I think it will be a problem I will dig out the spikes.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I might still see some snow shoe action in Nov. on the main range when the roads from Vic. to Thredbo are 100 % reopened. The road to Charlotte Pass is still shut !!!. The snow cat isn't operating up there now that the ski season has closed. I am a snow shoe tragic!!

[Xplora]

What is wrong with driving Melbourne, Bairnsdale, Cann River, Bombala , Cooma, Thredbo. Only 130km further than the Hume and Alpine Way depending on which part of Melbourne you are coming from. Great drive with lots of straight road and 100kph. The slip on the Alpine way will be repaired soon enough even if only one lane. The info said possibly by today. I have sent an email to the local ParksVic office to find out if they have any thought of extending the seasonal closures. This will only affect the roads from the Border to Falls Creek on the AAWT. Will advise if I get a reply but if not by next weekend I will be seeing them for a meeting anyway.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

Explora Sahib:
It is a long way to the KNP which ever way you go from Melb. . It is a matter of how much time I have to spare. I would need 5 days at least to make that worthwhile.
I drive up to Falls Ck. / Mt .Bogong/ Mt. FT/ Mt Buffalo etc. quite regularly but somehow that 5-6 hour drive is not as far for me. Driving to Cann River is a long way in itself. Yes the scenery out that way is rather good but it all depends on my schedule and commitments in Melb. .

[Xplora]

PCV - We are talking an hour and a half each way longer, maybe two hours not 2 days longer. Yes you would need 5 days if you wanted 3 days of walking even if the Alpine way was open. Thredbo is a long way from Melbourne which ever way you go. Cann River is no further away in time than Falls Creek. Maybe quicker if it takes you 6 hours to get to Falls. It is all a matter of perspective possibly because it seems further than it really is as you are not familiar with it. We drive more than 2 hours one way just to do the grocery shop so our perspective on distance and time is different to city people. This thread was your idea so I thought you had your commitments sorted. Anyway the Alpine Way is open under traffic control from 6am to 9pm. I suspect you would be passing through between those times.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

The road is open again and the plan to snow shoe out to Mt. Kosi this week end is back on the table!! .

[Lophophaps]

Undated KNP PWS advice that I obtained in 2014:
(Logo)
Main Range Dispersed Camping
Kosciuszko National Park

Please see map over page for some suggested areas with space for two or more tents:

A few things to remember when camping:
1 If your group size is over 20 you need to apply to NPWS for consent.

2 Dispersed overnight camping is permitted except:
within the catchments of:
* Lake Albina
* Blue Lake
* Club Lake
* Lake Cootapatamba; and
* Hedley Tarn
within 200 metres of:
* Charlotte Pass, Crackenback Chairlift, Guthega Village and Guthega Power Station trackheads
* Crackenback Chairlift to Mount Kosciuszko walkway
* summit of Mount Kosciuszko and Rawson Pass.
* where the Main Range Walk crosses the Snowy River at Foremans Crossing (immediately below Charlotte Pass).
* any road open to public vehicular access except at designated walk-in campsites.
within the drinking water catchments for ski resorts adjacent to the Main range this includes:
* Rock Creek (Perisher/Porcupine Area),
* Pipers Creek catchment (Prussian Flat)
* Stilwell Creek (Stilwell/Charlotte Pass)
* Blue Cow Creek (New and Old Farm Creeks).
* Within 30 m of rivers, streams and lakes;

3 Huts are only to be used for day and emergency use (General overnight camping not permitted)

4 Always use a fuel stove and carry plenty of warm clothes (NB: No open/ wood fires are permitted in the alpine area outside hut fireplaces)

5 Camp only on thick snow grass and avoid eroded, burnt and wet boggy sites

6 Please be considerate of other park users when camping within the area immediately surrounding Seamans Hut (preferably camp beyond ~ 200m or sight of the hut).

The original has a confusion of bullets, so I used numbers to make it easier to udnerstand. If you look at the map it disagrees slightly. The map shows thatcamping is proscribed outside the above definition of glacial lakes catchments.

Point 3 is confusing. Do they mean camping as in camping in a hut? By definition, camping is in a tent or similar. point 6 refers to being 200 miles, oh, sorry, 200 metres or sight of the hut. I attempted to have the above contradictions clarified, without success.

The bottom line is that if you camp more than 200 metres from Seamans Hut it should be okay. There's no reference to using the toilets below Koscy as a shelter.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

If I go up this weekend then I may just camp somewhere near Thredbo ( there are plenty of campsites before and after Thredbo ) and do a day trip to Mt. Kosi via the Kosi express chairlift ( soft boy thingy and cheating , yes I know) and drive up to Charlotte Pass ( CP ) on Sunday and do a day trip to the Blue Lake and back. The Road to CP is opening on Wed. this week.

[DarrenM]

If I go up this weekend then I may just camp somewhere near Thredbo ( there are plenty of campsites before and after Thredbo ) and do a day trip to Mt. Kosi via the Kosi express chairlift ( soft boy thingy and cheating , yes I know) and drive up to Charlotte Pass ( CP ) on Sunday and do a day trip to the Blue Lake and back. The Road to CP is opening on Wed. this week.

Give Thredbo a call as they may have the Kosci Express closed for maintenance at the moment. Snow Gums should be open as an alternative.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I will give them a ring asap but walking to Mt. Kozi from Charlotte's pass isn't too hard either.

[kjbeath]

Undated KNP PWS advice that I obtained in 2014:
(Logo)
Main Range Dispersed Camping
Kosciuszko National Park

Most of this is from the park plan of management, and that is the best place to start. Just do a Google search.

[Mark F]

Most of this is from the park plan of management, and that is the best place to start. Just do a Google search.

No need - just see the image of the sign in one of the previous posts. It is pretty easy to see on a map whether you are in a drainage pattern that feeds into one of the lakes. If so - no camping. Also no camping around Charlottes Pass and along the track down to the Snowy RIver. The interesting thing is that there is a minute cirque lake just south of Townsend (near the top of Wilkinson Valley) that isn't in the restricted camping zones. A quite delightful little spot.

If the weather is nice then walk up to Koscuiszko Lookout and head west up to Rams Head North then down though the Rams Heads. Cut across from Rams Head South (incorrectly? marked on the maps as a trig with a height of 1,951 m but as far as I am aware actually the lump to the NE at 2,040m which also has trig but not marked as such on the map) to the track and into Dead Horse Gap and back to Thredbo.

[GBW]

Good advice Mark F. Townsend is a lot more interesting than Kosci and the walk through the Rams Heads is well worth it. After Kosci we veered off the steel track just past Lake Cootapatamba lookout and headed for Rams Head North then made our way down to DHG past RH South. There's some great rock formations on the way.

[kjbeath]

Most of this is from the park plan of management, and that is the best place to start. Just do a Google search.

No need - just see the image of the sign in one of the previous posts. It is pretty easy to see on a map whether you are in a drainage pattern that feeds into one of the lakes. If so - no camping. Also no camping around Charlottes Pass and along the track down to the Snowy RIver. The interesting thing is that there is a minute cirque lake just south of Townsend (near the top of Wilkinson Valley) that isn't in the restricted camping zones. A quite delightful little spot.

Yes, for the lakes but for the info about tracks and roads something else is needed.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

I have put a link with a trip report and photos on the NSW trip report page.My mate tried the solo snow camping at Seaman's hut caper on Sat. night 15.10.16 and his tent broke in the wind and then blew away !! .....and he nearly blew away too. He said it was very scary. I just did a safe day trip. .

[andrewa]

Your mate might need a new tent....or better tent pegs.

A

[paidal_chalne_vala]

My Friend needs more sense. Bad weather was in the weather forecast and all sensible people were packing up and getting off the Main Range and back to Charlotte Pass by 4-5 pm.That included me .He is a lovely chap but he only seems to enjoy himself when he is on the knife edge of life and death.It is a kind of self masochism I think.Why would you ignore the weather forecast and camp out on the Main range when gale force winds and rain are coming for sure?. It is just nuts.
It was crazy windy down by the Thredbo river campsite on Sat. night so up high it would have been just dangerous.My friend had to hide in Seaman's hut . He said he was unable to leave the next morning for fear of being blown away. He is a learner skier too. The Main range in a storm is not for learners on skis either.
I have respect for the Oz Alps. They can kill you. The weather out there can bamboozle and endanger the lives of even the so called experts.Bear Gryllis would have wanted his Mum in that kind of a wind storm.

[DarrenM]

If I had a dollar for every tent I've seen blow away from Seamans. It's an exposed windy ridge and the hut draws people in like a moth to the flame. Glad your mate is ok and not a bad lesson really.

Having that experience is very handy one that will serve him well and hopefully over time his understanding of the the forecast and knowledge of reading the charts will cement his abilility to make sound judgement on the difference between moderate weather and weather that will displace him before heading out.