Bushwalk Australia

Hey everyone... My partner is sending me away for the weekend to somewhere around Jindabyne so I can go on random walks.. The only problem is, I hate crowds. I really really like being on my own as much as possible when I'm not stuck in an office. I think you get the drift. For example, around Canberra I'll often hike up around the Brindabella's and just relish being on my own, whatever the conditions. I am also particularly fond of cold (but not necessarily, wet) weather.

So I'm checking out the trails around the Snowy's - i.e. Perisher, Thredbo, Guthega, Kosciosco type area and it looks like there are some amazing trails. My concern is many are 'family' and 'tourist' friendly and the last thing I want to intrude on my blissful reverance of nature is annoying children and idiot tourists taking kissy faced selfies all around me.

So any thoughts on my options? Were it not for the chairlift to Kosciosco I'd happily hike up that hill to the top as I relish some hard yakka. But then I'd be joining the crowds. Yuck.

So any ideas welcome... I want to take sweeping landscapes and feel accomplished after some hard day hikes. I won't be camping so it needs to be day trips only.

I have an AWD diesel to get me there too...

Thanks heaps...

gingeraman wrote:...idiot tourists taking kissy faced selfies

That stupid selfie pucker.
Popular with teenage girls.

If you don't mind getting off track a bit, try going up from Dead Horse Gap to South Ramshead, then follow the ridge across to the track and down. Not that many people bother with that track.

Or Dead Horse Ridge/Bobs Ridge, drop down to the Big Boggy and return to the track near the crossing. Or follow pads up to Teds either via the river or Brindle Bull/Paddy Rushs or Chimneys Ridge and back along one of the others.

Or from Guthega you have a few options, such as Tate East Ridge loop.

Some good suggestions here!! I'll look them up.. I use OpenStreetMap / Cycle Map for checking out trails and terrain, so I presume they'll be up there...

On another note, is there any emergency / park service UHF or VHF coverage here.. I carry a PLB (I'm still stunned at the number of people who don't in areas such as this, and die every few years), although I'm starting to carry a UHF / VHF wide-band radio too... I do notice that mobile coverage is quite good in these areas from hilltops though..

At the very least I'll always have the PLB if I really get in to trouble though.

Thanks for the suggestions, I have some starting points! No I don't mind getting off track although scrubby bush bashing with thorns and stuff like that is not very appealing. Apart from that, no I'm fine going off track, even prefer it, as long as it's safe and accessible with boots.

Those areas are all pretty easy going if you're used to off-track walking. Plenty of open leads. From Teds you have the option of continuing on to Drift Hill, plus a number of potential routes onto Chimneys. My favourite is to follow the ridge up and then turn right over Mt Terrible, before dropping down to Smiths Gap and following Chimneys Ridge along. The Chimneys high point is also worth visiting, and has a pretty good brumby pad leading up to it and back towards Big Boggy.

Thanks for that. I'm used to off track walking in the sense of not bush bashing which I don't enjoy. Otherwise walking around is fine. I do rather enjoy a hard high hill climb though, that sense of achievement and lung busting exercise. Particularly if that's the only way up so I don't have to deal with bogans who took the short cut with a car or whatever. I find hills tend to quickly discourage bogans and selfie taking tourists pretty quickly. For example I enjoyed walking from Thredbo to Kosciusko for the exercise, but didn't enjoy the crowds up top... But I'll check out the suggestions so far.

I am a fan of at least feeling remote and isolated too...

Mt Twynam return from Guthega would be just the thing you're after

Try Guthega, Twynum, Rolling Ground and return via the road to Guthega PS. The Rolling Ground is quite pretty.

You are headed into winter. Take FULL storm gear. The weather up there can go from sunny blue skies to howling storm in about 2 hours. With the storm you can have rain, sleet, hail and snow, with winds to >100 kph.
It's all good fun - IF you are properly equipped.

Cheers
Roger