Bushwalk Australia

Hiya, what are everyones favourite 3-3 1/2 day walks in the high country? Looking at doing a short trip early May.

I live in Alice Springs so anything green and wet will be lovely, but would love to know your favourites?

cheers, Teresa

The Main Range is nice but you could get snow and bad weather. There's nice walking from Round Mountain, and again the possibility of snow is something to consider, especially with 20 or so kilometres of high driving to reach lower levels. If the consensus here is that Round Mountain is okay regarding snow, the following is can be done. The way the days are done depends on what time you start. Distances and altitudes are from memory, may be inaccurate. The walk will not have that many people, although they tend to congregate at the huts.

1 Round Mountain car park, RM Hut, Tumut River, Farm Ridge, O'Keefes Hut. This is about 15 kilometres, a day of walking, all on very nice fire tracks. The Tumut is knee deep and you should have poles or sticks to get across. There's a creek a short way before O'Keefes Hut that will be wet. There's about 300 metres going up from the Tumut, and another 100 metres to O'Keefes Hut. If you get to Round Mountain before about 4pm you could walk to RM Hut, about 45 minutes away.

2 Jagungal via the weather station ridge. This is a little scrubby in the lower reaches but nothing serious. From the summit go southish to the ridge, west and north a shirt way along a much smaller Tumut River. West to SMC hut. the climb from the weather station is about 400 metres, will take a few hours. The ridge southish of the summit has a track.

3 North on the Toolong Range. Flat, one small climb, short day.

The walk must be done clockwise so that the Tumut is crossed on the first day. Going anti-clockwise you may find the Tumut running high and fast, with a very long diversion to find a lower crossing. There's plenty of water and sheltered camping in most places. I've camped on the summit of Jagungal a few times, very nice in fine weather but quite exposed. Water is a few minutes down a big slope. It's longer to climb back to the tent!

If you want more detailed track notes please send me a PM.

This sounds good - I did the main range circuit via Guthega a couple of years back - in fact that is the only walk I've ever done in the high country. We had a gnarly storm and high wind but no snow ( it was January though )

I have the Daly walking in Kosciuszko book and the Jagungal wilderness loop is one that I've circled - but thought the 66 km loop might be a slog for three days so this looks a more doable loop. Thanks for the tip - this ones definitely on my shortlist