Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Victoria specific bushwalking discussion.
Forum rules
Victoria specific bushwalking discussion. Please avoid publishing details of access to sensitive areas with no tracks.

Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 2:02 pm

Hi
I noticed there is an intentions book for walkers heading out to Mayford (by the Dargo river ) . The Parks Vic. intentions book is located just at the start of the .........????? Spur track
where it meets the Dargo High Plains road.
Has anyone any information about this route?. The High Plains near the Lankey Plains Hut are really something special and I would like to explore the area further.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby neilmny » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 2:30 pm

The track is King Spur Track which goes all the way into Mayford.
At roughly 6k's in from Dargo High Plains Road McMillan's Track is leads off to the NNE and down into Mayford for no river crossings and cuts out a few k's.
Alternatively stay on the King Spur Track and you'll have about 4 river crossings (Dargo River) before you get there.
There are some great views along the way specially over the Devils Hollow.

It's a popular spot for 4 wheel drivers but there is a lot of space.
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 3:37 pm

Thanks for that. I will have to give this hike a go. :-)
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby neilmny » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 3:45 pm

It is possible to hike in from Dinner Plain and down Mayford Spur (which is nasty steep) or in via Lankey Plain and out via Mayford Spur to Dinner Plain.
Mayford Spur used to be a 4WD track but it was closed because the locals and authorities got sick of rescuing stuck vehicles.
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 5:58 pm

I am thinking just hiking in and out to the Mayford area from the Lankey Plains hut area would suffice. McMillan's track is often very overgrown. How ' hairy' are the four Dargo river crossings?
Last edited by paidal_chalne_vala on Fri 02 Feb, 2018 3:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby neilmny » Mon 29 Jan, 2018 6:21 pm

Depends on the time of year etc. It's cold, I remember that, we went in on a fly fishing trip in April one year.
It got so cold one night that when we fished in the morning the water on the line was freezing in the line guides
and a bottle of olive oil that was out in the cold was frozen. B... :shock: .... cold. See the map I've made. It's only about
a 2km bush bash but the McMillans Track gets worked on from time to time.

Mayford Area 30k_A4.zip
(2.86 MiB) Downloaded 467 times
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Tue 30 Jan, 2018 3:41 pm

Thanks for the Map. There seems to be a loop type walking option :-).Is it quicker to reach Lankey Plains hut from the Dargo side or should one come in via Bright and the Mt. Hotham Road?.
How long does it take to drive there via Dargo from Melb. ?
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby neilmny » Tue 30 Jan, 2018 4:23 pm

I've never been to Dargo at all (one day????). Our approach to Mayford was via Bright and the Mt Hotham Road (Great Alpine Road).
To reach the Lankey Plains Hut takes a little bit longer than just going to Hotham. King Spur Track is fairly steep in the last couple of K's to the first river crossing.
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Tue 30 Jan, 2018 5:50 pm

I have never been to Dargo at all . That makes two of us.
:-)
I know how to get there from Bright. I would be leaving my RAV 4 at the Lankey Plains hut and walking in via the King Spur track. I might take a friend and go and scout this out next month while the river crossings are easier , the days are longer and the weather is still warm.
Of course one must check for fire warnings before setting off.
It must be 5.5 hours from Melb. to Bright to Lankey Plains. I am intrigued by the scenery beyond Lankey Plains . If I go I would do a loop from Melb. to Sale to Dargo and come back via Bright.With an early dawn start from Melbourne one could be at the trail head by lunch time on day one, and hike in along the King Spur track and arrive by about dusk..........Or BYO water and camp near the hut and walk in early the next day.From what I can find out from the interwebby the walk is about 15kms one way with some steep bits and river crossings. Going on weekdays i.e Mon. to Wed. , when I don't have to work may mean no 4 WD people will be there.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby neilmny » Tue 30 Jan, 2018 6:06 pm

Using Garmin Mapsource, the Mapsource route tool and my OSM generated topo map, I make it 13.4 in down King Spur Track and 9.2km out via McMillans Track and King Spur Track. That is to the Mayford end of McMillans Track in both cases which is a good target to work with. Mayford is a great spot and the Dargo a beautiful mountain stream. The water was close to crystal clear when we were there and as mentioned previously cold!
User avatar
neilmny
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2604
Joined: Fri 03 Aug, 2012 11:19 am
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby sambar358 » Thu 01 Feb, 2018 3:57 pm

PCV......I know that area pretty well having hunted the Dargo High Plains for sambar deer and fly fished the Dargo river for 30 years or so. The Dargo up that high is just a nice mountain stream 4-5m across and the 4 river crossings that get you to Mayford flat would be knee-deep or less over the summer as long as there are no recent rain events. The Lanky Plain hut is fairly derelict, very breezy and normally infested with mice....best to camp well away from it IMO......probably right at the King Spur gate just past the hut turn-in which is all quite flat. Or drive in along the King Spur track 2-3k's and camp at Devils Hollow Lookout for the night.....leave the rocket there and start you hike a bit further in. To this spot the track is pretty flat and any sort of small/mid-sized 4WD shopping trolley will certainly get that far in without ripping too much stuff off the under carriage !

The King Spur follows the northern rim along for 7-8k's with some great views of the head of the Dargo, Hotham, Mt. Tabletop and over to Dinner Plain. This section is relatively flat with a few minor up's but easy walking all the way. Just as the track begins it's decent proper the McMillan Walking track takes off to the north (left)...there was a red triangle marker where the track takes off the King Spur last time I went past. The McMillan WT descends steeply in parts and comes out at the Mayford clearing.....so no river wading if using this route to get down. If sticking to the King Spur it's a bit steep and rocky in parts but easy-enough on foot......although a tad of a challenge in a 4WD if it's been raining as quite a bit of it is black soil. Over the years we have had some quite "interesting" trips out of Mayford after rain events and the Parks sign beside the track at the King Spur/Long Spur Junction slightly under-states getting out of there in the wet. Instead of reading "The return from Mayford may be difficult after rain".....the sign should state "The return from Mayford will be impossible after rain.....unless you have a real 4WD, 4 wheel chains and a winch and know how to use them !"

Some years ago while hunting over on the Dinner Plain side I was sitting on the ramparts of Mount Tabletop at the end of the walking track enjoying the vista when I heard some voices and noticed a string of pack-laden walkers heading my way. Luckily I knew the leader of the group Chris.....AKA "Legend" from here. So a bit of banter with Chris broke the ice with the rest of the group which would have been around 10 mostly 40+ and 50:50 men & women, some who initially seemed a bit spooked by my camo-clad attire and my rifle......don't know why....LOL ! Chris was Mayford-bound with his group and after a bit of a chat they all scrambled down the bluffs and disappeared into the scrub heading for the Dargo river which was for me anyway a fair way down below. Their plan was to do "the lap".....starting at JB Plain on the Alpine Rd up from Dinner Plain.....out to Tabletop via the walking track then cross-country hike to Mayford and spend the night.....then walk up the Mayford Spur and up to the Dinner Plain track & camp along there somewhere......then finally hike back up the Dinner Plain Track and back to JB and their vehicles. A pretty popular route with quite a few walkers I've heard.

So if your King Spur/Mayford and return goes well......maybe doing "the lap" as Chris did with his group may be the next challenge. Cheers

s358
sambar358
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 392
Joined: Sat 25 Oct, 2008 10:05 am

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Thu 01 Feb, 2018 6:35 pm

Thanks for the information , esp. about driving the RAV 4 in a few kms past the gate. I saw the gate and the vast flat expanse of sub alpine grasslands ahead of it. Of course carrying extra water in the car would be the way to go . One is inclined to walk down the King Spur track and up Mc Millan's track . However I am not that welded to going one direction or the other.I find unclear tracks and scrub bashing is easier if one is ascending by simply staying on top of the spur.

Has anyone actually walked that section of McMillan's track between the King Spur track and Mayford in the past year or two ? .

I am planning to do this trip this month , Feb. 2018.
I have been to Mt. Tabletop . It looked like a scrub bash and a half if you were to descend from the Tabletop summit into the Dargo River Valley. I will start with some exploration of Mayford via actual tracks. I have also asked the panel on Ski Dot Com about XC ski access from the winter seasonal closure gate at Treasure Plain. Because the road south of the Gate at Treasure Plain is not cleared at all of snow in the ski season , there is no certainty that anyone can reach the gate without one's own vehicle becoming stuck in deep snow.
:-0
I have visited the hut at Lankey Plains. It is nothing flash at all and has no fire /heating arrangements .A nice tent site away from the hut environs would be better.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby sambar358 » Fri 02 Feb, 2018 6:44 am

Parks did a track realignment of the 1st 3-4 k's of the King Spur track out to the Long Spur turn-off and it is a good solid gravel surface and an easy drive....a few rocks and that's about it....it'll be fine for your RAV4. The Devils Hollow lookout is a popular over-nighter camp site and probably the best place to leave the vehicle....its close to the main King Spur track though but no more risk leaving it there unattended than anywhere else.

The King Spur end of the McMillan Walking track is an old 4WD track for the 1st 1.5 k's....the 4WD track finishes where the old Lanky Plain water race cuts the spur and it then becomes a foot trail down to the Mayford clearing. Not sure on the condition of it but the sub-alpine bush below the race is quite scrubby and I doubt that the track has had any attention from Parks to keep it clear. Prepare to do some scrub-bashing along there I'd think before you hit the more open dry forest lower down. Enjoy the trip & cheers

s358
sambar358
Athrotaxis cupressoides
Athrotaxis cupressoides
 
Posts: 392
Joined: Sat 25 Oct, 2008 10:05 am

Re: Mayford hike from Lankey Plains hut??

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Fri 02 Mar, 2018 9:31 am

https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/dargo ... ver.80603/

A Mayford Trip report and photos can be found here at this link.It was a very enjoyable trip.
paidal_chalne_vala
Lagarostrobos franklinii
Lagarostrobos franklinii
 
Posts: 2439
Joined: Sun 22 Jan, 2012 10:30 pm
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS: VNPA.BTAC.Friends of Baw Baw.
Region: Victoria
Gender: Male


Return to Victoria

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 19 guests