Bushwalk Australia

Toying with doing some walks in the area - does anyone have an idea of the current state of Jefferys Track? Last I read it probably needs more ground clearance than my old Forester has. Thanks

Tortoise wrote:Toying with doing some walks in the area - does anyone have an idea of the current state of Jefferys Track? Last I read it probably needs more ground clearance than my old Forester has. Thanks

Yep, you'll need high clearance. It's nicer to walk from Collinsvale to Charles/Patrick etc anyhow...

stepbystep wrote:

Tortoise wrote:Toying with doing some walks in the area - does anyone have an idea of the current state of Jefferys Track? Last I read it probably needs more ground clearance than my old Forester has. Thanks

Yep, you'll need high clearance. It's nicer to walk from Collinsvale to Charles/Patrick etc anyhow...

Thanks, SBS. That was my original plan, which has got a bit more complicated, with moving furniture for friends and staying near Huonville. Ah well, it was worth asking the question.

Charles and Patrick are easily reachable from Big Bend, if you have concerns about your car . . .

north-north-west wrote:Charles and Patrick are easily reachable from Big Bend, if you have concerns about your car . . .

Not necessarily the car as much as the driver. I have friends who can do fairly serious 4wd tracks in an old Mazda 323. Mais pas moi.
Thanks for reminding me of the obvious. Went to Trestle from there. I would like to visit Charles and Patrick and their big sister, as it happens.

Trying to remember which one's which. The one to the north (or do I mean west? - to the right if you're heading out from Big Bend) of the track has a fairly good pad most of the way to the high point. The other has a roughly taped route which is trickier to follow but still pretty straightforward for those with any understanding of Tassie bush. It's mainly a matter of finding the right turnoff point. The 'tracked' turn off is close to a major corner, easy to spot.

north-north-west wrote:Trying to remember which one's which. The one to the north (or do I mean west? - to the right if you're heading out from Big Bend) of the track has a fairly good pad most of the way to the high point. The other has a roughly taped route which is trickier to follow but still pretty straightforward for those with any understanding of Tassie bush. It's mainly a matter of finding the right turnoff point. The 'tracked' turn off is close to a major corner, easy to spot.

Thanks, nnw. From what I've read, I need to allow a bit of extra time for the 'roughly taped route' one. Will keep my brain in gear.

Regarding Jefferies Track - just have a look on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFgDLBfy8Q

Its pretty horrendous even in a proper 4wd.
I took a mountain bike in and ended up pushing it most of the way. The part from Jefferies Track up into the range was okay.
The bike did make for a quick trip back to the car, which I left pretty much at the start of Jefferies.
But I've also done it from Collins Cap via the fire trails on a bike as well. That is much nicer.

Mt Patrick was just a matter of hunting around for the tapes, the only tricky bit I remember was open section not far from the start where it doesn't go straight ahead, the next tape is left or right a bit... can't remember.
But it was only like 20-30 minutes each way, even if you didn't follow the route it wouldn't take that much longer.
The first time I did Charles and didn't realise about the taped route, it was getting late in the day and I didn't want to get caught out scrub bashing in the dark.

Azza wrote:Regarding Jefferies Track - just have a look on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcFgDLBfy8Q

Its pretty horrendous even in a proper 4wd.
I took a mountain bike in and ended up pushing it most of the way. The part from Jefferies Track up into the range was okay.
The bike did make for a quick trip back to the car, which I left pretty much at the start of Jefferies.
But I've also done it from Collins Cap via the fire trails on a bike as well. That is much nicer.

Mt Patrick was just a matter of hunting around for the tapes, the only tricky bit I remember was open section not far from the start where it doesn't go straight ahead, the next tape is left or right a bit... can't remember.
But it was only like 20-30 minutes each way, even if you didn't follow the route it wouldn't take that much longer.
The first time I did Charles and didn't realise about the taped route, it was getting late in the day and I didn't want to get caught out scrub bashing in the dark.

Thanks, Azza. Yep, it's a doozy! I don't think even my very clever friends could manage that in the 323! Not sure why my searches didn't come up with that, but thanks. Might see if I can get hold of a mountain bike.

It's worth keeping an eye out for the stone hut ruins on Patrick, pretty interesting, very close to the summit pad. I quite enjoyed the walk from Collinsvale. VERY snakey on those fire trails though...

Thanks, SBS. I think it might be a very full day - especially if on foot - but I'll certainly keep those ruins in mind. And Joe Blake. Especially if there's dappled light on the fire trail...and if I have hay fever at the time...and if I don't have a friend to yell "STOP!!!!" when I'm mid-sneeze...3 times.

stepbystep wrote: VERY snakey on those fire trails though...

Yep, I remember nearly walking straight into one of the largest tiger snakes I've ever seen on the East-West trail near the junction with the Collins cap fire trail.