Lake Tali Karng, Victoria.

[crockle]

Gillios track has a quite a few large trees down across it which made it interesting with the wet weather and steepness scrambling over them.
Lake Tali Karng is so full up to the treeline that you cannot walk around its banks, you have to scramble around and over trees to get around to the campsites. It's a pity such a popular area doesnt have a decent setup with a pit toilet.

Parks' brochure has Gillios described as "well graded" and "delightful" (or something). Being kind about it - it would be fair to say none of their staff or contractors have taken a chainsaw down Gillios for 'some small while'. It's quite navigable for all that - just neither in any way being well graded or delightful.
The lake is high: - I don't think this sign was originally installed by Parks with one leg dipped in the lake.

lakesign.jpg (43.56 KiB) Viewed 57897 times

I didn't camp by the lake this time, but saw plenty of dug up / washed out toilet holes down there, with some scraps of toilet paper around the place: - mostly within 5-10 metres of campsites. It being, of course so hard to walk off, for say 1 minute (one tiny minute!) before digging your hole.. If we can just shoot all the fleckwits eh - then it'll be cleaner, more peaceful, and the rest of us can enjoy things more..
That aside - great area and good walking. (I would consider not camping right at the lake though.) The Old Riggalls Hut Campsite (with new toilet!) is good camp if you're walking in from the north (McFarlane Saddle)

[Northy351]

Hi

I was under the impression by water rules do exist , all toilet facility's ( aka BUSHLAND " one had to flush at least 2oo meters from any rivers and laKes ?????


Cheers

[north-north-west]

These days I think PV don't have money for anything except herding cattle.

[dymmas]

I went to TK from Macfarlane's Saddle two days ago. Having never been before and hearing tales about it from my dad / friend who went there 40 and 15 years ago respectively, I was curious to see it for myself. I chose this time as there'd probably be no-one there this close to Christmas. And I was right - I didn't see a soul! I planned the route and got to the carpark at 3pm, then headed off. Was going at a good cadence and enjoying the desolation and fog rolling across the plains.... Until I got to Gillios... I should have looked more closely at how tightly the contour lines are squished on the map. Do some stair work before tackling this track with a heavy pack - steep gradient, fallen trees on the track and loose stones make it not fun at all...

I saw nice, late-afternoon-sunny glimpses of the lake from the track through the gums, which made me forget my aching knees for a bit. When I got to the bottom I discovered the lake was much fuller than the levels suggested in old photos, and there was very little in the way of shoreline. I got worried that the campsites would be under water and that I'd have to tackle that track again. The campsite I chose (near the Gillios sign) was ok, but there is not much area to pitch a tarp taughtly, unless you go to the other side of the lake.

In the morning I tried to find a way to Snowden Falls to replenish my water but it was thick scrub all the way to the water line and my legs were knackered from the descent the evening before; therefore, I decided to go with what I had (about a litre) and replenish at the spring near the start of Gillios. About a third of the way up I reckon I'd sweated out a litre already! Small sips and much cursing before I got to the top and topped up with 3 litres of crisp cool alpine water. Mmmmm.

A nice walk back over the saddle (in spite of a brown snake on the path) - probably my favourite part of the walk. The lake was ok..... It's a bit hard to explore with the thick scrub, loose rock, no shoreline and snaky feeling...!

Bit of a haul from Melbourne, but all-in-all worthwhile. Take a purifier or stove if you want to drink the lake water!

[HammockHiker]

Hi Guys,
First time posting to the forum, but love the treasure trove of info on here!
I am planning on doing the Tali Kargn track next weekend for the first time and was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me what the river crossings are like? I am planning on doing the 17km track with the 16 river crossings and with all the rain we have had this week I am wondering wether this is a stupid idea? Any one with knowledge that can shed any light on my predicament would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers.

[HammockHiker]

This was Tali Kargn last Labour Day. Apparently one person we talked to thought it was almost 6 metres above its normal levels. You couldn't even walk around the edge. Everyone camped up at Millers Hut, (except us we had hammocks.)

[medwyn]

Partner and I did a 4 day circuit through the alpine in Feb which included lake Tali; we also had the place to ourselves. Beautiful.

Cheers,

Daniel

[JoeBloggs]

Six of us trekked to Lake Tali Karng on the weekend of the 24th/25th March 2012.

We started with a car shuffle to McFalaine Saddle from the Wellington River camp, where we were greeted with rain and four degrees. Not that it mattered - was just good to be out! We walked across the saddle surrounded by fog until we reached the turn off for Millers Hut. A quick side trip was probably not worth it except for the feeling of walking without a pack on your back, as we had left them secreted in the bushes for our return.

Next stop was the lake. We headed down Gillios Track which got progressively steeper and steeper. Certainly worth a bit of training before attempting it. The reward was glimpses of the lake and the valley through the trees. When we got to the lake with tired knees, we found the the lake is currently overflowing, with some reports saying six meters higher than normal. The path stops abruptly leading straight into the lake. Our plan was to circumnavigate the lake and get to the Wellington River Track to continue on down to the other car. With no discernible path, the only option was to bush bash. Whilst tough going in parts, it is possible to make it through to the start of the Wellington river track, with nice views of the over-full lake on the way.

The Wellington River Track starts with a steep rocky downhill which is no fun with tired legs from the Gillios Track, but soon gets better. It’s worth noting that as you cannot camp at the lake, it’s at least another two hours steep downhill to the next campsite, which is very badly marked. We managed to miss two in a row according to the map.

After camping the night where we fell, we set off down the rest of the track with promise of river crossings ahead. Nine to be precise. The walking was good - just a few ups and downs and beautiful views of the valley. Take a stick for the crossings as they were flowing well, but no real dramas.

All in all a mighty fine walk - would NOT want to do it uphill in the other direction as there are some decent descents.

[daz81]

Hi all,

i was wondering if anyone knows how long the lake is going to be so high for? were planning a walk in at the end of april and want to know if it still worth it?

cheers for your help,

daz

[wildlight]

Hi all,

i was wondering if anyone knows how long the lake is going to be so high for?

Daz, my suggestion to you, which would probably be echoed by others here- is just go do the walk!

You can camp in the area above the lake, before the drop from the plains, and just go and have a look to see what you can see. Whatever the water level, weather etc, the trip won't be wasted.

Safe Steps

WildLight

[The Trout Hunter]

Well said Wildlight.. As long as the weather is not crazy I would go for it!

We did the trip from McFarlanes Saddle when the water was fairly low and was a fantastic journey. I think even if the lake was at a higher level you could still get around to the camp grounds and enjoy your time there There is a lot of stoney ground that would still be above water..


Enjoy!

[daz81]

Thanks guys, we are definately going to do the walk, only thing that will stop us is weather. Hopefully it will
be on our side and we can have a little explore! Does anyone know if fires are allowed in the camping areas?
Thanks again!
Daz81

[HammockHiker]

I don't think Trout hunter realises just how high the lake is, unless it has dropped by 4-5 metres since the end of March there will be no camping by the lake (unless you are using hammocks.) That said you should definitely still go, either camp at millers hut or do what Joe Bloggs did and camp on wellington track. Just be aware that the walk down to the lake is a *&%$#! (from Millers Hut) and its not the sort of thing you want to do and then decide to turn around and go back up to camp at Millers.
I Hope you have a great time and let us know what level the river is at. It can't be as high as when I was last there. (see photo - that was at the bottom of the track from millers hut.)

[Mickprodan]

Me and a friend went to tackle lake tali karng after 15 years since being there previous. We decided to take the same route as i did back then which was by 4wd on the b1 track down to where it meets the wellington river where we would start our hike. This route has only 3 of the 16 river crossings of the wellington river track thus eliminating roughly half the time it takes to get to tali karng. Unfortunately the engine of our hilux blew in the middle of the b1 track leaving us a killer walk through massive hills just to get to the wellington river. Carrying 25 kg packs we decided that tali karng was not a good move but survival and getting to licola on foot to make a phone call to be picked up was the best option. Had to make 13 river crossings just to get to mt tamboritha rd and camped the night on the side in one of the campsites. The next morning we decided to make the 25 km walk to licola on the mt tamboritha rd seeing there was nobody around to give us a lift. Blistered and exsausted we made it but never got to see the lake again! It cost my friend 2000 dollars to get the car salvaged out of the b1 and another 3 grand for a new motor so he isnt interested in ever seeing the lake. Would love to go but unfortunately nobody else does either
Though it was an adventure!

[wildlight]

Mickprodan:

Geeze, what first post! Not your average "Hi I want to go bushwalking..."

To say that it was an adventure would be an understatement.

If you want to go to LTK as a 2-car shuffle from McFarlane Saddle, I'm in to provide the second car- you just need to provide the first! that way, most of the walk is downhill.

It would need to be a weekend plus one- 3 days. Just PM me through here. I know how it feels to come so close to getting somewhere, and "not" getting there.

What exactly was "blown" in the engine? Head gasket, bearing, rings, timing chain? For 3k, I'm guessing probably the first. A timing chain would have been uglier than 3k.

Cheers

WildLight

[dplanet]

... which was by 4wd on the b1 track down to where it meets the wellington river where we would start our hike. This route has only 3 of the 16 river crossings of the wellington river track thus eliminating roughly half the time it takes to get to tali karng. Unfortunately the engine of our hilux blew in the middle of the b1 track leaving us a killer walk through massive hills just to get to the wellington river. Carrying 25 kg packs we decided that tali karng was not a good move but survival and getting to licola on foot to make a phone call to be picked up was the best option. Had to make 13 river crossings just to get to mt tamboritha rd and camped the night on the side in one of the campsites. The next morning we decided to make the 25 km walk to licola on the mt tamboritha rd seeing there was nobody around to give us a lift. Blistered and exsausted we made it but never got to see the lake again! It cost my friend 2000 dollars to get the car salvaged out of the b1 and another 3 grand for a new motor...

Sorry to hear that. Glad that you managed the 13 river crossings. How was the level of water in the river? Any concerned river crossing? Regarding the cost for a salvage service, I wonder if the car was insured. Would like to hear from car policy holders with happy returns. A lot of thanks.

[Mickprodan]

No worries wildlight sounds good. Apparently the engine wasnt drawing oil out of the sump on the extreme hills of the b1 and it seized the pistons due to running too hot and practically dry. All the comrods were also bent so quite a bit of damage! I just think he forgot to check his oil levels before an extreme trip like this which is insane, though he wont admit it...
Dplanet - the water levels were crossable but quite fast flowing and deep in some areas. Some searching was required to find the best spot to cross but never went past the thighs. A lot of debris on the sides so it was quite high in recent times. We were there 4 weeks ago so i presume it would be a lot lower now with the little rain we had recently. It seemed to get faster and deeper the closer we got to tamboritha rd which is quite understandable seeing the upper catchment of the wellington is practically near lake TK. Would like to say that the person who put in the red arrows and pink ribbons showing track direction that they were a lifesaver, as it was quite easy to lose your way without them as the track was almost unidentifiable in some areas and didnt seem to match up with the map i had. To answer your question on car insurance. It was insured, but not enough to cover a salvage off a main road

[dplanet]

Is Tamboritha Road starting from Wellington River Bridge to the junction with B1 Tk, where you turned off for Wellington River Walking Track, defined as a main road by insurers? What about the rest of Tamboritha Road, Moroka Road, and Howitt Road, are they? These seem busy at the long weekends and holiday seasons. Thanks for your update on the river crossing conditions. Its faster and deeper near Tamboritha Road, I agree. Had a few uncomfortable crossings some years ago.

[north-north-west]

No worries wildlight sounds good. Apparently the engine wasnt drawing oil out of the sump on the extreme hills of the b1 and it seized the pistons due to running too hot and practically dry. All the comrods were also bent so quite a bit of damage! I just think he forgot to check his oil levels before an extreme trip like this which is insane, though he wont admit it...

And he never looks at the temperature gauge either . . . plus the oil pump warning light obviously wasn't working . . .

Is Tamboritha Road starting from Wellington River Bridge to the junction with B1 Tk, where you turned off for Wellington River Walking Track, defined as a main road by insurers? What about the rest of Tamboritha Road, Moroka Road, and Howitt Road, are they?

They are gazetted public roads and, as such, you should be covered whilst using them.

[dplanet]

Thanks.

[Mickprodan]

The b1 track, where the car was stuck is purely a 4wd track dplanet. If the engine blew on the tambo rd it def would have been covered. Sorry for the late reply just got back from a fishing trip in jamieson...

[Mickprodan]

They are gazetted public roads and, as such, you should be covered whilst using them.

Not 100% sure on the tamboritha rd past the wellington river track being covered by insurance as it is graded road. I actually remember the conversation my friend had with the RACV as he had it on loudspeaker, and I think the guy said that once your vehicle leaves bitumen road you are no longer covered. Well my friend was no longer covered with basic package he was covered for...

Would be good to know for sure though.

[dplanet]

I have Tali Karng - Moroka by SVmaps 2010, therefore i knew of the b1 track, a 4wd track. Recently back from Moroka via Horseyard Flat and I shared some info about the Tambo Rd conditions, the section past Wellington River Bridge and Moroka Rd (see thread " Snow on Macfarlane Saddle") with the focuss on road access for those in 2wd.

In relation to your incident, click on the link below to find out your benefits and for those of RACV total care, read p.6-7 (benefits when over 100k from home) http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/ ... 54a1b45993

And also p.13 and 20 regarding General conditions, exclusions, limitations..

[MartyGwynne]

Wow what an entertaining story about how to get to TK. Pity you chose the B1 track. I have found the walk in from Macfarlane's to be about the best approach.
Even if you camp up the top and walk down to TK then back up without packs.
It has been a while since I was there and ummm 30 years when I first went there. Every time I have been there (3) I have been able to walk around the lake.
But wow how high the lake is that would make camping walking around it difficult.
Water quality in the lake was always very good, but the water would up over most lazy peoples toilets so yuk. When I went in with my son we found a dead bambie floating in the water (common practice for deer hunters - dogging crews - is to dump the carcass in the water so the dogs can't smell it!) so either have a good look around or treat your water.
I would be interested in going in to see the lake so high. Last time I went it snowed when we were walking back up Gillios track, it looked very pretty with snow falling down around the trees. We camped at Millers hut and woke up to about 6 inches of snow.

[jeza]

If it makes you feel any better, my car broke down up on Howitt Road somewhere past the airstrip last year. So close to our destination as well! It was already late so luckily we found a flat area by the road where we could pitch our tents and camp the night. There was also phone coverage from Mount Buller so I texted home to let them know we were stranded and called for a tow at 7am. After waiting a good six hours they finally showed up at around 1pm, getting us back to Heyfield at 4pm. RACV covered the towing but being in a new policy still in the honeymoon period they didn't cover our transport back to Melbourne. Luckily we were able to get a lift back to Traralgon in time to get the last train because the last bus doesn't meet it. I was glad to be at home sleeping in my own bed that night.

Didn't stop me going back that way again though. First to Lake Tali Karng from MacFarlane saddle in early Feb this year. Dumped our packs and walked out to Mount Wellington which was worth it for the view though we noted some dodgy weather on its way. We didn't get to Echo Point because signage at the top indicated that Rigalls track was closed while work was underway. Evidently Parks had just done some work on Gillios track so getting down there was a breeze, though by that point it was raining so we had to take extra care, but keen to camp in the valley with encroaching thunderstorms. The lake wasn't as full as others have been suggesting here. I'd say the water was 1-2m below the tree line. It hadn't even been raining at the lake when we arrived. No sooner had we pitched the tent though it'd started the rain, then we had to move the tent because it was in a puddle. It was midweek so we had the whole place to ourselves.

The rain cleared up overnight to a nice sunny morning. We were able to walk around the lake to Snowden Falls to refill our water bottles, along a fairly well defined track just below the tree line of the lake. Saw an awesome little frog along the creek and the reflections off the lake were amazing. We didn't trust the weather still so we left the campsite at 10am. It was an arduous climb up Gillios track and sure enough thundery weather set in at around midday when we reached the top. Would have been back at the car within 4-4.5 hours of leaving the campsite. As we drove pat Bennison Lookout I commented that we probably won't see much, well we looked out and saw a bolt of lightning so kept driving. We were glad to be out of the mountains once again, though an awesome experience all up and very pleasant to be by the lake on that sunny morning.

Did another back to MacAlister Springs, Crosscut Saw and Mount Howitt shortly afterwards as well. Also a very spectacular area.

[dplanet]

What the first post! Many thanks for information about your walking trip, insurance and specially phone coverage. I feel rather peace of mind if having to go solo up there.

Keep walking and writing.

[north-north-west]

I don't think Trout hunter realises just how high the lake is, unless it has dropped by 4-5 metres since the end of March there will be no camping by the lake (unless you are using hammocks.) That said you should definitely still go, either camp at millers hut or do what Joe Bloggs did and camp on wellington track. Just be aware that the walk down to the lake is a *&%$#! (from Millers Hut) and its not the sort of thing you want to do and then decide to turn around and go back up to camp at Millers.
I Hope you have a great time and let us know what level the river is at. It can't be as high as when I was last there. (see photo - that was at the bottom of the track from millers hut.)

Why from Millers? One can camp at the old Riggalls Hut site or even the flash new Riggalls campsite, which has dunny and all. It's just to the left of the track junction. Signposted. And an easy walk from there down to Tali.

[tallblueboy]

Walked to lake Tali Karng last weekend, 3rd time we have done this walk but it was 7 years since the previous walk and what a change. Started by driving up from Melbourne friday afternoon in the driving rain with the car aqua planning a couple of times. Had dinner in the Comercal Hotel in Heyfeild, Friday Night steak and a few bottles of Red. Well entertained by the host Jerimima to be sure to be sure, he even got up and cooked us an early breakfast. Drove to Macfarlanes Saddle, (dropped of a Car at Wellington River Bridge)were we struck snow at 1200 meters. Parked the 4WD and walked across a snow covered Mac Farlanes Saddle. Beatiful serene views with the weather only a little showery. lunched under some trees just before the start of gillios, were the wind whipped up hard every 5 mins or so. Down Gillios and my 55 year old legs were a little jelly like at the bottom. Lake was high but plenty of room to camp. Meet a group of guys who had brought in two home made plywood canoes a year ago (they leave them well hidden )and were celebreting hard. took them 7 hours to bring them down Gillios.(did not see any banjos but looked a little that way) Camped overnight and only a little rain. next morning a beautifull day and off down the valley of Destruction. This is were the track had changed the most. there must have been some enormus flooding down the wellington river recently as it is completly different in some of the areas we walked. lots of washaways and huge trees in the river. Was still a fantastic walk and the condition of most of the track was good.Will probably be my last Tali walk and it was a good one . Snow ,rain and brilliant sunshine all in 36 hours.

[dplanet]

For a laugh. This reminds me of an old friend who brought a wind surf in there. Can't remember how long it did take.

[MartyGwynne]

Oh the secrets that lake has seen.
Just on 30 years ago we helped a mate take his dive gear in.
He went down 40 metres following the side of the lake down and down. He said it was just like the sides you can see, it just keeps going down.
we did cheat a little bit by taking the 4wd's in via the valley of destruction when there was a 4wd track there which left us with an hr and a half to lug his gear in.
I have heard of other boats being lugged in before but suspect it may be a bit of a tale.