Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

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

Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby Ethan Yarnall » Tue 31 Aug, 2021 10:15 pm

I'm planning a 5-6 day hike with mates for early summer/late spring. Anyone have any recommendations for routes? I'm open to any suggestions of routes within the Victorian high country!

At the moment, I'm considering starting in Harrietville, finishing at Falls Creek through, Federation hut, Diamantina hut, Derrick hut, Dibbins hut, Cope Hut and Wallaces Hut.
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby Baeng72 » Wed 01 Sep, 2021 11:48 am

Hi Ethan,

A lot depends on the fitness of your group (you're only as fast as your slowest hiker if you stick together).
6 Days may be plenty for a group of fit people with walking 3-5 hours a day and lots of time to relax and soak in the sights.
Are you looking to cover a lot of distance, or kick back and enjoy?

There's several routes from Harrietville up onto Feathertop. Bungalow Spur goes straight to Fed. Hut and is a sustained but manageable climb.

There's Bon Accord Spur, which I've not done, but I think it's manageable. But leaves you close to Mt. Hotham and so you'd have to change direction to get to Fed. Hut/Feathertop via the Razorback (might be useful if you want to do a loop).

There's less tracked spurs like Champion Spur/NW Spur, but only for self-loathing types.

To get from Feathertop/Fed Hut to the Bogong High Plains, there's two common routes:

The scenic alpine view/pleasant way (depending on your definition of pleasant), along the Razorback to Diamantina Hut/Mt. Hotham, then through the resort (road walk or over Hotham) to Mt. Lock Carpark, along Mt Loch track then onto Derrick Hut, then descending Swindler's Spur to Dibbins Hut. From there, as steepish but short climb after Cobungra Gap to the Bogong High Plains to wards Pole 333 and onto Cope Hut.
This route has the advantage of a Pole line you can follow from Mt Lock carpark all the way to Langford Gap near Falls creek.

For less scenic/more challenging route, start along the Razorback, then down the Diamantina Spur (may required some scrambling/knee breaking), along the West Kiewa logging track. Near Blair's Hut, you can ascend via Weston's Spur (pass Weston's Hut and start of a Pole Line) to the Bogong High Plains on to Pole 333 and then to Cope Hut. Or continue on logging Track past Red Robbin mine battery to Cobungra Gap (near Dibbins if you need to camp) and climb up to Bogong High Plains towards Pole 333....

A side trip if you find you have time might be to Mt. Jaitmathang/Fainters. Turn off from Pole 333 (or if coming from Westons, you don't need to go all the way to Pole 333, you'll see the Pole lines converging and know where to go).

I'm sure I've missed heaps and I haven't yet gotten past Pole 333 and onto Falls creek on foot. (I have driven up to Wallace's hut once and looked around).
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby Ethan Yarnall » Thu 02 Sep, 2021 3:20 pm

Thanks heaps, I'll check it out
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby Lophophaps » Thu 02 Sep, 2021 6:57 pm

Ethan, please see
https://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=31987
Many track notes.

Your choice of route and itinerary depends on party fitness, experience, gear and wishes. An easier walk is starting at or near Falls Creek, going in nearly any direction. Water and campsites are everywhere, many options. In 5-6 days you could climb the Nelses, Cope, Jim, Jaithmathang, Fainters and a number of lesser high points. There are many good places to visit. The first day distance depends on when you will start; will it be 9 am or 4 pm?
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby stry » Sun 05 Sep, 2021 8:23 am

When sifting through the link put up by Lops, Rooftop's Bright-Dartmouth Adventure Map provides excellent coverage of that area and is a very useful planning tool to spread out on the table. Also good for navigation/routefinding, even if GPS use is one's preferred method.
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby GBW » Sun 05 Sep, 2021 9:33 am

If you haven't been to Feathertop then your plan to start at Harrietville via Bungalow Spur sounds like a good one.

Spatial Visions 'Bogong Alpine Area' map covers the areas you'll need...
https://www.bogong.com.au/bogong-alpine ... n-map.html
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 13 Sep, 2021 6:50 pm

You easily do a bushwalking Loop for 5-6 days in Buller/ Howitt area or in the Bogong Alpine Area.

Spring is good in the Buller / Howitt area. You will find water more easily.
Walking after Xmas is best done in the Bogong Alpine Area because water is more easily found in that area at that time.


A possible Loop in the Buller /Howitt area could include 8 Mile Flat/ 8 Mile spur/ Refrigerator Gap/ The Bluff/ The Bluff Hut/ Mt. Lovick/King Billy/ Hell's window via High Track/ Hellfire creek saddle/ return via the Low track below Hell's window to King Billy 1 and 2 /Chester's Yard/ Mt. Clear /Mt. Clear track /Upper Jamieson River/ Refrigerator Gap track/ 16 Mile jeep track / Ritchie's Hut/ 8 Mile flat.
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Re: Bogong High Plains 5-6 day hike

Postby paidal_chalne_vala » Mon 13 Sep, 2021 6:58 pm

A BHP loop for 5-6-7 days
Start at Bogong Village.
Walk up Spion Kopje fire trail / Spion Kopje/ Roper Hut/ Edmondson hut/ Fitzgerald Hut/ Cope Hut/ Ryder's Hut/ Young's Hut/ Tawonga Huts/ The Fainters/ Bogong Jack saddle/ Fainter's Fire trail / Spring saddle track/ Bogong Village.
To add more slog , excellent scenery and a few more days you could go from Roper hut down Timm's spur/ Bogong Creek Saddle/ Quartz Ridge/ Mt. Bogong/ Cleve Cole Hut/ T spur/ Big River/ Duane spur/ Roper Hut and then continue to Edmondson Hut etc.
A great trek but you would be carrying 7 nights worth of food IMHO which at first would be a chore esp. going up Spion Kopje. That ford of Rocky valley Creek on the Spion Kopje fire trail is best left until later in Spring once the Falls Creek area snow melt has just about finished.

I could easily be tempted to walk all of this route once we are released from endless lockdown in late 2021.
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