After our first official Adventure Race, Wildside 2022 in NSW was cancelled after a few months' of training, with a free-hit weekend we thought we'd plan our own adventure closer to home. Thankfully the weather gods felt our disappointment of missing out on the event and rewarded us with an unusually settled and warm spring day/night. We kept some parameters similar to the event, approx 120km of MTbiking, kayaking and trekking in around 24 hours (but this one we set the course rather than have it thrust on us, and we used GPS to keep things safe, especially at night).
We settled on the course:
- 50km ride on Mt Mueller Road from Maydena to Scotts Peak Road and down to Edgar Camp
- 10km kayak across Pedder to Mt Solitary
- 3km summit of Mt Solitary
- 10km kayak back to Edgar Camp
- 23km round trip of Mt Anne/Lake Judd Circuit
- 20km ride to Red Knoll Lookout and back to the car
If you don't like reading, here's a quick vid of the scenic adventure - amazing it's so close to home! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPQW-MD4ptg&t=70s
MUELLER RD
Having ridden to Mt Mueller/Lake Fossil Track from Maydena before, I knew it was a pretty good gravel road for riding. Some nice undulations with short climbs that afforded nice views out west to the Sentinels and South to Snowy North (which we enjoyed reminiscing previous adventures to).
NOTE: There is a locked gate where Mt Mueller meets Scotts Peak Rd and after numerous attempts with Forestry to try and get a key for our support vehicle, I had no luck.
After a quick run around the Creepy Crawly Trail (great for kids but a bit overgrown and appears as though the loop has been cut short to an out and back boardwalked track) we headed down Scotts Peak Rd with some nice descending through eucalypt forests and then out into SW open views of Deception Ridge, Mt Anne and Pandani Shelf - the last 20kms was quick but ominous views knowing we had some work ahead of us.
LAKE PEDDER
Our original plan had been to kayak from Edgar Dam Camp/boat ramp out to Mt Solitary, then back to somewhere near Huon Inlet where Google Maps showed a 4WD white scar which lined up nicely with the start of the Mt Anne Circuit. However upon investigation we could not find the 4WD track from the road's end that would get us there from the lake's edge. Not wanting to bush bash with a 25kg double sea kayak we elected to go out and back from Edgar Dam and cheat a bit by driving up to the start of the Mt Anne Circuit, dropping the MTbikes in the bush at the Lake Judd circuit end.
Not an overly strong paddler, I was pretty wrapt with the conditions we were afforded on Lake Pedder (a strong paddler in the back also helped)! An absolute belter of a late September day with not a soul in sight! We were literally laughing most of our trip at how amazing the conditions were.
MT SOLITARY
Having scoured a few old trip notes and checked out a range of maps and imagery, we managed to select a fairly easily hiked ridgeline just on the eastern side of the middle of the southern coast of Mt Solitary. Not having set foot on there before, I can only presume that the fire has seen a reduction in scrub as the going was very manageable, although steep and tricky bits pretty easy to avoid.
Keeping one eye on the clock, and one on the ever present Mt Eliza/Eve/Anne/Lot challenge looming ahead, as we wanted to try and get up on top before dark, we hustled up and down the ridgeline in the warming sun. Having enjoyed a 5min rest on top taking in just incedible views, we hot footed back down and paddled on to Edgar.
MT ANNE CIRCUIT
We managed to hit the trail with all our overnight provisions and extra cold safety gear about 1630, giving ourselves 1-2 hours to get the hard climbing out of the way and hopefully time a great sunset looking back at Mt Solitary, Pedder and all the ranges around. While a *&%$#! hard climb (no doubt it was harder before all of the track work and thousands of steps) it was good to get up on top. The sunset played its part and the 'harsh' (but necessary) trackwork gave way to a more natural pad and we felt ourselves immersed in proper wilderness as the sun setted and we embarked on a long night ahead.
We were obviously super careful navigating and looking after ourselves on challenging rock hopping on tired legs, not to mention a few eerily dark steep drops heading towards the Notch. I actually reckon I was better in the dark without being able to see the extent of the drops! While in some ways we unfortunately missed some great views in the darkness, the adventure was thrilling and despite our exhaustion threatening after midnight the excitement remained enough to keep on forging ahead.
Mt Lot in some ways felt the most remote, and then with a few missed turns, icy puddles and cold patches around the Lonely Tarns and Mt Sarah Jane we had to keep on task to stay focussed. At one stage the thousands of tadpoles over the track distracted us enough to head off on a pad into the nether but we managed to backtrack on course quickly thereafter. I think we even managed to run a few of the last 6 or so kms with plenty of boardwalk once you come down from Mt Sarah Jane, interspersed with gently winding gravel sections. It was an easy finish to a tough, long trek.
RED KNOLL
The idea was to enjoy sunrise at Red Knoll Lookout but our estimations were a little over on the Mt Anne circuit so instead we had a pitch black, freezing cold ride out towards Red Knoll at about 4am. We managed to see a large white owl through cold watery eyes and nearly get hit by a couple of wallaby. I should've changed from my icy wet cold socks and I should have eaten some more because by the time we were back at the car at the start of the circuit I was a bit of an agonising shiver. Straight into warm dry clothes for an hour's kip with the heater running in the car before sunrise.
All in all, an amazing part of our world and so close to home! Looking forward to heading back to the circuit in particular to spend some time around the tarns with the kids and maybe even summit Anne and others. Would love to take a tinny out on the lake to explore the more remote Frankland coast too - it felt like looking at Iceland in parts, just wow! As always the Western Arthurs were beckoning too... all in good time.
