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| Major Mitchell Circuit |
Day one
My planned solo hike to Major Mitchell plateau had been a
long time coming. The last time I did this hike was over 6 years ago, and was a
truncated hike starting at Mt William car park. My plan this time round was to
do the whole three day circuit commencing at Sheep Hill car park, and heading
in a counter clockwise direction.
Upon dropping into the Rangers Office to
register my walk, I was advised by staff that there was no water at
Jimmy Creek
camp site and Major Mitchell plateau, and therefore had to carry enough
water for three
days! This threw a spanner in the works as I didn’t want to entertain
the idea
of carrying that much water, particularly when I was advised two days
earlier by another staff member that there was water at the top.
Following this new advice, I decided that I would shorten
the walk by commencing at Jimmy Creek campground instead. This way I
would only
need to carry enough water for 2 days.
Jimmy Creek campground is a large open site with enough space for over 20 tent easily, located
about 25kms south of Halls Gap. When I reached there I was surprised to find that
the campsite was serviced by running water from taps – I was not happy with the
incorrect advice provided! Anyway what’s done is done. After repacking to
account for the reduced days, and packing about 4.5 litres of water, I commenced my
walk. The beginning of the track to Major Mitchell is located about 250 metres down the road
from Jimmy Creek campground.
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| Beginning of trail from Jimmy Creek |
The track starts off as a gradual climb over rocky
ground. After 6 kms (1.5 hours) of uphill walking, Stockyard Gap was reached. The climb
from here then got more difficult, with steep incline and rock scrambling
taking nearly an hour to get to the plateau. The views of the plateau though were
amazing with the Serra Range to the west. It was also extremely windy. After some
rock hopping and further climbing I finally reached the top of the plateau. It
was another 4kms along the plateau before I would arrive at my intended
destination, First Wannon Hiker Campsite. It eventually took over 5 hours of
difficult walking before I arrived, and by then I was quite tired.
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| Major Mitchell plateau to the right, and Serra Range in background |
I was hoping for the campsite to be empty, but that was not
the case with a few other hikers already there. A few more arrived after me,
all approaching from the opposite direction. Although there were signs of
creeks, all of them were dry at the time. The throne style outdoor toilet I recalled
had been replaced by a standard pit style toilet. The campsite is set in a depression on the plateau and is surrounded by gum trees, with enough room for at least 7 tents. After dinner it was off to an
early night.
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| First Wannon Hiker Campsite |
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| Sunset on the plateau |
Day two
My plan today was to walk to Sheep Hill car park via Mt
William, and then hopefully hitch a lift to Jimmy Creek, thereby avoiding the
need to hike the additional 13km along the fire trail or main road. The walk towards Mt
William started off with a short 800 metre walk on top of the plateau, before descending steeply down
to Boundary Gap. After a bit more of rock scrambling I reached Boundary Gap in
half an hour, and then it was another 45 minutes of steep climbing to the top. This
part was a lot easier than I remembered from the last time I was here – maybe
it was because my pack was lighter this time round. All up it took
approximately 2 hours to reach the summit of Mt William and then was an easy 15
minute walk down to the car park.
Approximately 300 metres from the car park was meant to be
where Sheep Hills track recommenced but I could not find it. I must have missed
the turn off and after a bit of searching and bush bashing I was able to spot
the trail where I eventually joined. The walk down to Sheep Hill car park is
mostly downhill on an easy trail. After about 1.5 hour walk I reached a creek
which had running water and space where a tent could be pitched if required.
The bridge over the creek though had been damaged and completed washed off its
moorings, so I had to cross via some rocks instead. After a further 2km walk on
a flat track I eventually reached the car park (all up taking about 5 hours from First Wannon camp site). Just before the car park is
another creek crossing, again with the bridge way off its moorings. It is
possible to camp here but not ideal as the ground is rocky.
I managed
to hitch a ride to Jimmy Creek campsite with a guy in a Jeep off to do some
four wheel driving at Harrop Track. I was most delighted for the lift and was
surprised that it didn’t take as long as I thought to get a ride. Only two
other vehicles had refused to pick me up before I managed to flag this one
down.When I arrived at Jimmy Creek, I was ready for a well earned rest. The site enough had a bush shower which I happily made use of. All up the walk was challenging but worth all the effort required to experience the beauty of Major Mitchell Plateau.
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| Jimmy Creek Campground |
