Marian Harradine
MT WEDGE (1147m)
Sunday 20th July, 2003.
Weather foggy and 3 degrees. 4hrs return
Track good, cairns on the last ascent easily visible.
Start of walk is on the Gordon Road, about 17k past Scotts Peak Road turnoff. There is a sign and carpark on the left side of the road.
We started the walk at 12.05, firstly along a well formed path with information about local trees, eg. stringy bark gums, leatherwood, myrtle and sassafras and hard water ferns. After about 5 minutes we came across a clearing with high tension wires and onto a dirt logging track. We followed the track for another 5 minutes and came to the start of the ascent, well marked and into lovely rainforest bush. The track soon crossed over a small creek and after a short while we started climbing steeply, following the orange markers and ribbons, under the trees and some cutting grass here and there in the wetter spots at the beginning.
We continued climbing in a fairly straight line in a westerly direction up one of the foot hills of Mt Wedge. After 35 minutes of climbing we came onto a shoulder and the track leveled out a bit as it turned left in a more southerly direction. It soon started to get steeper for about another 10 minutes ( at 1.05 pm ) and also not the soft rainforest floor we had enjoyed earlier, but more rocky and wet in places. Then we were more in the open, leaving behind the tall trees and continuing among shorter trees. A few minutes later there was a view back to be seen to the north. There was still a lot of fog about below us but we were in sunshine, although it was very cold still with iced up water on the track here and there. We were quite warm from our exertions.
After another 6 minutes climbing we came out of the bush and we saw ahead what looked like the rocky top of Mt Wedge but it was not. When we reached that spot we saw there was quite a bit further to go. We had to be careful as the rocks which we had to negotiate along the track were very frosty and some were icy.
We continued the climb another for 35 minutes after that first view and reached the Mt Wedge trig at 1.48. The ascent had taken 1 ¾ hour. The views were not as extensive as we had hoped due to the fog. Mt Ann was shrouded in a layer, as were most of the hills to the west, north, east and south. There was a stiff breeze blowing which chilled us very rapidly.
Putting on all our warm clothes, we found a sheltered spot for lunch, looking east. We could see Mt Bowes and Snowy North and South, drifting in and out of fog.
We took some photos after lunch, limited by the fog and started our descent at 2.30. We stopped for a few photos on the way down, The Sentinels looked great with Lake Pedder beside them.
We got to the last view of the lower rocky part of Mt Wedge, as mentioned on the way up, at 3.15. Then it was downhill for 18 minutes before changing direction for the last 22 minutes of the descent when we reached the road. As we neared the bottom of the hill not far from the stream, we heard loud and clear bird calls, varying calls, about 4 different birds and realised that it could only have been a lyre bird, just like we had heard around Adamsons Peak and Adamsons Falls. We did not know there were any in that area.
We got back to the car at 4.10, a very enjoyable walk. It was 6 degrees and very clear, all fog had gone.
Our walking times:
1 hour 45 minutes up
1 hour 40 minutes back