Andrew Wellington
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| Mt Zeehan |
Peakbaging Points - 1 Point
To access the track to Mt Zeehan, drive around 3km South on the road from Zeehan to Strahan until reaching the site of the old smelters. This site is characterised by a large pile of black slag on the Eastern side of the road. From there, follow the main road another 200m or so further South to a gravel track on the right of the road. This 4WD track leads to the start of the climb, and is unsuitable for 2WD vehicles. There are a number of parking spots adjacent to the road, and a few others further up the track.
Whether driving or walking, follow the 4WD track across a low ridge, and descend to a small creek crossing. There are two signs warning of open mine workings, and there are many mining relics in the area. The creek crossing is about as far as the road is passable. From here the track becomes rocky and starts to climb an open ridge. The climb is consistently steep until almost reaching a saddle, where the track flattens for a short time. Once the saddle is reached, views to the ocean become visible for the first time. Time to the saddle is around one hour.
From the saddle, the track climbs steeply again toward the summit, passing through low scrub and with excellent views to the west, south and east. The track is braided with some mud in places. Around another half hour is needed to reach the summit crest, which is marked with a trig point. In clear weather, the summit affords excellent views in all directions. To the west is the Southern Ocean, to the South is Macquarie Harbour, to the East are numerous peaks including Tyndall, Owen, & Lyell, and to the North is the township of Zeehan.
After enjoying the views, return by the same route. The decent is steep, and hard on the knees. Total time for the decent is around one hour.
This is a challenging walk, as the track is unmarked, fairly rough, and the climbing is sustained and steep. Total distance is probably around 5 to 6km, and total climbing around 600 metres. Water could be sourced from creek to the North of the climbing ridge, but the gully containing the creek has fairly heavy scrub. The track remains in low scrub throughout and little shelter would be available in poor weather (or on a very hot day for that matter). Although the walk can be completed in around three hours, it is probably not one for inexperienced walkers.