The Crinoline

[pazzar]

Having a few days off after the mad Christmas week at work I decided I needed to get outside for a few days. I had planned to walk up The Crinoline and walk through to Mt Tamboritha and back to Breakfast Creek over 3 days, but I ended up just doing a return trip to The Crinoline for reasons I will explain later.

After driving the amazingly windy road up to Licola, and then driving up the valley to Breakfast Creek, I set off walking just after 12pm. The creek bed at the start was bone dry, which was a worrying sign. Initially the start of the track was a bit vague, but after spotting a marker on the other side of the creek I was able to set off. The track became more distinct as I reached the cover of the forest. The temperature was in the mid 20’s, and there was not a breath of wind, making the climb up the never ending switchbacks an exhausting task. I must admit my pack-carrying fitness is nowhere near where it was 12 months ago! After regular stops, I reached a sign telling me I was on Smith St, near the top of the ridge. I was quickly running out of water, and I knew I had a further climb up the main ridge to go. As the track flattened out, I was able to move a bit quicker, and take fewer breaks. The climb up the steep ridge wasn’t as bad as it looked. The track winds up grassy patches and then hits some boulders, which made for easy walking. The track becomes a little indistinct up the top here, but it wasn’t any drama due to having perfect conditions to make navigation easy. A short descent led to a grassy saddle, where I decided I would camp for the night. I had made it here by 3:20pm. I continued on to the summit with a day pack, and I intended to go searching for water. I knew of a creek a little further along, but knowing that it flowed into one of the creeks at the start of the track, which was dry, I wasn’t hopeful. Having less than 500ml left, I made the call to just stay the one night and return the way I came, knowing that it was only a couple of hours back to the car.

A group of 5 turned up just after 6pm, who knew of a water barrel over on Long Hill. I had begun to reconsider my decision with this knowledge, but after a hectic week at work, I was contempt in my plan to just head back. We had dinner and played some card games by the campfire before retiring for the night.

I made the most of my decision making by having a good sleep in, not getting up until about 9:30am. After packing up, I was on my way by 10am. Despite it being even hotter than the previous day, I made good time heading back down. Through one of the grassy fields below the summit ridge I found one of the barrels that the other group had spoken about. This meant I was able to top up on water. After 2 hours I was back at the car. I had a quick dip in the Wellington River to freshen up before the drive back to Melbourne.

This was a great little trip, well worth the effort. Next time I will be much better prepared for dry conditions. Thanks to NNW for the recommendation a few months ago!

And a few photos for you!

Smith St

First view of the Crinoline

Long Hill

Evening light on the Crinoline

View from the campsite

Cheers,

Pazzar

[wildlight]

Hey Pazzar

Thanks very much for sharing the report and images. The evening light shot is stunning; it looks so different to the "daytime Crinoline" many of us are accustomed to seeing.

Cheers, have a great 2014.

WildLight

[Avatar]

Nice post. How do the barrels get filled? I've not seen them.
There may be water near the top in that dark crevice on Long Hill at 9 o'clock in Long Hill photo.
Camp site is on the ridge/saddle there.

[pazzar]

Nice post. How do the barrels get filled? I've not seen them.
There may be water near the top in that dark crevice on Long Hill at 9 o'clock in Long Hill photo.
Camp site is on the ridge/saddle there.

The barrels are just rain water. It is a 44 gallon drum with a mesh covering over the top to keep bugs out.

[dplanet]

Nice post. How do the barrels get filled? I've not seen them.
There may be water near the top in that dark crevice on Long Hill at 9 o'clock in Long Hill photo.
Camp site is on the ridge/saddle there.

A jpg file of the barrel with a capacity of 200 litres is attached. It is located at H55 04 64.6 E and 58 50.2 N and there is only about 5.0 litres in it. My friend and I drank the barrel water (after treatment) on our way back on the 3rd day after inability to find the water the day before. The crevice, the remote waterfall (according to SVmaps Tali Karng - Moroka) and the Long Hill Creek are dry. The creek has been dry for months.

We were impressed with the work recently done by ParkVic. Now, there is The Crinoline Walking Track signpost at the start on the Tamboritha Road and it is located just before the Melbourne Grammar School Camp. The track is well- cut and maintained with many zig-zags to reduce the steepness of the 800 m climb. A nice campsite is on the main ridge just below the summit. If planning to Long Hill, care should be taken on skirting the Crinoline, due to the loose scree. It is a pretty challenging walk; but well-worth the effort.

Attachments

The barrel.

.. on the ridge to The Crinoline.

c2.jpg (225.66 KiB) Viewed 9231 times

.. just below the summit and on way to Long Hill

c3.jpg (239.97 KiB) Viewed 9231 times

View west from camp near The Crinoline.

The Crinoline from Long Hill.

c5.jpg (161.78 KiB) Viewed 9231 times

[dplanet]

Sorry that a mistake was discovered while I tried to create a map for The Crinoline & Long Hill Walk. The correct location of the barrel is at H55 04 641 E - 58 492 N and it is believed that the above reference would be the location of the crevice. For more information about the trip, you can visit my hiking blog at http://dztrek.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/s ... ligar.html