Ritters Crag & Duncansons Plateau Sat. 27th December 2025
A Boots N’ All tradition has been to head for the alpine plateaux after Boxing Day to work off some of that Christmas cheer! The walk promises wildflowers which should be at their best, and alpine tarns as well as expansive views.
Walk route:
Starting from Pine Lake on the Lake Highway (aka Highland Lakes Rd) just south of Projection Bluff, the walk passes between Projection Bluff and Adams Peak, heading west to a high plateau with expansive views of the Meander area and beyond. Ritters Crag is the intended destination, high above Jackeys Marsh, with expansive views of the nearby and more distant crags and the northern farmlands as far as the coast. There should be plenty of scoparia in flower in late December. The actual distance covered will depend on the fitness and energy of the party. The return route will be south-easterly, passing south of Adams Peak and back to Pine Lake. While there are some moderately steep inclines, there is less than 100 metres altitude between the highest and lowest points of the walk, which crosses fairly open terrain. Total walk distance to Ritters Crag and back is 12km, and if a shorter route is taken, 7km to Duncansons Plateau high point and back. The walk is rated easy-medium and would be suitable for energetic and resilient younger children, although it is largely off-track.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please text Phil Dawson on 0417 527 511 [not on Christmas Day, please] or email pidasms@gmail.com to book in. The departure time is 8:00 am from Door of Hope car park. The alternative meeting place/time is Deloraine at 8 am. (Turn onto the Lake Highway at junction in Deloraine on Launceston side of bridge over Meander R.). Other meeting places by arrangement with leader. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time. However, you still need to contact the walk leader per details above if intending to walk. The leader should be notified of any other people you intend to bring along.
You should always contact the walk leader if intending to participate in a particular Boots N’ All walk. The leader should also be notified of any other people you intend to bring along.
To access this area from northern Tasmania: From Launceston, head towards Deloraine on the Bass Highway (50 km) and take the first (eastern) turn from the highway into Deloraine. Continue into the town and turn left immediately before the bridge (meeting place – see above). From Deloraine, head south along the “Lake Highway” – now Highland Lakes Rd. (A5) (but the first bit may be called Meander Rd!). Make sure to turn left after 7 km at signposted junction for Highland Lakes Rd (A5) . Continue south through Golden Valley, up past Quamby Bluff and Projection Bluff to Pine Lake, approximately 25km from the junction. A car park and boardwalk on the west side of the road mark the starting point for the walk.
Warnings:
E Exposed alpine conditions ; can be dangerous in poor weather if not adequately equipped; see Preparation, Food and Safety for some guidelines.
Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water.
Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters would be desirable. You should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing in case of sudden weather changes.
Map details:
(Adams Pk): 1:100000 map is Meander (8214), 1:50000 map is Breton and 1:25000 map is Breona (4637)
Map reference:
Short ref. n/a
Zone Easting Northing Latitude Longitude
55G 4 74 540 53 79 230 -41.73834 146.69383
This walk will not include any peakbagger points
No peakbagger points will be reached on this walk. For explanation of this challenge, see Peakbaggers List 2017, which can be downloaded (Excel) from Peak Baggers and The Abel Mountains | Hobart Walking Club. At the time of writing, the website to which we used to link has been taken down, along with the 1983 and 2000 versions, developed from the original 1968 Hobart Walking Club version. We can’t guarantee that peaks you have bagged in the past are still on the current version. You can download the 2000 version from our website here [link]. A parallel and more recent but not identical list system is The Abels – also linked from the HWC website, which also contains some other listings of Tasmanian peaks.
For GPX (.gpx) and Google Earth (.kml) versions of the track: Click here to browse our collection.
Direct links: GPX for this walk | KML for this walk
Right-click on the file and save target as to a location of your choice. (Suggest you click the Last modified at top to sort by date to get the most recent at top to find the file for the next walk).
