Wild Dog Tier - Sat. 25th Feb. 2017

Good attendances at our walks so far this year! This one promises something a little more challenging than the first few, although mostly flat, through open alpine meadows, with some ascent over rocky slopes at the northern end.
Although we originally expected that this walk would begin from Bessell's Road, near Meander, a new locked gate and some deterioration of that road has meant it will instead start at Lake Augusta, and cross the plateau to a high point that offers expansive views as far as Walls of Jerusalem and beyond (subject to good weather!). Distance is about 16 km return. It will be necessary to walk across expanses of somewhat spongy low undergrowth, which can be tiring for inexperienced legs, so this walk is rated medium-hard, and is not recommended for beginners, but for those with some experience of alpine plateau conditions. Energetic and experienced older children may be considered. 


Walk route:
The walk begins at Lake Augusta dam (also known as Bernacchi) and leaves the road almost immediately, heading north and crossing Thomsons Rivulet after about 5 km, then rising steadily to attain 150 metres higher than the flat plains and heading between two of the high points of the tier. The peak-bagger summit is a further km NNE.

Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Graham Alexander on 0407 436 556  to book in. The departure time is 7:30 am from Door of Hope carpark in South Launceston. The alternative meeting place/time is at the "train park" in Deloraine at 8:05 am. (If coming from east, cross the bridge and turn right at the roundabout). If you would like to arrange to meet the group at these places or elsewhere, please arrange with the leader, and please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of the listed time. The leader must 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 (unless going to the meeting place across the main bridge and turn right to find toilets and old locomotive - see above). From Deloraine, head south along the "Lake Highway" - now officially Highland Lakes Rd. (but the first bit may be called Meander Rd!). Make sure to turn left after 7 km at signposted junction for Highland Lakes Rd.  Continue south through Golden Valley, up past Quamby Bluff and Projection Bluff and past Pine Lake. Continue south through Breona, Brandum and other groups of shacks along shores of Great Lake until Liawenee is reached (approx. 58 km from Deloraine). Turn right into Lake Augusta Rd. The dam is reached after approx. 11 km.  Sealed roads to Breona, good gravel to Liawenee, then somewhat rougher gravel road to Lk. Augusta).

Warnings:
    D    Drive distance requires early departure
    L    A long day's walk in excess of 3 hours each way
    M    Marshy or muddy sections be prepared to walk with wet feet.
    E...   Exposed alpine conditions – can be dangerous in poor weather if not fully equipped
Make sure you have a good supply of drinking water - suggest 1 litre per person. There may be drinkable water on the way.  Walkers are advised to wear strong shoes or boots. Gaiters recommended due to off-track walking. You should always carry wet weather gear as well as warm clothing in case of sudden weather changes.
Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks

Map details:

Wild Dog Tier: 1:100000 map is Tasmap 8214 (Meander) and 1:25000 map is 4637(Breona)
Map references:
Short ref. 649740
Zone      Easting        Northing       Latitude        Longitude
55G     4 65 040       53 74 190    -41.78337     146.57929 

Wild Dog Tier is worth 1 peakbagger point. For listing of peakbagger points, see the Hobart Walking Club Peakbagger's Guide (2000 revision) which can be downloaded (Excel) from http://tastracks.webs.com/peakbaggers.htm  The same web page contains several other listings of Tasmanian peaks.

GPX version of the track: Click here to download. Google Earth version of the track: Click here to download.
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).