Projection Bluff - Sat. 8th June 2019
We
are pleased to announce that the next vacant spot on our walks calendar
has been filled with a short but energetic trip to Projection Bluff. We
have decided to make this walk a focus for teenagers who took part in
the February
Bush N' Biscuits
camping trip to the Scout Hut at Cradle Mt, but it will still be open to
other walkers, especially teenagers.
Note that this means a different meeting place in Launceston.
This means, however, that
we will try to
keep the walk at a pace more suited to young people, so
if you are very slow on steep and rocky tracks that are not well-formed,
this may not be the best walk for you. A large part of this walk is off
track over alpine areas, so wet feet are quite possible!
The full Projection Bluff walk is only about 8.5 km [one way only, as we will do a car shuttle], and only marginal gain of altitude, in fact, mainly losing altitude as we would start from Pine Lake [alt. 1200 metres], turn north, then north-east at Adams Peak, cross a relatively flat alpine plateau to the summit, still only alt. 1257m, then follow the eastern escarpment of the plateau south and come down to the carpark on the Liffey Bluff side afterwards. The walk is not tracked except for the final descent from plateau to highway, but the open alpine meadows make fairly easy walking, and bands of scrub are mostly easy to avoid (but do wear protective clothing for the few patches that we might need to pass through. The walk passes the ruins of two alpine huts, and offers views to the Meander area from near Adams Peak, and then extensive views of the north, including the Liffey Valley, from the summit and eastern escarpment.
Note that your walk leader might change plans on the day, depending on the weather and the capability of the walkers. A much shorter alternative (about 2 km each way) is to take the steep tracked climb (gaining 150 metres altitude over about 600 metres) from the highway to the east of the mountain, and then head north along the flat escarpment to the summit, returning via a slightly different route but down the same track.
Meeting Times and Places:
If you are interested in going on this walk, please phone Tom Young, ph. 0407 004 245 (if replying by email ; tom.young01@outlook.com please do so by Thursday 10 pm ) to book in. The departure time is 8:45 am from Door of Hope carpark in South Launceston. The alternative meeting place/time is at the "train park" in Deloraine at 9:15 am. (If coming from east, cross the bridge and turn right at the roundabout to park near the toilet block.). 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. Please be at any meeting place 5 minutes ahead of departure time.
To access this area from northern Tasmania:
To access the walk 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 heading for the meeting place - see above). From Deloraine, head south along the "Lake Highway" - now 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 (where the shorter track begins) 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. [At this point, drivers will need to shuttle their vehicles just over 2 km back down the highway to the Projection Bluff parking area, and be ferried back to Pine Lake.]
Warnings:
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.
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, especially at this time of the year!
Click this link for a more detailed discussion of Preparation, Food and Safety guidelines for Boots N' All walks.
Map details:
Map reference:
Short ref. 765817
Zone Easting Northing Latitude Longitude
55G 4 76 700 53 81 970 -41.71372 146.71991
Projection Bluff 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).