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I have walked the whole length of this track in three stages over 1998 - 1999. This track is 683 km long running from Walhalla in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. People from outside Australia should note that there is almost no accommodation along the track. The only places where you can stay in commercial type accommodation are at Walhalla at the southern end of the track, and at the ski villages of Hotham, Falls Creek (this is slightly off the track) and Thredbo. There are a few cattleman's huts, but these are quite small and don't have supplies such as fuel as at hikers huts in New Zealand. You can't rely on them as they may be full with other people. To do the track you will need to carry a tent and to carry food. The only places that you can buy food along the way are at the ski villages mentioned above. There is no organised system for leaving food supplies along the way. If you have a car you can drive around and leave food dumps at points on the track. They will need to be proofed against bad weather, animals and probably hidden against the possibility of human vandalism.
The track is nearly all through uninhabited country so you can't find people to stay with on the way. The standard of the track varies enormously. In some places it is more like a route formed by usage than a formed and marked track. To walk the track you need proper maps and a compass and to be proficient in wilderness navigation.
The track began in 1970 when the Victorian section of the track was constructed. At that stage other states didnıt join in and the track was named the Alpine Walking Track. In the 1990ıs New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory joined in and the track was extended and renamed the Australian Alps Walking Track (due to state rivalries the Victorian name couldn't be used). The route of the track is changed in places from time to time.
At the time I walked it almost nothing had been done in the way of track construction for the AAWT itself. In some areas the track was routed along existing walking areas. In others it has been routed along roads of various standards. In some areas the track goes through untracked bush, with only occasional markers on trees. Unfortunately these tree markers are subject to being stolen by souvenir hunters. In NSW and the ACT the track is mostly along four wheel drive tracks that are reserved for management vehicles only, so route finding is easy (mostly). Apparently there is a policy that the routing along roads is a temporary measure until a proper walking track is constructed. However although some areas of the track are 30 years old nothing has been done to construct such tracks.
The standard reference is John Siseman's book Australian Alps Walking Track published by Pindari Publications. This is widely available in walking shops in Australia. The most recent edition is dated 1998. This guide gives a detailed description of the route and I donıt intend to duplicate it.
Maps - Sisemanıs book refers to all the map sheets that you need . The series of maps that you need are as follows:
National Mapping - 1:100,000 scale, produced by AUSLIG, the federal government mapping agency. Covers the whole of the track
Vicmap - The Victorian State government mapping agency. Has maps covering the entire Victorian side of the track, some are 1:25,000 and some are 1:50,000 scale.
Outdoor Leisure Maps - Produced by Vicmap for various popular places. Similar to the standard Vicmaps but have extra detail on camping areas etc and a lot of notes on the back The only one relevant to this track is the Bogong map.
CMA - NSW state government mapping agency. This also has some 1:25,000 and some 1:50,000 scale maps covering the NSW and ACT parts of the track.
Bushmaps (sometimes called VMTC maps)- Sketch maps produced by Stuart Brookes of the Victorian Mountain Tramping Club (VMTC) of popular walking areas. Have less topographic detail than the government maps but more detail on campsites, viewing spots and suggested walking routes and are updated more frequently. Available in walking shops.
Walhalla, the southern end of the track, is about 50 km from the town of Moe. There is a regular train service from Melbourne to Moe but no public transport from there to Walhalla. You can get a taxi from Moe to Walhalla, but it could be expensive. Walhalla is a small tourist town in an old gold mining area. There is accommodation and meals available as well as a camping ground. The countryside is very steep and rugged and usually wet. The track starts from the camping ground and contours at fairly level altitude for several km until it descends to cross the Thompson river over a steel bridge. It then begins a steep climb which doesnıt finish until the top of Mt Erica. Along the way you enter the Baw Baw National Park.
It will take 2 - 3 days to cross the Baw Baw National Park. The walking and camping is very pleasant in open snowgum woodland. You descend from the National Park to recross the Thompson river and leave the National Park. The track now heads off to join the main Dividing Range. This involves crossing several ranges and the rivers in between. The terrain is mostly steep. Unfortunately a lot of the walking is along dirt roads that are also used by private vehicles. The country is fairly dry so watch out for the shower of dust when vehicles pass! Camping in the valley of the Jordan river was the lowlight of the track for me. The river is choked with introduced blackberries and there was only one possible camping spot in a dayıs travel. This was right by the road and had been chewed up by four wheel drive vehicles. It was a bowl of dust when we camped there, and would be a bowl of mud in wet conditions. This is one section that badly needs a proper walking track and campgrounds for walkers.
You get into more wilderness as you enter the valley of the Black river and then climb Mt Skene. The track is fairly obvious. Mt Skene to just before Mt McDonald is mostly along dirt roads. The section from Mt McDonald to Barry Saddle takes about four days and is the hardest walking on the trip. Itıs constantly up and down and often quite rocky. The views are magnificent. The campsites are along the ridge and water can be hard to find in late summer, early autumn. Mostly the walking is along a footpad established by constant use. The section from Mt Howitt to Barry Saddle is a wilderness area which is supposed to mean no signs or tracks. Navigation is a bit tricky in areas like Mt Despair and The Viking to Barry saddle. The no signs requirement of a wilderness area conflicts with the aim of the track, which is to provide a fairly obvious walking route. At present Parks Victoria seems to be putting in signs in the tricky spots. Another alternative could be to have a route that bypasses the wilderness zone and rejoins the track at Barry Saddle.
From Barry Saddle the next stretch of the track is along a range called ıThe Dry Barriesı. The walking is fairly boring, along a dirt track with little views and constantly, and steeply, up and down. As the name suggest water can be scarce along this route. Eventually you get closer to Mt Hotham and begin climbing major mountains with good views and the scenery becomes much more interesting. As you approach the Mt Hotham ski resort (221 km from Walhalla) you have to walk a way along a bitumen road that usually has a bit of traffic. After 30 years itıs about time a proper walking track was put in here! The track passes through the edge of the Mt Hotham ski village. This is the first built up area along the track. Meals and accommodation are available here if you want a break from camping. There is also a bus service which can take you back to Melbourne.From here to Mt Bogong the area is well used by hikers and other recreational users. The track is well marked. The area is an open plain with scattered clumps of snow gum and there are plenty of potential campsites.
About 25 km from Hotham you pass Wallaceıs Hut, the oldest man-made structure on the Bogong High Plains and very scenic. From here it is about 15 km along a road to Falls Creek ski resort, which has similar facilities to Mt Hotham. The track continues along the Bogong High Plains and does a steep drop to Big River and a steep climb up to Maddison Hut site on Mt Bogong. The track doesnıt actually go over the top of Bogong, but as this is the highest mountain in Victoria, and with great views, itıs well worth a side trip. After this the track moves into areas that get much less visitors due to the distance from Melbourne. It passes along Long Spur to Mt Wills, unfortunately blackberry is becoming a problem along here. From Wills you drop to the Omeo Highway. the track is now at a lower level for a few days. A potential major obstacle is crossing the Mitta Mitta river at Taylorıs crossing. In dry conditions this can be only ankle deep, but in flood conditions it can be too dangerous too cross. A foot bridge over the river was destroyed by floods in 1998. It is planned to be rebuilt higher up. Otherwise you have to go out of your way about a day to find the nearest bridge.
After you leave the Mitta Mitta it is a very long walk and a big climb over the Beloka Range and Johnnieıs Top to the next water. You should either be prepared for a very long hard day or carry enough water to camp that night. The National Parks are thinking of putting a water tank on top of the range for walkers, which will make things a lot easier when it is done. After this there is a few days walking through lovely forest to the Cobberas. You should note that in this section there isnıt enough traffic to make an obvious track on the ground. The Rangers have placed markers on the trees within sight of one another, but say they have a problem with people stealing them. Therefore you need to be pretty good with navigation in this area.
The Cobberas are a fairly high range of mountains with many brumbies (wild horses). There are plenty of good campsites, but up on top water can be hard to find after long dry periods. From the Cobberas you cross into to New South Wales at Cowombat Flat. The track makes an immediate change in character across the state border. In NSW the official route mostly follows four wheel drive tracks that are reserved for management vehicles only. This makes the walking and navigation easier, but you have to be prepared to leave the track to visit mountain tops and other features along the way. Water is much easier to find in the NSW and ACT sections of the track than in Victoria, and you should have no problems with it. One mountain top well worth visiting is The Pilot, immediately north of Cowombat Flat. From Cowombat Flat it should take about 2 days to reach the Thredbo river at Dead Horse Gap. Tin Mine Falls is another good side trip along the way. At Dead Horse Gap the track is within 5 km easy walking of Thredbo Alpine village. This has meals and accommodation and a bus service to Cooma and Jindabyne. The area is quite popular with walkers and skiers year round, and from Tin Mine Huts on you can expect to see other people.
From Dead Horse Gap the official track goes up the Ramshead Range almost to Mt Kosciuszko (Australiaıs highest mountain) but the official route misses the summit and heads down to the Snowy River then along bitumen roads for a day and a half before leaving it for the Jagungal Wilderness area. Few walkers would want to walk such a boring route except in bad weather and Sisemanıs book describes a much more interesting route along the Main Range, Australiaıs highest peaks. This area is well above the tree line and is very exposed in bad weather so you need good quality gear. there is plenty of water but there are some problems with water pollution in the main range, use a water filter, purification tablets, or boil water for a few minutes before drinking. The western side of the main range drops off very dramatically. I believe that the reason for the official route taking such a boring route is that the National Park officials fear that if they have an official route into the Main Range, they might be sued if someone has an injury in that area, also they say they are worried by numbers of walkers in the area. There has been quite a bit of pressure from the walking club federations in NSW and Victoria to get this route changed, and hopefully it will be.
After the Main Range you enter the Jagungal Wilderness area, which is another popular area with recreational users. The official route continues to follow the vehicle tracks, but Sisemanıs book outlines places where you can leave it for more interesting walking. In particular the summit of Mt Jagungal should not be missed (except in bad weather) as it is one of the great peaks of the Australian Alps. The walking in the Jagungal area is lovely with rolling terrain, and patches of snow gums and open snow grass plains. There is plenty of water. There are also a number of huts left by mountain cattlemen and workers for the Snowy Mountains hydro electricity scheme. As you come to the end of this region the track passes just below the summit of Mt Tabletop. Itıs well worth climbing up here for the magnificent views.
Next you pass the Snowy Mountains highway at the old gold mining township of Kiandra. There are a few buildings here belonging to ski clubs. When I went through at the beginning of December none of the buildings were open. I know some friends who went through after Christmas and were able to get a meal and accommodation at one building. I think this must only apply at popular holiday times. North of the highway you enter another area of rolling plains with snow gum forest on the higher ground. The walking is easy but you have to cross two main rivers the Eucumbene and Murrumbidgeee. These can be difficult to cross if in flood. As you move away from the road the area is less used by recreational users.
The track passes within a few km of Blue Waterholes and it is well worth detouring to have a break here. There are numerous beautiful sights here. After Blue Waterholes the track heads for Oldfieldıs Hut and then climbs through snowgum forest towards Murray Gap on the New South Wales - Australian Capital Territory border. There is a beautiful campsite in the Gap itself. Mt Bimberi and Mt Murray, on either side of the Gap are worthwhile side trips.
In the ACT the track mostly follows management vehicle tracks. When you get to Orroral Valley you are in a spot close to a bitumen road and there are a number of tourist attractions here. There is an old homestead and remains of an old space tracking station. There are a number of facilities for the tourists such as toilets, picnic tables and piped water. There are also plenty of kangaroos. Honeysuckle Creek is another old space tracking station with an official camp ground, including a very large picnic shelter, just what you need if itıs raining! Jut a few km from Honeysuckle is another campsite at the base of Booroomba rocks. This is a popular venue with a great view of the city of Canberra. From here it is only a dayıs walk to the end of the trip. At the end you climb Mt Tennant with wonderful views back to Mt Jagungal and the Main Range and then descend to the Ranger Station at Namadgi which is the end of the walk. (Or the beginning if you are walking the other way). Itıs planned to install a book for people who have finished the track to enter their details to commemorate such a significant achievement.
The Ranger station is not far from Canberra, but there is no public transport. However you can call a taxi to take you into the City and some well deserved luxury.
Although National Parks in Australia are allocated little resources for things such as the track they are making efforts. On 18 November 1999 a meeting was held between rangers from NSW, ACT and Victoria and various public representatives, including from the NSW and Victorian walking club federations which came up with a number of points for action including:
| Australian Alps | Federal Environment department website. This website has information about the environment of the Alps and recreation activities. It isn't finished yet, of the pages on self-reliant recreation only the skiing page was up in early April. |
| Parks Victoria | Parks Victoria is the management agency for Victorian National Parks. Under arrangements made by the Kennett governement the management of National Parks is subcontracted out to a management agency. Parks Victoria is the former National Parks service but in theory the contract could go to anyone. The Bracks government has promised to re-introduce a National Parks service but so far no legislation has appeared in Parliament. |
| NSW NPWS | Home page for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. |
| ACT Parks and Wildlife Service | ACT Parks and Conservation service official website. |
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