DuCane Plateau and Walled Mountain

It is almost a decade since we walked into The Labyrinth in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. I would not have believed that if I did not check our records. Not much seems to have changed, except we have composite kayaks instead of plastic kayaks. But, the launch procedure was the same, from the boat ramp on the south shore of the lake. An easy two hour paddle north up the lake with the ferry boat passing us the exact same number of times (two).

We lifted the kayaks out near a little inlet on the bay, only about 300 metres from the duck-boards that lead from Narcissus Hut to the ferry wharf, but a ridiculously hard bushwack if you take the wrong route. But first, second breakfast at the boats and pack our overnight packs for three nights. Stupidly, we thought we would walk a straightish line from where we parked our boats to the duckboards using a compass bearing. This was almost unbelievably thick. I managed to squirm through although I did have to wriggle on my belly under some tangled branches as if I was in a Tough Mudder race. Doug fared less well. I popped out into a clearer area and could hear huffing and puffing, grunting and groaning behind me, much like the times I had surprised black bears in the mountains of Canada. The trees and shrubs shook. Eventually, Doug pushed out. He had taken his pack off and pushed it forward in front of him unable to make progress any other way.

Half an hour to travel a few hundred metres to the duck-boards, there must be a better way. We had to strip off to clean all the vegetation from where it was wedged between clothes and skin. The usual walk north up the Overland Track to the junction with Pine Valley where we had a break on some big logs. It seemed to me some of the bridges had been replaced but it’s possible I just don’t remember.

On through dark rainforest to Pine Valley. Doug was going to stop for a break at Pine Valley Hut but it was very dark at the hut – as it always is – and we were hoping to get up past The Labyrinth to camp so we kept going up the track that climbs to the upper plateau and the many lakes and tarns sandwiched between The Parthenon and Walled Mountain. We did not quite make where we wanted to camp and had to scratch out a rough camp on rock slabs for the night. I made dinner by headlamp and we tumbled into the tent.

Next morning, we packed up and moved onto a better campsite where we would stay for a couple of nights. The first day we walked up onto the Du Cane following a rough cairned track. There are more lakes and little tumbling creeks, dolerite boulders and cairned tracks lead to various “Abels.” We went up the Du Cane Abel which is merely a high point on a broad ridge. The most spectacular mountain in the area: Geryon, does not meet the criteria for an Abel, which seems a bit daft but subjective rules often lead to daft outcomes. Back at camp in the afternoon we had a dip in one of the very cold lakes.

The next day we walked up Walled Mountain, which also has a cairned footpad to the summit and wandered about on the summit plateau. A sheltered spot out of the wind was grand for peak spotting, lots of Abels around the area, although the dolerite was playing havoc with my compass.

Our final day, we walked back out. The weather had gradually warmed and Lake St Clair felt warm for swimming and I had two swims, one before and one after the paddle. It will probably be another decade before we go back.