Kia Ora Hut to Windy Ridge Hut, Overland Track, Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park - May 1998

DuCane Hut.

Once again today we were faced with another short day on our Overland Track adventure, the good news being that the weather had more or less cleared so we could start the day without all our wet weather gear on. After leaving Kia Ora Hut the track crosses its namesake creek and then meanders its way along to the old DuCane Hut. DuCane Hut is an old trappers hut and is the oldest in the national park, it now makes for a very pleasant stop, the helipad makes for a great place to sit in the sun (hopefully) and have a cuppa. The old hut is made entirely of shingles and is registered with the national trust and with Castle Crag towering overhead it makes for a very picturesque photo opportunity.

The helipad at DuCane Hut has become something of a traditional resting spot for me when I'm walking the Overland Track.

After leaving DuCane hut we gently climbed up the valley of the Mersey River, the highlight of this section of the track is undoubtably the side tracks to some beautiful waterfalls. The first side track we took had us dropping steeply down to Fergusson and D'Alton Falls, I remember the side trip being a bit steep and slippery in spots but what I recall the most was the exquisite track work that had been done, this was my first experience of track workers utilising the material that nature had provided for them to build the track out of. The use of old logs with steps carved into them, bridges made of old logs, and dry stone work has stuck in my mind. 

Fergusson Falls.

Or is it D'Alton Falls, I can't remember.

After checking out Fergusson and D'Alton falls we retraced our steps back out to the Overland Track and continued on to the turnoff to Hartnett Falls. The track down to Hartnett Falls is a little longer but no where near as steep as the side trip to Fergusson and D'Alton Falls, Hartnett Falls though is the pick of them in my opinion with the slightly more open valley allowing for a few different views, you can even descend to the base of the falls if you don't mind getting wet from the spray. The top of Hartnett Falls also marks the spot where the route from the Never Never route from the Walls Of Jerusalem comes in, one that I have had earmarked for the future, although last summers unprecedented fires have probably stuffed that for my lifetime I guess.

Hartnett Falls.

Returning to the Overland Track we headed up the last solid climb on the Overland Track section of our walk, the climb up to DuCane Gap. After topping out at DuCane Gap we descended into a damp rooty section of forested track, dropping down for a couple of kilometres until we arrived at the old Windy Ridge Hut. That night we shared the hut with a small party of bushwalkers from Hobart out for their annual walk in the park, the coal fired heater in the hut heating it up nicely.

The Dirt.

We walked 11.2 kilometres on today's stroll. This is a lower (altitude wise) section of the Overland Track that passes through a fair bit of forested country, the main side trips today are the two side trips to the waterfalls, both side trips are fairly easy and both are worth doing. The old Windy Ridge Hut that we stayed in has been replaced by the very flash Bert Nicholls Hut now days.

Relevant Posts.

The Overland Track 2003

Day 1 of this walk. 

Day 2 of this walk. 

Day 3 of this walk.

Day 4 of this walk.

Mt Jerusalem 2010 

The author modelling the latest in thermals.