Mt Whitelaw, Baw Baw National Park - May 2020.

Making tracks in the snow near Mt Whitelaw.

   

With our Corona restrictions having lifted a little in Victoria to allow for day walks I figured that it was time to get out and stretch my legs a little. The day before this I had taken my first tentative steps into the wider community with a fairly easy walk thirty minutes from home, all went well and no doubt that walk will pop up on my blog at some stage in the future. I was restless though, I really wanted to head a little further afield and push myself a bit. It had been tough sitting at home watching the first big falls of snow coming down over the last couple of weeks so I figured that I'd head up into the hills and check things out. After jumping onto the snow cams it appeared that Mt Baw Baw still had a bit of snow, however wanting to avoid us much human interaction as possible I decided to avoid the village and head out to Stronachs Camp and head in the back way.

The sun was just starting to reach the canopy off the trees when I set off this morning.

Just getting to Stronachs is a bit of an adventure in itself. A very early start saw me heading up the winding Baw Baw Tourist Road before climbing into the mountains just before reaching Tanjil Bren. Once climbing I followed series of dirt roads, before twenty kilometres after leaving the bitumen I arrived at the deserted Stronachs Camp on Thomson Valley Road just as the rising sun cast its first rays. Now I've been up here a few times over the years so I know a what I'm looking for however if visiting this spot for the first time then it pays to keep a close eye on the map as there are no obvious signs marking the spot. Anyway after successful finding my starting point I re-set the GPS, grabbed my pack and set off heading south along the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) into the Baw Baw National Park.

Very early morning on the lonely Thomson Valley Road - Stronachs Camp is in the trees on the left.

It pays to keep an eye out for clues that you are actually on the AAWT along here.

Like I said clues.

Last time I'd been up here was when I passed through on my AAWT walk a few years ago and it was pretty obvious from the get go today that there hadn't been any track clearing since I'd come through. The ferns and bracken that line the track had been flattened a bit with the big early season dump of snow that I eluded to earlier and had obliterated any semblances of a pad in some spots, things were still followable but they required a little more concentration than normal. While the track was a little harder to navigate, the scenery which was lit up by the early morning light made up for it this morning though, especially as I started climbing a bit and the large moss covered boulders for which Baw Baw National Park is synonymous with (at least in my eyes) started to appear.

The ferns and bracken had been knocked down by a big early season dump of snow.

The suns warmth was inching closer.

Climbing up through the Alpine Ash.

Soon enough the big rocks started to appear.

It was a chilly start to the day.

Baw Baw National Park.

Reaching Rocky Knob not only allowed for some distant views but also meant that the climbing eased off for awhile, it was also the spot that I started seeing a few patches of lingering snow today. Apart from getting a bit of a scrub massage the walking from Rocky Knob to the Upper Yarra Trail turn off was pretty good this morning, I'd passed out of the Alpine Ash and was now walking through Snow Gums. I've waffled on about moss covered big rocks being synonymous with Baw Baw National Park however the Snow Gums up here are absolutely beautiful as well. Where as climate change driven bushfires have decimated Snow Gums over most of our Alps the Snow Gums up here have (so far) been un touched, although like the canary in the coal mine the time is ticking for these trees as the atmosphere slowly warms I guess.

I got some glimpses west through the trees as I approached Rocky Knob.

Rocky Knob was also the spot where I started to see a little snow.

Baw Baw National Park

The Upper Yarra Trail is extremely overgrown unfortunately.

Early morning in Baw Baw National Park.

The AAWT wasn't always overgrown.

Although climbing onto this heathy knoll the pad disappeared for awhile.

I was now following a vague ridge as I made my way towards the old Whitelaw Hut Site, the AAWT  along here undulating a fair bit. It wasn't the undulations that were worrying me today though, no it was the snow covered ground along with the overgrown track that was keeping me concentrating now. The AAWT being particularly vague where it climbed up onto a heath covered knoll however for the most part things were generally OK. With small snow plains off to my left and right, all with lingering snow, and my track through the Snow Gums also now under snow it meant that forward progress was mostly slowed by me stopping to snap off yet another photo. By the time I arrived at the   old Whitelaw Hut Site it was late morning and sitting on a sun warmed rock there wasn't really many places that I'd rather be.

In the spots where the AAWT was beneath the snow I had to concentrate on navigation a bit.

There are a few of the old (and iconic) AAWT markers about.

I was definitely in Snow Gum country now.

Morning smoko was enjoyed at the old Whitelaw Hut Site.

Whitelaw Hut Site.

Suitably refreshed after morning smoko I grabbed my pack and set off to find and climb Mt Whitelaw. I'd missed Mt Whitelaw when I passed through on my AAWT walk last time I was up here, that day was grey and sleety so there would of been no real point of heading up anyway. Under a cobalt blue sky and warmed by the late Autumn sun today was a different story. Now it wasn't all sweetness and light today though, first I had to find the mountain. Yes, with Mt Whitelaw only marginally higher than the AAWT I was thinking that it was going to be tricky to locate the old cairn in the Snow Gums. Heading north along the AAWT now I was watching the map and looking for the spot where the AAWT sidled a slightly higher ridge around thirty minutes north of the old hut. Thankfully after a bit of map and GPS work I located the ridge I was looking for and started my scrub bash along the ridge heading in a north easterly direction. As far as off track walking goes this wasn't a particularly hard side trip although the intermittent covering of crusty snow didn't help as I post holed my way through the brittle surface. 

Heading back along the AAWT I had my foot prints to follow.

Along with the very occasional AAWT marker - interestingly it appears that the AAWT is marked better when walking north?

Totally off piste now heading for Mt Whitelaw.

A little over half a kilometre after leaving the AAWT I found the old cairn that marks the summit of Mt Whitelaw, now it was time for lunch. Sitting up here on Mt Whitelaw in the sun surrounded by beautiful Snow Gums the Corona Virus suddenly seemed a long way away, actually since setting off this morning the bloody virus had barely crossed my mind as I'd concentrated on more immediate concerns, this was definitely good for my mental health.

The old Mt Whitelaw summit cairn.

Mt Whitelaw

There are no real long range views from Mt Whitelaw.

With no big views I settled for the arty blogger wanker shot!...

...and the Snow Gums.

With lunch finished it was time to set off again. First off I had find the AAWT again, although now I had my footprints in the snow to follow like a trail of bread crumbs. Successfully locating the AAWT I resumed my journey back down to the ute, the afternoon sun and change of direction now giving me something of interest to photograph. After losing the track for a bit as I dropped off the heathy knoll I soon found it again and continued my journey north. Passing by the turn off for the Upper Yarra Trail the temperature was already starting to drop quickly and after the AAWT also started to drop quickly after passing Rocky Knob I was soon into the shade making things even cooler. Reaching an area of tree ferns and bracken signified that my walk was almost over. Arriving back at the ute shortly afterwards I pulled off my wet boots and set off home, arriving at around 7pm after what had been a 14 hour day, a day where my only human interaction had been with the girl at the drive through at Maccas - yes, this is my idea of social distancing!

Retracing my foot prints back to the AAWT.

There were a couple of thicker belts of scrub to negotiate.

Back on the AAWT again....yes, it was that vague in spots!

Lower down on the AAWT I had my personal favourite obstacles to negotiate...

... along with sections of head high heath.

It's a total guess however I'm thinking that high plateau in the distance is Lake Mountain.

The Dirt.

I walked 23.8 kilometres and climbed 870 metres on what was a hard day out. The AAWT through here is getting fairly overgrown (a track clearing section had been scheduled early this year but the virus put a stop to that). The track can still be followed however it is probably not for beginners, especially when there is snow on the ground. The side trip out to Mt Whitelaw is totally off piste and while the alpine scrub wasn't super hard to navigate through it does ramp things up a bit in the difficulty rating. There is very little in the way of sign posting and track marking up here, there are a few of the older types of AAWT markers around and a couple of national parks sign posts - one 50 metres off Thomson Valley Road and one at the Upper Yarra Trail junction however apart from that there is nothing. I used John Chapman's notes out of his AAWT book along with Rooftop's Walhalla-Woods Point Adventure Map and my GPS topo's today.

Relevant Posts.

Whitelaw Hut Site to Thomson River Camp, Baw Baw National Park, 2017.

Baw Baw Village Circuit, Baw Baw National Park, 2018.

I was making the most of the late afternoon sun now.

Dropping back into the Alpine Ash.

Approaching the Thomson Valley Road in the late afternoon.

The ferns and bracken signalled that my walk was almost over.

Time to head home. There was a couple of vehicles parked a bit further down the road at Stronachs - maybe they missed the memo about no camping?