Mt. Wellington - Springs-Organ Pipe track- Chalet - Hunter Track - Junction Cabin - North South Track

A long title and a long walk to go with it. Again, beautiful weather for Autumn, not cold at all.

Travelling towards Hobart we had a little holdup on the Southern Outlet because of a fire in town. However, we turned off onto Proctors Rd. and avoided the rest of the problem.

Bob decided that we would walk in the reverse of the advertised walk, which meant that after leaving the Organ Pipes track and the Chalet, it would all be downhill. With undulations.

Waiting for orders

The initial climb from from the Loop Road where we parked the cars was a wake up call for our legs! Climbing up rough stone steps probably left over from the old Springs Hotel that burned in the 1967 bushfires. After that it turned into a uphill, stony track. Not too steep, and with good views looking over Hobart through the gaps in the gums.


We reached the junction of the Pinnacle Track, which we had just climbed and the Zig Zag and Organ Pipes Track in roughly 45 minutes. We continued along the Organ Pipes Track towards the Chalet. Again it was a rough track, but not boulder hopping and eventually offered some interesting views of the Organ Pipes.

Pinnacle Track

Junction of the 3 tracks

Looking down

Typical bush shrub

Splinter groups

Looking over Hobart with wood-fire haze

Long shot of Tasman Bridge over Derwent River

Organ Pipes

Organ Pipes Track

Looking up the Derwent

Typical track surface with beautifully polished boot

Great colours

Squeeze through the boulders

Trees between track & Organ Pipes

David comparing this view with Illinois

Scree slope

Pensive Addie & Bob waiting for result of serious discussion

There's a track somewhere

Through the tunnel

Addie pointing out a rock in an old tree root - Photo by Carol

At the Chalet. Bob must be losing his grip, they're still smiling

The Organ Pipes consist of dolerite columns forming cliffs just below the summit and are very popular with climbers.

Everyone was in a cheery mood - we'll soon knock that out of them.

Reaching the Chalet which is a stone shelter just above the road to the top, we stopped for a group photo before crossing to the Hunter track on the other side.

Get ready for big drop

More comfortable downhill

Carol took this while I was putting my equipment away. Camera equipment, that is.

Scree slope on Hunter Track

You never know where a pirate will turn up - by Carol

In the dim, dark past this is how the track was marked. You can just make out an arrow carved into the rock within the circle

This drops steeply down and tests what ever the muscles at the front of your thigh are called. We eventually reach a Scree field and tired legs lead to loss of balance and catching your boots on protruding rocks if you're not careful.

While at the back taking photos - where I usually am. A young woman with a light pack and a small dog on lead came running across the rocks and past me as if there was nothing difficult about the track. It was almost too much to stand, I mean it was just showing off! I was tempted to trip her up with my stick, but I remained a gentleman, and smiled through gritted teeth!

Walking sticks are a definite benefit. After a while we clear the scree and the track winds through trees and over the top of a cutting and down towards Junction Cabin. It's called this because a number of walking & cycling trails meet there, 5 in all.

Another Derwent view

After the scree

Don't know what this formation is

Lunch beside the track

Junction Cabin

Leaving Junction Cabin we decided to take the North South track track back to the Springs which is longer then the Lenah Valley track we originally were going to use. However, the North South is constructed as a dual use track for bikes & walkers, so has a smoother surface for those of us who were finding the older tracks difficult.

On the North South Track - by Carol

Carol has a new camera with a great macro setting. This maybe Mycena viscidocruenta.

According to my new book, this looks like Cortinarius austrocinnabarinus but you knew that. By Carol

Haven't identified this yet. By Carol

Rest stop

Man (and woman) behaving badly!

It only took 48 hours to get back to the Springs. I'm joking, of course, it just seemed like it and only took around 2 hours.

Making our way onto the Loop road, we took a short cut up through the bush to reach the cars.

It's at this point I have a little confession to make. I always take my GPS tracker out, turn it on and set it on the roof of the car while we get all our gear on. This gives it time to log the satellites. However this morning I must have had a Senior Moment, as I left it on top of the car.  We were about 20 minutes into the walk before I realized. I expressed my delight with some well chosen words and was resigned to find it missing when I got back.

The mountain smiled upon me (laughed it's self silly) as the tracker was still in position on the car roof and happily recording its (stationary) position.

Someone else, who shall remain nameless, also had a Senior Moment and forget to switch his/her GPS back on after lunch. Given the nautical background, their chosen words were much more colourful then mine.

We had 10 walkers and walked  over 10km, in 4.46hrs, but don't quote me on that.

Similar walk on Lenah Valley track

As an extra added attraction, below are the map & report for my GPS tracker that spent 4:46 hours sitting stationary on the roof of the car. Makes you wonder about the real accuracy of these if it can cover over 2km without moving.