Lake Skinner 2018

Today Bob is leading us into Lake Skinner, a walk I had read about but not done.

It's about an hour and a quarter travelling from Kingston, much of that on forestry roads past Judbury.

The weather isn't bad as we turn off to the entrance to the track, parking in the space provided.

The track had work done on it back in 2015 and is clearly marked as we set off.

I query the 3 hrs return to Lake Skinner, I suspect the same person also wrote the directions to the start in the online Parks & Wildlife pamphlet in which they tell you to take Russell Road out of Judbury. Good luck with that. I suggest Lonnavale Road instead. I have since found out it used to be known as Russell Road, but not on any map I have. Or can find online.

I have seen other blogs where they claim to have reached Lake Skinner in 1.5 hours while carrying blow-up boats and other equipment, but I remain sceptical.

Putting these things behind us, we set off.

Start of the track

This sign is closer to the truth

Which is 4-5 hours return, 6.5km and hard.

The area has been logged in the past, but there are a few big trees left.

It's wet and everyone is on the look out for leeches, but I don't believe anyone had one.

We come to a boot washing station. For anyone overseas, these stations have brushes to clean your boot soles and a spray to control the spread of Phytophthora root rot fungus.

Everyone clean, we move off. As we go, I keep my eye out for any interesting fungus growing along the track.

Evidence of work done in 2015, raised walk ways across wet areas.

You tend to watch your feet as you climb

There are more rocks to make our way over, some quite large.

Geoff walking past a couple of Pandani

Later, I have to go on hands and knees under a log

Morning Tea...

... but nowhere to sit

We're really roughing it now.

The photos below show some of our surroundings.

Mossy garden covering large rock

Climbing Heath - Prionotes cerinthoides

We start our climb, crossing the old track according to the map.

The track can be a bit wet

A group of Pandani, or giant grass tree

I've never seen them this high, the ones I've seen have been much shorter.

They can grow from two to twelve metres or six to 40 feet

The size I usually see on our walks

 On we go, climbing all the time until we reach the top of the ridge.

Looking back

We're getting higher now

The distant ridge has cloud on top

 Over the ridge and starting down, we pass large rocks dumped here in the dim past

Alpine area and the cloud is getting lower

Looking east

This is what the track looks like now

Rock hopping now, good for the legs.

In answer to the question from someone, "Are we there yet?"

I'm told Bob answered "Just a hop, skip and a jump". All good bushwalking terms.

Just around this large rock is a surprise

Bob was right!

Lake Skinner

It's too bad about the low cloud because it obscures the view of Snowy South over there somewhere.

It's a light drizzle and everyone has donned their wet weather gear, and we retreat to the shelter of the large rock for lunch.

Lunch

 It's only when leaving I realize the outlet of the lake is just over there, this is the top of the Falls Rivulet. Next time I'll know and explore.

Falls Rivulet

Back we go, following the track which is marked by some faded orange ribbon.

Beginning the trek back

The small logs provide a balance exercise

Heading back down

Contrasting trunks

Behind as usual as I take photos, I catch up to this sight. A wealth of walkers on a wooden plank. I still don't know what was really going on.

Soon we're back at the cars.

We had 14 walkers and covered 6.7km in 5:38hrs. This was a great walk, even with the cloud. I was asked if it will become a regular walk in our repertoire and the answer is yes.

The climb to the top of the first ridge isn't all that steep, just a lot of rocks to get over.

The height of Lake Skinner is 970 metres this roughly equivalent to Big Bend on Mt. Wellington.

Click here to download GPX file

Overview of Lake Skinner