Panorama and ZigZag Track

 Unfortunately I was unable to walk today but Ron and Chris have provided the commentary and photos.

There was severe weather across the island over the weekend which left the mountain with a covering of snow.

Today's walk started at the Chalet on Mt Wellington just before 10am and proceeded about 800m up the Pinnacle Road towards the Panorama Track. At this time there were only a few cars on the mountain.

Now off the Pinnacle Road and climbing the Panorama Track which proved to be an interesting section of our walk - the track itself rises 150m over its length of 850m and the snow and ice became considerably thicker as we climbed higher making for a tricky climb.  Also for the first 300m there was water running down the middle of the track.

The view back to the city from the Panorama Track.

Arriving at the top of the Panorama Track.

When we reached the top of Mt Wellington the wind was frigid (the BOM site confirmed that the apparent temperature on the mountain was at zero or below for the entire day dropping as low as -5C). By this time (11.30am) there was a constant stream of tourists arriving which ended up resulting in a complete standstill of traffic as the cars trying to leave the car-park had nowhere to go because the road was blocked by the row of cars coming up from the Big Bend.

This looks like a bunch of happy snow lovers.

Morning tea in the shelter hut below the trig point.

Others tried to hide away from the wind.

 
After morning tea we walked past the stationary cars and commenced our descent down the ZigZag Track with its spectacular views of Hobart. Parts of this track were ice affected and required care. We met a surprising number of walkers along the track (some more prepared than others). Fortunately this section of the walk is below the top of the mountain and therefore protected from the full force of the wind making a pleasant descent. 

Lunch spot underneath the Organ Pipes.

And just in case if you were unaware of what the track under the Organ Pipes looked like on Sunday last 48 hours previously here it is. We did a family walk and the kids just loved to walk in the snow.

Which just goes to show if you don't like the weather in Tasmania wait a short period of time and it will change for the better.

There were 13 hardy walkers who covered 7 kms in 3hours 30 mins. During the walk we encountered snow, ice and lots of tourists.