There was a downside on my recent Bogong Plains hike – the tread on my Asolo hiking boots started coming off.
Thankfully it happened on the last day and when I was only about 7km away from the car – it could have been worse. I only realised what was happening when I noticed a funny “flapping” sort of feeling from my feet as I walked.
It was an annoying surprise, especially as the boots have only done a few hard, long walks and I’ve looked after them with cleaning and water proofing.
I called the shop where I’d bought them to ask where I could get them fixed (they were out of warranty of course) and why this had happened.
The guy on the phone said the glue had probably failed because I hadn’t used the boots enough. Really? Is that a thing? If you don’t use your boots enough they’ll fall apart? Seems a bit counterintuitive.
Anyway, I got the soles replaced and the boots are near new again. It was an expensive repair but it was cheaper than buying a new set of boots – just! I’m also now doing short walks with them occasionally around the neighbourhood to make sure the glue doesn’t fail this time.
After a year of pandemic and lockdowns, I got the chance to blow away the camping cobwebs with the hike on the Bogong Plains I had to abandon in early 2020 because of bushfires.
I’d originally planned to do a one-way walk from Mt Hotham to Falls Creek – the reverse of the popular Falls to Hotham Alpine Crossing – but after consulting the map, worked out I could do a circuit from Hotham.
My route was:
Day 1 – Hotham to Dibbins Hut, via Derrick Hut – about three hours
Day 2 – Dibbins Hut to Cope Hut – about six hours
Day 3 – Cope Hut to Weston Hut, via Pretty Valley Pondage and Tawonga Huts – about seven hours
Day 4 – Weston Hut to Federation Hut via Blair Hut and Diamantina Spur – about six hours
Day 5 – Federation Hut to Hotham via the Razorback – about six hours
It was a good, not overly strenuous walk. Even heading up Diamantina Spur wasn’t as hard as I had built it up in my mind to be after reading about it. Steep in places yes, but keeping to a slow and steady pace with breaks and it was okay getting up. The tracks were easy to follow – a mix of single and vehicle tracks and following snow poles.
The huts were great to see, supporting so much history. Some, like Dibbins, Tawonga and Blair are original cattle grazier huts. Cope was built in the 1920s as the area’s first ski lodge. Weston is a replica of a grazier hut that burnt down a long time ago in a bushfire and Derrick a ski hut.
Derrick Hut
Dibbin Hut
Camping platforms near Dibbin Hut
Dibbin Hut
Cobungra River at Dibbin Hut
Cope Hut
Inside on a rainy afternoon.
Inside Cope Hut
Tawonga Huts
Tawonga Huts
Tawonga Huts
Weston Hut
Inside Weston Hut
Weston Hut
Blair Hut
Inside Blair Hut
Inside Blair Hut
Federation Hut below
The scenery was spectacular. Wonderful views into forested valleys and across to the high plains. Lots of wildflowers were out. Grassy plains crisscrossed by small, clear streams. The snow gum trees were amazing. They look so ancient and solid. But sad to see so many were also just skeletons from past bushfires.
Looking across to the Bogong High Plains from the start of the walk. Mt Hotham ski resort is on the other side of the ski lifts.
Mt Feathertop in the distance and The Razorback
On the way to Derrick Hut
View from Derrick Hut
Snow gum and regrowth
Bridge over the Cobungra River at Dibbin Hut. Camping platforms and tent sites in the trees to the right.
Bogong High Plains
Bogong High Plains
Pole 333. The junction for a number of tracks on the plains.
On the way down to Blair Hut from Weston Hut
Steep, rocky bit on Diamantina Spur
Mt Feathertop
I saw a herd of brumbies (feral horses) on the plains which made me a bit cranky. Brumbies shouldn’t be in the national park and should be culled. They are feral animals and don’t belong in that environment. There were a few signs along the walk about feral deer control but nothing about brumbies unfortunately.
Brumbies
The weather was mixed – clear, then cloudy, cool, a bit of rain on two nights, but nothing dramatic. It was actually nice to be at Cope Hut while it rained. Sitting around in the hut chatting with fellow walkers while waiting for a clear window to set the tent up.
In fact, meeting and talking to people was one of the highlights of the walk. Everyone was friendly with interesting stories about themselves, what they do, and walks they’ve done.
One important lesson that was reinforced for me was to always, ALWAYS do a final sweep/look around before you leave your campsite or where you’ve packed your backpack. At Cope Hut I packed my pack in the hut in the morning because it was still a bit rainy and damp outside. I’d put my contact lenses in and put my glasses in their case. I was about to leave when I remembered to do a final look around the hut to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. And sure enough, found my glasses case in a dark corner of one of the old wooden bunks where I’d been putting stuff before packing it. You can imagine the wave of relief I felt. So remember, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do a final look around a campsite or wherever you’ve packed your pack before hitting the track for the day.
POSTSCRIPT – Just a few days after I’d posted this, this article on the ABC website appeared about die back of snow gums. And the cause – a beetle.
The Outdoorsy Type 