With names like Crosscut Saw, Mount Buggery, Horrible Gap, Mount Despair and The Viking on this circuit plus other nearby location names of The Razor, Devils Staircase, Hells Window, The Terrible Hollow and Hellfire Creek why would anyone want to do this circuit. My sister and I wanted to so we have an idea of what we’re in for when we plan to do the Australian Alps Walking Track in winter next year.
If those names weren’t enough to put someone off doing it I had just come off a mentally and physically draining program at work. I was also getting over a cold that I got during program (thankfully not Covid) and had pressure type sores that were healing on the bottom of my feet. I believe I got them from my very worn inner soles which I removed from my hiking boots half way through program. There were times beforehand that I wasn’t sure if I was going to be up to doing the Viking Circuit but after a day rest with lots of naps and requesting my sister to bring my other pair of hiking boots amongst other things down from Canberra I felt ready.
We did a slightly longer circuit than the usual Viking Circuit as we headed to Barry Saddle after summiting the Viking and then walked the firetrails back to Zeka Spur Track. The usual Viking Circuit heads to South Viking from the Viking then down to the Wonnangatta River and joins the Zeka Spur Track. I also have a short video here from this hike.
Day 1
Mt Howitt Carpark to Macalister Springs
Distance: 4.5km
We left our work base near Buchan about mid-morning and had about a 5 hour drive to the start of the walk. The last part of the drive was on dirt road that varied from very corrugated in parts to pot holes to looking like it was recently graded. Once we got to the Mt Howitt Carpark which was pretty full we finished packing our packs and headed off.
The track to Macalister Springs and Vallejo Gantner Hut was pretty flat with some slight inclinations and we reached the hut pretty much spot on an hour after leaving the carpark. There were a few people camped around the hut. After having a quick look in the hut and going to the toilet with a view we set up camp down near the springs. We then had an early dinner and night. The temperature dropped a bit in the evening which stirred my throat up a little but after some lozenges I got to sleep.
Day 2
Macalister Springs to Catherine Saddle
Distance: 10km
We woke up before sunrise and over breakfast I wandered around the hut and springs taking some photos. After packing up we left in the early morning. Shortly after leaving we got some of our first views out across the Crosscut Saw and the Viking. Even though it was slow going at times due to the very rocky terrain we were making decent time and got to the summit of Mt Speculation just after lunch. We decided to follow the Alps Track down to Catherine Saddle. The track was pretty defined along most of the spur heading NNE from the summit but then started to fade out and we were on and off a bit of a track. As we then headed down we completely lost the track and were bush bashing through some thick bush down until we met Speculation Road which is an old overgrown fire trail. We were definitely glad to see the fire trail as the bush bashing took longer than expected.
Once we got to Catherine Saddle we had a bit of a look around before setting up. To the NW I found an old dug out tunnel thing that I’m not really sure what it is or was. Then to the SE about 150m down an old fire was some water dripping down some rocks with some puddles at the bottom which then seemed to flow underground. There were also some blackberries in the saddle and had a quick snack before setting up. We again had a pretty early night.
Day 3
Catherine Saddle to Barry Saddle
Distance: 11km
It was still dark when we woke and started to get some light after we had breakfast. The sun rose just as we left camp. As we headed up Mt Despair we could see the sun hitting the Crosscut Saw and other mountains through the trees. Then as we were heading down we had some great views out to the north and the Razor. Heading across the Razor was slow and slippery and at times the track was difficult to follow. The track was still slow going after leaving the Razor and heading towards the Viking. We were as we called it playing a game of over and under with all the trees that had fallen across the track. Once we got to Viking Saddle we stopped for an early lunch before heading up the Viking. We also collected some water from the creek to the NE of the saddle before leaving in case we didn’t make it to Barry Saddle for camp.
Heading up the Viking was steep but we soon made it to the chimney section a rock scramble up through the rocks. The first part had a rope to help us up. Angela went up the first bit first with her pack still on. She then hauled my pack up which I tied onto the rope and then I went up. The next part was easier to scramble up but the gap in the rock was smaller so couldn’t fit through with our packs on so we both had to pass our packs up. We were soon at the summit and enjoying the views along with some afternoon tea. Once we had a break and took some photos we headed towards Barry Saddle. The track was mostly easy to follow albeit steep coming down from the Viking. After we were down it drizzled rain on and off a few times as we headed along the few small knolls and saddle before finally getting to Barry Saddle. As we set up our tent we could see some darker clouds in the distance and thought we might get some more rain but it never came. We also saw some gang gangs in the trees near camp. Keeping with our theme we again had an early night with some chocolate and a card game after an early dinner.
Day 4
Barry Saddle to Old Zeka Track
Distance: 27km
We must have packed efficiently as we were walking before light. As we headed up along the track towards Selwyn Track there was nice wood smell in the air from the trees which I enjoyed before getting to the fire trails. Soon after getting to the Selwyn Track we left the Australian Alps Walking Track and continued on to the Wonnangatta Track. There were some great views out from the road junction looking out to the Viking and the valley filled with clouds. We continued down to the Wonnangatta River where we had lunch. The river was crystal clear and only calf deep where we crossed it. Before leaving we refilled our water as we wouldn’t be getting a refill until we got back to the car and then we headed up the long and mostly steep track to the Old Zeka Track. We couldn’t see any signs of were the track left the fire trail and tried to find the track before we set up for camp but couldn’t see any signs of it even though my inReach GPS thought we’d crossed it. We found a nice open area to camp and set up for the night.
Day 5
Old Zeka Track to Mt Howitt Carpark
Distance: 7km
We woke to some misty thick fog and were hoping to find the track and get back to the car by mid-morning. For the first part we were mostly off track navigating and found small bits of track and the occasional cairn. At one point was saw what looked like the back end of a deer take off into the bushes in front of us so not sure if some of the tracks we were seeing were the walking track or animals tracks. After a small bit of steep uphill thick bush bashing we came across another cairn but could see no sign of any tracks. By this point we were pretty soaked from bush bashing through wet bushes. We eventually made our way back to the Mt Howitt walking track although a bit later than we had hoped but we were then soon back at the car. Our car was now the only car in the carpark. It didn’t take long for the Tim Tams to come out from the car and for us to get changed into some dry clothes. We soon headed off on about a 9 hour drive back to Canberra.
Reflecting on the Hike
Total distance almost 60km
Contrary to what most people probably say after doing this hike I felt refreshed both physically and mentally. I think the early nights with plenty of sleep and not having the responsibility of looking after a group of people helped with that. Some of my highlights from the hike were:
- The loo with a view at Vallejo Gantner Hut
- The views from various locations on the circuit
- The smell of the wood after we left Barry Saddle
While it was a great hike it was sad to see some blackberry at times on the circuit, was slightly frustrating when we kept losing some of the tracks and going under and over all the fallen trees got quite tiring. Despite those things I would love to do this hike again and camp at some of the more photogenic locations for sunrise and sunset and do the actual circuit of following the spur down from the South Viking down to the Wonnangatta River.
There are a few things we will need to take into consideration for when we do this section next year on skis. The first being how slow some of the sections will take to cross. The next being the rocky and steep terrain which we are thinking might require micro-spikes. We are hoping we feel confident to cross this section on skis but probably won’t decide until we get to this section and see what the conditions and weather are like at the time.
For those thinking of doing this hike my suggestions are:
- Know how to off-track navigate as some of the tracks fade out
- Make sure to carry enough water and know where you can find water – most of the water refill spots are a walk from the saddles that are popular to camp in and those spots can dry up, the water tank at Barry Saddle had water in when we were there
- Previous experience on various multi-day hikes carrying a full pack
- Have good footwear/hiking boots that have good grip
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