Australian Alps Walking Track

Well my friends, the time has come to finally set foot back on trail and take on another long distance hike. This time the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT) is calling.

The AAWT has been on my bucket list for years but because it sits in my backyard it has always been placed on the back burner with my longer breaks dedicated to overseas travel in more recent years. I’ve hiked many different sections of the Alps Track but have never linked it up from start to finish. I kept telling myself I would always come back to it and 2023 is the year to do just that.

The AAWT is not the longest hiking track in Australia but arguably has to be the most scenic and iconic long distance hikes our country has to offer. Stretching from the historic gold mining town of Walhalla in Victoria, the AAWT extends north east for around 680km through the Alps to Tharwa in the ACT.

It is not any easy track by any means and can be logistically challenging. From all accounts I’m expecting a mix of nicely benched and graded surfaces; to thickly overgrown sections with scrambles up, under and through tree blow downs; to four while drive tracks and off track sections that require careful navigation; and many straight up and straight back down again parts especially within the first 10 days. Plus many open alpine meadows.

Townships are few and far between and most hikers choose to place food drops out prior to commencing on foot. I’ve done just that with three barrels strategically placed in the bush to collect along the way near Rumpff Saddle, Benambra-Corryong Road and Kiandra; and will resupply in between from Mt Hotham and Thredbo. This gets my food carries down to 4 to 5 days and significantly lowers pack weight. Others choose to not cache any food and simply resupply from just Hotham and Thredbo or hitch out to bigger towns including Bright and Jindabyne, carrying 10 -12 of food in one hit.

But getting caches out was a pain in the butt requiring multiple long weekend drives. The worst was Kiandra. I had a single opportunity to get my barrel out which just happened to be a weekend I came down with man flu. With no other choice I made the long drive north, hiked out in the pouring rain, crossing the knee deep snow melt waters of the Eucumbene River not once but twice. And then there was Rumppf Saddle. With a seasonal road closure in place along the Licola-Jamieson Road I had to take back country tracks through State forest areas. Let’s just say it was rough. I’m now down two rear mud flaps and sustained minor panel damage on my ute. Of course what you place out, you have to collect again after finishing the hike.

Based on my longer thru hikes, I reckon I can complete the AAWT in three weeks but I’ve given myself a leisurely four. This gives plenty of time to relax, take my time and not rush, lapping up the time spent outdoors. The only real deadline I have is a flight out from Canberra to Queenstown in New Zealand – if I make it that far. From there I will jump straight into another challenging route to take on the Dusky Track in Fiordland, NZ’s hardest tramp. That will be a whole new blog series to look forward too.

For now there is nothing left to do but count down the days and work on getting my gear into a 40 Lt pack. Kick off is in 9 days.