Three Adventures: The Viking
Walked November 1990, Posted Friday 13th September 2024
Contents
Some of the most spectacular scenery in the Victorian Alps is found around Mt Howitt. The Crosscut Saw and Mt Speculation have breathtaking views over deep valleys, and are carpeted with wildflowers in the warmer months. In the distance to the east looms The Viking with its distinctive twin horns.
Day 1: Mt Speculation
We made a late morning start from the Howitt Plains car park. The walking track had a fair amount of fallen timber on it, like much of the Alps this year after the heavy winter snows. There were also many snowdrifts still around, though they appeared to be melting quickly, and had miniature tunnels and ravines cut through them by the melt water.
By midday we had reached the Vallejo Gantner Hut at Macalister Springs. It’s a nice hut with an unusual triangular design, and is in a great location with good campsites around it. We could see the back of Mt Howitt, and it presented a quite different view on this northern side, with rocky bands on display instead of grassy slopes.
The Crosscut Saw and Mt Buggery. Our route for the afternoon was across the ridgetop from left to right.
When we continued on we went straight up to the top of the ridge, ignoring the track which goes along by the spring. We were rewarded with great views over Terrible Hollow from a rocky outcrop. From there we followed the ridge to where it joins on to main ridge between Howitt and The Crosscut Saw. The views were great, encompassing Mt Buffalo, Mt Bogong and Mt Feathertop, all still with snow.
Now that we were no longer protected by the ridgetop a cool breeze was blowing and provided welcome relief from the hot sun. The sky was full of little clouds, but somehow they never seemed to block the sun.
We stopped for lunch in the shade of a big snow gum just before the first big tooth of The Crosscut Saw. There were several large snowdrifts along The Crosscut Saw, some still quite deep. It must be an impressive sight in winter.
Snowdrifts on The Crosscut Saw.
It was very nice walking along the teeth of the Saw in sunshine and with wonderful views. Though the later part on the approach to Mt Buggery1 was slow work, and seemed to take ages.
We reached the summit of Mt Buggery mid-afternoon. It was a nice little spot, ringed with trees. We rested there for a while, and while we did a little bird appeared and started feeding its chicks in the hollow left by a broken branch.
Small cliffs on the ridge leading up to Mt Speculation.
After leaving Mt Buggery we dropped down to Horrible Gap, then climbed through very pleasant country featuring many big old snow gums. Our last obstacle was the four small cliffs that guard the approach to the summit of Mt Speculation.
Dad ascending the cliffs approaching Mt Speculation.
We arrived at the campsite on the far side of the summit a couple of hours before sunset, and had the place to ourselves. Indeed, we had only seen two other groups all day.
We built a small fire and made our tea. The sky cleared and a cold wind sprang up, foreshadowing a chilly night. We were grateful for the warmth of the tent when our meal was finished. The wind was howling through the trees, but we were comfortably sheltered from it.
During the walk today we’d seen many different birds: crows and currawongs, black cockatoos, a flame robin, and the little bird at the summit of Mt Buggery. And there were some flowers out already: a couple of wattles in pale gold and lemon, and various shrubs with purple pea flowers or tiny white-star flowers.
Day 2: Viking Saddle
It had been a cold night, but I was nice and warm in my sleeping bag. We had a clear sky and a full moon, the bright stars shone, and the valleys all around filled with cloud. The sunrise was spectacular: the horizon lit up red and gold, while the sea of clouds filling The Terrible Hollow were still dark blue.
Sunrise at Mt Speculation, with Terrible Hollow filled with cloud.
We made our start a couple of hours later. Just before we left a pair of women appeared up the water track. Our route was the shorter and steeper track directly over to Catherine Saddle, which we reached in about an hour. On the way we took a break at a great lookout before the big drop, where there was a big gash through the cliff and several rock towers.
Cloud in the Wonnangatta Valley.
Leaving Catherine Saddle we made good time up to Mt Despair, the latest in a series of dismally-named geographical features. There were some beautiful short wattles dotted throughout the forest. They had only a few elongated leaves and little clusters of perfumed flowers. We took a break while a breeze whispered through the trees.
Our good progress continued as we headed towards The Razor. Then began the steep and rough section through to the junction of the track to The Viking. We managed to follow the path for a fair while before it disappeared. The going was slow and tough, but the navigation was straightforward.
Heading towards The Razor. The cliffs at the top right are The Viking.
Half way along we spotted someone floundering around in the bush lower down. We called out to him and he came up and joined us.
Our struggles continued until we came to a huge gap in the rock. We decided to head upwards and, fortunately, could get through. After that we made it over to the junction without any trouble, where we had a long rest and ate lunch.
The track now descended the red conglomerate spur into the forest, which we followed with little difficulty. That part of the forest was pretty open, mostly woollybutt with some wattles. Every now and then we climbed a little knoll as we followed the ridge. When the ridge eventually turned east we dropped off the side to descend to Viking Saddle, and found a beautiful little pardalote by the side of the track.
As we descended we met a group of four men coming up the hill who had come across over The Viking. It wasn’t long before we reached the grassy campsite in the saddle. From the saddle there was a great view of The Viking towering above the forest.
The Viking looming above the Viking Saddle campsite.
We collected water from the Buffalo River to the north, then made a fire for tea and sat round it till well after sunset. Two other groups turned up from the direction of The Viking. One was a group of four who we had met on the first day, and the other a group of six who had gone down off The Crosscut Saw and across the valley: a rather more difficult and less scenic route than we had taken.
Earlier when I was collecting wood for our campfire, I broke up some small branches which made a series of loud “crack” sounds. When the group of six arrived shortly afterwards they asked me if I’d heard the gunshots. They wouldn’t believe it was just me breaking firewood, preferring to believe a gunman was on the loose in the forest…
As the light faded the bright snow gum trunks glowed against the dark forest. Then after the sun had gone down all that was left was the silhouette of the snow gums against the stars, and the call of the mopokes.
Day 3: The Viking
We woke early this morning to the sound of birds singing. After a quick breakfast we set off on a side trip to The Viking with just a light pack, following the track into the open forest behind the campsite.
The track was pretty steep but not too hard, at least not with our light load. We came up under the cliffs of the summit, then turned south along their base until we came to a small gap that led up through them. We scrambled up through the rocks, with pack hauling needed in one place where the route passed under some rocks. No doubt this would be much more of a challenge with a full pack.
The track wandered up toward the summit of the northern peak of The Viking. The view from the top was tremendous: the entire route of our walk could be followed from Macalister Springs, past Howitt, over The Crosscut Saw and Speculation, over Despair, and with The Razor off to the east.
The view from The Viking.
The morning light was clear, and it was an excellent time of day for the view with the surrounding ridges and peaks lit up. We walked around the summit area for a while. Just below the top was a shelf where we could look down on the saddle where we’d camped.
Off to the north was a beautiful little plateau protected on most sides by rocky teeth. From on top of the teeth we got a magnificent view of The Viking’s summit, with The Crosscut Saw in the background. It would make a great campsite, though water would need to be carried in.
The Viking.
Macalister Springs, Mt Howitt, and The Crosscut Saw from The Viking.
It didn’t take us long to get back down to the saddle. We packed up quickly and left, since the day was getting hot and we had a long way to go to return to Mt Speculation. The climb up through the forest back towards The Razor was tiring, with the air still and warm under the trees, but before too long we were back up on top of the red conglomerate spur.
Descending through the cliffs back to Viking Saddle.
We rested for a while in the shade. The group of four were a little way along the ridge in front of us going back towards Despair. I climbed up to the top of the ridge and could see the group of six returning from a side trip to the summit of The Razor.
The Razor as seen from The Viking.
We set off back towards Despair and in no time had overtaken the group of four. With a little luck we managed to follow the proper track all the way back to the saddle at the end.
Initially the track followed the top of the ridge, winding over and through the rocks at the crest. Later it dropped a little and followed the base of the rock on the edge of the forest. It was only when there was a few hundred metres to go before the saddle that the track descended into the forest. At that point there is a marker on a tree close to the base of the rock.
While we were walking this section we disturbed a black falcon, which leapt out of a tree and glided down into the valley.
After a rest at the saddle we climbed up to the summit of Mt Despair for lunch. From there we dropped down to Catherine Saddle. I had a look in the dugout, which was pretty decrepit. With no water up at the Speculation campsite we took the opportunity to collect some from further down the road at the first horseshoe bend, returning to camp on the connecting walking track.
We made camp up on Speculation at the Viking end of the campsite, where we had a great view. After setting up the tent we had a long rest. I laid on the branch of a snow gum for a long while, just listening to the breeze in the trees. It was more comfortable than you’d think.
Mt Speculation campsite.
Who needs a hammock?
We didn’t go to bed until after sunset. The clouds that had begun to build up in the afternoon had vanished leaving a clear sky, with a wind blowing from the northwest.
Day 4: Howitt Plains
The sunrise was accompanied by a few spots of rain. The sky was very dark in places, and it was raining on some of the other peaks. Behind The Viking was a strip of orange cloud, but all else was grey.
We were away an hour after sunrise, with the cool overcast conditions making walking pleasant. At the right angle bend coming down off Speculation we found another flame robin, one of many we saw on this walk. After the hard climb up on to Mt Buggery we had a well-deserved rest.
Sunrise behind The Viking.
The traversal of The Crosscut Saw was much easier in the cool conditions, and by the time we reached the far end the sun had broken through. It had only been a few days since our outward crossing, but already there were noticeably more flowers in bloom. There was also much less snow. We had a good view over to Mt Stirling, which had a great deal of snow left on it, more than Buller it seemed.
We turned off towards Macalister Springs, bypassing Mt Howitt. At the hut we ate our lunch then set off for Howitt Plains. We had less trouble with the track than on the first day, since some of the snow had melted which made finding the way a little easier, plus we were more familiar with the route. Though despite that we missed the shortcut foot track, and so ended up following the jeep track all the way back to the car.
Continue to Part 2: Tin Mine Cove
Footnotes
- There is evidence the name was first applied by a member of the Melbourne Walking Club in 1934. When Stewart Middleton was faced with the prospect of yet another laborious climb he exploded with the words “What another bugger! I’ll call this mountain Mt Buggery”. The name eventually found general acceptance. From: Budge, Alan (1992). No End To Walking. ISBN 0949847127. ↩
