Cathedral Range Circuit

I have been to the Cathedral Range a number of times.  These were walks with the YHA Bushwalking and the Springvale Community Health Service’s Bushwalking and Other Activities Group.

One other visit to the Cathedral Range was to lead an overnight walk in 2005 for Victorian National Parks Association’s Bushwalking and Other Activities Group.  The plan for the walk, that had been arranged is shown in the picture below.

Two day walk plan in Cathedral Range

Map for the two days of walking

Cathedral Range State Park is located 113 kilometres northeast of Melbourne and it takes about one and a half hours of driving to get there.  The closet town is Buxton and the turn-off to the park is about 10 kilometres to the east.  Cooks Mill Campground, in the park, was our meeting place early Saturday morning, the first day of the two day walk. 

On day one, four VNPA's members, including myself, left Cooks Mill Campground (an old logging mill site) with overnight packs, walking an easy one kilometre west-wards to the junction at Jawbone Carpark.  We ignored Cerberus Road to the left which led to Sugarloaf Saddle Carpark, and continued on by following Jawbone Creek walking track.  From here, the track became steadily steeper and we started to "keep an eye out" for a spring, which was located just after the track and creek junction, which was about 800 metres from the Jawbone Carpark.  Because water was not available at the Farmyard campsite, so after having had a rest, we took out a few containers and filled them up with water for both cooking meals and for carrying on walks including the next day.  

We arrived at The Farmyard campsite in good time, and so after our tents were up, we set off for Razor Ridge to go to Mt Sugarloaf in the Southern Range, then backtracked to the campsite for dinner and socialization.  It was quite chilly that night but we soon warmed up with a small campfire.  I read somewhere that today campfires are not allowed at the Farmyard campsite now.  I can understand why!

Lunch stop on the Razorback - Southern Range

On day two, we traversed the Northern Range, taking in the Cathedral Peak and the Little Cathedral walking tracks. 

 Wildlife

View from the Cathedral Range

 Second day lunch stop

Cathedral Peak

Rocky Ridgeline

 Looking south along the Cathedral Range

 

Cathedral North

 Little Cathedral

After leaving Little Cathedral, we retraced our steps to the junction, at which we took the walking track which led south-wards to Neds Saddle.  We then took Ned Gully walking track down to the Little River track.  It was an easy and pleasant walk along the river and it did not take us long to get back to our starting point at Cook Mill Campground.

We were lucky with the weather and I enjoyed the weekend and the company of the other walkers.

 Me on the range
Cathedral North, One day walk