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