BEN LOMOND

 

1/ The Ben Lomond Plateau is in north eastern Tasmania. From many points in Launceston you can see the Ben Lomond Plateau. It is only 50 minutes from Launceston, so it is the ski centre of north eastern Tasmania. This view shows the Plateau in winter. It was taken from about 20 kilometres away from the Plateau in an area west of the locality of Whisloca.

2/ This is the Ben Lomond Plateau as seen from near Whisloca. The trees in the middle are a part of a vast blue gum plantation. There are many such plantations in north eastern Tasmania.

3/ This photo shows the foreshortening effect that snow can have on an image. The wall of snow is not an advancing glacier, but the distant Ben Lomond Plateau. It was taken from an area east of Whisloca, about 15 kilometres from the Ben Lomond Plateau.

4/ This photo was taken from near the locality of Tayene. This is about 25 kilometres north of the Ben Lomond Plateau. It shows how the Ben Lomond Plateau dominates the landscape of north eastern Tasmania.

5/ This photo was taken from near the locality of Wattle Corner. This is very close to the start of the road that ascend the Ben Lomond Plateau. The view again shows how the Plateau dominates the north eastern landscape.

6/ This is the entrance to the Ben Lomond National Park. From this point onwards visitors must either put chains on their car tyres or travel further on the shuttle bus. Unfortunately, there was no car park for the cars, so the cars just clogged up the narrow approach road.

7/ This is the spectacular view from the Plateau down Jacob's Ladder. Here the road climbs 200 metres via a series of hair pin bends. The view is just awesome.

8/ Around Jacob's Ladders are a series of very steep dolorite cliffs. The forest ends at the Plateau, which is a combination of alpine meadow and rocky crags.

9/ This photo shows the start of the descent down Jacob's Ladder. Note the absence of trees and the orange snow poles, as the Plateau is snow covered in winter.

10/ Dolerite cliffs tower down on you as you drive towards the Ben Lomond Ski Village.

11/ The road to the Ski Village is through alpine meadow and it is covered by snow in the winter. The first lodge of the Ski Village is visible on the extreme left.

12/ This is the Ski Village at the base of Legges Tor. The green building to the left is a public shelter.

13/ There are many lodges at the Ski Village built in a variety of alpine styles.

14/ This photo helps you to appreciate how steep is the climb to the Ski Village.

15/ The Ben Lomond Ski Village looks down onto a plain used for skiing in winter.

16/ Snow makers are used to supplement the ski slopes in winter.

17/ This shows a ski lift rising to the left of Legges Tor. The hill is steeper than it appears.

18/ From the top of the ski trail you can walk to the top of Legges Tor on the right. Again it is steeper than it appears in this photo.

19/ This is the view to the south west. The nearer peak is Giblin Peak.

20/ This is the view to the west. Ben Nevis is showing on the left horizon, while to the right are the Plains of Heaven.

21/ This is the view from near Giblin Peak. Coalmine Grag is to the right and Mensa Moor is to the left

22/ When you climb out of the Valley of Heaven, you see more mountains in every direction.

23/ The hills are steep, rocky and covered in a variety of bushes, which restrict where you can climb.

24/ This is the view from the Ben Lomond Ski Village to Meadow Vale.

25/ The alpine meadow is littered with small pools, which make a contrast to the rocks and lichens.

26/ This is the Ben Lomond Plateau that you see as you approach it from Launceston

27/ This is a view of Ragged Jack. It is 1369 metres high and is on the south western edge of the Ben Lomond Plateau.

 

1/ Steins Crag is on the eastern edge of the Ben Lomond Plateau in north eastern Tasmania. This gallery shows a climb that our club made of Steins Crag in the summer of 2013. Steins Crag is 1350 metres high and is frequently covered in snow.

2/ The first phase of the ascent required our trekkers to climb through a dense regrowth forest.

3/ They then had to hop over scree and scramble over large boulders.

4/ This view was taken near the summit of Steins Crag. It looks towards the north west. The bare patches in the forest cover are areas that have been recently logged.

5/ Finally they reached the plateau. This view looks north at the summit of Steins Crag.

6/ This view looks north from Steins Crag across a shallow valley to Circinus Peak. This is 1306 metres high. Only sparse vegetation grows on the plateau, because the climate is so extreme.

7/ This view looks south to the next major peak on this corner of the Ben Lomond Plateau, which is called Ragged Jack.

8/ The group then trekked east across the Sprent Plains and then the Plains of Heaven towards the Ben Lomond Ski Village.

9/ This view looks east across the Sprent Plains. Note how it is covered by a sparse alpine vegetation.

10/ This view was taken further along the Sprent Plains. The distant peak is Legges Tor, which is the highest point on the Ben Lomond Plateau.

 

1/ Carr Villa is a scout hall near the base of Jacob's Ladder, which is at the foot of the Ben Lomond Plateau. From here you can start or finish a great walk.

2/ The track is rated moderately difficult and 90 minutes is recommended time for the journey. Note the variety of alpine vegetation that you see.

3/ This is the rocky trail that leads up to the Ben Lomond Plateau. Some sections of the trail are steep. The peak on the left is Jacob's Ladder.

4/ The mountains had an ethereal feeling about them. At the base of the peaks are large, scree fields.

5/ This photo shows the ethereal feeling that you get as you watch clouds drift over the peaks of the Ben Lomond Plateau.

6/ I was fortunate to catch this wombat at he rushed by the Carr Villa trail to Legges Tor. Wildlife was replete on the Ben Lomond Plateau.

7/ The Carr Villa trail to Legges Tor went over a scree field near Misery Bluff.

8/ At Misery Bluff you have to climb, but as you ascend, you see beautiful views of the nearby mountains.

9/ This is a close up of Misery Bluff. It would have been very difficult to ascend the scree field to summit it.

10/ This is the view north from the Carr Villa trail towards Mt Ben Nevis. Misery Bluff is to the right.

11/ This photo shows the Plains of Heaven entering the Big Opening that leads down past Misery Bluff to Carr Villa.

12/ The Plains of Heaven is a large flat area bounded on either side by hills. This photo is looking towards the north and the Big Opening.

13/ This photo looks across the Valley of the Plains of Heaven, as you ascend the Carr Villa trail towards Legges Tor.

14/ This view is looking north from the Carr Villa towards the Big Opening.

15/ On either side of you on the Carr Villa trail to Legges Tor you see giant boulders.

16/ This photo shows Legges Tor the highest peak on the Ben Lomond Plateau. The stakes mark the trail to the summit.

17/ This photo shows the view from the summit of Legges Tor looking towards the mountains of the north east.

18/ This photo shows the view from the summit of Legges Tor towards the Monds Chalet and the ski tow towers.

19/ This is the author on the summit of Legges Tor. At 1572 metres it is an achievement to reach it. I dropped my pack and hat and followed an old tradition of adding a stone to the cairn, just before this photo was taken.

20/ This is the Monds Memorial Chalet. It is located at the foot of Legges Tor on the Ben Lomond Plateau.

21/ This view looks up at Legges Tor from the Ski Village road. Beyond this hill is the start of the trail to Carr Villa.

 

1/The colors and contrasts of the Ben Lomond Plateau are well captured in this photo by Steven Jurgeit.

2/ This photo shows the stark cliffs and amazing variety of colors that you can see on the Plateau.

3/ This panoramic view gives you some idea as to how steep and rocky is Jacob's Ladder.

4/ Another view showing the changing colors that regularly appear on Jacob's Ladder.

5/ This photo starkly shows you how steep the cliffs are near Jacobs Ladder.