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Published: February 28th 2024
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I am now 8km and 4 hours behind my plan, so it is foolish to push on for another 4 days to Hotham. So, even if I have difficulty sending a message out today, I feel I need to walk into the Jamieson and Howqua valleys rather than on to Hotham.
With the decision made I don’t rush to start walking, but when I'm up at 7am I find the couple who camped last night have already left. The weather looks poor with cloud base only just above the camp which is at about 1500m. I’m walking by 8:30am and reach the saddle at the bottom of King Billy in about an hour as it is easy walking. Before the saddle I see a water monitoring station so correctly guess that this is a good area for mobile comms. I switch on my phone and find I have reception, so message J who calls me back. She will pick me up at noon on Sat from Sheepyard Flat. I also get advice on how to use J’s GPS tracker, which I have being trying to use and successfully send out a GPS message with my location.
The Brocks Road
that crosses the range here is a very good track that looks suitable for 2wd vehicles. It's not too steep so I make good time heading down, but it is a longish 12km to the next junction which I don’t reach until after a stop for lunch. I’m not too worried about water now as I know I’m near major rivers, but most of the creeks I pass are dry.
By 3pm I’m at the Nobs Track junction from where it is just over 5km to the Upper Jamieson Hut. As there is no need to arrive before 5:30 I slow down and enjoy the flat easy walking and the sunny weather. I see another snake sunning itself on a bridge. Next to the Jamieson River there are some delightful campsites and at the 2
nd one I pass I stop for a break. Checking the map, I now look for the best route to Sheepyard Flat. I consider taking the Lickhole Creek Track but see no good reason to take a shorter but harder track so decide to stick to Brocks Road. Having decided on this, it makes sense and saves me 2km, if I camp where I am
rather than press on to the hut. I should have 16.5 km walking tomorrow and about 10 km on Friday - all on the track - which is very manageable, but I do need to climb over the ridge separating the Jamieson and Howqua valleys at Eight Mile Gap tomorrow.
This camp is one of the best, a very scenic spot by the Jamieson River. These campsites are aimed at trout fishermen, but there are none here today. I dry my damp gear and cook up one of the better dehydrated meals. I’ve ditched the remaining cheese and salami, so now have tuna pouches for lunch now. The rest of my snacks and meals will last me until Saturday.
About 6pm a car drives past on the main track but does not stop.
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