Wards Bluff

Wards Bluff and ridge leading to the end

Route      Cardigan Crk - Raglan - Wards Bluff

Location      Raglan Collingwood

Route Summary      Rough and scrubby walk likely to need three days

Walk Description      

This is a description of only part of the walk, simply because the conditions and time prevented us getting all the way to Wards Bluff.
Two reports from quite a number of years ago indicated that the groups did the walk in a long day. One of them from close on 20 years ago took 12 hours whilst the other was a mighty 14 hours. We also had a GPS track log for the major part of the ridge top walk which took 4 ½ hours. Our plan was to do the walk over two days with a camp at a creek that was on the map and also easily visible on satellite images.
The ascent on the old, but revegetating, logging road takes a shade over 2 hours to reach the ridge top. It is a moderately steep slope rising 400 metres over the last 2k of the 4.5k distance.  The route ahead can now at last be viewed. The route along the Raglan is in three parts; initially a wooded ridge, then crossing a lower section that looked to have considerable vegetation then a more open higher ridge.
From the top of the old logging road the ridge has an overgrowing track for 500 metres, with some parts getting quite overgrown.  Beyond that it is mostly quite thick to the high point 1.5k along. Some pink tapes were present through this scrub and takes about 2 hours of actual walking
Water would be a problem along the route, especially after a spell of dry weather.
From our turnaround point there is 6k more to travel including almost 2k before reaching what seemed to be open country.

Map      Collingwood Loddon

Last Updated  Monday, 27 April 2015

Start Point      Cardigan Flats former logging road beside Lyell highway

Start Point      Quite hard due to scrub and is 28k return

Hazards      Navigation is a significant issue

Route Conditions      Rough and scrubby

Facilities       None

Route Grade      MR

Route Distance Klms       14  one way

Days      3

Access       Cardigan Flats - old Bradshaw logging road.

Height Gain metres       634

Gradient       24

Related Links      

Google Bushwalk Photos

Google Bushwalks Blog

Picasa Web

GPS Files - Google Sites

Peak north of Flat Bluff in early morning

 

WardsSatellite

WardsWalked

Section walked red track on satellite image above.

 

WardsUnwalked

Section not walked on this occasion, blue track on satellite image

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