Mount Feathertop
Encyclopedia
Mount Feathertop is the second-highest mountain
in the Australia
n state of Victoria
and is a member of the Australian Alps
located entirely within the Alpine National Park
. It rises to 1922 metres (6,305.8 ft) and is usually covered in snow from June to September. Unlike many other Victorian mountains, Mount Feathertop has steep summit slopes instead of a rounded summit dome.
Mount Feathertop's proximity to the Mount Hotham
ski resort
has led to it becoming a popular backcountry skiing
destination. A sizable cornice
usually forms along the summit ridge in winter, the collapse of which has claimed the life of a number of people who stood on it. Snow remaining in the summit gullies in spring
gives the appearance of feathers - hence the name "Feathertop".
.
Dr (later Baron) Ferdinand von Mueller
was the first person to climb Mount Feathertop. Unaware that the peak had already been named, he proposed that it might be named Mount La Trobe after Charles La Trobe
who was Victoria's lieutenant-governor at the time. Members of the Bright Alpine Club made the first winter ascent in September 1889.
A track from Harrietville was cut in 1906 along a similar route to the current Bungalow Spur track and a rough shelter was built near a spring on a flat area below the treeline. The shelter was replaced by Feathertop Hut in 1912.
cover the lower slopes of Mount Feathertop up to an altitude of about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) where Snow Gums
begin to dominate. Above the treeline at around 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft), vegetation consists of alpine shrubland
and grassland
.
The North Razorback track is the shortest and easiest route to Mount Feathertop but it is along a ridgeline and can be very exposed during bad weather. It is possible to drive to within 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of the summit during summer but a winter road closure leaves a walk or ski of 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi).
The South Razorback is a very popular walk in summer and it is a spectacular ski tour in winter. It starts at Diamantina Hut on the Great Alpine Road near the Mount Hotham ski resort and is relatively flat but is also very exposed during bad weather. The south Razorback track covers a distance of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from its start to the summit.
The Bon Accord Spur track starts in Harrietville
and climbs up to the Razorback to join the South Razorback track near the Big Dipper, approximately 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from Diamantina Hut.
The Bungalow Spur track also starts near Harrietville at an elevation of 480 metres (1,574.8 ft). It was built for pack horses servicing the former Feathertop Bungalow and climbs gradually but continually for 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) until it reaches Federation Hut. The track then continues for another 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) until reaching the summit, joining the Razorback and North West Spur tracks along the way.
The Tom Kneen track along the North West Spur is a steep and hard climb starting near Stony Creek and reaching the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club hut after 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi). From the hut, it continues across Feathertop's west face to join the track from Federation Hut to the summit. This route was named after a skier who died in an avalanche on Feathertop during 1985.
The Diamantina Spur track climbs from the Kiewa River West Branch for 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) before joining the South Razorback track about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Mount Feathertop's summit. It offers great views of Mount Feathertop but climbs steeply (very in places) and involves some scrambling over loose shale.
Federation Hut was originally built in 1968-69 by the Federation of Victorian Walking Clubs and is situated on the treeline at the top of Bungalow Spur near Little Feathertop. The hut was renovated and reclad in timber by Ian Stapledon in 1988 but was destroyed by the 2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires
before being rebuit in 2005 by Parks Victoria
.
In 1966 the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club built a large hut at the top of the North-West Spur by carrying materials from the roadhead on the North Razorback track. It was designed by Peter Kneen, a final-year Civil Engineering student at Melbourne University and whose brother was to die 19 years later on Mount Feathertop, and was originally a shiny sliver colour before being repainted its current drab green. The hut has a unique dome shape and includes a spacious upstairs sleeping area.
The Feathertop Bungalow, where visitors in summer and winter could sleep and eat, was built in 1925 but burned down during the Black Friday bushfires of 1939 and was never rebuilt. The site is visible on the Bungalow Spur track but few signs of the bungalow remain.
disappeared at the mountain on 31 August 2009 when he failed to return from his solo hiking journey. Sixty searchers were deployed in the field by Monday evening, 31 August 2009, including Victorian Police Search and Rescue, Bush Search and Rescue and the State Emergency Service
. He was found during the morning on Tuesday 1 September, one day after searchers were deployed on Monday. Uninjured, he reported that he had lost his footing on an icy slope, and slid down into a gully. Disoriented, and with poor visibility, he waited for rescue, using a reflective space blanket
to attract attention.
Graeme Nelson, a 56-year-old doctor from Eden in south-eastern New South Wales, died on 24 August 2011 while skiing with friends in Avalanche Gully on Mount Feathertop. Dr Nelson is believed to have slipped in icy conditions and fell 700 metres down an icy slope, dying before his skiing companions could climb down to reach him.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and is a member of the Australian Alps
Australian Alps
The Australian Alps are the highest mountain ranges of mainland Australia. They are located in southeastern Australia and straddle the Australian Capital Territory, south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria...
located entirely within the Alpine National Park
Alpine National Park
The Alpine National Park is a national park in Victoria , northeast of Melbourne. It covers much of the higher areas of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria, including Victoria's highest point, Mount Bogong and the associated subalpine woodland and grassland of the Bogong High Plains...
. It rises to 1922 metres (6,305.8 ft) and is usually covered in snow from June to September. Unlike many other Victorian mountains, Mount Feathertop has steep summit slopes instead of a rounded summit dome.
Mount Feathertop's proximity to the Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. It is home to Hotham Alpine Resort. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. Mt Hotham's summit rises to an altitude of above sea level...
ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
has led to it becoming a popular backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen powder...
destination. A sizable cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
usually forms along the summit ridge in winter, the collapse of which has claimed the life of a number of people who stood on it. Snow remaining in the summit gullies in spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
gives the appearance of feathers - hence the name "Feathertop".
History
Mount Feathertop was named in 1851 by Jim Brown and Jack Wells, stockmen who worked on Cobungra Station and were the first people to systematically explore the Bogong High PlainsBogong High Plains
The Bogong High Plains are a section of the Alpine National Park in the Australian state of Victoria and are situated south of Mount Bogong. This area forms part of Australia's Great Dividing Range and in winter is one of the largest snow covered areas in the country. It can be easily accessed from...
.
Dr (later Baron) Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
was the first person to climb Mount Feathertop. Unaware that the peak had already been named, he proposed that it might be named Mount La Trobe after Charles La Trobe
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
who was Victoria's lieutenant-governor at the time. Members of the Bright Alpine Club made the first winter ascent in September 1889.
A track from Harrietville was cut in 1906 along a similar route to the current Bungalow Spur track and a rough shelter was built near a spring on a flat area below the treeline. The shelter was replaced by Feathertop Hut in 1912.
Vegetation
Forests of Mountain AshEucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
cover the lower slopes of Mount Feathertop up to an altitude of about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) where Snow Gums
Eucalyptus pauciflora
The Snow Gum is a small tree or large shrub native to eastern Australia.-Habitat:It is usually found in the subalpine habitats of eastern Australia. Snow Gums also grow in lowland habitats where they can reach heights of up to 20 metres. Lowland Snow Gum is sometimes known as White Sallee, Cabbage...
begin to dominate. Above the treeline at around 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft), vegetation consists of alpine shrubland
Shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...
and grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
.
Access routes
The main access routes on Mount Feathertop are the Razorback (north and south), Bon Accord Spur, Bungalow Spur, North-west Spur, and Diamantina Spur. Hiking on the East Ridge, North-east Spur, and Champion Spur has been possible at times after fires but the routes are now overgrown and rarely used.The North Razorback track is the shortest and easiest route to Mount Feathertop but it is along a ridgeline and can be very exposed during bad weather. It is possible to drive to within 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of the summit during summer but a winter road closure leaves a walk or ski of 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi).
The South Razorback is a very popular walk in summer and it is a spectacular ski tour in winter. It starts at Diamantina Hut on the Great Alpine Road near the Mount Hotham ski resort and is relatively flat but is also very exposed during bad weather. The south Razorback track covers a distance of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from its start to the summit.
The Bon Accord Spur track starts in Harrietville
Harrietville
Harrietville is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Great Alpine Road, in the Alpine Shire. At the 2006 census, Harrietville and the surrounding area had a population of 278....
and climbs up to the Razorback to join the South Razorback track near the Big Dipper, approximately 1.5 kilometre (0.93205910497471 mi) from Diamantina Hut.
The Bungalow Spur track also starts near Harrietville at an elevation of 480 metres (1,574.8 ft). It was built for pack horses servicing the former Feathertop Bungalow and climbs gradually but continually for 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) until it reaches Federation Hut. The track then continues for another 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) until reaching the summit, joining the Razorback and North West Spur tracks along the way.
The Tom Kneen track along the North West Spur is a steep and hard climb starting near Stony Creek and reaching the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club hut after 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi). From the hut, it continues across Feathertop's west face to join the track from Federation Hut to the summit. This route was named after a skier who died in an avalanche on Feathertop during 1985.
The Diamantina Spur track climbs from the Kiewa River West Branch for 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) before joining the South Razorback track about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Mount Feathertop's summit. It offers great views of Mount Feathertop but climbs steeply (very in places) and involves some scrambling over loose shale.
Mountain huts
There are two intact huts on the mountain and the ruins of several more.Federation Hut was originally built in 1968-69 by the Federation of Victorian Walking Clubs and is situated on the treeline at the top of Bungalow Spur near Little Feathertop. The hut was renovated and reclad in timber by Ian Stapledon in 1988 but was destroyed by the 2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires
2003 Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires
The Eastern Victorian alpine bushfires, also known as the Great Divide Fire Complex, started with eighty seven fires that were started by lightning in the north east of Victoria on 8 January 2003...
before being rebuit in 2005 by Parks Victoria
Parks Victoria
-Department:Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 1998 makes Parks Victoria responsible for managing national parks, reserves and other land under the control of the state,...
.
In 1966 the Melbourne University Mountaineering Club built a large hut at the top of the North-West Spur by carrying materials from the roadhead on the North Razorback track. It was designed by Peter Kneen, a final-year Civil Engineering student at Melbourne University and whose brother was to die 19 years later on Mount Feathertop, and was originally a shiny sliver colour before being repainted its current drab green. The hut has a unique dome shape and includes a spacious upstairs sleeping area.
The Feathertop Bungalow, where visitors in summer and winter could sleep and eat, was built in 1925 but burned down during the Black Friday bushfires of 1939 and was never rebuilt. The site is visible on the Bungalow Spur track but few signs of the bungalow remain.
Accidents
Victorian Minister Tim HoldingTim Holding
Timothy James Holding is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 1999...
disappeared at the mountain on 31 August 2009 when he failed to return from his solo hiking journey. Sixty searchers were deployed in the field by Monday evening, 31 August 2009, including Victorian Police Search and Rescue, Bush Search and Rescue and the State Emergency Service
State Emergency Service
A State Emergency Service is an Australian volunteer organisation that provides emergency help during and after declared disasters. The SES is also the primary or secondary agency for emergencies, such as storm damage,flood damage, building damage, traffic hazards and road crash rescue...
. He was found during the morning on Tuesday 1 September, one day after searchers were deployed on Monday. Uninjured, he reported that he had lost his footing on an icy slope, and slid down into a gully. Disoriented, and with poor visibility, he waited for rescue, using a reflective space blanket
Space blanket
A space blanket is a blanket used in emergencies to reduce heat loss in a person's body caused by thermal radiation, water evaporation and convection.-Manufacturing:First developed by NASA in 1964 for the US space program, the material consists of a...
to attract attention.
Graeme Nelson, a 56-year-old doctor from Eden in south-eastern New South Wales, died on 24 August 2011 while skiing with friends in Avalanche Gully on Mount Feathertop. Dr Nelson is believed to have slipped in icy conditions and fell 700 metres down an icy slope, dying before his skiing companions could climb down to reach him.
External links
- History of the Feathertop Bungalow on WikiSki