A group of 5 hardy souls recently completed a 12 day mission to traverse the Prince of Wales range in the South West, one of Tassie's hardest walks.

Aaron Scott sent me these photos of Diamond Peak, which is the biggest peak in the range. AFAIK there are no routes on it besides wandering up the back.

Mainly because its an epic just getting there, and the very overhanging nature of the main face.
Diamond Peak main face
Pointy bits
Diamond Peak from a distance
Showing the angle of the main face
Diamond Peak from the side
Diamond Peak from the side
Diamond Peak from the side

 

  • No labels

5 Comments

  1. Simon Young

    It must be about 150m high? I'd hazard a guess that the sandy colouring on the main face hints at loose rock. Looks like yet another wilderness crag awaiting an adventure! What is the approach out of curiosity?

    1. Jon Nermut AUTHOR

      several days of scrub bashing south of the lyell highway. I'm sure Stu Bowling or Aaron Scott would tell you all about it for the price of several beers

  2. dave james

    wow! not many people have ever been there!

     

  3. Phil Robinson

    Diamond Peak Access

    Great photos and fantastic weather. A sterling effort by the lads to traverse the whole POW range, a botanical dream or nightmare, depending on your outlook.

    I wonder which way Aaron, Stu and co. went in.

    The quickest way to start may still be along the Jane River track.

    Chris (Basil) Rathbone and I managed a lightweight w/e trip that way in the 1970s, walking the JR track on a Friday night.

    It was the first and last time I was stupid enough to use a polythene bivvy bag.

    Although we were climbers, the thought of carrying climbing gear through such scrub never entered our minds, or if it did, it left very quickly.

    Although spectacular, the cliff is quite small. Nevertheless it would be a fun place to climb.

     

    1. Aaron Scott

      Hi Phil,

      We walked in the Jane River Track and stayed in the old mining hut on the 1st day.

      Over Algonkian - the botanical nightmare and I'm sure you know the rest. Hit Diamond Peak on day 5 - after dealing with the extremely hot weather.

      We dropped off the range at Mt Humboldt and followed the Denison River out after it became very apparent that the full traverse to Olegas Bluff was going to be a full-on nightmare.

      In hindsight - we wonder if it could have been that much worse that the scrub choked river valley?

      Likewise I couldn't imagine carry climbing gear in there.... It would appear possible to access Diamond Peak via a route from Lake Gordon used by Rafters with the help of a boat which would probably get you in there the quickest? Either way - there is nothing easy about the Prince Of Wales Range.

       

      Cheers

       

      Aaron