Mount Barney - Bushwalking

Bushwalking

There are a dozen or so established bushwalking routes up Mount Barney, however none of them are easy. All the routes require a reasonable level of fitness, and many require advanced route-finding and rock-scrambling skills. Only South Ridge ("Peasants Ridge") can be recommended to less experienced walkers. Whilst the steep route up Logans Ridge to the East Peak summit is often considered to be the most spectacular, all the routes have their attractions. As a rough guide, a trip to East Peak via one of the more direct routes will generally take 8–9 hours return when carrying a day pack. There is usually a flow of drinkable water in the creek at the saddle between East and West Peak, but elsewhere on the mountain, away from the creeks, water is often difficult to find. In addition to the mountain itself, Mount Barney Creek (to the West) and Cronans Creek (to the South-East), the two main creek systems which ring Mount Barney, offer plenty of scope for walking and camping, particularly in the warmer months. Note though that the creeks are prone to flash flooding after heavy rainfall, and that they are potentially quite dangerous at times of high flow.

To date, Mount Barney has attracted only a relatively small number of rock-climbers, perhaps due to the long walk in times and access difficulties. So far, local climbers have generally agreed that the peak should remain "trad only" (i.e. no bolts). The spectacular East Face was first climbed in 1966, and over the years a number of other routes have been put up in the vicinity of Leaning Peak and Isolated Peak. More recently, bouldering (ground-level climbing) has become popular in Mount Barney Creek upstream from the Lower Portals camping area.