What is an Abel.

“THE ABELS is a love affair with mountains. Like all love affairs, it can be as intense as you desire”. Bill Wilkinson, Author, THE ABELS.

So far I have climbed 158 Abels. And, Yes that is all of them!

The list of the Abels I have climbed is below - simply click on the link to read each blog or read my latest article here.

The following excerpt taken from THE ABELS website.

“To establish a list of Tasmania’s authentic mountains amid the aggregation of Tasmania’s elevated regions, Bill Wilkinson decided, after many years of contemplation and observation that the following points needed to be considered:

1. a means of defining a mountain

2. the inclusion of only the superior or pre-eminent features – to distinguish them from hills

3. objectivity

4. simplicity

By carefully balancing the above points and after considerable thought, he determined that the two criteria which adequately satisfy them are:

1. choosing a minimum height of 1100m. This provides a reasonable altitude range of 517m, i.e. 1617m (Mt Ossa) to 1100m. Peaks lower than a third the height of Mt Ossa are not considered to be mountains on a state-wide basis.

2. defining a mountain in this height range as having a minimum drop of 150m on all sides before higher ground is reached, regardless of extent. This allows the highest peaks in plateaux and ranges to be selected and relegates other peaks as subsidiary hills.

If a feature satisfies these two tests it is accepted. The term coined for these mountains is ‘ABEL’ after Abel Tasman the first European to sight them. His log contains numerous drawings of the mountainous landscape seen from his vessel as he travelled along the west, south and east coasts.

After months of analysing maps based on the two criteria, Bill Wilkinson drew up the Abel Tables which are included on this website. From a walking perspective the list of 158 Abels is both finitely limited and their ascents achievable.

THE ABELS Books

I strongly recommend investing in all copies of THE ABELS books if you intend to climb these mountains. They provide a wealth of history, walking information and advice as well as beautiful images and useful essays on the regions you will spend time in. They can be found at all good bookstores or on THE ABELS website.

Abel mountains I have climbed?

I consider THE ABELS a very generous gift from Bill Wilkinson to the world of wanderers. It may take me a lifetime to intimately explore these beautiful mountains but that is part of the appeal. Indeed, I may never reach them all. But, nothing in life that comes easy is valued as much as those things we work for.

Below is the list of Abels I have climbed to date. Not all the Abels I have climbed will have a blog post on the website (yet) as I had climbed quite a few before I started sharing my adventures. If there is one listed here that isn’t on the blog currently feel free to send me any questions you might have. Alternatively, if you want to read the latest blog simply click here.

Abbotts Lookout (12/10/19)
Achilles (30/12/19)
Acropolis (22/3/21)
Adamsons Peak (24/4/22)
Agamenmon (28/11/21)
Albert (24/3/19)
Aldebaran (23/1/21)
Anne (27/12/21)
Arthur (9/9/17 - First ever Abel!!)
Barn Bluff (2/1/19)
Barrow (23/2/20)
Beecroft (1/9/19)
Ben Nevis (21/4/18)
Black Bluff Range (4/11/19)
Bobs (6/11/22) Solo Adventure
Bonds Craig (7/10/22)
Brewery Knob (30/9/18)
Byron (23/7/21 - Solo Winter Ascent)
Campbell (4/10/19)
Camp Hill (17/4/22)
Castle Mountain (19/1/23)
Cheyne Range (28/10/23)
Chimera (21/11/21)
Clear Hill (30/5/21)
Clumner Bluff (1/11/19)
Clytemnestra (1/11/20)
Collins Bonnet (15/6/19)
Conical Mountain (28/12/23)
Cradle Mountain (2/1/19 and an extra winter ascent 8/8/20)
Cummings Head (26/8/19) *Solo Adventure
Curvier (26/11/23)
Dome Hill (18/1/23)
Drys Bluff (30/10/19)
Du Cane Range High Point (21/3/21)
Dundas (12/12/20)
East Tower (17/3/19)
Eldon Bluff (17/1/23)
Eldon Crag (17/1/23)
Eldon Peak (08/10/23)
Emmett (5/1/20)
Falling Mountain (16/1/24)
Federation Peak (19/1/22) 
Field East (29/9/19)
Field West (25/4/19)
Florentine Peak (25/4/19)
Frenchmans Cap (1/11/20)
Geikie (6/3/21)
Gell (6/1/24)
Gould (19/2/22)
Goulds SugarLoaf (26/11/23)
Hartz Peak (8/6/20)
Hayes (20/1/21)
High Dome (20/1/23)
Hippogriff (21/10/23)
Hobhouse (19/9/20)
Horizontal Hill (17/2/22)
Hugel (29/2/20)
Hyperion (21/3/21)
Ida (22/3/20)
Inglis (18/1/20)
Ironstone Mountain (26/10/19)
Jerusalem (14/12/19)
Jukes (22/2/22)
Kate (20/9/17)
King David's Peak (8/9/18 Winter ascent)
King William I (14/3/20)
King William 11 (3/4/22)
La Perouse (27/12/22)
Legges Tor (20/1/18)
Loddon Bluff (31/12/22)
Lord (13/10/19)
Lot (28/12/21)
Macs Mountain (13/3/23)
Manfred (25/11/23)
Marian (15/6/19)
Marriotts Lookout (12/10/19)
Massif (16/1/24)
Maurice (3/6/19)
Mensa Moor (9/6/19)
Mersey Crag (8/12/19)
Millers Bluff (14/7/19)
Mountains of Jupiter (9/3/20)
Mueller (25/7/20)
Murchison (27/2/21 and 2/5/21)
Needles (The Namaste Needles Eastern Arthurs, 25/11/22)
Nereus (12/3/23)
Nescient Peak (30/3/18)
Nevada Peak (11/7/20)
Oakleigh (24/11/19)
Olympus (24/10/20)
Othrys (22/12/19)
Orion (21/1/21)
Ossa (1/5/19)
Owen (5/9/20)
Parson and Clerk (24/8/19)
Patrick (6/7/19)
Pelion East (5/1/19)
Pelion West (28/11/20)
Penny West (6/7/19)
Perrins Bluff (30/12/19)
Philps Peak (28/11/21)
Picton (9/10/21)
Pillinger (24/11/19)
Pindars Peak (17/2/23)
Pokana Peak (13/3/22)
Precipitous Bluff (19/2/23)
Proteus (1/10/22)
Pyramid Mountain (16/4/22)
Quamby Bluff (7/10/18)
Ragged Jack (3/11/18)
Ragoona (4/11/18)
Rats Castle (3/10/19)
Recondite Knob (7/9/19)
Read (6/9/20)
Reeds Peak (7/10/22)
Rocky Hill (17/4/22)
Rodway Range (25/4/19)
Roland (12/11/17)
Rufus (9/8/19)
Saddleback (24/3/19)
Sandbanks Tier (6/10/18)
Sarah Jane (29/12/21)
Scorpio (23/1/21)
Sedgwick (7/3/21)
Shakespeare (21/2/21) *Solo Adventure.
Sharlands Peak (2/11/20)
Sirius (21/1/21)
Slatters Peak (2/4/22)
Snowy North (28/6/20)
Snowy South (13/6/20)
Sorell (12/11/22)
Spires HP (31/12/23)
Stepped Hills (3/9/22)
St Valentines Peak (15/9/19)
Stacks Bluff (27/1/19)
The Guardians (19/2/22)
The Thumbs (3/10/21)
Thetis (3/10/20)
Tor (10/10/19)
Tramontane (21/1/23)
Trestle Mountain (15/6/19)
Turrana Bluff (8/12/19)
Twin Spires (9/3/20)
Tyndall (8/3/21)
Victoria (24/3/19)
Victoria Cross (18/2/23)
Walled Mountain (20/3/21)
Wedge (29/6/20)
Weld (23/4/23)
Wellington (19/12/17)
Wentworth Hills (6/6/20)
Western Bluff (5/10/19)
West Portal (11/12/23)
West Tower (17/3/19)
Wild Dog Tier (27/10/19)
Wright (12/6/21)
Wylds Craig (29/8/20)
Wylly (18/2/23)