The Little Eldons

I like the term “Little Eldons”. I first saw it reading Rock Monkey Adventures blog - which incidentally is one of my favourite ways to spend a few hours. The Abels has a whole section on “The Eldons”. Even those that don’t Abel bag have heard of mountains like High Dome, Eldon Bluff and Eldon Peak. But what about the other mountains that scatter the range?

Often referred to as the “lesser” Eldons or the “minor” Eldons in bushwalking circles- Camp Hill, Rocky Hill and Pyramid Mountain may not have the panache of their grander cousins, but nor do they deserve the monikers of being “less-than”.

Four of us spent a lovely Easter break exploring the “Little Eldons”. Don’t let the word “Little” lull you into a false sense of security. There is nothing “little” about this beautiful but remote part of Tasmania. The challenges are as grand as the views. The weather is notoriously fickle, the vegetation stunningly beautiful one minute and almost impenetrable the next. And, should one need rescuing it is unlikely to happen quickly. But…

Standing 1000m above sea level as fossils once covered by the ocean crunch under your feet, weaving through ancient forests with trees that have existed untouched for thousands of years or seeing the sky catch on fire reminds you of your own insignificance in the world as we know it. No my friends, there is nothing “lessor or minor” about this place.