Of my many trips to Cradle Mountain I was yet to climb Barn Bluff, something I was keen to rectify on a recent walk down Tasmania’s Overland Track. Barn Bluff is first spotted just beyond Marions Lookout in the distance beyond Cradle Mountain. As a day-walk, it would be a very long day and only really feasible on those long warm days of summer. This time round I camped near the junction of the Overland Track and the Barn Bluff tracks instead of staying down in Waterfall Valley.

The view from Barn Cirque looking along the Overland Track to the Pelion & Mt Ossa area.

I shot some really nice dusk scenes before retiring for the night. I was up early too, for the sunrise, and climbed Barn Bluff early in the morning before continuing my trip along the Overland Track.

The last of the sun’s light hits this lone pine on Bluff Cirque.

The full moon rises over Mt Emmett from my campsite on Tasmania’s Overland Track

Morning light and a light frost on Bluff Cirque

The climb itself was quite straightforward, even with some light autumn snow patches dotting the trail. In the end it was only an hour and a half or so up from the track junction and less coming back. At 1559 metres, Barn Bluff is in fact Tasmania’s 5th highest mountain but the hike was really quite easy. The views as you could imagine, were magnificent.

The view back to Cradle Mountain from part way up Barn Bluff

The views across Waterfall Valley to Mt Emmett from near the top

Magnificence! Lake Will immediately below Barn Bluff, and the central mountains of the Overland Track in the distance.

A great start to my week in the wilderness 🙂