I
have set up this page to record some of the bushwalking exploits
of my neighbour, Keith Lancaster, who passed away on the 8th
April 2003 at the age of 92. Only a few years before, in 1997,
he had very reluctantly come to the end of an illustrious mountaineering
career which lasted about 65 years. Born in Penguin (or Zeehan?),
Tasmania, Keith started his bushwalking and mountain-climbing
career from a base in Launceston in 1931. He kept a diary in
which he recorded all his walks and climbs in great detail and
with formidable precision. The 4-volume diary, (initially) entitled
"Mountaineering in Tasmania 1931-1971" contains the
story of nearly 250 separate "expeditions", from "We
just failed to account for Mt Barrow" in 1931 to
"Exploring
the Cameron Cluster" in 1997.
Keith's
story covers a large part of recreational bushwalking in Tasmania
in the 20th century. It is a tribute to his precision and
attention to detail that some of his diary reports of walks
made decades ago are still of benefit to those attempting
the same walks today. Please be careful when using these reports
as a guide for your own walks, however, as conditions may
have changed.
Dirk
Veltkamp
1931-1940, 1941-1950,
1951-1960, 1961-1970,
1971-1980, 1981-1990,
1991-1997
The Walks
1931-1940
Preface (1932)
to Mountaineering in Tasmania
1 We just
failed to account for Mt Barrow
November 1931
2 Ben Lomond:
Legge's Peak
November 1931
3 Ironstone
Mountain January 1932
4 The Stack's
Bluff Failure March 1932
5
The Conquest of Dry's
Bluff May 1932
6
We capture Mt.
Barrow with ease August 1932
7
Mt Arthur presents
no trouble December 1932
8
Difficulties in capturing
Brady's Lookout March 1933
9
Via the Mole
Creek - Lorinna track to Mt Roland solo April
1933
10
The Majestic
Grandeur of Devil's Gullet September 1933
11
We Scale Ragged Mountain
November 1933
12
Quamby Bluff has
no terrors March 1934
13
The inhospitable
Stack's Bluff June 1934
14
A Repulse on Black Bluff
July 1934
15
I visit Mt. Montgomery
again July 1934
16
Miller's Bluff is added
August 1934
17
Stack's Bluff again
uninviting September 1934
18
Ben Nevis alone
December 1934
19
Seven mountains whilst
on holiday tour February 1935
— Mts. Montgomery, Bischoff, Lyell, King William Range,
Mts Olympus, Field East, Wellington
20
Mt. Amos December
1936
21
Mt. Direction East
July 1937
22
Stack's Bluff at last
December 1937
23
Mt. Roland inaugurates
new era in transport October 1938
24
Mt. Projection
easiest to date
October 193826/10/10
26
Cradle Mt Barn Bluff
and Mt Brown November 1938
— Mt Brown has been renamed Mt Emmett
28
The first Wyld's Craig
failure February 1940
29 Wonders
of Mt Field West February 1940
30 The
second Wyld's Craig failure March 1940
37 A
successful thrust at the Walls of Jerusalem December
1940
— The Walls of Jerusalem are misnamed the Ruggeds in
this report
1941-1950
41
Mt Hugel March
1941
42 Near
approach to Wyld's Craig April 1941
43 Clumner
Bluff Blitzkrieg August 1941
44 Mt Byron
September 1941
51 Mt Dromedary
March 1944
54 Climbing
The Giants in the heart of the Cradle Mt. - Lake St. Clair
Scenic Reserve January 1946
63 Mt Owen
February 1947
64 A
Reconnaisance of the Eldons March 1947
65 Return
to Legge's Tor March 1947
66 A
Traverse of the Eldons April 1947
+
Sketch Map of the Eldon Range
67
A Mid-winter
jaunt to Billop Bluff July 1947
68
Molly York's Nightcap
July 1947
69
Coal Hill, Gould's
Sugar Loaf, and Pyramid Hill October 1947
71 With
the Hermit of Gordon Vale December 1947
72
A vain attempt at
Federation
March 1948
73 The
Adam River Country
October 1948
74 Down
the Pillinger Track
December 1948
75 Federation
Failure January 1949
76
Adamson's Peak February
1949
77 Along the
Mueller Range March 1949
78 Week-end on
the Snowies April 1949
79 Back to the
Reserve Easter 1949
80 Federation Peak
October 1949
81
Rock Problems of Cyrian
[Geryon] January and March 1950
82
LWC trip to Vale of Rasselas
(Easter 1950) April 1950 — "The
party comprised: Misses Anne Husband and Margaret Williams
and Messrs. Jim Turner, Norman Hoyle, Chris Binks, Martin
Scott and myself.". Norman
Hoyle has kindly supplied some photographs of this trip.
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6.
86 The
Mount Anne Group December 1950
87 Success
on the Foresight & a circuit of the Du Canes December
1950
In 1999 there was some publicity
surrounding the 50th anniversary of the first climb of Federation
Peak in Tasmania's south. John Bechervaise and a party from
Geelong College made it to the top in January 1949 and were
the first to conquer this difficult peak. However, in the
same year, Keith Lancaster made 2 attempts to climb Federation
Peak solo. The first, Federation
Failure, ended disastrously in January 1949 when a sprained
ankle forced Keith to retreat. The second, Federation
Peak, was undertaken in October 1949 and saw Keith as
the first person to make it to the top of Federation Peak
solo. These reports have been taken from Keith's diary.
1951-1960
88
Frenchman's Cap with LWC
January
1951 — "Party: Misses Betty Grierson, Joyce Walker,
Bess and Ann Husband, Betty Bell and Margaret Williams and
Messrs. David Pinkard (driver), Trevor Giles, Eric Newman,
Norman Hoyle, Mark Smith, Lindsay Crawford, Ken and Keith
Lancaster (leader)"
89
In
the Heart of the South Western Mountains
February
1951 — "Arthur Colbeck, Noel Semple, Keith Harcourt
and John Pittle (all of Melbourne) and Bessie Husband and
myself (Launceston)" Mountains climbed: Razor Back, Mt.
Lot, Lot's Wife, Mt. Sarah Jane, Isolation Peak (=Mt. Solitary),
Mt. Orion, Mt. Sirius, Procyon Peak, Mt. Hayes, Secheron Peak,
Frankland Peak, Mt. Bowes
90
Easter at High Dome
March
1951 — "Party: Anne and Bessie Husband, Margaret
Williams, Chris. Binks, Norman Hoyle and Keith Lancaster (leader)"
95 Mt
Pillinger via Forth track
June 1951
96 Mt Maurice with
the L.W.C. October 1951 — "PERSONNEL
OF PARTY: Betty Hutton, Fay Hutton, Betty Pinkard, Lois Cleaver,
Pat Wilson, Yvonne Blake, Jo Gardner, Helen Jones, Judith
Doig, Melva Stocks, Ken Church, Bruce Ellis, Ian Cox, John
Traynor, Geoff Lutwyche, Tony Holland, Gordon Whitaker, Eric
Chaplin, Mark Smith, Jim Turner, Norman Hoyle, David Pinkard,
and Keith Lancaster (leader)."
97 Back
to the Walls of Jerusalem November 1951
98 Ridge-traversing
the Southern Mountains December 1951
- Jim
Turner, Max Cutcliffe, Una Williams, Geoff Bratt and Keith
Lancaster set out from Lune River to conquer Mt La Perouse,
Pinder's Peak, Mt Wylly, Precipitous Bluff, Mt Victoria Cross,
Mt Bisdee, Mt Bobs, Mt Hopetoun and Andersons Bluff.
99 The Weld
Wash-out January 1952 — "Party: Dave
Pinkard, Chris. Binks, Norm. Hoyle, Gordon Whitaker and Keith
Lancaster (Leader)"
100 The Dial
Range March 1952
101 Mt
Sedgwick and the Tyndall Range April 1952
An
L.W.C. alternative walk during Easter of 1952. "Party:
Mavis and Henry Hudson, Lindsay Crawford and Keith Lancaster
(leader)."
102 Gordon
Vale again June 1952
103 Thetis
in the rain October 1952
104 St. Patrick's
Head November 1952
"a
small private party comprising Ken Church, Jim Turner, Frank
Turner, Pat Willson and myself"
105 Mts
Vandyke and Claude November 1952
106
Christmas
at the Franklands December 1952
107 The
Mt. Weld scrub-bash January 1953 "L.W.C. Party:
Chris. Binks, Norm. Hoyle, John Davis and Keith Lancaster
(leader)."
108 Probing
the Propstings November 1953
109 To Sprent
and Wedge December 1953
110 Mt Albert
March 1954
111 Mts
La Perouse and Hippopotamus April 1954
112 Tasman's
Peninsula June 1954
113 Nicholl's
Cap July 1954
114 Freycinet
Peninsula July 1954
115 Mt.
Cameron East October 1954
116 Across
the Mueller Range November 1954 "Party: Miss
Bessie Husband and Messrs. Bill Thompson, Bob Rusher, Tim
Hume and Keith Lancaster (leader)."
123 Mt.
Inglis in the Snow September 1955
130 Around
Port Davey December 1955 — On this walk Keith
meets Dennis King and Trevor Burrell at Melaleuca.
140 Rogoona
or bust! March 1957 - John Olding, John Wanless,
Bob Rusher, John Daniel, Eddie King and Keith Lancaster -
"There was some query about the wisdom of continuing
as it was dusk now, but how could one acknowledge defeat so
easily after coming so far and enduring so much?"
154 Over
the high tops to Pedder December 1958
155 The
Highland Lake Country January 1959
156
Walls of
Jerusalem via Mersey Road February 1959
157
The 1960 Trip to the
Franklands and Arthurs
February 1960
1961-1970
Slides
of Lake Pedder 1960-67
158
Traversing the
Loddons March 1961
"I was leading down a rocky incline when
a shout behind brought us to a halt. Pushing back, I found
that Judith had fallen down a short escarpment when a rock
gave way under her weight. Arthur Simons had just made a quick
inspection and announced that Judy's leg was broken. Poor
Judy!"
159 L.W.C.
Trip report: Mt. Young October 1961
- Party: Misses Jill Dunstan, Roberta Bramble, Pauline Hepworth,
Jean Legge, Gail Bowditch, Janet Risk, Bernadette Sexton,
Mary Cordell, Diana Lawrie and Margaret Wilson, and Messrs.
Alan Catford, Maitland Vertigan, Terry Gill, Ken Church, Peter
Moore, and Keith Lancaster (Driver and leader).
160 Frankland
Traverse and Bombardier Track December
1961
161 Algonkian
Jungle Mountain February
1962
162 The
Snowies and Jubilees February 1962
163
The Ben Lomond Traverse
February 1962
164 To
Back Peak and Mt. Bell April 1962
165 The
Asbestos Range April 1962
166
Mts Peter and Paul
October 1962
167
Mt Mayday and Stormont
November 1962
168
Mount Remus climbed
February 1963
169
Christmas
1963 in the South West December 1963 - Dick Janes,
Arthur Rowlands and Keith Lancaster
170 On Schouten
Island February 1965
175
Mt Nereus at last
December 1968
176 Schnells
Ridge October 1970
1971-1980
177
Cape Pillar January
1971
1981-1990
185
Pencil Pine Bluff
February
1987
186
Loyetea Peak March
1990
187
Mt Everett March 1990
188
Rocky Mt and Mt Cattley
March 1990
1991-1997
200 Hobbs
Quoin and Brown Mts November 1991
201
The Mount Styx Foray
December 1991
204 Rebuffed
on the Fields March 1992 - Including a mistaken
'conquest' of Abbotts Lookout, site of the proposed Maydena
Hauler lookout. - "It was not a pleasant decision
to envisage a walk up Mt. Mawson in what daylight was still
available, but there was much to be learned by tackling it."
217
The Dial Range again
December 1993
225
Ben Lomond Once Again
April 1994
253
Exploring the
Cameron Cluster July 1997
This was Keith Lancaster's last entry in his mountaineering
diaries. He may have made short trips after that, but at age
87 he suffered an increasing number of falls and other mishaps
which made it difficult for him to undertake the kind of walks
he had been used to doing all his life.
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