Ben Lomond: Legge's Peak (5162ft)
by
Keith Lancaster
Mountaineering in Tasmania 1931 -71 Volume I, pp 2-3
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Note: The reports have been scanned in as written. I have included the height and distance indications, e.g.:
(1000'- 12m.- 4.45p.m.)
which read as follows: height in feet - miles for the day - time. 		[2] On Nov. 28th. 1931, with my companion of the Mt. Barrow endeavour, I left Newstead at 2 p.m. on our journey to Ben Lomond. The day was hot and sultry and rain appeared imminent, while we were hampered considerably by our heavy packs and overcoats. The route we followed ran via the Hobart-road to Breadalbane, then along the Nile-road past Evandale, thence turning to the left through Deddington and on to Englishtown. Before reaching Englishtown we had to walk up a long steep hill, some three miles in all, and we arrived at Englishtown at 5.30 p.m. feeling very tired. From Englishtown it is about ten miles to Legge's Tor, the whole journey being made on foot over a rough winding track. Although steep in places the track is in no way formidable, probably the steepest part of which lies near the beginning which leads us around Ragged Mountain. After traversing about five miles along this track, we decided, owing to the encroachment of darkness, to camp for the night at a small spring at 7.30 p.m.. During the night the weather was close with the sky overcast but in the vicinity of midnight a fresh southerly wind sprang up, soon dispelling our fears regarding the predicted rain, but bringing with it a cold temperature.

We breakfasted at 4.30 a.m. and were on the way an hour later. After a couple of hundred yards walking we were surprised to see the hut which we had strove to reach the previous day, but had decided to call a halt when within such close proximity to our goal. Here we crossed Jack's Creek, a small affluent of the North Esk, flowing between Ragged Mountain and the Ben Lomond plateau. Ragged Mountain, by the way, is a ragged, steep peak probably over four thousand feet in altitude and lying about a mile to the west of the plateau. Continuing from the hut, the real ascent of the plateau is made at an easy grade. From the summit we headed towards the Stein Crags and then followed the northern wall around to Markham's Heights. The whole of the northern end of the mountain ends abruptly in high precipitous cliffs falling a sheer drop of many hundreds of feet into the country below. From Markham's Heights, which are nearly five thousand feet above the sea, a splendid view of the Upper Blessington district is obtained. Mt. Barrow presents an imposing spectacle in the north-west Ben Nevis lies nearer in the north and the numerous peaks of the north-east, prominent among which is Mt. Victoria, are seen to advantage away to the right.

After leaving this northern vantage point we hit out for Legge's Tor, arriving there at 9.20 a.m. From Legge's Tor, the view is similar but takes in a wider range than that from Markham's Heights and it is from here that a good view of Stack's Bluff may be obtained. The long rugged range of the Western Tiers is seen to great advantage also and Longford and the nearby districts are easily discernible. After lunching and resting here on Tasmania's highest point, we made our way back to the hut at our leisure, following a circuitous route leading us past several sheets of snow. Even at this time of the year and it had been very warm of late, snow is to [3] be found in small quantities in these highlands. One small "glacier" we passed must have had a depth of quite five feet and covered an area of over a square chain. The whole of the plateau is well watered and small ice-cold pools abound. Beautiful, strange, thick mosses lend a charm to the surroundings and grow in great clusters around the pools. However we pressed on and arrived at the hut where we had a light meal. From here we had no difficulty in making our way, for the most part down hill, back to Englishtown, where we arrived at 2.15 p.m.. After a leisurely trip home, being marred by a little tyre trouble, we arrived back at Launceston a few minutes after 6 p.m. after a most enjoyable week-end. The distance from Launceston to Englishtown is approximately thirty two miles and from Englishtown it must he nearly ten miles by the shortest route to Legge's Tor.
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