An opportunity presented itself, whilst staying at Hobart, to make a trip to Mt. Dromedary. Accordingly, I set out from Hobart at 6.15 a.m. on Sunday, March 26th. 1944, in company with my wife. Incidentally, this was the first day after the conclusion of the last war-time period of daylight saving.

Taking the turn to the left at Bridgewater, we crossed the Derwent Valley railway line several times and then, as Dromedary loomed near, we took a turn to the right, hoping it would bring us close to the peak. After some rough going, the road emerged on the Brighton Ellerslie road and, after approaching as near as we thought possible by road to the mountain, we halted the car on a rough side-road and I set out on foot for the peak (200’ - 11 miles from Bridgewater 8 a.m.).

A wood carter's track provided early assistance and then I followed two or three barbed wire fences, the sides of which had been cleared of scrub. I left the barbed wire at 9.5 a.m. (1150’) to stumble out on to a good S.E. – N.W. road (9.10 a.m. – 1250’). It was obvious that I should have persevered a little further with the car for this road left the Brighton Ellerslie road only about half a mile beyond where I had left the car. If I had gone further up the Derwent Valley instead of taking the turnoff I did, I would have encountered this road and saved considerable time.

However. there was no object in debating what might have been at this stage so, crossing the road, I struck out across some semi cleared country in a bee line for Dromedary. I encountered some thick scrub around a small creek, arriving at the base of the main climb (1900’ 9.40 a.m.). The climb itself was not difficult, although fallen trees and light scrub abounded. I gained the trigonometric station on the highest point of Dromedary at 10.39 a.m. (3245’).

There were few clouds to obstruct the view although the late summer haze had a blurring effect on the distant landscapes. The panorama is wide and interesting and includes a fine view of the Derwent Valley and Hobart areas. Mt. Wellington is prominent in the S.S.E., Collins Bonnet S. by E., then Trestle Mt. and then Collin's Cap in the S.. To the S.W. settled country lies about two miles away at the end of a road from New Norfolk through the Back River district. This should be quite an easy route by which to climb the peak. Florentine Peak and the Fields showed out in the west. In the same direction, semi-cleared country could be seen on the slopes of Platform Peak (?) leading nearly to the top. This area is connected by road to New Norfolk. To the W.N.W., Platform Peak (?), our near neighbour, appears with Wyld’s Craig rising above in the background. It is just possible that another peak, a little farther distant in the N.W. by W., may be Platform Peak. The Ellerslie district and the Jordan valley lie below in the north, whilst the east presents a view of Brighton Camp and Pontville. In the S.E., the Hobart and Storm Bay area was visible although haze obscured a clear view of the winding coastline. The new pontoon bridge over the Derwent could be plainly seen, as also were many of the older landmarks.

I started the return journey at 12.7 p.m. and took a route a little to the south of the outward one. At 1.5 p.m., I gained a rough road, a short offshoot from the good metalled thoroughfare. Here I was rewarded for a short skirmish with some blackberries intertwined in the undergrowth, with some excellent berries on the bushes surrounding the one time road. Incidentally, this was the first occasion upon which I had worn shorts on a climb and the contacts my bare legs made with both blackberries and stinging nettle will not encourage me to repeat the venture. A short distance farther and I reached the good road at 1.20 p.m. A half mile’s journey along the road to the north brought me to the point where I had crossed it on the outward journey (1250’ - 1.27 p.m.).

Continuing along the road to the north in preference to the outward route, I reached, after a half mile's walk, Mr. Johnstone's fine orchard from where I learned of a bush track which lead very close to the car. Three miles of orchard., bush track and crosscountry traverse brought me back to the car (200’ - 2.45 p.m.). A leisurely trip back to Hobart was effected during the afternoon.