by
Keith Lancaster 

Note: This report has been scanned in as written. I have included the height, distance and time indications where used, e.g.:
(1000'- 12m.- 4.45p.m.)
which read as follows: height in feet - miles for the day - time.

On Friday, July 30th. 1954, I left Launceston at 7 p.m. with the L.W.C. bound for Freycinet Peninsula. Reaching Coles Bay, we camped in huts in the vicinity of The Fisheries, and were astir early next morning.

Leaving The Fisheries at 7.40 a.m., we journeyed over the track crossing the Hazards and descended to Wineglass Bay (2m. - 8.45 a.m.). The vanguard was to have awaited the stragglers at the southern end of Wineglass Bay but, when I arrived with the vanguard, we found they had pressed on beyond the swamp. As the leader proposed taking a course along the eastern side of the peninsula, much time was lost in contacting them and re-uniting, but at length all set off from the south end of the bay at 10 a.m.

Utilising the clearer leads, we made fair progress about ¼ mile inland until a few began to lag. Time was lost later when one member strayed from the fold. Dinner was taken still some distance short of the lighthouse at Cape Forestier. I joined the party on top of the first summit N.W. of the lighthouse (1600' – 5½m. - 1.5 p.m.). The clouds were down very low and I made a couple of magnetic checks as a guide: light-house, 75 deg.; light-house peak, 70; probable direction of higher ground, 185. We explored the ground southwards in the thick mist but could not locate anything indicative of our objective, South Freycinet. At length it was decided to seek a camp-site and we settled in a sheltered basin under the light-house peak.

After camp had been established, four of us left camp at 3.17 p.m. and headed at 170 deg. mag. towards a bluff-shaped eminence which appeared to be higher than our earlier peak. We pushed along the ridge to which it was attached but soon found there was nothing in that area of sufficient altitude and so returned to camp.

Light rain fell overnight, delaying our start next morning until 11.45 a.m. Whilst most of the party were content to head homewards, four of us tried once more to locate the peak through the cloud-mist and worked across to the west. As visibility widened, we located rising ground and steadily closed in on two high peaks. At 1 p.m. we dumped our packs near the base of the first, and ten minutes later were on its cairned top (2060'). Across to the S.W. about a mile away, rose a wooded peak, obviously a little higher and the highest on the peninsula, although it is doubtful, according to the map, if it could be South Freycinet which was more than likely the peak we occupied. However, we started off towards the other peak which was separated by quite a deep gulf, but it became obvious that there was insufficient time available before we were half-way down. Thus we were obliged to return to our pack-dump and descend directly to Wineglass Bay and thus out to the bus. This descent route would be a much better approach route to the highest peak on any future visit.