LOYETEA PEAK
by
Keith Lancaster 
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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.
On Wednesday 28th. March 1990 I left Launceston about 9 a.m. and drove westward on the Bass Highway to Penguin. Taking the Pine Road, I passed through Riana to South Riana, taking the South Riana Road and then the Loyetea Road to reach Loyetea Peak Road.

This latter road is a rough little used thoroughfare. I parked my van ¾ kilos. along it and chose to walk at 12.45 p.m.. Half a mile farther along, over which I could still have driven quite safely, I reached a track junction at which an old habitation once existed. Here I took the left branch which was no longer usable for vehicles but headed in the right direction for Loyetea Peak. It was quite a useful foot track heading eastward and then curving southward to make a final curve to the north east and end just under the southern side of the rocky summit. Whilst quart¬zite conglomerate was present all along the access track, dolerite formed the craggy summit (2200'). I reached the end of the old "road" at 1.21 p.m. and the now slightly overgrown foot track had me on top in a further five minutes.

There was a large trig. point on top and quite a varied view of open farm land with forest areas predominating. Mt. House¬top lay not far away at 280, the larger Mt. Everett at 240, a trio of small peaks 10, two near unknowns at 215 and 180 with Black Bluff far behind.

I left the summit at 1.40 p.m. and reached the road junction at 2 p.m. and the van at 2.7 p.m. It was still cloudy and cool and I was soon away to reach the Loyetea Road at 2.30 p.m. and drive back to South Riana. There I took the South Riana Road to Upper Natone, an elevated farming area. Here the Natone Road was taken as far as the Blythe Road junction.

The Blythe Road ran south, was gravel and metal but gener¬ally sound although speed was curtailed. I explored several branch logging roads on the left including Jaffrays, Basalt and some showing no name, but none seemed helpful in offering a hopeful route to Mt. Housetop. I continued along the Blythe Road to be halted by a locked gate on the Blythe River bridge in late after¬noon. I walked across to the south side and perceived a reason¬able possibility of climbing Mt. Everett via a eucalyptus plantat¬ion from that side. So I decided to stay the night at the Blythe River bridge.

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