Ryder’s (or Campbell’s) yards

This trip was simply to familiarize myself with the track to Ryder’s yards prior to a group walk in a few weeks time. Starting at Pretty Valley Hut the plan was to follow the pole line across to the Cope Saddle jeep track and then a mixture of pole line and jeep track to Cope Saddle hut. Whist the map showed a pole line heading off from Pretty Valley hut on the ground it was a different thing, there was one pole about 100m from the hut then a gap of around 400m to the next pole. Anyway it was a nice sunny day so I headed off in the direction of the distant pole. I had not gone very far before I realised that the whole area was very wet with a mixture of small creeks and bogs. Whilst I continue in this direction I amended my plan to use a different (dryer) route for the return trip.

Rock Bridge

The remainder of the trip to Cope Saddle hut was uneventful and followed either the jeep track or the pole line when it was shorter or easier walking than the hard rock on the jeep track. Cope Saddle hut (which is an old SEC hut) with it red roof slowly appeared in the distant. This hut sits at a five ways junction with the AAWT passing through, Cope East and West aqueduct track and Cope Saddle track which I had just walked down.

Cope Saddle appeared in the distance

So after a quick look around I headed off down Cope West Aqueduct, these track are easy walking and before long I came to a track junction. This is where became confused I had not expected to meet the turn of to Ryder’s yard so quickly and my GPS when over laid onto my paper map was telling me I was not at the turn off. So continuing south I walked over the small saddle to find a second track on my left. At this point a number of things click in my mind, firstly I remember a guide book talking about two tracks leading to Ryder’s yards, looking at the country I was about to walk into I felt I had passed the hut, and the GPS still did not line up well with the map. So with the felling I was now on the right track I headed east on the intersecting track an a few minutes later I was at the turn off to Ryder’s yards. Arriving at the collection of three huts and one out building I stopped to enjoy my lunch on a very pleasant autumn day.

Larger two huts

The return trip was much less event full. I used the well trodden path made by the horse to get back to the car rather than the area of bogs and creeks. Once home I check my other Bogong maps both of them show the two turn offs to Ryder’s yards whilst the newer map showed only one, no wonder I had trouble…