Leader: John 0433 279 771
Meet: St Brigid’s Church Carpark / Yellowpinch Carpark, 1099 Upper Logan Rd, Mt Barney
Time: 5.oo am / 6:45 am
Cost: $25
Grade: M56
Distance: 5.5km each way
Emerg Off: Greg 0418 122 995

The start is along a rough graded track through the bush. Once on the ridge, which is the beginning of the climb, the unformed trail follows it through the undulating open eucalypt foothills – a series of ups and downs until you get to the ridge proper.

There is a small 2m cliff to get up at the start of the real climb. Then you are going up a 300 or more ridge for the rest of the way. Of course, there are flatter sections and steeper sections. A lot of the way is through rocks in long grass, low scrub, and rock slabs. There are a few rock gullies to cross. And another small cliff to get up. At one point you are walking for a few minutes beside the edge of and above the 300m cliff of the East Face. After several false tops and some waking over rock slabs and minor cliff lines, you reach the top (which is East Peak, the top of Mt Barney) after a climb of 1070m. Here you are welcomed to stunning 3600 views of all the surrounding mountains, peaks and hills.

Then you have to make your way down to the saddle and the Mass site. There is a brush trail to follow; now a bit overgrown with low scrub, and some well used cliffs, slopes and slabs to come down. It takes about 5 hours to get to the top of East Peak, with a further 1 hour to the Mass site, approx 300m lower.

The way back to the cars is via South (aka Peasant’s) Ridge.

If anyone wants to do this “different” ridge, please let me know.