I LIVE close enough to the Victorian High Plains to consider them part of my backyard and as a member of a local bushwalking club, it means I get to spend a lot of time playing there. The Border Bushwalking Club features two events on its yearly calendar that I try not to miss – a weekend trip to The Fainters and the Hotham to Falls Crossover. I consider these a couple of ‘Great Alpine Walks’ and are doable for most people with a reasonable degree of fitness, who are ‘hike fit’ and have the appropriate gear and equipment.
Any excursion to Victoria’s High Plains carries with it a certain degree of risk and uncertainty, since weather conditions can change suddenly with severe weather fronts moving in. It’s not much fun slogging up a steep mountain track, head down, enclosed in your cocoon of rain jacket and overpants, icy water trickling down your back, nose dripping, glasses fogged up, and wondering if you’ll ever see the sunshine again.
Away we go
Our visit to The Fainters started out
