Federation Peak is a
Tasmanian
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
mountain with a sharp spire-like shape, which marks the end of the
Eastern Arthur Range in the
Southwest National Park
Southwest National Park is an Australian national park located in the south-west of Tasmania, bounded by the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park to the north and the Hartz Mountains National Park to the east. It is a part of a chain of ...
. The peak, approximately south-west from
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, was named after the
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...
.
With an elevation of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
the last stretch of the route up is extremely steep and
exposed
Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to:
News sources
* Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism
* ''The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website
Film and TV Film
* ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film
* ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
, involving rockclimbing like moves above Lake Geeves.
Its reputation is such that Sir Edmund Hillary declared it "Australia's only real mountain".
History
The first westerner to sight the peak was the surveyor
James Sprent who was carrying out a trigonometrical survey of Tasmania. He described it as "the Obelisk".
It became known as Sprent's Obelisk, however in 1901 it was officially named Federation Peak in honour of the
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...
by Thomas Bather Moore while cutting a track from Hastings to Port Davey via Old River.
It took almost 50 years after the first western sighting for the summit to be reached, a testament to the harshness of southwest Tasmania. Challenges include thick horizontal scrub, ancient cool temperate rainforest, harsh terrain and unpredictable weather generated by the
roaring forties
The Roaring Forties are strong westerly winds found in the Southern Hemisphere, generally between the latitudes of 40°S and 50°S. The strong west-to-east air currents are caused by the combination of air being displaced from the Equator ...
.
After several unsuccessful attempts by various groups in the late 1940s, a party from the
Geelong College
, motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars
, established =
, type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school
, denomination = in association with the Uniting ...
Exploration Society led by
John Béchervaise
John Mayston Béchervaise OAM, MBE (11 May 1910 – 13 July 1998) was an Australian writer, photographer, artist, historian and explorer. He is especially notable for his work and achievements in Antarctica.
Career
Béchervaise was educat ...
reached the summit on the 27 January 1949.
The exposed and technical nature of the usual route that is usually climbed unroped has resulted in a number of fatalities; most recently on 23 March 2016 when a bushwalker fell to her death.
Climate
The highest elevations of the mountain experience alpine conditions with most of the weather patterns determined by the wind. The mountain receives large amounts of snow in autumn, winter and early spring. Unseasonal snowfalls can be seen in summer though many of them don't settle.
Climbing routes
There are a number of graded
rockclimbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...
routes to the summit, most notably ''Blade Ridge'' (grade 18), which is a steep knife edge ridge rising out of the cool temperate forest at the foot of the mountain. The ridge joins the main face of the peak a few hundred metres beneath the summit. The climb from the end of the ridge is then up an exposed but well-protected face to the summit, some above the valley floor. Blade Ridge was first successfully used as a route up Federation Peak in February 1968, by Peter Heddles, Rod Harris, David Neilson and Jack Woods
Most
bushwalkers
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
with minimal or no climbing gear take the exposed 'Direct Ascent' scramble from the Southern Traverse of the peak above a drop of into Lake Geeves (approx grade 5).
Access to the base of the peak is generally from
Geeveston via Farmhouse Creek and Moss Ridge or
Scotts Peak
Scotts Peak
Scotts Peak is a mountain in South West Tasmania which is associated with the construction and flooding of the original Lake Pedder, as the lake now completely surrounds the peak. It lies east of the Frankland Range and has an eleva ...
via the
Eastern Arthurs. The first route is the shorter of two - generally three days to the peak. The Eastern Arthurs via Scotts Peak Dam takes at least 7 days finishing at Farmhouse Creek; up to 10 days with bad weather.
Winter ascents
The first ascent under true winter conditions was made by Faye Kerr and Max Cutcliffe in September 1954, while a Tasmanian group led by Kevin Doran climbed the Mountain in severe weather over two weeks in August 1978, a trip which cost Doran a toe from cold injuries.
The first, and only, winter ascent of Blade Ridge (a steep sharp ridge on the northern face) was made in 2016 by Mick Wright and Mark Savage, on an expedition led by Andy Szollosi. Their journey is featured in the documentary ''Winter on the Blade''.
[
]
See also
*List of highest mountains of Tasmania
The Australian island state of Tasmania has a diverse range of geography but a prominent feature is the mountains of the island.
Overall Tasmania is comparatively low-lying with the highest point at . Tasmania has ten peaks over the height of . ...
References
http://www.thesarvo.com/confluence/display/thesarvo/Federation+Peak
External links
Federation Peak - John Chapman
{{SouthWestTasmania , state=autocollapse
Mountains of Tasmania
South West Tasmania