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First, the Mt McCall track. This track is 4WD only, a current parks pass is required and an authority and key must be obtained from the park ranger station in Queenstown before heading out. No key, no access through the locked gate, so this first step cannot be skipped. The ranger will require that your vehicle is clean of all dirt so as to avoid the spread of diseases into the area, please make sure you check up under the wheel arches as well as all other parts of your vehicle. Vehicles will be inspected before the authority is given.
The track is access by taking the Mt Jukes Rd out of Queenstown, and Kellys Basin Rd. The Mt McCall track branches off about 37 Km's from Queenstown (signposted). This track will take you up and over Mt McCall and eventually stops abruptly at the top of a 300m drop down to the Franklin River below. It is described as a medium difficulty 4WD track.
On a clear day the views along this track would be spectacular, giving fantastic vistas across the World Heritage Area. We will definitely be going back during summer to check this out again. yesterday was overcast and showery, with lots of low cloud covering most of the peaks. Even in these conditions, it was a fantastic run out there and very enjoyable. Many thanks to the good folk of the West Coast Photography Club, and especially to Colin for the seat in his 4WD.
If you like your photography, you could easily fill an entire day driving this track.
A few shots from the early stages can be found in this post. We did not manage to get right to the end of the track yesterday, but did go most of the way. A few shots from along the way below.
The Bird River track is accessed along the same route out of Queenstown. Those with 2WD vehicles will need to park at the signposted junction and walk the remaining 5km to the start of the walking track. If you have a 4WD you can drive down to the carpark at the walking track start (easy 4WD grade). No authority or key is required for this track, though you do require a valid parks pass.
The walking trail takes about 3-5 hours return and winds its way through some beautiful rainforest down to the old town of Pillinger and Kelly's Basin. It can be soggy underfoot so good shoes or boots are required for the track. A small camping area is available at East Pillinger where there is also a toilet, but no other facilities.
We only did the first few hundred metres of the walking track yesterday before the rain decided to set in for the day, but will return to do an overnight trip down to Pillinger in the summer.
A few shots from our explorations yesterday...
