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Length: 28.6km
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Duration: 2 days
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Grade: 4
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Style: Circuit
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Start: Speculation and King Basin Roads
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End: Speculation and King Basin Roads
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Location: Alpine National Park
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Closest Town: Mansfield
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Distance from CBD: 278.5km
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State: VIC
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Latitude: -37.0890245200
Longitude: 146.5814352000
Keep the Trail Access info current...
2WD Access
4WD Access
Gravel Road
Winding Road
Small Car Park
Untreated Water
Select items to indicate conditions for access to the trail.
2WD Access
4WD Access
Public Transport
Bitumen Road
Gravel Road
Steep Road
Winding Road
Speed Bumps
Vehicle Ford
Entry Fee
Large Car Park
Small Car Park
Accessible Parking
Accessible Toilet
Public Toilets
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Picnic Shelter
Picnic Table
BBQ Facilities
Campfire Pit
Camping Area
Keep the Trail Features current...
Rough Trail
Undefined Trail
Alpine Region
Alpine Huts
Exposed Ledges
Rock Scrambling
Steep Terrain
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
Untreated Water
Fishing Spots
Swimming Spots
Overnight Campsites
Select items to indicate features found along the trail.
Concrete Path
Timber Boardwalk
Gravel Path
Sandy Trail
Rough Trail
Undefined Trail
Prams & Strollers
Manual Wheelchair
Motorised Wheelchair
Bicycle Trail
Mountain Bike Trail
Historic Rail Trail
Dog Friendly
Urban Walk
Coast & Beach
Historic Lighthouse
Waterfalls & Lakes
Rainforest Walk
Goldfields & Mining
Heritage Walk
Aboriginal Art
Alpine Region
Alpine Huts
Exposed Ledges
Rock Scrambling
Steep Terrain
Bush Bashing
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
Well Marked
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Fishing Spots
Swimming Spots
Overnight Campsites
Trail Running
Horse Riding
Mount Cobbler Plateau Circuit is a 28.6km, grade 4 circuit hike that is located in the Alpine National Park, Victoria. This hike should take approximately 2 days to complete.
Summary
The Mount Cobbler Plateau Circuit hike commences at the junction of Speculation Road and King Basin Road and follows Speculation Road through numerous gullies before reaching the plateau and a trail junction. Turn left onto Little Cobbler Road and after around 800m you will reach the junction of Cobbler Lake Track. Follow this track for approximately 4km and you will reach Lake Cobbler and your camping ground for the night.
From Lake Cobbler there is a walking track to the nearby Dandongadale Falls, which drops 255 metres (837 ft) from the plateau and is the highest waterfall in Victoria. This is a short walk of approximately 2km return.
From Lake Cobbler, follow the Mount Cobbler Walking Track west for approximately 3km to a trail junction. Turning north (right) it is a short, moderate and steep 1.5km climb to the summit. From here you can enjoy amazing views of the surrounding peaks include Mount Typo to the north-east, Mount Koonika and Mount Speculation to the south-east, and Mount Stirling to the south-west.
After leaving the summit follow the trail back to the junction and continue heading south for approximately 5.5km until you again reach the junction of Little Cobbler Road and the Cobbler Lake Track. Follow Little Cobbler Road in a southerly direction. After about 700m you will reach the Speculation Road junction. The track on your right is the track you ascended via. Pass Speculation Road and keep heading south for another 450m and you will reach Muesli Spur Track on your right.
Descend along Speculation Road (described hike) or via Muesli Spur back to the trail head and your car.
About the Region
Mount Cobbler is a mountain located in the Alpine National Park to the east of Mansfield in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. Its summit rises to 1,628 metres (5,341 ft) above sea level. The peak and surrounding Cobbler land system are composed of sedimentary rocks (conglomerate, red sandstone, silt-stone and shale), dating to the Lower Carboniferous period, some 359 to 318 million years ago.
Day 1: 14.5km
Day 2: 13.0km
Camping at the Start
Camping is available close to the trail head at the following locations.
- Speculation Road: There is a small campsite along Speculation Road (possible 4WD) on the King River approximately 3.6km from Stirling Circuit Road.
- King Hut: Camping area on the King River Track (4WD only). King Hut is perched on the western edge of the park, about 35 km east of Mt Stirling. The dramatic 4WD-access route follows the King River Track for 7 km from the junction with Speculation Rd, which is itself reached via a turn-off on Circuit Rd about 6 km east of the Craig’s Hut turn-off. The hut itself is in excellent condition, having been recently rebuilt.
- The overnight campsite can be found on an open saddle at the junction of the Mount Cobbler Walking Track and a foot trail heading north-south at the top of the plateau. This is a large camp site suitable for around 5-6 tents.
Water
Water can be procured near the trail head from the King River or Lake Cobbler at the end of day 1. Water should always be treated before drinking.
Getting there
From Mansfield, travel along Mt Buller Road for approximately 32km until you reach the toll gate at Mirimbah (you will need to pay an entry fee during winter). Once you’ve passed through the gates, turn left into Stirling Road (2WD) and keep going until you reach Telephone Box Junction (TBJ). Between Mirimbah and TBJ is approximately 8km of unsealed road. Turn right at the junction and follow the Stirling Circuit Road (2WD) for a further 16.5km where you will find Speculation Road (possible 4WD) on your right. Turn onto Speculation Road and travel 8.8km to the junction of King Basin (4WD) and Speculation Roads. This is the trail head.
During winter, vehicles are not permitted to go any further than TBJ, and all 2-wheel drives must carry chains when travelling to this point. The roads beyond TBJ open from Melbourne Cup weekend (first or second week of November). Call Parks Victoria to confirm that the road will be open as fallen trees may also cause road closure. In summer, all vehicles can continue further via The Circuit Road. The Circuit Road winds throughout the various sub-alpine and alpine forests around Mt Stirling. It is a gravel road but still accessible by 2-wheel drive vehicles.
Be Prepared
This hike requires that you have a sufficient level of equipment (in good working order), fitness and self-reliance. We reserve the right for the hike leader to decline participants who are not adequately prepared at any time before the hike has commenced. We will be asking questions about your clothing, food, water and pack at the start of the hike so please do not turn up unprepared. It is vital that you take personal responsibility for ensuring you are prepared! If you are not sure, contact the hike leader prior to the hike.
Max elevation: 1589 m
Min elevation: 851 m
Total climbing: 1503 m
Total descent: -1503 m
23 thoughts on “Mount Cobbler Plateau Circuit (28.6km)”
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Ingrid Bishop I need to go back, minus the ITB injury ??
Is this the my cobbler hike you and Julie have talked about doing again Darren?
Yes it is Nic. It’s an awesome hike and will definitely be doing this one again this year. Just have to work out a date. You in?
yes please (& if dates ok with work travel schedule). Incentive to do some hill training.
Nicole Walsh you had better send me your schedule then so I can plan better.
Joshua Samuel Fiona Dietrich
Patrick tomorrow?
Hi – can someone please confirm if the Speculation Road section after turning off Circuit Rd is flat and 2WD doable or 4WD only.
thanks
I was there in 2016 and the road was suitable for 2WD provided you have reasonable clearance. My suggestion is to call parks Victoria for the current road condition
Thanks Darren.
I called them this morning and they said the roads in the region were not the best after recent rains, however they could not comment specifically on the section I was interested in.
As an aside note, the Parks Vic person I spoke to also did not know that this circuit loop/hike existed as it was not on their map
That’s a shame they couldn’t give you more info on the road. Not that surprised they didn’t know if the circuit loop as its one I made up
🙂
Hi Darren,
I’m interested in doing this hike. What typographical map would you recommend I use for this area?
Hi Angela. I would recommend the high country maps by SV Maps. You can access them here: http://www.trailhiking.com.au/?pasID=NDE3NA==&pasZONE=NDE3MQ==
Hi Darren. A few of us are interested in doing this hike… I think majority are new to overnight hiking… Will it be suitable for not so experienced hikers? is the track easy to follow? Is there water on the way? Finally is there a good map that we can use? I’ve downloaded route throug Wikiloc but pretty sure will not have any reception… so it won’t be much help. Thanks
Hi Aliona. I would recommend that you undertake this hike with experienced hikers only. The trail up the goat track is not that well defined, is steep and had a bit of rock scrambling. You can find water at Lake Cobbler as well as a small creek beyond that (before reaching the overnight camp). So you would need to fill up on day 1 and are not likely to find water again after the locations I mentioned. I dont know of any good maps other than the topo maps by SV Maps. From memory, they cover this area.
I intended to do this walk last week but the road was closed. I’d like to suggest that you change the paragraph opening “During winter, vehicles are not permitted to go any further than TBJ” to include “The roads beyond TBJ open from the Melbourne Cup weekend (first or second week of November). Call the National Park to confirm that the road will be open as fallen trees may also cause road closure.”
We walked up Mt Stirling instead which was nice enough.
Hi Patrick. I have updated the description as per your suggestion. Thank you for this. I do recommend that all visitors to alpine or remote areas call parks Victoria during their pre-trip planning in order to ascertain whether or not roads are open as sometimes they are closed randomly (in all seasons) in order to carry out repairs.
Hi, we are thinking about doing this but starting and ending from Lake Cobbler. I note that its a walk you made up. Some of it looks like its on track with other bits requiring navigation? or are there faint tracks to follow/navigate? If we started from lake Cobbler would King Hut be a good overnight spot? Water?
That sounds like a good plan. I’m not sure if lake cobbler is accessible via 2wd but if you have a 4wd you will be fine. I’d suggest you never venture into the alps without good knowledge of navigation but you will find that most of this circuit follows faint trails. The trails are not all marked but you should be able to see them. Kin but would also make a great campsite as it is a large flat area close to a reliable water source. There are also flat areas closer to the actual trail of you can’t be bothered walking the extra distance to the hut
Thanks Darren. And yes we can navigate
Has anyone done this recently? Any updates to the previous advice? The link to the maps posted in 2017 doesn’t work anymore (www.trailhiking.com.au/?pasID=NDE3NA==&pasZONE=NDE3MQ==). Keen to do this Easter weekend.
I just checked the link to thje GPX file and it seems to download perfectly. Have you logged in before trying to download? I have posted the link to the file here: https://www.trailhiking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Mount%20Cobbler%20Plateau%20Circuit.gpx
the area around Mount Cobbler has been impacted by the recent fires so I would certainly advise checking if the area is open before planning this one for Easter.