Hi everyone,
I’ve recently gotten into hiking and I’m looking for some really difficult hikes that can still be done in a day (even if I have to start very early). Just not a big fan of carrying camping & extra equipment throughout my hike…
Also, is the Mt. Bogong Staircase Spur doable in winter? Or is it not recommended?
Thanks so much!
Have you tried looking on AllTrails? I just did a quick filter of 'hard' difficulty trails and set the distance to 20-30km, this seemed to be the one I could find with the most/best ratings around Melbourne:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/australia/victoria/m…
Set yourself some filters and look around on map view, see what you can find
Ryans Den - Otways
Mt Difficult - Grampians
Mt St Leonard - Yarra
Big Walk - Mt Buffalo
Catheral Ranges Southern Circuit via Sugarloaf
Seconding the Big Walk at Mt Buffalo.
How doable staircase spur is in winter really comes down to your fitness, the weather, and comfort finishing by torchlight
If yes to all three, it's possible - but the walk to get to the spur line can get pretty wet in winter and up high on the ranges can have awful weather. I would investigate if you can sleep the night before in Mt Beauty or in the car at the trailhead, and definitely take a friend, emergency shelter (eg bivvy bag or a bothy) and an epirb/plb.
Mount St Leonard Circuit on AllTrails
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/australia/victoria/mount-st-…
Start at daybreak to allow time. 1000m climb!
On the Vic/NSW border is Hanels Spur track. Its 25km with 2000m elevation gain (a bit of up and down) and it took us almost 13 hours to complete. I did it in May and had snow from about half way up.
How far do you want to travel from Melbourne?