Roger Paterson, Phil Rouvray and Rob Simmons with the memorial cairn frame that was helicoptered to the summit of Table Top Mountain and placed as a commemoration to the Hume and Hovell expedition 200 years ago. Walkers will have the chance to place a rock in the cairn on top of the mountain as part of the significant event. Photo: Supplied.
Nature lovers and hikers will have the chance to take in a birds-eye view of the surrounding landscape when a walk to the peak of Table Top Mountain is held in the name of charity on Sunday 17 November.
Table Top Mountain dominates the countryside around Gerogery, Bowna and on the Hume Freeway between Ettamogah and Woomargama and is mostly privately owned with no regular public access.
Organiser Phil Rouvray from the Rotary Club Albury North said the event would mark the 200th anniversary of the expedition of Hamilton Hume and William Hovell who, on 17 October 1824, left the Lake George District near Yass to explore the countryside between there and Port Philip Bay.
“On Saturday 13 November of that year, they camped at the northeastern foot of a mountain, known as Mulyan yar Gunyah to the local Wiradjiri tribe and translates to home of the eagle,” said Phil.
“Hume and Hovell named this mountain Battery Mount. From where they were camped, it resembled a fortified gun battery because of its sheer cliffs and square corners.
“The name “Battery Mount” fell into disuse in the 1850s. People had started calling it Table Top Mountain because of its distinctive skyline and the fact that it was part of Table Top Station, then owned by Elizabeth Mitchell.”
Sundays were rest days for the explorers, so instead of continuing their southward trek, Hume and Hovell used Sunday 14 November to climb the mountain for a better view of the surrounding countryside. William Hovell wrote a detailed description of his observations from the mountain top in his expedition journal.
The six-kilometre round trip can be accessed from the Olympic Highway (look for the Peregrines Reception Centre Sign) and is expected to take walkers around three hours. It is suitable for moderately fit people with no mobility issues and children over six years old.
“You could make it up and back in two hours but if you take it leisurely and stop to look at the wildflowers, admire the scenery and enjoy the serenity you need to allow three hours,” said Phil.
The walk will raise money for the Albury Wodonga Cancer Centre Trust Inc which was chosen by the property owner Roger Paterson who lost his wife Elizabeth to breast cancer in 2021. Entry ranges from $25 per car to $50 per mini-bus or $100 for a coach.
“The view from the peak is totally different to what you see from the road,” said Phil.
“You are walking through canyons and past rock faces and when you get to the top the killer shot is at the eastern end when you are looking over Lake Hume. On a clear day you can see all the Victorian Alps in a line from Bogong to Mt McKay, Feathertop, Mt Hotham and Mt Buffalo.”
Phil has been conducting regular guided tours on Table Top Mountain for the past 12 years.
“Roger and Elizabeth wanted a way of allowing access but regulating it. People think it’s national park and would just go up there. They were being driven mad by people wanting to go up there, unsupervised. They didn’t know who they were or what they were doing and as it’s a working farm there were lots of issues.
“I was taking friends up there for walks so I took the idea to them and they were very glad that I could become the middleman and take a lot of the hassle out of it and regulate it so that they knew who was there and what they were doing.”
The walk will start at 9:30 am and there will be a sausage sizzle outside the reception centre afterwards. As part of the commemoration, a cairn will be erected on the summit. Participants will be able to participate in its construction by placing a stone in the wire mesh frame of the cairn.
For more information visit the Table Top Mountain Charity Walk on Facebook.
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