All The Gear But No Idea: The Rennix Track

The Rennix Walk 22-12-2020

This map was created using GPS Visualizer's do-it-yourself geographic utilities.

Please wait while the map data loads...

Route: Rennix Walk Track, Boggy Plain Creek, Radio Repeater

Date: 22/12/2020
From: Rennix Gap

Parking: Rennix Gap
Start Point: Rennix Walk Trail Head
Finish Point: Rennix Walk Trail Head
Region: Kosciuszko National Park

Route length: 8.0 miles (12.9km)
Time taken: 03:36
Average speed: 2.3mph
Ascent: 427m
Descent: 433m

Points of Interest: Rennix Walk

This hike follows an old management trail from Rennix Gap to the views from a granite outcrop, which is also home to a Snowy Hydro radio repeater. It passes through a variety of environments from open grassy plains, wooded forest, exposed granite outcrops and alpine fens.

Being an out and back, it is perhaps not the type of hike I would normally choose, however, the weather on the high peaks was looking pretty bad (despite what you can see in the photos, it was very windy and the mountains were covered in cloud) so I decided against Mount Stillwell and opted for the Rennix Track instead, after consulting various hiking websites.

Charlotte Pass

Rennix Gap is a signposted saddle on the Kosciuszko Road where there is a small car park. The gap is named after W.E. Rennix, who was appointed the Shire Engineer (with a salary of £350 per year) and was the first to survey the road to Kosciuszko which was constructed between 1906-09. A sign at the track head explains that Rennix died from pneumonia after having been caught in a blizzard at the gap.

The tired-looking information board at the trailhead

The track begins downhill along the old management trail before crossing Boggy Plain Creek - depending on the time of the year the creek may be tricky to cross without getting wet feet. Fortunately today, it was quite dry. From the creek, the trail traverses the side of a low hill, following the creek uphill through a grove of trees then winds to a wide grassy valley.

A vehicle track leaves the car park

Heading to the first stand of Eucalyptus trees

Entering the wide valley of Boggy Plain Creek

Snow Gums

I passed what I thought was an old bike tyre nestled among the grass at the side of the path but, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a snake. I was mildly surprised to find that snakes were residents of the alpine areas of New South Wales. After a while, the track climbs to a large flat saddle with a small wetland and views towards the main range.

Quite literally, a snake in the grass

Boggy Plain Creek valley

A hill separates Boggy Plain Creek from the valley of Diggers Creek

Clouds cap the high mountains

The wetland saddle

The saddle (as with a few other saddles on the Rennix Track) is home to a significant wetland. This ‘Alpine fen’ is fed mostly by groundwater from the surrounding hills and is an important ecosystem.

On the whole, the rest of the trail is generally a steady incline with a few short steep sections along the way. There is plenty of variety as you go, sometimes walking in open grassy heathlands and other times walking through snow gum woodland.

The first of several inclines

Eucalyptus pauciflora - the snow gum

The beautiful grey bark of the Snow Gums

Another view of the Main Range from the Rennix Track

More snow gum woodland

The Rennix Track continues to another open saddle

Alpine flowers

The steepest section of this walk is the final ascent to the ridgeline. Once on the ridge, the track continues towards the repeater station. I passed by an area known as the Giants Castle, an informal name for an outcrop of granite boulders. There is a trig station on the boulders but it is difficult to get to.

Looking towards the ridge

The final steep climb up to the ridge

Gaining the ridge

Approaching the end of the ridge

The Snowy Hydro radio repeater

The final destination is around 800m further along the track, which ends at another outcrop, home to the radio reflector. It's an easy scramble up onto the rock where there are views of the Geehi valley from the reflector, which acts as a mirror to bounce radio signals between two Snowy Hydro sites which for part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme, the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.

A view of the Geehi valley from the radio repeater

Australian Alpine views from the Rennix Track

Being an out and back hike, once you reach the far end, there is no alternative but to retrace the route back to the trailhead at Rennix Gap. While there are some slightly different views on the return, the hiking is much the same with a few inclines to be tackled before the final hike to the car park.