Lake Sylvan to Rockburn Shelter Track

Dogs No Dogs

Features Commonly Backpacked · River/Creek · Views

This track is a bit of a back-country bushwhack, but don't let this discourage you from attempting it as the reward at the end is certainly worth the effort!

From the junction with the Lake Sylvan Track, the start of this track contours, sometimes steeply, along the eastern slope of Lake Sylvan, where you'll enjoy views across the water to wooded foothills of Sugarloaf. The water of Lake Sylvan is crystal clear but amber in color due to the tannins released by the surrounding foliage. If the weather is pleasant you may see (and hear) boisterous pairs of Paradise ducks on the water. You'll have to navigate a couple of downed trees and a few small slips along this section that do make the going a bit tricky.

Once past the lake, the trail continues on a steady uphill journey up a small drainage. At times, the forest grows dense all around you, as you navigate small mossy knolls covered in ferns and other greenery. In other sections, the land around the drainage rises to high bluff and cliffs, still covered in dense vegetation but whose sheer rock walls hem in the small stream you are following upward. There are several small, but boggy stream crossings that you'll have to navigate, and you'll want to keep an eye open for the orange triangle blazes to make sure you stay on track.

Eventually, you'll come to a steeper climb up to the junction with the Rockburn Track. You'll want to stay to the right to continue on to where the Rockburn Hut previously used to be. Here you are well rewarded for your efforts. Just follow the sounds of rushing water, and a short side trip will bring you to an incredible chasm with the shocking blue waters of Rock Burn cascading toward the Dart River, carving the gray granite into a deep and intricate chasm. Follow this downriver, and the chasm will widen to beautiful blue pools until the stream's outlet widens into a wide, rocky shore where it joins the alluvial plains of the braided Dart River. The views here are outstanding, and there is a small shelter and toilets maintained by the local Dart River tours that bring kayakers and jet boats to this area.