Collins Bonnet & Mt Connection

We have climbed both Collins Bonnet and Mt Connection separately, as well as conquering the 18kms from Collins Bonnet to Lenah Valley via Mt Connection, with a car drop.

The start to Collins Bonnet is the same as Collins Cap, commencing through Myrtle Forest. After just under 1km you reach a junction, at which you head south (left) towards the bonnet. This takes you through overgrowth which resulted in leeches on our first trip in May, but not our second in February.

There is a small rescue hut (tin shed) towards the top on the road. From here there is a boulder scrabble to the peak, about 4.5km from the car park. We were a bit apprehensive our first trip due to inexperience and low cloud making visibility poor. There are marker poles that make the way clear, though, so we had no trouble finding our way. You are rewarded with excellent views on a fine day.

You can then either return the way you came, or head towards Mt Wellington via Mt Connection.

The stretch from the Bonnet to Connection is about 3km. To reach the peak of Connection you need to leave the track, and you can also find Pulpit Rock, an interesting dolerite formation.

The track then takes you across a large shrubby plain towards Mt Wellington. We came across a Tiger snake on one of our walks across here.

Towards the end of the walk (or the beginning if you’re starting from ‘big bend’ on Mt Wellington) you’re walking on a 4WD track.

For our Bonnet – Lenah Valley walk we walked down the Mt Wellington road from Big Bend for about 1.5 km, during which we saw another Tiger snake. This took us to Hunters and Old Hobartian tracks which take you down the final 4km to Lenah Valley Road.