Mt Donna Buang (VK3/VC-002) and Mt Ritchie (VK3/VC-003)

A clear winter’s day was forecast on August 5th 2016 and with arrangements made I headed out early to Mt Donna Buang VK3/VC-002 with plans for Mt Ritchie VK3/VC-003 afterwards.  I left Melbourne’s eastern suburbs by 0710 and arrived at Donna Buang around 0845 to a frosty, clear, cold and calm summit, distrubing no fewer than 5 lyre birds on the final few kilometers before the car park.  A bonus for getting up there early was spectacular morning sunrays cutting through the mountain mist.

Mt Ritchie VK3/VC-003

Mt Ritchie (VK3/VC-003) was the last of the Yarra Ranges summits not activated during my burst of activity a few months ago, so I took an afternoon and evening to get up there to complete the set.  Having dealt with Saturday morning domestics,  I did not leave the suburbs until 3.30pm, a late start.  I knew it was a fair walk from the gate but I decided to press on, knowing I would be walking down by torchlight, and hoping that daylight savings would make most of the walk in twilight.