Rotomaninitua / Lake Angelus

At about 1,650 m, Rotomaninitua / Lake Angelus is a glacial alpine tarn in the Angelus basin. Angelus Hut stands by its shore, with the designated campsite below it. This is one of the park's major high-country destinations, but getting here takes a serious tramp. I'd plan an overnight or longer visit; it isn't a quick stop from St Arnaud.

The classic route from Mount Robert car park is 12.2 km one way and takes about six hours. It climbs steep zigzags to Robert Ridge, follows exposed rocky ground over Julius Summit (1,794 m), then descends on poles into the basin. There is no water along Robert Ridge, so plan what you carry before leaving the car park.

The four approaches—Robert Ridge, Speargrass, Travers–Cascade and Mount Cedric—have different demands. Robert Ridge is exposed and rocky; Speargrass includes unbridged stream crossings and muddy lower sections; crossings on the Travers–Cascade route can be difficult after rain or snowmelt. Read the advice for the route you actually plan to use.

Weather can turn from clear to whiteout within minutes, and snow is possible even in summer. The outing is graded as advanced tramping and an expert route; expect rough ground and exposed heights. Avalanche terrain and rapidly changing weather are serious parts of the route planning. In winter, usually May to October, the lake is often frozen and the approaches are snow-covered.

Angelus Hut has 28 bunks and non-flush toilets; its tap water is untreated, so boil, filter or chemically treat it. The designated campsite is below the hut, and campers use the hut toilet. Hut and campsite bookings are required year-round.

Bring your own food, gas and cooking kit: there is no food service or cooking equipment. Keep gear completely dry for 48 hours before swimming or taking water from an alpine tarn to help prevent invasive lindavia from spreading. Pack rubbish out.

The rounded lake basin and steep ridges are a legacy of glaciers and permanent snowfields that carved the valley walls, bluffs and side creeks. Major ice advances ended about 10,000 years ago, leaving the water-filled basins and sharp surrounding ridges you see here.

An earlier recorded name was Rangimārie, meaning “peaceful”; a European applied it. Later climbers named a peak to the south Angelus after a devotional prayer, and the lake took the same name. Julius von Haast made the first recorded scramble along Robert Ridge in 1860, though he may not have been the first.

On the Robert Ridge approach, pause on the high ridge overlooking the Angelus basin before following the poles down; that wide view shows the lake in its setting. At the shore, include Angelus Hut with the water and surrounding ridges to show the basin's scale.