Choose a diary entry31/03/2004 - Retrenched! 02/04/2004 - Farewell Lunch 03/04/2004 - Preparation 1 04/04/2004 - Preparation 2 05/04/2004 - Packing 06/04/2004 - Sydney to Hobart to Mt. Field NP 07/04/2004 - Tarn Shelf, then into the Southwest 08/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 1 - Up Alpha Moraine 09/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 2 - Lake Cygnus 10/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 3 - Lake Oberon & Square Lake 11/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 4 - Lake Oberon to Lake Cygnus 12/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 5 - Lake Cygnus to Junction Creek 13/04/2004 - Western Arthurs Hike - Day 6 - out to Mt Field NP 14/04/2004 - Back to Hobart for resupply and on to Southport 15/04/2004 - Southport, Hastings springs, Cockle Creek 16/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 1 - Cockle Creek to South Cape Rivulet 17/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 2 - South Cape Rivulet 18/04/2004 - South Coast Track - Day 3 - back to Cockle Creek, then Hobart 19/04/2004 - Hobart to Lake St. Clair 20/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 1 - to Vera Hut 21/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 2 - Tahune Hut and the Summit 22/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 3 - Tahune Hut to Vera Hut 23/04/2004 - Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 4 - out to Derwent Bridge 24/04/2004 - Derwent Bridge / Lake St. Clair to Hobart 25/04/2004 - R&R in Hobart 26/04/2004 - Hobart, buying a new Camera 27/04/2004 - Hobart to Port Arthur 28/04/2004 - Port Arthur Historic site, then to Fortescue Bay 29/04/2004 - Tasman Trail Hike - Fortescue Bay to Eaglehawk Neck 30/04/2004 - Eaglehawk Neck to Hobart, Targa 01/05/2004 - Hobart R&R, Salamanca Markets 02/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 1 - to Wombat Flat 03/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 2 - to Mt. Ramsay 04/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 3 - Mt. Ramsay to Huskisson River 05/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 4 - Camped at Huskisson River 06/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 5 - Across the Huskisson 07/05/2004 - Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 6 - Out, then to Strahan 08/05/2004 - R&R in Strahan 09/05/2004 - Dissapointing Gordon River Cruise 10/05/2004 - Strahan, R&R, Preparation for Overland Track 11/05/2004 - Strahan to Lake St. Clair 12/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 1 - Lake St. Clair to Pine Valley Hut 13/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 2 - the Labyrinth and Acropolis 14/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 3 - Pine Valley Hut to Kia-Ora Hut 15/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 4 - Kia-Ora Hut to Mt. Ossa to Pelion Hut 16/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 5 - Pelion Hut to Windermere Hut 17/05/2004 - Overland Track - Day 6 - Windamere Hut to Cradle Mountain Village 18/05/2004 - Sick!, Cradle Mountain to Launceston 19/05/2004 - Recovery 1 20/05/2004 - Recovery 2 - Doctor, and Cataract Gorge 21/05/2004 - Recovery 3 22/05/2004 - Recovery 4 23/05/2004 - Recovery 5 24/05/2004 - Launceston to Bicheno 25/05/2004 - Freycinet Hike - Day 1 - the Hazards to Cooks Beach 26/05/2004 - Freycinet Hike - Day 2 - back to Bicheno 27/05/2004 - Exploring Bicheno 28/05/2004 - Bicheno to Launceston 29/05/2004 - Exploring Further in Launcestion 30/05/2004 - Cataract Gorge 2 31/05/2004 - Launceston to Liffey Falls to Deloraine 01/06/2004 - Trowunna, Devils Gullet, Walls of Jerusalem National Park 02/06/2004 - Walls of Jerusalem Hike - Day 1 03/06/2004 - Walls of Jerusalem - Day 2 - Out, then to Hobart 04/06/2004 - Mt. Field NP, Styx Valley & on to Triabunna 05/06/2004 - Maria Island - Day 1 06/06/2004 - Maria Island - Day 2 07/06/2004 - R&R in Launceston 08/06/2004 - Flying Back Home

Tasmania Diary

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Sunday, May 02, 2004

Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 1 - to Wombat Flat

Today was the start of the Tarkine guided walk with Tiger Trails. I got up at 6:15am (ouch), and quickly packed my sleeping gear and headed for the Tiger Trails office, which was just a block from the Pickled Frog Hostel. Out the front of the office was a 12 seater minivan, with trailer. I went up to the office, and there were several people inside busily packing and checking gear.
I was given a fabric bag with some group food in it, a bag of scrogin, a bag of muesli bars, and a block of chocolate. I was considering taking my own one man tent, mainly so I would know I'd get good sleep, but the guide convinced me to use theirs.
We dumped the packs in the trailer, and soon set off – there were 9 people in the minibus, with our guide (Darvis) driving, and Jarrah as the alternate driver, who would return the van to Hobart.

As we drove north toward Launceston, it became apparent that the weather was not terrific – there was a very strong wind which was throwing the bus all over the road, and the occasional rain squall. I was hoping that my pack wouldn't get too wet as the trailer didn't have a tarp over it.
At Launceston, we picked up another passenger, and near Devonport, we stopped for fuel and some food, then again to pick up more passengers. On the way, everyone was fairly quiet, which was probably due to not knowing each other, being tired from the early start, and from the warm air in the bus.

Turning inland near Burnie, we went past the Gunns woodchipping mill, which is the largest in the southern hemisphere, yet only employs 12 people full time. It is the one pushing ahead the logging of Tasmania's old growth forests, like the Tarkine. After the mill came Tasmanias largest private landholding – a Gunns plantation forest.
At Waratah, we stopped at a park with a shelter shed which we used to pack all the extra gear which hadn't been packed yet, e.g. stoves, pots / billies, fuel, extra food. There was a view of a pretty waterfall from the park, and the decaying remains of mining equipment from last century in the valley below.

While we were packing, the wind was very cold, and when we were nearly finished, it suddenly started hailing. In the tin roofed shelter shed, it was very noisy, but the hail soon changed to rain.
About 10 minutes drive from Waratah, we came to the trail head – just an unmarked dirt 4WD track off the sealed main road.
After putting our packs on, we said bye to Jarrah. It was about 12:30 when we started walking. The track lead off into low eucalypt forest, and then went past the only piece of buttongrass on the track.

After less than two kilometres, we came to a creek. It had a very dodgy bridge consisting of a pair of slippery logs. I asked Darvis (our guide) whether we'd be getting wet feet later, and he said we would, so I just forded the creek, which was about thigh deep, quite deep and fast flowing.
Paul slipped, and almost went for a swim whilst fording the creek and got a little wet. Natalie slipped on the logs of the bridge and landed on her bum on one of the logs but didn’t go into the water.
Immediately we had to cross another creek to the first night's campsite. Everyone who had used the bridge took time to take off their boots and pants to ford the creek.
The campsite was where an old house had been from the mining era, and was called Wombat Flat.

It had been sprinkling rain, and just after we got our tents up, it started hailing again. We put up a tarp to cook under, and Darvis proceeded to organise dinner. Whilst dinner was happening, we did an introduction session, then a "pass the avocado" game to help us remember everyone's names.
Apart from me, there was:

Darvis (Mark Davis)	Guide and Co-founder of Tiger Trails.
Chris	A nurse from South Australia
Ben, Paul & Natalie	Have been working on the streets of Hobart for The Wilderness Society. Paul and Natalie are from the UK, Ben is Australian
Brendon, Zinta	Learning to be Tiger Trails guides for the next season. Brendon is a musician, Zinta has been travelling and cycling in Tasmania.
Noboru	Not your average Japanese tourist, has been travelling / protesting for quite a while, and did a peace walk from Perth to Melbourne with Ben
Chelsea & Rob	Activists for Tasmania's forests Chelsea has a radio show.

It is interesting that virtually everyone is in their 20's, which is different from the usual clients of Tiger Trails, who are around 50. Also interesting is that several of the group already know each other, and almost everyone has been recently active in the fight to save the tarkine. Hopefully I can make a difference too, possibly with photographs.

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