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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Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 4 - Camped at Huskisson River

We had done extra distance yesterday, which meant that we could stay at the Huskisson River camp for two nights and just do a day walk in the forest today.
We had a leisurely breakfast, and after a while decided to set off down the river. We walked through the trackless rainforest, trying to stick to the ares with an open forest floor, and few fallen trees (quite difficult). We kept the river on our left, and after a while came to a river bend, where the river ran against the bottom of a ridge line.
The forest consisted of lots of smaller and medium sized trees with heaps of ferns and tree ferns, and lots of moss and fungus covering everything. There was an amazing variety of moss and fungus – even on a single tree. Interspersed in the forest, were occasional (every 50 – 100m) enormous Eucalypts, which towered above everything else – leading us to wonder why they grew so tall, as even their bottom branches were usually above the tops of the other trees.

We decided to climb the ridge, which was not too difficult, as it was fairly open at ground level, although it was pretty steep in places. At the top, it was a little drier, with more of the giant Eucalypts,and not quite so much moss and ferns. We decided to delay lunch till we got back to camp, although we'd brought it, and started contouring the ridge back toward the campsite. We came across a huge Eucalypt which had recently fallen. It left a massive crater where the roots had been. Climbing on top of the trunk, we walked down the length of the intact part which was probably 40 or 50 metres. It gave a good sense of how truly huge the trees around us actually were.
We then descended off the side of the ridge, through tree ferns, and lush forest, descending very steeply - we were often sliding rather than stepping, making it difficult to stay standing. Almost everything I stepped on in the forest seemed to be spongy to sme degree – the moss, matted roots, mud, and especially fallen, rotten logs. Several logs I stepped on collapsed and left my foot partly inside the log.

Amazingly, we arrived right back at the camp with no searching at all. The walk had been very nice - getting off the track, and into virgin rainforest, which had probably never been explored by white people was pretty cool. The forest was truly beautiful, it would be horrible if it were chopped down to be chipped for paper.
After a late lunch, we lazed around the camp till dinner.
As it was getting dark at dinner time, we noticed that Rob had still not returned from a solo wander he had gone on. We started coo-eeeing and shortly heard a faint reply. A few minutes later Rob arrived looking a bit sheepish, as Darvis had earlier told us a story about a guy getting lost at this very camp. Rob said he'd wandered into the forest to be alone for a bit, and was fairly sure, but not 100% sure of the way back, but our calling confirmed it for him.
There was a fair bit of talk about the river after dinner, since tomorrow we would have to cross it. The river had gone down about 10cm during the day, but it was still ragin, and as powerful and deep as any river I'd crossed, but much wider, at 50 metres wide. Everyone was a little aprehensive.

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