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

[ Up ]

[ Prev ][ Next ]

Friday, May 07, 2004

Tiger Trails Tarkine Hike - Day 6 - Out, then to Strahan

Packing and eating breakfast quickly, we set off, aiming to meet Jarrah at the creek at 9:30am.
Darvis suggested we walk down the hill in silence, which we did. Part way down, there was a very big Eucalypt, and we formed a ring, holding hands around it. It was a little uncomfortable, since we could only just reach around it with 11 people, but it was an interesting, semi-spiritual experience. Darvis suggested we think about what we get from being in the forest, and whether we give anything back. I decided I should do something active to try to help save the forest from destruction, as I do get enjoyment, inspiration, relaxation and inner peace from wild places, so I should at very least let my political representatives know this, and ask them to spare the forests.
I took many photos on the way down the hill, as it was one of the few times on the trip that it was not raining, and my lens was not fogged up.
Pretty soon, we got to the creek and we took some group photos, and had a bit of a discussion about what we were taking away from the trip, then we crossed the creek and soon came out at a road, where Jarrah was waiting with the van and trailer.

We packed the stuff in the trailer, got in the van, and that was the end of the walk. The road was a bumpy dirt road for a while through glacial valleys, then we were on bitumen again, and went through Tullah, and on to Queenstown. The scenery was very beautiful until we got to Queenstown, where we were suddenly presented with a landscape devastated by mining. The mountainsides surrounding the northern part of Queenstown were completely bare of vegetation and covered with the rubble of 100 years of mining activity. We stopped in the main street of town, in the southern part, and all went to a café / fish & chips shop to get some fried food.
The others had warned me that Queenstown was pretty rough, and was like a time warp, and they were right – it seemed like it was 20 years or more in the past, as far as the shops, people and styles went.

I was getting off the bus at Queenstown, and heading for Strahan , so I unpacked the Tiger Trails stuff from my pack, said goodbye, and I was on my own again. After going back to the café briefly, and reading about Queenstown in my guidebook, I phoned Tassielink and Strahan YHA. The YHA person told me about a Tassielink school bus which came much earlier than the 9:30pm one the Tassielink office had told me about. After finding the local Tassielink agent, I was able to get a ticket leaving in an hour, rather than 7 hours.
The road to Strahan was pretty windy, and went through areas of plains and mountains. I was dropped off at the YHA, and after getting set up, went to take some photos of the sunset over Macquarie Harbour. I then had dinner at the Hostel, and spent a while trying to clean and dry my gear. It was very handy that I had the dorm room to myself.

Admin login | Original script by Alex