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, April 21, 2004

Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 2 - Tahune Hut and the Summit

Today we were headed for Tahune Hut. I managed to get ready quickly and swept out the hut while Gaye was packing.
It wasn't much fun putting on wet boots and socks, but at least they were no longer muddy, after I washed them in the river.
The track started out heading through the rainforest beside Lake Vera. The lake was amazingly smooth – like a mirror, and the reflections were quite beautiful.

Soon the track headed up from the lake climbing fairly steeply through the rainforest. It was very pretty, but everything was wet, including the rocks and tree roots which were very slippery underfoot.
The climb was quite long, but eventually we came to the top which was Barron Pass. The views were awesome. The cliffs either side of Barron Pass towered above us and were quite pretty, and in the distance was Frenchmans Cap. Below in the valley were three or four pretty lakes. Behind us we could hardly see Lake Vera, since the reflections of the surrounding forest were so clear, that it just looked like part of the forest.

The track then dropped slightly, and followed a ridge toward Artichoke valley, then climbed steeply out of the valley. After a brief flat section we descended toward Tahune hut, with Frenchmans Cap now dominating the skyline.

We had lunch at Tahune Hut, then packed small daypacks for the climb to the summit. The climb was very steep with stairs to start with, then flattened out a bit near the North Col.
The track to the summit then became very steep, requiring climbing with hands and feet up chimneys and rock slopes. It was a little difficult, but not too dangerous. Toward the top, we could tell we were getting near, as the wind increased.

The summit presented truly awesome views – 360° for many many kilometres. We could see lakes near Queenstown, and Macquarie Harbour, and a huge area of wild mountains stretching into the distance and disappearing into the haze on the horizon.
The summit was very windy, and had a trig-point, and a rock windbreak for a tent on it. It was covered with rocks and small patches of mosses and other flat plants. On one side, it sloped gently away, and on the other there was a very very high cliff (~300m), only a few metres from the campsite. The valley floor was almost 900m below us. The climb had taken about 80 minutes.
We spent a some time on the summit taking in the view, but after a while, we got a bit cold, due to the wind, and decided to head back down. The descent took about an hour, and soon we were making dinner and looking at the awesome sunset on the mountains.
The night was amazingly mild, despite being clear.

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Thursday, April 22, 2004

Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 3 - Tahune Hut to Vera Hut

It was very warm in the morning today, and there was a strong wind blowing the trees above the hut. The sunrise glow on the peaks around Tahune Hut (including Frenchmans Cap) was very pretty.
We set out the way we'd come, with clear skies and good views. The wind was strong, but almost warm. We saw some King Billy Pines along the way and Deciduous Beech (which were orange).

I must have been having a bad day, as I slipped and fell several times. The first was on an unstable rock, and others were on tree roots. I cut my right middle finger twice within minutes, in virtually the same place, and also bruised my shin. Fun!
The descent from Barron Pass was very slow due to the enormously slippery tree roots and wat rocks. Finally when we reached Lake Vera, instead of a mirror surface, it had whitecaps due to the very strong wind.

For the first time on the hike, we had to share a hut with a young couple (Jenna & David?) who worked for the parks and wildlife service at the visitors centres for Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair.
It started raining about 7pm and continued steadily through the night.

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Friday, April 23, 2004

Frenchmans Cap Hike - Day 4 - out to Derwent Bridge

It was still raining when we woke, not hard, but steady.
David and Jenna were umming and ahhing about going for the summit due to the weather. Gaye and I decided to hike out despite the weather, since it could be the same tomorrow,, and we didn't particularly want to be hut bound for a day.
I didn't bother with rain pants, due to the mud, so my legs and hands were soon very cold. We walked back through the pretty rainforest to Philps Creek, which was now much higher than a few days ago. It was now a rushing river, not a quiet stream.



Now we entered the dreaded mud of the Philps lead, then the Loddon Plains. Again the first half of the Philps Lead and the last third of the Loddon Plains were not as bad. The difference though was that the entire track was now either a creek or a lake, in most places there was an additional 10 – 30cm of water covering the track and mud holes. It made it easier to follow the good parts, since the water ran quickly over the harder parts of the track, but on the boggy sections, of which there are scores, the extra water obscured how bad the mud was. I stumbled many times when the mud / water went from a few centimetres deep to knee or thigh deep in one step, without warning. The mud was up to my shorts on several occasions, and even when it was shallow, it was often slippery, making balance very difficult.
With the rain and cold weather, the plains were a bit of a march, and we were both very cold when we reached the end of the mud at the Loddon River. I pulled out my stove, and we had a cuppa soup to try to warm up a bit. This was a good idea, as my fingers were getting very sluggish and fumbly.

The mud didn't completely end at the Loddon Bridge, as the rain had turned several more sections into a mire, but nothing like the plains, and nothing over ankle deep. The Loddon River was very swollen as were a large number of little creeks as we climbed up from the Loddon River.
The rainforest was quite beautiful as we came down into the Franklin River valley. At the Phytophthora washdown station, I cleaned out an enormous amount of mud out of my boots and socks, and picked a leech of my leg.

Soon we could hear the Franklin River, and see the road, and knew we were almost there. The Franklin was very swollen compared to the first day – I don't think I would want to raft it when it was like that.
It was a relief to reach the car and put on some dry clothes, as the days hike had been somewhat of a march, but we had conqured the "Sodden Loddens".

We drove to the hotel at Derwent Bridge (near Lake St Clair) to check prices, then to Lake St Clair, where we had a bear and hot chips before deciding that the Derwent River Hotel had the better deal, since their rooms were $25 for a single room, compared to $25 for a dorm at Lake St Clair.
I felt much better after a shower and a shave, and we went to the bar / restaurant for some beer and dinner. The bar / restaurant is huge, and had a nice log fire, and was very rustic, but nice.
I felt like a night owl, staying up to 10pm, as the last week or so, especially the last few days has seen us going to bed about 7pm! I was trying to figure out where to go, as we were going to split up tomorrow. I decided to go back to Hobart for some R&R and to resupply.

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Saturday, April 24, 2004

Derwent Bridge / Lake St. Clair to Hobart

Today was fairly boring. The bus back to Hobart came at 4pm, so I had to wait around, - perhaps it would have been better to hitch. I spent most of the time in the Lake St Clair visitors centre café, since it was warm, as it was very cold outside last night, and still quite cold today. There was fresh snow on the mountains at the end of Lake St Clair, which would have been pretty but for the low cloud.
The café has a log fire, and I spent much of the day beside it, reading, and trying to dry my boots. It seems that almost every house or building in Tasmania has a wood fire, and there are enormous piles of split firewood on many properties and at many homes. Perhaps woodchips isn't the only market for the logging.

While I was waiting for the bus, I also did my laundry, which took quite a while due to having to hand pre-wash many muddy items. It was amazing how much dirt was in them.
While I waited, I read "120 walks in Tasmania", and discovered the Penguin to Cradle Mountain trail, which sounds like a good walk, especially if it were combined with the Overland Track to make a 165km track.
Not long before the bus ws due, I met some "Overlanders" from canader, and the Netherlands, and was talking with them for a while.

The bus trip was long (2hrs 45mins) and tedious. We passed three hydro power stations enroute.
Arriving in Hobart, I checked into the Pickled Frog Backpackers. It is an old converted pub, and is fairly nice. The operators were very helpful.
I went down the road and got some takeaway Thai green curry for dinner and ate it at the hostel before heading for bed.

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Sunday, April 25, 2004

R&R in Hobart

Breakfast was part of the price for the bed at the Pickled Frog – cornflakes and toast.
I wandered outside for a while and found that Hobart was deserted. Nothing was open, and no-one was around. OK, I thought, I'll go back to the hostel for a bit, it must be just because it is before 9am. Banjo's bakery was about the only thing I could find that was open and I got some bread there. A little while later, I went out again. Still nothing was open, virtually no-one around.
I headed for Salamanca Place, but on the way, I passed the RSL, and there was quite a lot of people milling around there, and heading for the CBD, since it was ANZAC day.
I followed the crowds, and soon found there was a fairly big parade assembling near the town hall.
After about 15 minutes the parade started, leading off with the few remaining first world war veterans in old army jeeps. Then came many ranks of veterans, banner bearing school children, cadets, and a few marching bands.
I went down to Salamanca Place, and found that there were some shops open, since Salamanca gets a lot of tourist trade. I went to the Wilderness Society Shop, there and bought a copy of Bob Brown's latest book "Memo for a Saner World" (Recommended by Gaye). I then used the internet and spent some time reading my book. At 2:30 I went over to the cinemas as I had looked in earlier and wanted to see "50 first dates". It was funny and cute.

Wandering back to Salamanca again, it was quite cold, I was wandering, looking for somewhere warm to hang out when I saw some people playing live music at Irish Murphies pub.
I went inside and listened to them for a while – I'm not sure if they were a group, or just individuals, since usually one person would start a song, then the others would pick up on it after a while, and it seemed as though they were improvising. The music was all Irish of course, with guitar, fiddle, Irish pipes, tin whistle, Irish drum, washboard, and an instrument like a lute.
I had a pint while I was listening. Beer in Tasmania comes in pint or 10 ounce glasses. Boags and Cascade are the usual beers on tap.
After a while the music became a bit monotonous, as it all had the Irish sound, and a similar tempo. After reading a while again, I went to Sal's for dinner and had a very delicious woodfired pizza, while listening to a mellow instrumental live guitarist.

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