TaSafari - 5 day go wild camping trip to the west coast and on to Hobart - lots of stuff to update - so get a cup of tea and read on!
Thunder and lightening all night, rain to keep me awake (even with ear plugs), just the night needed before a camping trip! I'm hoping it's washed itself out and that will be the end of it. Sitting on the kerb outside the hostel at 6.30am, with a dry bottom, it's looking hopeful!
Our guide Dave hoons past in his big Toyota truck (with lovely green trailer) and we're off. There's five of us in total, plus Dave. Gabriella from Switzerland, Damien from Tasmania (he used to be a guide to - so we are in good hands!), Murray from Sydney and Karen, also from Sydney. It's quite different for me to be in a group with so many locals, usually it's all travellers and it makes a nice change.
Fortunately, our first stop is for brekkie, and suitably refreshed we head out for Alum Cliffs, It's raining, but the clouds are drifting over and around the bush covered hills so it's all very atmospheric. From above ground, we head down under (tee hee) to Mole Creek Caves. Really enthusiastic guide took us below to see all the various rock formations and underground streams - he even got married in the caves. Back up to the rain for a bite to eat and then it's off to Cradle Mountain - one of the icons of Tasmania. (Just a word or two of explanation - the green trailer in the photos contains all the camping, cooking and sleeping gear we need for the week as well as our backpacks. Honestly, it's a work of art!)
It's still soggy and so we don't head up the mountain, but do a lovely flat (but we were route marched around at speed!) walk around Dove Lake that sits below the mountain and is usually in all the nice sunny, blue sky pictures that you see. We did catch a glimpse of the summit, but I wasn't quick enough with the camera!
Our first nights camp is at Magnet. This used to be a thriving mining community of about 2,500 people, but following the closure of the mine, the people have all disappeared and nature has reclaimed the land. Access is down a steep and rocky track (and a wallaby) and it's a fantastic camping spot, right by the river. Glad we are in a 4WD truck. The rain stops whilst we put up the tents, starts again, stops whilst we cook and starts again. No matter, we have food and a local beer to keep us going.
Day 2 and we break camp with the occasional glimpse of blue sky (this causes great excitement!). Our first stop is Corinna, a tiny town by the Pieman River (no, sorry, don't know why it's called that). We drop off the trailer and take another rough track to go up Mount Donaldson. It's drying off a bit, but it's still very wet underfoot. Wish I had checked my boots for waterproofing before now! There was a 360 degree view from the top, right down to the sea. Mountains all over the place and we could see the Pieman river meandering off into the distance. Spot of lunch and then the downhill walk. Quite dodgy this as it is slippery and steep. And you've, guessed it, I got my bottom wet! But I wasn't the only one and we were howling with laughter each time! Found a few leeches on our return to the truck, yeuch. Across the Pieman on a little tiny wee 2 car ferry and then down to Granville Harbour to camp. We are literally on the beach down yet another 4WD track! It was fantastic - not only that - the sun had come out. Yippeeee! Noisy though - frog chorus and the waves to send us to sleep.
Day 3 and it's freshly made bread for breakfast (yes, cooked on the fire) and off to Zeehan another mining town. We inch our way through a very narrow ex-rail tunnel, built through the hill by the miners to join the mine to the road, hugely cutting down the transport time for the silver ore. Then it's off to Montezuma Falls, a lovely walk along another old railway track, to an amazing waterfall, that can be viewed from a very high swing bridge. A little nerve wracking, but the biscuits after made it worthwhile! Back to Zeehan to pick up the trailer and onto Strahan (pronounced Strawn) which is a lovely place on the river. We get a shower!!! All this wild camping was beginning to tell. Then it was down to the Swan Basin to camp. We didn't get Daves preferred camping spot (on the beach again) but we were fine - the boys even deciding to sleep out in the swags. The harbour here is huge and very empty. It's bigger than Sydney harbour but has about 10 people on it (well, a few more than that!). Glorious sunset and a quiet night away from the rain, frogs and waves. Bliss!
Day 4. A chance to mooch around Strahan whilst Dave gets some more supplies. No ice-creams (I was just fancying one) so had to buy a t-shirt instead! Oh yes, still shopping! Drove through Queenstown, a mining town whose surrounding hills have been decimated by acid rain due to the mine workings, leaving the hillsides barren with little or no top soil. It looks quite alien, Mars on a good day! Processes have changed now so nature is battling back and beginning to revegetate some areas. It will be a long time before it's done though. Next walk is to Nelson Falls, very pretty and then onto Donaghys lookout. Again, amazing 360 degree views (this time with glorious sunshine!) of mountains, valleys, rivers and bush. Had a bit of fun with a rival tour company back down at the car park. Had him going that the path was blocked and there was no way to the top. I thought he had realised I was winding him up, until he called all his passengers back. Had to confess pretty quickly - and only just survived to tell the tale. We all thought it was hilarious (not sure he was of the same mind!). Next stop was Lake St Clair (they spell it wrong, obviously) and another walk, this time to a lovely beachy area where we take a few minutes to chill out. Then we are off to Bronte Park to camp next to the lake. Surrounded by bush and hardly a soul around, this got voted best campsite. We saw a possum and Murray had some fun trying to stay in the hammock that was his bed for the night. Had candles on the tables for dinner and roasted marshmallows on the fire - great way to spend our last evening.
Day 5 - more bread for breakfast - yum! Headed for Something Wild - a park to rehabilitate orphaned or injured wildlife. Saw the cutest baby wombat ever and were able to stroke her, plus wallabys, possums and quolls. It was also our chance to see Tasmanian Devils, which are actually quite cute although they have some decent teeth when they snarl. We were also really lucky to see some Platypus swimming around in the river that runs past the park - took a lot of patience and waiting - but great to see them. Our final walk was in Mount Field national park, seeing lots of different waterfalls, all deserving of a photograph (or ten!). We also heard and then saw a Tiger Snake (poisonous) which we were very glad to see going away from us. We heard a few more too. Finally, we returned to the truck, last piece of ymmy bread and then Dave came up trumps and revealed a final beer for each of us too. What a star. Hobart was next and civilisation!
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