TASMANIA : DAY 6 : OVERLAND TRACK : Windy Ridge Hut to Lake St Clair (9km, 3 hrs)

WEATHER : Rain overnight and pouring, driving rain all morning

 

A flat but saturated walk from Windy Ridge Hut to Narcissus Hut, Lake St Clair

 

 

Proof that Tasmania is the wet and windiest Australian state

 

 

Waratah budding

 

First sight of bottle brush - stark contrast with the grey conditions

 

 

Flooded pathway

 

 

Scrubby vegetation with duckboards for easy walking

  

 

The welcome sight of the suspension bridge over a tributary to Lake St Clair

 

 

 Quick run to the wharf to catch the ferry, if weather conditions were safe

Ferry arriving - preparing for a quick getaway

 

 

A mini bus collected us at Lake St Clair and drove us north to Quamby Estate to collect our gear and celebrate a wonderful week together

 

 

Safely back at Cradle Huts base and Rob reminds us of what we have achieved .

 

Thank you to Rob, Tom and Andy, our effervescent guides, and the friendly group, with whom we enjoyed this fabulous Tasmanian experience.

M&M

TASMANIA : DAY 5 : OVERLAND TRACK : Kia Ora Hut to Windy Ridge Hut (9km, 4 hrs)

Weather : mild at first, snowy and cold

 

 Kia Ora Hut to Windy Ridge Hut ( near Bert Nicholls Hut)



 

Sunrise over Mt Oakleigh, clouds clearing

  

 

Swallows who live under the eaves of the hut

  

 

 

 Rob, our guide, nicknames this peak 'The Nipple'

  

 

Myrtle beech forest

 

Du Cane Hut built by a trapper, Paddy Hartnett in 1910.

He lived here with his wife, Lucy, and their 7 children.

 

 

Inside the hut, there is a huge fireplace where the possum, wallaby and wombat pelts were dried. Very primitive conditions for a large family in freezing temperatures.

 

 

Ingenious toilets dug through tree trunks near the house.

 

A wallaby in the scrub nearby

 

 

Trees in the oldest part of the forest

They have found that some of the King Billy Pines are 2000 years old

 

 

A highlight of the day. We were walking adjacent to the Mersey River which runs north into the Bass Strait. We visited 2 major waterfalls.

  

 

We climbed carefully down the slippery track, interlocked with huge root systems, and were amazed at the beauty and verocity of the D'Alton Falls.

 

 

Majestic gums - colour heightened by the rain

 

 

Light snow fell as we left the waterfalls.

Walking through Falling Mountain, which felt like emerging from the wardrobe into Narnia.

 

 

A special meal for our last night. 'Bearded' pumpkin soup as starters

 

 

A demonstation to see how echidnas hear

 

 

The happy crew after a beautiful day's walking, delicious meal and

original entertainment

 

 

M&M

 

 

TASMANIA : DAY 4 :OVERLAND TRACK : Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut (7 km, 3.5 hours)

Weather : drizzy to heavy rain

 
Pelion Hut to Kia Ora Hut

 

Pelion Hut

 

Pandanus, myrtle beech and mosses



 

 

Prepared for a wet day

Schlerophylious heathland

 

 

 Welcome break and discussion about our plans

The 5 hour side trip to Mt Ossa (1617m) is up ahead

 

 

Mt Doris with Mt Ossa, Tasmania's highest peak, in the background

There is mixed reaction to climbing today in such suspect weather

 

 

Mt Ossa - an extra 5 hour return trip - not possible today

 

 

 Fortunately, the gods have made our decision simple : to walk on to the hut rather than scale Mt Ossa. Heavy rain sets in. Andy, one of our guides, climbs Mt Doris and then discovers that there is snow drifts on Mt Ossa, up to his thighs (and he's a tall boy!) and returns prematurely due to limited visibility and dangerous conditions.

 

A very relieved group in our warm hut, nestled in for an afternoon of reading

and cooking lessons.

 

 

 

The view from Kia Ora Hut to through the rain to Mt Oakleigh (1286m)

 

The picturesque Kia Ora Hut

 

M&M

 

TASMANIA : DAY 3 : OVERLAND TRACK : Pine Forest Moor Hut to Pelion Plains Hut (10 km, 5 hours)

DAY 3 : cool with light rain

 We began our day at 9 and began to descend around the base of Mt Pelion West down to the Forth River and Frog Flats, which is the lowest part of the track. We had excellent views of Mt Oakleigh (1286m).

 

Small robin resting
 

 

Towering gums - 100s of years old

 

Frog Flats - the lowest point of the Overland Track

 

 

Views of Mt Oakleigh with its dolerite columns

 

 

Perilous muddy sections

 

Beauty - even in the mire

 

Rob providing snacks and fascinating tidbits of information

 

Highlights today were of visiting an abandoned copper mine. Miners had dug out 30 metres of solid rock by hand before they decided that it was not a worthwhile venture, given the yield and the inaccessibility of the area.

 

Failed copper mine near Old Pelion Hut (1895)

 

 Nearby at the National Park Pelion Hut there was a stony beach with a myriad of fossils. Such pristine countryside and every aspect beautifully maintained by the National Parks.

 

 Abundance of fossils in Douglas Creek near the Pelion National Park hut

  

Relaxing after another adventurous day

 

Taking in the evening air on the wooden helipad outside of Pelion Plains Hut

 

M&M