3/12/2009 - I've Moved!

I've decided to give Blogger another go.  I'm building up blog entries for my 2009 bushwalking exploits at tastrekker.blogspot.com  I've even had a go at copying an entry from here to there.  It was a tad tedious so for the time being, I expect 2006 to 2008 entries to be here at BlogNow and 2009 entries onwards will be at Blogspot (aka Google's Blogger).

9/2/2009 - Dove Lake Boat Shed

Would you believe it?  Another work excuse to go bush!

A bloke from the Phillipines was visiting work for a couple of weeks.  On his first weekend, he didn't hire a car or go anywhere far beyond his hotel.  Therefore on the second weekend, I decided it would be criminal to let him go back home without at least visiting one Tasmanian icon.

Cradle Mountain from the Dove Lake boat shed.

If you are not going to see anything else in Tassie, I decided the icon of choice at this end of the island is Cradle Mountain.  We only had part of Sunday afternoon available so we just did a quick jaunt to the Dove Lake boat shed, Pencil Pine Falls and a very brief visit to the trusty shack at Moina.

The afternoon was fine and sunny but a very cool breeze was whipping up the surf on Dove Lake.  Apparently it was a lot colder than anything Manilla can serve up.

25/1/2009 - Cradle Chateau Board Room

Given my indoor office job, it's not often that I get to combine work with my love of the Tasmanian outdoors.  However, I recently organised a week-long workshop and the regular conference centre in town was available for 4 out of the 5 days I was looking for.  I thought this could be an excuse to do something unusual so I gave my colleagues a choice of a meeting room at the Elizabeth Town Bakery Cafe (etc) or the Cradle Mountain Chateau Board Room.  Much to my delight, they chose Cradle.

We had a superb sunny spring day to enjoy the views from the board room which faces north through light bushland toward the distant Black Bluff Range.  After we finished work, we did the obligatory drive to the Dove Lake carpark where the mountain was beautifully clear.  We also stopped for a brief look at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery back at the Chateau.  Some of the images in the gallery were quite confronting as they portrayed 'before and after' images of magnificent native forest coupes which have now been converted to woodchips.

As I write this, protests in the Upper Florentine Valley are being wound back following the removal of the semi-permanent protest base known as Camp Florentine.  Forestry have had to admit most of these giant forests will be woodchipped as they battle to meet legislated sawlog quotas.  That's right, sawlog quotas.  I remember the old days of woodchip export quotas before open slather woodchipping was granted.  The reason we are ripping all these woodchips out now is for saw logs!

I recently learned about new technology such as rotary peelers that are able to extract large amounts of high-value veneer products from smaller trees which would not previously have been considered suitable for sawlogs.  I wonder if the 'legislated sawlog volumes' have been adjusted in the face of these kinds of new technology.  I doubt it.

In Tasmania, it is just as cheap to frame a house from native-forest sourced hardwood timber as it is to use plantation-sourced softwood.  It's not that we have a shortage of pine plantations.  It's just that these legislated sawlog volumes are making the native forest products artificially cheap.

Surely the day is coming when public outcry of native forest logging will force the government to remove these ridiculous quotas.  While a few jobs may be lost, new jobs are being created in the retooling exercise funded by the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement.  Perhaps some of the softwood sawmilling jobs (think Scottsdale) could be restored if the government stopped propping up the native sawlog industry by making our old-growth forests available for tuppence.

21/1/2009 - Tarkine Drive

One auspicious weekend last September (yes, I'm a Hawthorn fan), we had the joy of attending an engagement party at Marrawah in Tassie's windswept far north-west corner (and no, we didn't get any TV reception to see the grand final!).  Several weeks earlier, we booked our accommodation at the 'swankiest' joint in town, the "Marrawah Beach House."  The view north over the bay towards Mt Cameron West and Cape Grim were stunning so I would seriously recommend this lovely 3-bedroom cabin.

 Looking north to Mt Cameron West from Marrawah Beach House

Next morning, we took advantage of our location to indulge in a Tarkine drive.  South of Arthur River, we headed inland from Couta Rocks on Rebecca Road and past the (then) still closed Western Explorer (aka Road to Nowhere, aka Heemskirk Road, etc).  For a tourist road to remain closed for so long is amazing in a place like Tassie where tourism is so important.  It really makes me wonder whether a new 'tourist-only' road in the northern Tarkine will be given any higher priority if work is needed at any stage in its life.

Western Explorer.  This was the first warning that the road was closed, about 1.5 hours drive south of Smithton!

As our route turned north-east, we paused at the Balfour Track Forest Reserve.  We walked in and out a short distance from the northern end.  This patch of forest is superb and the children enjoyed looking at and photographing the towers of burrowing freshwater lobsters.

Looking at lobster holes on the historic Balfour Track.

A bit further on, we stopped at Sumac Lookout and Lake Chisolm before back-tracking a little to lunch at the Julius Rover Forest Reserve.  The rainforest-fringed lake lies in a drowned sinkhole giving testimony to the karst landscapes featured in parts of the Tarkine.  I have since read that Lake Chisolm is one of two drownded sinkholes in the area.  I'm now curious to find out where the other one is.

'Chainsaw Art' (somewhat ironic) at the Sumac lookout with a view of the Arthur River from the lookout platform.

As we headed home, the 'still-missing' Tayetea Bridge required more back-tracking to the Kunnunah Bridge where we then took back-roads north through Trowutta, Lileah, Alcomie and Forest before rejoining the highway and heading for home.

Speaking of Trowutta, a little-known feature in this area is the Trowutta Arch and associated caves.  Several years ago, I organised a mystery day-outing for 100 young people based at a Riverbend summer camp near Smithton.  As the bus headed through Edith Creek and up to Trowutta, even the locals had no idead where we were headed.  It seems this reserve is not well known at all.

Once you arrive at the Trowutta Caves State Reserve, a well marked but infrequently used track leads a short way to the spectacular arch formation.  Through the arch, a large water-filled sinkhole looks quite menacing.  Apparently, it is possible to get from one side of the sinkhole to the other via caves dotted around the sides.  This is a theory I will have to explore at a later date.

Hmmm...  I've just had a blinding flash of the obvious...  Perhaps Trowutta Arch is the other drowned sinkhole referred to in the Lake Chisolm brochure I was reading!

My visits to Trowutta Arch pre-date the digital camera.  One day, if I stumble across the appropriate shoe box, I may scan and post some relevant photos to accompany this entry.

22/11/2008 - Cooee Falls

Burnie on Tassie's NW coast is where I grew up and I am madly passionate about my old home town.  At a time when it was being labelled Australia's Dirtiest City due to industry and polution, I confidently knew that one day it would be known for its natural assets and beauty.

The city of Burnie is nestled among a set of scenic hills and valleys surrounding a narrow coastal strip and Emu Bay.  In the hinterland are more than a dozen waterfalls, most of which are on private property.  One such waterfall is Cooee Falls situated on land owned by the University of Tasmania.

The falls are on Cooee Creek about 100 metres downstream of the Three Mile Line bridge.  Incidentally, this road was named after an arbitrary line drawn by the colonial government in the 1830s to divide small, individual, coastal land-holdings from the massive tracts of land held by the Van Diemans Land Company.

21/11/2008 - Moina Camping

My 3 year old TasTrekker Junior has had a few nights under canvas now.  A great example was our family overnighter to Lees Paddocks.  However, he had not yet stayed a night in a tent without mum.

Cooking dinner in the tent vestibule. 

One weekend, TasTrekker junior number 3 and I headed up to the in-laws' block at Moina, and pitched the trusty Wilderness Equipment First Arrow.  We had just loaded our sleeping gear into the tent are were thinking about making a fire to cook dinner when the heavens opened.

"Carefull, the pasta is hot"

Quickly, we grabbed our cooking gear, dived into our sleeping bags and had a great time steaming up the vestibule as we careful cooked dinner.

Narrawa Creek Falls near Wilmost Power Station

It was a bit of a restless night as we were 'lulled' by the sound of heavy rain on the tent but we got a fair bit of sleep.  The rain was kind enough to stop after breakfast just in time for us to load our things back into the car a toddle back home via Narrawa Creek Falls near the Wilmot Power Station.

16/9/2008 - Gunns Plains Cave

One Saturday morning recently, Mrs TasTrekker announced that we should check out Gunns Plains Caves.  This is a classic case of local attraction in the back yard that we had never been to.

"Rashers of Bacon" shawl formation.

If you have not been there, I recommend it.  What the circuit lacks in length, it makes up for in ups and downs.  There are lots of steep steps and even a ladder to contend with.  The decorations are terrific and it is an active stream cave.  To add to the intrigue of this visit, brand new lighting had been installed quite recently.

Close-up of just one layer of "The Wedding Cake" which was at least 10 metres tall.

 Despite the stunning scenery and sharing the adventure with 3 keen kids, a highlight for me was learning about the incredible lifecycle of the swamp gnat.  I won't say any more here but I'm sure the very friendly local guide would love to put you in the picture on your next visit.

A lion's head sillhouetted by the cave lighting.

13/9/2008 - Cradle Mountain at Night

Cradle Mountain is a great destination at any time of the year but my absolute favourite season is winter.  In July I had a chance to take part in a winter exercise at Cradle Mountain with the Search and Rescue team from the State Emergency Service.

1/9/2008 - Wilmot River Walks

Once upon a time, the Wilmot River in North-West Tasmania was an impressive stream formed by the confluence of the Lea and Iris Rivers.  Now, almost its entire flow is tunelled through the hill from Lake Gairdner to a power station on the shores of Lake Cethana.

I had never really thought of the Wilmot River as a potential bushwalking destination until I heard about work to restore 'Dooley's Track.'  Apart from the odd article in the newspaper, I heard very little about it until recently I stumbled across the website 'Wilmot River Walks' by Bill Shepherd.

Wilmot River from Lucy's Track

A number of interconnecting walks have been established through the valley between the Alma and Spellmans bridges.  I chose the very first walk in the 'book' and started at the parking area a short way up Gentle Annie Hill.

Barking Dog Pool

I expected to be able to cross the river and make a circuit but the Hydro had other ideas.  Lake Gairdner had not been able to hold recent rains and it was spilling.  I was pleasantly surprised by the 'wilderness qualities' of this walk as I passed features such as Barking Snake Pool and a large eddy by The Barbecue along Lucy's Track.

Eddy at The Barbecue

At Ellis Flats, private property is reached and as crossing the river to complete my circuit was not possible, I endured a road bash up Ellis Road to the top of Gentle Annie Hill then back down to my car.

This has now whet my appetite to do more of the Wilmot River Walks.  It sounds like the river gorges south of Spellmans Bridge are quite spectacular.  Unfortunately these tracks do not yet link up.  Perhaps one day a traverse of the entire Wilmot Valley all the way to Mt Jacob and Black Bluff could hook up with the Penguin to Cradle Track near Winterbrook Falls.

24/8/2008 - Cradle Snow

Marions Lookout and Little Horn from Waldheim Day Hut.

Last month, a free Saturday and snow to low levels during the week enticed us all to Cradle Moutain.  The snow was rapidly retreating to higher levels but there was still enough at Waldheim for us to have some fun.

Cradle Mountain from Dove Lake carpark.

On the way out we stopped at Dove Lake for a quick snap of Cradle as it briefly peeked out of the clouds.  We also stopped at Pencil Pine Falls but, of the 4 children with us, only 3 year old TasTrekker Junior number 3 had the energy left to do the 'board walk circuit to the falls.'

P.S. This was the first time I have encountered the new boom gate at the Visitor Centre which will only open once there are enough parking spots available at Dove Lake.  The simple system only allows for tourists who want to get the picture postcard view from Dove Lake.  Hopefully the system will be modified in future to allow for people wanting to park at Ronny Creek or Waldheim to commence their walks.  It was a little frustrating to be held up by the boom gate for quite some time only to find we arrived at an empty Waldheim carpark.  Why did we need to be delayed?