At Savage River there was a dinky little wooden jetty, where I decided it was warm enough to plunge into the moment of this idyllic watery forest place. Dan waited patiently for me. OK, it was mountain water, so I was breathless and out within a minute, chilled limbs and all. But I’d do it again!
A big kudos goes to Dan who endured much road-tripping across the north and west of Tassie, when all he really wanted to do was do more mountain biking around Hobart.
The first forest dose was Tarkine Forest Adventures at Dismal Swamp, 50 km out of Stanley in the northwest corner of the island. The slide from the visitor centre and café is a super novel way to travel to the forest swamp or sinkhole floor. I slid much faster for the second half, thinking this is what a luge must feel like! Woo-hoo! The forest boardwalk down there was serene and lovely, with sculptures inspired by the blackwoods, freshwater crayfish and the spirit of the country. Then at the cafe we stuffed ourselves with coffee and double helpings of scones with jam and cream.
Awesome slide, Tarkine Forest Adventures at Dismal Swamp
Several hours later we arrived in Corinna on the Pieman River, where there is no internet, no phone coverage and no TV, and the rainforest reaches to the back door of your cottage. Bliss! Dan and I chilled out.
The Pieman River cruise was our big activity on the Friday. On board the Arcadia II, built in the 1930s, I was particularly keen to see the dense Tarkine forest and how it hugs the waterline for miles, with beautiful reflections. Also it’s not as busy as other parts of Tassie. The boat was small enough for us to dangle our legs over the edge on the bow. After a 90 minute ride we approached the Pieman Heads and you can make out the surf crashing on the horizon. We disembarked and wandered the river mouth and the sands in idyllic blue-sky weather, with packed lunches in hand. The shacks here were windswept and frontier-looking. The beach was untidy with chunky ancient logs, down from the forest to their resting place.
The Pieman River
The return journey gave space to wonder at this remote landscape without the challenge of carrying big packs over boofy terrain. Our hosts Norm and Lorraine both had a good dry sense of humour, classic for Australian tour guides, and a vast knowledge of the area. The next day I went on the shorter Sweetwater cruise to learn more about the area and its interesting history.
The forest reclaims its own. Norm said that the oldest locals, now in their nineties, remember the Pieman as sludgy and with degraded banks when they were very young, from the gold mining. But you wouldn’t know, because it is a pristine forest once more. Even the old building foundations were unrecognisable.
People are allowed to bush camp along the Pieman River State Reserve. They take their dinghies to favourite spots like Lover’s Corner – named after a couple who lived there and prospered from the gold rush in the 19th century. Visitors camp among brown top stringybarks, a eucalyptus tree known to grow as high as 90 metres, with a life cycle of 300 to 400 years.
The fires that closed the Western Explorer Road were around 30 km north of Corinna, plus the nearby Mount Donaldson trail was closed and the air smoky a lot of the time. A hotel staff member at Stanley said there was no loss of property but people were, of course, feeling sad for the loss of thousand-year old trees and the wildlife. The Mawbanna area fire was part of over 100 fires across the state this summer, started by lightning strikes. I learned that the peat soils can smoulder for months until you get heavy enough rains (like 100ml!) It was hard to imagine tall-tree forests ablaze. At time of writing, over 50 days have passed since the fires started and only now the Tasmania Fire Service can start to reduce their operations.
Earlier on the road trip near Stanley, we drove to Boat Harbour Beach under smoke, with yellow skies and headlights on. We almost decided to keep driving because of the smoke. Arriving at this pretty beach, we paddled our feet and checked out the colourful rocks there, along with other visitors. I put my sunglasses on to avoid ash in my eyes. Yes, there were little flakes of ash blowing from the south and the sun’s filter gave everything a coppery glow. You could even look at the sun and its weird colour. This was our freaky outing to Boat Harbour Beach.
Boat Harbour Beach under smoke
On the Saturday Dan and I went for a comfortable hike to Savage River, less than three hours return. You can rent kayaks but predictably I was happy walking under the shady canopy of the rainforest. It was a dry rainforest, being February and in the middle of a Tasmanian drought and El Niño. Neat duckboard steps led us past pale mosses (that could do with some watering), lichens and dirt-covered fungi. Glimpses of the big river were brief but more special for it.
River-through-trees views
Savage River swimming place
In the afternoon Dan went for a ride on fire tracks (that were open), while I needed to respond to the beckoning steps further downstream, the Sweetwater cruise being the way. In this smaller craft, Norm travelled us over to get close-ups of the Huon Pines on the banks. Some of these beauties can be 2,000 years old. They are the oldest tree species in Australia, and when they die down, clones can regenerate from the old trunk. The wooden steps from the bank near Lover’s Corner seemed to lead up to nowhere! Actually, they go to an enchanted forested gully with a cliff and Lover’s Falls, which were a February trickle but that was OK. The steepness of the gully and the balcony feeling from the boardwalk was quite something, and checking out tree fern groves with trunks like I’d never seen before – 200 years old perhaps, and furry like Chewbacca. I shouldn’t give too many spoilers in case you go, but it was a lost world in there.
Tree ferns, Lover's Falls gully
Then to add to the awesomeness, Norm had a Tasmanian tiger (aka thylacine) story. Something about a winter morning at the Pieman Heads shacks with no people or pets around, and unexplainable animal tracks. I experienced the wonder and goosebumps that is a Western Tassie resident telling a thylacine story.
Mount Field greatness
There were only two days left for visiting Mount Field National Park, both of them with crapola weather forecasts. I had my heart set on the Tarn Shelf circuit, that it could be the Holy Grail of day hiking. Waterfalls and forests give way to gnarled alpine high country and tarns, only a 1¼ hour drive from Hobart. Because of the whiteout risks, Dan insisted on accompanying me and put off his riding for a bit longer.
It was about a half an hour drive from the park entrance to the Lake Dobson car park, up a good unsealed road. From here we layered up (it was below 10 degrees!) and walked along the lake to find ourselves in the Pandani Grove. It is the world’s tallest heath species and looks like a palm. Surrounded by these, along with colourful mountain shrubs festooned with berries, more mosses and silvery eucalyptus trunks, I was in fairyland.
Dreamy Pandani Grove
Mountain berries
We quickly gained about 200 metres in height, past ski lodges, and marching along duckboard into the whiteout. The winds were strong enough to make our extremities ache and the rain was really cold. We looked into clouds at Lake Seal Lookout (1240m) and a few minutes after that decided it wasn’t worth it and turned around. Descending, the clouds parted to give views of Lake Seal, and the explore was enough to get a thrilling sense of the alpine environment. We descended among small boulders, and twisted trunks all glistening with yellow, red and grey of the peeling bark. The Tarn Shelf walk would have been six hours, but because of the weather situation we were back in just over two.
Lake Seal
For the record, Dan lovingly helped me out of a confusion of boulders and back on the trail – such a good thing that he came along.
Back near the park entrance and low altitude, we rounded things out nicely with short walks to the graceful Russell and Horseshoe Falls. Typical of mountains, the weather was very settled here. Now I have unfinished business with Mount Field and Gokyo. The two mountain regions could talk to each other and compare notes!! But I love it. I am back in Hobbiton and it makes me happy to know those mountains are there and I can access them again one day.
Indoorsy Odyssey
If you like beer, when in Hobart take the Cascade Brewery tour. It is Australia’s oldest brewery, pumping out the pale ale since 1832. Until 1992 the bell chimed four times a day for the workers to have their refreshments. I swear I felt the good energy at a nook by the bottom of the stairs where the beer breaks were enjoyed.
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