Overland Track Anniversary Walks 2012

December 2012 marks the 100th Anniversay of "Waldheim" meaning forest home, a lodge that was built in Cradle Valley by Gustav Weindorfer to house his guests.

The site of Waldheim sits above Ronny Creek which is at the start of the Overland Track in Tasmania.

Gustav was a Botonist and a Guide. He had numerous guests to Waldheim between 1912 - 1932 and he thrived on guiding his guests around Cradle Mountain and interpreting the landscape for them.

Gustav was instumental in the pursuit of making Cradle Mountain and the area around it a National Park and subsequently in 1922 the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair Wildlife and Scenic Reserve was proclaimed. This year marks its 90th Anniverary.

Gustav's life was cut short by a heart condition in 1932 and he his buried at Waldheim, which looks over his much loved Cradle Mountain.

Adventure Seekers is running 2 Anniverary tours of the Overland Track on 17th & 24th December 2012 to commemorate Gustav Weindorfers contributon to preserving the environment that we are walking through.

To make these aniversary tours much more special, Adventure Seekers has partnered up with Tasmanian Air Adventures to give you a "grand entrance" to your Overland Track Guided Walk.

You can choose to fly in a seaplane from Hobart, soaring over Lake St Clair, the Overland Track and Cradle Mountain and landing on a "secret" mountain lake or alternatively you will be transfered by shuttle bus to the start.

For information on these tours please contact info@adventureseekers.com.au or phone
Stan on 0400 882 742

Overland Track e-Book

THE OVERLAND TRACK – The Complete Guide is an eBook that will give you sound advice on how to prepare and plan your walk and help you identify the landscape as you travel through it.

Do you want the best advice?

This eBook is written by a Overland Track guide who knows all the best tips on how to plan your walk. The eBook includes a suggested itinerary, transportation, gear requirements, how to book the walk, accommodation, menu ideas, history of the track and much more.

What’s an eBook? – An eBook is an electronic version of a printed book. This eBook is read as a PDF or EPUB file and you can download it today at Adventure Seekers to your computer and start planning your walk straight away. Once downloaded you can save it and read it on your computer or print the whole document or individual pages of information.

The Author

JOHN ELLERM guides tours on the Overland Track and has walked extensively in Tasmania, New Zealand and Europe. As a guide John knows how difficult it can be to sort out the logistics of planning a walk on the Overland Track and recognized that an eBook would be a boon to those who wish to tackle this iconic walk. John is also a rock climbing and abseiling guide and also a keen mountaineer.

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Appeal

John will donate $1 of every sale of this e-book to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program.

A facial tumor disease threatens the existence of the Tasmanian Devil. The facial tumors make it difficult for Devils to eat which leads to starvation and death. In some areas of Tasmania up to 80% of the Devil population has been wiped out.

By purchasing this guide you will be helping The Appeal to conduct research and manage programs to preserve the species.

Photo Essay - Bushwalking the Western Arthur Traverse, Tasmania

Our Western Arthur Traverse was over 10 days with the guided bushwalking company, Adventure Seekers. It was a truly spectacular walk passing by jagged peaks and beautiful lakes. Spectacular!

It was a early departure from Hobart to the start of the track at Scotts Peak as we planned to reach Lake Cygnus on Day 1.

Fortunately for us the weather was fantastic which made our climb up Moraine A that little more enjoyable.

From the top of the range above Moraine A the views were amazing. The reflection of Mount Rugby in Lake Pedder was serene. You could of sat there for hours, just looking in any which direction at this amazing landscape.

At mid-afternoon on day 2 we had reached the descent down to Lake Oberon. From here the track drops steeply down to the lake and the campsite.

On day 3 we headed to High Moor. The track skirted around Lake Uranus (in picture) and sidled beneath Mt Capricorn. The weather was holding (just) and we arrived at High Moor, late afternoon in a  shroud of mist and light rain.

At High Moor it was comforting to have the tent platforms, but nessasary to protect the fragile environment. Tomorrrow we were to push through to Haven Lake, with our journey having many steep descents and climbs. We had a rest day at Haven Lake before moving forward to Promontary Lake (below mid picture). 

The weather was clearing, which made the walking pleasurable. The range opened out a bit as we passed Mt Scorpio and we could see the dominant Federation Peak to our south. We lunched above the track juntion of Kappa Moraine and had expansive views over the whole South West National Park.

Our walk from Promontory Lake to Lake Rosanne was predominately exposed ridge walking. The track headed south-east sidling below West Portal (the highest peak in the range). From the West Portal we followed a ridge line known as the Crags of Andromeda before dropping down steep gully to Lake Rosanne.

From Lake Rossane at the southern end of the range it was a 2 day 25km walk across the Arthur Plains back to Scotts Peak. We camped at Seven Mile Creek on our last night and we hit the sheets early as we had about 17km to cover on our last day. This walk was a fantastic experience made better by kind weather and good company.

PS: I recommend a bit of leg training before you attempt this circuit!

The Overland Track - Winter Camping

You can experience winter type conditions at any time of the year on the Overland Track so if you plan to camp on your 6 day journey, we have some tips for you to make your trip hassle free.

Firstly, on the Overland Track you are required to camp in the designated camping areas and this means using the wooden tent platforms at each hut location (not at Waterfall Valley - use grass area).

The current anchor systems on the platforms make it difficult to secure your tent so we advise that using a free standing tent (ability to stand up by itself without the need for using tent lines) is more suitable and easier to pitch.

When you pitch your tent ensure that there are no overhanging tree branches above your tent as snow build up on the branches will eventually weigh the branches down and cause the snow to fall onto your tent in large clumps.

By using a 4 season tent, this will keep you a lot warmer. With a 4 season tent the outer fly generally touches the ground which keeps out the wind and snow pushing through. The inner mesh is also a lot thicker and windproof.

One disadvantage may be the the buildup of condensation on the inside of the tent. Most tents have a separate fly mesh that can be unzipped to allow air flow (adjust to suit). A good tip is to have a small chamois inside the tent to wipe up any condensation present. In winter conditions it is common that the top of your sleeping bag may feel slightly damp the next morning due to the condensation.

Weather conditions may not make it possible to dry your tent each day and you will have to pack it up wet. We suggest that you use a dry bag to store your tent in as not to get other gear inside your backpack wet.

Once you have pitched your tent at your next campsite use the chamois to dry the inside of your tent then lay down your bedding.

Overland Track Shuttle Services

Getting to the start as well as back from your Overland Track walk can be quite challenging.


Organising transport should be done in advance before booking your Overland Track walk or flights to Tasmania. Some transfer services are limited by their frequency and timing.


If you are driving to Tasmania to do the walk we suggest that you drive to Lake St Clair which is at the end of the walk, leave your car there and then get shuttled by us around to the start of the track at Cradle Mountain.


Although our shuttle services do not have scheduled pick up / departure times we suggest that you stay the night at Lake St Clair then get an early (08:30am) shuttle to Cradle Mountain and start your walk the same day.


If you are in Launceston we would recommend to leave between 08:00am - 09:00am to Cradle Mountain.


At the end of your walk generally most walkers would catch the 1:00pm ferry from Narcissus with a 2:00pm shuttle departure to either Launceston or Hobart.


Generally if you are a group of at least 2 we can get you to the trailhead and back at a time and day that is convenient for you. A group of 3 or more will attract a reduced rate.

The next time you need bushwalker transport in Tasmania, consider Adventure Seekers.

Overland Track Transport

Getting to the start as well as back from many of Tasmania's bushwalking tracks can be quite challenging.


For example. Are you walking the Overland Track? You can leave your car at Lake St Clair and we can transfer you to Cradle Mountain and the start of your walk.


Need stove fuel? We can provide that for you as well.
Organising transport should be done in advance before booking your tours, and even if you are self guiding. Some services are limited by their frequency and timing.

Adventure Seekers based in Hobart may be your answer to get you or your group to walks such as the Overland Track, Walls of Jerusalem or Scott's Peak - the start of the Western Arthur Traverse and the Port Davey Track.

Generally if you are a group of at least 2 we can get you to the trailhead and back at a time and day that is convenient for you. A group of 3 or more will attract a reduced rate.

The next time you need bushwalker transport in Tasmania, consider us.