South Coast Track - Tasmania's Most Iconic Bushwalk

Anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and bushwalking should consider taking a trip to the South Coast Track in Tasmania. This is a large region within Southwest National Park that contains more than 600,000 hectares of wilderness. This is a journey for adventurous people who want a challenging hike in truly wild area.

When it comes to getting to Tasmania, you don’t have to fly. Many people find that the most enjoyable way to travel is via ferry. The Spirit of Tasmania offers comfortable passage between Melbourne and Devonport. This option allows you to take your own car and pack as much luggage as you want. The boat also provides many other benefits not found on planes, such as gourmet food and entertainment.

Preparing For the Track

The South Coast Track is not a place to go on a casual hike. It’s one of the most remote and wild places on the planet. It includes a variety of terrain, including mountains, rain forests, river crossings, swampland and beaches alongside the Southern Ocean. Completing the track, which is a journey of 85 km, usually takes between six and nine days. You must be in good physical condition and bring ample supplies with you. The South Coast Track begins in Melaleuca, which does not have roads. You must therefore walk, sail or fly to the starting point. The following are some of the most essential items you should bring.

    Maps

You want to make sure you know where you are at all times. You should have at least one good map that shows tracks, huts and other essential information.

    Food

You should carry enough food for the trip. It’s best to pack nutritionally dense foods. You can bring gas canisters for cooking, as open fires are only permitted in a few select campsites.

    Water

Water is plentiful for most of the track, but it is advisable to bring a filter. There is one section of the trip, the Inbound Range, where water is not available. You should therefore carry at least a day’s worth of water for this stage of the trek.

    Gear

You will need a quality tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, waterproof clothing, hiking boots, a water bottle and a solid backpack. You should wear long sleeves, long pants and boots at all times. You will probably encounter mud, knee-deep water, sharp vegetation and snakes, so it’s best to keep your body protected.

Although the South Coast Track is a wild and remote region, it also provides walkers with the tranquility seldom found in civilization. You also have the ability to walk at your own pace, which can make the trek more or less challenging. For example, if you don’t feel prepared or you don’t have the time to hike the entire track you could hike a portion of it.

You can walk for days without encountering another person, so be prepared for some solitude or to only have the company of the person or people you’re walking with. Taking a walk in the South Coast Track can be used as an opportunity to take a break from your everyday life and appreciate the beauty of nature.

Dove Lake Circuit, Cradle Mountain

One of Tasmania's 60 Great Short Walks is the Dove Lake Circuit at Cradle Mountain. 

This walk is best done in a clockwise direction, and it takes you beneath the towering spires of Cradle Mountain which is also the start of the famous Overland Track walk.

The walk is 5.7km long and it took us about 2 hours plus stops to complete. 

Dove Lake with Cradle Mountain behind

We needed to make sure that we had adequate clothing as the weather can change quickly, as it did on this day with a few light snow showers.

Our No Worries Safaris Backpacker tour stopped off here in the early afternoon amidst some brisk weather, and we are all looking forward to our Night Safari (wildlife spotting) tonight.

Out & About in Tasmania

Winter is a great time to get out and about and see our state, Tasmania. 

We decided to drive to St Mary's from our place in Swansea and have a bit of a look around and chat to the locals.

One place that looked interesting was "Pings Place" in the high street. Pings Place is one of those interesting Knick Knack shops, where you will find almost anything that you may need at the last minute. 

More interestingly, there was a Ping Pong table (nothing to do with the shop's name) slap bang in the middle of the shop and before long I was rallying with the store owner Juang for over 30 minutes. Best fun I had all day. 

Feeling hungry we walked around the corner to the Purple Possum Cafe for a coffee and a snack. The Purple Possum has a great range of organic products, pastries, pies and cakes. The owner, Elaine and the staff where great. We even purchased an antique teapot from her collectables shop!

We will be going back really soon!

The Purple Possum Cafe

Has anyone been to Pings Place or the Purple Possum Cafe? Share your stories with us by commenting below.

Do it Easier on a E-Bike

Now you can experience the freedom and fresh air of cycle touring with ease on Tasmania's very first e-bike tour.

Adventure Seekers has chosen to use the Ezee Electric Bicycle brand as used by Glowworm Bicycles in their epic Cape York to Sydney tour.

In just one weeks time Maurice and Abraham from Glowworm Bicycles along with the CEO of Ezeebike, Wai Won Ching will ride their Ezeebikes from Perth to Sydney.

Adventure Seekers has chosen the Ezeebike brand to use on their tour because of  their reliability, toughness and quality components.

We wish Maurice and the team a safe journey and we look forward to their blogs.

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

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!

Overland Track Guided Walk, Tasmania

This is where you start your 6 day guided walk of the Overland Track with Adventure Seekers - at Ronny Creek and the walker registration hut.
The weather is a bit misty and mysterious as you can see in the picture but we are hoping that it will improve for the guys.
The track snakes its way past Cradle Mountain and highland lakes and over mountainous passes to Lake St Clair and the ferry ride to Cynthia Bay.
You'll have close encounters with wombats, devils and inquisitive possums.

Frenchman's Cap Walk, Tasmania

You may have heard of the Sodden Loddens, if not, this is a minefield of mud that you encounter on you first day into Frenchman's Cap. Actually they weren't that bad!
This tour was our 1st of the season and weather wise we were dead lucky. We had expansive views from the summit of Frenchman's Cap, the track was good and the company great.
During our walk we heard that a large group of walkers (not us) got lost on a day walk to Philps Peak and spent a cold night in a cave before finding their way back to Lake Vera.
Large pockets of winter snow lay around the Cap as you can see in the photo. The picture shows Barren Pass (the narrow saddle) in the background with Philps Peak to the right.

Why you should take a guided wilderness walk in Tasmania?

Do we mean as opposed to "walking solo" or because of its natural beauty?

Ok, lets take a look at what Tasmania has to offer.

It is the most mountainous state in Australia. It sits in the pathway of the notorious "Roaring Forties" winds. It has changeable weather, it can snow in any season. It has two of the worlds most venomous snakes, the Tiger Snake and the Copper Head. It has dense cool temperate rain forests and impenetrable horizontal scrub.

However, don't let this put you off. It is this; Tasmania's relatively unspoiled natural environment that attracts thousands of walkers each year. Nothing will make your journey more memorable, safe and informative than sharing it with a local guide (packhorse or not) on a Tasmanian guided walk.

Satellite Phones - Keeping in touch

There may come a time that you have a medical emergency or the progression of your bush walk has been hampered by bad weather and you expect to arrive late at your destination.
Whatever the emergency, verbal communication with emergency services is vital to initiate a quick response and to receive needy advice.
Telstra's Next G service doesn't reach the remote areas of Australia therefore a satellite phone is your only alternative.
Satellite phones can be rented for as little as $11.00 a day or you can buy them outright over 2 years on a plan. They sell for around $2000 - $2100 and a service plan will cost you around $30 per month plus calls.
The next time you head off on a remote walk have a communication plan. Does the area have normal phone coverage? If not consider a satellite phone. For emergencies phone 000

A Guides Life - The Meet & Greet, Please take a seat!

Dawn on day 1 and the weather is what it is. It is just a good feeling to get out into the bush again and introduce our guests to our backyard.

Vehicle inspection, check! passenger list, check! and Im heading off to pick up my fellow guide.

This particular tour is the Western Arthur Range in the South West National Park of Tasmania and is over 10 days and 86km.

One by one we pull into our clients accommodation and do the introductions. Everyone is dressed in their bushwalking finest, some are dressed head to toe in one brand, some are not so loyal and are wearing a mixture of brands, new and clean.....for now!

The drive to Scott's Peak Dam is about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Hobart; a great opportunity for us to get to know our guests and our guests each other.

South Coast Track

Adventure Seekers Guided walking tours on Tasmania's South Coast Track begin in November and run through until February 2011.

If you like to join us visit our website www.adventureseekers.com.au for more details.

We begin our 9 day 85km journey with a light aircraft flight into the airstrip at Melaleuca then travel from west to east over wilderness beaches and dramatic peaks, through temperate rainforest and across pristine rivers and creeks.
Aboriginal people used this same route for thousands of years and evidence of their culture can still be seen. The diversity of plant and animal species in the park is amazing, particularly the abundant bird life.
A good level of fitness is required to complete this trek and walkers are required to carry heavy packs up to 15 km a day. Each day is different and the campsites that we visit are spectacular but the total journey is the true reward.Testimonials“This trek was challenging both physically and mentally. The guides kept a watchful eye on us without being intrusive and they formed the group into a close and happy party. I learned a lot about trekking from these guys”.- Stuart M

South Coast Track Tasmania

This blogs a bit late I know, but we had another awesome guided trek on Tasmania's South Coast Track on Jan 16th. Our group of Peter, Sarina, Russell, Dani, Alice and Adventure Seekers guides Stefan and Stan had a fantastic time. The weather was kind (except going over the Ironbounds), the scenery was great and the experience rewarding.