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!

Maps Verses GPS

Well, Im going to tell you straight up that my preference is the map.

I admit that the GPS is accurate and has some pretty whiz bang features but like all electronic devises things can go wrong with them, batteries go flat, you drop it, then it does work etc etc...

The map however is pretty straight forward. It doesn't require any batteries and it will keep on working 24/7. All you will need is to learn how to read one and study up on the use of a compass.

With your maps I suggest to get them laminated (sealed in a laminated pouch). It will last much longer (wear & tear) and will be impervious to rain. Most office supply shops provide this service or more popular maps come pre-laminated from specialist map shops.

Oh... I just about forgot to tell you that they weigh a lot less too!