Walking Wellers: Fern Tree to The Chalet

It didn't look like a great idea as I drove through Huonville towards kunanyi / Mount Wellington - or Wellers as we often call it at home. There was a large grey cloud sitting on the mountain and the windscreen wipers has been going since I left home. But I was determined to use Sunday morning for a training walk from Fern Tree (400m) up the mountain, feeling hopeful that I'll be fit enough to take on the Point to Pinnacle (walk, not run for me) in November. In typical Tassie weather, the sun came out not long after I parked the car. I reached The Springs (720m) much quicker than expected, so I stopped for a coffee at Lost Freight before continuing up Pinnacle Road. It started raining not long before I reached The Chalet (at about 1,000m) and then the rain turned into snowflakes. At the shelter, I put on my rain jacket and started heading back downhill. Ten minutes later the sun was out again! I intended to walk down the Middle Track from The Springs, but it was closed. So I got to enjoy a detour past Silver Falls on the way back to the car. Next time: The Pinnacle.

The Franklin Fruit Loop

Some years back, friends and neighbours Deb and Martin and Shane and Jane had a really lovely idea - to create a public walkway lined with fruit trees along the boundary of their land, between Old Road and New Road in Franklin. The sun came out this afternoon as we gathered for the official opening of this great gift to the local community. We took the dog and a thermos of tea and enjoyed some sweet treats, the violin of Marjorie Gadd and a poem written and read by Steve Gadd for the occasion. The walk has beautiful views over Franklin village, the river and Egg Islands and north to the Wellington Range. Cattle graze in the neighbouring paddocks. The walk is being planted with fruit and nut trees and runs alongside a wildlife corridor with bandicoots frequent visitors to the property.

The first home we tried to purchase in Tasmania was in Lalla in the north of the state. On the boundary was a 'pear walk', a corridor of pear trees planted more than 100 years ago. I thought it was a wonderful idea. Now thanks to the generosity and vision of these local property owners, our community will be able to enjoy the peace, get some exercise and in time, pick some fruit along the way on this lovely pathway. From the Huon Highway, walk up either Old Road or New Road and you can't miss the signs.

Morning walks, then and now

Twenty minutes walk from our old home up in the hills of Franklin, you could catch a glimpse of the Hartz Mountains. At sunrise, with a fog in the valley between us, it seemed extra special. The forestry roads were rocky and sometimes a little icy or muddy or dusty, depending on the season. Quiet, but for the amazing lyrebirds and the thud of pademelons hopping away in the undergrowth.

Now, we live on the main road in Franklin. I can either hike directly up the steep Old Road hill for a good heart starter and return in an easy jog down New Road, or pick a direction and head along the river. There are streetlights, cars and trucks. Whatever the weather, the view across the river is pretty.

Maria Island Walk

Last week I spent four glorious days on the Maria Island Walk, a gift from my wonderful husband. Together with a couple from Sydney, a couple from New Zealand and our two guides, I trekked along beautiful white beaches, climbed up Bishop & Clerk, stalked wombats, listened to the birds and learned about the island's fascinating history. Our guides prepared delicious meals, from pancakes for breakfast cooked on the barbecue to fresh salads and rolls for lunch, a range of sweet treats for morning or afternoon tea, to risotto, mushroom soup, even quail for dinner. And a good range of Tasmanian cheeses, beers and wines to sample. The outdoor hot showers at the camps were a real treat at the end of the day too (pictured below). Luxury hiking at its best.

I took a notebook and pen, planning to write about the experience and other random thoughts as I normally do when travelling, but my head was completely empty. No thoughts at all really, except where to place my foot next. No decisions to be made other than whether to have a glass of pinot gris or pinot noir. It was the perfect brain cleanser at the end of a long year. Highly recommend this trip if you want to get away from it all for a few days.

Three Capes Track - day 4

Retakunna cabin to Fortescue Bay via Cape Hauy
14km, 6-7 hours

Stuffed the sleeping into the backpack for the last time and headed off at 7.45am to ensure plenty of time to enjoy the last day before catching the 3pm bus back to Port Arthur. First up: a heart-starting climb up Mount Fortescue (482m or 860 steps), to enjoy this glorious view back to Cape Pillar where we had walked the previous day. It feels great to be alive when you see all this by 9am!

The track on the other side of the mountain features a beautiful pocket of rainforest, then eucalypt woodlands with occasional lookouts out to more sea cliffs. Before long you reach the turnoff to Cape Hauy, where we could leave our full packs and venture with just a bottle of water out to the end of the track. The entire Three Capes Track is so well made, it really makes for very easy walking, even on steep climbs.

Dolerite cliffs.

More cliffs.

And still more cliffs, rocks and that endless expanse of the Tasman Sea.

Back at the track junction, we sat for lunch before the final leg to Fortescue Bay. I started to feel sad it was coming to an end and overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. On the final carved seat on the track, I sat for a while, soaking in the peace and quiet, little birds hopping around me.

Not far on, a sign and scuplture marked the end of the track, with views out to beautiful Fortescue Bay.

The white sand and bright blue water are a sight for sore feet!

I got so lucky on this walk. There were only seven of us who departed on 27 May, compared to the full contingent of 48 walkers (the maximum allowed) who walked every day between October and May. We each had a room to ourselves and peace and quiet on the track. I feel grateful to have shared it with a terrific group of people whose company I got to enjoy each evening as we shared yarns, wine, custard (!), chocolate and lots of laughs. Thank you Jessica, Dave, Lesley, Kerry, Stephen and Derren, it was a hoot!

Three Capes Track - day 3

Munro cabin - Cape Pillar - Retakunna
17km, 6 hour walk

It was a day of big views, high winds and a little rain, perfect for some of the most dramatic Tassie landscapes. Everyone looks forward to this day on the Three Capes Track. Despite covering the longest distance, you can walk with just a light day pack for most of the day. And there's that sunrise over Munro Bight when you get up in the morning.

On the way out to Cape Pillar, there were more lovely track markers, with accompanying notes in the guide book, like these pretty mosaics.

I thought I knew a reasonable amount about Tasmania's three varieties of snake. But thanks to the track notes to go with this track marker, I learned that Tasmania's snakes (and most other reptiles) give birth to live young instead of laying eggs like most snakes in Australia, an adaptation to the cold climate. So there you go.

Soon after, the expansive views of dolerite columns appeared one after the other.

Here comes a Tasman Island Cruise, admiring the towering cliffs from below.

By far the best sight of the day has to be Tasman Island. Apart from being so striking, you can clearly see the lighthouse and other historic buildings and really understand just how difficult it must have been to get on and off the island.  Much easier in modern times with helicopters, though still a challenge with that wind!

In some of the photos, it looks like we are looking down on the island.

From The Blade at the end of Cape Pillar, you really are looking down on it.

A little 360 video.

If you look closely you can see my walking buddies Jessica and Derren from Jakarta on their way up The Blade.

After a short 45 minute side trip to the end of Cape Pillar, it's back on the return journey. It's hard not to stop and take more photos of exactly the same things on the way back... well, I did in some spots. Back at Munro hut, I collected my (large) pack from the shed, charged up my near-dead mobile phone for a bit and visited the facilities (the next group of walkers had already arrived) before setting off to Retakunna Hut. It was only an hour or so down the track.

We all arrived before a rather chilly but glorious sunset. Our briefing that evening from Parks ranger Glen, a former professional fisherman, was a fascinating education in the nearby oceans. I learned that a 2 degree Celsius rise in water temperature in just a few years has led to the arrival of fish species never before seen this far south, and the death of the giant kelp forests, home and breeding ground for several important species not seen in the area since. He also told us about people who'd been lifted off their feet and deposited some metres off the track in the high winds on Cape Pillar! Having experienced a little of that wind, I totally believe it. Here I am with fellow walker Dave from Queensland, clasping on to a tiny tree on top of The Blade.

It was a chilly night, and we all needed to depart earlier than normal the next morning. After a short stretching or yoga session in front of the fire and eating our last evening meal together, I think we all slept well.