Walk along the quite scenic Fortescue beach and on to the headland where numerous penguins reside passing Canoe Bay before the climb over a hill to Bivouac Bay. From here it is a gentle climb to Dolomieu Point
The day was quite warm but the shade from the trees helped keep the direct sun off us most of the time and once at Dolomieu Point and beyond there was a cool breeze.
Click the image below for photos
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| Dolomieu Point |
18 November 2009
Delightfully sunny but mild conditions made for a very enjoyable walk, made even better by the massive display of wildflowers for the whole distance of the walk. The track was easily followed and mostly quite dry and the views from Arthurs Peak along towards Tasman Island and over to Crescent Bay were great.
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| Arthurs Peak |
9th November 2009
The day was quite hot, exceeding 30 degrees, which made the walk somewhat harder. Initially we followed the track through Chauncy Vale then onto Flat Rock where the first real decision on what route to take had to be made. The left track was taken, partly because it had blue markers, and at the next junction we headed right to eventually pick up and old overgrowing track then through the bush to meet a logging road. The country ahead of hill looked dreadful and came as surprise, because instead of nice bushland it had all been logged and replanted with a Eucalypt plantation right up to the very boundary of the Alpha Pinnacle Reserve . This looked new and the gums were small and even Google Earth still showed the land as forest.
Other minor annoyance from the numerous spider webs all had been going fine until here. Things began to go less than hoped for from here. The first omen was Nigel tripping over an old bit of fencing wire and nose diving over some rocks; fortunately only a very minor injury resulted. The plantation and roading for it had also made the map outdated. There was no option but to walk through this unsightly area, with the only redeeming feature being some patches of Stackhousia (Forest Candles) that were larger than anything we had seen before. Eventually one of the original tracks was located and followed to a lagoon that looked like it had once been a bush retreat of an earlier owner. Beyond this the Alpha Pinnacle Reserve was reached.
Our return followed the reserve boundary, passing an intriguing hollow filled with plants, including strong smelling Bedfordia and Pomaderris heavily in flower. Part way down we made a successful short cut through the bush to meet a logging road, but on reaching the Flat Rock reserve boundary it did a sharp uphill turn and headed back roughly in the direction we had come from. This prompted us to opt for a branch track heading south, but this eventually petered out and left us with an uphill climb to a plateau where we had to walk north anyway to avoid a deep gully. On coming upon another track we followed it for a short distance as it seemed to head towards our goal, but alas it then dropped towards a gully, so after backtracking and following it in the other direction we eventually arrived at where the aforementioned logging road would have taken us. But our route added close to an extra hour to the journey.
A track was spotted that we hoped may allow us to avoid repeating the morning scrub bashing but again it soon changed direction so it was back to our morning tea stop and a push through the bush until we met the track again. Only about 15 minutes added to our day by this little diversion. We were now on a straight forward path so we arrived back at the cars without further complications, although all were feeling quire tired by the long day and heat.
Whilst this won't get marked down as a favourite walk, it was nevertheless a bit of an adventure and also gave us a reminder of the terrible destruction being wreaked on our country, and the plant biodiversity that is being lost from forestry. The contrast between the reserved land of Alpha Pinnacle and that bordering it is stark and dramatic.
20 June 2009
In delightful sunny and at times quite warm weather we walked the circuit from Lime Bay to Green Head and on to Lagoon Beach to return via Sloping Lagoon.
22-23 April 2009
Our plan to spend four days in the Walls was replaced with two days to South Cape Rivulet, simply because the north west was expecting rain for the last days. The weather was absolutely ideal with clear skies and quite calm wind on both days. Late in the afternoon a group of about 12 from a Cygnet school arrived, but as we had the small campsite a little distant from the main one, our peace wasn't disturbed much at all.
Whilst most of the walk was very pleasant there is one aspect that is very much below par. And that is the deplorable state of the track that bypasses Lion Rock. I have been along this track over a number of years and have observed the gradual deterioration. Stretches that had once been heavily shaded but relatively dry, became soft and muddy over the years, but are now quite boggy and causing braiding as people walk wide to avoid the mud. The lengths of deteriorating sections have now increased as well. After having walked the South Coast Track on four occasions over my 40 years of walking throughout Tasmania, I feel that this part of the track is in many ways an indicator of the likely state of similar parts of the South Coast Track.
The track is being promoted by the Tasmanian Government, through Parks and Wildlife and the Tourism authority. This is evidenced by PWS web site and the PWS South Coast map and the Tasmanian Walking Tracks Strategy and Marketing Plan 1997 as well as wilderness tourism advertising. There is no doubt that part of the reason for promotion is to bring bushwalkers to Tasmania to help boost the economy. It is therefore an obligation of the Government and other promoters to ensure that the track is maintained to a reasonable standard. If it wasn't promoted then there would have been less people using it over the years and the track would therefore not be as bad as it is currently.
A photo album can be viewed on the web
Saturday 30 May 2009
Easterly conditions with a large high pressure approaching Tasmania gave us a bit of drizzle at the start, but this was short-lived. Two dogs from the farm accompanied us for , with one turning back at morning tea time whilst the other stayed for the full trip. We walked on an old vehicle track that became rougher after passing beyond the Eucalypt forest plantations. The final ascent was from a distinct ridge but the return took a more direct route to rejoin the track.
See also a photo from Dave Tucker
This was a multipurpose bushwalk in that the track was to be assessed for maintenance needs and the weed status at the start of the track was to be checked.
The day remained overcast throughout with a stiff breeze but for most of the time the bush kept it at bay. We noted two or three short sections of track that needed stabilising and also that more Erica had established near the start. It had previously been cleared on two previous occasions, but is such a persistent weed that more was fully expected.
The walk went as far as the Norris hut under Montagu thumbs
