Winter has arrived at Cradle Mountain, and a dusting of snow has transformed the summer landscapes into an even more spectacular and magical winter wonderland. With airlines offering amazingly cheap off-season flights and fabulous winter deals are available at most Cradle Mountain hotels , it is a great time for hikers who usually just pass through on their way to the Overland Track to indulge in a leisurely, non-camping weekend escape, and enjoy the many pleasurable winter moments this stunningly beautiful valley has to offer.

We all know Cradle Mountain National Park as the wild and rugged place where we like to get out hiking, take great photos and have up-close encounters with Australia’s weird and wonderful wombats, wallabies, platypus and birds. But in winter, when it is too cold to camp, imagine yourself relaxing at one of the luxury hotels, sitting round a roaring fire, enjoying a tasty hot meal of local produce, or a bottle of delicious Tassie wine.

The winter accommodation deals on offer for hotels near  Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park will give you a lot of options  – from splash-out-and-indulge in top of the range boutique rooms, to family friendly budget – can make a weekend away enjoying the unique winter wonder of Cradle Mountain much cheaper than you think.

Some places to look at are:

Cradle Mountain Chateau : This 60 room eco-lodge and day spa is set in the forest just 5 minutes drive from Cradle Mountain. All rooms are heated for winter, and have tea and coffee facilities. Hungry appetites are well catered for at Brushtails Bar, where you can enjoy a pre-dinner drink, at the Grey Gum restaurant, with its extensive à la carte menu featuring local produce and wines, and Quoll’s Bistro, where you can enjoy more casual dining in front of a roaring log fire.

Cradle Chalet Boutique Luxury Lodge: If you are looking for a hotel near Moina, snuggled in 18 acres and  en route to Cradle Mountain, the Lodge is just the place for that weekend getaway or romantic weekend with a difference, as this small boutique, wilderness offers very personal service to their guests. The Chalet’s fine dining restaurant specialises in local delicacies, and is also open to non-staying guests by reservation.

Cradle Mountain Highlanders Cottages. Set on ten acres of bushland just a short stroll from the Information Centre and shuttle bus, the cottages are a great choice if you are looking for snug self catering, or for families who want to enjoy a non-camping break at rustic mountain chalet accommodation in spectacular mountain and rainforest scenery.

Just a short drive from Cradle Mountain and 8km up a well-maintained dirt road, Lemonthyme Lodge is a huge log cabin resort nestled in a clearing in the rainforest, close to the . Accommodation ranges from private bedrooms in the main lodge, 2 bedroom cabins, 1 bedroom cabins with either a tree top tub or spa, or luxurious wilderness spa cabins. An advantage of staying at Lemonthyme Lodge is the walk into the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls and Champagne Falls. Access to both falls is via a good walking track, and the return trip can nicely take up 3 hours between breakfast and lunch.

We would all enjoy a short break at Cradle Mountain, and any one of these accommodation options will be happy to see you.

Have you just headed to Cradle Mountain for a short break rather than passing through to hike the Overland Track?

Did you have a great time?

What can you recommend?

Image: Eddy H via Flickr

Disclaimer: This article was sponsored by Hotel Club

When we are hiking we often meet interesting people. It is one of the great pleasures of walking any track, anywhere.

Wandering into Kitchen Hut last weekend we met Dennis Harding and a group of fellows who, like us, were out and about to photograph the Fagus.

Dennis knows how to take a Tasmanian Wilderness photograph. We had a quick chat and then exchanged emails over the last couple of days and set up an interview for Our Hiking Blog. Dennis sent some images he took over the weekend as a “teaser”. (The interview will be up in a couple of weeks)

So without further ado, we present some images by Dennis Harding taken last weekend. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

Lake Hanson

Cradle Mountain from the Overland Track

Crater Lake

Fagus

Thanks very much to Dennis for sharing his fantastic images (and apologies for the FFFF heading, Sue had a creative “moment”) Please take the time to check out his site by clicking here, you won’t regret it.

We planned this trip to Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain area to view the Fagus – Nothofagus gunnii – Australia’s only winter-deciduous tree, several months ago.

It was with some trepidation, hoping our timing was right,  and we would get to see the autumn spectacular in it’s full glory.

We were rewarded by some inspiring scenery and magnificent vistas.

The images below are just a snapshot of a terrific weekend around Lake Hanson, Twisted Lakes, Cradle Mountain and Dove Lake.  It was great fun and fantastic to be back in the bush after a long break.

Campsite - Cradle Mountain

We arrived to Cradle Mountain about 10pm and because Frank had not made a booking at Cosy Cabins the campsites were inaccessable. (The office closes at 9pm or they will leave a key card for you to access the campsites if you plan to be late… ringing and booking would be a good plan)

We ended up “wild” camping just outside the Park.

Breakfast Cradle Mountain Lodge

As we had saved a camping ground fee, breakfast at Cradle Mountain Lodge was the reward ($24.50 per person) The image above is Frank’s fourth (or fifth) “tasting plate”. We love the Lodge and highly recommend the breakfast.

Track up towards Lake Hanson

After organising Parks passes and getting the shuttle to Dove Lake, we headed up to Lake Hanson. There is a bit of a scramble as you reach the top and junction to Hanson’s Peak.

Junction - Twisted Lakes - Lake Hanson

We decided to follow the track around Lake Hanson to Twisted Lakes. It was quite wet and muddly in places but there was a huge amount of spectacular Fagus. Unfortunately there was constant “mizzle” and the sun refused to shine (hence the washy look of the photo’s we took)

Fagus - Lake Hanson

We kept on hoping for some sustained sunlight as occasionally there would be a peek of it and the Fagus lit up like gold. It was not frequent or long enought to grab a good photograph…

Fagus – Nothofagus gunnii

Close up without macro or a wide angled lense……

We enjoyed a terrific night at Scott Kilvett hut (video to follow) and headed out “early” to the Overland Track / Lake Rodway junction. This is a “bit of a grunt” and eventually we hit the Overland Track and headed back to Marion’s Lookout into a freezing head wind. The Fagus on this side of Cradle Mountain was less spectacular, as much of the leaf cover had been stripped by the wind.

Following a very chilly trip across the Cradle Plateau and a quick lunch break at Kitchen Hut we hit the new super highway that is under construction to Marion’s Lookout. We are talking HUGE sections of timber walking “track” that almost extend across the whole plateau.

Sue heading down the start of Marion's Lookout

The view from Marion’s was mist obstructed but it was a relief to get out of the biting wind. Sue headed down Marion’s like a trooper and nailed it “easily”. Thankfully, the fagus around Crater Lake was spectacular and it distracted both of us.

Fagus - Crater Lake

Sorry about the quality of the images, there was low cloud and very high humidity.

Boat Shed - Crater Lake

Back in “civilisation” at Crater Lake is always fun. This area is very protected from the elements and the fagus was magnificant and the walk out to Ronney Creek terrific (including seeing FIVE wombats -all with their bums towards the camera, hence no pictures here sorry)

Fagus from Boat Shed - Crater Lake

Reflections on the trip:

• yes, it was too short BUT it was all we could squueze in between work
• the Cradle Mountain area has it’s own unique weather, be prepared for anything, even on a short trip. We took all our usual multi day clothing and used a lot of it
• wombats always turn their backs to you when you want to photograph them.  If you want to see a great wombat image, click here
• we always meet great people when we are hiking – more to come in the future on that!
• we are about 30% slower than the signposted estimates, but what’s the rush?
• as good as a trip can be, unpacking, drying gear, re-storing and going back to work is a bloody pain.
• never rely on airlines to be on time – we were delayed in Launceston for THREE hours by fog in Newcastle earlier that day.

Late this afternoon we are off to Tasmania for a very quick trip to the Cradle Mountain area in Tasmania.

Why? Because it is Autumn and the Deciduous beech, or Fagus – Nothofagus gunnii is changing colour and putting on a fantastic show. We have never had the chance to see it in full “bloom” so now is the time!

Fagus - Robert Tarn on Tarn Shelf - Gerry Duke - Bushwalk Tasmania

This plan was hatched several weeks ago as we know the colours are generally most brilliant around Anzac weekend. (Anzac Day in Australia is the 25th April) Flights and accommodation were booked and then fingers and toes crossed, hoping our timing was right.

We have been following the Fagus 2010 thread over at Bushwalk Tasmania and enjoying each new piece of information and image that has been appearing. (the images here link back to BWT)

Early Fagus - Tasmania - image - stepbystep - Bushwalk Tasmania

So, what is the plan you ask? Or, alternatively, how do you  ’do” Cradle Mountain” in a weekend?

Thursday:

• we’re both working,  so will meet at Melbourne Airport for a 6pm flight to Launceston
• hire car pickup and a quick shop for some fresh food (and wine) in Launceston – drive to Cradle Mountain
• arrive around 10:30 pm at Discovery Holiday Parks – Cradle Mountain (Cosy Cabins) – we would have bush camped somewhere but it is just a bit late at night
• sleep in our hiking tent

Friday:

• up and away early…. use money saved on accommodation to have a nice breakfast – probably at Cradle Mountain Lodge (we LOVE that place)
• Shuttle Sue and our packs up to Dove Lake and then take hire car back to car park.  Catch the shuttle bus, meet her and head off to Scott Kilvett Hut for the night (at a rambling pace)
• Route will be around Twisted Lakes and Artists Pool. (the “back” of Cradle Mountain)  Stop frequently and enjoy.
• Arrive hut and have a wine or two (did I mention we will decant a red and white into a couple of Nalgene bottles?)

Saturday:

• gentle start….
• do the “grunt” up to the Overland Track junction and then head across the “front” of Cradle Mountain to Kitchen Hut
• wander across to, and  down,  Marion’s Lookout then around Crater Lake (the Fagus can be great here too)
• back to the “official” start of the Overland Track at Ronney Creek and a shuttle bus back to the car
• drive back to Launceston and check in at the Auldington Hotel - we have stayed there before , it is magic (picked up a deal on Last Minute)
• dinner with some Tassie mates that night (gotta love those internet relationships!)

Sunday:

• back at the airport by 9 am – (insert very sad face here)
• arrive Melbourne and then 90 minute drive to Geelong by 1pm, off to watch the footy at Kardinia Park.

We will post about the trip in a few days with some of our own images and maybe a video or two!

Have a great weekend! (we will)

We were invited to join a project being run by Tripbase.com to share our 3 best kept travel secrets, and being  hiking types, we have chosen three special place that  you, and the readers at Tripbase may enjoy.  They are all in Australia and cover a wide variety of environments across three different States.

A little background:

“The aim of this game is to unite travel bloggers in a joint endeavor – to create an amazing list of top travel recommendations across the globe to share with the entire online travel community.”
“We’ve collected so many incredible secrets that we’ve decided to compile all the posts in a Free Travel Secrets E-book to be shared with the entire online travel community”– Katie from Tripbase.com.

Many thanks to Linda Fairbairn from Journey Jottings for the nomination.  She has three fantastic ideas  for her travel secrets, please take the time to read them.

And our winners are?

1. The Overland Track – Tasmania – Australia

This 65km (40 mile) track is a spectacular bushwalk through the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area. Hikers generally take 5 nights and enjoy the isolation, wonderful scenery, basic facilities and many side trips. It can change lives,  and gives those that complete it a huge sense of achievement.

Barn Bluff in snow - Overland Track Tasmania

Why?

• Pristine wilderness
• Incredible scenery
• Fantastic sidetrips to mountains, lakes and waterfalls
• Chance to see wombats, platypus, tasmanian devils or wallabies in their natural habitat
• A huge sense of achievement completing a “tough” hike in all the conditions that Tasmania can throw at you.
• Can be guided or do it yourself depending on experience, time, confidence and budget

Why Not?

• Can be very tough, snow in summer, rain at any time, packs can be heavy
• Isolated, no phone service, no internet, no power, untreated water and you have to carry all your gear.

2. The Great Ocean Walk – Victoria – Australia

This terrific,  newly developed coastal walk,  ends near  the 12 Aposles, a “must visit” attraction  in  Victoria, Australia.  Instead of just driving along the Great Ocean Road,  you can enjoy 100km of beautiful coastal trekking.

Johanna Beach - Great Ocean Walk

Why?

• Coastal scenery to die for
• Isolated camp sites in some spectacular locations
• Only 8 camp sites available each night , uncrowded
• Easy to do in sections if short of time
• Can stay in B&B’s or luxury accommodation nearby, walking each day, relaxing each night
• Echidnas, kangaroos, koalas, whales (in season)

Why not?

• Can’t think of one reason, you can “tent it” or stay off track.  The only reason you  is if you don’t like walking….

3. Thorsborne Trail – Hinchinbrook Island – Queensland – Australia

Hinchinbrook Island, one of Australia’s largest island National Parks (39,900ha), is off the north Queensland coast between Townsville and Cairns in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The 32km Thorsborne Trail runs along the Island’s east coast and combines some toughish inland walking with wonderful rain forests, inspiring waterfalls and out of this world beaches.

Nina Falls - Hinchinbrook Island

Why?

• Freshwater swimming holes that take your breath away
• Huge isolated beaches where you can walk or swim at the end of most days
• Only 40 people allowed on the trail at any one time
• Beautiful tropical island hiking with terrific vistas
• Off  “the beaten track”, isolated and wild

Why not?

• This is crocodile country and you need to be careful when swimming in the ocean.  It’s usually well signposted if there is one about ….but keep your eyes open!
• Sandflies can be viscious, you really need to be well protected and have a lot of “bug stuff” 

Part of the project is to nominate five travel bloggers we love. 
Our fabulous 5 are:

A Travel around the World
Richard Tulloch’s – Life on the Road
Liz Down Under
The Professional Hobo
Only OK

We hope they join the project. We would love to hear about their three best kept travel secrets.

Do you have any travel secrets you would love to share?  Drop us a comment below, we would love to hear from you.

Does hiking the Overland Track solo mean you will be alone?

Is it a wilderness hiking experience  or bushwalking super highway?

Some stats on the number of people hiking the Overland Track in Tasmania recently appeared in an article in the Hobart Mercury.  They are significant numbers and may scare people off hiking the Overland Track, or will they?

Waterfall Valley - camping

A recent article   Tasmania’s iconic Overland Track is operating smoothly five years after bushwalker access was regulated by Bruce Mounster, reviewed some stats from the Parks and Wildlife Service in Tasmania.

In summary:

• Parks and Wildlife studies have found as many as 90 per cent of walkers believed it to be one of the best things they had done in their life. (yep, agree with that)
• Revenue of roughly $960,000 a season from the $160 entry pass fees, as well as information pack sales, pays for constant staffing along the track, coal and gas supplies to huts and toilet waste removal. (yep, expensive business to maintain services and staff in an isolated environment)
• The number of walkers had been trending up from 6360 in 2005-2006 to 7024 in 2008-2009, with this season so far lagging last season by about 130.
  • Below is the availability of spots for the rest of the season (as of 28th Jan)  - we wonder if this is the normal trend where people book latish??

• Off-season numbers are around 1000 hikers (it’s when we go….)
• Three rangers  are on duty along the Track to “police” the rules.According to the article, only a few people try.
• The rangers’ main role is to provide interpretation, as well as advice, to inexperienced walkers who make up as many as 75 per cent of visitors – (that’s why we wrote our Guide to Hiking the Overland Track , we have seen it all!)

So can you hike the Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair Overland Track “solo” in season (and feel isolated at times)?

Of course you can.

• It is always busy around the huts in the morning and evenings, that’s a given
  • tent it and get away on a platform somewhere,  the huts are generally very crowded
• Head off early (or late  after the masses leave)  if you like walking alone .  It’s a great feeling being alone on the track and the first to break the ice on a puddle!
• Take a few side trips and enjoy these special places. The waterfalls or Lake Will are great spots for some sole time

All that being said, one of the great things about being on the Overland Track is  the people you meet. Their diversity, the spread from across the world and the funny things many people do (and carry) are always  a terrific part of the memories. We are still in contact with some great people from previous trips (Hi Dave, Oz, Alan, Jonno etc)

One word, enjoy. In season, there will be around 30 others plodding along the track each day with you.

We attended the “Do You Know Tasmania” 44th Spectacular Tassie Wilderness Multimedia Show last week (how is that for a title?)

The evening was organised on behalf of the Launceston  Walking Club Inc, by Ian,  also known as  “tas-man” on the Bushwalk Tasmania Forum.

We had a great night and hope to lure Ian to our home town, Geelong, when he next takes this Launceston Walking Club event on the road.  The concept of the show is a mix of  “trip reports” by members, historic films from the club’s archives,  some environmental messages and fantastic images of Tasmania.

Snow at Scott Kilvert Hut October

• “They built a hut” – a film from 1966 that tells the story of building the Scott- Kilvert Hut at Lake Rodway (near Cradle Mountain) We have stayed in the hut a few times and it was fascinating to see actual footage of it’s construction.
• The “Six Rivers Trip” – not the sort of trip we would undertake but a great wilderness adventure undertaken by three “crazies” who pack rafted some of Tasmania’s remote rivers.  Tough trip in some pristine wilderness.
• Hounslow Heath Highlights – a great day walk in the Cradle Mountain area that we were unfamiliar with.  It will now be our destination in April 2010 when we head off to check out the “Turning of the Fagus”.
• While not  highlights,  more like lowlights, there were some excellent environmental messages shared as part of the evening.  The “Tree Valley Rivers” and “Giant Eucalyptus” segments highlighted the need to protect the forest environment  in Tasmania and explained the pressing need to manage this resource in a responsible manner.

Many thanks to Ian , his mate whose name we forget and the Launceston Walking Club for sharing such a professional presentation.

Read about Frank & Sues downloadable book on doing the Overland Track

Vous songez à voyager en Australie pour la Tasmanie randonnée Overland Track? (Thinking of travelling to Australia to hike Tasmania’s Overland Track?)

Would you love to read a trip report écrite en français? (a trip report in French)

Can’t read French but just want to see some great pictures of the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair y compris la faune, de paysages, des cascades et “Track” (including the wildlife, scenery, waterfalls and “Track”)

We discovered a really nice blog maintained by Yann, called Off the Beaten Track where he has just written up a great trip report on the Overland Track from Cradle Mountain to Lake St Clair in Tasmania.

The fun bit is that it is written in French!

Yann at Lake Will with Barn Bluff in the background

On contacting Yann, he was very happy to share his information AND to translate the post into English.   In the spirit of internationalism  and Franco / Australian solidarity on Rememberance Day we have selected parts of his post and shared them here in French and English

Who is Yann? What is he up to? – We asked him and his response was:

Hard question, I’m just traveling because I had enough of my job after 7 years, and I had a good opportunity at the beginning of this year. I really like trekking, so I chose places where I’ve a good opportunity for a trek, I try to do it. Trekking is a kind of “drugs” for me, but a good one

You can just put my name and write another globetrotter around the world who loves to be off the beaten track.

This trip report is from October (the Australian Spring) and we share Yann’s tips for doing the Overland Track in French and English.

A few tips:

# Quelques conseils :

• La bible électronique : Frank & Sue Wall partagent sur leur blog toutes leurs expériences lors de nombreuses randonnées, dont l’Overland Track. Un livre électronique qui détaille tout ce vous devez savoir sur cette célèbre randonnée est disponible via sur blog. Je vous le recommande !
• The Electronic Bible : Frank & Sue Wall Blog share their experiences in all their many tours, including the Overland Track. A eBook which details everything you need to know about this famous hiking is available via blog. I recommend it!

• Transports : après de nombreuses recherches, je pense avoir trouver la façon la moins chère de voyager pour effectuer cette randonnée au départ de Melbourne.
  • Commencez par réserver un vol Melbourne – Launceston avec Tiger Airways un mardi. Le coût est d’environ 40 AUD avec un sac à dos de 15 kg.
  • Prenez ensuite un bus, Tassielink, qui vous enmènera depuis Launceston jusqu’à l’entrée du parc national (à Cradle Valley). Un ticket de bus spécial Overland Track est disponible, permettant d’arriver au nord, puis de quitter par le sud. Comptez tout de même 99 AUD.
  • Une fois la randonnée finie, un autre bus vous transportera depuis le lac St-Clair jusqu’à Hobart. Ce trajet est compris dans prix du billet précédemment mentionné.
  • La randonnée durant 5 et 6 jours, le retour depuis Hobart à Melbourne peut facilement s’effectuer un mardi, le jour de la semaine où le prix des billets d’avion est le moins cher. Le coût est identique qu’à l’aller avec la même compagnie aérienne.
• Transport : After much research, I think I find the cheapest way to travel to do this walk away from Melbourne.
  • Start by booking a flight Melbourne – Launceston with Tiger Airways a Tuesday. The cost is about 40 AUD with a backpack of 15 kg.
  • Take a bus TassielinkThat you Enmene from Launceston to the entrance of National Park (in Cradle Valley). A special bus ticket Overland Track is available for reaching the north, then exit through the south. Count still 99 AUD.
  • After hiking over, another bus will transport you from Lake St. Clair to Hobart. This course is included in the ticket price listed above.
  • The hike for 5 and 6 days, returning to Melbourne from Hobart can easily be done on a Tuesday, the day of the week the price of airfare is cheaper. The cost is the same as going with the same airline.
• Nourriture : penser à arriver à Launceston une journée avant le départ du bus pour Cradle Valley afin d’y acheter nourriture et gaz. Et cela pour deux bonnes raisons :
  • Les feux de camp étant interdit, il est nécessaire d’emporter avec soit une, voir deux petites bouteilles de gaz. Et comme vous pouvez l’imaginer, impossible de prendre du gaz dans l’avion, il est donc nécessaire de l’acheter une fois arrivée en Tasmanie.Si comme moi, votre avion arrive en début de soirée, une fois que tout est fermé, pas de panique ! Un grand supermarché, nommé Kmart, est ouvert 24h sur 24 et vend du matériel de camping, y compris ces fameuses bouteilles de gaz dont vous aurez tant besoin durant votre randonnée.
  • Des règles très strictes en vigueur en Tasmanie interdisent l’importation de fruits et légumes. Achetez simplement votre nourriture une fois arrivé sur place. Plusieurs supermarchés sont ouverts tard, voir toute la nuit.
  • Pensez à déballer toute la nourriture afin de la mettre dans des sac Ziploc. Il est facilement possible de gagner un voir deux kilogrammes en se séparant de tous les emballages inutiles. Au final, le poids de la nourriture pour 6 jours sera d’environ 4 à 5 kg, avec un surplus journalier de 2 kg pour l’eau.
• Food : Thinking to arrive at Launceston a day before the bus to Cradle Valley to buy food and gas. And for two good reasons:
  • Campfires are prohibited, it is necessary to win with either one or two small bottles of gas. And as you can imagine, impossible to take gas in the plane, it is necessary to buy after arrival in Tasmania.

If like me, your plane arrives early evening, when everything is closed, do not panic! A large supermarket, named Kmart, Is open 24 hours on 24 and sells camping equipment, including the famous gas cylinders so you’ll need during your hike.
Strict rules in force in Tasmania prohibit the importation of fruits and vegetables. Just buy your food once you arrive on site. Many supermarkets are open late, see all night.

• • Remember to unpack all the food to put in bag Ziploc. It is easily possible to see win a two kilograms by dividing all unnecessary packaging. Finally, the weight of food for 6 days will be about 4 to 5 kg, with a daily surplus of 2 kg for water.
• Droit d’entrée : un système de réservation entre en vigueur pendant la période de plus grande fréquentation, soit du 1er novembre au 31 avril. En dehors de cette période, vous pouvez économiser le droit d’entrée, soit 160 AUD, ce qui n’est pas négligeable. Le droit d’entrée au parc (différent de celui précédemment cité) est obligatoire tout au long de l’année. Il est valable deux mois et coûte 28 AUD, et permet de visiter tous les parcs nationaux de Tasmanie.
• Right of entry : A reservation system enter into force during the period of greatest attendance, from November 1 to April 31. Outside this period, you can save the entrance fee, or 160 AUD, which is not negligible. The entrance fee to the park (other than that mentioned above) is required throughout the year. It is valid for two months and costs 28 AUD, and can visit all the national parks of Tasmania.

Many thanks to Yann for allowing us to share his terrific blog post.  For all you non French readers, open the blog post,  Overland Track – Amazing Tasmania and more , in Google and block out the text, Google Translate should open and will prompt you to translate the post.  Good luck! (and apologies for some of the French to English translation…)

Adventure around Cradle Mountain?
Fact or fiction?
A day hike around Cradle Mountain with a twist (or two)?

Then this story is for you!

Frank stumbled across a very enjoyable blog today titled American in Oz. He reads a lot of blog posts about Tasmania and especially the Cradle Mountain area in Australia’s most southern state, Tasmania. These post are a great source of inspiration and fun when he is stuck in his “real life”.

This post , Tracks Less Travelled, a Tasmanian short story , really got his attention and the beautiful word craft and surprises in the story had him captivated.

Another fantastic image by Tasadam, Definitive Cradle Mountain – This picture is from a set titled The Overland Track – Tasmania - well worth a look at all his great photographs.

The following are some exerts from the story by annielaural:

“ At the same time that she was fearful of stepping off the planked trail, she wished she had the courage to head off cross-country, to snake up the face of Marian’s Lookout, to beat Chris to the top. The competition between them never failed to engage her “

” Nueva’s was far more moderate in grade, longer with twelve hundred year old King Billy and Pencil Pines growing close to the water. Pandani towered over her head in the protection of the Ballroom Forest and Cutting Grass and Sassafras, growing far too close to the track, waited to wound. Daydreaming here was out of the question.“

” It was still early afternoon. She had three more hours of daylight. A night in the dark on the trail was not appealing. She had plenty of clothes if she kept moving, but she didn’t have enough cold weather gear to spend the night out here, especially if it rained, and it was bound to rain as the temperatures cooled down “

To read the whole story (and it is a lot different to what you would normally read here), go to the full post on “American in Oz” , Tracks Less Travelled – a Tasmanian short story

We hope you enjoy it.

Related Posts:
The Overland Track – Planning the walk from Overseas
Hiking the Overland Track – a view from the States
Cradle Mountain local walk and Cradle Mountain Lodge

The Overland Track in Tasmania is a fantastic 6 days hiking experience.

It is isolated, can throw up tough conditions and challenge you both physically and mentally.

In fact, unless you are adequately prepared for bitterly cold and mind numbing conditions in winter, you risk serious problems (and the possibility of death) No joking.

Walking the Overland Track in winter needs thorough planning, excellent gear and experience in tough Tasmanian conditions.

In this post we are shamelessly plugging our Hiking the Overland Track eBook, not as a way to make us rich, (at $A14.50 each, we reckon it will take us 200 years plus to become rich!) but as a good resource to help you plan your trip and reduce the risks to a manageable level.

Why the plug?

We have just finished reading Aaron White’s blog Aaron’s Assonant Advertures In Australia and want to share some of his posts with potential Overland Track hikers. We highly recommend reading Aaron’s Overland Track posts to get the full story.

We really enjoyed Aaron’s writing style and story telling ability – it is great read.

This first post : Overland Track Chronicles – Rugging up sets the scene for his recent winter trip.
Sue and Frank – hiking in Tasmania – winter – can’t be too bad, we are smiling!

As reasonably experienced Tasmania hikers, reading his story immediately created warning bells in our minds, so we decided to post some snippets of his experiences and make a few comments about them so others who attempt the Overland Track in winter can be better prepared.

So read on, snippets from Aarons posts about a “hearty native Minnesotan” hiking the Overland Track in early winter. (with our comments below):

Buying Gear:
Without hesitation, he led me to a corner that was a forest of hangers with only rainjackets. “It rains a lot in Tasmania, so you’ll need a good shell layer. This jacket here is 100% rain and wind proof. Feel it. Real gortex.”
Mmmm gortex. I felt the smooth, yet rubbery sleeve and subtley turned the affixed price tag to my direction. $800.
“So will this keep me warm as well?” I asked.
“Oh no, sir!” The definity of his answer jabbed a hole right through what was left of my not-ignorant face. “This is just a shell layer. You’ll need a good fleece jacket, coat, and of course (chuckle) thermals. I mean you at least have thermals right?”

Read this post: Best Hiking Clothes for a multiday hike in Tasmania – the layering principal

I found a cheap rain jacket for sale at a random Sydney shop for $40. In Launceston, I bought my stove, fleece coat, fleece gloves, tent and some wool socks at the local K-mart. I wasn’t a Super Backpacker Man, but I think I was alright.

In the Overland Track book we go into detail about gear selection, what you need to take and what is not required.

Planning:
That night though, I didn’t sleep, not even for a minute. I tossed, turned and froze to death under my pile of blankets in the heated Tasmanian room. Launceston isn’t even in the mountains. I already knew my light summer sleeping bag would not be enough, even when fully clothed. I thought of my gear, my garbage bag gaiters, my lack of sleeping mat. Why did I buy potatoes?

I rolled out of bed at 5:59, yelling at my 6:00 alarm to wake up. I saw that it was the morning of May 13th (duhn duhn duh!!!!). I repacked my bag, cut back on some of the food, tossed out my potatoes. I removed the one pair of comfort clothing I saved for my first night off the mountain and cut back on a few other odds and ends. The bag was still too heavy, but it was at least manageable.

Read this post: Hiking gear what are the basics to get started

I still wasn’t content. I threw on my hiking boots and headed to the 24hour Kmart for a camping mat. Freezing to death from no ground insulation was not the way I wanted to kick it. I walked a half block before I hit another obstacle to my coming hike: my ankles were in intense pain.

Three hours later, I arrived and Cradle Mountain National Park, ready to go, pain or not. I caved in a bought some actual rain pants at the inflated middle-of-nowhere price of $60

Many hikers leave on a sunny day, unprepared, without raingear or warm clothing and die when trapped in a snowstorm. I was undertaking it in mid-May, when you don’t have to pay the $150 fee, but have to deal with less desirable weather and very short days.

Hiking during the non fee paying season is Ok if you are experienced and prepared. There is minimal support from Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and less people around to help get you out of trouble.

Sue, heading off into the Walls of Jerusalum in December (the first month of the Australian summer)

The Overland Track:

“Continue on? Isn’t this the hut?”
Kitchen Hut in better weather – May 08- note the second level door and shovel for access during heavy snow and also leon in jean shorts – they got wet the first 10 minutes and stayed wet for the rest of the trip (wrapped up in the bottom of his pack)

“Oh no, this is just Kitchen Hut, an emergency shelter. The first overnight hut is another two hours further on.”
That put me at just more than halfway done with the day. I was already exhausted: my back hurt, my ankles hurt, and one layer of face had been not so carefully removed by unhindered, blowing precipitation. There was thankfully only 30 minutes left on the open mountain face.

I collapsed upon opening the door. I just wasn’t in enough shape for this first day of climbing, but a good nights sleep would hopefully give me the strength for the next. The hut was quite nice, with wooden bunks to sleep 25 and a gas heater to dry off all of our gear.

Even with a rain jacket, rain pants, fleece coat, hooded sweatshirt, t-shirt, and jeans, I was soaked all the way down to my thermals. I had a backpack cover over my water resistant backpack, but this proved useless: everything in my pack was wet. That day, even the super backpackers, with their $1000 dollar backpacks and special waterproof covers learned the lesson that “waterproof” is a myth.

Read this post by Matthias at Matt Worldwide: Preparing for a 10 day hike in South West Tasmania

Do not take cotton clothes such as jeans or track pants, once wet they will NOT DRY .

The second morning – leaving Waterfall Valley Hut
I jumped out of the creek, gave it the finger, and stomped through the pouring rain back to the hut and threw my fifty pound pack in the corner.

“I’m done! It’s cold, rainy, everything is wet, it’s too f**king foggy to see anything, and there is a f**king knee deep creek right at the start of this horrible day. Now, I’m going to have to walk with wet feet for the next 25km. I paid $1000 to do this piece of s#$t walk and it has been nothing but one… big…f**king…disappointment. I’m not putting up with this. I’m going back. That’s it. F%$k this s*&t!”

The others at the hut were not really expecting such a tirade, especially minutes into the second day of the hike. Everyone, just kept on eating the breakfast in uncomfortable silence, until a young German woman finally asked the one question on everyones’ mind. “Is there any way around this knee deep creek?”

“No!”
Five minutes later, I had my socks wrung out, I had my clothes put back on and was ready to move on.

Arriving Windemere Hut
I removed my completely wet gear and went into my backpack for my dry change of clothing. Even after repacking everything in garbage bags, my clothes were still damp. The left me with no dry clothes and the temperature was quickly dropping.

Within minutes, I was shivering uncontrollably and started feeling a bit faint. I could tell I was showing the early symptoms of hypothermia. I threw on my fleece coat even though it was wet. That is one thing I love about polar fleece, it is the amazing fabric that maintains warmth, even when wet.

Lightweight plastic garbage bags are not waterproof – they perforate easily and you gear will get wet. You need to double bag critical gear inside a pack liner (pack covers will not keep your pack contents dry!)

The previous night, Brian (a guy Aaron met on the Track) had slept in a tent in the rain, instead of the hut. Everything he owned, including sleeping back was soaked. His body was not forgiving him for the prior two days’ punishment. He was cramping, worn-down, cold. Instead of pushing on that day, he decided to rest another day. This was an option I chose to wave, despite the inconceivably worse weather that day.

Since I was not going forward, I wanted to head back and see all the various side trails along the way I had passed up. – At this point Aaron decided to return to the Cradle Mountain end of the walk and not risk worse weather conditions that were forecast – a wise move.

I awoke in the middle of the night with the startling discovery that the Socks Paradox was in fact a myth. Once I donned my fifth pair of socks, wrapped my feet in a sweater, put the bottom of my sleeping bag in a canvas shopping bag, I was able to make my feet merely cold. It was a long, blustery night. The wind tested the structural integrity of the cabin.

I wasn’t the only person who had a cold night. A young British bloke spent the night with merely a blanket. His one pair of socks was soaked from the previous day’s walk. The sneakers he brought were still wet and he had no rain coat. The temperature was below freezing that day. Despite this, he pushed on. This is how people die.

The End- back at the Cradle Mountain Area
I was in my element, until I reached the top of the mountain.
Suddenly, I found myself in North Dakota mid-blizzard or maybe on top of mountain mid-blizzard, same difference. I pushed forward through knee-deep snow, which was good, because it stabilized me from being toppled by the wind. I was glad it was only a couple of miles back to Kitchen Hut.

Inside the Kitchen Hut, I found an Aussie family from Brisbane, with a twelve year old child. They started the previous day, but got trapped from the excessive winds. I was actually quite glad to see them safe and alive; other hikers the previous night had told me of this family.
They decided to head back to the park with me, so we headed out into the blizzard. At first it wasn’t too bad, but after fifteen meters, the wind came back with a vengeance, the strongest I’ve faced on the trail. Being from Queensland, the boy had never seen snow before, now he was stuck in Antartica. They wisely turned back.

Many thanks to Aaron White for his great insights and honest appraisal of his Overland Track experience. Remember, you can read Aaron’s eight posts on his blog, Aaron’s Assonant Adventures in Australia.

Related Posts
Overland Track eBook reviews
The Overland Track solo – Sue’s trip report

Additional Information
Overland Track 2008 – Great trip report by Matthias
Bushwalk Tasmania – the resource for Tasmanian Bushwalking

Hike the Overland Track free?
Win a trip to Australia and a free trip on the Overland Track with Cradle Mountain Huts?

We stumbled across this opportunity today for anyone who owns a pair of Blundstone Boots (an Aussie icon in work footwear)

Towards Barn Bluff – Overland Track- Tasmania

Head off to the Blundstone Canada  web site and check out the competition they are running to win a FREE trip from Canada to Tasmania. Included is a guided walk across the Overland Track with Cradle Huts. (worth around $A2500)

This is the blurb off the website:

The Cradle Mountain Huts Walk an all inclusive experience for two people 5 nights – 6 days

The Cradle Mountain Huts six-day walk follows the iconic Overland Track through Tasmania’s World Heritage Area. This 40 mile journey offers a rare privilege – one of the world’s great walks through an ancient and richly varied landscape is normally accessible only to the hardy – for at the end of each day hikers sleep in private, environmentally-sensitive cabins. 
There are hot showers. 
Food and wine can feature almost as much as the mountains, rainforests and indigenous wildlife. The huts have been designed to complement their sensitive surroundings. Each hut contains twin share accommodation, toilets, heating, full kitchen facilities and a living/dining area. The guides on this unhurried journey share their knowledge of the landscape, the flora and the fauna, to ensure a rich and informative journey.

The competition runs until the 30th June, so get in quick.

We love our Blundstone boots and had a pair each for years. They are are great Aussie icon…

Related Posts:

Hiking the Overland Track e-Book

Release of the Overland Track book

Various Overland Track posts