Blogs from Mount Field, Tasmania, Australia, Oceania

After a windy miserable night, the sun tried bravely to sneek through the drizzle. We had a better look around the lodge at Lake St. Clair and wandered down to the lake which is at the southern end of the Overland Track. Staff were very friendly and they had some great history up on the walls. And speaking of walls, the first place on the agenda was to visit The Wall at Derwent Bridge. I wasn't too sure about this one when one of Katies clients mentioned it. It didn't seem to have many mentions in the tourist guides. But it bloody well should!! Simply amazing workmanship has gone into this living piece of art. I can only imagine the number of hours it takes to make a single artwork. Pity we can take no photos, ... read more

WILD TASMANIA: Mt Field N.P. Each destination we reach reminds us of someone...something...some event. When we leave...we leave with new memories to store in our head banks. Mt Field National Park reminded me of the beech forests of sthn New Zealand...mosses with the beeches...or the lenga forests of Patagonia...mosses without the lenga...or the Lord of the Rings. We're not really into cities so it maybe no surprise our visit to Hobart was short...just long enough to be taken by two of the biggest smiles on TB...to the top of that massive rock Mt Wellington...then a 10km walk...a connoisseurs lunch...then out of Hobart to their place in the hinterland...at breakneck speed. Yep...a visit with RENanDREW comes with having to work for your supper! Each part of Tasmania is very different...memorable for the people we meet...and stunning locales. ... read more

This morning we headed south-west and stopped at Ellendale which is a picturesque little village nestled in the foothills of Mt Field East in the Derwent Valley. We then moved onto Russell Falls at Mt Field National Park which I was pretty excited about as it had been my favourite spot in Tassie when I was last here. Near the Visitor’s Centre there are plenty of picnic areas set amongst the forest and we had some lunch before heading out for a hike. The starting point at the Visitor’s Centre gives you various options for the walking trails. From long and arduous to short and sweet there is something for everyone and this extraordinary spot is not to be missed. We made our way along the path next to a small stream and the most gorgeous ... read more

Fifth Day Mount Field National Park is Tasmania's oldest national park (1916) and also one of the oldest reserves in Australia. Oh and one of the few places you can ski in the Winter. Its highlight is the Giant Tree Walk - a forest walk of swamp gums (Eucalyptus regnans), the tallest hardwood trees in the world growing to 70-100 m (230-330 feet) - and plenty of cricking of necks. (Californian Redwood trees are taller, but these are softwood trees, and botanists do not classify them as flowering plants). In 1899 Tasmania was the first British colony to issue scenic stamps; they included ones of Russell Falls. Yes, more waterfalls! After this we drove up a terribly winding lumber road watching out for trucks and hoping they didn’t push us off the narrow road. We narrowly ... read more

We drove north from Cockle Creek, through Hobart and out to Mt Field National Park. We set up camp and then walked the circuit walk to Lady Barron Falls, Horseshoe Falls and finally Russell Falls. Thomas was in heaven with all the waterfalls and rated the latter two 10/10 while Lady Barron Falls scored 9/10. We discovered that Mt Field, along with Freycinet National Park, is Tasmania's oldest national park, was founded in 1916. It is believed that the last known wild thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) was captured in the region in 1933 (https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/thylacine-photos-last-tasmanian-tiger/). We only spent the one night (Thursday) at Mt Field as we could only get a campsite at Lake St Clair on Friday and Saturday nights. Fortunately we had alr... read more