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Published: February 3rd 2007
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The Tasman National Park is in the far southeast of Tasmania, about an hour and a half's drive from Hobart. The Tasman Peninsula has the highest vertical seacliffs in Australia - it was the aim of our hike to see these (and hopefully not get blown off - they're 300 metre vertical cliffs!).
We headed down to Fortescue Bay on the eve of Australia Day 07. For the second and final time, I made the mistake of leaving it to BF to organise the trip. Noting that parts of the track we'd be walking were subject to gale force winds, I left plans with my supervisor at work with instructions that if I didn’t show up on Monday, would she please lead the search & rescue effort? In the end, it turned out that BF was more likely to die from me stabbing him to death with a tent peg than falling off a cliff (unless I pushed him).
When we arrived at Fortescue Bay, about 8pm, the main campground was full (turns out you need to book in advance, particularly for peak holiday times). So we walked for almost an hour to one of the walk-in sites, Canoe
Bay, and pitched the tent in rapidly decreasing daylight. Apart from a cruiser and a yacht moored in the little bay, we were the only campers. The track was an easy hike, with nice views of Fortescue Bay for most of the walk (a small part of the track was subject to the stench of a penguin colony).
We walked back to the main campground at Fortescue Bay first thing on Australia Day. It was a great day for walking - warm but not hot and only a slight breeze. Tasmania is known for four seasons in one day, so you always need to be prepared for all types of conditions. We loaded our packs and headed off into the wilderness about 8.30am.
The plan was to follow the Cape Pillar track down to the first campsite, setup camp and head down to Cape Pillar, then return back to the campsite. The following day we would head back to Fortescue Bay via the Cape Hauy track, completing the circuit. The recommended time taken to complete the circuit (including Cape Pillar) is 2-3 days. We had allowed for 3 days but I wanted to complete it in 2 days
Tasman National Park 27Jan07
Rain, Wind & Hail ... Time to go home! - I am a fair weather camper and would prefer to be at home reading a book about hiking rather than actually doing it or at least staying at a campground with proper toilets (not those revolting self-composting long drops - I would prefer to squat in the bushes) and showers.
The good thing about the track was that there were limited hikers - about half-a-dozen groups or so. Other tracks we've walked on around Tassie are full of tourists (Cradle Mountain and Freycinet ). Where there's tourists, there's also rubbish. And on the Cape Pillar track, there was none. The track was very much a true bushwalking track - although most of the swamp area was boarded, the rest of the track had many fallen trees (all could be climbed over or ducked under) and parts were like following a wallaby track - walking in single file constantly brushing through scrub. I enjoyed this, because it's traditional bushwalking - I hate those horrible steps they build that make you wish you did more squats at the gym.
It took 3 hours to get to the first campsite, and the track was mostly flat with a couple of uphill bits. It wouldn't have taken that long if BF didn't insist on having breaks all the time. We setup camp - that took an hour because BF was stuffing round doing bugger all. Based on the 3 hours it took us to get to the campsite, I estimated it would take us 6 hours return to get down to Cape Pillar and back. So I hurried BF along and we started on the track to Cape Pillar - it was 12.30pm. Fifteen minutes in, I could tell BF wasn't happy so I stopped and asked him what was wrong.
"You didn't let me have any lunch."
My head said: If you hadn't spent so long fartarsing round at camp, you would've had time to have a proper lunch.
My mouth said: "If you want to go down to Cape Pillar, we have to go now otherwise we won't make it back before dark."
After a brief and very much tight-lipped discussion about our options, BF says:
"What would you like to do?"
My brain says: Go down to Cape Pillar now. Go right now, so tomorrow we can head home via Cape Hauy and I can have a shower and brush my teeth and read a book.
My mouth says: "It's up to you."
BF: "Take your sunglasses off, I can't see your eyes."
My brain says: You're lucky boy, because if looks could penetrate sunglasses and kill, you would have died earlier this morning on the hike in.
My mouth says: "We can go back to camp now. We can head to Cape Pillar tomorrow then to Cape Hauy on Sunday."
So we headed back to camp for the most boring 6 hours until dinner. In an attempt to keep our packs as light as possible, we hadn't brought any books, or an MP3 player, or pack of cards or anything. After dinner, we hit the sack. Then the wind picked up. Then it started to rain. Then it started to hail. In the moring, after I'd lain awake since 1am praying that a tree wasn't going to fall on our tent and kill us, we waited until about 10am. The wind hadn't died down, the rain was on and off and so was the hail.
We reviewed out options: a) hike 6 hours return down to Cape Pillar in rain, hail and wind, or b) hike for 3 hours in wind, rain and hail and get the hell out.
Needless to say, we got the hell out of there.
We will definitely head back down another time when the forecast is clear, and allow ourselves three days. I recommend you do allow yourself three days to complete the entire circuit and start from the Cape Hauy end of the track. We talked to a few of the groups who did go down to Cape Pillar, and they said it was absolutely stunning.
Lessons Learnt:
1. Don't leave it to BF to organise trips.
2. Check if campsites need to be booked in advance.
3. Ensure enough time to get to campsite with enough daylight to pitch tent.
4. Always take a book or at a pack of playing cards.
5. Always take thermals.
6. Take more decent food (muesli/oatmeal, 2 minute noodles (my fave - freezedry food is crap) than sugary foods (chocolate).
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