Archive for March, 2009
Centennial Ridge — September 7, 2008
Monday, March 30th, 2009Guest Post: Jackie Jones Mtn Fire Tower
Saturday, March 28th, 2009Great South West Walk – Discovery Bay and Mount Richmond
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009If you like beach walking, sand and sand dunes this section is for you!
If you hate march flies, be prepared.....
In his third guest post, Dave Tomlinson shares some great information about this section of the GSWW. You can check out the map here
Dave's footprints, Discovery Bay - soft sand makes for hard walkingThe Discovery Bay Coastal Park begins at Nelson and extends virtually all the way along the coast to Portland. It is recommended to walk the direction I did because the sun and prevailing wind is generally behind you. However when I came through the dunes at Ocean Beach the sun was high overhead and there was a strong wind right in my face. I had 7km of walking on sand with a heavy pack to reach White Sands camp. Fortunately I found that the high tide mark offered a reasonably firm surface to walk on and I got the job done okay.
White Sands shelterWhite Sands is probably the most rustic campsite on the route but it was very welcome after 1½ hours of battling into the wind. Set in the shelter of the sand dunes, it offered a comfortable place to spend a night.
White Sands from above - it lives up to it"s nameEvery day I appreciated the long twilights which offered daylight until about 9pm. By this time in the evening the wind had dropped so I went back to the beach and enjoyed watching the sun set over Discovery Bay.
Lake Monibeong is a fresh water lagoon which is popular for trout fishing and bird-watching. There is something exhilarating about walking beside a wild ocean on an isolated shore but from White Sands I took the inland route because I knew I had 17km down the beach the following day. The campsite was excellent (with the luxury of flush toilets!) and lake itself was absolutely beautiful.
Lake Monibeong - great spot for a swimThe water was crystal clear and I enjoyed a couple of swims during the afternoon. The kangaroos at this site seemed relatively tame and weren't in a hurry to disappear into the bush at first sight.
The third day along the beach dawned to a cloudless sky and promised plenty of sun. I tried to leave a bit earlier but it was impossible to do all I needed to in the morning in less than 1½ hours. So it was the usual 9am departure as I hit the beach. It was a beautiful morning – warm with gentle sea breezes. I found some firm sand underfoot and all seemed perfect…except for the flies. I could hardly believe the number of March flies that were following and attempting to land on me at any given opportunity. For those unfamiliar, these are the large flies that bite, even through clothing sometimes.
Initially I simply tried to keep legs and arms moving to avoid them. Then I began to lose patience and decided they had to die. It was war and I left a trail of bodies along the sand. I had the sounds of Culture Club's War Song stuck in my head as the sun climbed higher and it grew hotter. There was no shelter from the elements anywhere and I ran out of water. The worst part was the final couple of kilometres through the sand dunes to the Swan Lake campsite. I felt like I was trudging though a desert in search of the oasis and prayed I wouldn't miss any track markers.
All my romantic notions of swimming in Swan Lake were destroyed when I arrived. This was the worst campsite of the entire track. It was little more than a dusty carpark with a toilet and tap offering underground bore water. The only reasonable place I could find to pitch my tent was actually on the track itself. I had trouble even finding the lake and when I did it was anything but appealing. The black mud and dirty water meant I happily settled for a bath from the tap. Very disappointing…
Swan Lake - NOT Dave's favourite spotIt's at this point where the track either continues down the beach again or deviates up into the Mount Richmond National Park. I thought the latter option was preferable and took the appropriate track the following morning. The initial gradual uphill offered a nice view looking back but the section of track between the two national parks will remain my least favourite memory of the hike.
Just a view of Discovery Bay from track to Mt RichmondIt involved walking on soft, sandy forestry roads and 4WD tracks through pine plantations that had been scarred from recent logging. It was in this unattractive landscape that I missed a track marker and became lost.
I thought at the time it was unusual to come to an intersection devoid of any track markers and if I was thinking clearly I would have turned back right there. Instead, I assumed that walking straight ahead would be the correct course. And we all know what assumption is right? Arriving at a second corner without any markers was an obvious reminder of what assumption is! After a few muttered expletives I had no choice but to turn around and slog back to where I'd seen the last marker. The one I missed was only about 100 metres from where I'd last taken a break!
It was getting hot as I made the gentle but unrelenting ascent to the top of Mount Richmond (229m). I was hoping for a view from the top of this extinct volcano but there were too many trees to see anything. Even the panorama once offered from the lookout tower is now obscured by the surrounding vegetation. I was happy however that there was a rainwater tank in the picnic area because I still had 1½ hours hiking to get to camp.
Many thanks to Dave for his great trip report. Click on the links below to read about the other legs of the Great South West Walk.
Related Posts:
South Coast Track solo – by a VERY fit woman
Friday, March 20th, 2009We did the hike three years ago and struggled with the long days, mud and more mud. We spent so much time trying to work out where to walk we never took the time to take in much of the spectacular scenery. Frank talked Sue (and a couple of mates) in, to do the walk again in February 2009, with the plan to take 8 nights and enjoy shorter hiking days. This time the mates finished the whole walk and we ended up exploring the area before the Ironbound Ranges and around Melaleuca.
Sue is writing a blog post that will be posted soon on our adventures - We already have one post up about our experience with the flooded Louisa and Faraway Creek.
In this post we have the words and images of Anne Stockley, from San Diego in the USA. She was on the South Coast Track just days after us. We all remember seeing each other at Melaleuca before she set off.
We were very impressed by Anne's obvious level of fitness and light weight hiking kit so have posted some of her thoughts and images on Our Hiking Blog. You can see Anne's complete South Coast Track album here.
Anne, a lean mean hiking machine.
Anne has obviously honed her kit really well and carried 11kg, including food, on this trip. That is a significantly light weight pack and we could all learn a lot from her.
11kg including food - this is what I took minus the food:
Gear: Tent, Fuel bottle, MSR stove, 2 x 32oz water bottles, mug, titanium pan, spoon, aluminum foil wind shield, aluminum foil pan lid, 2 x lighter, map, compass, whistle, loo roll, suntan lotion, lip goop, ear plugs, blister kit, safety pins, netting headnet, rucksack, rucksack cover, camp towel, anti inflamatories, pain killers, antibiotics, sleeping bag, 2 compactor liners to keep sleeping bag dry, zip locks for all night wear clothing, sleeping mat, sleeping mat compression strap, head torch.
Daily wear: trousers, sleeveless vest, shirt, jog bra, cagoule (aka rain jacket), 2 pairs of socks, boots, gaiters, gloves, woolly hat, sun hat with neck cape, over trousers, fleece, sun glasses
Night wear: lyra shorts, long johns, two shirts, 2 pairs of socks
Anne's Report:
In late February 2009, I did a solo backpack of the South Coast Track in Tasmania in 5 days and 5 nights. Highlights for me included the campsite at Point Eric and the calm seas and sunny afternoon I enjoyed while there, the straightforward New River Lagoon crossing (I had been anxious about being able to drag the boats across the sand), the fact that I didn't have to swim the South Cape Rivulet as others recently had to, Prion Beach and Prion East which few people rave over, the bird life on the beach, the awesome views on the flight to Melaleuca, and the friendly Hills family group and Eric.
Things I didn't expect were how much of the trail was in light Eucalypt Forest and rain forest giving no views of the ocean, beaches, or anything. When looking at other people's photographs on the web beforehand, I got a distorted impression of how much of the walk was on beaches. With hindsight, an additional night at Surprise Beach or Osmiridium Beach would have been nice
After arriving at Melaleuca, I walked to Point Eric in changeable conditions. After I had put up the tent the ocean and weather became calm and I was treated to a starlit night. There was lots of interest on the beach including oyster catchers, plover, starfish, interesting seaweed, a red tide, and signs of flash flooding after the storm 4 days prior.
Campsite at Point Eric (above) and the toilet (below)
I woke up early and was walking east on Cox Bight by 7am. By 8am I had fallen in a watery bog over my knees and my feet weren't dry for the rest of the day.
My anxiety about the three river crossings for the day (Faraway Creek, Louisa Creek and Louisa River) was unnecessary as they were all very straight forward below knee crossings.
Louisa Creek Crossing - check this link to see it in flood
A classic driech day climb over the Ironbounds with no view from the top. Fortunately the wind was only a gentle 15mph or so. The descent was a sopping wet scramble and lower off branches over slippery roots, showered by every touch of the wet rainforest vegetation. Arriving at Deadman's beach at 11:30am I realised that I could make the 1:30pm high tide at Prion Boat crossing and so I carried on.
Ed: Note the times here - Anne "did the Ironbounds" from Louisa River to Deadman's Bay in 5 hours (we took at least 10!)
I set out from Prion Boat crossing camp after a lie in and with no particular plans as to were I would stop.
Anne's tent at Prion Beach
I ended up spending part of the morning walking with Eric and then continuing on to Granite Beach for a shower.
Pictures below are a couple of examples of the muddy conditions on this track....
The weather seemed to be changing with high cirrus clouds coming in from the west the afternoon before, so I got an early start over the South Cape. High tide was about 2pm so I wanted to cross South Cape Rivulet before then. It was raining when I got there and so I carried on to Lion Rock. I was not inspired by the campsite there and walked out to Cockle Creek.
Many thanks to Anne for agreeing to have her pictures and words reproduced here.
Related Posts
South Coast Track - Point Eric to Louisa River
South Coast Track - Louisa River to Deadmans Bay
South Coast Track - Deadmans Bay to New River Lagoon
South Coast Track -New River Lagoon - Surprise Bay
South Coast Track - Surprise Bay to South Cape Riverulet
South Coast Track - South Cape Riverulet to Cockle Creek
Great South West Walk – Glenelg River to Nelson
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009We had a terrific holiday camping at Pritchards Landing a few years ago. The swimming, boating and fishing made for a fantastic family holiday with something for everyone.
Dave, our guest poster, continues with his trip report on the Great South West Walk.
In this post he covers the Glenelg River section of the walk which is from the Moleside Camp to Nelson.
Nelson is the mid point of the walk. It has a couple of general stores for resupply.
Map of the Glenelg River section - Moleside Camp to Nelson
The Glenelg River
After 80km the track emerges at Moleside Camp to follow the mighty Glenelg River out to the coast. (Notice how you can spell 'Glenelg' backwards and it's still correct?) This was one of my favourite camps and I enjoyed a swim soon after I arrived. It was here that I realised that the river is tidal and the water has a slightly saline taste to it, even some 50km from the ocean. It is a magnificent river though and for the length that I walked it always spanned about 50 metres across to the other bank. Views of the water would come and go as the track pushed through bush on the south side of the gorge.
View of the Glenelg River from Moleside camp
Moleside Camp
I stayed at Murrell's Camp(pic below) which was a lovely spot beside the river where I had a well earned swim and even did some laundry.
The only problem I had was there was hardly any level ground to pitch a tent. I chose what I thought was the best place but still felt like I was sliding down to the far corner all night! After the company of only birds and animals for three days, it was nice to meet a few groups of day walkers and fishermen in this section of the walk. I never met anyone doing more than this and had every single campsite to myself.
Murrell's Camp - Great South West Walk
I decided to throw in a long day and miss the picturesque Patterson's Camp in favour of getting to Simson's Camp. It meant completing 24km on a hot day but it was one of the best sections of the whole track. In the lower reaches of the Glenelg River the gorge becomes much deeper and the track offers some spectacular views from on top of the limestone cliffs. It goes past a number of popular picnic and camping areas, some of which were being well used. At its most westerly point the track follows the curve of the river into South Australia. I had lunch at the lovely little picnic area of Hirth's Landing.
The South Australian section
Simson's was a pleasant campsite but I was disappointed there was no river access. After a hot sunny day I was eager for a swim but had to settle for my daily rainwater bath instead. It was here that I was woken in the middle of the night by something scratching around beside my tent. I got a fright and unzipping my tent door revealed a possum. This was Australian wildlife I could happily do without! They don't have much fear but I scared it as much as possible and fortunately that's the only one I saw in the two weeks.
The Glenelg River - great swimming
The small township of Nelson represents the halfway point of the Great South West Walk. It's a place to restock with food for the journey back along the coast to Portland. There are a few historic buildings which now serve as the local pub and a guesthouse. It has a petrol station, food kiosk, boat hire, church, information office, several houses and not a lot more. The kiosk had limited and very expensive supplies but I managed to accumulate what I needed before heading south to begin the trek along the beach.
Hire Boats at Nelson
Related Posts
Great South West Walk - Section 1 - Portland to Glenelg River
Great South West Walk - Section Three - Discovery Bay
