Eye of the Tiger (Corinna, Tiger Ridge, Tullah, Tasmania)

Finally, dear reader, a sleep-in of sorts and a comparatively short read for you. Breakfast wasn't until 7:30am although we were supposed to be packed and standing beside the barge at 8:30am. A curious request because the 'fatman barge' didn't commence ferrying traffic until 9:00am. The hours and instructions were clearly posted. Having spent some time watching the coming and goings across the water, you may be surprised to know that some people used the sign below as a checklist.

Barge instructions.

Regardless, we were riverside at the appointed time which meant we had time to wander the Huon Pine walk and try to sight a platypus. The water was still but not a sound was to be heard, not a monotreme espied. Back to the car park to wait for the barge operator. He's a Kiwi and goes by the name Moondog. No, really. Today he turned up early so we could get away on time. By 8:45am we were on the other side of the Pieman and heading for the Reece Dam.

The Pieman River.

Tasmania has always had an interesting relationship with dams and hydro power and this dam is named after the former Premier Eric Reece, known as 'Electric Eric' because he wanted to dam everything to create more hydro power than the whole state required. The initial site of the dam was much closer to the heads and would have seen the flooding of Corinna. Happily, the site proved geologically too challenging and they moved it upstream and Corinna, with its lovely pub and welcoming people, survived.

Our first stop today was at the dam. The Pieman doesn't look like a river that has been dammed. It appeared quite full in our time there and was under tidal influence. Obviously there had been no water released from the dam. We walked across the wall to the other side where there was some serious construction work happening. Thankfully it did not impact on our journey.

The dam wall. Or is damn wall?

Today was another day of innovation. The scheduled excursion to Montezuma Falls had been cancelled due to landslides. A pity, because when I was last down this way I opted not to walk to the falls because I didn't think Jayne would enjoy it. Mt Donaldson and the falls will have to wait for the next time Dave and I venture into the Tarkine. And there will be a next time, dear reader. It is very special country.

The side trip today was to climb Tiger Ridge, hence today's title, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor from 1982. Our lunch destination was the base camp Trek Tours use for the Tarkine Rainforest Experience. To say we fell in love with the base camp is not an exaggeration. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We drove some time into the 'wilderness' and found a spot to drop the trailer. That should provide some indication of the road to be traversed. Yes, it was bumpy and dusty and probably best navigated in a 4WD, but Nick and Hayden did an excellent job negotiating the track. I mean road.

The bus stopped, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. We adjusted our attire and pulled on our packs and stepped into the bush. If there were any roadside signs of the track we were about to follow, I missed them. Just off the road, a wooden bridge became visible as did the track we would follow to base camp.

No trolls under this bridge.

The track rose steeply through the rainforest to a junction marked 'loop'. Both paths led to the camp. One would take 15 minutes the other a couple of hours. All but one of us chose the longer route. Again, there were no views to experience but the soft ground of the rainforest and the multitude of shades of green of the ferns, mosses and lichens.

It was a steep as it looks.

The loop followed an undulating ridge line that was at times quite benign and at others relatively sharp, although nothing beats the vertical climb up the Nut at Stanley. The rainforest canopy kept us shaded from the sun and the leaf litter muffled the sound of our tread. You could be forgiven for thinking we were the only people on earth.

Unexpected accommodation.

To spoil the illusion - a flash of blue in the distance. It turned out to be a Macpac tent, one of many that were scattered around the long house. This was our lunch spot and Hayden, having arrived via the short loop had already set out the lunch provisions on the table. The long house was complete with kitchen area, running water, an octagonal fireplace, a long table and a view into the surrounding rainforest. Just magic.

The long house.

Lunch was followed by a welcome cup of tea and a few minutes to relax. Nick showed us one of the tents. You were able to stand up in them and each contained two timber bed frames. No sleeping on the ground here. And like the Larapinta camp site last year, it gets packed down after the season is over. All except for the long house.

A short walk away was a stringy bark tree that ten of us linked arms to encircle. We estimated its girth at around 17m and was possibly 600 years old. Words can't describe the beauty and majesty of these old trees, the parents of the eucalypt forest around us ... and yet, Tasmania continues to log old growth forest. It should be a crime.

If this tree could talk.

Re-energised and spiritually restored, we walked the short distance back to the loop junction and retraced our steps down the mountain to the bus. Tonight we were headed for Tullah, another old mining community, and the Lakeside Lodge. It is a pub with accommodation in a series of converted dongas with a beautiful view over Lake Rosebery.

Mushrooms. Magic! Like, wow, man.

Having stayed in a donga in the Northern Territory, I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. Our bathroom was larger than the NT accommodation. Although strangely, they only had shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower. The soap dispenser was across the bathroom, next to the sink. It made showering a logistical challenge.

Dinner was in the dining room at the Lodge, the site of a famous bar fight when a group of miners turned up and Bob Brown was holding a Green's meeting. Tonight it was all quiet and we enjoyed dinner with wine and reflected on the beauty and solitude of Tiger Ridge.

Until tomorrow.