A Tasmanian Requiem (the north Tarkine to Penguin and Launceston)

It was a pity we didn’t have more time to spend in such an idyllic place dear reader. It was also a pity that we didn’t sleep better because we were up at 5:00am to commence the tent pack down before breakfast at 5:30am and a scheduled walk out of camp at 7:00am.

The good news was our guides eased up on the breakfast this morning and Dave and I passed on the porridge. We made good with a cup of tea and our last bite-sized cherry ripe and a muesli bar. After all we were only walking 8km today. Too easy.

Available in green.

Everyone was ready to depart camp at 7:00am however the sun was still not up and it would not be a great idea to ford Eastons Creek in the semi darkness. While we waited for the light our guides talked to us about the Palawa people and their enduring connection to the land. They also spoke of the ‘black wars’ in Tasmania. Like most other parts of the country, the black wars and fightback of the first inhabitants was down played and often dismissed as myth. And like other parts of the country, this is absolutely untrue

Also in purple.

The local aboriginals fought hard for their land and the battles are chronicled in The Black War by Nicholas Clements. It saddens me that in 2026, Australia as a country still cannot own its past. Today’s title represents a 2018 musical piece composed by Tasmanian Helen Thomson. The piece features nine movements telling the story of Tasmania’s past and the fifth movement, The Black War, features Palawa voices crying “Parrawa! Parrawa!” (“Go away! Go away!”).

The Eastons Creek ford.

By 7:30am, the light was strong enough for our first of three water crossings for the day, thankfully with boots on since the ford at Eastons Creek was only metres from our camp. The track winding back to forestry trail where we would meet the bus was, as usual, fundulating and mostly on tracks wide enough to walk two abreast. Of course, there were the usual obstacles of fallen trees and some parts of the track were severely overgrown. At one point we followed a Bastian Thrush up the road. The wildlife increased the further we were from the rainforest.

The second river crossing was at the Lyons River. While all of us ditched boots for our sandals and reef shoes, Lani suddenly appeared on the other side of the waterway fully booted having found an easier section to cross further upstream.

Upskirting was sanctioned in the Tarkine.

Once we had dried and reassembled our footwear we walked for another hour along the same kind of undulating track before hitting the final river crossing of the trip. Here, we recrossed the Arthur – the same river we had crossed on our first day. While we had been spared the rain, the upper limits of the river had not. It was wide and flowing much faster than when we crossed it on the first day. Definitely boots off. Again.

The final crossing.

As we crossed the river, three wedge-tailed eagles could be seen circling and climbing ever higher in on air currents. Usually only seen hunting in pairs, we assumed the third was a young bird being trained by its parents. Shortly after, a small flock of yellow tailed black cockatoos, Mangana, made an appearance. They greeted Dave and I on our first morning and were now bidding us farewell. This was goodbye from Palawa elders who had looked after us throughout the week and gifted us a wonderful experience.

Boots back on, we walked the remaining 500m to the waiting bus. Lunch today would be at the Penguin Tap House. Beer and burgers in the perfect sunshine. What an excellent way to finish our trip.

About to head to Penguin for lunch (and a beer).

It was a 2 hour drive back to Launnie to our hotel where a hot shower awaited. We did a couple of loads of washing and headed down stairs to the restaurant for dinner. A comfortable bed and crisp white sheets ensured we slept well. Not even the bells on the nearby church could keep us awake.

The flight home was uneventful, except for the trackwork in Sydney which forced Dave to take not one, not two, but three trains, once we were back in Sydney.

Another trekking adventure over, we are already planning for next year.

Weather: blue skies and sunshine.

Distance covered: 7.9km.

Total distance: 63.6km

Until next time.

Heaven (somewhere in the north Tarkine)

It was another standard morning, dear reader. Up at 6:00am to pack down as much of the tent as possible before a 6:30am breakfast. Yep, you guessed it, porridge and tea. Dave was done with eating glue (porridge) by this stage. Much like his youth at home he simply said he had eaten when really he had not. Then packs on at 8:00am for what was billed as the hardest walk of the trek. In retrospect, I beg to differ. The first two were by far harder. Those walks were long, steep and it was humid.

We back-tracked to the wooden signpost, directing us to heaven. I was glad we were going there; it would probably be my only opportunity. It was the usual undulating walk, or ‘fundulating’ as the guides referred to it, dodging fallen trees, crossing creeks and searching for the disappearing pink tape on a negligible track.

Off to heaven we go.

The forest was, as expected, quiet. The scenery consistent with what we’d experienced. That said, I’d never tire of it and there was always some surprising burst of colourful fungi, or a patch of moss, sunlit and sparkling with water droplets. The challenge here was to be able to get low enough to get a photograph, without the weight of the back toppling me over. Sometimes I was successful, other times gravity was the winner.

We reached heaven mid-morning. Reached? Attained? Achieved? Maybe ascended is the correct term. Regardless, it is the inspiration for today’s title by the Eurhythmics from 1987. We were greeted with clouds of lichen as we walked towards a clear patch of rock to drop packs and soak up the sun. Beyond the clouds of lichen was a pool, held in place by some very large boulders. Beyond that a waterfall. The warmth of the sun made it idyllic.

Clouds of lichen.

The idea of a swim was tempting, but not overly so, given the change of clothes required. Only one of our group decided a swim in heaven was on her 'to do' list. The rest of us turned spectator.

The heavenly cascade.

Back on the track after a peaceful break, we commenced climbing to the top of the nearest ridge. It would have been a relatively simple task if we could have walked in a straight line. However, the climb was steep and involved a number of switch backs, not to mention the usual issues of trees down and disappearing pink track markers. Our lunch site finally came complete with a tarp which was handy as the wind speed increased, the temperature decreased and the racing clouds attempted to make life a little more difficult, dropping light rain on us. The space, with its rotting tarp, was originally a camp site for the expedition under the previous owners. But when Trek took over they opted to abandon the site and push on to where we would eventually stop to ensure a lighter period of walking on the final day. A most intelligent move.

Our final lunch on the track.

The wind kept the temperature down and returned the humid air to the north where it belonged. After pushing on from lunch we wound our way through the forest before emerging onto an old logging road. Although sections of the track were tough, it made walking much more pleasant. The appearance of the logging road signalled the end of our meandering through unmarked forest and, while the odd pink tape was still necessary, they were few and far between now as we moved along an obvious path. The rainforest started to give way to wet sclerophyll once again as Bauera and cutting grass became more frequent. As we closed in our camp site, the track completely disappeared beneath an apocalypse of fallen trees. Lish and Lani headed off in different directions to navigate a path around the destruction that had been caused months ago by a violent storm.

Time to relax.

A way forward was revealed and the track was rediscovered and we arrived at the camp site on schedule. We dropped packs and went in search of a space to pitch our tent. The site, although beautiful, picturesque and tranquil was small and quite tight. The area we selected just housed our two-person tent but it meant we would be sleeping on a slight slope.

A most reflective spot.

The camping area was on the bend of Eastons Creek. There was a pool, obvious platypus country, and a series of cascades. It would have a been a great place to set up and kick back to contemplate the world. Being close to the river made water collection easy but meant the toilet trench was way back up the hill away from the river to avoid any contamination. The beauty of the site was worth the trade-off.

Dinner was rice and Dahl curry, an interesting choice given the limited toileting options.

While sleep was not so forthcoming, the sound of the cascades and the zipper noises of the ring-tailed possums in the bush was some compensation.

Dave communing with god in heaven.

Weather: windy, some cloud, clear afternoon.

Distance covered: 11.9km.

Total distance: 55.7km

Until tomorrow.