Smoke on the Water (Corinna, Pieman River, Four Mile Beach, Tasmania)

Welcome to day three in the Tarkine, dear reader. Tasmania and the rain forest have not escaped the bushfires that have ravaged other states in recent years. The bushfires have singed our published itinerary as well as the landscape and today we are not kayaking but travelling down the Pieman River by boat. Leaving at first light meant breakfast was served at 5:45am. Another early start for us and an earlier one for Nick and Hayden who prepare our breakfast. 

Heading for the coast on the Pieman River

By 7:30am the boat was motoring quietly down the misty Pieman River. Unlike the freezing trip Jayne and I experienced in Katherine a while back, the cabin was enclosed and reasonably warm. The fog was supplemented by smoke from areas still smouldering along the river. Hence today's title as chosen by Dave, that classic Deep Purple anthem from 1972, many years before he was born. As the sun climbed over the mountains the impact of the fires became clearer. The eucalypt forested areas were severely burnt, often to the waterline. The rainforest generally faired better in most areas, acting as a barrier to the flames.

The damage was worse closer to the coast.

I have sequence of these ... maybe flying swan wall art?

We disembarked at the head of the river and donned our packs to walk through a small fishing settlement of ‘summer shacks’ down to the beach. Dave and I were the first ones onto the pristine sand of the river where the tide had receded and therefore we had the opportunity to scout for tracks. The prints of a paddy melon and wombat told us we were not the first that morning. We followed the river down to its mouth and then turned south and walked along Four Mile Beach to Conical Rocks. Had the fires not devastated the area we would have been turning to the north and walking to Point Rupert. Maybe another time.

Wombat and Bennett's Wallaby tracks.

Looking back at where we should have been walking.

The roundtrip was around 10km, commencing on the beach and then heading slightly inland to avoid rock scrambling and deep channels carved from the ocean. The wallabies and pademelons soon materialised and were bounding away in every direction. We had an hour to explore the conical rocks area, get in touch with nature, forget we live in the city and restore our spirit. 

A wallaby on the move.

The area was a mass of granite boulders sheltering us from the Southern Ocean and the swell that propelled the waves onto the rocks. There were rock pools protected from the surge of the sea at low tide that contained starfish and other marine life. 

A Hooded Plover.

A non-cooperative starfish moving into the shadows.

The conical rocks.

More of the rocks.

Atop one of the massive granite outcrops, we discovered two plunge pools. The sizeable rock in the pool responsible for its existence acted as a seat. I could imagine sitting there on a hot summer’s day, cooling in the water, watching the endless succession of waves rolling from the open ocean, sipping on a glass of wine.

A great place to cool off and watch the ocean.

We regathered to enjoy a cup of tea and a snack before commencing the walk back to the heads. Happily we could walk at our own pace. The group came together at the intersection of beach and track and then walked another km or so to a where a creek entered the sea. There was a small rock platform that served as our lunch table. Magically from Nick and Hayden’s huge packs, lunch requisites appeared. Fresh ciabatta rolls, ham, cheese, salad, and condiments. It was all there.

Lunch is served.

There were more tracks to be observed in the undisturbed sand. We found wallaby and finally evidence of a Tasmanian Devil. Some other people appeared on the beach, indicating the boat had arrived from Corinna. One lone walker with a full pack approached us. She was a worker from Corinna who had a couple of days off and was heading for a campsite towards the end of the beach for some solitude. It is a magic place but extremely difficult to get to for the average walker. 

Tassie Devil tracks.

Boots off and packs on, we walked in the shore wash back to the waiting ferry. The skipper motored across to the other side of the river to show us a white-bellied sea eagle sitting on a branch just above the water line. Most unusual to see one down so low. Then it was back to Corinna with a slight pause at the nest of the sea eagle. There were patches where smouldering embers had been whipped up into smoke, otherwise it was a crowded if uneventful trip. We shared the boat, Arcadia II, with the day trippers.

White-bellied Sea Eagle.

We had some time to spare in the afternoon so Dave and I opted to do the Whyte River walk, a loop around Corinna. Much of the walk was along the banks of the Whyte River. The first part of the walk was through rain forest where the mud spires of the burrowing crayfish littered the side of the path. There were numerous fungi as well, particularly bracket fungus growing to quite a size on many trees.

A bracket fungi map of Australia.

Burrowing crayfish spire.

The walk beside the river was supposed to be a great place to spot platypus. It may well be, but not while we were there. It certainly is platypus country with muddy tree strewn banks and nesting place aplenty, but they remained home and didn’t come out to see us.

Corinna is an old gold mining settlement.

After a luxurious hot shower, it was down to the pub for pre-dinner drinks. Hayden appeared carrying trays of nibbles and announced that dinner would be served at the tables on the pub lawn. It was another amazing meal: Italian sausage, wallaby, potato salad, snow peas, broccoli and more. The cloud increased as the night deepened. No photography tonight.

The end of day 3 brought about two firsts, one for me and one for Dave. He had no blisters! And I wore my pyjama pants to the pub. One of us is on trend with the younger generation.

Until tomorrow.

I've done all the dumb things (Sydney, Launceston, Penguin, Rocky Cape and Stanley)

It's that time of year again, you know, when just lying in bed thinking about the day ahead makes you break into a sweat, dear reader. Ah, Sydney humidity, you are not my friend. What to do? Head for Tasmania and another trek with Trek Tours Australia. We, Dave and I, loved the Larapinta experience so much last year, we decided to join them on an exploration of the the Tarkine in north-west Tassie. A much cooler option.

A security guard at the airport asked me a question I'd never been asked previously, as I dropped my bag to go through the x-ray machine ... "Do you have metal hips or knees?" "Sorry?" I replied. Question repeated. Ah, no. He directed me to the body scanner. Ageist!

Just to mess with my brain, Qantas surprised us by having the plane leave on schedule and arrive on time in Launceston, just after the Virgin flight touched down, which made for a very crowded luggage collection area. Interestingly the airport people thought having all the luggage from both flights being unloaded on to the same carousel would provide some Friday afternoon amusement. They tired of that quickly enough and moved all the Qantas people to a different (the other) carousel. 30 minutes later we were in a taxi and heading for the city.

The 'fixed' price fee proved not so fixed and there was a surcharge that wasn't listed on the information at the airport. So, $39 magically became $49. We will be using Uber for the return journey.

The Grand Chancellor Hotel is, well, grand. It is just a place to sleep before our 7:30am pick up tomorrow. A quick search of places to eat for dinner, and cafés that would allow us to purchase food prior to 7am and we were off to reconnoitre the neighbourhood. Dinner at the Schnitty Bar was more than passable and then it was back to the hotel.

Banjos Bakery was one of the few places open, where we could get breakfast. A mere five minute walk from the hotel. A brekky pie and "traditional sausage roll" for breakfast. Worth the walk and popular with the locals even at 6:30am.

Back at the hotel, we waited for the Trek guides and met a couple of fellow travellers. On the bus we did the rounds of a couple of other hotels to pick up the remainder of our group. We are 9 in total plus 2 guides. As we wended our way up the hill out of Launceston, I realised I had left my phone (with all my cards) in the foyer of the hotel. Hence today's title, Paul Kelly from 1987. Dave made a quick phone call and my phone was soon secured and living in the hotel safe.

Dr Who visits Penguin.

First stop was Penguin for supplies and coffee. A beautiful little town on the coast, the locals are obviously proud of its name - there were penguins everywhere. Not the live variety, paintings and statues. They even had a tardis. The coffee at the Post Office or Letterbox, whatever it was named, was excellent.

A penguin with a cause.

From Penguin we drove to Rocky Cape National Park for lunch. Sort of. Lunch was the reward for walking down to a remote beach. As National Parks go, it is not particularly popular with locals or tourists and Nick, our lead guide, was surprised that we came across more than one person on the track in (we saw no one on the way out). It is quite a delightful walk through the varying vegetation.

We're heading down there somewhere.

The track to the beach was well worn but narrow due to the lack of foot traffic. The heath gave way to some magnificent views of the coast. Then tide was low and the rocks were visible, the crystal clear water was spectacular shades of blue. It all looked very inviting, except for the temperature.

Wandering to the lunch spot.

On reaching the beach we turned to the west and scrambled across the seaweed, shells, sand and hundreds of cuttlebones that littered the shore. They were everywhere and of all sizes. Some of us went for a wander across the rocks to the water’s edge. The tide here is around 2 metres and where we had lunch would be covered by water later in the afternoon. I managed to snap a yellow-tailed black cockatoo sitting in a banksia.

My totem.

A dust covered frog.

The alternative to following the track back to the bus was to take the Loop walk which added a further 3kms to the walk and ensured different views back to the coast but also out over the hinterland. The down side was that we had to climb the mountain rather than cutting across the side. It was steep and it was hot and we were out in the open and at times the air was still. Was it worth it? A straw poll of our group suggested the jury was still out. I loved it.

As usual, the difficulties would be forgotten as soon as we were back on board the bus and heading for Stanley. The weather had been reasonably benign so far. We’d had cloud, sunshine and a few very quick, very light showers of rain. Mostly we had sunshine.

Pretty, but very cold.

Our accommodation at Stanley was in cottages owned by the local (read only) hotel in town. There were three cottages, two next to each other and one a 10 minute walk away. We were dropped at our accommodation and agreed to meet at the pub around 6:30pm for dinner. Nick kindly offered to pick us up.

Our cottage had three bedrooms, the single bathroom with clawfoot bath and a large eat-in kitchen. It also had three separate lounge/sunroom areas. It was furnished with a number of different period pieces and was adorned with museum pieces. Antique books graced the bookshelves, golf clubs with original wooden shafts, a collection of tennis racquets, and much more.

Our cottage, a living museum.

The pub was pumping when we arrived. It appears if you wish to eat out in Stanley, it is the only option. That said, the menu was a good mix of dishes, all locally sourced. As expected in the country, the serves were quite large and negated my interest in dessert.

Following dinner, we went to the viewing platform to check out the Little Penguins returning from a day’s fishing. We saw many and heard even more. One penguin ended up at the gated entrance to the walk and some clown who was not paying attention to where his feet were stepped on the penguin as he walked through the gate. The penguin squealed and shot down the walkway; he shouted and fell over.

Upon entering, we discovered the penguin trapped on the walkway with its head under the kick plate along the edge of the path. Nick swiftly removed him and dropped him onto the sand below. It scarpered away quickly, hopefully unharmed.

Back at the cottage, we repacked ready for tomorrow’s departure and happily stretched out in bed.

The reason we are exploring the Tarkine is on the recommendation of one of our guides from the Larapinta Trek last year. The posts covering our Tarkine experience are dedicated to that guide, Jonny Cunningham, a passionate advocate for the environment and an inspiration to those who had the privilege to walk with him. He is gone too soon. We will remember him every time we strap on our boots and head into the bush.

Jonny

Until tomorrow.

It ain't over til it's over (Ellery Creek and Standley Chasm, Alice Springs, Northern Territory)

The 6:55am breakfast call came for the last time. It was a more relaxed beginning to the day and we had until 9am to pack up. We gathered around the fire pit to cook toast over the coals and enjoy a cup of tea. Finally, the wind had dropped and, what was supposed to have been a relatively warm evening, turned out to be the coldest so far. Clear skies and an eternity of stars. Marcus’ swag was fringed with ice as were all the tents. The interior sparkled with ice crystals from the condensation, as did many of the tent tops.

An icy morning.

Dave and I packed up quickly and Dave was appointed Camp Inspector, required to check all tents before we departed. In the meantime, we went in search of the bower of the resident bowerbird. Another Western Bowerbird with the usual pink mullet. He was a frequent visitor to the kitchen to steal food and items for his bower. We had been watching him for days, trying to work out where his bower might be hidden.

What's for dinner?

Ultimately, after discussions with Jonny, we decided on the ridge line behind the camp site and set out to find it. We were partly correct. It was on the ridge, but the second ridge.

The kitchen.

Again, we watched and followed and were led on a merry chase. Divide and conquer, Machiavelli advised and so we did. We explored either side of the scrub line. While Dave was conducting a ground search, I kept watch of the skies. Eventually, he returned to the tree near his bower. Gotcha.

Discovered.

We backtracked and found the bower. Given all the items stolen from the kitchen, I expected more. The most amusing was a post it note reminding someone to "take the T-shirts to Ormi". A few photos were snapped and we returned to camp. Dave returned with Jonny so he was aware of where his nemesis resided.

Our transport.

The final event at camp was the surprise presentation of T-shirts to all the trekkers. Words of thanks were spoken. We were grateful for the experience and Trek Tours Australia were grateful we had chosen them. In all seriousness I could not recommend them highly enough. They are a totally professional outfit. The guides we spent time with were all passionate and knowledgeable.

Ellery Creek like you've never seen it. Dave's photo.

Bags stowed in the trailer, we boarded the bus for Ellery Creek. It was too early for a swim. The temperature was in single digits. However, it was a beautiful scene with trees reflected in the water. We admired the view, nailed a few classic photos and marshalled ourselves for a team photo before heading to Standley Chasm.

Beautiful,  but Dave's photo is better.

We arrived shortly after midday when the sun is almost directly over the top of the walls. Visitors were few in number and we strolled the path down to the chasm and shared the space with another couple as we made the most of the excellent unpopulated photo opportunity. Obligatory photos taken, we returned to the trail and the climb up to the lookout where we would be enjoying lunch.

Ellery Creek ... again.

It was a reasonably short climb, but quite steep. The view from the ridge allowed you to look back over the chasm in one direction and out across the range in the other. Lunch was as good as ever and everyone was in a celebratory mood. The end was in sight and we had achieved what we had set out to do.

Budgies.

And then it was over. We were back on the bus heading to our respective hotels. Not that they were far apart. It was agreed we would meet for pre-dinner drinks at the Double Tree.

A White necked Heron.

Before that though there would be showers. Showers! And phone calls home.

Standley chasm.

Drinks were great and Jonny and Lucas turned up unexpectedly. The other surprise was, it was Alice Show Day, a public holiday, the second that week. This one apparently necessitated a 15% surcharge on all drinks. I’m so glad Malcolm Turnbull got rid of penalty rates when he was PM - it stopped price gouging. The bosses win again. Anyway, we sat around chatting and reliving past glories until it was time for dinner.

The view from our lunch spot.

And that was pretty much it. There is no need for a separate post for the transit day. It went as expected. The plane was late. The Qantas lounge wasn’t open when we arrived so we were forced to breakfast in the public café. The guy behind the counter was not having a good day and my ham and cheese croissant was served up looking like road kill from the Larapinta Drive. It was ever thus.

Two of our guides: Jonny and Lucas.

Lenny Kravitz sang "it ain't over til it's over" but we know it's over. For now. Until the next adventure. 

 

We're already discussing the Tarkine in '25.

Going North (Sydney to Alice Springs)

Yes, I’m back, sans Jayne. Bushwalking is not her thing, but it is David’s, so the first born and I are off on our annual (major) trek. Going North as Missy Higgins might sing. Have a listen. This time to the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory on a guided trek with Trek Tours Australia. This post is a transit day so to break up the text I’ve included a few photos from the walk. There was precious little connectivity on the trail so this is being put together on our return.

Weekend trackwork, and the resultant closure of the Airport line, encouraged an alternate transport plan. I had already declined Jayne’s generous offer to drive me to the airport. Dave’s trip in from suburbia now involved buses and a train and would take around 2 hours. The new plan saw Dave train it into the city on Friday night to stay with us and Jayne would drive us to the airport on Saturday morning.

Holly Grevillea

My platinum status as a Qantas frequent flyer was going to expire at midnight on Sunday. Saturday morning would be my last time to enjoy the Business Lounge for most domestic flights. Although Jayne and I are flying business class to Perth in August.

Qantas has not been my friend for some time now and overseas flights with Qatar, Singapore and Vietnam has cruelled any chance of maintaining platinum status. That said all went well on this leg of the journey. The traffic was light, baggage drop was smooth and the security check was fast and efficient. The Business Lounge wasn’t overly busy and a toasty and coffee readied us for the 3 hour flight to the Alice.

The wide open spaces of Ormiston Pound.

Today is my first experience of Qantas’ new method of boarding in zones. They have finally joined the civilised ranks of other international airlines. We are Zone 1 and first onto the plane and into our exit row seats. The boarding process worked well and we were in the air and heading to Alice Springs on schedule.

The flight was uneventful and relatively smooth. The head of Customer Service dropped by for a chat (courtesy of my soon to be expired platinum status) and said he would catch up with us on the return flight to see how we enjoyed the trek.

Our taxi driver to the hotel channelled Lewis Hamilton and was clearly frustrated by other cars observing the speed limit. We were at the Double Tree by Hilton for both ends of the trip and happily our room was ready when we arrived at 1pm.

As we sorted our gear for tomorrow’s first day of the trek, we discovered we were walking 70kms over the six days, not the 110kms I read about in a previous email. Neither of us was sure whether to be pleased or disappointed.

The forecast for day one was rain and we had around six hours of walking in front of us. In that time we would only cover around 8kms. Clothes and packs were reorganised for our 7:30am pick up.

We dined at the inhouse restaurant. They were very busy and service was slow. The food was ok but nothing to get excited about.