OverlandTrack

In early February, 2007, I walked the Overland Track located in Tasmania, an Australian state. There had been no rain for almost two weeks, and it did not rain while I was there. Consequently, I was spared all the mud that guide books warn about and it was quite dry. The last two days were unusually warm and fairly humid. I started at Ronny Creek and did not walk any side trips, except the short one to Lake Wills. Others enjoyed climbing Cradle Mountain, Barn Bluff, Mt. Ossa, and visiting the waterfall lookouts. I also took the ferry across Lake St. Clair from Narcissus Bay, rather than walking around the lake on the last day. The track had a great deal of wooden boardwalks protecting the soft moorland, and other easily damaged areas. Much of the track also had many tree roots across the tread. After the first day, the track oscillated between open moorland and enclosed forest walks.  Both the flora and fauna were significantly different from other places that I had been. I saw many varieties of gum tree (called eucalyptus in North America), myrtle and Tasmanian pines (e.g. King Billy). Bird noises were common and much different from what I am used to in North America. I saw many lizards and skinks, wallabies and pademelons (a small wallaby-like animal found only in Tasmania), and one bushy-tailed possum and three tiger snakes. Others on the track, saw many more snakes of various kinds. Two people were lucky enough to each see a platypus. I stayed overnight at Waterfall Valley, Windermere, New Pelion, Kia Ora, and Narcissus Huts. No single day was extremely long. Although not very long, the first day was the hardest with a lot of elevation gain and much of it on steep wooden steps. It also contained by far the most striking scenery.

Start near Ronny Creek

Cradle Lake

Cradle Mountain and Barn Bluff from Cradle Plateau

Cradle Mountain. (The side-track to climb Cradle Mountain is visible.)