And I think to myself what a wonderful world

Tag: #cradlemountain

The three billy goats gruff

September 28th, 2022

Nestled high in the alpine reaches of the UNESCO Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Cradle Mountain is a natural wonder. There are ancient pines within emerald-green forests, dramatic mountains, majestic lakes, and tumbling waterfalls to be discovered. We expected it to be cold here- the coldest part of our trip. It had even snowed within the last week and there was some snow on the mountain. We rugged up accordingly… beanies, scarves, puffers… and lots of layers. I briefly thought about putting on a tee shirt as one of my layers but thought I was being unrealistically optimistic even though it was a perfect day- probably the best of our entire trip with virtually not a cloud in the sky to start.

As we had very little time here, the obvious choice was to walk one of the jewels in the park- Dove Lake. We parked the car at the tourist information centre to catch the shuttle. After a quick pit stop, I realised I had left my phone in the cubicle but by the time I got back there, it was gone. Ominous sign for the day? But I’ll get to that later. Much later.

Dove lake is a stunning reflective glacial lake when you see it on a clear day… which we were lucky enough to do. Jagged prehistoric-like peaks protrude from ancient rainforest which reflect dramatically in the midnight blue of Dove Lake. It is clear why this area of outstanding natural beauty is the most popular outdoor attraction in Tasmania and by far one of Tasmania’s most beautiful walks.

As we traversed the 5.7 km trail below the towering, craggy spires of Cradle Mountain…

…we came across the impressive Glacier Rock…

…lakeside beaches…

… the moss-covered Ballroom Forest full of myrtle-beech trees draped in dropping lichen…

… and the dilapidated historic 1940’s-built King Billy Boatshed.

Native Tasmanian wildlife is everywhere… and we did see a few gorgeous fluffy moving rocks… otherwise known as wombats.

As the morning progressed, we gradually stripped off our layers, how I wished I had listened to my earlier optimism.

But despite how amazing the walk was, for me, it was still all about the forest (I know, I know- eye rolling all around). I’m sure everyone is sick of my verbose descriptions of the forest… but suffice to say we were all frothing once again.

After lunch at Cradle Mountain Lodge, we headed back to Lemonthyme Lodge to do another walk I had found in my research. Hidden among spectacular rainforest commencing from where we were staying are two breathtaking waterfalls – Champagne Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Supposedly an easy to moderate track, we knew we were pushing it to finish before sun down.

We headed off and didn’t bother registering our walk. Wrong choice. Right from the start the girls were ‘gruff’ and whinging as we walked up and up and up and the 4WD track was relentless for about 1.5km. Trying to be upbeat, I’m laughing and saying “adventures with Ange”. Little did I know how much of an adventure it would be.

We finally find the turn off for the falls thinking it would be easier from here- and downhill… and we are cheering. Finally! The track is a circuit so, in theory it doesn’t matter which waterfall you visit first. We chose to do Bridal Veil first. Wrong choice.

Along the way we passed the most incredible forest of giant myrtle trees, the largest ones I’ve ever seen… and then the track descended sharply for about 200m and we arrive on a bridge spanning the river. Here we were greeted with the most spectacular waterfall. The falls themselves reach to around 20m in height and are an awe-inspiring sight when the river is full of water, which it was.

To the righthand side of the falls is a small track, and we walked up behind the falls themselves to peer through the curtain of water. Treacherous, slippery and muddy- a sign of things to come!

Continuing on from Bridal Veil falls, the track winds its way through the forest.

Myrtle and sassafras trees dominate the landscape, with tree ferns and all the things we love… moss, lichen and fungi.

The forest is dense yet serene and very beautiful but the track is steep, uneven and muddy and gets smaller… and smaller.. and smaller until there is virtually no track… a billy goat track. Gnarly roots everywhere try to trip us up…

…and we stumble and slip and slide in the water and mud grabbing anything we can to stop ourselves falling. We could imagine we were the first people to ever visit this place… like the pioneers we heard stories of on our train journey yesterday… except thankfully there were orange ribbons tied to the foliage periodically to mark the track.

It was all kind of funny… until it wasn’t. We were laughing… but it was nervous laughter. Light was starting to get low.

Eventually we reached the turn-off for Champagne Falls and we were thankful that we must be nearing the end. Wrong. The treacherous track just got worse… so steep and like a mud slide with spots where the the ground gave way under our feet. I was struggling at times and feeling guilty as I knew the girls would be even more… we thought about just sliding down on our butts as by this stage we were pretty covered in mud. But that was now the least of our worries.

Finally reaching the bottom, the track opened up into a small gorge. Champagne Falls is a spectacular waterfall, surrounded by towering black cliffs, beautiful green vegetation and large rocks at the bottom.

But we now can’t find the continuation of our track so the falls becomes an insignificant focus and we start to panic a little as we contemplate spending the night in the forest (potential 6.00pm news flash- three women in their 60s lost in the Tasmanian wilderness… with no water (by this stage) and no food (except jellybeans) 😂

We realise we need to go back the way we came as at least we know there is a path there… but we also know that we would never get all the way back before dark. We start to try to scramble up the muddy slide which was difficult enough on our way down but virtually impossible to get up. We pull on branches and tree roots and eventually get back up and then have to scramble over an enormous mossy fallen tree… and Sue finds another orange ribbon. Relief! We thank God as we are now back on track. But light is fading fast and we are exhausted and we know there is still quite a long way to go. Karen’s levels are dropping and she’s feeling shaky which is potentially a big problem (hello diabetic coma). We stop for her to eat some jellybeans and then keep pushing back up the steep track until we finally make it back to the road for the still long walk home. A challenging afternoon to say the least but a big adventure we will likely tell stories about for a long time. Nothing like getting lost in the wilderness… Adventures with Ange 😂

PS- I did get my phone back- some lovely person handed it into the tourist office
Triumph and tragedy

September 27th, 2022

Today we stepped back in history to climb aboard a majestic Heritage train which journeyed through time, deep into the heritage of the wild West Coast, where tales of resilience and triumph showcase the iconic local spirit.

But first we started with a delicious breakfast and the best chai I’ve had since arriving in Tassie (I seem to have converted Sue away from coffee to chai as well) in the tiny “Coffee Shack” before heading off to the railway station. Funnily enough we were actually staying at ‘Station House’ BnB right across the road from the station.

Travelling in the exclusive Wilderness carriage provided us with a more luxurious experience… a little more space and a carriage balcony to allow us to immerse ourselves into the wildness and have unrestricted viewing & photo opportunities. Yay! We start with a glass of Tassie sparkling wine or and enjoy a series of small meals served throughout your journey (salmon and caviar canapés, scones with jam and cream, sweet potato, carrot and caramelised onion soup and homemade gin and pepper berry chocolates). And more wine!

The West Coast Wilderness Railway carves its way through Tasmania’s rugged western wilderness and ancient rainforest and took us to wild locations otherwise inaccessible. The train runs a 35-kilometre track between the towns of Queenstown and Strahan, retracing the steps of colonial loggers and miners and is of important historical significance for the area. Constructed in 1896 to transport ore from Queenstown’s mines to Strahan’s port, the railway was deemed impossible by many, who said this part of Tasmania was far too wild with enormous mountains, deep valleys, and seemingly impenetrable forest standing in the way.

During the journey, our guide told us some of the incredibly challenging stories of the railway… of triumph and tragedy and the resilient people who lived and worked along its length. Stories of the men who laboured to build the line… breaking through the rock by hand and through the cold damp wilderness forest too thick to swing and axe, in one of the wettest places on earth. And stories of those who kept the trains running… to the families and children that made a life in the forest…. and the two visionary Irishmen whose fierce rivalry and undaunted ambition, that combined with innovative engineering designs, brought the railway to life.

The railway is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tasmania and 3 of the 5 original locomotives used on this fascinating 1897-built railway are still in operation.

We stopped at Lower Landing on the edge of the King River, and Dubbil Barril where you could watch the locomotive being turned by hand before the return to Strahan. Here we also did another unbelievable forest walk to see the incredible wilderness Huon pine, giant tree ferns and other native forest species… before heading back to Strahan. Another wonderful experience and would thoroughly recommend.

From the train we head straight to Cradle Mountain where Jo is leaving us to join her family in Launceston. But just before she does, we have our first ‘close’ encounter with a wombat. So cute. They have teddy bear faces.

We then completed the delightful Enchanted Forest Walk which was recommended by my brother who was here not so long ago.

It meanders through clumps of buttongrass and bearded trees, magical, mossy old-growth rainforest… where a cascading creek gurgles gently between the undergrowth…

… and a bright green layer of spongey moss blankets the forest floor…

… complete with wombat burrows, amazing dripping lichen and fungi.

It’s a short walk but there is perhaps no more perfect name imaginable for this place. Beaneath a light dusting of glimmering raindrops, this forest boardwalk was like stepping into a fairyland.

It is difficult to keep trying to find greater and greater superlatives to describe the beauty of what we have seen and felt. But this one was very special… And we breathe it in (although there is still no sign of the elusive platypus which inhabits the inky pools amongst the forests).

The beautiful walk finishes with a view over Pencil Pine cascades where the creek falls about 10m over a wide ledge into a deep pool.

We finish the day at our cute little wilderness cabin at “Lemonthyme Wilderness Retreat” where we have a delicious dinner and feed the pademelons before retiring for the night. Two big walks coming up tomorrow.