The Overland Track - Tasmania
by Jo Goddard
 The Overland Track is an 80 km trail through a World Heritage Area in Tasmania, which starts at the Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre and ends at Lake St. Clair. Initially, knowing that Tasmania can be cold and wet, much like New Zealand, we looked into an organised trail with creature comforts at the end of the day. However, on discovering that this would cost us over 2 000 Australian dollars each (R 14 000 each ), and, luxury trail or not, you still have to walk in all weathers, we quickly got over that idea and decided to do it on our own. This cost us the princely sum of 120 Ozzie dollars each!
 Although there are huts along the way, all hikers have to carry tents as hut accommodation is on a first come, first served basis. This is because, although hike starters are limited to 38 per day, there are several side trails that can be taken along the way, so hikers are not limited to one night per hut. This can cause congestion, as we were to find out. We decided to do the trail over 5 nights and to do the last day by ferry on Lake St. Clair, Australia’s deepest freshwater lake. This was a good choice as we had fantastic views of the mountains mirrored in the lake, which we would have missed had we walked, as the lake is deeply wooded right down to the shore.
Dolerite covers about 40% of Tasmania and forms the columnar appearance of most of its best known geological features, including Cradle Mountain and Mount Ossa. Unfortunately, we were unable to climb Cradle Mountain because of inclement weather, but we managed to climb Mount Ossa, Tasmania’s highest point, in beautiful weather. Dolerite is not found on the Australian mainland, and is one of the geological links between Tasmania and eastern Antarctica, a throwback to about 170 million years ago when the supercontinent Gondwana began to break up.
 The trail threads its way through glacier-carved, variable landscapes, which include lakes, high peaks, windswept heaths of buttongrass and quiet, green rainforests. One can’t help wondering whether the Parks and Wildlife Service has not gone overboard in protecting the environment, as there are kilometres and kilometres of boardwalks, which rather detracted from the wilderness experience. In some places, these were being repaired, which entailed piles of wood being lowered by helicopter. Not only is this very expensive, but the ground beneath the piles of wood must have been compromised. From a safety aspect, the boardwalks were very dangerous in the early morning as they were coated with frost, and more than once we nearly came a cropper.
The female ranger and her assistant, the only two officials we encountered on the trail, were over zealous to the degree of rudeness in their protection of the environment. At a right-angled turn in the boardwalk at the first camp, I inadvertently put one foot onto the grass, and was told by the assistant in no uncertain terms not to step on the grass until “you have put your camp shoes on!” Similarly, all tents must be erected on wooden platforms.
 The composting toilets are huge double storey affairs, the lower storey being the receiving area and the upper storey housing the toilets complete with bins of husks which must be put down the toilet after use. There is one tap only for the whole camp, situated outside the toilets. One morning, the same ranger’s assistant observed me making my way towards the toilet with a small towel, whereupon I was told “You can’t strip off and wash here – the waters only for hands”. I told the lady in no uncertain terms that I had no intention of stripping in the freezing weather in front of the whole camp, but just wanted to rinse my face. She replied that I could only wet the corner of my towel, despite the fact that the trail brochure advertises plentiful water in tanks at the huts. By this time, my patience was running thin, so I informed her that as there were hardly any facilities on the trail for our 120 dollars (R 840 each), I would wash my face if I wanted to, so she gave up.
However, this was not the last brush with authority, as at the next camp I went to the toilet only to be met by the female ranger wielding a lavatory brush, who asked me whether I couldn’t see the notice saying the toilets were closed for cleaning. I asked her to show me the sign but she couldn’t, as the wind had blown it off the boardwalk into the grass. She was the same person who completely ignored us when we reached camp the previous day – not a good advert for Aussie hospitality! How we yearned for the freedom of hiking in SA, where hikers are generally environmentally conscious without being policed at every turn.
The Aussies love to tout their wildlife, but unfortunately it is mainly small, timid and largely nocturnal, so we did not see a lot, apart from pademelons, wallabies and possums. Although we would have liked to see more mammals, we were glad to see no snakes. I think it was too cold for them. There are three species of snake in Tasmania – the tiger snake, the copperhead and the white-lipped snake – and all are venomous.
 You have to give it to the Aussies – they can market anything. (I once went on a coach tour, one highlight of which was a visit to a dog’s graveyard, where local farmers buried their dogs, photo’s on the graves and all!). We were”had” again on this trail, as the trail description recommended a side trip to Lake Will, which we took, only to arrive at a barren stretch of water with a few pine trees on the shore and absolutely nothing else! To make matters worse, the temperature suddenly plummeted and it started to sleet, and there was a fair walk back to where we had dropped our backpacks and a long way after that to the next hut!! To add insult to injury, the “luxury hikers” had invaded the hut by the time we got there and were using all the tables. The hut was choc-a-bloc with bodies, rucksacs, clothing, boots etc. However, the “luxury lot” eventually left for their accommodation further along the track, and we were able to find a bunk. By the end of the day, just about every inch of floor was taken with people sleeping and we were worried as to how we would ever find our belongings in the morning among the terrible mess! Some poor people, some with children, arrived late and had to pitch tents in the freezing cold.
However, the negatives aside, it was a very different experience in a very different environment, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trail and the companions we made along the way. Although we hiked alone during the day, we met up with friends we had made at the camps in the evenings, which was very sociable. We were lucky to have been able to explore this remote region of Tasmania, and afterwards we explored the more usual tourist spots on this lovely island.
OTHER ACTIVITIES:
HOBART
Before and after the Overland Trail, we stayed at a very good backpackers in Hobart, very close to the harbour. Hobart is a lovely coastal town, with a quaint shopping and restaurant area and excellent fish and chips! The old wharf section near the docks has been beautifully restored. The town is well laid out with some lovely buildings and parks, including one with an imposing statue of Abel Tasman, the discoverer of Tasmania in 1642, who originally named it van Dieman’s Land. Everything is within walking distance, making it a super place for a stroll, stopping off for coffee (or something stronger) and perhaps a meal, at one of the many quaint restaurants along the way.
CONVICT HISTORY
Tasmania is rich in convict history, with the main convict settlement situated at Port Arthur. We thought we would spend an hour or two there, but found it so fascinating that we were still there at closing time at 5:30 p.m! The weather was terrible – wet and cold – and much of what there was to see was in the open, but it was well worth the discomfort.
 Port Arthur penal station was established in 1830, and after 1833, it became a punishment station for repeat offenders from the Australian mainland, since the chances of escape were very slim. By 1840, over 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived in the settlement. The civil staff occupied elegant houses, (which can be visited), on the more desirable higher ground, away from the convicts and soldiers and the risk of flooding. This tendency was repeated even in death. We took a boat trip in terrible weather to the Isle of the Dead, where the civil staff were buried on high ground in impressive tombs, whilst convicts, paupers and lunatics were buried in unmarked graves on lower ground, subject to flooding. In all, about 1100 people were buried on this tiny island. The convict gravedigger lived on the island, where he grew flowers but not vegetables, as he said ‘he could not eat vegetables grown in that ground!’
There is also a memorial garden for the 35 people killed by a single gunman at Port Arthur in 1996.
We also visited other towns, such as Richmond and Launceston, reminiscent of villages in England, and did some beautiful coastal walking, most notably at Wineglass Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula. Although Tasmania is the smallest state by land mass in Australia, it offers something for everyone within reasonable distances, unlike mainland Australia where the distances between the main tourist attractions is so vast. The weather is the only drawback, but I guess you can’t have it all!
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