INTRODUCTION:
Recently, the fair isle of Tasmania was blessed with a fortnight long, perfect weather window.
These happy occurrences usually compel me to pull a few sick days at work, making the most of clear skies and a fortunate life.
I tossed up roaring down South to wander the Western Arthur's or tear off into the Wild West coast and see if all the fuss about this oft mentioned Tyndall Range was justified.
Seeing as how I loathe crowds in our wild places (Yup. The Arthur's were chocka as I suspected, according to reports) I pointed the van towards where the sun sets and enjoyed possibly my favourite short walk in Tasmania.
Wondrous, astonishingly dramatic landscape and 'another world' environs awaited.
Truly uplifting stuff I tell you.
Map sourced from Google Maps. |
Map sourced from Google Maps. |
Walker registration and the start of the mud. |
Photo of the Tasmap I utilised to figure out what was where. |
Fagus leaves. |
First night's campsite along Lake Tyndall. |
After an hour or two of uphill slogging the track flattens out, culminating in a junction heading Northish to the Mt Tyndall summit and down to Lake Tyndall.
- Don't trust the boulders to be locked in and stable when hopping across the moraine fields. More than a few 'rockin rocks' spat me off making for exciting pants browning moments.
- I sighted stuff all animal life and no scat. None of the usual wallabies or wombats which was weird. A few white lip snakes and hoards of over friendly tiny black ants though and the occasional bird of prey lurking above.
- The constant faint drone of trucks on the highway far below humming away in the background during both nights I lay in my tent. Just a reminder that I wasn't that far from the big bad world.
- Loads of King Billy and Pencil Pines which I really like.
- The views off the Bastion into Maria and the other lakes were quite epic. Frenchman's is bold on the horizon and the Southern mountains of the Overland Track can be sighted too. Take your time.
Mt Giekie summit and trig. |
Strawflowers. |
King Billy growing around Lake Tyndall. |
The kick ass weather I experienced had absolutely everything to do with why I cherished my time up in Tyndall Regional Park. I am pleased to report I found only a slight scunge of toilet paper and no litter or evidence of humans being dickheads in these untouched surroundings.
Early morning dip in a pristine tarn. |
Mt Tyndall trig. |
View down into Lake Plimsoll from Mt Tyndall. |
FUTURE PLANS FOR THE TYNDALL REGION:
Get in before the current right wing shithead Tasmanian State government fucks it all up and pushes through with intentions to market these public lands to weak, cashed up insta-face-page attention seeking wannabe's and establishes huts and cuts benched trails through nearby fragile landscape.
Parks and Wildlife Next Iconic Walk link
I truly hope this doesn't happen. There are enough cushy options in Tasmania to entice the unthinking and unadventurous twats who buy into this shit.
Rant over.